If you’re looking to get started with meditation, it helps to have a designated area for practicing calming meditation.
When you’re juggling work deadlines, family obligations, and a stressful news cycle, it’s important to create a calming headspace to counteract the chaos.
Research suggests a meditation practice is associated with “a myriad of health benefits” — including stress relief, decreased anxiety, pain management, improved focus, and cardiovascular benefits.
Here are six simple tips for creating a meditation space at home.
1. Pick a Spot for Your Calming Meditation
Identify a quiet area of your home where you can relax and focus without being distracted by excessive noise or chaos.
It could be a guest room, a cozy nook in the living room, or even an outdoor meditation space in your backyard.
2. Adorn Your Space
Make your meditation space a sanctuary with relics and decor that add to an overall relaxing ambience, suggests Sherrell Moore-Tucker, MS, E-RYT-200, YACEP, CNHP, MHFA, and iRest® Level 1 Meditation Teacher.
Need ideas?
Here are a few items that can make your space more comfortable and help you get into the right mindset:
- poufs, cushions, or a meditation pillow
- fluffy rugs
- soft blankets
- relaxing scents like lavender-scented candles or incense
- soft or dimmable lighting
- anything else that helps you feel like you’re in your own personal oasis
3. Set the Temperature
Consider the “warmth or coolness in the atmosphere in your meditation space,” suggests Moore-Tucker.
Add a fan (if it’s not distracting or too noisy) to keep you cool, or a space heater to keep you cozy.
4. Invest In Plants
Not only does greenery invite nature into your home, but research suggests some houseplants may even help to purify the air.
Try snake plants, hanging pothos, colorful orchids, or any other plant you love.
5. Keep It Tidy
“A meditation space is needed for those establishing a consistent practice where presence, stillness, and awareness can be cultivated with minimum distractions,” Moore-Tucker says.
Clutter is the enemy of relaxation and stillness.
De-cluttering your space can have a stress-relieving effect, helping you feel happier and healthier.
Keep your space tidy and organized so you can focus on your breath instead of the mess!
6. Stick With the Essentials
If you don’t have much space (if you live in a small apartment, for example), pick a corner and stick with a few basic pieces to help center you — like a cushion, some candles, and a piece of artwork for the wall.
If adding separation is helpful for you, you can use a room divider, teepee, or canopy to create a more defined space for your practice.
Get Inspired By These Creative Calming Meditation Spaces
Need meditation space ideas? Peruse these images for design inspiration.
Plants, floor cushions, and a salt lamp create a warm space.
Singing bowls and crystals help create a calming space. (The cup of golden milk doesn’t hurt, either!)
Creating an outdoor meditation space on a porch or balcony is simple with a few well-chosen cushions, lamps, and flowers.
From the Team Beachbody Blog
