Meditation at home is generally considered an important part of a meditation practice. Those who wish to benefit from home meditation are generally advised to approach meditation with a sense of discipline. Setting aside a time and place for daily meditation at home is believed to be beneficial. The elimination of distractions from both inside and outside the home can help home meditators focus their minds. Many experts advise experimenting with various meditation techniques and tools to help enhance the home meditation experience.
Silence and a peaceful environment are important for the success of a home meditation routine. Many experts recommend setting aside an entire room in the home for meditation, though a smaller area may be set aside for those with limited space. Meditation altars, candles, and relaxing fragrances, such as sandalwood or jasmine, can be helpful for focusing the attention and the mind. Meditation altars are generally very small and can be decorated with objects of spiritual or personal significance, as well as objects from nature, such as flowers. Interruptions of all sorts should be generally be eliminated during attempts at meditation.
People who are beginning a meditation practice at home are generally advised to try various meditation techniques, since different techniques may be more or less well-suited to different types of people. Common meditation postures include seating oneself in the lotus position or in another cross-legged position, or upright in a chair. Those who have problems sitting upright may be able to meditate in a reclining position. Experts typically stress that any posture is suitable for meditation at home, as long as it allows the spine to remain straight. Physical comfort is considered essential, since discomfort can damage mental focus.
Those who experience muscle fatigue and stiffness during a home meditation practice might be advised to incorporate a few minutes of stretching before and after each session. The eyes may be kept open if closing them proves too distracting. Those who practice meditation at home are often advised to keep the eyes open and focus the gaze on a candle flame, or other object directly before the eyes, in order to help improve mental focus.
One of the most important tips for those practicing meditation at home is to refrain from succumbing to frustration, anger, disappointment, or other judgmental attitudes about the quality of each individual meditation practice. The practice of meditation is believed to yield results over the long term, such that analyzing the results of each individual session does not typically offer any benefits. Home meditators are generally advised to attempt meditation for 10 to 25 minutes continuously, or as dictated by personal needs.