Is "repeating a mantra plus visualization" a type of meditation? or NOT?

[Prabhudev Metgud]

Eleven years ago, when I sometimes could not easily fall asleep
at night 9:30 pm, my mother suggested me a method. "close your eyes
and lie in your bed, totally ready to fall to sleep. Now, calmly go on
saying "Om Namaha Shivaaya" in your mind (without uttering words by your mouth)
 again and again. Then, you will sleep within
 10 minutes." I tried her method and it worked wonderfully each and every time I tried it.
Later on, after a few years, even while I said those words in my mind,
while trying to fall asleep, I could not sleep because vivid pictures were arising in
my mind which were not letting me fall asleep. So, I added one more thing to what my mother
had taught. In addition to repeating "om namah shivaaya" inside my mind, I started
visualizing a pure white light (of medium brightness). So, when I followed this "words plus light" method, I started to fall sleep easily and Not only that, I noticed one more benefit that
 after I woke up next morning, I felt more fresh than ordinary sleep. For many many years,
I did NOT know what is name of this method. My mother told to do it, but she never told
me it is called as meditation. Now, I am a bit confused about whether is it called as
meditation. IS THIS METHOD A TYPE OF MEDITATION? OR NOT ? does this method fall in the
category of "Dhyana" ?

[Middleway]

Any mental activity that will make you go to sleep cannot be considered dhyana or meditation. When you repeated the mantra, it acted to empty your mind of all other activity and focused your mind and prepared it for sleep. This is very similar to a lullaby that makes a baby to go to sleep.  Meditation or dhyana is about being totally awake and alert.

[Alex]

IS THIS METHOD A TYPE OF MEDITATION? OR NOT

Mantra and/or visualisation can be practiced as a meditation.

But…

Intention is a fundamental component of meditation.

So…

If the intention of the practice is to fall asleep, then indeed it has the same soothing function of a lullaby, even though it might have other (positive) side-effects.

does this method fall in the category of "Dhyana" ?

Mantra and visualisation are both used as meditation objects for concentration practice leading to absorption/jhana/dhyana.

Kindly
Alex

[90sbb]

Sorta reminds me of how people count sheep until they go to sleep. But i don't know I've never had much trouble going to sleep really.