Once upon a time, I was in a therapy session discussing my latest dilemma. Despite being very good at following instructions, I was having frequent meltdowns while trying to cook delicious meals. The ingredients came pre-portioned, the recipes had step-by-step directions with pictures, and yet I would stumble and eventually lose my mind even though the food usually turned out tasty.
We talked about sports psychology, where professional athletes spend time visualizing their success over and over, reinforcing this mental exercise with practice, building muscle memory to match their cerebral workouts. My therapist suggested I do the same with my meal kits, starting with reading each recipe in advance, and looking up any unfamiliar techniques and picturing myself doing them before ever entering the kitchen. I did not always have time to do this before supper (job, life, unexpected bumps in the road), and my meltdowns would almost always occur when I hadn’t taken my brain through each step, imagining myself performing it successfully.
In the same way as creating a delicious meal or sending a sportsball where we want it to go, we can practice calming ourselves through visualization. By picturing relaxing scenes, we can convince our bodies that we are actually in these locations, with worries left behind. We can go even further and cultivate a unique inner landscape of calm, a familiar imaginal realm that we can return to at will with enough practice.
Begin by closing your eyes and imagining a scene where you feel at peace. This can be a beach, a forest clearing, or a cozy room indoors. Focus on feeling your body inhabit this space: imagine the feel of sand beneath your toes, grass or leaves underfoot, or the comfort of a sumptuous chair. As your body relaxes into the scene, start to notice other elements: the sound of waves crashing into the shore, or birdsong, or a crackling fire.
As you spend more time in your inner landscape, details and figures will start to emerge. You can use these as shortcuts to reinhabit this visualization: the image of a seashell, a motif of leaves, a framed picture on the wall. Practice conjuring this peaceful scene when you’re feeling good, so that you have an easier time returning to it when you are stressed.
This inner vista is an excellent tool you can carry with you always, but you may want to focus on a visual to get yourself started with visualization. Tarot cards and oracle decks provide a wealth of imagery, and their various themes allow you to select a set of images suited to your own personal aesthetic. You can fall into their images the same way as an inner image; explore the details depicted, notice instincts you have about the figures or relationships depicted in the cards. The way you approach and circle the picture often tells you something about yourself or the situation you find yourself in.
We explored personal inner landscapes in my first Sunday Scaries meditation, and I will be bringing oracle visualizations to my next one on November 23rd at 8:30pm EST. I aim to bring different types of meditation to each group session so that you can discover which ones best resonate with your unique style. I am opening bookings for this next session as well as another on December 7th, reserve your spot on my group meditation page.
The STM maintenance workers’ strike is ending! Check out their official page for the most up-to-date travel guidelines. The union for drivers, operators, and station agents is still poised to hold a strike this weekend (November 15th and 16th) during which there will be no service.
My birthday promotion has been extended to November 30th, use promo code BDAY25 for 50% off your next massage (one per client). I am available at both my Cavendish and Queen Mary (Meta 1111) locations for massage, and virtually for group meditation, individual meditation sessions, and meditation coaching.
