The Three Ms
Move from presence to deep rest to intentional future creation
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 96%
The Three Ms sequence assigns a separate function to mindfulness, meditation, and manifesting. Mindfulness acts as the runway: practitioners use their senses to bring attention into the body and present moment. Meditation then shifts from active noticing to surrender, providing deep rest and allowing accumulated stress to release. Manifesting uses the settled period immediately afterward to identify a desired future and experience it vividly as though it were happening now. The order matters in Fletcher's account: grounding makes entry easier, meditation reduces the noise created by stress, and the resulting clarity makes intention-setting more visceral. Rather than treating all contemplative exercises as interchangeable, the model links a state-setting input, a restorative process, and an intentional output in one repeatable daily sequence.
Origin
Emily Fletcher describes the Three Ms as the core of the Ziva technique, adapted at different levels for her book, online training, and live teaching.
Core principles
- 01Presence prepares the nervous system for deeper rest
- 02Meditation addresses accumulated stress rather than only today's symptoms
- 03Intentions become more vivid after the mind and body settle
- 04Each component performs a distinct job
How to run it
- 1
Come to your senses
Use sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell to ground awareness in the body and the present moment. Treat this as a runway rather than the whole practice.
Pro tip Notice sensory information without trying to force the mind blank.
- 2
Enter meditation
Shift from deliberate sensory awareness into an easier, less effortful meditation. Let the nervous system de-excite instead of muscling through the session.
Pro tip Be easier and lazier with the meditation portion.
Watch out Do not judge the practice by whether thoughts appear.
- 3
Allow deep rest
Give the body a period of rest so accumulated stress can begin to release. Return gently to the technique when mental activity arises.
Watch out Initial emotional or physical catharsis may require skilled support.
- 4
Choose the desired future
After meditation, ask what one thing you would love and listen for the answer. Focus on the desired result rather than the distance from it.
Pro tip Stay with the what and the why instead of solving the how and when.
- 5
Experience it now
Imagine the desired reality as a vivid, five-sensory present experience. Let the scene feel enjoyable rather than like a complaint about what is missing.
Pro tip Use the quiet immediately after meditation for the imagery.
Watch out Do not turn visualization into rehearsing why the outcome is impossible.
In the wild
Meditate in the morning, then use the manifesting portion to picture the interview as engaging, kind, and fluid. Imagine the conversation unfolding in the dream-case scenario before entering the room.
→ The desired interaction feels familiar rather than being encountered for the first time under pressure.
Common mistakes
Treating all three practices as synonyms
Mindfulness, meditation, and manifesting serve different functions. Collapsing them removes the sequence's grounding, restorative, or intentional component.
Trying to stop thought
Thought is involuntary, so using a blank mind as the success criterion creates unnecessary failure and quitting.
Manifesting from lack
Dwelling on how far away the goal is reinforces stress instead of rehearsing the desired reality.
Is it for you?
Best for
Busy people who want a structured meditation practice connected to everyday performance and aspirations.
Not ideal for
People experiencing very recent extreme trauma or severe psychosis without appropriate professional support.
From the transcript
“the ziva technique is actually a trifecta of mindfulness meditation and manifesting the three m's”
“we start with is the mindfulness and we use that almost as an appetizer as a runway into that deep healing rest of meditation”
“we use the sacred time after meditation to start to ask these questions to start to imagine the dream as if it's happening now”
From the episode
Emily Fletcher on Mindfulness, Meditation and Manifesting