Sacred spaces remind us to pause. An altar or a sanctuary invites us to find stillness and clear our minds. It’s a place for us to “allow the sand to settle and the water to become clear” as Rolf Gates says. You can make a sacred space with anything you want: crystals, deities, pieces of nature, pictures, quotes, art, or candles. Pick a few things that resonate with you and create your space. Once you create it, sit in your space, be in your body, and feel your breath.
1. Find a comfortable seated posture. Orient in the space. Ground into the places where your body meets the support beneath you. Close your eyes if comfortable. Soften.
2. Find the connection to your breath. (I am inhaling; I am exhaling)
3. Acknowledge any thoughts that are present.
4. Release the thoughts and invite the awareness back to the breath by noticing it move in and out through the nostrils.
Where have you created a sacred space/sanctuary/altar for yourself? What is it made up of?
ABOUT AUTHOR SAMANTHA BARRETT
Samantha Barrett is a 500 hr Advanced Vinyasa Yoga Instructor from Bucks County, PA. She received her 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training from Dragonfly under the direction of Alexis Ridge-Simek in 2015. She also studied with Rolf Gates (500hr), Seane Corn, Mas Vidal, Karl Straub, & Maria Garre. Her classes invite the student to explore the body & breath on the mat in a way that deepens awareness, creates flexibility, and awakens true nature. She is a certified Reiki II Practitioner under the guidance of Valerie & Ian Haag and has completed 16 hrs of Thai Yoga Bodywork training from the Vedic Conservatory. She graduated from Temple University in 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree in Education and her passion for teaching has lead her into the light of Yoga.