Visualizing while playing scales - thought process

[timothy42b]

My apologies if this is one of those standard newby questions.

What do you think about visually about when playing, when not looking at the music?  Could be scales, could be anything, but I'm focusing on scales because that's where I tend to get lost <g>. 

Are you thinking notes on a staff?  Or what the keyboard looks like?  Are there advantages to some approach?

Or do you NOT think, and rely on feel? 

I think this question can be generalized to memorized music of any kind. 

[Spatula]

I sometimes actually try to see through the piano wood and "see" the hammers hit the strings while  I play in the mind's eye.  I think I like that because it makes the music...more musicall!