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The ever-hectic holiday season has come to a close, and despite getting to spend some long-overdue time connecting with family and friends, I could not be happier to have a moment to myself. While I pondered what my New Year’s resolutions would be in 2023, I thought it would be great to implement this newfound stillness into my day-to-day routine. I set out to curate the perfect meditation space using the best wellness-focused DTC products I could find, and with that, I give you the top five products to go on a journey within this year.
Set Your Foundation with Öko Living
Whenever you start something new, it’s important to lay a foundation, and meditation is no different. Whether you are in a spacious home or 250 square foot apartment, you deserve to have a dedicated space where you can clear your mind and take a breath as needed. The easiest way to do so? Roll out a mat. When I was searching for a mat for my meditation space, I had a very specific goal in mind: I needed something that felt grounding, yet that would be functional outside of my meditation practice.
I regularly practice yoga and enjoy group fitness classes, so having a mat that I could use across each activity was important to me – plus who doesn’t like a multi-purpose product? When I stumbled across Öko Living, my meditation mat prayers were finally answered. Taking the shape and size of a yoga mat, this herbal rug had me wondering where it had been all my life. The certified organic cotton mat promotes grounding and healing through a plant dye formula composed of 20 medicinal herbs that work together to reduce stress and soothe skin during use. Need me to keep going? This mat is antibacterial, features a non-slip bottom made possible by a natural tree rubber latex, and its grip becomes better when it encounters moisture if you choose to take it from Shavasana to your next sweat sesh.
Distract Yourself with WTHN
Sometimes, no matter how hard I try, my mind will simply not STFU. This has been something that has stood in the way of getting even remotely close to a meditative state and is super frustrating. I thought to myself – what better way to quiet a wandering mind than to give it something else to focus on? Enter the WTHN Acupressure Mat Set.
On the days when a regular mat won’t cut it, the WTHN mat and pillow are great to throw into the mix. Pushing you to get deeper into breathwork and relieve muscle tension, this acupressure set takes inspiration from Traditional Chinese Medicine and works to reduce stress hormones and increase circulation – all you have to do is lie still.
I’ve started dipping into acupressure gradually by spending 10 minutes on my WTHN mat each morning, which is more difficult than it seems. However, WTHN promises that any resistance, readiness, and tingling are all sensations that will dissipate over time. The spiked disks that cover both the mat and rounded pillow activate different points across your body to foster deep relaxation – an obvious addition to your refined meditation space.
Listen to an Expert
For many, meditation can be such a buzzword. Yes, of course, it’s sitting quietly with your thoughts and grounding deeply within, but how do you get there? I struggled with this for a long time. After trying a few different methods to fall into my practice, I still didn’t feel like I was reaping the benefits that I had heard others speak so highly of. However, after I came across the Superhuman app, everything changed for the better.
Founded by podcast host and former reality TV star Mimi Bouchard, Superhuman takes a new approach to guided meditation. If sitting still during meditation has been what keeps you from trying the practice, Superhuman has your solution. The app has taken a unique approach to shape what meditation looks like by creating audios – including walking meditations, cleaning meditations, writing meditations, and more – that are available through a monthly membership.
Baby, It’s (Still) Cold Outside
Despite the holiday season coming to a close, it’s still colder than I’d like to come to terms with in the Northeast. In my meditation space, I wanted to make sure everything was perfect from my mat down to the air around me (yes, I was that granular!). Cold air leads to dry skin, which leads to uncomfortable itchiness, which leads to feeling less than optimal in your environment. When creating your relaxation oasis, be selfish and let yourself check all of the boxes to create a perfect space.
The bottom line for me was that when I am meditating, I want to experience a mind-body connection. Once I introduced a Canopy humidifier into the equation, I was able to satisfy my external needs while in pursuit to go internal. The Canopy humidifier hydrates a room up to 500 square feet by using clean moisture that inhibits mold – plus it looks super chic on my nightstand. Since I’ve begun using my humidifier, I’ve noticed less dryness and discomfort, making a serene environment for me to set my mind at ease.
Stimulate all the Senses
Using essential oils in your at-home meditation area can stimulate mental purification and briefly transform a room that you may use on the daily into one that feels like a spa. Staying on the Canopy train, I am utterly obsessed with this diffuser. It looks like a mini version of the humidifier and has two options when choosing a scent to diffuse: either swap out interchangeable scent pucks that reset on top of the diffuser, or if you’re particularly keen on a certain smell, place an entire essential oil into the scent well inside of the device that will dissipate over time.
The Canopy team suggested that I try its Rituals essential oil collection, which was created with meditation in mind. This three-oil scent pack provides grounding moments of connection and was described as “a glow up for your home,” AKA exactly what I was looking for. Salt Cave helps to establish a habit of comfort and healing with notes of warm chamomile, sea salt and lime oil; Emerald Grove promotes rejuvenation with tea olive, lush mango, and lemon; and Indigo Sage brings about feelings of grounding and clarity with juniper, sweet basil, and hemp oil.
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As we embark on a fresh new year, I hope that you are able to carve out time to focus on further cultivating the most important relationship you have - the one with yourself. It’s so easy to push our own needs behind those of others, especially throughout the holiday season. So with that, let the above product suggestions take you to the higher vibration you’ve been searching for. Namaste :)
