When I first started meditation, I was practicing the "Om" chant. Then, I stopped that and began visualization. For example, I created a few visualizations on my own in order to generate calmness in my mind. This immediately had a great impact on me and I lost all anxiety and depression after the very first session. Practicing visualizing my thoughts as separate things (not apart of me) has been very transformative. I also visualize myself at the bottom of the ocean and repeat "depths of the ocean.... calm. Depths of the ocean... alone. Depths of the ocean... quiet. Depths of the ocean... safe." I do this with each in breath and out breath. I have various scenarios such as this. I visualize something particularly calming to me, and I attach it to a mantra that I repeat with the rising and falling of my abdomen. If I get distracted, I note it impartially as "wandering" "thinking " "restless " etc. Then, I return to my visualization that is always layered on top of the observance of my in breath and out breath.
My question is whether or not I am supposed to be visualizing anything while I observe the rising and falling? It seems impossible to me that I could have my eyes closed and not see anything in my mind. I find that the images are like thoughts and always float through my mind uncontrollably when my eyes are closed. This happenes especially vividly just before I fall asleep. I think that by concentrating on a particular visual image while I meditate, I am at least working to control the imagery.
Is there anything wrong with visualizing while meditating? If so, what?
