Yoga is all about creating inner peace and balance and your environment plays a huge role in this. Create the perfect space that finds the sweet spot between style and function.

Interior designer for Mood Design, Anastasia Dinos shares her six tips:

 

1. Pick a base colour: When it comes to colour, a neutral palette evokes a calming, peaceful and pure emotion, and is the perfect blank canvas on which to add your own personality. Think dusty pink, light sand, grey or off white – it doesn’t need to be stark white. 

2. Light it up: To encourage natural light, keep windows free from shades or heavy blinds. Depending on the external view you may need some privacy – light sheer fabric curtain or bamboo Venetian blinds are good options. If natural light isn’t possible, use candles, lanterns, or table or floor lamps during practice. If using ceiling lights, install a dimmer to create an intimate and private ambiance to the space and always avoid fluorescent or incandescent bulbs – at least during practice.

3. Furnish flurry: Furniture should be minimal and not take up too much valuable floor or mat space. Opt for sustainable or raw materials such as bamboo or up-cycled materials wherever possible. Continuing with the principle of respecting nature, introduce some plant life. A living and breathing element in any internal space evokes a calming and grounding mood. If you don’t have a green thumb, choose something low maintenance like a succulent, but speak to your nursery about the best option for you.

4. Let it sing: A yoga space would not be a yoga space without the sound of the ‘om’ or spiritual chanting in the background. All you need is a small portable wireless speaker and any smart device connected to Spotify or Pandora. A quick search for ‘yoga’ will give you hundreds of playlist options to choose from.

5. Simple scents: Aromatherapy (or ‘yogaroma’ as it’s also known) is optional, but is lovely for really deepening the experience you’re trying to create. For example, lavender is known to evoke a calming and relaxing sensation while lemongrass energizes and uplifts. If you are using oils, a simple oil burner in the corner of the room will do the trick; you can also dab some oil on your pulse points (wrists, neck, behind knees) to really enhance the feeling.

6. Personalize: Finally, let’s add a bit of you to the room. If you’d like some colour, introduce it through your yoga mat, towel, window curtain and any ornamental decor around the room. A small buddha statue or nepalese hymn bowl would fit in perfectly. Remembering we’re all different and so is our energy, so which colour you select it really up to you. For example, if you’re feeling flat and need some uplifting energy use a red mat, or if you need to slow down, try green.

NEXT: Discover the benefits of yoga.