A Yoga Teacher Reveals The Best Place To Meditate After A Really Long, Stressful Day
While getting into a routine of meditating to relieve stress sounds amazing in theory, when it comes time to commit to your practice, consistency can be the most difficult part of the entire thing. Personally, I didn't really start meditating regularly until I dedicated a spot in my apartment solely for mindfulness. Believe it or not, figuring out the best place to meditate in your home is a huge part of sticking to the mind-clearing practice — but that doesn't mean it's going to be the same spot for everyone.
To help you figure out the ideal spot in your home for meditation, Elite Daily spoke with Sara DiVello, a nationally recognized yoga and meditation teacher, and bestselling author of the book Where in the OM Am I?, who happens to know a thing or two about what details make for the perfect mindfulness space.
"When people ask me where to meditate, I always say the best place is wherever helps keep you meditating as often and as much as possible," DiVello tells Elite Daily. "Whether that is your bed, living room, office, or a quiet little nook that you make into your Designated Meditation Spot (DMS), all that matters is that you enjoy meditating there."
When you make meditation enjoyable by creating a safe, inviting place for it, DiVello says, you’re already more likely to keep coming back to the practice.
Think about it this way: If your go-to spot for meditation is inconvenient, unpleasant, or uncomfortable, then you’re probably not going to stick to the routine of it, no matter how amazing the benefits are. "Make your meditation practice something to look forward to," DiVello says, "and make your DMS pleasant and visually appealing — a refuge, a sanctuary."
For instance, your idea of a perfect place for meditation might include things like string lights because they make you feel mellow and relaxed in comparison to the harsh, fluorescent bulbs scattered throughout the rest of your apartment. Or maybe your meditation spot requires an essential oil diffuser to help you unwind and find your center. Perhaps your DMS is simply the one room in your apartment that doesn't feel sweaty and gross because the air conditioning actually works in there. Or it could be that one room in your home that's decorated with that mystical tapestry you found at the flea market that hypnotizes you into that totally ~zen~ state of mind every time you look at it. Bottom line: Your go-to meditation spot should be somewhere that makes you feel completely comfortable and at-peace.
As for DiVello, she tells Elite Daily she personally likes to meditate in her living room, and that she's furnished her own little DMS there by creating an "altar" for herself.
"I’ve placed a little Buddha statue, singing bowls, angel statues, and other sacred (to me) objects," she explains. "Not only does this create a place for me to honor the practice, but it also creates a habit: When I sit down in front of it, my body and brain know, 'Ah yes — time to be silent and drop into that deep meditative stillness! Got it!'"
Once you've got your DMS down-pat, then comes the actual meditation part. If you're sitting down to meditate, but feel a bit anxious at first, DiVello recommends trying a mantra-based meditation, which essentially just entails silently repeating a mantra, phrase, or word over and over in your mind.
If mantras don't really work for you, consider trying breath-focused meditations, which simply entail focusing on the cycles of your breath as you sit in silence.
According to DiVello, finding the right form of meditation for you is a lot like dating: "Sometimes, you’ve got to kiss a few frogs before you find the right one."
And the right one, she tells Elite Daily, is different for everyone. So yeah, sitting in a perfect, cross-legged lotus pose might be the first thing you picture when you think about meditation. But look, if you're not comfortable in that position, then all you’ll be able to focus on is how uncomfortable you feel, and you won’t be able to drop into that deep, meditative stillness.
"Personally, I always sit in a chair, because that’s what feels best for my body, and once I’m comfortable, I can drop in," DiVello tells Elite Daily. "Dropping in is what matters most — not how you sit. However you are most comfortable is how you should meditate."
DiVello also notes that if you want to make your bed your meditation sanctuary, that's totally an option. She says wearing an eye mask and lying down with a pillow under your knees can be a deeply relaxing way to unwind from your day, and usher yourself gently into the realm of restful sleep. "Especially for those who suffer from anxiety, and anxiety-induced insomnia, the practice of meditation — and especially mantra meditation, where you repeat a mantra silently to yourself — can help to calm yourself and quiet the mind," the meditation teacher explains.
The bottom line is, when it comes to scouting out your DMS and then actually meditating there consistently, don’t psych yourself out of it because you think you have to meditate in a specific place, way, or amount of time. The best way to meditate is wherever and however you feel most comfortable, and in a space you can call your very own.
