Guided Visualizations

Read this visualization when you have a private moment.  Have a sheet of paper in front of you with three columns.  On the right had column, write “Things I Have Too Little Of. “   In the left hand column, write “Things I Have in Over-Abundance.”   In the center column write “Agreements for Balanced Abundance.”  Now settle in and follow the visualization.

Guided Visualization on Balanced Abundance:

Now, continuing with closed eyes, take a moment to simply think about the word “balance”.  .  . Say the word “balance” silently to yourself.  Perhaps visualizing the word in written form, each of the letters that comprise the word.  What does the word balance bring up for you?  What does balance look like, feel like.  .  . Get a sense of balance within your own body . . . is balance a visual image for you or is it a sensation in the body . . .

Can you picture all the systems in your body in balance, functioning in harmony. . . Now picture that sense of balance within your body extending out into your life . . . what would balance look like, feel like in your daily activities . . . in your sense of personal meaning . . . what would balance look like in your family life . . . picture your family life in balance . . . picture balance in your work life . . .what would it feel like to have balance at work . . . to have balance between home and work . . . now extend that sense of balance out into your community, the larger society . . .what would it be like for you to be in balance with the greater community . . . for society itself to be in harmony . . .even extending this sense out farther into the whole world . . . what would it be like for the world, for all nations to be in harmony . . . just picture it . . . and then it extend this sense of balance out even farther, to the entire planet . . . what would it be like for people and nature to be in harmony . . .what would it feel like to resonate completely with the earth . . .

Now, take a moment to picture the word “abundance.”  See the word abundance, say it silently to yourself, perhaps picturing the letters that comprise the word abundance.  What are the associations that come up for you with the word abundance?  Is there a sense of fullness, of completion, of plenty . . .of sufficiency or of too much?  Feel the sensation of abundance in your body. . . whatever the sensations, the ideas of abundance that are in your body, just notice them, allow them to be there. . . Now, apply the word “balance” to those sensations of abundance.  Balance . . . abundance . . .balanced abundance. . . what are the sensations of balanced abundance that arise in you . . . what does balanced abundance feel like in your body . . .can you savor the feeling . . .balanced abundance. . .Now, picture this state of balanced abundance in your own personal life, in your daily activities . . .in your family life . . . at work . . .what would it mean to have balanced abundance in the greater community . . .in the world . . .for the planet . . .Very Good.

Now think for a moment about what in your life is overabundance, what you have too much of, or do too much of . . .perhaps you have too much yard to take care of . . . or too many business or community meetings . . .too much driving to do . . . too many bills to pay . . . too many papers on your desk . . .too many bosses . . .too many employees . . . too much e-mail correspondence . . .too many shoes. . .what do you have too much of. . . Try to be both general and specific . . .perhaps you have too much anxiety or too much grief . . .perhaps you have too many TV’s or electronics, or spend too much time with them . . .too many family obligations . . . too many glasses of wine . . . too many secrets . . .Notice what it feels like to visualize this list of “too much” . . .  Is there a sense of overwhelm . . .of guilt . . .perhaps there is a kind of ambivalence, a sense of too much with a corresponding desire to hold on to what you have, to what you do. . . Don’t worry you don’t have to let go of anything you don’t want to.  This is simply an exercise in becoming aware of what you have or do too much of . . . Now, please open your eyes and jot down on the left side of the scale some of those things that you have or do too much of.  This is for you only, no one else will see this. Very Good.

Please close your eyes once more and come back into your breath. Now begin to visualize what in your life you truly feel you have too little of. . . be thoughtful here . . .  not just what you would wish to have more of, but what you genuinely have too little of . . .Be both general and specific . . . perhaps there is too little love in your life . . . too little laughter . . . too little sleep . . . perhaps you need to take more time to read . . .perhaps you need more clients for your business . . . perhaps you need more assistance . . . perhaps there is too little time in nature . . . too little quiet time . . . too little fun . . .not enough creativity . . . spontaneity . . .organization and routine . . . too little healthy food . . . too little control over your eating or drinking . . . too little time for exercise or spiritual practice . . .what is it there too little of in your life?  Notice how it feels to think of these things . . .Is there a feeling of hopelessness? Anxiety?  Fear of scarcity?  Is there a longing, a yearning for something better, something more . . . or is there a kind of hopefulness, a sense that these things can be increased. . . Now please open your eyes for a moment and write down on the right side of the scale those things that you have too little of. Very good.

Now please close the eyes once more and come back into your slow natural breath.  Take a moment and recall that sense of balanced abundance that you experienced earlier; that sattvic, calm feeling of equilibrium of satisfaction, of balance.  Now please simply visualize yourself experiencing more of those things that you listed as having to little of . . .don’t worry for the moment how you might experience more of those things you have too little of, simply visualize one by one yourself experiencing those things in abundance . . . what does it feel like to experience each of those things in abundance, without time pressures, without stress . . Now, please visualize the experience of having fewer of those things you have too much of . . . doing less of them . . . or not having them in your radar at all.  Just imagine it . . . now notice how you feel . . . is there a sense of balance? . . . of abundance? Take a moment to reflect on what that sensation of balanced abundance feels like to you. . . how do you see yourself living in balanced abundance?. . .notice if some insight is emerging. . .perhaps some agreements with yourself are beginning to emerge . . . agreements like “more love, less TV” or “more time with kids, less computer time” or “more nature, less anxiety” or simply “more fun” or “fewer meetings.”   Make sure that as these agreements begin to arise, that you are making a genuine heart-felt agreement with yourself, not just promising yourself something you think you should do, or something others expect of you. . . then when you are ready, you an open your eyes and write your agreements for balanced abundance in the center.
Very good . . . the idea here is for you to get your own felt sense of balanced abundance  . . . what this might mean to you.  And to understand more deeply how you may be out of balance and to make agreements with yourself about what you will do to bring your life back into balance.