“Meditation is the new caffeine”
— Emily Fletcher
90% of the highly successful start their day with meditation. At least, according to entrepreneur and podcast host Tim Ferriss.
Or how about,
“Morning and evening gratitude are the most important practices in my life”
— Oprah
However, meditation is an esoteric practice heavily shrouded in stigma.
Folks choose the Ziva technique because it brings simplicity and practicality to meditation. The book Stress Less, Accomplish More, teaches high-achievers to rewire their brains for maximum efficiency.
What is Ziva Meditation?
Ziva meditation is the brainchild of Emily Fletcher that combines Vedic mantras (repeating a word or phrase) with visualization and present-moment awareness. Her system, made up of manifesting, mindfulness, and meditation (3Ms) adapts ancient techniques for a modern audience.
Ziva’s different from other meditation programs.
Emily specifically designed Ziva for the Type-A skeptics that want to actually feel better from meditation without waiting decades for enlightenment. Share on XShe points out that meditation, mindfulness, and manifestation are related but different.
Each of the 3Ms manages a different kind of stress:
- Manifesting: dealing with future uncertainty
- Mindfulness: deal with present stress
- Meditation: deal with past stress
Combine all three and you can access a fourth state of consciousness.
Emily says,
“Meditation is like a hardware upgrade for your brain so you can run any software you like.”
Dr. Joe Dispenza agrees. His classic book Becoming Supernatural (which I added my own highlights from) explains how meditation rewires the brain.
The first and most important step to succeeding at Ziva meditation is to use a mantra.
Ziva Mantras
Mantras are words, sounds, or phrases repeated to produce certain vibrational frequencies and also occupy the mind. Yoga, meditation, and other spiritual rituals use mantras to deepen the practice.
Ziva meditation relies heavily on mantras.
Most people use one of two mantra types: traditional and modern. I prefer modern mantras, but here are my favorite examples of each:
Ancient Mantras
- Om or Aum: pronounced “ohm”, a sacred representation of the union of mind, body, and spirit.
- “Ham-Sah”, “So Ham”: considered the most versatile mantra, “Ham-Sah” means I am that.
- “Om Shanti Shanti Shanti”: translated as the starting of Om followed by peace of mind, body, and speech.
- “Sat, Chit, Ananda”: existence, Consciousness, Bliss. Used often by Deepak Chopra.
- “Aham Prema.”: I am divine love.
Modern Mantras
- “I change my thoughts, I change my world.” (Norman Vincent Peale)
- “I am one.” (My personal mantra)
- “My body already knows exactly how to heal.”
- “I attract health, wealth, and happiness.”
- “Every day in every way, I get stronger.”
How to Meditate Ziva Style
Ziva is a 17 minute, three-part technique, ideally performed twice per day. You begin by paying attention to your senses, then spend the bulk of the time meditating. Finally, the session ends with a few minutes of vivid visualization.
Let’s get started.
Mindfulness: Notice Your Senses
Duration: 1-2 minutes
The mindfulness stage is all about tuning into each of your senses.
Like warming up before exercise, mindfulness gradually transitions you from normal everyday life to a blissful meditative state.
Start by sitting with your back supported, breathing freely. Cycle through each of your five senses, paying close attention to:
- The most prevalent sensation
- The faintest sensation
As you rotate through your senses, proceed with the mentality of relaxing towards bliss (instead of avoiding stress).
Paying attention to your sensory input is the quickest way to enter the present moment.
Meditation: Surrender (Trusting Intuition Will Rise)
Duration: 13-14 minutes of returning to your mantra.
After warming up, you meditate to relax and surrender.
Choose a mantra from above, or come up with your own. Your mantra anchors you. Keep coming back to it. Your own mantra will come with time. For the time being, you can use my preferred mantra “I am one” (which is intentionally broad).
Expect your mind to wander.
Thoughts are not bad. Become aware of them, and bring your attention back to your mantra.
Like muscle gain that comes from repetition, such is the case with meditation. Benefits of meditation come from noticing thoughts, and refocusing on your mantra.
“Meditation is the bicep curl of the brain”
— Unknown
Meditation is not competitive, nor is the goal to completely “shut off” thought. Setup a backup alarm if you’re prone to dozing off.
Manifesting: Vivid Gratitude
Manifesting is actually two-steps in one:
- Duration: Gratitude — a brief moment
- Duration: Visualization — 2 minutes
Manifesting’s about aligning with your ideal reality to make it happen.
Gratitude is one of my favorite practices, albeit not the easiest. Sometimes, everything that can go wrong does. But no matter the situation, there’s always something positive. Even on the worst days. Do you have arms and legs? Are you breathing? Can you make your own decisions? However small, find something and spend a moment recognizing it.
Next, what’s something you want in life?
The most successful people regularly practice visualization and manifestation. Share on XA basic visualization isn’t enough.
In order to create powerful new beliefs (and the ideal future), you must fully live the dream as if it’s happening. Engage all your senses. Explore the details of the simulated reality. Feel your surroundings. Take in the scents. Observe the loud and faint noises.
If this situation were already real, what would you do? Journal about it? Tell a friend? Post on social media? Imagine that too.
Bask in the new reality for a few minutes.
Then slowly come back to life. Wiggle your hands and feet, crack open your eyes, and get ready for the day with newfound restful alertness.
Ziva Meditation App
Ziva’s different. You won’t find any dedicated app. Nor software, CDs, or technology.
Emily views each of these as crutches (I agree). By the time you’ve learned her technique, you’re able to practice anytime, anywhere. Dead iPhone and all.
She describes the philosophy more here,
I enjoy pre-recorded guided meditations from time to time, so I scoured the web. I came across Ziva on several channels:
- Meditations posted in the Insight Timer app: https://insighttimer.com/zivameditation
- On Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/zivameditation
Still, you’re best off learning the technique yourself and becoming fully self-sufficient.
My Ziva Meditation Experience
I came across the Ziva technique in Emily’s book. I replaced my daily meditation practice with Ziva for several months. Like the book’s title promises, Ziva helps me methodically destress.
Unlike other meditation programs, I found Ziva easy to self-guide. I could practice anywhere, without any technology. After a week of practice, I noticed a slight increase in my baseline energy and focus. I left each session feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.
As an added bonus, I found that my reaction time improved.
I still use Ziva occasionally when I’m in the mood for a straightforward meditation.
Ziva Meditation Sleep
Ziva has pleasant side effects.
Things like:
- Less stress
- Clearer thinking
- Better sleep
These come at an important time. Sleep quantity and quality are falling faster than ever.
Dr. Matt Walker has exposed the wide-ranging consequences of sleep deprivation. Interestingly, new members of the Ziva tribe often report better sleep.
If you’re looking to further improve sleep, Emily created a course called “Manifesting Sleep”.
I haven’t taken it, but you can access a replay of her webinar here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/zivaTRIBE
Or the course itself here: Manifesting Sleep
If you try Ziva Sleep, let me know how it goes!
Learn More About Ziva
Yes, Ziva comes from another meditation book.
But if the others have failed you so far, this could change your mind about meditation.
Pickup a copy of Stress Less, Accomplish More (Amazon).
The book also comes with some goodies. Check out the Ziva meditation book bonus here: https://stresslessthebook.com/gift/
Looking for Emily’s Ziva Online course? You can find that here: zivaONLINE
Conclusion
I haven’t found many meditation practices designed specifically for hard-charging Type-A personalities.
The Ziva three-step process is easy to understand and practice.
- Mindful: notice everything you feel, touch, see, hear, smell, and taste.
- Meditate: practice returning to your mantra whenever your mind wanders.
- Manifest: visualize a desired future outcome in great detail.
It alleviates the taboo from meditation. Perfect for skeptical, high-achievers.
I learned the Ziva technique from her book. You can pick up your own copy here:
These days I mostly use Dr. Joe Dispenza’s meditations, but I still enjoy Emily’s 3M program.
Spend the 17 minutes (or 34 for twice daily practice) for one week and see if you feel the difference.
