Being in touch with your surroundings is a big part of meditation.
Meditation is built on routine and a sense of familiarity with yourself and what surrounds you. Unfortunately, in a world where people are always on the go, it can be hard to achieve any consistency.
It’s possible to achieve mindfulness in many different environments, but some make it a little bit easier than others. In this post, we’re going to tell you the best places to meditate so you can start forming routines around your busy schedule.
Try some of these spots out and find your inner peace today.
1. A Zen Room
Try converting a spare room into your little meditation zone. If you’ve got the space, it’s a great use for it. You can fill it with comfortable seating, yoga mats, paint and decorate it with colors and paintings that inspire mindfulness, and inject some soothing sounds with a stereo or Bluetooth speaker.
2. The Garden
A back garden is a perfect spot to get some peace, quiet, and privacy while you meditate. You can plan out your garden during the winter months so that it’s the perfect haven. When you’re outside, you can allow the sounds of the natural (and unnatural) ease you into a meditative state.
3. Your Car
When you’re on the go, it’ll more often than not feel like there’s no time to actually sit down and meditate. If this describes you, make time every morning or during your break to sit in your car and get zen.
It might not be “the best” place to meditate, but sometimes you’ve got to make do with what you’ve got. A car is a quiet place where you won’t get hassled by your spouse, kids, or coworkers.
4. Near Water
The sound of water and the aura that it gives off is crucial to our understanding of meditation. It’s so soothing and can do most of the heavy lifting for you if you have trouble getting “in the zone”, so to speak.
Do you find yourself near fountains, rivers, streams, or beaches on a regular basis? Then try to take some time out of your week to meditate beside them. You won’t regret it.
5. In the Classroom
If you’re out and about during the day, feeling like you need a quiet space to do some meditating, a lot of yoga studios will offer up one of their free rooms for a small fee. You can expect to see more meditation-specific studios open up in the near future, but for now, this is a good option.
6. Parks
If you don’t have a yoga studio in your general vicinity or are more a fan of the outdoors, you can always sit down on a park bench or underneath a tree. Parks only really get busy after school hours and during the summer when kids are out of school.
An empty park is a great place to do a quick meditation or body scan before getting on with your day. They’re usually easy to find and, of course, free of charge.
7. At Work
Meditating at work can be difficult, but if it’s one of the places you frequent, you can turn it into a meditation haven. When you have an office, you can put a sign up for 20 minutes while you go through your meditation until your coworkers are used to your routine.
Some workplaces are adopting the philosophy of meditation, or “recharge rooms” in the office. This is a designated room where you can go when you need a few minutes to meditate, do some yoga, or just get away from the stress.
Much like a meditation room in your home, they should give off a relaxing vibe with soothing colors and sounds piped in that allow you to get into a meditative state.
8. In Transit
Do you live in a big city?
Then you know how long and tedious taking the subway, bus, and LRT to and from work can be. Instead of wallowing in the mundanity of transit, you can make use of this alone-but-not-alone time. You can read, listen to music and podcasts, watch Netflix, or yes, meditate.
Transit is a great place for a guided meditation on your headphones. There are dozens of great free meditations that you can find online or through smartphone apps.
9. In a Place of Worship
You don’t have to be a particularly spiritual person to attend a place of worship, but they do often give off a spiritual vibe that is conducive to meditating. If there’s a church, temple, or mosque near your house or on your way to work, consider popping in for a mass one day.
The energy that you can receive from one of these places might propel you into a meditation unlike any you’ve ever had before. It’s a good option for someone that isn’t tied to any faith, but is open to and respects all faiths.
10. Balcony
You don’t need to have a back garden to find a soothing place to meditate. Your apartment or condo balcony will do the trick, as long as you’re able to welcome the noise and commotion.
Take a comfortable piece of furniture out and give the balcony a shot. You might find that the sounds of the wind and birds mixed with the hectic white noise of what’s below you are actually quite soothing.
Find Best Places to Meditate
Everyone’s a little bit different when it comes to finding the best places to meditate. Some people are comfortable closing their eyes and finding a zen mindset in the middle of the day at work. Others find it more difficult to get in the right headspace without complete peace and tranquility.
The bottom line is that you have to find what works for you and do it often. Regular meditation is proven to lower anxiety and increase productivity. Society is already starting to latch on to it, making it the next “trend”; but we all know that it’s not a trend, it’s a way to get in touch with yourself.
If you found this post helpful, come back and visit I’m Centered for more on the power of yoga and meditation for the modern person.