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How to Create a Zen Meditation Room

A little extra zen is something everyone could use. Having a meditation room in your home gives you the luxury and convenience of slipping away to find peace in your everyday life. A dedicated meditation space will signal to your brain that it’s time to relax and focus on your breath. If you’re looking to create a meditation room in your home, read on for tips to create the ultimate space to unwind.

Soundproof the Room
Soundproofing the room will help you tune out outside distractions, so you can focus on breathing, staying zen and clearing your mind. There are several ways to reduce outside noise levels, such as insulating the walls using acoustic foam or panels, and insulating the floors. You can also apply a sealant around the window and door frames and hang soundproofing curtains.

Selecting a Wall Color
The color palette will set the mood for the meditation room. Everyone is drawn to different colors, ranging from crisp and white, dark and moody, or muted and calming. The color palette is a personal choice, so select the color that makes you feel most at peace.

Deciding on Flooring
When you’re meditating, you will likely be sitting on the floor. Wood or bamboo flooring are natural choices, which may add to the overall tranquility of the space. Luxury vinyl plank flooring is an option that has a wood look, but may offer additional softness. However, tile flooring will be too hard and cold. Installing heated floors will also keep you warm during the colder months. Natural fiber carpeting is another flooring alternative. It will provide wall-to-wall softness and soundproofing qualities, as well.

Choose the Seating
Meditation is typically done while seated on the floor; however, if your own meditation space, you can incorporate a variety of seating options to best accommodate your meditation preferences. For example, meditation cushions will help support you during your meditation routine on the floor. Additional cushions, a window seat, a bed and swings are other seating options for you to achieve maximum relaxation.

Add a Water Feature
Water is naturally relaxing, so adding a wall-mounted water feature will bring immediate zen to the space. In addition, the sound of the trickling water will bring a sense of nature and tranquility to the space.

Layer the Lighting
Lighting sets the mood for any space. In a meditation room, you’ll want the lights dimmed with a soft glow. A meditation room is a space where you can skip the recessed lights and add several dimmable lamps, as well as flicker candles.

Set the Scent
Aromatherapy can help you relax and achieve mindfulness. Diffusing the oil for the mood you wish you achieve will help you maximize your meditation session. Whether it’s a citrus oil to re-energize or lavender to relax, aromatherapy will appeal to your sense of smell and overall meditation experience.

Include Greenery
Plants can help purify, add oxygen and bring life to a space. Placing plants throughout the room will help remove toxins and add a breath of fresh air to the space.

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Foods That Can Help You to a Better Night's Sleep

Whether from work worries, other stressors or just a too-busy to-do list, everyone has trouble sleeping from time to time. But nutritionists tell us that making the right food choices can help us get a better night’s snooze. Try upping your intake of these common vittles and see if your sleep quality improves.

  • Bananas – Besides its big helping of potassium, the humble banana offers a good amount of vitamin B6. Eating one before bedtime can boost brain-calming levels of serotonin.
  • Salmon – The vitamin D and omega-3s found in salmon is another way to increase the production of soothing serotonin. It’s best eaten no more than twice a week, however, because of concerns about the mercury it may contain.
  • Almonds and Brazil Nuts – Both are packed with magnesium, which can enhance levels of sleep-regulating melatonin. A study reported by the National Library of Medicine reported a 10% drop in the number of students reporting insomnia after eating 10 almonds a day for 14 days.  
  • Crab – Low dietary intake of the mineral selenium has been linked with difficulty nodding off. Eating more crab meat is one way of getting your selenium fix, plus crucial sleep nutrients like calcium and vitamin B6.
  • Soy Foods – Greater intake of isoflavones, found in soy products such as tofu, are linked with higher chances of getting optimal sleep. Just one daily portion of soy, which could be tofu, a glass of soy milk or a serving of edamame, made it more likely people got enough snooze time.
  • Butter Beans – Also known as lima beans, and delicious in soups or salads, these humble beans contain phosphorus, magnesium and vitamin B6, making them a powerhouse when it comes to inducing better sleep.
  • Cottage Cheese – Cottage cheese on crackers or crispbread is an ideal bedtime snack, providing a balance of tryptophan for initiating serotonin and melatonin formation and carbohydrate, needed to transport this amino acid into the brain.
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