Imagine. You are standing on a high mountain with your hands up in the air. The cool breeze tingling your body. You are alone but not lonely and there is a hint of smile on your face. You are breathing, taking in the pure oxygen and it feels like your body, mind, soul have been cleansed to perfection. You are enjoying the serene beauty of nature and while doing so, come at peace with yourself. The sun is setting right in front of your eyes allowing the myriad hues to spread their magic. It is a beautiful sight. You just cannot get enough of it. You try to mentally capture each part of this moment. Now, you are feeling relaxed and peaceful. I am sure you visualized all this while reading and certainly felt elevated and relaxed. This was nothing but meditation in the form of spirituality. The human brain has an enigmatic quality of creating pictures of everything we say. Though, there is no mountain, no sunset, no breeze, still you could visualize everything in front of your eyes and played smoothly like a meticulously edited feature film. Well, that's the magic of this kind of meditation. All you have to do is, sit back, relax, and imagine. Such creative imagination is a form of visual meditation. But it is not possible that every time you will be able to conjure up an imagination, so there are other techniques that you can use, to get rid of the excessive mental, emotional, and physical stress. Benefits It is known to cure problems related to emotions and behavior. People with anxiety, stress, and phobias have overcome their problems with its help. Some research studies have also shown that, people who have had bad experiences in the past, such as rape victims or victims of a natural calamity, have been able to deal with their emotions and thoughts with its help. People diagnosed with other psychological problems, such as, schizophrenia, paranoia, excessive compulsive disorder, bipolar mood disorder, etc. are known to get some mental relief through this technique. According to medical science, the meditation process brings a lot of positive chemical changes in the body, that help in maintaining blood pressure and heart rate. This helps in keeping the person calm and composed. Amidst the daily hustle bustle, visualization meditation can relieve you of the stress and rejuvenate you mentally and physically. Just imagining about a happy and successful life, will usher positivity in your life and help your dreams come true. The positive energy and vibes will help you reach your destination faster. So, you must avoid negative imagination and negative thoughts. Just see yourself growing, learning, happy, and satisfied, and things will automatically work for you. Many successful people are known to be visionaries. This vision is nothing but imagination. They coupled their vision with hard work and channelized their energies in one direction, which got them the desired success and happiness. As, Paulo Coelho rightly said, "when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it...", positive thinking and optimistic attitude will surely bring sunshine in your life. Techniques There are various ways in which you can practice this kind of meditation. But, in all the forms, breathing right is the basic mantra. You need to first calm down and relax your mind and body. You can try imagining on your own or can go for guided meditation sessions. Creative Technique Find a quiet corner in the house or a garden. Sit comfortably with your hands resting on your lap. Close your eyes and think or imagine about anything that makes you feel good. For example, imagine that you are performing really well in your job or your business is flourishing, you are really happy and lucky to have your spouse, or that both of you are leading a wonderful life, you are surrounded with all your loved ones and are having a great time, or you are on a holiday with your friends and family at the most beautiful place in the world, you are fit and healthy and in the best possible shape, etc. These are some of the positive things you can imagine about, that will boost your mood and motivation. Guided Technique In this technique, a guide will act as the narrator and describe the scene for you. You just have to listen to what he says very carefully, follow it, and imagine accordingly. You can go for a professional meditation healer or your guru can also guide you about this. The narrator may take different topics each time, according to his choice or you may suggest one as per your requirement. You can practice this in a group or alone with your guide. If you are unable to get a guide, there are various narration cassettes and DVDs available in the market, which can be used as a guide. Music Technique As the name suggests, in this technique, music plays a major role. Select any kind of music, something that soothes you. Play it on a reduced volume level and start imagining. Let it flow randomly, allow thoughts into your mind while listening to the music. Allow only positive things to enter your brain and avoid negative thoughts, If you think, the music is only igniting negativity, then change it. Such is the importance of music therapy and meditation, that a lot of companies have started manufacturing DVDs of instrumental meditation music. Avoid listening to music through headphones in this technique. It is advisable to keep your body free of any engagements. You can go to open places, such as, sea shores or beaches, mountains, gardens, jungles, etc., for a better feeling. You can listen to the sea waves gushing across the shore, birds chirping sweetly, wind breezing softly right past you, or anything that brings you close to the nature. Believe it or not, this technique has the power to heal your emotional problems and improve your psychic abilities. Practicing it every day for 15-20 minutes will help you give a fresh start to a hectic day. It helps you control your thought process and induces innovative thinking. If not every day, you can practice it when you get time or when you are depressed, angry, or nervous, or also when you feel that you need a break.