Like many other spiritual practices, the creation of a sacred space, or altar, can be intimidating. The best thing to do when teaching, is to take the intimidation out of it. We all have the knowledge within us and it’s different and unique for every person out there. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to do any of this. It’s deeply personal and intuitive.
The first thing you want to do when creating your altar is to get in tune with your intuition. This could be through meditation, yoga or another form of raising your vibration, like singing or dancing in your living room! Once you’ve done this, go from room to room in your house and see which area you feel would be a good place to come to again and again to deepen your connection to Source. This could be by a window or, perhaps, in a corner of your bedroom or office.
Some things you might want to think about are if you could practice there undisturbed or will you have to worry about people constantly interrupting you? How does it feel? Does it feel light and airy, maybe safe and cozy or kind of dark or depressing? You want to make sure the space matches up to how you want to feel.
Here are five steps to set up your sacred space:
Find a Prop
Find a small end table, old trunk, a couple of vintage suitcases, or other prop that could serve as an altar space. I prefer it to be level with my chest so that I can easily see everything in my sacred space.
Collect Items of Meaning
You’ll then want to gather items from around your house that have meaning to you or match the frequency you want to reach. Things that make you happy, inspired, safe, comforted, etc. This doesn’t have to be a huge task and you don’t have to go out and buy anything. I have a couple of plants that, to me, represent life, two Himalayan salt candle holders, a picture of Jesus, a statue of Buddha and my Abalone shell, sage and a lighter. I also sometimes put on meaningful oracle cards that I drew as well as crystals and anything I want to “charge” up with good ju-ju like tea or soaking salts for the bath.
Cleanse Your Space
Cleanse your space with a sage ritual and a strong intention. If you don’t have sage, no worries, it’s really the intention that holds the magic, it just helps us earthly beings sometimes to have that tangible, ritualistic element.
Get Comfortable
Have something comfortable and supportive to sit on such as a yoga bolster, blanket or meditation cushion - anything that will keep your pelvis neutral and your spine long.
Make it Your Own
It can be something super simple or something a bit more intricate. I set up altars a lot of times when I teach, especially if it’s a workshop or retreat. Your altar can also be something that can travel with you. Maybe you set it up on a tray that you can move around to wherever you can find some peace and quiet in your home!
So now you’ve got your space, what’s next? Just by setting aside even 2-3 minutes a day, at first, will have an impact on your life. Yoga isn’t only practiced on your mat by doing asana, we can find yoga in our everyday lives. One of the best ways remind yourself of the power of yoga is by sitting at your sacred space every morning, breathing and getting into alignment. That way you’ll be set up for a day more likely to be guided by Spirit than ego.
About the Author
Crystal Gray is an E-RYT 500 yoga teacher and proud YogaClub Tribe Leader living in central Illinois on a 20 acre organic vegetable farm with her husband and daughter. She is the creator of the Yoga Goddess Academy, an online spiritual sisterhood, leads local and destination retreats and yoga teacher trainings and coaches yogis and soul-preneurs on finding their purpose and building businesses around that purpose. She makes yoga and spirituality accessible to everyone and every body and gives students the tools to be their own Guru.
