Meditation pillows are unlike any bed pillow or yoga mat you can find. Uniquely designed from specific materials—more on that in a moment—meditation pillows offer simplicity and versatility found in few other health and well-being accessories. Beginners enjoy their ease and comfort while meditation experts depend on their pillows daily for deeper, more fulfilling sessions. Whether practicing guided, unguided, transcendental or other meditation techniques, your pillow becomes a very personal part of your well-being routine.
Yet, one attractive aspect of meditation is that it doesn’t require gear to get started. There’s a certain freedom in that. So is a meditation pillow really something you want to add to your regimen? And is it worth the cost?
Your meditation pillow offers improved comfort, posture and keeps you cool.
Meditation pillows enhance meditation at many levels. If you are new to meditation, that may simply mean avoiding the risk of falling asleep as you could in a bed or chair. But the pillows offer so much more than that for your wellness routine.
Meditation pillows add ergonomic comfort while also promoting good posture. By design, they assist you with proper spinal alignment from your neck down to your butt. Plus, your pillow will help you regulate your body temperature. You won’t feel hot or sticky while using a meditation pillow. That is because many of the best meditation pillows use buckwheat hulls as filler. This filling, along with a natural fiber cover, keeps airflow circulating at every point of contact with your body. No one wants to feel hot and sweaty during their session, and meditation pillows provide cool, soft, enjoyable comfort.
A meditation pillow tells your mind and body it’s time to meditate.
There’s a solid reason why you don’t want to meditate on the floor. It hurts! On the other hand, a bed is where you sleep and your chair is for taking business calls and maybe watching Netflix. Meditation deserves its own place and, in fact, its own ritual.
As humans, we build associations. Cotton candy and waffle cones taste the same no matter where we eat them. But we expect them at the local county fair and rarely find them elsewhere. In fact, we may even crave them between rides, games and the petting zoo. We train our bodies and psyche similarly with a meditation pillow. Simply removing it from the closet or carrying it to your favorite meditation spot tells your body and mind, “It’s meditation time.” This helps build a more positive routine.
Your pillow is light and transportable.
We enjoy the sounds of nature. They calm us, center us, and they connect us to something that is both spiritual and yet entirely of this world. That is why so many sleep and meditation apps include natural sounds. From waves rolling to birds singing in a forest, these sounds enhance a sense of calm that is beneficial to your best meditation.
Why not meditate outdoors in nature? A meditation pillow is light and transportable enough to take to your patio, garden, yard or anywhere you want to go. Not only will you hear the sounds of nature that center you, but you will also experience the breeze on your skin and the aroma of flowers in bloom. You can even allow the waning of daylight as the first stars appear to carry you away as you practice meditation at its most profound.
How do I choose the best meditation pillow for me?
A quality meditation pillow typically runs from $30 to $100. Given their inherent health and well-being benefits, they are certainly worth the cost. And if you meditate infrequently, you may find a meditation pillow assisting you in building a more regular meditation routine.
But choosing the right one for you is not a decision to take lightly. After all, you’re investing more than money—you’re investing your time and comfort! So choose wisely. Ideally, you would buy your meditation pillow in-person to test its firmness and assure its durability. That is not always possible, so whether you purchase in-person or online, here are some features to look at:
- Aesthetics: Is the pillow beautiful? Is it something I can take pride in today, tomorrow and every day?
- Materials: Is the filling a breathable material such as buckwheat? Is the cover or case also a breathable, natural fiber?
- Is the cover washable? Is its stitching and materials durable enough to last years through daily use and multiple washes?
- Is the meditation pillow of a size, weight and shape that suits my body and meditation style? If I perform yoga, will it also assist me in those exercises?
With care in purchasing—heeding both personal reviews and recommendations—you will soon have the right meditation pillow for you. The ease, comfort and other physiological and mental benefits of a quality pillow will reward you for years to come.
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