3 Reasons To Try Vedic Meditation + How To Stick To It

Meditation invokes a quieting ocean of calm, but only with time and consistent practice. But I didn't get that until I really devoted myself to it. The biggest shift was the implementation of a simple meditation technique that I learned from Vedic meditation master, Thom Knoles.

Often, folks will say they've tried to meditate but cannot stop their mind, sit still or stop thinking. That's why it's important to learn from someone who's done their work—a master. Without masterful instruction, we couldn't expect to be proficient in anything.

What's notable about the Vedic meditation technique? It teaches us how to be effortless with our practice. You learn how to sit twice a day and look forward to each sitting, without a sense of fear or dread. Vedic meditation has offered me guidance in correcting the intellect, offering a new approach to evolve beyond my deeply ingrained habits.

A few months of committing to the practice twice a day, things really started to settle in. And now after over a year of regular daily practice, I've softened my stance on many aspects of my thinking. My meditations are now times of real sweetness—when the world melts away and I trust in the space, in the time and in myself.

Consistent meditation helps me to see the sacred, feel the forgiveness and move forward mindfully, so that even when I fall back on some old habitual thought, my practice is right there to catch me within a matter of hours.

With time you'll come to appreciate that the most unsavory emotions—like impatience and anger—don't go away for good, but that you can learn to move on from them quickly.

Studies by neuropsychologist Allan Schore showed that shame had a direct affect on stress experienced by children (How could you DO that? Are you that stupid? You should be ashamed of yourself!) This actually cuts back the normal neural connectivity in the highest, most imaginative areas of a child's mind—derailing the enrichment of the architecture to the lowest lobes of the brain, where survival is the only imperative, and the emergency systems are in full effect. In shaming others, we bring the most destructive systems to life, and shut down the creative ones.

During your day ask yourself, "How can I evolve this doubtful thought/action into a confident, courageous choice?"

For me, what's most valuable about Vedic meditation is the fact that it's a technique. I can hold it close, bring it with me anywhere and allow it to assist my growth every day. It's a concrete way of returning to my simplest, quiet awareness — where all is calm and the mind can rest, if only for a short while.