Inside all of us is the potential to embody a deeply relaxed, clear minded and highly conscious state of being, and the answer, we all may know by now, lies in meditation.
A simple tool that requires minimal effort (except to show up), meditation not only gives us the chance to see the world with a renewed and calm perspective, but is proven by science to do everything from boost happiness, strengthen social connections, reduce anxiety and depression, to decrease blood pressure and stimulating creative thinking.
And, well with all the most powerful and creative people in the world doing it, from the Beatles, Ellen Degeneres and Oprah through to The Royals, not only is it gaining momentum but there’s a common thread amongst them all—Vedic Meditation.
Vedic meditation is a mantra-based meditation technique (also said to be a similar style to transcendental) that is simple to do and will leave you reaping the zen rewards, and then some!
Unlike other forms of meditation that involve being ‘guided,’ the beauty of Vedic is it can be done anywhere, any time, with you as your very own guide.
But that being said, to get the motivation to commit to learning Vedic, understanding what it is and how it works and why you should start, we’ve asked Sydney meditation guru, Matt Ringrose of Bondi Meditation to give us the lowdown.
As a former wine sales dealer and DJ who is highly creative, comes from a corporate background and made the jump over to meditation teaching, Matt is the perfect person to share why Vedic is so powerful no matter what walk of life you’ve come from.
What is Vedic Meditation in the most basic sense?
“When someone comes to me, I ask them if they can think? If they say yes, then I tell them that they will be able to successfully practice Vedic Meditation. Vedic Meditation is the easiest meditation technique to learn as you literally close your eyes and effortlessly think the personalised mantra you’ve been given.”
“To get the life-changing benefits of Vedic Meditation you should it for twenty minutes, twice a day. The first meditation of the day gets rid of the last 24 hours of stress. The second meditation of the day gets to work on the backlog of stresses that we’ve built up in the body over our lifetime. It’s when we start to clear out these old stresses that things begin to change so profoundly and we start to feel so much lighter and happier.”
What inspired you to start practising Vedic Meditation?
“Eleven years ago I was reading a book by filmmaker David Lynch called ‘Catching the Big Fish’ that was all about his creative process. Every second page he kept going on about this meditation he said was responsible for his creativity and happiness. He said—all you do is go and meet a guru (which just means teacher), they give you a sound, you think it inside and you go straight to this calm peaceful place and everything in your life gets better.”
“I’d tried meditation before and failed miserably this last line appealed to me. I found a teacher to learn with and well, everything I’d read in the book turned out to be true… the rest is history!”
What are the benefits of Vedia Meditation?
“In Vedic Meditation, the mind settles down into a very relaxed state. And whatever the mind does, the body follows. So the body goes into an extremely deep state of rest called a hypometabolic state. In this state the body heals deeply, unwinding and releasing old stresses from the system.”
“Plus it just feels really good when you do it! Not to mention, evidence suggests it can help the following…”
- Relieves stress
- Increases energy levels
- Relieves depression and anxiety
- Relieves insomnia
- Reduces addictive behaviours
- Improves relationships and parenting
- Reverses ageing
- Increases self-esteem and confidence
- Improves memory and concentration
- Reduces risk of heart disease
- Relieves migraines, headaches and asthma
- Improves sports performance
Can you share any fun facts about why Vedic Meditation is amazing?
1. After learning Vedic Meditation, I never drank alcohol again: “And being an English house music DJ for many years I had previously rather liked alcohol! It’s not that you’re not allowed to drink when you meditate ( you don’t have to change anything about your lifestyle), I just lost interest in it spontaneously.”
2. Vedic Meditation is the technique The Beatles learned in the sixties: “In fact, they learned from my teacher’s teacher.”
3. Meagan and Harry practice Vedic Meditation: “Every day.”
And well, if it’s good enough for the Royals, it’s good enough for us!
Feeling inspired to deepen your meditation practise? Check out Bondi Meditation for Matt’s upcoming training and classes.
