Visualization as a Tool for your Meditation Practice

A Guest Post By Sadhvi Siddhali Shree – Siddhali is a spiritual monk, director of Siddhayatan Spiritual Retreat in Dallas, Texas and maintains a spiritual blog.

Meditation is commonly practiced for various reasons such as inner peace, self-realization, calmness, or to be connected with the universe through soul. There are many techniques and tools to help a person meditate and relax. Visualization is one of them.

What is known as Visualization Meditations are guided meditations by the meditation teacher. The teacher guides their students on a relaxing journey using many images and sounds that help calm the body and mind. For example, the teacher may say, “Visualize healing light all over your body, and feel that you are becoming more relaxed by the second.” The benefits of visualization, for the beginner, help them concentrate, focus, and relax. For the advanced practitioner of visualization, they will have the ability to see objects with closed eyes.

photo credit: h.koppdelaney

Misconceptions of Visualization
Visualization is being claimed around the world as a means to manifest your desires – wealth, health, and achieving goals. Blindly believing in this misconception will not advance their visualization practices. For example, the “Law of Attraction” is not true. Only when you put sincere efforts on your path will you see a result. Merely imagination or visualizing will not help you.

The Process of Visualization
Visualization is the ability to see objects (people, places, things) with your eyes closed. If you wish to heal someone in meditation, you would want to visualize their face so that you can direct healing energy and positive thoughts towards them. Visualization is not an easy practice to do at first, but with effort it will become natural to you.

Visualization first starts with imagination. Using the example of healing a person, you would want to imagine them sitting in front of you and imagine healing them. After many months of practice of imagination, you might start to visualize.

Visualization begins to happen after imagination. When you are able to see the person’s face and body with your eyes closed, without imagination, and able to see yourself direct healing energy towards them, this is an example of visualization. Both imagination and visualization belong to the mind.

After Visualization comes Actualization. Actualization is the direct experience through your soul with the person you are healing. Your eyes are closed, you are still sitting in the same position, and yet you literally can see the person you are healing and what they are doing. You will see what they are wearing, how their hair is, and where they are located. It’s a real-time experience of the soul with another soul. Real healing happens in Actualization. The mind is completely absent in Actualization.

A Simple Visualization Exercise
1.    Light a candle
2.    Stare at the flame for 30 seconds
3.    Close your eyes and try to see the flame
4.    Once the flame disappears in your mind, repeat the exercise

After each week of daily practice of this simple technique, practice extending the time of seeing the flame when your eyes are closed. When you are able to close your eyes and see a figure of the flame (without needing a lit candle) you are beginning to practice visualization. When you are able to close your eyes, see an actual flame and turn the flame on and off at will, you are practicing actualization.

How to Visualize and Actualize People
This visualization exercise can also be applied towards people.
1.    Get a person’s picture
2.    Stare at the picture for one minute
3.    Close your eyes and try and see their face
4.    Repeat steps

When you are able to see a person’s face without the physical photo and without imagination, you are practicing visualization. When you are able to see what the person is literally doing, this is actualization.

Why you should Practice Visualization
· Increase focus power
. Increase strength
· Ability to Concentrate on one point
· Discipline of the body
· Possibility to Actualize (see objects in real-time, for an extended time, with eyes closed)

Visualization is one of many tools for meditation and healing. Remember, where there is selfishness and ego, real visualization and actualization cannot happen. It happens when a person is fully relaxed. With practice, visualization and actualization will become your nature and effortless, like meditation should be.