The spaces in our homes are often defined by the activities that are important to us. We have spaces for eating, sleeping, playing, and cooking, and perhaps other spaces for sewing, writing, reading, painting, or model train building.
We label the rooms of our homes by what we do in them – dining, living, entertaining – or the objects we use in them – beds, TVs, baths. Do we have spaces in our homes that we create to just be in them?
A meditation space gives you a place in your home that is dedicated to silence and stillness.
Spending some time in stillness each day gives us a chance to practice paying attention to our own experience. This is what allows us to then bring intentional awareness to our activities throughout the day. Our formal meditation sessions are the trainings — the workouts — that allow us to cultivate that awareness, and ultimately be more present in our own lives.
Why Create a Meditation Space?
When we walk past our desk, we may be reminded to pay bills. When we walk past the refrigerator, we may be reminded to take something out for dinner. A meditation space reminds us of our intention to practice stillness.
You don’t have to believe in Feng Shui to know that we are powerfully influenced by our surroundings. If during the day we use our bedroom for noisy activities like watching TV or working out, we may find it difficult to rest in that same space in the evening. Similarly, we might have trouble with our mindfulness practice if we try to cultivate stillness in an area of our home associated with activity and energy.
How to Create Your Meditation Space
1. Determine the purpose of your space.
This article about creating a meditation space from Gaiam Life advises us start by thinking about the purpose of the space. Is it to have a private place for meditation, or to have shared space with others? Is it to create a serene feeling in your home, or for you to seek inner calm and clarity? The purpose of your space will help you determine where it should be and what you will need.
2. Find a space.
You don’t need an entire room for meditation – a corner of a room will do. You could also use an empty, spacious closet {if you have one!}. Based on the purpose of your space, you could make it in a main area of your house, or simply in an empty corner. You could even make one in your backyard or garden.
3. Decorate your space.
Next, consider what images or objects will fit the purpose of your space. It’s generally recommended to go for a minimalist approach to decorating your meditation area, in order to avoid distractions. My space has images of the Buddha, candles, and 
bowls. You might want to incorporate flowers, cushions and pillows, or special lights. I like having blankets and pillows to create a sense of softness. Choose something that is meaningful to you and sets this area of your home apart.
The Buddha statue that adorns my space is my favorite image of the Buddha: the “Earth Touching Buddha.” The Buddha sits in his dignified state of meditation, but his right hand is touching the earth. Even after attaining Enlightenment, the Buddha remained of this world and lived in this world. It’s my reminder that we are ALL living Buddhas. (You can find other Buddha statues here).
4. Supply your space.
You don’t really need anything to meditate besides your body and breath. But if you use a meditation pillow and cushion, or a singing bowl, or beads in your practice you could display them. Some people also choose to have an “altar” or a table, perhaps decorated with a scarf. It’s helpful to have a focal point to rest your attention on, like a statue, a candle, or a piece of art.
My First Buddha Doll (from Buddha Groove)
We keep the kids’ mind jars on the shelves below the table, as they use this space as their “calm down area.” My daughter keeps her meditation cards from Thich Nhat Hanh’s Planting Seeds at the table, too. I also have a singing bowl – this is useful when I am practicing with my children. We do a few minutes of mindful breathing or mindful listening. To help them focus their attention, we ring the bowl and breathe silently until we can no longer hear even a trace of the sound. (This My First Buddha doll is also in our meditation space — it’s cuddly and makes a soft chime/bell noise when it is moved).
5. Make your space sacred.
By “sacred,” I don’t mean religious or spiritual {although you certainly could make it that if it’s part of your practice}. I mean sacred as in the opposite of mundane. You should associate this area of your home with stillness, with special time for yourself or your family that is devoted to your practice. We only use this space for rest, yoga, meditation, or quiet time. My children know that the decorations are not toys. This is an area of the house they can come to when they need some quiet time alone.
My favorite singing bowl (from Buddha Groove)
You may want to make your space visible. For some, a meditation area may be private, but I love that my space is in the front of our home. I love that this is my view as I sit and write at my desk. It is a call to mindfulness.
Additional Resources for Creating Meditation Spaces
This post at Inspired Living by Keri Murphy describes creating a stylish meditation space, and has a short video.
This article from The Art of Living has more advice about choosing a space in your home, as well as creating a meditation space in your office.
For some not-very-realistic-for-your-average-middle-class-home inspiration, check out the gorgeous meditation rooms here!
This post on Design Sponge has a great list of possible items to include in your space.
Find a few more things to consider in this article, Create a Meditation Space at Home from Mother Earth Living.
You can also visit my Meditation Spaces and Starting a Meditation Practice boards on Pinterest.
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Perhaps we can think of our meditation space in our home as our being room.
It’s a place to center ourselves before venturing out for our busy days. And it’s a safe and sacred retreat to which we return, day after day. It calls us to our practice, to literally re-treat ourselves each day to stillness and mindfulness.
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