How to Make Morning Meditation a Lasting Habit

As a lifelong night owl, early mornings used to feel impossible. Sleep science tells us that our circadian rhythms are primarily biological, and that you can't turn a night owl into a morning lark (or vice versa). But is that really set in stone?

According to Health and Wellness Professor and Coach Kate Hardy: 

• 40% of people are natural larks (early birds).
• 30% are night owls (constantly sleep-deprived in a world that praises early risers).
• 30% fall somewhere in between.

So, is it possible to become a morning person?

And by that, I don’t mean a grumpy one who’s forced to get up early — but the kind who actually enjoys starting the day early, even on weekends?

There are now over 10,000 scientific papers supporting the importance of sleep regularity and quality. My understanding is that it’s complicated—and the answer from modern neuroscience is yes, it is possible.

Thanks to neuroplasticity, our brains are constantly adapting and learning. We can leverage that by doing what Dr. Jud Brewer calls “updating the reward value in our brain.”

For example:

• Existing behavior: I hit the snooze button to get 15 more minutes of sleep (immediate reward and relief). Even though I may feel rushed later and lose time for my morning routine (no reward, delayed stress).
• New rewarding behavior: when I get up earlier, I have more energy, feel less stressed, and my day goes better. I want to do it again because it feels rewarding.

The secret is to create a morning routine that feels rewarding. Whether it’s meditation, yoga, or journaling, the key is to find what you enjoy and what leaves you feeling content, joyful, or energized.

Imagine waking up not stressed or dreading the alarm, but feeling calm, content, and excited for the new day. What would that mean to you?

As a former night owl who now loves early mornings, I’m here to share tips and strategies to help anyone make the shift. You don’t need to rely on sheer willpower; instead, let's discover real enjoyment in the process.

My “Why” Behind Early Mornings

Sunrise at Mount Olympus, Washington State - 7,980 feet

What have I learned about myself and my reason for an early morning ritual? It is a powerful mindset tool that helps me move from old, deficit-based thinking to a space of unrushed potential and limitless possibility. Early mornings let me practice that powerful shift, supporting everything I do during the day.

When I get up an hour earlier than I have to, it feels incredibly empowering. I get a whole hour to do whatever energizes and nourishes me, building my mindset before the day officially begins with its endless to-dos, meetings, and responsibilities.

That first hour at dawn feels magical — and it’s just for me. 

I’ve been collecting photos of my “shades of dawn” that remind me to notice the fleeting beauty of those 10–15 golden minutes each morning. I currently have about 50 photos in my morning glory collection. This one is from the summit of Haleakalā Volcano in Maui, which is 10,000 ft. high and considered a sacred place of the gods. I can see why.

Using Morning Meditation to Access Genius Zone 

Early morning practice is a fantastic mindset-shift tool for moving from survival mode to an abundance state, allowing us to feel and function at our optimal level. 

From scarcity and deficit-based thinking — “I’m already behind, I have no time, I’ve got to hurry” — to a calm, time-rich awareness: “I can move at my own pace, explore projects, and allow new ideas to arise.”

That feeling of being time-rich extends to feeling resource-rich, bandwidth-rich, and capacity-rich. It’s a bodily shift from survival thinking — “I’m overwhelmed the minute I open my eyes” — to empowerment: “I have enough time and energy to handle my priorities and enjoy my day. I can say no to things that deplete me.”

I once heard that to have genius ideas or insights, you first need to create space for them to come in. When you’re constantly busy, that space simply doesn’t exist - it's crammed with To-Dos. Early mornings have become my personal “genius zone” — and I invite you to create your own.

The Science-Backed Benefits of Morning Meditation

Through my years of practice, I’ve learned that morning meditation is far more than just another item on your to-do list: it’s backed by modern science and practiced by Olympic athletes, successful entrepreneurs, and people in recovery alike.

As a meditation guide, I’ve seen these benefits firsthand in my students, and research continues to validate what practitioners have known for centuries.

Clinical studies have shown that starting your day with meditation strengthens the brain areas that support focus, calm, and memory (prefrontal cortex, hippocampus) while quieting the part of the brain that triggers fear and stress (the amygdala).

Morning meditation is like setting the thermostat for your mind — it regulates your emotional temperature for the entire day.

Immediate Mental and Physical Benefits

When you meditate in the morning, your body undergoes several positive changes. Here are several evidence-backed benefits you can expect from a regular morning meditation practice:

• Reduces stress hormones like cortisol
• Gives energy and focus for the day ahead
• Strengens a sense of agency: feeling more in control of your day instead of just trying to catch up

• Lowers your heart rate

Long-Term Cognitive Benefits for Longevity

What excites me most about morning meditation is its lasting impact. Studies indicate that the benefits of meditation on attention can last for years. This suggests that your morning practice isn't just about feeling good in the moment – it's an investment in your long-term cognitive health.

Step-by-Step Guide to Starting Your Morning Routine

Photo: Sunrise at the easternmost point of Mexico, Punta Sur on Isla Mujeres, making it the first place in the country to see the sunrise.

Let me walk you through the exact process I use for my Morning Sync. Feel free to use and adapt for your own situation:

1. Create Your Personal Action Plan (PAP)

Before you start, set yourself up for success using a Personal Action Plan — a gold standard tool in health and wellness coaching that helps you translate intention into daily action.

Here’s a Personal Action Plan template with my examples that you can adapt for your Morning Sync—download it here for free.

Main Questions to Set Yourself Up for Success

• Long-term goal: What’s the bigger change you want (in sleep, energy, or mornings)?

• Short-term goal (SMART): What will you do this week? (When, where, how long, how often?)

• Why it matters: Why is this important to you right now?

• Weekly action step: What single action will you take to support the goal?

• Confidence ruler (1–10): How confident are you that you’ll do this?
  

• Barriers & Strategies: What might get in the way? What will you do for each barrier?

• Cues & environment: What reminder or setup will make it easier?

• Accountability: How will you track it (planner/app/partner) and check progress?

• Reward/celebration: How will you mark the win to reinforce the habit?

Example: “I will meditate 5 minutes every weekday at 7:00 a.m. in my quiet corner before checking my phone.”

Download your free Personal Action Plan template to create your Morning Sync.

2. Create Your Morning Practice Space

The purpose of setting up a dedicated space for your morning routine is that it works like a magnet pulling you out of bed as you enjoy being there physically and mentally. It doesn’t need to be big — even a corner of your bedroom or a spot by a window can become your sanctuary.

Include just a few essentials:

1. A cushion or chair for comfort (here's how to choose the right cushion)
2. A journal for reflections
3. A scent anchor (candle, incense, or diffuser)
4. A cozy blanket or shawl

For more inspiration for small-space meditation or yoga rooms, check out our DIY guide.

Key Takeaway: your meditation space becomes a magnet when it feels like a sanctuary — a place your mind associates with calm and renewal, where you'll naturally want to spend time each morning. Keeping it simple, enjoyable, and uncluttered invites a clear, calm mind that resists stress like Teflon.

3. Choose Your Favorite Practice

Pick 2-3 practices that align with your current needs or mood. Here are some options to try:

• A meditation from my Meditation Library 
• Your favorite teacher’s session
• A short track from Insight Timer’s vast collection of morning practices
• A morning yoga on YouTube (I like yoga with Travis or Adrian)

Even five minutes counts: consistency matters more than complexity.

4. Step Outside and Get Morning Sun 

As Dr. Andrew Huberman emphasizes, morning sunlight is essential for regulating your circadian rhythm and creating a feel-good hormonal balance: it increases cortisol to help you wake up, helps suppress melatonin to improve sleep later, and syncs your circadian cycle.

Within the first hour of waking, or right after your morning meditation, step outside for 5–10 minutes of natural light, ideally without sunglasses, to signal your brain that it’s daytime. To build habits using behavior science, combine this with a mindful walk and set your intention for the day.

Each morning, I take a 20-minute walk to the rugged coastline of our home surf break, Pescadero, and set an intention as I look out at the ocean: please help me see your will for me today, and give me the power to carry it out.

Photo: Dawn Patrol at Ocean Beach Pier, San Diego

5. Celebrate to Reinforce the Reward

At the end of your practice, mark the win. Say out loud or silently to yourself:

Good job! Well done! or “Win!”

Positive reinforcement teaches your brain that this new behavior feels good, helping it stick faster.

You can also try Mel Robbins’ High-Five Habit: give yourself a high-five in the mirror as a cue of self-trust and encouragement. That may feel awkward at first, but it becomes a self-leadership staple pretty quickly. Bonus points from the science: it involves three senses at once: vision, touch, and sound. The more senses we engage when learning new behavior, the more likely it is to stick.

6. Go Have Yourself a Wonderful Day

That's it! Celebrate with a nourishing breakfast or a freshly brewed cup of coffee —now with more time to enjoy them. Notice how different your day feels when you start aligned instead of rushed. 

That’s the quiet magic of the Morning Sync: it turns ordinary mornings into a daily act of self-leadership.

Books for Early Morning Inspiration

• The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod: A morning routine framework that combines silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, and journaling to transform your life before 8 a.m.

• The 5 AM Club: Own Your Morning by Robin Sharma: A story and a guide showing how waking up at 5 a.m. and following a structured “20/20/20” morning formula can boost your focus, creativity and happiness.

• The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron: This is the book I come back to often. While not strictly a morning routine book, it shares free-writing practices that have been part of my morning routine and do wonders for my writing.

Creating Accountability

When we’re accountable to someone else, we’re twice as likely to achieve our goals. I’ve found this to be true for myself, too.

Recently, there’s been a rise in morning accountability groups on messaging apps like Telegram and WhatsApp: communities where people support each other in building consistent morning routines.

If you’re interested in joining one, let me know! I’m thinking about starting a small accountability group for my readers and fellow practitioners. 

Sharing your journey with a friend, or tracking your practice in a journal or an app like Insight Timer, is an easy way to stay on track.

Another excellent option is working with an accountability coach. I recently tested a 1-on-1 digital coaching app GoalsWon to reinvigorate my early morning routine and make progress on goals that needed an extra push. It’s been surprisingly effective for rebuilding habits and maintaining momentum.

They offer a free trial, and you can read more about my results in my full review here. 

Final Thoughts

I used to believe I simply wasn’t a “morning person,” and had to force myself out of bed every day, hitting the snooze button until the very last minute. But I discovered that early mornings weren’t the problem; my relationship with them was. Once I stopped fighting the clock and started creating mornings that felt nourishing and meaningful, I fell in love with that special time.

If a lifelong night owl like me can learn to love the quiet magic of dawn, so can you. Start small, stay curious, and let your mornings become a sacred space to reconnect with yourself and fall in love.

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References:

1. Study: The Impact of Morning Meditation on Health Outcomes in Healthcare Workers
2. Hacking Your Brain’s “Reward System” to Change Habits by Dr Jud
3. 7-Year Follow-Up Shows Lasting Cognitive Gains From Meditation - UC Davis
4. Using Light for Health - Dr Huberman

About Author

Ollie is a California-based mindfulness instructor and health and wellness coach with a globally inspired practice. Formerly an e-commerce executive, she founded Meditate Mate and co-founded Inward VR, a mindfulness technology startup. Her down-to-earth approach to mental and physical wellness combines meditation, weightlifting, yoga, and surfing.