Intro Talk 

To learn how to meditate, The journey begins with a free Introductory Talk. 

In this 35 minutes session available over Zoom or in person, I’ll talk about:

·   How Vedic meditation works.

·   Why it’s different from other styles of meditation like mindfulness, zen, and loving-kindness.

·   What science and research has to say about meditation, health, and stress reduction.

·   What to expect from the course.

Course

The course consists of 4 x 90 minute sessions over 4 consecutive days.

attendance on all four days are mandatory.

On the first day, you’ll be given your personal mantra and taught how to use it.

Over the following three days, knowledge about the effects of meditation is given and the technique of mantra-use further refined.

By the end of the four-day course, you’ll be a self-sufficient meditator.

(Please note: Vedic meditation courses are only taught in-person and never online. Teachers offering online courses and courses that are 2-3 days have their personal convenience in mind, not the well-being of the student. This is a tradition that goes back thousands of years and the purity of this teaching is fundamental to its success. Just as it is possible to learn to swim from YouTube, it will be a sub-optimal experience. You deserve the best start and instruction to a lifelong practice.)

Course Contribution

A one-time course contribution covers your four-day course and a lifetime of support around your practice. You will have access to me as well as certified Vedic meditation teachers around the world.

Students choose their contribution based on income. This type of equitable exchange is a practice from India dating back thousands of years and is an effort to maintain the consistency of the teaching tradition.

Because students of higher means subsidize students of lesser means, the honor system is in effect. Choosing one’s own course fee allows everyone who wants to learn the ability to take the course.

It’s traditional that the course fee is commensurate with one week’s earnings and the decision is based on your highest integrity.

The standard below are my US rates:

Student Rate – please email a copy of a valid student ID or proof of registration in a full-time program for my student rate..

$750 - Just Starting Out - income of $75,000 or less.

$1,250 - Getting Comfortable - income between $75,000-$125,000.

$1,750 - Comfortable - income between $125,000-$250,000.

$2,500 - More Than Comfortable* - income above $250,000.

*50 hours of community service in exchange for a waived course fee is available thanks to the Scholarship Fund this category supports. Please get in touch for details.* 

Private courses are available upon request.

Couples & Corporate Courses

The health of our bodies depends on the health of our environment and community. We recommend doing courses with your family and office mates.

Corporate and team-building courses are available.

Private, family and couple courses are also available.

Children between the ages of 4 - 12 learn an eyes-open technique provided one parent is an existing Vedic meditator. The course fee for young children is a piece of art (drawing or sculpture) made by the child. Parents report children experience increasing calm and inner stability after learning.

Please get in touch for availability.

FAQ

Do I have to attend all four consecutive days?

Yes.  Each day builds upon the knowledge learned from the previous day as well as the home practice you will have in-between. This means, on the first day I will teach you the technique and we will practice together; then you will go home, practice on your own and come back the following three days to further refine your practice.  We teach over four days to ensure maximum retention of knowledge and technique.

Why can’t I use an online app or book to learn meditation?

You can. I tried. The market is rife with meditation apps and books though none offering this particular technique that brings the mind effortlessly to its least excited state. Our point of view also is that there are certain things in life – like eating a great sandwich – that are best done in person. Present moment to present moment, molecule to molecule. Learning how to meditate is one of these things. This teaching tradition goes back thousands of years and has worked for thousands of years. The effects of meditation are long-term and cumulative. This means the longer you do it, the more profound the effects. The teacher to student relationship has proved fundamental to facilitating your learning process as well as your likelihood for continuing to practice.

I work at a highly demanding job. I don’t think I’ll have 20 minutes morning and evening. Can I still learn?

Imagine not having time to brush your teeth! In our high-paced, hyper-connected times, we no longer know how to return to homeostasis. Many of us are getting sick because of this. Sleep is no longer enough and insomnia is on the rise. Studies show that meditation is as important to our overall wellbeing as dental hygiene. It reaves our cells of fight-or-flight chemistry and gets our parasympathetic nervous system back online. We restart our computers when they get wonky and I teach you how to do the same for your mind-body. As part of the course, we will take a look at your day and where there might be time-wasting phenomenon, we will discuss a time-cleanse. The benefits of meditation pay dividends tenfold and whatever habits we might have to surrender to get those 20 minutes in will be well worth it.

I have a congenital condition and a predisposition to A certain age-related health issue. Will meditation help?

Many congenital conditions are exacerbated by stress, which accelerates our body’s natural aging process. At the very least, meditation has a palliative benefit, meaning, while meditation will not cure congenital conditions and predispositions to, in most cases it will help. Vedic Meditation removes stress chemistry and returns the body to its natural healing abilities. It has been scientifically demonstrated to slow the aging process. One example is by slowing down telomere deterioration and in some cases, restoring telomeres. Like an aglet (the plastic bits at the end of your shoelaces), telomeres secure the ends of DNA strands. As cells replicate over time, telomeres become shorter and more fragile, increasing the likelihood of DNA strands fraying at the ends. This results in garbled DNA information during replication to new cells. Studies show this lack of perfect DNA transfer is associated with aging.  In short, while meditation will not cure congenital conditions and predispositions to, it can certainly help by slowing the body’s aging process and reducing stress.

I have insomnia. Will this help?

Yes. So much, so much!  Come to an intro talk. The same for people with hypertension and high cholesterol.

Why should i learn Vedic Meditation and not another technique?

We are each our own best laboratories. A good rule of thumb is: a meditation practice that works is a meditation you practice. Enjoyment, self-sufficiency, and effectiveness are important factors to consider. For the amount of time you spend doing something: is it helping, do you see improvements in other areas of your life? Most meditation techniques on the market are either concentration or contemplation techniques. Many of these techniques come from monastic traditions. Meaning, they work great when you live in an ashram, monastery, or live a life with few external demands. Vedic meditation is a technique for householders. Meaning, you and I: people with loves, jobs, friends, and family. Lots of demands. It works on the physiology from the bottom up and has been scientifically shown to recalibrate the autonomic nervous system to make you feel better.

Can my child learn?

Yes. We teach an eyes-open child’s technique to children between the ages of 4 and 12 and an eyes-closed technique to children above 12. One parent must be a practitioner of Vedic Meditation. Please get in touch for details.

I’m pregnant and I hear meditation is good for my baby. Is this true?

Yes! Vedic Meditation helps you rest profoundly as you grow a brand new nervous system. It also helps you return to homeostasis after experiences of tension so less stress chemistry is passed to the growing fetus. We love meditating mamas and papas and offer a special Expecting Parent program for expecting parents and parents with young children. Please get in touch.

Why do I have to pay for a course fee?

We ask for a meaningful and significant contribution in exchange for a meaningful and significant practice. One hundred years ago if, say, your neighbor learned this technique and you saw the benefits and also wanted to learn, you would have had to hike into the Himalayas, to an ashram at Jotrimath bringing fruits, flowers, and a meaningful contribution. This journey of time and energy, represents something we call “Worthy Enquiry.”  Worthy enquiry represents willingness to hold and honor a new practice; it triggers the flow of wisdom from teacher to student. In today’s materialistic world, money represents time and energy, specifically time and energy precious to you, and we ask for this in exchange for a practice that will revolutionize your life. In other words, we are asking you to pay close attention. In other-other words, you are paying to get supreme knowledge without having to fly to India and hike up the Himalayas.

Also, a one-time course fee entitles you to a LIFETIME of support from me and other teachers of Vedic Meditation! This is a great exchange.

How is Vedic Meditation different from Transcendental Meditation?

I teach Vedic Meditation and was trained to teach this form of meditation by Thom Knoles, who continues to teach Vedic Meditation. Thom was trained as a teacher of Transcendental Meditation (“TM”) by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (“Maharishi”), and taught it for over 25 years with organizations affiliated with Maharishi. Since 1997, Thom has continued to teach meditation as he learned it from Maharishi, and has done so independently and separately from the TM organizations. I am an independent meditation teacher and I am not affiliated in any way with the Maharishi Foundation USA, or with any trademark, program or organization that is affiliated with, or a licensee of, the Maharishi Foundation USA. 

Is this a cult?

Vedic Meditation is non-religious! Blind faith is not required. There are about 150 teachers who teach Vedic Meditation around the world; we’re friends or colleagues with each other. We don’t have the same lifestyles or subscribe to one modus operandi. We don’t have a boss, an organization or pay any organizational fees to anyone. Again, we teach a technique. You don’t need to buy into a belief system for the technique to work. I ask for a one-time course contribution for my time and energy. I learned an amazing tool that I want to share. Like a library, I am a resource not a club. You can walk away any time or not sign up at all. Anyone is welcome to learn and what we do is we teach you how to use the mind’s natural tendency to think, to move in the direction of greater charm, in order to quiet the mind. Vedic Meditation is supreme resting technology for our mind-body continuum. Zero cult.

Why should I learn with you instead of another teacher?

Learn from whomever you jive with, whomever you have good feelings towards! Under my RESOURCES tab are the websites of other teachers I like. 

Excuse me, but you didn’t answer my most pressing questions!

Please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.