The 6 Phase Meditation Method
The Proven Technique to Supercharge Your Mind, Manifest Your Goals, and Make Magic in Minutes a Day
Book Edition Details
Summary
"The 6 Phase Meditation Method (2022) by Vishen Lakhiani presents a hyper-efficient, 15-minute daily meditation practice designed to enhance connection, gratitude, forgiveness, future envisioning, daily intention, and blessing. This "hacked" meditation aims to increase focus, reduce anxiety, and help users achieve an optimal balance (overwellness) in all aspects of life."
Introduction
What if twenty minutes each morning could fundamentally transform not just your day, but your entire relationship with yourself and the world around you? In our fast-paced society, we've mastered physical hygiene but neglected mental hygiene, carrying stress, resentment, and scattered energy into each new day. This revolutionary meditation system addresses that gap by combining six scientifically-backed practices into one powerful sequence. Unlike traditional meditation that asks you to empty your mind, this approach harnesses the power of focused thought to create measurable changes in your brain waves, emotional state, and life outcomes. From world-class athletes to Grammy-winning artists, millions have discovered that this isn't just meditation—it's a complete mental training system designed for peak human performance and profound inner peace.
Building Your Foundation: Love, Gratitude, and Forgiveness
The first three phases of this meditation create what's known as your Pillar of Happiness, establishing an unshakeable foundation of inner peace and emotional freedom. These practices work by systematically clearing away the mental debris that blocks your natural state of joy and connection. Phase 1 begins with compassion, using a scientifically-proven technique from the HeartMath Institute called heart resonance training. Tennis champion Bianca Andreescu credited this exact practice for her US Open victory, visualizing not just her win but cultivating the loving energy that kept her centered under pressure. You start by bringing someone you deeply love to mind, feeling that connection in your heart, then systematically expanding this bubble of compassion to encompass your room, your neighborhood, your city, your country, and finally the entire planet. This isn't mere sentimentality—studies at the University of Wisconsin show that compassion meditation literally rewires your brain for greater emotional resilience and even slows aging at the genetic level. Phase 2 harnesses the power of gratitude through the 3x3 method, focusing on three aspects each of your personal life, work life, and yourself. Research by Dr. Robert Emmons proves that gratitude practitioners show increased energy, better sleep, and fewer doctor visits. This practice directly combats what Einstein called the "constant restlessness" of always seeking happiness in the future, instead teaching you to find fulfillment in what already exists. Phase 3 addresses forgiveness using protocols developed at the 40 Years of Zen neurofeedback institute. One participant, Matt, had been carrying childhood trauma for decades until he learned to forgive his abuser through this specific technique. Remarkably, on the very day he reached deep forgiveness during his brain training session, his estranged brother contacted him asking for reconciliation—demonstrating forgiveness's mysterious power to heal relationships across physical distance. The forgiveness process involves identifying the person or situation, creating a safe mental space, expressing your feelings fully, then gradually shifting to understand their perspective and the lessons you've gained. Remember, forgiveness isn't about condoning harmful behavior or returning to toxic relationships—it's about freeing yourself from the emotional charge that keeps you trapped in the past.
Creating Your Future: Vision and Daily Mastery
Phases 4 and 5 form your Pillar of Vision, transforming abstract dreams into concrete reality through the power of creative visualization and daily intention setting. These practices leverage your brain's reticular activating system—the same mechanism that makes you suddenly notice white Volkswagens everywhere once you start driving one. Phase 4 focuses on your three-year vision using techniques pioneered by José Silva, whose method helped 159 "terminal" cancer patients double their expected survival rate through visualization alone. The three-year timeframe is crucial because we typically overestimate what we can accomplish in one year but dramatically underestimate what's possible in three. Basketball studies show that players who only visualized their training improved nearly as much as those who physically practiced, proving your brain treats vivid mental rehearsal as real experience. Vishen's own Taekwondo story perfectly illustrates visualization's power and precision. As a teenager, he obsessively visualized representing Malaysia at the US Open, seeing himself breaking wooden boards and entering the competition ring. When he failed his initial qualifying test, an injured teammate's last-minute substitution gave him an unexpected second chance. He succeeded and made it to Colorado—but because he'd only visualized entering the ring, not winning the fight, he was knocked out in 36 seconds by a much taller opponent he couldn't see clearly without his glasses. This teaches visualization's two crucial lessons: first, remain unattached to the "how" while staying focused on the "what" and "why"—the universe often delivers your desires through unexpected pathways. Second, be incredibly specific about your desired outcome, always visualizing the complete successful experience, not just the initial steps. See your goals with all five senses, feel the emotions of achievement, and include how your success positively impacts others. Phase 5 applies this same visualization power to your upcoming day through "segment intending." You mentally walk through each part of your day—morning routine, work meetings, lunch, evening activities—setting positive intentions and seeing everything flowing smoothly. This primes your reticular activating system to notice opportunities and solutions while filtering out negativity. The practice transforms you from a passive recipient of whatever happens into an active creator of your daily experience.
Receiving Your Blessing: Divine Support and Integration
Phase 6 provides the perfect completion to your practice by connecting you with a higher power or your highest self, creating a sense of support and protection as you enter your day. This isn't about religious conversion but about tapping into what business professor Srikumar Rao calls "the most important belief you can possess"—that the universe loves you and works in your favor. Reverend Michael Beckwith discovered this power viscerally when caught in a dangerous riptide off Costa Rica's coast. As exhaustion overcame him and drowning seemed inevitable, he instinctively called out "Help me!" In that moment of surrendering his ego's desperate striving, three perfectly timed waves appeared to push him safely to shore. His medium friend later confirmed that asking for help had summoned angelic intervention—demonstrating what Beckwith calls your "availability quotient" trumping your IQ. The blessing protocol is beautifully simple. You imagine a golden or white light representing your higher power descending from above, flowing through your head and down your spine, then expanding to create a protective bubble around you. This light carries the energy and support needed for your day's challenges and opportunities. Even atheists can participate by visualizing their wisest future self or inner strength providing this blessing and guidance. This final phase serves multiple purposes: it integrates all the previous practices, provides emotional closure to your meditation, and establishes a felt sense of support as you transition into daily activities. Whether you call this energy God, the Universe, or your Higher Self matters less than opening yourself to receive guidance beyond your individual mind's limitations. The complete 6 Phase sequence typically takes 15-20 minutes and can be practiced anywhere you can sit comfortably. The key is consistency rather than perfection—even missing occasional days won't derail your progress, though daily practice compounds the benefits exponentially over time.
Summary
This meditation system represents far more than personal development—it's a contribution to raising human consciousness at a time when our technological power far exceeds our wisdom in using it responsibly. As you master compassion, gratitude, forgiveness, vision, daily intention, and spiritual connection, you join what Tim Urban calls the "Great Battle" between humanity's primitive survival mind and our higher consciousness. The most powerful truth embedded in this practice echoes throughout the ages: "You can search the entire universe and not find a single being more worthy of love than you." When you truly embrace this wisdom through daily practice, you naturally become a source of healing and inspiration for everyone you encounter. Begin tomorrow morning by downloading the free Mindvalley app and committing to just seven consecutive days of practice. Notice how this simple ritual transforms not only your inner landscape but ripples outward to improve every relationship and situation in your life. Your consistent practice becomes your gift to a world desperately needing more conscious, compassionate leaders.
By Vishen Lakhiani
