Visualization

The key to visualization is applying the right amount of effort.

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Visualization can seem like a rather daunting meditation technique at first. But our difficulties with it normally have more to do with the way we're approaching it rather than the technique itself. The good news is, it can actually be surprisingly effortless. So there might be a meditation in which we're trying to visualize a warm area of light perhaps a little bit above the head. And we think I've got to get this right. We start trying to imagine, we're overthinking. We worry, should the light be small or big, round or square? We're gonna get in our own way. But what about if we take a different approach? Take a moment right now to imagine a place you really enjoy. Just picture that place in the mind, the colors, the shapes perhaps the sounds and the smells. My guess is that this image naturally comes to mind. We just see it and it may even remain in our mind for a few seconds without any real effort to try and keep it there. Is this gentle, relaxed approach that is ideal for visualization? So remember, it doesn't require any great effort. Focus less on the clarity of the image or more on the feeling it brings to the meditation. In time, that image will naturally become clearer....

Details

TypeExpert Guidance

Duration<1 min

About your teachers

A former Buddhist monk, Andy has guided people in meditation and mindfulness for 20 years. In his mission to make these practices accessible to all, he co-created the Headspace app in 2010.
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Eve is a mindfulness teacher, overseeing Headspace’s meditation curriculum. She is passionate about sharing meditation to help others feel less stressed and experience more compassion in their lives.
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As a meditation teacher, Dora encourages others to live, breathe, and be with the fullness of their experiences. She loves meditation’s power to create community and bring clarity to people’s minds.
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Kessonga has been an acupuncturists, therapist, and meditation teacher, working to bring mindfulness to the diverse populations of the world.
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Rosie Acosta has studied yoga and mindfulness for more than 20 years and taught for over a decade. Rosie’s mission is to help others overcome adversity and experience radical love.
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