The Manifestation Exercises I Personally Use

Manifestation, for me, is not only about saying what you want for your future. It is also about creating the time and space to understand what you are saying to yourself, what you are feeling and what you are projecting into your future. There are a few manifestation exercises that I personally use, and these are exercises that I also bring into my sessions when appropriate.

One of the most important things for me is simplicity. I do not believe you need to memorise long affirmations or follow a complicated routine. I also do not believe you need to practise manifestation at exactly the same time every day. I prefer to allow the words to come naturally according to what I need at that particular moment.

The “I Am” Exercise

One of the exercises I personally use starts with two very simple words:

I am.

I say, “I am,” and then pause for approximately two or three seconds.

Then I say it again.

I am.

I pause again for another two or three seconds.

Then, for the third time:

I am.

After the third one, I stay there for longer. I normally give myself approximately ten seconds without immediately adding anything else to the sentence.

The purpose, for me, is not to rush into saying, “I am successful,” “I am happy,” “I am wealthy,” or whatever else I think I should be manifesting. I want to stay with the simple acknowledgement of I am first.

I am here.

I exist.

I am present in this moment.

Once I feel calmer and more settled, I allow the next words to come naturally. They might be:

I am calm.

I am love.

I am peace.

Tomorrow, the words might be completely different. They might even be different later on the same day. That is perfectly fine.

I do not want to force myself to feel something simply because I have decided that those are the words I am supposed to use. If something different comes to my mind or my heart after saying “I am,” I allow myself to use those words instead.

This particular three-part “I am” sequence is my personal practice. I use the pauses deliberately because I want to give myself time to slow down rather than rushing from one affirmation to another.

Do Not Force the Words

This is something I find particularly important.

Do not turn manifestation into another responsibility that you have to perform perfectly.

You do not need to memorise my affirmations. You do not need to repeat exactly the same sentence every morning because somebody told you that this is the sentence that will change your life.

I actually prefer not to memorise mine.

I have different notebooks filled with different affirmations, prayers, thoughts and sentences. I do not use exactly the same ones every day. Sometimes I sit down and something completely different comes to me because that is what I need at that particular moment.

If you begin with “I am” and another word comes naturally, use it.

Write it.

Say it.

Listen to yourself.

The exercise should give you an opportunity to pay attention to yourself, rather than becoming another set of instructions that you have to follow.

Pen and Paper

The second manifestation exercise I use is writing by hand.

I am a strong believer in writing things down when you need to empty your mind, clear your emotions or understand what is happening inside you. For this particular exercise, I prefer pen and paper rather than writing on your phone or dictating your thoughts.

Find a piece of paper and write.

You can do this in the morning, afternoon or evening. I do not want to give you a timetable because I do not believe that you need another obligation hanging over your head. Ideally, give yourself the opportunity to write something once a day, but if all you can manage is one sentence, write one sentence.

You could write:

I love myself and I give love to the world.

Or:

I accept myself, and I accept the world and everyone else as they are.

Or:

I love myself. I am at peace. I have no pain. I am free, and I welcome love.

Or simply:

I am.

That can be enough.

The important part is giving yourself the time to stop, breathe, write and pay attention to the words you are choosing.

Write Your Own Affirmations

The sentences above are examples. They are words that came naturally to me while I was thinking about this exercise. You are welcome to use them, but eventually I want you to find your own.

If you sit down intending to write one sentence and another sentence comes into your mind, write that one instead.

Your manifestation practice belongs to you.

You may discover that one day you need to write about peace. Another day you need courage. Another day you need patience, love, confidence or forgiveness. There may also be days when you realise that what you need is simply permission to stop and rest.

Allow the words to reflect where you genuinely are.

Give Yourself Time to Feel the Words

There is a difference between quickly repeating an affirmation and actually giving yourself time to hear what you are saying.

If I say, “I am calm, I am love, I am peace,” as quickly as possible while my mind is somewhere else, I am not giving myself much opportunity to pay attention to those words.

That is why I deliberately slow down.

I breathe.

I pause.

I listen.

If I say, “I am peace,” I want to give myself a moment to understand what peace means to me at that particular time. What am I carrying that is disturbing my peace? What am I reacting to? Is something genuinely urgent, or has my body entered a state of urgency because I am overwhelmed?

The affirmation can become the beginning of a conversation with yourself.

Take the Practice Into Ordinary Life

The purpose of these exercises is not for you to feel peaceful for five minutes while sitting with your notebook and then immediately forget everything you have just said.

The practice needs to come with you into ordinary life.

Imagine that you are sitting in traffic. The car behind you is repeatedly beeping. You are becoming irritated and you can feel yourself wanting to react.

Earlier that day, you wrote:

I am kind. I am lovable. I am peace.

That does not mean the person behind you will suddenly stop irritating you. It does not mean an affirmation removes ordinary human emotions.

You can still become annoyed.

What matters is whether you can recognise the reaction and create enough space to decide what you are going to do with it.

You have already spent time reminding yourself that your peace matters. Your kindness towards yourself matters. Your behaviour matters. The person behind you cannot make those decisions for you.

That is where personal responsibility comes into manifestation.

Manifestation in My Sessions

When I work with someone in a deep session, manifestation and mindset exercises can become part of our work, but they are not something I impose at the beginning of every session.

My sessions are primarily about giving you enough time to talk, become comfortable, identify what you are carrying and work through the residual emotions and patterns that may be affecting you.

How we work with manifestation will therefore depend on you.

It depends on what you are willing to share, what we identify during the session and what you actually need. As the conversation develops, we can begin looking at the language you use about yourself and your future. From there, we can work on words, exercises and practices that are relevant to you rather than giving you a generic affirmation that could have been given to anybody.

That is also why I prefer deep sessions. I want you to have enough time to settle into the conversation. I do not want you to feel that you have to disclose everything immediately because the clock is running.

Manifestation Is Still Your Work

You can say “I am” three times.

You can write beautiful affirmations.

You can pray.

You can ask God, spirit, the universe or whatever is greater than you for guidance.

You can fill an entire notebook with the future you want.

But you still have to participate in your own life.

For me, these exercises are there to help me slow down, listen to myself, become more aware of what I am thinking and deliberately consider what I am carrying towards my future.

I do not need to force the words. I do not need to pretend that I feel wonderful when I do not. I do not need to follow somebody else's manifestation routine perfectly.

Sometimes I simply need to stop.

Breathe.

And begin with:

I am.