Creating an epic meditation room in your house doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult. In this post I’m going to share the 10 best tips on creating a personal getaway right in the comfort of your own home.
10 Tips That’ll Make Your Meditation Room The Best On The Block
1. Choose a Happy Space
You want your meditation time and space to feel like a sanctuary as much as possible so find a space in your home that makes you feel good.
I realize it isn’t always possible to block off a room so It doesn’t have to be a whole room, it can be a corner of a room or even next to your bed if you like.
Aim for a space that’s not cluttered and isn’t in the way of family members walking by.
The idea is to try to separate yourself from the world for a moment.
Try to have as much natural light as possible. Natural light has the benefit of being both soft and invigorating. It wakes you up and makes you feel more connected than fluorescent lighting ever could.
If you have a room that faces the sunset or sunrise then you get the benefit of watching this while you meditate in the morning or evening. That’s a great way to meditate!
Outdoor meditation spaces are also a popular option. If you have a porch, garden or deck then try meditating in this space. Find a place that helps you feel relaxed and connected to your environment. And try to keep away from distractions as much as you can.
2. Keep It Simple
Clutter stresses me out.
I’m not a good candidate for having a complicated and busy meditation room. It’s distracting to me and pulls me away from relaxation.
Your space doesn’t have to be complicated. If you can set up a whole meditation room, then by all means do. But if that’s not something you wish to do right now, then you don’t have to.
Your meditation space really only needs a few things:
- Something for you to sit on like a meditation cushion, chair, or mat.
- And a blanket in case you get cold.
You can spruce your space up with other touches if you’d like but don’t feel like you have to.
Meditation rooms are all about connecting with yourself and cultivating feelings of joy and gratitude. If having cool stuff in your meditation room makes you feel good then feel free to decorate till your heart’s content!
If you’re buying a cushion check out our guide to the most affordable and comfortable cushions.
3. Add Some Natural Touches
Adding something natural to your space such as a plant or even some decorative sticks can make the space feel more connected.
Many, including myself, believe that meditation is all about connecting with nature. The nature of your true self, the nature around you and the natural good feelings that are within you at all times.
Have you ever noticed how good you feel when you go hiking through a redwood forest?
That’s the same feeling you’re trying to capture with your space. Like you’ve just taken a trip to another place.
To promote those natural good feelings incorporate nature into your space.
I recommend some form of plant because plants are proven to help us relax and de-stress. But sticks, flowers, sand, rocks, water and other natural items are great additions to your space too.
4. Diffuse some oils
Our sense of smell is so powerful that just the whiff of a scent can immediately bring back memories from early childhood.
If you’ve never used essential oils before, now is a good time to start. Essential oils are naturally scented plant extracts that can have a therapeutic and calming effect on you.
I don’t like the typical reed diffusers or perfumed scents because they’re often chemical bombs that don’t have the same effects as high frequency oils.
You can get essential oil diffusers on amazon for very little money; like 20-30 bucks. The one I use is right here. It’s cheap and works very well. It completely fills the room with lots of great aroma.
Some Great Oils to Diffuse:
- Lavender– for a calming night time meditation. Lavender is very soothing and makes a great segue into bed time.
- Orange – orange is a bright and enthusiastic oil. Citrus oils like orange, lemon and grapefruit help you wake up so I diffuse them during morning meditations. Peppermint is also good for morning meditations. I’m just not a big fan of a peppermint scented house so I stick with the orange and other citrus oils.
- Black spruce & Frankincense – If you’re feeling energetically dispersed or stressed out, diffuse some black spruce and/or frankincense oils. If you have someone in your home who’s allergic to pine trees stay away from black spruce since it’s the smell of pine on steroids. Otherwise it’s a magnificent option for calming and grounding yourself.
Those are my favorites but you can diffuse any oil so experiment a little to see what you love.
5. Play Some Background Music
Having soft music can greatly affect our mood. The Journal of Positive Psychology found that people who listened to positive music while setting their intention boosted their happiness levels in just two weeks.
You probably don’t need a study to tell you that music can influence your mood though.
You’ve been to the sad movie with the sad music that’s brought you to tears right? And you’ve probably also experienced the opposite from upbeat and cheery music before too right?
Playing upbeat music or even nature sounds that encourage relaxation can have a big impact on the quality of your meditation and the feelings you feel in your meditation room.
Music can also help drown out the noise of things going on around you. If you live in a city with cars passing, trains, sirens, or good ol’ screaming neighbors, then music is your friend.
Try playing some soft piano or violin music during your next meditation. Piano and violin are good choices because they have the tendency to elicit emotion.
Emotion is what meditation is all about and the right music can help you cultivate those positive feelings faster. Stay away from music with lyrics since you’ll most likely get drawn into what the artist is saying.
Nature sounds are a great alternative if you’re not into the instrumental music. Make sure track is long enough to get you through your meditation and have at it!
6. Airflow
There’s nothing worse than trying to meditate in a hot and stuffy room. If you’re using your meditation room to do yoga and meditation then airflow is that much more important.
If you chose a room that has natural lighting then you probably have windows too. Open them up and let the breeze blow through those flowy sheer curtains of yours.
Fresh air also has the benefit of increasing happiness, energy, reducing stress and depression and much more.
If you don’t have the luxury of either opening the windows or going outside to meditate then go with a fan and some plants. Speaking of fans, if you can find one that is also an air purifier you’re in great shape!
Here’s one of the better air purifiers on amazon.
7. Lighting
I’m a major advocate of natural lighting (as you can probably tell). But what if you prefer to meditate at night or your meditation space doesn’t have natural lighting?
In this case choose some great lighting fixtures. You may prefer dim, bright or both. Your mood will change so finding lights that can accommodate both options is ideal.
A dim light helps set a calming and relaxing mood. A brighter light can be good for waking up first thing in the morning. Stay away from any fluorescent lighting as much as you can though. They’re a little too harsh and just plain feel unhealthy for some reason.
If you’re meditating outside, avoid meditating at high noon or other times when it may be very hot or the lighting is coming straight down on you.
8. Color
The color of your meditation room matters.
It’s been show that color can affect our mood. In fact marketers use the psychology of color to subtly influence the way you feel about a product.
Personally I’m good with a white room. However, at some point I’ll probably paint my space with more creative and fun colors. If you’re just setting up your room then you may want to start with planning your colors now.
Here’s a good article on picking color schemes.
Go with something that helps you achieve the mood you want. For example, if you’re meditating to feel peaceful, go with shades of green. If you want a brighter and more energetic mood, then go with brighter oranges, reds or yellows.
source: Vandelay Design
Chances are that you know what you like and you already have some ideas in mind. Go with what you love instead of what’s currently in style.
9. Minimize the Technology
Have you ever sat down to meditate and had your phone ring right when you started getting comfortable? Or sat down in complete silence and heard that very faint high pitched buzzing?
All of that comes from technology my friend. Ideally you’ll be able to set up a meditation space where you don’t have any technology in the room.
But if you’re listening to music or timing your meditation then you’ll need technology.
I recommend using the iPhone on airplane mode. On the phone you can both download your meditation music and set a timer.
By only using the phone you’re keeping your technology limited to this one thing. Since it’s on airplane mode, you won’t be getting any calls or notifications interrupting your zen moment.
Now you may be saying to yourself, Brad, what about EMF waves?
Good point.
If you’re worried about that while you’re meditating then there’s a few things you can do:
- Get a music player and place it in the far corner of your room.
- Get a simple meditation timer on amazon.
- Put an emf wave blocker on your cell phone.
Honestly, I wouldn’t worry too much about that right now though. You’re already carrying your cell phone all day so a few minutes of having your phone near you isn’t going to make a huge difference. Plus there’s tons of stuff you can do to counter emf waves.
I do recommend keeping as much technology out of your sanctuary as possible though. Definitely try to avoid big items like TV’s, computers, etc. if for no other reason than the level of distraction they can present.
10. Make it Personal
Finally the biggest point for your meditation room is to make it personal.
Your meditation space is all about you. It’s your room, your space, and your sanctuary. Do you want to paint the walls with different colors or murals? Great! Want some chimes, bells, and gongs? Awesome!
It’s you who’s going to be sitting in your room so make it as natural and comfortable as you desire. I would avoid clutter as much as possible but if your hearts happy in crowded spaces then by all means have at it.
Conclusion
I hope these 10 tips have provided you with more than enough information to design your own personal meditation room and sanctuary.
Choose the room and style that makes you happy and please tag us on Facebook or leave a comment below if you have a sweet meditation space in your house. If you have any photos share those too!