Do I need a meditation space?

A girl can dream!

As an experience meditator it really doesn't matter where you meditate .. it could be a busy railway station or in the car .. but as a beginner it can certainly help to set up the best possible environment right from the start. 

There are enough challenges to meditation (ie. busy mind, busy life, itchy feet, demanding children/partner, food) to suggest that if you can set aside a separate room or space .. then you are more likely to want to visit, stay awhile and meditate.

In this way we are honoring and supporting our intention to meditate, and we make the transition to practice as easy and as enjoyable as possible. All we really need is a space that is quiet, soothing and comfortable; away from the noise of daily life and the potential for interruption. Somewhere that allows us to withdraw from the outside world (no phone, no visitors, no distractions) that is welcoming and restful, can be invaluable for continuing with our meditation practice. 

Take a look around your home .. is there is a space that holds a special energy, somewhere you might naturally be drawn to when seeking to retreat and rest? 

My meditation cushion is my portable meditation space, it sits like a good friend in the corner of my living room waiting for me. It's a comfortable place to rest and I always feel very grounded when I sit, and when I see my cushion in the corner of the room it’s like my friend is beckoning me to join them .. a visual reminder to take a moment, stop and meditate. 

Taking the time to select, decorate and prepare a special place for your meditation practice also helps create an aura of sacredness. When we decorate the space with special mementos, pictures or flowers, we mark our time spent there as precious and not to be wasted. In the monastic traditions, keeping our space clean and ordered is seen as an external representation of the state of mind we aim to cultivate. 

By creating a sacred space solely for our meditation practice, we also build up an association of our time there with feelings of calmness and refuge. Once experienced, we then carry these associations with us wherever we go .. so even just thinking about our space can connect us with that deeper sense of ease and calmness. 

So that each time we visit our sacred space it is like sitting with an old friend, bring a smile to our face and warmth to our heart.