Visualization Meditation

Imagine, you are standing on a high mountain with your hands up in the air. The cool breeze tingling your body. You are alone but not lonely and there is a tinge of smile on your face. You are taking in the pure oxygen and your body, mind, soul is nothing but pure. You are at peace and content with your self. You are enjoying the serene beauty of nature. The sun is setting right in front of your eyes allowing the myriad hues to spread their magic. It is an ultimate beautiful sight. You just cannot get enough of it. You are storing each precious moment in your heart. Now, you are feeling relaxed and peaceful.

I am sure you visualized all this while reading and you have certainly felt elevated and relaxed. This was nothing but meditation in the form of spirituality. Human brain has this enigmatic quality of creating pictures of everything we say. Though, there is no mountain, no sunset, no breeze, still you could get everything in front of your eyes in the form of pictures and everything was smoothly running as a meticulously edited feature film. Well, that's the magic of this meditation. All you have to do is, sit back, relax, and imagine. Such creative imagination is a form of visual meditation. But not every time you would want to imagine, so there are various meditation techniques that you can use, to get rid of the excessive mental, emotional, and physical stress.

Benefits

It is known to cure emotional and behavior related problems. People with anxiety, stress, and phobias have overcome their problems by following this meditation. Some research studies have also shown that, people who have had bad experiences in the past, such as rape victims or victims of natural calamity, etc, have been able to deal with their emotional problems with the help of visualization meditation. People with other psychological problems, such as, schizophrenia, paranoia, excessive compulsive disorder, bipolar mood disorder, etc. are known to get some mental relief through this technique. According to the medical science, the meditation process brings a lot of positive chemical changes in the body, that help in maintaining blood pressure and heart rate. This helps in keeping the person calm and composed.

In day-to-day life, it can provide you with stress relief and rejuvenates you mentally and physically. Imagining about happy and successful life, will bring the positivity in your life and help your dreams come true. The positive energy and vibes will help you reach your destination faster. So, you must avoid negative imagination and negative thoughts. Just see yourself growing, learning, happy, and satisfied and things will work for you. Many successful people are known to be visionaries. This vision is nothing but imagination. They coupled their vision with hard work and channelized their energies in one direction, which got them desired success and happiness. As, Paulo Coelho rightly said in his book, "when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it...", positive thinking and optimistic attitude will surely bring sunshine in your life.

Techniques

There are various ways in which you can practice this meditation. But, in all the forms breathing right is the basic mantra. Like any other meditation, you need to first calm down and relax your mind and body. You can try imagining on your own or can go for guided meditation sessions.

Creative Technique
In this technique, first you need to find a quiet corner in the house or a garden. Sit comfortably with your hands resting on your lap. Close your eyes and think or imagine about anything that makes you feel good. For example, imagine that you are performing really well in your job or your business is flourishing, you are really happy and lucky to have your spouse or that both of you are leading a wonderful life, you are surrounded with all your loved ones and having a great time, or you are on a holiday with your friends and family at the most beautiful place in the world, you are looking fit and healthy, etc. These are some of the positive things you can imagine about, that will boost your mood and motivation.

Guided Technique
In this technique, a guide will be there with you, who will describe the scene for you and act as a narrator. You just have to follow what he says and imagine accordingly. You can go for a professional meditation healer or your guru can also guide you about this. The narrator may take different topics each time, according to his choice or you may suggest him a topic as per your requirement. You can practice this in a group or alone with your guide. If you are unable to get a guide, there are various meditation narration cassettes and DVDs available in the market, which can be used as a guide

Music Technique
As the name suggests, in this visual meditation technique, music plays a major role. First you need to select any kind of soft music of your choice. Then play on lower volume and imagine randomly whatever comes to your mind while listening to the music. Allow only positive things to enter your brain and avoid negative thoughts, If you think, the music is only igniting negativity, then change it to positive music. Today, after recognizing the importance of music therapy and meditation, a lot of companies have started manufacturing DVDs of instrumental meditation music. Avoid listening to music through headphones in this technique. It is advisable to keep your body free of any engagements.

You can go to open places, such as, sea shores or beaches, mountains, gardens, jungles, etc., for a better feeling. You can listen to the sea waves or birds chirping or sound of the breeze, that brings you close to the nature. These meditation techniques have the power to heal your emotional problems and improve your psychic abilities. Practicing this meditation every day for 15-20 minutes will work as a fresh start for a hectic day. It helps you control your thought process and induces innovative thinking. If not every day, you can practice it when you get time or when you are depressed, angry, or nervous, or also when you feel that you need a break. So, the next time you feel low, you know what to do!