Meditation This is the act of focusing the thoughts in your mind. Another way of describing it is "engaging in contemplation or reflection." You can do this in many ways. A common way of putting yourself in a meditative state is to focus your attention on a single object. It could be a piece of fruit or the flame of a candle.
Another method is to repeat a sound. A common sound you may be familiar with is "om," which many people use in meditation. You can use any sound you are comfortable with.
Meditation takes practice. When you put yourself in a relaxed state and then meditate, you will notice that your mind tends to be very busy. You will have trouble staying focused. When your mind does start to wander, take a deep, slow breath and let the object or sound you are repeating come into rhythm with your breathing. Then continue.
Visual Imagery Again, put yourself into a relaxed state through deep breathing or a relaxation tape. Then visualize a scene or a color you find very, very relaxing. A peaceful, pleasurable setting might be a warm beach or a lush green meadow or a cool, refreshing mountain lake. It could be an image of floating on a soft white cloud.
Something else that might be relaxing for you is the color blue (or pink or white). Take this color and visualize yourself being flooded by it and relaxing. There is no right or wrong here. Whatever relaxes you when you visualize it is right for you.
