How to Create a Meditation Space at Home (and Start Meditating)
Excerpted from a blog post by Cassandra Rosas. Read the full post on Porch.com.
We all need to take a moment of the day to make a pause and release all the stress that we accumulate in our daily lives. A great way to do this is by introducing a meditation practice into our schedules; for that purpose, it would be ideal to have a designated space at home that you use only for meditation.
There are a few things that you should consider in terms of creating the ideal space to support relaxation, focus, and concentration during meditation. If you want to know more about this, continue reading because we gathered some great tips and advice from the experts to achieve this vibe at home and succeed in your meditation practice.
Q: What do you suggest for setting up a meditation space at home?
A: From Lifestyle Designer Kiran Shing:
Determine the purpose of your space.
What is your space’s purpose? Is it to have a private place for meditation or to have a shared room with others? Is it to create a serene feeling in your home or for you to seek inner calm and clarity? The purpose of your space will help you determine where it should be and what you will need.
Find a space.
A meditation space is a useful tool in anyone’s practice. It’s somewhere you can go when you’re feeling strong emotions and need somewhere to cool off, a place where you can “find yourself” daily, and just somewhere important for practice in general.
You don’t need an entire room for meditation – a corner of a room will do. You could also use an empty, spacious closet (if you have one!). Based on the purpose of your space, you could have it in a main area of your house, in the corner of your bedroom, or even in your backyard or garden.
Decorate your space.
Gather your sacred items. My suggestion here is to select one thing for each of the five senses plus something from nature:
Smell – Incense is traditional, but a candle or essential oil works well too. Perhaps you bring a rose in one day as you meditate on your love of nature.
Sound – A simple meditation bell, peaceful meditation music, Tibetan singing bowl, or the audio to a guided meditation.
Touch – Mala beads work nicely as a touchstone to focus on, during your meditation.
Sight – Select a meaningful picture or statue of a symbol, image, guru, or saint of your choosing. Again, select something or someone that inspires you.
Taste – A glass of water or a cup of tea nearby is a nice addition to your daily meditation ritual.
Nature – Don’t forget to include something from nature as one of your sacred items.
What images or objects will fit the purpose of your space? Most people recommend a minimalist approach to decorate a meditation area in order to avoid distractions.
My space has a Buddha statue, candles, and a plant. You might want to incorporate flowers, cushions, and pillows, or special lights. I like having blankets and pillows to create a sense of softness. Choose something that is meaningful to you and sets this area of your home apart.
Supply your space.
You don’t really need anything to meditate besides your body and breath. But if you use a meditation pillow and cushion, a singing bowl, or beads in your practice, you could display them.
Make your space sacred.
By “sacred,” I don’t mean religious or spiritual (although you certainly could if it’s part of your practice). I mean sacred as in the opposite of mundane. You should associate this area of your home with stillness and special time for yourself or your family that is devoted to your practice.
Sit.
Now, sit in your space and try it out. Not comfortable yet? Add as many cushions, pillows, and blankets as necessary. (Some teachers advise otherwise, but I feel that you should do whatever you can to be comfortable.)
Time.
Set a dedicated time for meditation and do everything in your power to stick to it. Don’t schedule anything on top of this time; you need to act like it’s important, even if you’re just starting out.
Comfortable clothing.
Wear something comfortable. The last thing you want to do is to be wearing skinny jeans and a tight top.
Q: Which practices can calm the mind to help a beginner with meditation?
A: From Toby Sola of Brightmind:
It’s actually a common misconception that the goal of meditation is to calm the mind. There are some specific practices where this is the goal, but most meditation techniques do not train this trait. In most meditation techniques, you fully allow thoughts to arise and pass without push or pull. For example, if you’re focusing on your breathing and you experience a burst of mental talk, the instruction would be to allow the mental talk to arise, but gently move the spotlight of your attention back to the breath. As you focus on the breath, the mental talk can keep chattering away, but in the background. In the foreground of your awareness is the breath.
There are even some techniques that involve focusing on thoughts as they arise. So if you’re experiencing thoughts, great, that’s something to focus on.
All this being said, there’s another way to interpret “calming the mind”. This alternative interpretation might sound something like, “whether you’re experiencing thoughts or not, calming the mind means an overall softening around your experience”. Softening/accepting your experience absolutely is a goal of most meditation techniques.
There are many practices that might help a beginner soften the mind. Here are some examples: take a few deep breaths, put a slight smile on your face, and maintain global relaxation over your whole body. These three practices can help your mind soften, which leads to a pervading sense of calm. Try taking deep breaths, smiling or relaxing your body during your next meditation and see for yourself.
Q: How do you suggest for a beginner to start a meditation practice and what should be avoided?
A: From WITHIN Meditation Cofounder Hannah Knapp:
There are two things that really help: starting with a brief daily meditation and having real people you can talk to about meditating.
If you decide that, starting tomorrow, you’re going to wake up at 6 am every day and meditate for 30 minutes before you do anything else, I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll stop after just a few days. Instead, I’d encourage you to honestly ask yourself, “How long can I truly commit to meditating every day?” Maybe the answer is five minutes; maybe it’s just five breaths. The length of time doesn’t matter. The important thing is for it to be realistic. Then, meditate for that length of time right after something else that you always do each day – for example, after you’ve brushed your teeth in the morning. You know you’re going to brush your teeth each day, so you can connect your new meditation habit to that routine. That makes it much more likely that you’ll actually do it.
Then, find a group and a teacher you can practice with and talk to about what’s happening when you meditate. The number one reason people stop meditating is because they think they’re doing it wrong or it’s not working. If you can share your experience, ask questions, and get insight into what’s going on, you’re much less likely to give up. That’s why we started WITHIN Meditation – there’s Q&A during every online class to help you stick with your meditation practice.