7 Steps to Creating your Sacred Meditation Space

When you first start practicing meditation you may feel a certain resistance to the practises or put up barriers to avoid committing the time to meditating.

One of the ways I overcame this in the early days (and I still use it today) is to have a specific meditation space that I go to everyday. I light a candle and then sit ready to meditate – sometime for only 5 minutes, other days for 10 minutes and sometimes for an hour. Whatever works for me on that day. But, everyday, without fail, I will sit there for a minimum of 5 minutes. It shows my commitment to the practise and to the time I have given to myself.

Just like you go to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, or the bathroom to brush your teeth – I find that the ritual of going to a specific space to meditate gives me a point of focus that really helps with my practise and shows that I am honouring my intention to meditate.

One of my students described her spaces as a “docking station”! She goes there to “plug herself in” to meditate. I thought that was a wonderful way to describe what she did to get in to the right headspace to meditate. Whatever works for you!

So let’s begin!

1) Decide where you want to have your meditation space. You may need to do a bit of rearranging of furniture and things. The space does not have to be very large. A small corner in your bedroom or living space. It doesn’t really matter – as long as it feels right for you. It needs to be somewhere you will be able to sit without getting interrupted or disturbed by people walking past you all the time.

2) Clean the space thoroughly – creating a space that has been cleared of negative energies and any dirt or dust.

3) Place a small, low table/trunk/box in the space with a chair or cushion in front of it. You need to be comfortable, so how you sit and what you sit on is important. You may want to cover the table with a beautiful scarf or cloth.

4) Make sure there is soft lighting, or natural lighting – nothing too harsh.

5) Now on the table you can put a variety of things. Have a look at the list below and see what works for you. You don’t have to put everything there at once. Just add to it as and when you want to and as you come across things that you think will be a good, positive addition to the space. I’m always adding things to my meditation space!

  • Candles
  • Small plants or flowers
  • Incense
  • Fruit
  • Symbols of nature – stones, shells
  • Figures/Images of deities/spiritual teachers
  • Spiritual texts
  • Bowl of water

6) Keep the space personal to you. Add to it anything you feel is precious to you, that inspires you, creates positive energy and helps focus you.

7) Finally, allow the space to evolve over time. You may add to it and also remove things that are no longer serving you or your practise. Use the space as place to go to to remind you to live mindfully and give you the time and space to practise your meditation.

Until next time – Be Mindful, Be Happy!

Shalini

 

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