I often dream of taking a yoga retreat to beautiful Costa Rica.  I imagine the sacredness of the beach, the water, the jungle…but the reality of life says.. Make due with what you have.  We live in a hectic world.  Life seems to call us from a multitude of angles, and we may feel as if we are pulled between home life, work life, and our spiritual life.  Finding balance is key to having an integrated life.  Taking mini-retreats or finding simple sacred moments throughout your day or life is one way to help balance the hectic and the sacred.

How do we define sacred space?   For me, sacred space is any place where the divine and I can sit for a few moments and enjoy each others presence.  We may have altars at home, temples or churches that we visit, but what about during the day or when we are away from home?  Creating sacred space is simple, and it is possible to drop into sacred spaces during our day.   I thought I would take a few moments to share a few ideas to create sacred spaces in hectic times.

Yoga Mat as Sacred Space:   Yoga is a sacred practice.  Many of us that do yoga own yoga mats.  Doing yoga on that mat infuses it not only with your energy, but the energy of your practice.  Yoga mats are extremely portable and many of us carry them with us through our day between yoga class and home.  One simple way to create sacred space with your yoga mat is to roll it out and meditate while sitting or laying on it.  The mind and body have a connection to the mat.  When you lay or sit on it the body remembers the familiarity and the practice you engage in while using that mat.  This allows you to drop gently between the worlds without doing more that rolling out your mat.  Go to a park, conference room, storage area, or any space that allows you to get away for a few moments.

Journal as Sacred Space:  Journals are places where many of us spill the innermost aspects of our being into written word.  We allow our soul to step into this realm through our pens, so in essence the journal is a sacred space.  There are times when I simply open my journal and stare at the page in front of me.  This allows me to disconnect from the world around me and lets me just be in the energy of the empty page.  I allow myself to be appreciative of the potential that blank page holds.  If I choose to write, it deepens the experience, if I don’t, it becomes a visual meditation practice.  I recommend carrying a small notebook in your back pocket for this purpose.

Close Your Eyes:  It’s simple.  When we close our eyes and tune into the sound of our beating heart.  The movement of the breath through our lungs.  We enter the void of darkness that sits right inside.  We can stay there for just a few moments, or we can sit there for as long as we need.  This is the simplest way to drop into sacred space, but often the one that is overlooked.

The divine is with us constantly.  Take a few moments to invite the divine into your life and allow every moment to be sacred.

Where do you find sacred space?   What do you do to CREATE sacred space for yourself away from home, at work, or on the go?

You are loved.  You are Beautiful.  You are Divine.