What is Vedic Meditation and how do you practice it?
Meditation is found everywhere now in the form of apps, books, YouTube videos and online classes. Most people have tried some form of it and have mixed experiences of moving beyond their usual state of awareness and achieving what they want.
Often the problem is finding an effortless technique which is well taught and given in-person, is easily learnt and highly effective, takes into account your particular requirements and allows you to reach out whenever you want help.
Vedic Meditation stands out from the crowd because it offers all of these. Taught face to face with a real live teacher it is so much more than mindfulness or a re-hashed ancient technique.
The Oldest Meditation Techniques
Vedic Meditation is one of the oldest meditation techniques around and has been used consistently for thousands of years by millions of people leading to numerous branches found in Taoist China and Buddhist India.
Vedic Meditation is an easily learnt and simply practiced mediation technique. You sit comfortably in a chair, close the eyes and bring to mind the mantra, a sound specially chosen for you by your teacher. The body rests deeply and the mind settles. Long held fatigue and stress is gently released. After twenty minutes you open your eyes feeling refreshed, energised and happy.
The Mantra
The mantra, which is from a special select group known as Bija (seed) mantras has no intended meaning. It is a sound with a sonic quality which charms the mind into quiet and stillness. When the mantra is brought to mind it becomes softer and quieter, subtler and finer and eventually melts away leaving the mind void of thought. Thoughts might arise which are welcomed because they nearly always have a stress quality which is released in the meditation process. We don't resist thoughts, or encourage them, and when this happens we gently turn our attention to the mantra again and repeat the process. This might happen a few, or many times, during the twenty minutes of our meditation practice, and there is no 'wrong' content. It is an effortless technique. We don't concentrate on anything, like the breath or particular thoughts. We allow the mind to be naturally charmed by the mantra.
We take a very relaxed, almost nonchalant view of what is going on.
It is important to note that Vedic Meditation is not a mindfulness technique. Mindfulness, which is outcome-oriented, is only one aspect of meditation and requires a degree of effort when concentrating or contemplating something.
Vedic Meditation is process based, and the process is the outcome.
When this technique is practiced daily subtle shifts start to occur in body and mind. To begin with there is a period of purification when all the long held fatigue and accumulated stress is gently released. Then a greater sense of awareness develops, a greater consciousness. None of this is dramatic. It all takes place at a gentle and sustainable pace directed by Nature, which always has your best interests at heart.
Almost all of us regularly experience three states of consciousness - sleeping, dreaming, and waking.
With Vedic Meditation, we have the opportunity of accessing a fourth state of consciousness, where we go beyond thought, to its very source, and reach our base line - the point of what (not who) we really are, and experience pure bliss.
This state is not blissful or ecstatic. It is where we feel fulfilled, where the bliss flavours our thoughts and actions.
With practice the mind learns to recognise this state so that at any point in the day, whatever you are thinking, doing, or saying you can access this feeling. Whatever is going on around you will have little bearing on how you feel, and that in turn will direct your thoughts and action so that you are interacting, from a state of fulfilment, with every aspect of your day in the best possible way.
Vedic Meditation, which is not religious, has many qualities.
It is the ideal antidote to the demands of modern life and reduces stress and anxiety, and a cluttered mind, helping us get the very best out of our day.
Today we are experiencing extraordinary levels of stress and spend large parts of our day in 'survival mode' when high levels of adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol are flooding our system.
The long term impact of this on our bodies is devastating, leading to cardiovascular issues, a rise in risk of type 2 diabetes, and increased depression and insomnia. Going back seven generations our ancestors probably experienced in their lifetime the same amount of stress we experience in a week - but our bodies have not adapted to this increased demand, and we can see the effect around us everyday.
Research has shown that during Vedic meditation the body is resting very deeply, up to 2-5 times more deeply than in the deepest part of our sleep cycle. We are not asleep during mediation - just using a great deal less oxygen than when sleeping deeply.
This profound rest is something the body is craving because most of us are not getting enough good quality sleep. Sleep is the natural moment in the 24 hour cycle when we de-stress but the huge amount of incoming stress and the poor processing of it when sleeping means we need another way to help us and Vedic Meditation is the solution.
When stress is removed from our system everything falls into place. Life becomes easier, there is less friction, we have more energy and can intellectually discriminate and discern what is going on clearly, relationships improve and we feel a deep sense of fulfilment.
When taught Vedic Meditation you quickly realise that this easy to practice and effortless technique fits easily into your day and that the return on investment of time leads to efficiency in thought and action.
There will always be something else to do, but not something better to do.
I have used Vedic Meditation for over fifty years and can testify to its effectiveness in meeting all of life's challenges and allowing you to access greater joy in everything you do.