Creating a Place to Meditate

Creating a Place to Meditate
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One of the wonderful things about meditation is that you can meditate just about anywhere. You can do it on the daily commute to work, in the bath, or even in the queue for the supermarket checkout. If you can, there are also a few good reasons why it’s wonderful to create your own special space reserved exclusively for meditation.

4 good reasons for having your own meditation den

● You’ll be much less likely to skip a session when you know that your own dedicated palace of the soul is waiting for you.

● In stressful moments throughout the day, you’ll feel instantly calmer when you picture your meditation den in your mind’s eye.

● Once you’ve meditated there a few times, you’ll find it easier to slip into meditation mode as soon as you settle down in your meditation area.

● Every time you pass the meditation space it will act as a reminder to do your meditations.

A few ground-rules

● Keep things simple. Avoid falling into the trap of seeing your meditation space as a style statement or status symbol. That really would be missing the point. A soft rug or yoga mat screened from the rest of the room by a white sheet, with a large comfortable cushion is probably all you need.

● Never use your meditation space for storage or other non-spiritual activities. It should be reserved for meditation, yoga, praying or quiet contemplation. If you start dumping your grocery bags or laundry there, the space you have created will quickly turn into just another part of your general living area.

● Keep the area free from any distracting electronic devices except the one you use to listen to your guided meditations.

Try these ideas

Your meditation space needs to be somewhere where you can truly imagine experiencing a spiritual awakening. It could occupy an entire room, be in a small corner of your room, or be in the garden, balcony or out on the deck. Take inspiration from natural, simple designs and materials or mood-enhancing materials and colours. You may like the idea of placing a statue or picture of something meaningful to you in your meditation den. A chime or bell to sound at the start and end of your meditation is a good idea, as are candles, plants or incense sticks.

If the space is indoors, a window overlooking a natural landscape would be wonderful. For many of us that is an impossible ideal, but a large poster on the wall of trees, mountains, spiritual writings or whatever makes you feel calm and happy might be a highly satisfactory substitute.

If your meditation space is outdoors, then make sure it’s a sheltered spot where you won’t feel overlooked or self-conscious. If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere warm enough to meditate regularly outside, creating a covered pergola or bower and adding plants, scatter cushions and maybe a wind-chime will make a delightful retreat from the world in which you can relax and nourish your inner spirit. You will take special pleasure in tending the plants regularly and keeping this part of your outside space special.

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