Meditation is known the world over to bring mental and physical relaxation, peace of mind, and relief from stress. Visualization meditation is equally effective and is soon catching up. Many attribute their newfound selves and clear minds and bodies to visualization meditation.
Imagine. You are standing on a mountain with a cool breeze and your hands in the air. You are alone and there is a smile on your face. You are breathing the pure oxygen and it feels like your body, mind, soul have been cleansed.
You are enjoying the serene beauty of nature and while doing so, are at peace with yourself. The sun is setting right in front of your eyes, allowing the myriad hues to spread their magic. It is a beautiful sight. You just cannot get enough of it. You try to mentally capture each part of this moment. Now, you are feeling relaxed and peaceful.
We are sure that you visualized all this while reading and certainly felt elevated and relaxed. This was nothing but meditation in the form of spirituality. The human brain has an enigmatic quality of creating pictures of everything we say.
Though, there is no mountain, no sunset, no breeze, still you could visualize everything in front of your eyes and played smoothly like a meticulously edited feature film. Well, that's the magic of this kind of meditation.
All you have to do is, sit back, relax, and imagine. Such creative imagination is a form of visual meditation. But it is not possible that every time you will be able to conjure up an imagination, so there are other techniques that you can use, to get rid of the excessive mental, emotional, and physical stress.
Benefits
Meditation can cure problems related to emotions and behavior. People with anxiety, stress, and phobias have overcome their problems with its help. Some research studies have also shown that people having bad experiences in the past, such as rape victims or victims of a natural calamity, have been able to deal with their emotions and thoughts with its help.
People diagnosed with psychological problems, such as, schizophrenia, paranoia, excessive compulsive disorder, bipolar mood disorder, etc., are known to get some mental relief through visualization meditation techniques.
According to 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.
Amidst the daily hustle bustle, visualization meditation can relieve you of the stress and rejuvenate you mentally and physically. Just imagining about a happy and successful life, will usher 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 automatically 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 the desired success and happiness.
As, Paulo Coelho rightly said, "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 kind of meditation. But, in all the forms, breathing right is the basic mantra. 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
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 with your spouse, you are having a great time with your loved ones, you are fit and healthy, etc. These are some of the positive things you can imagine about, that will boost your mood and motivation.
Guided Technique
A guide will act as the narrator and describe the scene for you. Listen to him carefully, follow it, and imagine accordingly. 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 one. You can practice this in a group or alone with your guide. You can even find DVDs or online videos which can be used as guides.
Music Technique
As the name suggests, in this technique, music plays a major role. Select any kind of music, something that soothes you. Play it on a reduced volume level and start imagining. Let it flow randomly, allow thoughts into your mind while listening to the music. Allow only positive things to enter your brain and avoid negative thoughts.
Change the music if it's igniting negetivity. Avoid listening to music through headphones in this technique. It's advisable to keep your body free of any engagements.
Such is the importance of music therapy and meditation, that a lot of companies have started manufacturing DVDs of instrumental meditation music.
Open places like sea shores or beaches, mountains, gardens, jungles, etc., give a better feeling. Listen to the sea waves gushing across the shore, birds chirping, wind breezing right past you, or anything that brings you close to the nature.
Believe it or not, meditation has the power to heal your emotional problems and improve your psychic abilities. Practicing it every day for 15-20 minutes will help you give a fresh start to 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.