For many of us, the pandemic was an opportunity to reconnect with our Yoga practice outside of a traditional studio space. Some of us were fortunate enough to have a dedicated room devoted entirely to the practice of our spiritual pursuits, others of us were lucky enough to carve out enough space for our mat alongside our bed. Wherever we created the space to practice, there was an opportunity to reconnect with ourselves in a meaningful way.
The act of creating a sacred space for spiritual aim is a time-honored practice that dates back to ancient times. Devotees of religious lineages lit candles and placed items of significance upon an altar, offering a small token of energy to symbolize sending their prayer into the heavens. Native American ceremonies involved the burning of tobacco leaves, as it was believed the curling smoke kept their prayers safe on their way skyward. Whatever your belief system is, it can be encouraging to create an altar for the cultivation of positive blessings within your living space or immediate surroundings.
Creating a wealth and abundance altar upon a desk or nightstand can focus our energy on manifesting the income we require to reach our goals. Placing items that invoke the charge of money, such as lucky coins or precious gems, can symbolize the flow of value that is exchanged between the services we offer and what people will pay to receive them.
Incorporating the sacred energy of a New or Full Moon may influence the way we arrange our altar, and serves as a great tool for measuring any changes that may need to be made as we move through the cycles of life. Knowing which phase of the Moon we were born under also inspires how we utilize our energy throughout times of transition and planetary alignment.
For more information on casting specific altars, or for a more in-depth reading of your birth chart, explore a personalized gemstone reading.
“Where our intention goes, our energy flows.”
For health and fitness goals, moving a chair or bench into our bedroom where we can lay out our workout gear the night before (right down to the watch & shoes!) is a really supportive way to create a subliminal cue to ourselves that we are going to stick to a routine. Placing everything out the night before, so we are ready to go the next morning, symbolizes our discipline to get it done, and our dedication to prepare.
A Yoga altar for the practice of asana or meditation might include our mala necklace, a few crystals, some incense, and maybe a picture of our guru or other spiritual influence in our life. Colors that invoke the chakra system inspire us to focus on postures that will help steady our balance and focus our awareness too. Allowing our intuition to guide which colors to include is a great way to observe how our body feels supported by the feminine and masculine energies present in all of life. We may also decide to burn sage or light a stick of Palo Santo at the beginning of our practice to clear away any negative blockages, preserving the texture of our immediate surroundings and allowing our awareness to focus solely on the present moment.
