by Power to the imagination
Third Step – Mental training – practice No 3
In this session, we will dive into a scene created at a new level, unlike the previous exercise, which focused on multisensory presence in familiar surroundings. Previously, we relied on our memories to reconstruct the landscapes of our experiences. Now, we will let go of that support and allow our imagination to roam freely.
Many practitioners find that working with familiar scenes can be more challenging. Memory can, in a sense, hinder creativity by confining it within the narrow limits of what we remember. In contrast, the goal of this practice is to embrace the unexpected, freeing the mind from the constraints of our memories and allowing the creative process to unfold naturally. Although this experience is difficult to describe in words, it resembles a continuous flow of images, along with associated sensations and sounds, with no conscious thought intervening to dictate what should arise. While the context we are in is, to some extent, shaped by our memories, the key difference lies in the absence of intentionality or effort when processing these images and sensory experiences.
Let’s now move on to the practice:
- Sit in your favourite position with your eyes closed and focus on emptying your mind for a few moments.
- Follow the same directions as in the previous exercise, avoiding reliance on memory while maintaining the same vividness in the visualisations.
- If you have managed to hold the visualisation for five minutes, incorporate sounds and engage another sense (preferably touch, such as the feeling of wind on your skin, etc.).
- After achieving your five-minute goal with multisensory presence, you can attempt the exercise with your eyes open in future sessions. The practice concludes when you can maintain your focus for five minutes.
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