In this episode, we’ll create your own meditation space that offers you an experience that you remember, each and everyday. Before diving into some ways you can create your space, I want to cover a few topics first:
- What meditation is, and its benefits
- How To (re)define “space”.
- The pros/cons of having a meditation space in your home.
Let’s get started….
015 – How To Create Your Meditation Space
In Episode 15, I pick-up from the last episode regarding My Top 5 Myths Of Meditation. Sure, the creation of such a space can be helpful, depending upon your meditation goal, but it’s not necessary. Have a listen and I assure you that you’ll think differently about how you manage to fit in meditation to your busy schedule.
What Is Meditation?
If you’re here, you likely are meditating already – perhaps you have a mantra or you’re using one of the more popular apps or youtube videos that are lingering around.
Meditation is a state where you are contemplating and reflecting, but yet with a very clear mind. Learning to meditate with a mantra is the perfect starting point to getting you to feeling happy, healthy and living from the soul. By repeating a mantra, you focus your brain activity on something outside of the typical mind-chatter. You learn to “zone-out” the interfering thoughts/stressors/interruptions while you reach a state of deeper and higher concentration.
Speaking of concentration, meditation also activates the Pre-frontal Cortex. This is the executor of your brain. Meditation does this in a way that provides you a boost to mental functioning and creativity. This type of brain activation is specific to this meditation method.
The thing is….meditation is not a “one-size-fits-all” type of thing. There are many styles of meditation to choose from. As I said you can go to the internet and find anything you want. Based on which style you practice, the ways in which you craft-out your own meditation space could vary considerably.
The Benefits of Meditation
In our last Episode on The 5 Myths About Meditation, I briefly touched upon the health and wellness benefits that mantra-style meditation provides. You may also want to listen to episode 33 on the 5 Interested Facts About Meditation. If you’re here though…you likely have some awareness of the benefits of including meditation in your life.
When you learn to meditate properly, you can develop a super mind; one that is boosted with creativity, and productivity while being at rest and peace. You may or may not experience or perceive these results right away…until you actually miss your meditation.
How To (re)define “space”
Let’s dive-into space. My own personal experiences of learning to meditate started back when I finished my underraduate degree in Nursing, back at McMaster University. When I started meditating, I did it wherever I could – on the subway, in the chapel at work, in a chair in my living room, in my bed. I was either alone or if on the subway or streetcar, I had people around me. I share this with you because I want you to see just how versatile the practice can be.
What does space mean to you?
Where Your Efforts Should Lie When Creating A Meditation Space.
The most important thing to do before creating a meditation space is to define the goal, or objective, for your meditation space. This can help you create a different external environment.
Is your primary aim stress release? Or is it performance enhancement?
Might you have blood pressure issues and need to focus on heart-health improvement?
Mantra-style Meditation isn’t a forced style of meditation. There’s no unique visual work or breath work. It’s effortless. In fact, your mantra should never be forced either. Sitting down each day at a regular time is what’s most important. So when you define your goal, you can define your space accordingly. What’s most important is to establish a daily habit that helps transcend stress. That can help heal/prevent injuries and muscle strain, as well as manage the day-to-day frustrations with ease and grace.
What do you want out of your meditation experience? And once you establish your goal – create a sacred space that helps facilitate that. Might there be a special blanket you use for when you’re at home in the living room?
Do you like to have flowers nearby? Or do you need to feel cozy with pillows so you move into your bedroom, away from your busy family in the living room?
Traps to Avoid Falling Into
The key here is to think of your goal. The most important thing to do is to get your practice set-up, and not make excuses for yourself. Perhaps you’d love a beautiful meditation room full of pillows and blankets but you don’t have the space? This isn’t a reason to delay what’s good and right for you.
You can create a powerful experience without space, by just going within. This is the beauty of meditation! One of my most profound experiences that I had was early-on in my practice, when I was hyper vigilant about making sure I got my morning and evening practice sessions in. I meditated on the streetcar. Then, I began at the first stop on the route and it was quiet. Once I got to my destination to transit over to subway, it was busy!!!! I meditated the whole time and had no clue there were 30 people hovering around me. That’s an experience of knowing how powerful the mantra is. So experiences come in many shades and colours.
Are you interested in learning how to do the same? Read more here if you’d like to Learn To Meditate. We run groups from time-to-time in our Virtual Mantra Studio, or you can choose to take a 4-session self-paced meditation course.
The first step to thinking about meditation, and is to first have the desire to improve your health & wellness, and build a healthy routine. Episode 21 can help you tune-in to the idea of making different choices.
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