Making Space for Meditating

Colours, Curves and Coolness

Here are some tips to help you create the ideal space to meditate in. Use it like a tick list to design your haven of peace and calm to relax and “be” in.

First of all, we know that not very saturated but relatively bright colours are best in areas for meditation.

Natural materials such as visible wood grain, promote de-stressing and relaxation, which is key for meditation.

Patterns featuring curving lines, like these, are best for areas where people will meditate.  The same goes for furnishings such as chairs and tables.  Seeing curving lines has been tied to more spiritual thinking as well as to relaxation—compared to looking at straight lines.

Moderate visual complexity is best in areas for meditation, as it is for so many sorts of activities. So make sure you can’t see any clutter, and the space isn’t too “busy”. Have a look at the other articles we’ve written on Visual Complexity to give you an idea.

Natural light elevates our mood and so making sure that it can flow readily into spaces for meditation is a desirable—pull back those heavy curtains and let the sun flow in!  When daylight fades in the evening, replace it with warm light if you’re planning to meditate.  The warm light will help you relax and it is generally bliss-inducing.

Nature Sounds

Hearing nature sounds is very, very relaxing for humans and also encourages cognitive refreshment.  Meditation is done while awake, not asleep, so creating a space that’s too calming can lead to more z-z-z-z’s than om-om-om-om’s.  Listening to nature soundtracks featuring burbling brooks, gentle breezes and quietly singing birds, in real life or via a realistic soundtrack you find online will work equally well—nature sounds from actual nature that’s directly outside wherever you happen to be should “play” at whatever volume they’re occurring at but nature soundscapes you introduce via recordings from online services, etc., should play very quietly, so softly that someone moving quickly through the space might not realize they are present.

Coupling that hearing of nature with seeing it outside boosts the calming and refreshing effects.  So, does looking at nature art, whether that art is photos or paintings or live, in the form of a few green leafy plants (a few, a couple a few feet tall, at most is the goal here, not a jungle; jungles have high visual complexity and high visual complexity is stressful.

Neuroscience details how design can support meditation; apply the research we’ve outlined here and choose your mantra, now you’re ready to meditate!

And don’t forget the awe!

In any space you’re developing to meditate, don’t skimp on awe.  Sure we’re awed by lots of stuff that’s expensive, but we’re just as likely to be awed by impressive workmanship and clever use of materials, for example many a mandala is awe-inspiring.

So build details into your meditation space that you can ponder as you meditate that inspire awe in you—and don’t worry the same thing can awe you an infinite number of times.

Being awed while meditating is a great thing, because when we feel awed we also feel we have more time available (so we won’t rush through meditating), and we aren’t so oriented toward our own wellbeing, we are more concerned about the welfare of others and have more positive thoughts about them.

We’re also in a better mood and our minds work more effectively and creatively when we’re awed, which is great if while you’re meditating your working on solving problems, big or small.  And a bonus—awe puts many of us in a spiritual mood.

If you have any questions on Yoga and Meditation spaces, contact us. Or if you have photos of your ideal Yoga space let us know, would love to see where you practice.