Listen to when Michael joined functional medicine pioneer (and meditator!) Dr. Frank Lipman, on his “Tune into Wellness” podcast. They talk all things meditation — including why this has been the easiest technique Frank has ever learned, and why he recommends meditation to his patients. Listen to Michael & Frank here. The post Michael on Dr Frank Lipman’s Podcast first appeared on New York Meditation Center ..read more

Demands are being made of us all the time. The key to success is to adapt to these changing expectations with grace and ease.   A demand is simply a change in expectation. Say you’re waiting for the train which is due to arrive in five minutes. Then you learn it has been cancelled and the next one is not due for another hour. That’s a change in expectation and it requires you to adapt. And demands have an upside. When a demand is made of you, there’s a chance to interact with it, experience success, and then the satisfaction and happiness that comes from that. Successful people are those ..read more

There is a basic principle in life – what you put your attention on, will grow.   Imagine a gardener looking at all her plants. In her hand is a hose with the water running. She turns to look at some of the weeds – “Oh no! Where have these come from? Look how fast they are growing! They are crowding out the flowers!” As she stands and moans, water is flowing. She is watering the weeds, and so, not surprisingly, they grow even faster and take over the garden.   Like this, you fund whatever you put your attention on. When you attend to something or someone, there’s a flo ..read more

empathy: the ability to share someone else’s feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that person’s situation .                          – Cambridge Dictionary   Empathy is about understanding the feelings of another combined with the ability to put oneself in the shoes of another. What are the circumstances (past and present) that are causing them to think, speak, and act in the way they are? What does it feel like to be that person? Meditation fosters this capacity to step out of our own exp ..read more

When people are thinking about learning to meditate they often cite time as one of the main issues they bump up against: “I don’t have time to meditate”.   We understand. We also had the same question when we first came to Vedic Meditation. That feeling of never having enough time is a common one and so the thought of sitting down to meditate for 20 minutes might cause some concern.   Here’s an excerpt from Jillian’s book Why Meditate? Because it Works. that speaks to this issue.   “I don’t have time to meditate”.   When someone tells me this, I reply with a simple questio ..read more

It’s important to make a distinction between the trigger for a stress reaction and the nature of the reaction itself. A stressor is the scientific term for the demands we face in life. These are potential triggers that may or may not set off a stress reaction. The key word is ‘potential’.   Often I’ll hear people say “Lunch with my in-laws is so stressful”. Or “Monday management meetings with my boss are stressful”. These statements imply that it’s the situation that is responsible for making someone stressed.   There’s no such thing as a stressful situation. There are only stressful ..read more

Having a daily meditation practice has always been a good idea. However the events of the last 18 months have highlighted just how crucial it is to be taking care of our minds and emotional balance on a daily basis.   The scientific benefits of meditation are extensive and well-documented. And the reports of meditators are compelling. When you know what you’re doing, meditation works. Sleep and energy levels improve. Anxiety reduces. Stress levels go down. Immunity is strengthened. Digestion is more balanced. The ageing process slows. Mental clarity and focus sharpens. And the list goes ..read more

We know that the immune system, like the central nervous system, has memory and the capacity to learn.  Thus, it could be said that intelligence is located not only in the brain but in cells that are distributed throughout the body, and that the traditional separation of mental processes, including emotions, from the body is no longer valid.                                            ..read more

There’s a commonly held notion that the mind behaves like a naughty monkey. Out of control, unable to keep still jumping from branch to branch. Supposedly, this naughty monkey mind is why we find ourselves caught up in thinking all the time. Like the monkey, the mind is all over the place, unable to concentrate and be still.   Have you ever tried to catch a monkey? If you want the wandering monkey to come to you, putting delicious food at the base of a tree is far more effective than harsh words and chasing it down with a stick. Entice the animal with something charming and it comes to yo ..read more

Jillian was recently featured on the London Heal podcast. She talks all things meditation, including busting meditation myths, the differences between mindfulness and Vedic Meditation, and telling the story of how and why she learned in the first place. It’s a fascinating listen, and great if you want to know more about meditation. Listen to Jillian here (episode title: “Vedic Meditation with Jillian Lavender”) The post Jillian’s podcast interview – why she learned to meditate first appeared on New York Meditation Center ..read more