The beauty of meditation is that it can be practiced at any time of any day. But depending on your specific intention, the benefits of guided meditation can be more profound during different day parts.
This is the final installment of a four-part series covering meditation’s advantages at different times throughout the day and week. So far, we’ve covered different day parts –morning, mid-day and evening. In part four, we’ll discuss the benefits of regular meditation on the weekend. More important than when is how often when committing to a meditation routine, so we hope you’ll discover your ideal time to make consistent practice part of your schedule.
How is the weekend any different?
Meditating at different times during a single day has distinct advantages depending on your intention. If work stresses you out, a morning or mid-day meditation session can help you find your center. If you’re restless late at night, the early evening can be a good time to prep your body and mind for sleep.
For most of us, the weekend is a whole different animal, with its own flow. We often don’t consider our weekend activities in terms of “goals,” but many of them satisfy key wants that make us happy: get more rest, spend time with family and friends, be more culturally engaged, etc. Meditation can help enhance experiences we already view as positive, while putting us on a path to achieving mindfulness during other days as well.
All the time in the world
Weekends are where alarms are cast aside and the act of doing “nothing” can extend for hours. In other words, you have plenty of time to fit in a guided meditation session. If time out of a busy workday doesn’t work for you, then try it on a lazy weekend afternoon. Or morning. Or whenever is most convenient for you.
That’s the point of meditation, after all – to give you the tools that help you live a mindful life during all other hours of the day.
You may also find that meditation fits right into your schedule of weekend relaxation.
The real social lubricant
Making plans can be stressful. You probably know the feeling – secretly hoping other people cancel so you don’t have to be the one to do it. As much as we love the people closest to us, we often wear our tough weeks right on our faces once Friday and Saturday nights come along. No one should see us in that condition if they’re trying to have a good time, right?
Regular meditation practice will help flip the script in your own mind and ease the tension you may associate with social functions. First of all, it helps you let go of lingering anxiety from the work week and center yourself in the moment you’re in (which is to say, not at work, so this is a good thing!). It also turns your empathy up a notch, making you a better listener by turning your mind’s focus outward to others instead of inward to your own thoughts and hangups. You’ll make others feel more valued and become a better friend in the process, which means you’ll be a hit at parties from now on.
It’s the little things
Let’s be real – meditation doesn’t have any additional magical properties when performed on the weekend. It’s the same act of focusing on your breath, being in tune with your body and letting thoughts pass without judgment. Meditation’s power is in your persistence, and practicing on the weekend can help give you discipline when you might not realize you need it.
For instance: your bedtime probably fluctuates on the weekend. The benefits of meditation for sleep include helping you regulate your bedtime so you’re more well rested. Again, not just on the weekends, but every night.
Meditation can also help you recognize and let go of those Sunday night anxieties that often rear their ugly heads. You’ll be better prepared for the future specifically because you’ll worry about it less. Mindfulness is having the tools to handle the space between stimulus and response, so that you will have the power to approach your week with calm and poise.
For novice meditators, the weekend represents a perfect opportunity to start moving toward mindful living. For experienced practitioners, what better time to reconnect with yourself and incorporate more regular meditation into your routine. See what weekend meditation opens up for you.