A collection of bright ideas for creating tranquility at home, curated by Redfin. (We're honored to be included at #8!)
Do you have a sacred space at home that’s just for you? Somewhere you can go to take a break from the outside world. A tranquil area where you can breathe deep, sit in meditation, practice yoga, or just exist. A place that encourages quietness. If you don’t have a space like this in your home, we highly recommend creating one.
But how do you actually go about creating such a space? To help you get started, we reached out to wellness, meditation, yoga, and spirituality experts from San Francisco, CA to Markham, Ontario for their best tips on creating a sacred space at home. See what they have to say so you can start transforming a room or nook into your own personal sanctuary.
- Begin by cleaning your space. Vacuum, wash the floors, and wipe down surfaces. Then you can move through the house, ringing a bell to break up any stagnant energies. By removing the old dusty energies lingering about in the corners, it sets the stage then to begin raising the vibration with whatever herbs and stones you chose. – Rhianna Mirabello, Owner, Visionary, and Creatrix at Dreaming Goddess
- A sacred space starts with a simple seat. This can be a chair, cushion, yoga mat, or prayer rug. It must be clean, comfortable, used consistently, and preferably for no other purpose. The sacredness lies not in the fanciness of the space but in the intention, faith, and sincerity of the sitter. – Newark Center for Meditative Culture
- Add items that bring a sense of serenity and connection to nature. Light some candles, or a fire in your fireplace. Add a water feature – trickling water soothes the mind. Beautiful geodes, crystals, and stones placed on a shelf or bowl to draw in the earth’s energy. Chimes by a window or attached to your door bring a whimsical sense of lightness to capturing the essence of air. If you have a bright room, adding plants will help to purify the air, along with the meditative and nurturing intent of supporting life. – Sacred Space
- Choose an area that is well ventilated and quiet, where there is minimal foot traffic. You may wish to place sacred objects there such as candles, incense, flowers, precious stones, photographs of loved ones, etc. Most importantly, keep the space clean, pleasant, and clutter-free. – Yoga Chicago
- Spend some time thinking about what makes a space sacred for you. The first and most important thing to do when setting a sacred space is to set your intentions. Think about what this space means to you and how you want to feel. Focus on creating a space that looks amazing and feels amazing – thinks soft colors and textures, big cushions and comfy throws, and a fluffy rug. You want to create a space that invites you to feel that something sacred can happen. For some energetic support, I always recommend taking four pieces of Ametrine, cleansing them in sunlight or moonlight, and then placing one in each corner of the room. This stone is a powerhouse combination of Citrine and Amethyst and is good for balance and serenity. – Clare The Life Healer
- Engage all of the senses. Soft, comfy furniture for touch. An audio player preset with meditation music. Your favorite essential oils diffused in the room providing a comforting scent. Window darkness to keep out any extra light. – ReJuve
- Burn sage or herbal mixes. Clear negativity from the space using white or blue sage or any herbal mix that contains lavender and/or cedar. Burning these banishes heavy energies from the space and creates a lighter, more relaxing atmosphere. You can use sage and/or lavender spray if you’d rather avoid smoke. – Diane Wing
- Celebrate the cycle of the year with a simple seasonal altar. A favorite candle, statue, or crystal and some fresh greenery from outdoors is all that you need. A pretty serving tray – like vintage silver plate or bamboo – is a compact way to showcase your seasonal treasures. Your altar can be refreshed whenever you feel the seasons changing. – Michelle Gruben, Owner, Grove and Grotto
- Connect with what is sacred to you. Whether that is the love of the Earth, a dream of peace on the planet, or a connection with an exemplar like Jesus, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., or Dolly Parton, you can let your love of what is sacred to you inspire the design of your special space. – Chris Maddox, The Wild Woman Project
- To find your sacred space, spend some time in meditation and prayer. Ask that you may be shown a location in your home that will work as a sacred space. Then, commit to a time of day that you will go there; daily. By doing these two things, you will find that your inner peace and your ability to receive insights and inspirations will heighten and expand: creating more light and joy in your life. – Keira Poulsen
- Let your sacred space elevate you. As you enter into this intentional space, let yourself elevate beyond the ordinary of the routine of our days. In this space, let yourself see the divine, the sacred, the incredible nature of this moment. We take life for granted, but in this intentional space, let yourself fully appreciate the sacredness of life. – Zen Habits
- Transform an average room into a soothing sanctuary with an essential oil room spray. Use lavender essential oil to promote relaxation, lemon, and peppermint to create an uplifting mood or patchouli and rose to bring out your inner peace. To transform your space, fill a 4 oz. glass spray bottle with 4 tbsp. of water, 2 tbsp. of alcohol, and add 30 drops of your favorite essential oil. – Matrix Aromatherapy
- Liven up your space with house plants. Trying to bring as much nature inside as possible is extremely therapeutic. – Essentia Aromatherapy
- Add a yoga hammock set. With the influx of online tutorials and communities, creating a special relaxing space in your home and developing a home yoga practice is easier than ever. One way to elevate this space is to add a yoga hammock set. The yoga hammock can be an amazing tool for motivation, relaxation, and a helping hand in your yoga poses. Especially when you need some help to keep the motivation; seeing your dedicated space and your gorgeous hanging hammock every day will encourage you to practice, even if just for a few minutes a day. – Uplift Active
- Light candles.Candles are known for their soothing properties and are an essential part of creating a relaxing space in any room – nothing compares to their soft, natural light and flickering glow. – Zen Den Candles
- Let your sacred space find you. Wander around your home until you know where your space should be, and then sit there. Honor and thank your sacred space by inhabiting it with all your senses. Light incense or bring fragrance, light a candle, sing a little and say words of thanks, make a small food offering (and taste some), have a cup of tea, and then just sit down and trust your space to open the moment to your heart and mind. – Springs Mountain Sangha
- Create a sacred space in your bathtub. Your bathtub can be so much more than a place to clean up. Think of it as more of a wellness destination, surrounding it with an enticing display of fragrant essential oils, luminous candles, and luxurious bath and body products that you can’t wait to put to use. – Inspired Interiors
- Transform your living room into a sanctuary. We decided to leave our living room completely empty of furniture so that there’s enough room for our family of seven to do yoga & meditation together every day. Instead of furniture, our living room has lots of yoga mats, blocks, straps, massage tools, lacrosse balls for myofascial release, sound bowls, an essential oil diffuser, and crystals. – Nomads With A Purpose
- Keep your space clutter-free. The size or location of the space doesn’t matter as long as it stays clutter-free. Too many items (including decoration) can have a negative effect on mental, physical, and spiritual health. – The Mindful MD Mom
- Be intentional and have a clear vision of why you want to make this special happy place. Our homes are our sanctuaries, and often we lose perspective of the power we have in the creation process of our life experiences. It is important to remember that what we think expands. A space full of higher vibrations can help us maintain a positive outlook. A sacred home space can be achieved, for example, by using essential oil diffusers, plants as a way of detoxifying the air, music with a certain beat that can trigger feel-good emotions in us, or special lighting for a better mood, among many others. – Zen Living Realty
- Look inside to find inspiration for your sacred space. A sacred space begins outside of time and place. It begins with intention; with your willed thinking; fired up by enthusiasm in your feeling life. Take your intention into your sleep for three days and see what inspirations arise. You don’t need an outside expert to tell you to do this or that. Trust that your higher-self will speak to you. – Reverse Ritual
- Your space should be a reflection of things that give you inner peace. First, you must eliminate distractions or any attention to the outside world. Secondly, you want to include elements that are calming to your senses such as a comfortable cushion or chair, lightly scented incense or essential oil, Tibetan singing bowls or a bell, diffused lighting such as Himalayan salt lamps and Shoji or Mashrabiya screens to filter light. Third, bring in the elements of nature such as a chalice or fountain of water, live flowers or plants, quartz crystals or natural gemstones and candles. – Hearts Rise Up
- Create a sacred space in a quiet corner. Bring steadiness to the mind and peacefulness to the conscious by finding a quiet corner in a sunlit room. Surround your space with a few meaningful tokens, a salt lamp for ambient lighting, and a stack of yoga blankets—which may serve as seating, props for yoga, or a warm wrap. Oh yes, and have a cat nearby. – Phebe Phillips Blog
- Style the space with a focus on personal comfort, joy, and inspiration while stimulating your five senses. For example, a couch in a texture and color you love adorned with plush pillows and blissful blankets that you can wrap yourself in, making you feel supported and comforted each time you sit down; artwork that stirs positive emotion in you, serving as a reminder of your personal power and goals; warm lighting illuminating from a salt lamp or chandelier creating feelings of comfort and relaxation; and the sound of wind chimes outside a nearby window or soft music that soothes. All of these entice your senses, providing comfort, joy, and inspiration thus creating a sacred and welcoming space in your home. – Sugar Moon Bloom
Originally published by Redfin