Is there any difference? How is meditation distinct from the visualization?

Meditation is any practice that allows us to transcend our thinking minds and the suffering that they produce. Swimming, running, chanting, the place where you can sit in quiet repose, a pause between thoughts, feelings, and sensations are all ways of experiencing the deep peace found beyond the mind.

In Yoga, the visualization practice is an integral part of meditation. It is a guided path for you to follow with the breath, words, and imagery that typically crafts an environment or feeling to support the Sankalpa, which in Sanskrit means a connection to a vow, truth or desire.

The most advanced phase of Yoga practice and the most beneficial use of the human mind is found in the visualizations. In fact, people access meditation through various techniques, including visualization. The way the subconscious is trained to visualize the physic intention and energy of the pose makes the merging of the body, mind, and spirit, which is a reference of all teachers in eastern practices.

Visualization and meditation have both similar powerful ideas with particular benefits that help us to set our purposes and desires, from the simple daily tasks to our more ambitious goals. I like to teach this technique to my students because many have lost confidence in their bodies due to injury, surgery, or chronic back pain. This gives them a tool to reconnect with their bodies to enhance healing.

So in your next yoga class or meditation session, close your eyes, breath with awareness, and let the images emerge from within to bring positive energy into your mind, body, and spirit.