Between jobs, personal life, and self-care, sometimes life can feel like a lot. While the feeling is completely normal, it’s important to know when to put mindfulness first and find some times to relax and decompress. Here at Frenshe, we’re big advocates for meditation. Like a lot of people, you might not be sure where to start. On the other hand, if you’re already a meditation lover, maybe you can elevate the space where you zen out. Either way, this post for you. We spoke to meditation expert, Thalia Ayres Randolph, about creating the perfect meditation space right at home. Randolph credits her mother and grandmother for introducing her to a lifestyle led by balance, meditation, yoga, and more. Upon moving to Cape Town, South Africa, where she spent time meditating and practicing yoga, she knew that formal training was up next. “Initially, I didn’t have the intention of becoming a teacher and healer, I genuinely just wanted to have a deeper understanding of the Self, but one day I woke up and realized that I would be doing a disservice by not sharing what I had learned,” she said.
The Benefits
“People gravitate to meditation for many different reasons—for some, it’s to learn how to reduce stress and for others it goes as deep as healing trauma,” she said. “The benefits of this practice are countless, we can learn how to calm our heart rate and rid our mind of thoughts, we learn to cultivate qualities such as compassion, happiness, gratitude, and equanimity.” She notes that it’s vital to invite mindfulness into our daily lives. We learn how to invite mindfulness into our daily lives as a living practice and “We learn how to reprogram our minds to reduce limiting beliefs and thought patterns, among so much more,” she says. Through meditation, we create a deeper relationship with our inner self, others, and the world.
The Essentials
“I want to lead this by saying you don’t need anything to start a practice,” she said. She notes that all you really need is a comfortable place to sit. “However, I do love creating a mood/setting the tone for relaxation whenever time allows,” she said. “If it’s the morning, I like to sit near natural light, and if it’s the evening I like to dim the lights, turn on a Himalayan salt lamp and light a natural candle,” she added. “It’s great to meditate in silence, however, if you need something to focus on I use the sounds of singing bowls or mantras playing lightly in the background.” We listed some other helpful items below.
- Himalayan Salt Lamp
- Meditation Cushion (or pillow)
- A Natural Candle
- Singing Bowl
- Crystals
- Spiritual Book
Getting Started
“This is a journey that you do not need to start alone, and I highly recommend finding a teacher to connect with,” she says. “There is so much available now in terms of online meditations and so for people who are new, it’s great to be guided by a teacher.” With so many different kinds of meditation available now, it’s important to research and understand which would resonate with you the most. “We can also find connection with spiritual teachers through books—two authors that I always recommend are Thich Nhat Hanh and Adyashanti,” she said.
Why Try It
Randolphs notes that The Dalai Lama once said, “If every 8-year-old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation.” She explains how meditation has taught her how to reclaim her life and her emotional wellbeing, time and again. “It’s a practice that no one can take away from you, every single person can do it, and you can do it anywhere at any time.” But most importantly, it’s a practice that teaches people how to heal, love deeply and transform not only their suffering but the suffering of the world.
To learn more about the benefits of mindfulness, meditation, reiki, and more you can visit Randolph’s site, here.