What is the difference between Meditation, Creative Visualization, and Mindfulness?

Many of us use the word meditation as a blanket term to cover practices that though they are adjunct and can launch us into the state of meditation, are separate practices. There are distinct differences between meditation, creative visualization, and mindfulness. Due to the branding of creative visualization as meditation even I gave in and called my creative visualization podcast, Meditate with Ambika. Please don’t think me a hypocrite after reading what I am about to share with you. After all, if I had named it, Creatively Visualize with Ambika, would you know what I was offering to you? Likely not.

Please allow me to shed light upon these three different yet related techniques so that we can begin to use the proper terms in the future and understand the actions needed to achieve them.

Meditation is a practice in which we withdraw from the senses. Mindfulness is a process that brings us into the present moment with a sense of being in the here and now. Creative Visualization is what most people are doing when they think they are meditating while watching a video or listening to a guided sequence called meditation.

The directives for achieving the state of meditation are simple and yet the meditative state is the most challenging for most people to…