Guided Imagery Overview: How to Practice Guided Imagery

Guided imagery is a relaxation technique requiring practitioners to imagine themselves in a peaceful setting. Also called guided imagery meditation or creative visualization, this mindfulness meditation practice is a useful tool to help you remain calm in stressful situations, like public speaking or conflicts with friends.

Your preferred mental imagery for this technique may vary from another person’s because everyone finds different things relaxing. However, there are a variety of guided imagery tapes and recordings on the market that lead practitioners through peaceful locales like beaches, the forest, or lakeside cabins. A guided imagery session will walk you through a very detailed scene addressing all of your senses, putting you into a relaxed state of mind.

There are many meditation benefits associated with this technique. Here are some of the potential mental health benefits of using guided imagery techniques:

1. 1. Improves mindfulness: Although you can think of guided imagery as a quick mental vacation, the technique can help you remain mindful and present in the long term, allowing you to connect with yourself and those you love.
2. 2. Enhances coping skills: Use guided imagery before a stressful situation to get your mind in a peaceful place, enabling you to manage any overwhelming feelings of anxiety that may take a toll on your mental health and overall well-being.
3. 3. Reduces anxiety and stress: Being present and meditating are effective ways to reduce your stress levels, blood pressure, and heart rate. Learn how to meditate.
4. 4. Relieves bodily tension: The stress-related tension you unconsciously hold in your body exacerbates other bodily stress responses, from heart rate to breathing patterns. Using your senses to imagine a peaceful setting can help you release this physical stress.

Follow these steps to practice this form of self-care at home:

1. 1. Find a quiet space. The key to guided imagery is focusing on mental images without interruption. Find a place in your home where you won’t be interrupted by ambient noise, other people, or electronic devices.
2. 2. Breathe and relax. As you conjure your mental image, focus on taking deep breaths. Deep breathing slows your heart rate and puts your body in a state of relaxation. Learn more about stress-relieving breathing exercises.
3. 3. Conjure an image. Once you’ve gotten comfortable, choose how you will walk through your guided imagery. Try a meditation app or guided imagery recording if you’re having trouble coming up with an image. Otherwise, use your imagination to conjure up a quiet and peaceful place, like a beach, a rainforest, or a favorite vacation spot.
4. 4. Engage all of your senses. Use your mind to imagine all of the sensory aspects of your mental image. Consider the sounds, smells, and tactile elements of your chosen locale. Using all of your senses will help you fully inhabit your relaxing world.

Follow these meditation tips to get into the right headspace for a guided imagery session:

1. 1. Get comfortable. Wear comfy clothes and sit or lay in a relaxed position to help ease your mind as you practice guided imagery. Donning suitable clothing and getting into a relaxed position will minimize minor discomfort that might snap you out of your relaxing state of mind.
2. 2. Find a quiet, secluded place. Your environment greatly impacts your headspace, so finding a quiet place without interruption is key in this meditation technique.
3. 3. Follow along with a recording. When you’re just starting out, use a guided meditation video or an audio recording to lead your guided imagery practice. Listening to a recording will take some of the pressure off of yourself and allows you to focus on relaxing.
4. 4. Practice often. Getting used to guided imagery takes time. Practice it daily (or a few times a week), and be patient with yourself if it’s difficult at first: The technique will become easier with time.
5. 5. Use a memory. Instead of trying to construct images of a peaceful place you’ve never been to, think of one of your favorite places. Use that memory, or a frequent daydream, to guide your practice.

Find something comfortable to sit or lie on, grab a MasterClass Annual Membership, and dial into the present moment with Jon Kabat-Zinn, the father of the Western mindfulness movement. From formal meditation exercises to examinations of the science behind mindfulness, Jon will prepare you for the most important practice of them all: life itself.