By Paige Leigh Reist┃Posted: April 2, 2019
Meditation can be done anywhere, at any time, but having a peaceful space completely dedicated to expanding and deepening your practice can have an overwhelmingly positive impact on your growth. Luckily, you don’t have to have an entire room at your disposal in order to create a beautiful meditation space!
Gopika Prabhu Setlur deeply understands the ins and outs of meditation: not only is she a dedicated and experienced practitioner herself, but she’s also a meditation teacher with Art of Living. Recently, Gopika hosted a Facebook Live event in which she shared her tips for crafting a simple, mindful space regardless of your living situation. All you really need, she says, is an uncluttered corner, a few special items, and a consistent dedication to your practice.
Here are a few highlights from the video!
How a space can cultivate a daily habit of meditation
“It takes dedication and commitment, but actually having a physical space, a dedicated space in your home or apartment, that’s only dedicated to the act of contemplative practices; whether it’s breathing or meditation or reading a spiritual text, that can actually help send a reminder and sort of set a pattern within you.”
Tip #1: Have a dedicated space
“For me, having a clean space is the number one priority. A space that is free of clutter, so you don’t have a lot of electronics, you don’t have wires, or cords, or place that you just throw things--it’s really a dedicated space that you can think of as sacred. The other thing that you want to keep in mind is that this is a space that is dedicated to a certain activity. A space that is primarily meant for contemplative practices: so you’re not watching TV, you’re not texting or chatting or gossiping, it’s primarily used, exclusively used to the extent possible, for your own practice and going inward.”
Tip #2: Surround yourself with inspiring items
“If you have a mantra-based meditation, having your mala or something closeby, however you like to do you mantra-based meditation. For me, I’ve got my mala here… and then there are certain small things. This is a small succulent--does not take a lot to keep maintaining this. It runs pretty much on air, which is a nice reminder on what we run on, which is also air--our breath. It’s also beautiful to have something inspiring, something that just looking at it brings you into a state of wonder. So I have a few things--I have a photo of my personal teacher and guru, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar; I have a candle, a light that... there’s something magical that happens when you just have a little light, the lights are dim, it’s sunset… and the practice of going into your contemplative practice is just easier. So those are some things that I keep by my side.”
How your spaces affect your practice
“There is a really deep link and a deep connection between our spaces and our environment, and the state of our mind. They are very connected. We can look at ourselves and incorporate the tools to be able to affect our physical space, and we can also use elements in our own space to maintain that practice, and to support our daily practice.”
“You’ll notice that when you carve out that time, and when you have that dedicated space, the more you go back and the more you practice, the deeper you go into that meditation practice.”
Check out the full video for more inspiration to create an inspiring space!
Paige Leigh Reist is a writer, editor, blogger, and creative writing instructor.
