Creating a Home Practice Space

Stress Reduction Program MBSR Graduates
#1

To me, making a dedicated space for practicing meditation is a very rich and rewarding everyday mindfulness practice. It’s such a personal thing, choosing the objects and arrangements of stuff (yoga mat, meditation cushion, inspirational images, etc.) that will help to remind us to practice and, indeed, be an environment for the practice unfolding.

So, I thought it could be fun to have a topic where MBSR graduates can share about creating meditation spaces…

Would love to hear about your experience with developing a practice space and the ways it supports and/or challenges you.

To get the conversation started, here’s a window into my current meditation room:

The room I practice in now was chosen about 10 years ago, when we were moving to the house I currently share with my husband, who also practices. Before that, we just had our cushions in a corner of a room shared with other activities. So creating a fully dedicated space was a joyful expression of the growing importance of mindfulness in our lives.

The space has windows that face east, and we set up our cushions looking out those windows, connecting us with the inspiration of the morning sun rise. My yoga mat is right there too, so I can transition easily from one form to another, as well as a hallway just long enough for a nice walking meditation stretch. Our meditation room happens to be just off our bedroom, and that makes it easy, when I can’t sleep at night or when I wake up early, to literally put practice first. (We keep the TV much further away!)

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#2

Very nice topic, worth hearing thoughts from all :)

Personally I don’t have a practice space, I guess i need to think about this and try to find something that fits me, happy to hear your thoughts about your home practice spaces

#3

Thanks! Let us know what you set up for yourself.

#4

Thanks for opening this topic, Eowyn.

My partner and I share a small one bedroom apartment in the city of Portland, OR, so with limited space we have creatively assembled two compact, very simple “stations” for meditation.

The first is in our bedroom where we have placed a meditation bench right next to the bed. When my alarm goes off In the morning I literally roll out of bed onto the floor no more than two feet away where the bench awaits. It’s nothing fancy, it faces our dresser, no pictures or elements of inspiration, but its location helps me prioritize meditation. It is the first and last thing I do each day.

The other station is in our living room space where we have placed a mat and cushion at the foot of a large window that looks out into our inner-Portland neighborhood. Centered on the window sill is an inspirational picture of our friend/family. It’s where I take a moment to ground myself after work.

Carving out spaces for meditation in the home place (albeit small) has been invaluable to establishing a dedicated practice. I think it’s also worth noting another equally important element that has helped me develop an ongoing practice: a consistent schedule. I started off with just five minutes in the morning and five minutes at night. It seemed small but sustainable and over time I noticed the difference it was making in my well-being. Since then the practice itself and its benefits have inspired longer sitting sessions; the duration of my scheduled morning & night sits has expanded considerably. Personally, it’s the combination of physical space and schedule space that is key. Together they have supported and strengthened my commitment to living a mindful life.

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#5

Love hearing this, Ryan! I used to live in Portland, OR. May you continue
to enjoy your practice there for a long time to come.