Start by choosing a quiet place for your guided morning meditation. Ideally, your meditation space should only have natural sunlight rather than bright or fluorescent lighting. 

Allocate a suitable time for your morning meditation, preferably the same time each day and shortly after you wake up. Wear loose, comfortable clothes and do your meditation from a seated position. 

To set the tone for your guided meditation in the morning, choose a peaceful sound to wake you up, think chimes rather than loud, jangly alarms. Avoid light-emitting displays on your alarm clock or smartphone, which disturbs your sleep and circadian rhythms.

You can also choose to wake up to relaxation music. 

At first, you might want to start with a one-minute morning meditation and build up to a ten-minute meditation. A short guided meditation is best for beginners and can prevent you from feeling overwhelmed by the process.

Start your meditation practice with five to seven long, slow deep breaths to release all the tension in your body.  

Use an affirmation such as “I am safe”. “I am enough” or “I am one with God”. Using affirmations can help you create positive energy before you begin. Follow this with a prayer of gratitude.

Decide on a visualization or beautiful image to use in your meditation. For a Christian-themed meditation, choose an image of Jesus or key characters in Bible stories. 

Choose a piece of Scripture, such as Psalm 5:3 which says, “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” This sets you up to make your morning meditation a dialog with God.

There are many benefits to meditation, including reduced stress, anxiety, and depression, and the potential for pain management. 

Regular meditation can give you a feeling of peace and tranquility, improve your self-awareness, confidence, and overall well-being. It can also teach you how to relax. 

The perfect guided morning meditation can prime you for the day’s activities by sharpening your focus and attention for the whole day. It may also calm the internal chatter in your head.

Positive affirmations can keep you on track throughout your day, while morning meditation increases mindfulness. You learn to pay attention to new stimuli in your environment while remaining in the present moment.

Morning meditation improves both your physical and mental health. There's scientific evidence showing that meditation helps shrink the amygdala — the part of the brain which detects threats to our safety.

Neuroscientists have found that regular morning meditation practice produces neuroplastic improvements to the brain. This is where the brain forms new connections, which can repair the brain from chronic stress, trauma, or even following brain injury.

Morning meditation helps you connect better with others as well as yourself. When you infuse a Christian perspective into your morning meditation, you're strengthening your relationship with God. 

Consider your morning meditation an essential part of your self-care routine. It also teaches you healthy self-love because you are looking after yourself with this grounding morning ritual.

Modern Christians may focus their morning meditation on a dialog with Jesus. 

Psalm 143:8 says, “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you, I entrust my life.”

Biblical meditation involves more than silent prayer. You might be considering aspects of your faith or simply using a Christian perspective to discover what your role is in God’s world. 

If you are struggling with self-doubt and anxiety, find a Bible passage that speaks directly to the way you feel. Make that Bible verse your mantra for that day. You could select a week’s worth of Bible verses for use over the next seven days. 

Read over your chosen Bible verse, close your eyes and, in a seated position, let your mind focus on those words and their meaning. 

Remember that God knows you, he understands your worries and anxieties. Offer a prayer to God, asking for his help and for strength during challenging times.

Remember the words of Matthew 6:25-34, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

The health benefits of meditation are the same regardless of what time of day you choose for your daily meditation. 

Following a morning meditation routine is a powerful tool to prime yourself for the day ahead. You can consider it a valuable part of your self-care routine.

When you include a Christian theme into your morning meditation, you'll enjoy the benefits of a closer relationship with Christ. 

Meditation can be a powerful tool to manage anxiety. Remember, when you are feeling worried about life, recall the assurances of 1 Peter 5:7, who says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

If you want to learn more about living your best life as a Christian, download the pray.com app — for daily prayer, bedtime Bible stories, and more — in the Google Play and Apple Store.