Intuitive Visualization in Meditation

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We just had a comment from someone who has a hard time with visualizations in meditation. So do I! Actually, I almost never enjoy a meditation that tells you to see this and see that. The more specific the instructions are for exactly what to visualize, the worse it is for me. As I'm working to construct the tree or light or animal or whatever it is I am to see, the guide is already on to the next image. I can never catch up and I'm so busy working on coming up with the visualization that I can't really relax and get whatever it is I am supposed to get by seeing the image.

Though most of my meditations don't involve visualization, I know that it can be very powerful. I do use a form of visualization in a few of the guided meditations (Intuitive Healing and Inner Child meditations are examples). I like to call what I do "intuitive visualization". It's what I do on my own sometimes for myself. It's something we all do spontaneously when we daydream. I just suggest that you let something appear, such as a helper, and allow it to appear in whatever way it comes. It can be clear or vague. It may not even come as a image -- it could be something felt or heard. It could come through any of the senses -- touch, taste, sight, hearing, smell. Or it could just be a feeling sense. A helper, for example, could just be an energetic "presence". This way of visualizing, which perhaps would be better called "intuiting", works best for me and I like it in general because it allows you to draw on your own inner, creative resources to come up with just the perfect thing for you.

I know the other kind of visualization meditation, or imagery as its often called, works well for some people. What about you? What works best for you?

You don't have to sit yoga style to meditate!

I just spent at least an hour on the web searching for the right picture for our Online Meditation Course. Currently we have an image of someone sitting in lotus. That picture made someone wonder if she had to sit in yoga posture to meditate. The answer is absolutely not! You can have deep, relaxing meditations and even very profound experiences sitting comfortably in a chair (or on the floor or a bed or sometimes even lying down...). Seemed like it would help to find an image that sends that message. Searching the web, I hoped to find a picture with someone just sitting comfortably meditating. I went to all my favorite photo sites and it seemed like every single image of a person meditating was always in lotus, or at least cross-legged, and often with the hands held in some sort of special way. While different postures and hand positions do have different effects, they are not really important for most aspiring meditators. Many people can't even sit cross-legged comfortably for any length of time, and even fewer can sit in lotus.

As for what we recommend about posture -- usually meditation is best sitting up with the spine fairly erect. I say "fairly" because the most important thing is to be comfortable. When you are comfortable, you can relax completely. Sitting up fairly straight helps the mind to be alert. If you lie down (which you can do for some kinds of meditations) your mind will not be as alert and you may tend to fall asleep. Most meditation styles are not suited to the lying down position, although many guided meditations will be. But if you can't sit up for some reason, better to meditate lying down than not at all.

We hear from people who are using our podcast meditations in all sorts of ways -- sitting, lying down, walking, exercising, gazing at a lake -- and people are getting benefits and having profound experiences in all these ways. Ultimately posture is up to you and will depend on what you are using the meditations for and how you are using them. So often when I hear from someone about their experiences, I remember that these meditations are your meditations. It's your journey and your process and your truth that counts.

We do recommend sitting up to meditate for our Online Course. The course is a more structured, systematic process aimed at helping people learn to meditate on their own. The sitting posture helps facilitate mastering the fundamentals of meditation. But it is not necessary to be able to assume a pretzel like position to do it. Like our podcast meditations, ease and naturalness are essential. After all, meditation is all about being natural and being at ease!

Body Movements in Meditation

I've had a lot of questions about spontaneous body movements in meditation. People report shaking, the head moving, twitches and all sorts of other body movements. When these movements occur, it can be surprising and sometimes people feel concerned about them or want to know if they have any significance. Regardless of what kind of movements you have and what you are experiencing before they happen and as they are occurring, body movements that come up in meditation are the primarily the result of two things: 1) release of tension from the deep relaxation of meditation; and 2) increased flow of energy in your body's "energy field" (or "aura") which starts to move "blocks". In a sense these could be thought of as the same thing, but each explanation has a value in understanding your experience.

1. Release of tension. This is quite obvious. When the body becomes deeply relaxed in meditation, muscles start to relax. Usually this would be felt as twitches and small movements such as your thumb jumping, but it could also be a larger movement -- your head might suddenly turn.
2. Increased flow of energy in the energy field moving through blocks. This is a more esoteric explanation, but you may actually feel the movement as being associated with "energy" (see some of the comments on the Sensing Energy during Meditation post). In this case, deep meditation is opening up some energy pathways and as more energy starts to flow it can hit up against blocks. As the energy dissolves the blocks, the body may spontaneously shake or twist and turn since everything that happens in our energy field is reflected in the body. (Read about the Human Energy Field.)

The question then is, what should I do about this? There's really nothing you need to do unless the movements are too strong or disturbing you in some way. If that's the case, you can simply open your eyes. This will help you to come out of the deep state you are in and the movements will naturally subside. Take it easy and come out of meditation slowly.

If the movements don't disturb you, just let them happen without trying to manipulate them in any way. It's better to not get involved with the movements, trying to make them happen or continue. Just let them happen spontaneously on their own, not resisting them and not getting involved with them. In a sense, you can treat them like thoughts in meditation.

Note: Of course, if you have unusual movements happening outside of meditation or have any other symptoms of concern, it's always advisable to consult a health care provider to make sure there isn't a medical condition you need to tend to.

Related post: Sensing Energy during Meditation

New Online Meditation Course

Many people are happily meditating with our podcast and we hear from so many of you about the wonderful changes happening in your lives. It's amazing that the experience of meditation gets transmitted in this way on the web and we've been inspired to find more ways to bring meditation into peoples' lives.

We've created on Online Meditation Course for those who want a simple, yet effective way to learn meditation online. Not everyone can find or attend a local meditation course. Not everyone gets the hoped for results simply listening to our podcasts and reading the information on our website. Some want more structure and support. So we created a course that distills the essence of the principles of our meditations. Through a systematic sequence of meditations and written materials people can master the basics of meditation. We'll also be offering very personal support through four email consultations which are part of the course. It's exciting to see how our work evolves as we connect with people through the internet. Everything that we learned in teaching people in person is reflected in the course.

The course isn't just for beginners. It's also for anyone who is already meditating but not satisfied with their practice. Even those who are enjoying our podcasts could benefit from the course if they want to be able to meditate on their own, as could anyone who has struggled in any way with our meditations. 

We know some of you will have questions about the course. Please feel free to ask, either in the comments on this post or on our Online Meditation Course page.

Don't Believe Anything You Think (in Meditation)

When I first read the book title "Don't Believe Everything You Think", I found myself laughing. It created a delightful, meditative moment. I was driving and saw it on a bumper sticker. Probably I was caught up in some story about this or that going on in my mind, and seeing the bumper sticker brought a sudden, refreshing perspective. Given the shift those words created, I wondered how they applied to meditation. With a change in just one word, I realized they apply perfectly to meditation, at least the style of meditation you'll hear on our podcast. When it comes what we think in meditation, don't believe anything! The way I've always put it is "let thoughts be a meaningless activity in the mind". "Don't believe anything you think" works just as well!

Meditation gives the mind the opportunity to disengage, like shifting gears into neutral. Meaning keeps the mind engaged. Believing what we are thinking and that it is important keeps us involved in thoughts. Of course that's going to happen in meditation. It's the habit of the mind. But in meditation we have the opportunity to let that go. Learning to let go of thoughts -- to not resist them and to not purposefully follow them -- is the art of meditation.

Years ago I did the Course in Miracles (the year of daily exercises in the Workbook). Although it doesn't say it's a course in meditation, doing the workbook exercises is a way to learn to meditate. What's interesting is that the very first lesson has to do with letting go of meaning. "Nothing I see means anything" is the title of Lesson One. At the time I did the lesson, it made absolutely no sense to me. I couldn't imagine what the exercise would achieve. Only recently did it occur to me that it related to the ability to allow the mind to disengage from its usual habits and surface appearances. And only now as I am writing this do I see how it was the first step in what amounted to a course in meditation.

So if you find yourself struggling with thoughts in meditation, just remember -- don't believe anything you think!