Creating Your Sacred Space

When I was studying yoga in 2012, my teacher, Jeanie, often taught about the importance of "making your home an Ashram." An Ashram is a spiritual place that allows for sacred practices and routines to take place, and one which encourages spiritual growth and personal evolution.

Rather than seeing our homes as simply four walls with a roof and a ceiling, we can tend to our home as a sacred vessel. For example, we can bless the water that flows through our faucets. We can bring the magic of nature indoors by surrounding our spaces with plants, flowers and crystals. By routinely smudging our home, we can keep the energy clear. We can care for our home with clean, safe and non-toxic ingredients which helps to increase our homes vibration.

All of these actions help to increase the vitality of our homes, which in return, help us to stay happier, healthier and more vibrant.

Although your entire home can become a sacred space, I think it's important to have at least one special place in your home that is purely used for spiritual practices. You can use your sacred space for rituals, offerings, meditation, yoga, chanting, prayer, visualization, breath work, personal healing, journaling and more. Anything that you consider a spiritual practice can be done in front of your altar.

Having an altar or a dedicated space helps you to connect to higher energies much quicker and easier. From personal experience, I can say that when I step into the circle surrounding my altar, my ability to communicate with Spirit is almost instantaneous. My vibration is immediately raised and I drop into a strong connection with God. It is in this place where I feel most held and supported by Spirit. And, it is also here where I feel most embodied and aligned with my Higher Self.

The best part of having a sacred space, is that the more that you spend time in your special place cultivating the energy, the more the energy increases.

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I've created a three-page checklist for you that contains over 108 altar items and ideas for your next sacred space. Click the link below to download your free copy.

Creating Your Sacred Space Checklist

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Creating an altar: The Basics

I want to start by saying that your sacred place should be as unique and special as you are. In this article, I'm going to offer you a great deal of suggestions and ideas, but you should only utilize the ones that you absolutely love. At the end of the day, your sacred space should help you feel loved, supported and whole.

First, you'll want to determine a location for your sacred space. Do you have a small corner or nook somewhere in your home that is in a semi-private location? Do you have a spare bedroom or office space that could be upgraded? Do you have a small table next to your bed or couch that could easily be transformed into a special spot?

You may have to get creative here and do some rearranging of furniture and belongings to find the perfect spot. In my first home I had a spare bedroom that I was able to clear out and use as my yoga and meditation room. But, then when my firstborn took over that bedroom, I moved my altar into a quiet nook in the basement. Currently, my altar sits in a corner of our master bedroom. During warmer months, I take my sacred practices outside next to my favorite tree. My sacred space has moved and evolved just as I have.

You don't need a lot of room, but you do need to dedicate a place in your home where you can sit comfortably and quietly. And, if possible, you'll want to put your altar somewhere where there's not a lot of foot traffic or distractions.

Furniture

For most people, their personal space will include a small side table or shelf to sit a few sacred objects on. The second thing you'll want is a comfortable place to sit. For most people, this will look like a meditation cushion, yoga bolster, pillow, supportive chair or bench. A place to hold sacred items and an item to rest on - these are really the only two big items that you need!

However, if your room is being used for other non-spiritual activities, I highly recommend that you clearly mark the boundaries of your sacred space with a rug or floor blanket. In this way, you're able to clearly distinguish where your sacred space starts and ends.

I have a lot of sacred items that I've acquired over the years, and they don't all fit on my side table. So, in order to keep them close to my sacred space and organized, I've added a small bookshelf next to my altar and a storage basket underneath my altar table.

I also want to add that I invested in a LifeBoard so that I could do yoga in front of my altar in our bedroom. The LifeBoard allows me to practice stable yoga on the carpet. And, it easily folds up and slides underneath our bed so that my husband isn't tripping all over my yoga mat everyday.

Props for Comfort

If you spend a lot of time at your altar, you'll want to include additional items to keep you in a comfortable, upright posture. I like to include small pillows or yoga blocks to support my knees and hips when I'm sitting for longer periods of time. I also like to include a warm blanket, prayer shawl and fuzzy socks to keep me warm.