Creating the Space for Meditation

April 01, 2016

Recently I moved house. I had been living abroad for several years and when I returned to Australia I lived with members of my family until I found a place of my own. When I moved into my new abode, the first thing I noticed was the space: there was so much of it! I went from living in one room with all my belongings to a house with many rooms that were all empty.

 I decided to dedicate one room just for meditation, and so I set up my meditation seat and accessories and began to meditate there. It wasn’t long before I began to notice that whenever I stepped into the room, I felt drawn towards sitting down and meditating.

This phenomenon is not uncommon is it? Nearly every room in our house has a specific function.  In the kitchen we prepare food to eat, in the living room we socialise and relax, in the bedroom we sleep, etc, etc. We associate these specific activities with their dedicated places or spaces and act accordingly. For example, I’ve never felt inclined to sleep in the kitchen or, vice versa, get out the chopping board and chop vegies in my bedroom.

This is one of the reasons why it’s important for me to ‘create a space’ for my meditation practice. When I do, I associate the practice of meditation with that space, and then I feel drawn to meditate when I enter that space, and this becomes a great support for my meditation practice.

Now the meditation space doesn’t need to be elaborate. It certainly doesn’t need to be a whole room.  It could be just a corner of a room or the same place you set up every time you want to meditate, or a lovely area in your garden. You can also make it very inviting by having some beautiful flowers in the room, playing some music that is conducive to meditation and by keeping it clean and uncluttered.

My idea of a good space for meditation is that when you enter that space you begin to feel calm and centred even before you sit down to meditate. Whether you live in a large house or a tiny apartment you can create a space like this for meditation, and in this way generate another support for establishing your meditation practice.

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