Bring calm to your home by creating a meditation space
12 supplies you should have for your meditation room
This post will be continuously updated.
LAST UPDATED: Christmas 2025
ORIGINAL PUBLICATION DATE: March 6, 2026
WHAT’S NEW? “Yoga Figurines”
This post is part of a series entitled “Working Fluently From Home.” Click here for the archived posts.
In all of the jobs I’ve held in Corporate America, only one of them incorporated meditation and yoga in a workday. It was a green job that prioritized composting, recycling and textile reuse. Meditation and yoga were very much on brand for this company.
How did it work? We’d set aside 20 to 30 minutes with a meditation instructor who was supposed to help us zone out, stretch and get our minds off of work.
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The problem? I was wearing fitted work clothes, looking around at other employees in equally snug clothing and the meditation felt like it was over at lightning speed. Then, as soon as I left the room, my boss was drilling me with questions about articles. I was more distracted after meditation and yoga than I was before I started, and that’s not even including that the job was a three-hour drive one way. The entire experience wasn’t a good fit for me, and I barely lasted a few months.
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Is yoga and meditation a bad idea in Corporate America though? No. But it would be a better idea to schedule it at the end of the workday, in a separate room (or building) and with enough time to change clothing. If all of that can’t happen, you’re better off creating a meditation room at home.
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For years, I’ve set aside 10 minutes each morning to meditate — usually with Junee flopped on my stomach and sniffing my face to make sure I’m still breathing. On other days, I’m dog-less (and a little chilly without a live, warm, furry body on me).
12 supplies you need for your meditation room
If you want to start meditating, you can easily just lay across your bed and have a smartphone timer nearby. Choose your favorite instrumental (or guided meditation recording) on a streaming site, and try as best you can to zone out. But if you want to create an official space for meditation, here are 12 suggested items to buy to get this space ready.
1. Candles and Incense
While you’re inhaling and exhaling, the last thing you want to deal with is the smell of last night’s burnt popcorn or that boiled egg a family member made before they left for work (or school). Have some kind of pleasant smell to light or burn nearby.
2. Lamp (Light Dimmer)
Some people (read: me) prefer to meditate in a pitch-black room. Others prefer to gaze around the room. While gazing too much will make it much harder to clear your mind, if you are uncomfortable in a completely dark room, try mood lighting.
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3. Eye Mask
If you’re meditating due to allergies, migraines, sinuses or dry eyes, using an eye mask is an effective way to give your eyes a rest.
4. Yoga Mat
The downside of trying to meditate on your bed is it’s a little too easy to fall completely asleep. Getting into snuggling position is tempting. If you want to follow through with meditation breathing methods, a yoga mat on the floor is a better idea for grounded energy and supporting proper spine alignment.
5. Yoga Figurines
If you decide to incorporate yoga before or after meditating, having a few go-to poses on an altar table in front of you makes it that much easier. It also sets the tone for what this room (or section of your home) will be used for.
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6. Altar Table
This is a small table to sit reachable items such as figurines, chimes, incense, candles, tea and even a small do-it-yourself humidifier.
7. Yoga Pose Book
At some point, you’re going to get tired of those figurines and want to try something new. Find a book with inspiration for yoga and meditation, test out a few new poses you like, and make up your own relaxation routine. Every yoga routine ends in Shavasana (Corpse Pose) anyway.
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8. Stretch and Fitness Equipment (Yoga and Pilates)
9. Stretchy, Fitted Clothing
While you absolutely want to make sure your clothing is stretchy enough to bend, turn, twist and be parallel to the floor, you also want to make sure the meditation clothing is not so baggy that it’s falling off your waist, shifting uncomfortably on your chest, riding into private areas or becoming itchy.
10. Meditation Bench
Designed to support “seiza,” a kneeling meditation posture, a meditation bench helps you to kneel with your legs but not put full pressure on your ankles, lower back and knees. The position of the natural curve in the lower back also helps with breathing exercises.
11. White Noise Machine
While you can try streaming videos on platforms such as YouTube, prepare for startlingly loud commercial breaks, and choosing “skip” or “next” to get past a series of ads. Don’t want to deal with all of that? Buy a white noise machine, which will allow you to meditate with uninterrupted audio.
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12. Towel Warmer
Commonly found in bathrooms, spas and nail shops, warm towels come in handy for other needs too — and not just puffy eyes from allergy season. How are warm towels relevant for meditation? If you plan to do yoga in the same room, they provide a better grip for slippery hands, absorbing sweat, cushioning during Shavasana and keeping feet from getting too oily on a yoga mat. While strong perfume and scented lotions are frowned upon in public yoga and meditation studios, too much moisturizer at home can result in a spill. Try to keep your meditation session warm and dry even if it’s not to practice hot yoga.
With any of these 12 suggestions, you’re well on your way to improved mental health, better posture and more relaxing breathing. Try one or two items first to see if you like them, then decide if you want to commit to an entire meditation room. If you do, you won’t regret it.
Did you enjoy this post? You’re also welcome to check out my Substack columns “AAC-PACK,” “Black Girl In a Doggone World,” “BlackTechLogy,” “Homegrown Tales,” “I Do See Color,” “One Black Woman’s Vote” and “Window Shopping” too. Subscribe to this newsletter for the monthly posts on the third Friday. Thanks for reading!