Find Your Higher Self: 5 Powerful Visual Meditation Techniques For New Meditators

Higher Self Yoga Editors

February 20, 2024

As you begin your journey in working with the Higher Self, it is important that you set aside time to reflect on your current state - physically, environmentally, and mentally. Without self-reflection, the insights gained throughout your practice cannot be used to their full potential and application within your daily life.

The following reflective exercises will serve to help introduce you to the Higher Self. These exercises are essential to perform when you are just beginning your journey. Though advanced yogis may be able to start at a later point within the exercise practice, we recommend that all beginner seekers take the time to complete these exercises in their entirety.

Remember, no matter what form the Higher Self appears to you in, It always makes its presence known when you operate through the heart. The more you use the heart in your daily life, the stronger and more potent your Higher Self will become. Use the below exercises to help open your heart - all of us are capable of doing so; it just requires discipline and practice.

The following exercises were adapted from Higher Self Yoga, Book 1 by Nanette V. Hucknall. For each exercise, sit down in a comfortable chair. Upon completion, make sure to pause and thank the Higher Self for everything that has happened.

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1. The Mountain Exercise

Preparation: With your eyes closed, start to feel your whole body relaxing. First, your feet are going to relax, then your legs, your thighs, your stomach, chest, shoulders and arms, your neck and head. Now your whole body is feeling relaxed. Take some deep breaths and center yourself by linking with your heart chakra, which is located in the center of your chest. With each breath feel the cares of the day dissolving into nothing and try to let go of any thoughts and feelings.

Visualization: Imagine you are standing in a meadow and right in front of you is a mountain. You are going to climb the mountain. It will be a very easy climb, and at the very top, you will meet your Higher Self.

For now, you start to walk on the path, which is in front of you. Almost immediately you enter a forest. It’s a forest of tall pines and other evergreen trees. As you walk upward on the path, you can smell the pine, feel the pine needles under your feet, and hear the birds singing. And as you slowly climb upward, rays of sunlight break through the branches and light your way.

Now you are leaving the forest, and you continue climbing upward on the path. There are scattered trees and rocks and grass, and as you climb you can feel the warmth of the sun on your shoulders. It’s a beautiful summer day, with a gentle breeze blowing. You continue to climb upward. Suddenly, you hear the sound of a waterfall. You leave the path and go over to the side of the cliff and look up toward the top of the mountain and see a beautiful waterfall cascading down. As the water hits the rocks nearest you, feel the wet spray on your face and you hear the roar of the water as it hits the rocks beneath you.

You turn now and go back to the path and continue climbing upward. Now there are no more trees, just big boulders and scrub brush and sand. You stop for a minute and see that there are other mountain ranges on either side. You can look down and see the meadow where you started. You turn and continue climbing upward. Now you are coming to the top of the mountain, and as you go around a bend you see at the very top a flat plateau of land and on the plateau is a bench. Sit down on the bench and take a moment to look around you. Experience the beautiful view of mountains all around you.

As you sit there, feel the warmth of the sun on top of your head. Now, look up at the sun, which is directly above you. As you look, a figure is going to appear and slide down on a sunbeam and stand in front of you. The figure is your Higher Self. You may also experience It as a light or a feeling of warmth and expansion in your heart chakra.

How to Tell if You're Experiencing the Higher Self: When you feel you are experiencing It, imagine the sun shining down on It and notice if It changes. If It stays the same or gets brighter, then It is your Higher Self. If it disappears or gets dark, tell it to leave, and try the exercise again. If you see It as a figure, imagine reaching out and holding the hands of your Higher Self, linking your heart to Its heart. Feel Its energy flowing to you. How does it feel?

Once You Feel Connected to Your Higher Self: Ask the Higher Self questions that can be answered with a signal for a “yes” answer, a “no” answer, or a “maybe” answer. When you feel ready to end the conversation, ask the Higher Self if It has anything else it needs to tell you. Listen to Its answer, which may take the form of actual words, thoughts, or impressions.

2. The Meadow Exercise

Visualization: Imagine yourself standing in the middle of a meadow. It is a beautiful summer day, the sun is shining brightly and there is a soft breeze blowing. Experience the meadow around you—the trees, the green grass with wildflowers growing, and the mountains in the distance. You can smell the sweetness of the air and feel the warmth of the sun and the gentleness of the breeze.

You may want to take your shoes off and feel the grass under your feet. In the distance, across the meadow, a figure appears and slowly walks toward you. You know the figure is your Higher Self. As It comes closer, try to sense what It looks like. Is It a man or a woman? Is It just a light or is It a body feeling? The Higher Self will come to a stop in front of you.

How to Tell if You're Experiencing the Higher Self: Imagine the sun shining down on It and notice if It changes. If It stays the same or gets brighter, then It is your Higher Self. If it disappears or gets dark, tell it to leave, and try the exercise again. If you see It as a figure, imagine reaching out and holding the hands of your Higher Self, linking your heart to Its heart. Feel Its energy flowing to you. How does it feel?

3. The Garden Exercise

Visualization: With each breath feel the cares of the day dissolving into nothing and try to let go of any thoughts and feelings. Imagine you are entering a walled garden. The entrance has a trellis of climbing roses over it. As you enter you see two paths. The one on the left continues to follow beds of roses. The one on the right has a variety of flowers arranged by color. Some beds are golden, full of lilies and smaller orange and yellow flowers. There are also beds of blue and purple hyacinth and iris. Imagine your favorite flowers in the beds. This path continues down to a small paved circle of stone with a bench on it. You sit down on the bench. Your Higher Self is coming down the opposite path and sits down next to you on the bench.

How to Tell if You're Experiencing the Higher Self: Imagine the sun shining down on It and notice if It changes. If It stays the same or gets brighter, then It is your Higher Self. If it disappears or gets dark, tell it to leave, and try the exercise again. If you choose to walk down the path of rose beds you will see all varieties and colors of roses. This path also comes to a round, paved circle of stones with a bench on it, and you also see the Higher Self coming down the opposite path to sit down next to you on the bench.

4. The Lake Exercise

Pretend you are in a boat on a beautiful lake. You are rowing or paddling toward an island. You pull up to the island and dock your boat. You get out of the boat and walk down a path. There is a bench where you wait for the Higher Self. You see It is in a boat on the lake, and It comes to a dock in front of you and gets out and meets you on the bench.

Once You Feel Connected to Your Higher Self: When you feel connected, ask the Higher Self questions that can be answered with a signal for a “yes” answer, a “no” answer, or a “maybe” answer. When you feel ready to end the conversation, ask the Higher Self if It has anything else it needs to tell you. Listen to Its answer, which may take the form of actual words, thoughts, or impressions. Then thank your Higher Self and write down everything that has happened.

5. The Home Exercise

Imagine you are sitting in your home meditating. The doorbell rings and you go to the door and open it. On the other side is your Higher Self. It enters and sits down across from you.

How to Tell if You're Experiencing the Higher Self: When you feel you are experiencing It, imagine the sun shining through the window on It and notice if It changes. If It stays the same or gets brighter, then It is your Higher Self. If it disappears or gets dark, tell it to leave, and try the exercise again. When you feel connected, ask the Higher Self questions that can be answered with a signal for a “yes” answer, a “no” answer, or a “maybe” answer.

Once You Feel Connected to Your Higher Self: When you feel ready to end the conversation, ask the Higher Self if It has anything else it needs to tell you. Listen to Its answer, which may take the form of actual words, thoughts, or impressions. Then thank your Higher Self and write down everything that has happened.

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Take the First Step

Developing your spiritual nature is an ongoing process, and you must practice these exercises regularly to really reap the benefits. While working with the Higher Self, you will encounter roadblocks such as fear and doubt; don’t let them hinder you. Ask the Higher Self to help you break down these roadblocks, even if it's step by step. Let the Higher Self fulfill Its purpose as your inner guide. Only by doing so will you reveal your true potential.

Did you try one of the meditations above? How was it? Are there other visualization techniques you like to use?

Tell us in the comments below!