the bathroom floor--my favorite place to meditate

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Lots of folks have heard about the benefits of meditation and want to experience it for themselves. Study after study has shown that the sense of inner calm, increased self-awareness, laser-beam focus and improved sleep are gifts that will keep on giving if you can just set aside a few minutes each day to sit in stillness. But if your to-do list feels longer than a year-old CVS receipt and you just can't bear facing adding yet another task to it, I have an idea for you.

Try meditating in the bathroom.

I’m not talking about chanting “ommmm” while you’re sitting on the toilet—although my friend and pain care expert Collen Jorgensen has a movement practice that will make the most of your sit time (wow, that’s a lotta puns right there). Nope. Here’s what I’m talking about instead …

Upon waking, we all spend at least a few minutes each morning getting ready for the day in the bathroom. Before you leave this space—say, prior to hopping into the shower or heading to your closet—take some time to hit the floor and just SIT.

I did this religiously a few years ago. We had a dedicated exercise space where I unrolled my mat most days, but for some reason I was feeling resistance toward meditating there. One morning, as I was primping in the bathroom mirror, I realized that I had forgotten to pop into that room when I woke up … again. Ooops. So, sort of as a little joke to myself, I dropped to the floor. Right between the sink and the tub.

I closed my eyes and sat in quiet for a few moments, then looked around a bit before I gathered myself and got on with my routine. Huh. I guess I didn’t need any extra space to move around,* and the rug was pretty comfortable. I expected that my little experiment would lead me to moving my sit time to a more “proper” space, but sitting on the bathroom floor required so little extra throught or effort, it became my regular spot.

Of course, if you are blessed with a stunning view or a cozy location that you just love, please do use that for your contemplation space. But if you’re finding that you just don’t make the time for quiet reflection. Give this a try.

I love this not just because it means we’ll actually start meditating, already (which is the whole point). But let’s face it—we’re regular folks. If you’re an ascetic who’s renunciated worldly life, you can go to a cave and sit all you want—in fact, there’s probably not much else to do there once your basic needs are taken care of. The symbolism of finding your seat on a bathmat during your morning routine shows how doable a few moments of quiet reflecting can be for all of us.

I really encourage you to give this a try. Alternatively, consider sliding out of your bed onto the floor in the morning, before you even get to the bathroom. Then meditating really WILL be the very first thing you do each day.

Do you have a not-so-traditional place you like to practice? Let me know in the comments!

*I’ve since discovered that the bathroom is not a bad place to sneak in a yoga posture or two, if you have the room. Who says you need a mat?