Meditation Series Part 1 - Place.

[Gem]

I have a meditation spot in my room. I have a meditation mat (futon) and a few cushions which marks that spot. I find having a spot is good for practice because just being there has its own purpose - that spot is reserved for meditating.

I believe meditating in a place for meditation affects the energy or vibe of that place, and since that place is used only for meditation, it culminates a serene vibe, and when sitting on that spot, that atmosphere enhances the practice.

I have been to ashram and meditated in the hall, which is a place where only meditation is practiced. Other activities are not permitted in the meditation hall. The hall has been used in this way for many years by many, many thousands of meditators, and is periodically 'cleansed' by advanced meditation teachers.

I'm just wondering what people think about having a place reserved for meditation, the 'temple-like' purity of that place and modes of spiritually cleansing it.

Cheers.

[anthony c]

I have 2 places were i meditate. During the week i can meditate during work when its quite and weekends at home in my room.

Not sure if it effects me but i still had some great meditations in both places and i work in one place and sleep in the other.

I also meditate at different times too maybe i should stick to one place at one time. Could be even stronger.

[Serrao]

I meditate on the sofa in the living room.

I'm too down-to-earth to create a 'sacred spot' in my house.

[mamahawk]

I usually lay down on the floor with a pillow under my head or sit in a comfy chair as well. I would personally love to have a dedicated spot, but I live in a house of many and only have one room to myself (which is packed full of stuff! lol)

All that's really important is what helps you get into that meditative state of mind right? =)

[Gem]

quite a variety.

I need to clarify this notion of place because because words I used like 'temple-like' or 'sacred' become loaded, and the more loaded they become, the more meaningless they are.

The reason I find a particular place is helpful is the place itself represents a reminder of my own spirituality. I go to that place for a very specific purpose. Mostly we do have places that are purposeful, the bathroom or the kitchen for example, or the study desk. These are purposeful places, but from what I read, having a specific place in the home for a spiritual purpose is not common, so I question: is a home actually catering to full scope of a person's nature including their spiritual dimension?

In my case, having a small studio abode, I can't have an entirely reserved place for meditation. The place is actually a small area beside the foot of my bed. The placement of the meditation cushion actually defines the purpose of the space even though I push the cushion under the bed and pull it out for use. In all, the cushion itself is used for spiritual practice and the placement of it creates that spiritual place.

Cool article here.

Make Your Space Sacred.

http://life.gaiam.com/article/make-your-space-sacred

[joan_fortuna]

My wife and me have reserved a small place in our living room, we dedicated a desk with shelves where we have several Buddhist books, and small Buddha figures collected in some of our travels around Asia. We consider this part of the house to be sacred, and thus, when we meditate together, we are in front of it, and we burn some incense when available. Also, our TV is nearby, so we can put some video or music which helps to the environment, and a soft low light. At this moment, we still don't have kids, so I guess it is easy to achieve a peaceful environment. We try to do meditations of 40min each day, before sleep. And that's it! :)