There are many different meditation supplies available. Some of the most popular are cushions, candles, CDs, and incense. Statues, singing bowls, and gongs are commonly featured at altars set up in areas designed for meditation.
Some types of meditation require specific supplies. For example, people who practice Tibetan Buddhist meditation techniques often use mala beads to count their prayers or mantras. They may spin prayer wheels as they meditate or bang a gong as part of the meditation ritual. A singing bowl is another of the many Tibetan Buddhist meditation supplies. When a striker is dragged around the rim of the bowl, it produces a soothing tone that can help the practitioner to focus.
Many meditation supplies are designed to impart a peaceful, relaxed mood conducive to meditation. Energy chimes, statues, decorative altar cloths, and wall plaques of gods and goddesses can promote a harmonious environment. Other meditation supplies are created with comfort in mind, such as meditation benches, mats, pillows, bolsters, and cushions.
Mats and cushions come in many different sizes, materials, colors, and thicknesses. Intended to create comfortable seating during meditation, specially-designed pillows can help the practitioner keep the spine aligned and achieve a comfortable height while meditating. Meditation benches are helpful for people who cannot sit comfortably on the floor, and are also designed to help people maintain proper spinal alignment and comfort necessary for a successful meditation session.
It is impossible to maintain a meditative state while watching the clock, so meditation timers have been designed to signal the practitioner when the correct amount of time has elapsed. Meditation timers emit soothing sounds to gently bring a meditating individual out of the relaxed state. Zen alarm clocks and meditation timers commonly employ the peaceful sounds of bells, chimes, or gongs.
Candles and incense can help set the meditative mood. Some forms of meditation require the practitioner to focus on a specific object, such as a candle flame, to achieve the meditative state. Scent can also help create the conditions conducive to reaching a relaxed, altered state. Incense can be found in sticks, cones, and powders. Charcoal and incense burners designed to burn powdered incense are popular meditation supplies.
Meditation supplies include props for the practitioner who combines yoga with meditation. Blocks can help an individual achieve or maintain the correct pose and posture. These blocks can be found in different sizes and are made of wood, cork, and foam. There are also bolsters which come in different lengths and diameters. Bolsters are designed to support different parts of the body during yoga and meditation.