in: Intentional Living

Creating the Ultimate Meditation Room

Looking to make a space perfect for meditating and relaxing but not sure how? Jane Blanchard gives her tips on creating the ultimate meditation room for you.


Creating a meditation room, or designating a space as your meditation room, comes with many personal considerations. Unlike other rooms in a home, a meditation room is uniquely yours. Because of that, most generic ideas may not work for you, but they can (at least) give you a place to start.

Here’s how you can create the ultimate meditation room.

Establish Why You’re Creating a Meditation Room

First things first: know why you need one of these rooms. Despite what many believe, meditation doesn’t serve one single purpose. Therefore, a meditation room doesn’t have to serve a single purpose. The truth is, you can meditate anywhere, but that doesn’t mean that anywhere is ideal to meditation.

A meditation room is a place of calm, a place to unwind, a place to relieve stress. A meditation room is a place to relax. It’s also a place to think and ponder your weighty thoughts. And yes, it’s definitely a place where you can literally meditate in the traditional sense of the word.

But your meditation space can also serve as your yoga room, your tearoom or just a quiet space for you to retreat to. If you’re religious or spiritual, it can serve as the place to study texts or scriptures; a place for getting in touch with your inner or outer deity.

See? It’s not just one thing, it can serve multiple purposes for you if you so choose.

Find (or Make) a Space

Everybody’s situation is a different one. You will know best what kind of space you need for your meditation room. If you have a spare bedroom or a large closet, you can use these spaces. If you don’t have space, don’t worry, you can make a space.

Partitioning a room can give you the space you need. Using a moving screen or some other partition can help. You can get creative with your approach. Your “room” doesn’t even have to be a literal room. It can be the area right in front of the sliding door that leads to your backyard. It can be a partitioned area right in front of your favorite window.

It doesn’t even have to be inside the house! You can turn a garage or a shed into your ultimate meditation room. You can go through a period of trial and error just by sitting quietly in a few different places and seeing how you feel.

Choose Your Theme

Now, you don’t need a theme for your meditation room, but it can help you to get into the proper state of mind. Choosing a theme can also help you decide on other aspects of your room—making your meditation room just right for you.

What relaxes you? Are there particular colors that sooth you? You can use those colors. If you can’t paint the room with that color scheme, you can decorate it. Minimalism is key, but it doesn’t mean that you have to have a barren room devoid of anything but the barest of necessities.

What kind of lighting soothes you? You can incorporate soft lighting or natural light in your meditation space. Some people enjoy candles. Having windows or other ways to see outside can help, but it’s not necessary. You should avoid fluorescent lights and incandescent bulbs unless you have a way to shade them or hide them.

How do you like to sit? No matter what pose you use to meditate in, you should feel comfortable. Using pillows or mats in your meditation space will help with that. There are actually meditation cushions specifically for this purpose.

Can you tie it all together? Here’s how a theme can help you most. For example, you may find the most relaxing thing for you are sights and sounds reminiscent of a winter scene from your youth. You can use blues and whites in your meditation room to invoke that scene. You can use soft lights and pillows that look like they belong.

Accessorize Your Room

In the end, it’s all up to you and the way you meditate or ruminate. Some people enjoy incense or images to focus on. Some people like a bare room with nothing that can possibly interrupt their process.

  • You may want a mirror so that you can reflect on your reflection
  • Add flowers or a means to play meditative music
  • Gather things from nature like a rock that draws your eye or a leaf that catches your attention

You can do all of these things. Just like with finding a space, you should experiment to see what works for you. Just remember to avoid clutter. The purpose isn’t to stuff the room or space with these things. It’s to find the very specific things that do the most for you.

Something for the Senses

All of these things should serve to please your senses. Your ultimate mediation room should incorporate something for each of them. Well, it’s not necessary, do what’s right for you, but if you don’t know where to start, start with your senses.

  • Sounds have definite effects on the mind. Try incorporating soothing sounds into your meditation sessions.
  • What you see can have a profound effect on you. Try adding an image or a single item that’s pleasing to your eye.
  • The “therapy” part of aromatherapy is there for a reason. Smells can calm you, jog your brain, relax you, and many other things.
  • Having something to lay your hands on can help. Many people like prayer beads, or mala.
  • You probably shouldn’t spend time eating in your meditation room, unless it’s a part of your particular type of meditation. It’s okay to introduce taste, but if not, focus on the natural taste inside your mouth.

All of these things can individually serve as a focus for your meditation. Or, you can use combinations of them. When putting together your meditation room, try a few different things out to see what helps you focus and get into your zone.

Let Your Feelings Guide You

There’s no ultimate meditation room that can please everybody. Not even everybody practices similar forms of meditation. It’s all about feeling things out and letting those feelings guide you. If something doesn’t work, or isn’t working, try something new.

 

Click here to get more meditation room ideas from Modernize.com

[image: via Jason Tester Guerrilla Future on Flickr]


About the Author

jane-blanchard

 

Jane Blanchard is a home design geek and blogger.

About the Author:

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