In this post I am going to unequivocally prove to you that visualization works and give you practical ways to envision and manifest what you desire.
In my first post about the power of visioning, I gave you a brief overview and invited you to follow along as I discuss each of the three main modes of visioning.
Today, we will address the most popular way to vision: Visualization. Athletes and the military have used it for decades. Celebrities and devotees of the Law of Attraction swear by it. Creative visualization involves forming mental visual images in order to produce a certain visceral effect.
“Your ability to imagine will help the next logical steps come to you faster. Work the bugs out in your imagination. You don’t have to build little things and bigger things. You can do it all in your mind. We’re not talking about the next logical action step. Use your imagination until your big dream feels so familiar that the manifestation is the next logical step.” ~Abraham-Hicks
The mind has great capacity to draw pictures and create scenarios. You can use this powerful brain talent to step into a vibrational space where you become a match to that which you are seeking to attract. And manifestation will become the next logical step. Sounds hard? Au contraire mon frere, you’ve been doing it your whole life (in the form of day-dreaming or day-dreading, aka negative visualization). Just not on purpose.
But we are about to change that!
First, let’s get something straight because none of the brilliance I’m about to share will be useful if you don’t believe that visualization works.
Have you unequivocally proven to yourself that imagining something in your mind will produce tangible and measurable shifts in your abilities? Well, I’m about to PROVE it to you. When I first learned of this exercise from Tony Robbins, I was BLOWN AWAY.
Watch this 3 minute video with and show yourself that your mind controls your reality:
Did you see a huge increase in how much further you could turn? What, How, wow… WOW!
That’s how I felt too! If you can twist your body in a way that didn’t seem possible 3 minutes earlier, what can you do with practicing visualization in different areas of your life? You can certainly manifest abundance, vibrant health, fabulous relationships and more, but most importantly, you can effectively rewire your brain to be the happiest, most harmonious and joyous version of yourself!
I am not going to go into the science of visualization, although I find it fascinating. (You can read this article summarizing a research study on guided imagery or purchase a copy of Shakti Gawain’s “Creative Visualization” for more information on the how of creative imagery.)
For now I am inviting you to become a researcher in the lab of your own life.
Ways to practice Visualization
1. Self-Guided Imagery
This mode of visualizing does not involve anyone else. You simple decide what you want to visualize and then close your eyes and travel to it. You could decide to focus on a feeling (such as going to your happy place) or on a certain script (meeting your guides and asking specific questions). You can also visualize being in a particularly delightful moment in your future and allowing your imagination to help you simulate what you will see, hear and feel.
Simple Self-Guided Imagery Exercise:
- Sit or lay down in a comfortable place. Make sure to turn off all distractions. Close your eyes and take 10 deep, rhythmic, centering breaths.
- Begin to repeat the word ease in your mind. Keep feeling into the meaning of the word and allow any images to pop into your mind.
- Let’s say you imagine yourself at the beach in a hammock. Now let this vision flesh out as you begin to notice the colors in the sky, what fresh scents the breeze brings, what sounds reach your ears, how your skin feels, etc.
- Stay in this visualization as long as you can. As soon as you aren’t feeling enjoyment any more, slowly come out by taking a deep breath and fluttering the eyes open.
At first it may seem challenging to quiet the mind and find a pleasant image, but I promise you with practice, it will get easier and easier and your visions will get more and more elaborate. They may even blossom into full blown movies played in your mind about a certain theme.
2. Guided Visualization Recordings
This is one of my favorite go-to visioning practices. It’s accessible and requires very little effort on your part. You simply put on a recording of someone else guiding you through a visualization and relax as you listen, imagine and feel. You can go to YouTube and type in “Guided Visualization” or “Guided Meditation” and find hundreds of videos on every topic imaginable. They can vary from a few minutes to over an hour. When you find a recording that you love, you can frequently purchase a download to use offline.
My absolute favorite guided meditations are the “Get In the Vortex” CD from Abraham-Hicks. There are four tracks (General, Financial, Physical and Relationship) and a bonus (music only). My life completely transformed since I regularly began doing these meditations (more ease, clarity and alignment at first, and then crazy manifestations followed… and are still coming!).
My current favorite guided visualization is this one by Kelly Howell. I find her voice incredibly soothing and resonate with the choice of her words. I always feel so centered, clear and connected to my inner guidance after I listen to this track.
I encourage you to try different ones and find the one that speaks to you the most at this time. As I was thinking of how to make this visioning series even more fun, I remembered an exercise that I did years ago to train my visioning muscles and learn to manifest faster. It’s very simple.
Visioning Challenge:
- Imagine your dream car and practice visualizing driving it and enjoying it.
- Imagine the exact color, model, smell, etc.
- Envision and sense how you will feel owning this car.
- Do 3+ minutes of visualizing the amazing feel of this car two to three times a day and begin writing down how many times a day you notice this car.
When I did this exercise with a Prius, I was blown away by how many Priuses I seemed to find everywhere I went! I eventually test drove a Prius and decided I liked another car better. And within 6 months I was driving the car I loved!
That was another piece of evidence to prove to me that when I focus on what tickles me pink, I become a magnet to it.
Want to try a visioning challenge?
Pick something that makes you weak in the knees when you think of it and decide to visualize it 1-2 times a day. Begin noticing how many times it begins to show up in your life. And contact me when you manifest it!
I’ve given you many ways to try out visualization and experience for yourself this powerful manifestational technique. It gets easier and easier with practice, I promise!
Now I’d love to hear from you:
What did you think of the visualization exercise in the video? And what are your favorite visualization techniques? Can’t wait to read your wisdom on creative imagery practices and hear how you enjoyed the suggested exercises!
And get excited for the next article, when we will dive into speaking and scripting as a form of visioning!
Your Visioning Fairy,
Lana
p.s. Here is the rest of the Visioning Series:
Visioning Series (Part 1 of 4): It Ain’t Where I’ve Been But Where I’m About To Go!
Visioning Series (Part 3 of 4): The Power of Speaking
Visioning Series (Part 4 of 4): The Power of Scripting
I love the exercise in the video! It proves that visualization works so instantaneously! And I’m always amazed just how much further I can go. I have done a few if the others and I can’t wait to start using them on a regular basis. Thank you for sharing these tips and tools!
Lana, I loved your video! I knew this exercise already but it is so powerful – I am glad you shared this with us. I actually visualize every day with audio recordings I make myself, vision boards and brief meditations and the results I get are simply amazing. Thank you so much for this awesome series, I really look forward to the next part! 🙂
Nathalie, it sounds like you do a lot of the visualization part of visioning so I can’t wait to see what you think of the writing and speaking parts of visioning! And congratulations of the amazing results!
Wow! This is totally chock full of some really important manifesting goodness! Thanks so much for your generosity in this post! I love this and would like to take you up on the challenge : )
So glad you got a lot of practical wisdom from the post, Court! I’d love to hear what you’d like to manifest. It would be lovely to go a journey with you of envisioning what you desire and allowing it into your life. And next week I will show you ways of visioning through writing!
WOW LANA!!!! That is SO cool!!!
It’s the first time I’ve ever done that or heard about the exercise. My thumb was about a foot further than the first time. A WHOLE FOOT!!!! And I only did the exercise one time.
You go girl!
Wow, Nneka! What will you apply these mad visualization skills on next?!! And I got so many more awesome exercises like this one, can’t wait to share more!
Awesome trying to get out of poverty after surgery.
Lana I love that exercise it blew me away so much I broke down and cried tears of happiness! Isn’t that crazy have you ever heard of that?? I am manifesting my dream home we are smoothly doing the renovations on our current home that for years just seemed impossible and I am manifesting on having the cabin at the lake next to my brother’s cabin where we have so many happy memories and fun time! I’ll let you know when I have it have to make myself believe that I will!
So amazing Shanta! Thank you for sharing!
I try to visualise myself doing the exercise but can,t see anything, everything looks blur or blank. I can only imagine that I am doing does thing. How can I improve my visualisation so that I can see pictures, images as they are.
How many times do I have to do this?
As many as you like!