How to Make Meditation Mats
In order to meditate properly, you will need to have a comfortable meditation area. The most important part of any meditation space is to have a soft surface to sit on because any feelings of discomfort can interrupt your meditation. While you can buy ready-made meditation mats, you can also easily make one for yourself that you'll be able to customize to the exact size and softness you need to meditate comfortably.
Things You'll Need
- Fabric
- Straight pins
- Foam or cotton stuffing
- Sewing machine
- Needle and thread
Instructions
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Determine how wide and how thick you would like your meditation mat to be. Measure and cut out two large circular pieces of fabric in your preferred size. These will serve as the top and bottom of your mat. Then, cut a long strip of fabric, the width of which will determine how thick your finished mat will be and the length of which will correspond to the circumference of the mat. For example, if your mat is going to have a diameter of 20 inches, this strip will need to be 63 inches long. If math is not your strong point, don't worry; there are calculators available online that will determine the circumference for you (see Resources).
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Take one of your large circles and pin one side of the long strip of fabric around the edge of the circle with the right sides of the fabric facing. Pin all the way around, and then repeat the process with the other circle until you have an inside-out casing.
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Sew the casing together with your sewing machine, leaving a 5/8 inch seam allowance. Make sure that you leave the short ends of the long fabric strip unsewn so that you'll have an opening you can use to fill the mat with stuffing.
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Turn the mat casing right side out and stuff it with your chosen filling. There are many different types of filling to choose from, including fluffy cotton quilt batting or even bean bag filling. It is up to you which type of filling you prefer.
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Stitch up the opening by hand with a needle and thread. Fold under the open ends of the long fabric strip so that the raw edges won't show on the outside, then sew them together using a simple slip stitch (see Resources). Once this opening has been closed up, your mat is complete and ready to use.
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Tips & Warnings
Fabrics that are thick and strong, such as canvas or duck cloth, work best for an item like a meditation mat that will be used frequently.
If you make any mistakes in your sewing, don't panic. Just use a seam ripper or a very small, sharp pair of scissors to clip the thread and unravel the seam in the area where the mistake was made, then re-sew it.
If you discover after some use that you're not comfortable on the filling you initially chose for your mat, you can always open up a small area of the seam and replace the filling with something different.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Meditation image by Volker Schwere from Fotolia.com
