Six Phase Meditation
Train present happiness and future vision in one active practice
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 99%
Six Phase Meditation combines three present-focused phases with three future-focused phases. It begins by expanding compassion, generating gratitude and bliss, and using forgiveness to reduce the emotional grip of past negativity. It then shifts into a three-year vision, a detailed image of the coming day, and a request for blessing or support from whatever higher power the practitioner accepts. Lakhiani positions this as active meditation for high performers whose minds resist passive thought-clearing. The structure gives attention a sequence of useful jobs while retaining calming and emotional benefits. The three-year horizon creates enough distance for ambitious imagination, while the perfect-day phase translates vision into near-term experience. Repeated daily practice is intended to shape both present state and future-directed behavior rather than provide a one-off visualization exercise.
Origin
Lakhiani assembled the method from Zen and loving-kindness Buddhism, gratitude research, the Silva Method, forgiveness, visualization, and his own work with high performers.
Core principles
- 01Present-state wellbeing supports future-directed performance
- 02Active meditation can engage a busy mind rather than suppress it
- 03Compassion, gratitude, and forgiveness reduce emotional drag
- 04Long-range vision and a well-imagined day guide action
- 05The practice can accommodate different spiritual beliefs
How to run it
- 1
Expand compassion
Bring other people to mind and deliberately extend care beyond yourself. Use the phase to soften separation and orient toward connection.
Pro tip Begin with someone easy to care about before widening the circle.
Watch out Do not use compassion to erase necessary boundaries.
- 2
Generate gratitude and bliss
Recall experiences and conditions you appreciate until gratitude becomes emotionally present. Let the practice establish a positive state now.
Pro tip Use specific sensory memories rather than a generic gratitude list.
Watch out Gratitude need not deny current difficulty.
- 3
Practice forgiveness
Bring past negativity to mind and work toward releasing its control over your present state. Separate forgiveness from approving what happened.
Pro tip Start with a manageable event rather than the deepest wound.
Watch out Serious trauma may require professional support rather than a solo meditation exercise.
- 4
See three years ahead
Visualize the life you want across a three-year horizon. Give yourself enough distance to imagine meaningful change beyond a cramped annual target.
Pro tip Picture several life domains, not achievement alone.
Watch out Vision without subsequent action remains fantasy.
- 5
Command the perfect day
Imagine the coming day unfolding in an aligned and effective way. Translate distant vision into the attitudes and actions needed next.
Pro tip Include how you respond to friction, not only ideal outcomes.
Watch out Do not confuse visualization with control over other people.
- 6
Ask for support
Request blessing, guidance, or support from whatever higher power or larger frame is meaningful to you. Close with a sense that effort need not be carried alone.
Pro tip Use language consistent with your own beliefs rather than copying someone else's theology.
Watch out Seeking support does not remove responsibility for action.
In the wild
The founder of dog-food company Bella and Duke told Lakhiani that four years of Six Phase practice supported his business growth. He linked the compassion phase to creating a loving office where employees could bring their dogs and credited the overall practice in part for the company's development.
→ The meditation phases influenced both leadership environment and future-directed business behavior.
A founder spends a few minutes on each phase before work: compassion for the team, gratitude, release of a recent conflict, a three-year company vision, rehearsal of today's difficult meeting, and a closing request for guidance.
→ The founder enters the day calmer, clearer, and prepared to act in line with a longer vision.
Common mistakes
Treating meditation as thought removal
The method is active and gives the mind directed work rather than requiring complete mental silence.
Visualizing without execution
Future imagery should guide present behavior, not replace practical work.
Rushing emotionally difficult phases
Forgiveness and compassion can require gradual practice and should not be forced to meet a timer.
Is it for you?
Best for
Entrepreneurs and goal-oriented people who struggle with purely breath-focused or thought-clearing meditation.
Not ideal for
Anyone seeking clinical treatment for trauma or mental illness in place of qualified care.
From the transcript
“phase one has to do with compassion. Okay, Compassion's a superpower. Phase two has to do with bliss happiness. Phase three is, is applying forgiveness…”
“phase four is about seeing your life three years out. Phase five is about commanding your perfect day, and phase six is about asking for…”
From the episode
Vishen Lakhiani: The Law of Attraction Is Bunk! The Truth About Intuition and Manifesting for High Performers
Vishen Lakhiani