If you’re a proud homeowner who loves meditation, why not create a zen room at home?
In this guide we’ll cover:
- How to create a meditation space
- Ideas for decor
- Decorating tips
- Room styles
- Colours
- How to incorporate plants, cushions, pillows, and everything else you need
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How To Make Your Zen Room
There are lots of benefits of having a meditation room. It gives you a dedicated space in which to practice. This can be a DIY meditation room. Or you might like to create a zen garden
Whether you choose a room or garden, you ultimately want to end up with a space around the house where you can practice, somewhere peaceful and relaxing, somewhere you can sit by yourself quietly and unwind.
Here’s how to do it.
1. Choose the location
First, you need to decide where you will be setting up your room.
It’s a bright idea for a meditation space to take up one whole room of the house (if possible), and most likely a small room. Although if you do yoga at home, you can opt for a two-for-one and make it into a home yoga studio.
Whether you live in a house, a small apartment, or a condo, you will have enough space for a room. I used to live in a small apartment. So, I had the idea for a corner-meditation space in my lounge, which I made using a Shoji (Japanese room divider). Simple. .
2. What type(s) of meditation you will do there?
Decide what type(s) of practices you will be doing in the room.
If you’re just doing breathing meditation or seated practices like Zen, this won’t matter too much. But if you’re doing active meditations such as Dynamic Meditation, you will need the appropriate amount of space.
For guided meditations you might want a high quality sound system or at least some noise-cancelling headphones.
If you do want to soundproof the meditation space, I recommend reading Chris Woodford’s guide to soundproofing a place on Explain That Stuff.
For Buddhist rooms you will probably want a Buddha statue, a mani stone, or other items that reflect Buddhism and the teachings of the dharma.
3. What colour?
Colour creates the mood. For instance, a blue room will be calming, and a purple room is spiritual.
The items you put in the room should go with the colour of the walls, so they make a colour scheme. For instance, you could do a blue room with white accents for relaxation and purity.
Let’s take a look at the effect of different colours in meditation rooms.
The effects of different paint colours
Red: Good for vitality. In Buddhism, red is associated with protection. Buddhist temples are red because Buddhists believe the colour will help protect them.
Blue: One of the most popular colours for meditation rooms is blue. Blue creates calm and relaxing feelings and is reassuring.
White: White creates feelings of purity and calmness. This is a very good paint colour for a Zen room.
Grey: Greys make you feel more productive and more grounded. So, this is a good colour for a meditation room if you want to feel grounded.
Orange: Orange is a warm, happy, and optimistic colour. If you’re one of my “positivity warriors” then this is a great colour for you. If you’re designing a Zen room for active exercises, this is a good paint colour.
Yellow: Yellow is an optimistic and happy colour paint for a meditation room.
Pink: Creates a feeling of calmness and love.
Purple: In colour psychology, purple is the colour of spirituality and helps you access the spiritual parts of your mind. So, one of the best ideas for a spiritual room is to paint it purple.
Brown: Brown is the colour of Earth and is grounding. A great choice for a Zen room, especially when mixed with grey.
4. Furniture and accessories
Naturally, when you’re making a meditation room, there are certain items and pieces of meditation furniture you will want to add. You can go minimalist if you’re on a budget, or you can buy every item you will ever need.
So, what do you need for a meditation room:
- Table
- Meditation altar/shrine
- Cushion / chair:
- Yoga mat
- Buddha Statue
- Crystals
- Tibetan Singing Bowl
- Buddha fountains and other water features
- Salt crystals
- Artwork
5. Decorating
Aim to include some beautiful plants for both healthier air and aromatherapy.
The best plants for meditation rooms include aromatherapy plants like jasmine and Lily of the Valley. Another option is detoxifying plants like Bamboo Palm and Peace Lily. I chose a Chinese Evergreen, which is beautiful and is excellent for detoxifying the air.
6. Fresh air
Fresh oxygen helps keep the brain healthy and the mind alert. So, it is essential for meditation. Plus, the feeling of the fresh air on your skin will help you to let go and unwind.
7. Natural light
Light is always important in interior design, and especially in a Zen room.
Different qualities of lighting produce different moods. Think about how a romantic table for two is lit compared to how a store is lit.
You can use light to influence the mood of the room.
Because lighting is so important, you might benefit from having lights with dimmer switches so that you can change the brightness. That way, when you’re doing yoga, you can have the room well-lit, and when you’re doing Trataka (gazing at a candle), you can dim the lights.
Paul Harrison BSc is a qualified meditation teacher who believes in genuine, authentic meditation. He has more than 15 years experience in teaching meditation and mindfulness both to individuals and to corporations and is the author of four books on meditation. He has been featured in Psychology Today, Breathe Magazine, Healthline, Psych Central and Lion’s Roar.
Paul studied meditation in beautiful Oxford, UK, and Hamilton Ontario Canada, and earned his degree at Staffordshire University.
Paul’s biggest inspirations include Thich Nhat Hanh, Jon Kabat Zinn, and Jack Kornfield.
“My goal is to provide the most authentic meditation sessions so you can harness the power of your own mind for personal transformation” – Paul Harrison