Now, since this is a podcast that is all about manifesting success, I want to be clear about why we talk about meditation in the same breath as we talk about creative visualization which leads to good things manifesting. Creative visualization is the cousin (if you will) to meditation. In order to manifest, we have to visualize creatively and that will require a form of meditation where we are getting quiet and we are focusing on what we wish our lives to look like. They sort of go hand in hand and when we take the time to get quiet, to focus and to creatively visualize, I can tell you that with some time, you will see that thing manifesting. You will see that happen and appear in your lived reality.
And from personal experience, I can tell you that it is really cool to experience that because it helps you see just how powerful we are as creators. God has given us the ability to create something beautiful in our lives and to live our lives with that created thing in our possession. It’s very cool.
I almost liken it to God saying I am going to reward you for your good actions and your faith and dedication so here it is.
I also want to be clear that this is NOT the law of attraction. We are not practicing the law of attraction here…that is a new age construct and neither my podcast nor this blog have anything to do with new age. We follow the Bible and the Bible’s teachings and that is really important because we believe and we operate knowing that it is God who is manifesting these things for us. As the Bible says, “we are like God” but we are not God.
So, I want to take some time now to dive into the benefits of meditation according to the Mayo clinic and then we will look at the benefits of creative visualization and what the research says about its benefits and how creative visualization is actually backed by science, and where people around the world advocate for its effectiveness and how they can see how it has worked in their lives. I can attest to that too because many of the things I enjoy in my life today are things that I spent focused time visualizing and seeing as in my possession today. Not tomorrow but today.
So, based on research from the Mayo Clinic – When you meditate, you clear away the information overload that builds up every day and that contribute to your stress.
The emotional and physical benefits of meditation can include:
- Giving you a new way to look at things that cause stress.
- Building skills to manage your stress.
- Making you more self-aware.
- Focusing on the present.
- Reducing negative feelings.
- Helping you be more creative.
- Helping you be more patient.
- Lowering resting heart rate.
- Lowering resting blood pressure.
- Helping you sleep better.
But what if you are one of those people who has trouble getting to that “meditative state”? You are one of those people who has a hard time getting down and letting your mind relax…you find it challenging to slow your mind down, especially when you have so many moving pieces in your life….what do you do?
You stop. And you focus.
Many people have such a hard time getting to “that meditative state” because they are allowing themselves to get so caught up in the day-to-day. Listen, maybe your day to day is super stressful and you have a lot to do. I don’t take away from that but frankly, nothing is more important than your health and your well- being. Literally, nothing…because if you are not well, you are not going to be able to do the things that need to be done. No, it is not selfish to take time to meditate and to calm your mind, and dare I say even to visualize. It is not selfish to take time to engage in these practices (I have spoken to many people who have reported that they feel it’s next to impossible for them to take the time to do this but here’s the thing: not doing this is what is causing the stress and that will run your life. Not doing this means that your life isn’t going to change for the better.
So you MUST take time for yourself and you must do this. It is actually imperative in order to live the life you want. Studies show that meditation may help people manage symptoms of conditions such as:
- Anxiety.
- Asthma.
- Cancer.
- Chronic pain.
- Depression.
- Heart disease.
- High blood pressure.
- Irritable bowel syndrome.
- Sleep problems.
- Tension headaches.
Further, there are many ways to meditate that are not about just sitting there in total silence and these can include:
- Guided meditation. This is sometimes called guided imagery or visualization. With this method of meditation, you form mental images of places or things that help you relax.
You try to use as many senses as you can. These include things you can smell, see, hear and feel. You may be led through this process by a guide or a teacher.
- Mindfulness meditation.This type of meditation is based on being mindful. This means being more aware of the present.
In mindful meditation, you focus on one thing, such as the flow of your breath. You can notice your thoughts and feelings. But let them pass without judging them.
- Movement You do a series of postures with controlled breathing. This helps give you a more flexible body and a calm mind. To do the poses, you need to balance and focus. Many people call this yoga but I refrain from using that word because when most people talk about yoga, they usually speak about new age things and that’s not what we are doing. We are talking about just mindful movement and breathing.
I want to point out that please, don’t let the thought of meditating the “right” way add to your stress. If you choose to, you can attend special meditation centers or group classes led by trained instructors. But you also can practice meditation easily on your own. There are apps to use too.
And you can make meditation as formal or informal as you like. Some people build meditation into their daily routine. For example, they may start and end each day with an hour of meditation. But all you really need is a few minutes a day for meditation.
Building your meditation skills
Don’t judge how you meditate. That can increase your stress. Meditation takes practice.
It’s common for your mind to wander during meditation, no matter how long you’ve been practicing meditation. If you’re meditating to calm your mind and your mind wanders, slowly return to what you’re focusing on.
Try out ways to meditate to find out what types of meditation work best for you and what you enjoy doing. Adapt meditation to your needs as you go. Remember, there’s no right way or wrong way to meditate. What matters is that meditation helps you reduce your stress and feel better overall.
Now, let’s talk about creative visualization and how it ties in with both meditation and with making your ideal life manifest and come together…
Creative visualisation is a highly specialized technique, and is used in everything from elite sports to other professional fields that require high skill and accuracy. A 2003 study published in Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise found that visualisation triggered similar activity in brain regions to those triggered with a physical performance of a task. The brain responds to a vivid mental image in the same way as to a real experience. Visualisation physically changes the brain. Used regularly and effectively, it creates and strengthens neural connections and pathways. This process is known as neuroplasticity.
Visualisation is an exciting and powerful tool. In a school-based setting, students can use this technique to learn new skills, increase motivation, improve skills and increase confidence in activities such as public speaking, music performances, sports, interviews and even taking exams.
Tips for using visualisation effectively include:
- Conduct visualisation when in a relaxed state
- Endeavor to make the experience as vivid as possible by engaging all senses
- Create your imagery in ‘real’ time, not in fast-forward or slow motion
- Focus on the process and outcomes
- Practise regularly to develop the skill and maximise the effectiveness of the process…the more you do it, the better you get at it, so much so that you will find uses for it you didn’t see coming before
To give you an example, I use it in a sustained way to really see major life goals but then I also use it in passing (I will be on break at work and I will go to a quiet and private space for a few minutes and see something smaller but still important in my mind’s eye as having been accomplished). 95% of the time, I find that what I visualized comes about a lot faster than normal – guess that’s because I saw it and I have already build neuropathways to things that I find good, advantageous and desirable.
As I am involved in residential real estate rentals, when I see a person I desire to be my tenant or my family member’s tenant but they haven’t given me the green light yet, I spend a few minutes while I have some down time seeing them give me the green light and the thumbs up. I see their text, for example, or I hear them in my spirit telling me, yes christine, we will go for it.
The beauty of this is that there is no limit to the ways and contexts in which you can use it. No limit. It is work (I have said that before in other episodes of this podcast) but you can make it enjoyable and pleasurable.
So…how are you going to use creative visualization today?
English 
French