How to Turn Your Bedroom Into a Meditative Space

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Does your bedroom provide more distraction than relaxation? Do you long for a peaceful retreat where you can go to forget about the world for a while, rather than be constantly reminded of it?  Read on for a few tips on how to create a peaceful, meditative retreat without breaking the bank.

  • Remove as many electronics as possible.

This tip may prove challenging, as we’ve been trained to seek out online entertainment and distractions during every hour of the day. However, moving your TV and computer into the den or the living room will definitely benefit your sleeping patterns. According to professor of sleep medicine Dr. Emmanuel J. Mignot, studies have shown that “bright screens at night can shift your circadian rhythm by hours.” If this isn’t enough impetus to quit your nightly smartphone habit, perhaps try moving your phone across the room for a week and see if you can eventually replace your phone with an alarm clock and work up to keeping your phone in a different room.

That’s a dramatic effect worth the loss in entertainment while we try to fall asleep. Electronics provide opportunities for distraction, rather than contemplation. Replace your electronic devices with elements that aid in relaxation and meditative activities: books, writing implements, art supplies. If these precautions seem extreme, keep in mind that you’re very likely to lose a considerable amount of sleep unless you move your mobile technologies out into a different space so as to maximize your time spent getting renewed and refreshed.

  • Darken the light to a gentle, muted level.

One simple way to ensure the lighting will always be muted is to hang curtains over your windows. You’ll always have the ability to open them. However, you’ll appreciate the curtains’ darkening effect when you want to retreat to your bedroom for a rejuvenating nap. If blinds are your only source of dimming the flow of sunlight into your sleeping space, it’s likely to prove frustrating next time you try to take a nap when it’s really sunny out! Try getting a dimmer for your overhead light, or to limit the sources of light to LED lights, since they have more blue light than fluorescent light bulbs; this will assist your brain in creating the correct levels of melatonin.

If you want to go the extreme route to ensure that your melatonin levels are up to par, try using amber-lensed goggles once the sun has gone down. Their blue-blocking lenses greatly reduce the effects of blue-light exposure, and they’ve “been shown to improve sleep quality as well as mood, simply by blocking blue light and simulating physiologic darkness.” Of course, if you’d rather go the natural route, simply abstain from electronic devices like smartphones and laptops for several hours before bedtime, and try, also, to limit the amount of artificial lighting used around the house—perhaps with the use of a few candles?

  • Use fabrics to soften the space.

Some ideas for decorating with fabric may seem fairly intuitive: hang area rugs or blankets with interesting patterns on the wall for an interesting splash of color and texture. For example, hang a tapestry on the wall behind your bed’s headboard. You could also try hanging long pieces of fabric on your wall in creative ways—for example, using scarves. This technique has been a great use of scarves for me, as I’ve found myself with a number of accumulated scarves that I rarely wear. However, you might even be able to decorate your walls with scarves that you wear on a regular basis: just make sure you hang them in such a way that allows for easy removal and re-hanging.

  • Make the bed area simple with clean lines.

This means you should select a bed frame and headboard that are not overly ornate, but rather feature clean lines and neutral colors that don’t compete with the rest of the room’s décor. For example, rather than choosing a bright red headboard, perhaps opt for brown or olive—which are more earthy tones. Natural shades will feel more grounding than bright, patterned designs; although you’ll be alert and wide-awake, transitioning into sleep-mode may prove challenging with such a vibrant sleeping area. Also, think about the choice of throw pillows on the bed. If you opt for a few large pillows rather than a large number of small ones, your bed will feel less chaotic and more peaceful, since there won’t be as much to look at.

  • De-clutter the room and get rid of unnecessary objects & furnishings.

This is pretty basic, but it’s advised that you get rid of unnecessary objects and only keep those wardrobe items and objects that you use on a regular basis. This means, for example, that it’s in my best interest to discard all my old notebooks and journals that I keep lugging from place to place. I’ve kept them in hopes that one day I will go back and review my notes from my freshman year Humanities 110 class or that I might successfully salvage some scribbled observations from five years ago for use in a new poem. In reality, neither of these scenarios has materialized, and yet two shelves-worth of notebooks sit in my closet, as yet untouched and unmined for potentially brilliant lines of poetry.

I’m currently in the process of moving, and this time, I want to actually get rid of some of that stuff I’ve been lugging around for years. The main reason for this is that I never actually open any of my old notebooks to glean wondrous insights from their pages. Instead, they remain untouched, sitting quietly upon a shelf, gathering dust. This feels pointless and indicative of a potential idea that never comes to pass. Holding on to these objects may be blocking my energy.

Think of the Feng Shui approach in considering whether energy is blocked or facilitated in moving freely around the room. Is the path to the door clear or blocked? Is the space beneath the bed littered with unnecessary clutter? Is your bedroom filled with circles or with sharp lines and angles? Lastly, think of your bedside tables, desks, and bookshelves. Clear the remains of the day from these spaces before bedtime so that there won’t be a large mess to deal with the next day. The fewer tiny objects are scattered around the room, the less there is for your eyes to focus on, unnecessarily.

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I hope these ideas help provide a bit of inspiration for you to renovate your bedroom into a more restful, meditative space. What proves relaxing for one person may be stressful to another, so use your intuition and gravitate toward colors and furnishings that allow you to feel most at home. Think of your bedroom as an extension of yourself—but the calm, rested version of yourself, rather than the motivated, productive version of yourself that you want to be while at the office. If you focus on your dreams more than your reality, you will begin to envision a version of the bedroom space that is ideal for you. Happy decorating!

Elizabeth Larios