It is the time of making new year's resolutions, of creating vision boards, setting intentions and working on better habits. It's the perfect time to practice manifesting, if you ask me.
Manifesting can take a number of different shapes. Whether it's visualizing, praying, scripting, using positive affirmations or creating a vision board, the method of manifesting is a wonderful and powerful tool to create the reality of our life. (If you are wondering how this is possible – how we humans are able to not only shift, but actually shape our own reality –, I recommend listening to the lectures of Dr. Joe Dispenza who explains this matter on a scientific basis.)
Today, I want to share with you three simple tips that will help you manifest your desires into reality.
When people talk about manifesting, they often think of visualizing a certain image or repeating your dream life in your mind over and over.
While it is true that you need to get clear about what you want to manifest, the most important aspect of manifesting is feeling your desired emotion that goes hand in hand with your desired outcome.
Simply put, our brains cannot differentiate between the images we make up in our minds and the images we actually perceive with our eyes. An easy way to demonstrate that is to close your eyes and imagine, just imagine, that your greatest wish, your heart's desire, has come true. Right now.
The immediate reaction of your mind will probably be reluctant thoughts like: "That's unrealistic. How should I have done that? Where did it come from suddenly? That's so unlikely!"
Don't
follow these thoughts. Instead, give your mind permission to pretend that you have already accomplished or obtained what you have been dreaming of, be that health, wealth, loving friendships, a fulfilling relationship, financial freedom, your dream house near the mountains ... whatever resonates with you the most.
Now when you picture your
desire already being your reality, you will notice that your body will actually respond to this mental image by creating the corresponding feeling – joy, enthusiasm, love, bliss. Which means that these feelings that you are longing to feel – feelings of happiness, wholeness, wealth, success, etc. – are already within you! You can produce those feelings inside you at any time, and by that, you will make them your reality.
Do this little exercise at this very moment, and see for yourself :)
In conclusion, instead of thinking about the things you want to accomplish or obtain in your life, focus on the feelings that you hope to achieve through the things you desire. Manifesting is not words to recite. It is bringing your desired future into the present moment. This is why Srishti Jaitwani said: "Gratitude is the first step towards manifestation." Gratitude in this case is an appreciation of the wonderful things that will be given to you as a result of manifesting – and that you can already feel now, in this very moment! It is the most powerful invitation of the things you desire. It is joy, peace, contentment, fulfilment.
For example, instead of constantly thinking about your dream house or your soul mate, which is nice but ultimately won't get you anywhere, really work on creating that intense feeling of love or happiness or abundance in your heart by pretending to already have reached your goal, until your body and your brain can no longer tell the difference between the desired future and the present.
After all, the reason why people are longing for a partner at all is that they are actually longing for that feeling of love and intimacy and connectedness to said partner.
This method of pretending to have reached your desire in order to eventually reach it can actually be found in the Bible as well. There it says:
"Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask for when you pray,
believe that you receive them, and you will have them."
(Mark 11:24)
Get Into The Right State Of Mind
Now in the first part to this blog post I have stressed the importance of being in a certain mindset when trying to manifest – the mindset of already having achieved or obtained what you desire –, but there is actually a much more literate side to this, too. This state of mind is called that "alpha state of mind".
In his book You The Healer, Jos̩ Silva introduces a meditation that utilizes the alpha brain waves where your brain wave activity slows down to between 7 and 14 hertz, which is considered a "relaxed" but yet awake state of mind that allows you to be more receptive, open, creative and less critical. Unlike our usual actively awake state of mind, known as beta, with brain wave activity between 14 and 30 hertz, the alpha state uses the right brain, which is responsible for our imagination, creativity, memory and intuition. Hence, it is ideal for imagining and visualizing Рand also believing in Рthe realization of our desires.
During the day we access this alpha state of mind naturally during sleep, when day-dreaming, and also during meditation. Therefore, it is best utilized right after waking up, or right before going to sleep, or right after eating lunch, when your body is awake, but mentally relaxed and in a state of rest.
To get into alpha state, you can simply close your eyes and count backward from 100 to 1 slowly. (I will do a separate blog post on the book You The Healer soon where I will go deeper into this technique and explain how you can get from counting backward from 100 to only counting backward from 5 to 1 within a few weeks, or even just defocus your eyes to reach the alpha state of mind.)
Once you have reached the relaxed focused alpha state of mind, you can now utilize this receptive and creative state to visualise your desired outcome. Spend at least 15 minutes in this state, picturing your perfect health, or your speedy recovery after surgery, or your dream house by the beach, or your wonderful wedding, or the job offer you have been dreaming of. Again, focus on the feeling of having already obtained these things.
To get out of the alpha state, simply count from 1 to 5, telling yourself you are going to be awake and energized once you reach the number 5.
Trust And Let Go
Essentially, there are three steps to manifesting: Visualizing (articulating your desire and asking for it to come true), Feeling (being grateful for "receiving" what you desire), and Trusting (letting go of your desire and believing in the best outcome). The result of this will be Receiving what you desire with open arms and appreciation – the fourth step, if you will.
Others have phrased this process as "ask, believe, receive" – but in my opinion the feelings of joy and gratitude should not fall flat here. There is another phrase similar to this that goes: "Ask, and it will be given [to you]."
For the longest time I had interpreted the step of letting go as something you simply do to not obsess about your desires, which is in part very true. Clinging to what you desire (especially when it comes from a place of lack and from feeling like you need this thing and are incomplete without it) will not actually bring you closer to that thing, but actually further away because what you are attracting with the energy you are emitting outward is not the things itself, but the need / the desire for the thing.
However, there is more to it than that.
Recently my mother pointed out to me that not only the asking, but also the thanking is quite essential to this entire process of inviting a state of love, joy and abundance into your life – because after all, that is basically what we are all trying to achieve, right?
Asking for help and in the same breath thanking – the universe, God, your higher self or whoever you like to turn to – for helping and supporting you, postulates that help and support are being offered.
The reason why you need to ask for help in order to receive it – as opposed to just receiving it – is the reason why we can only help someone else who is ready to accept our help. If you don't open up to help, it cannot come to you. If you don't surrender to what is happening in this very moment, you are resisting it. If you are resisting it, energy will not flow.
This is why we pray. This is what trusting and letting go means. It means believing that the help – or the things you desire – will indeed come to you. It means having faith and being humble in the face of a greater power. It means bowing to that greater power, and accepting that everything will work out to your best. Or at the very least, it will be the way it it supposed to be, even if we don't understand it. Que sera, sera – whatever will be, will be ...
It is so simple, but yet to difficult.
May your new year be filled with love, abundance, and joyful aliveness. Dare to dream big, and take the leap to follow those dreams. Remember – You are your only limit! Or in other words:
"Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve."
– Napoleon Hill
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