Expert Interior Design Tips to Meditate at Home
Meditation is a powerful tool that can help you reduce stress, relieve anxiety, enhance self-awareness, and so much more. While meditation can be done at any time, in any place, creating a dedicated area at home can make the practice even more special. But how do you actually go about creating this place of stillness?
To help you get started, we had meditation and wellness experts share their best tips for finding the right spot, which supplies to put in it, and some simple design tips to pull the meditation space together.
Listen to your self.
Invite your body’s wisdom to choose the environment that will most support your sitting practice. As you walk through your home notice how your body responds to the different rooms. Trust you’ve found the room when the “Ah-ha” feeling arises and your body relaxes. — Ann-Marie McKelvey, Mindfulness Coaching School
Set an intention for your space.
Do you need a moment of calm in your day, a moment of quiet, or a moment to improve your focus? Remember that cleanliness is ideal. Declutter your nook and welcome back in the necessities. These can include a comfortable place to sit, colors that support your vision (blue is calm, red is energizing), and dim lighting to shift focus to the light within.
Incense, candles, music and sentimental objects (photos, figurines, etc.) activate more of your sensory neurons; use these with awareness. — Urban Wellness Magazine
Make it A daily habit.
Bathtubs can offer built-in privacy for peaceful moments at the end of a long day. Consider bringing candles, incense, and healing salts to your tub for a fully embodied meditation. Notice the temperatures, textures, smells, and sounds of your moment-to-moment experience. — Sean Fargo, Mindfulness Exercises
Make It Smell Good.
Incorporate natural scents that allow you to focus more readily on the “present.” Scents like eucalyptus, rosemary, citrus, and mints are invigorating, clearing, and allow you to remain mindful. Scent will ground you in your meditation quicker than any other sense. — Brenda Stansfield, Clear My Head
Reduce Electricity.
Find a place that naturally creates a sense of peace and calm, ideally away from distractions like electronics, televisions, speakers, etc. You could choose a dedicated room, like a den or extra bedroom to meditate — these places tend to be quieter and less associated with sleeping, entertainment, or excitement. Or you could choose a location, even the backyard, that has a view of nature. — Scott Moore Yoga
use meaningful things.
My favorite cozy blanket, a special candle, and a beautiful palm stone are three things that set me up to meditate at home more regularly. I can create a space for meditation anywhere with these few important items. Whether that’s on a chair in my bedroom, on my couch, or even in my backyard. I can even take my meditation “space” with me when I travel. — Nicole Bianchi, SF Advanced Health
Keep it authentic.
Too often we get caught up in what we think it should look or be like, when it may be as simple as your favorite chair located in a cozy spot where the morning light pours in. — Kelsy Timas, Guiding Wellness Institute
Use deep breathing.
For an optimized relaxation response, use deep breathing as a guide for settling into your own inner self. Extending your exhale slightly longer than a deep inhale will both calm the body and the mind to find rest in your home or chosen location. — Inanna Hall, Harmony Health Massage & Wellness Spa
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Photos: Elly Fairytale , Zakaria Boumliha, Burst, Daria Shevtsova Dominika Roseclay
Words: Emily Huddleston
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