Meditate to Make Time

By Ben Turshen.

One of the main obstacles that keeps some people from learning Vedic Meditation is time. Although the technique itself is absolutely effortless, requiring no focus or concentration, paying attention to or monitoring thoughts or activity, it does require time. 

The general strategy is to meditate for twenty minutes twice a day. 

We tend to think of our time linearly. Meaning if spending our time meditating, that is time taken away from doing something else, like work or spending time with our friends and family or going to the gym. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Stress and fatigue rob us of our time. When we're at work, we're thinking about being at home with the family. When we're home with the family, we're thinking about being at work. The result is we're never really anywhere. That is time lost. 

The profound deep rest experienced while practicing Vedic Meditation heals our bodies of the effects of decades of accumulated stress. Practicing Vedic Meditation twice a day for twenty minutes has the effect of sleeping an extra two to four hours. This provides us with energy and clarity so that we can be infinitely more attentive, productive, efficient and available in all of our relationships and endeavors. That is time gained. 

Meditation is Sexy

By Ben Turshen. 

The act of practicing Vedic Meditation is not very sexy at all. Even if you're very good looking to begin with, to the outside observer, it looks like you're just sitting there comfortably with your eyes closed for 20 minutes. It would be quite a boring thing to watch for that long no matter how aesthetically pleasing you are to the eye.   

But the effects of this meditation practice will make you better company--whether you're single or in a committed relationship. Why? Think about what kinds of people you like being around. If you're walking around stressed out, nervous and anxious, constantly worrying, depressed and miserable, exhausted because you don't sleep well, impatient, losing your temper, getting sick often, and complaining about it all then who wants to spend time with you voluntarily. 

Vedic Meditation allows you to feel, perform and relate at your very best. Calm and relaxed, rested and energized, attentive and present, kind and generous, patient and healthy. When you practice this meditation technique you become a better partner. That's pretty sexy. 

The Power of Leverage

By Ben Turshen.

When we were kids in school we learned about pulleys and levers in our science and math classes. With amazement, we found that by utilizing these tools we could move heavy objects with significantly less effort. 

These natural laws apply to Vedic Meditation as well--to the technique itself and its effects. By doing less, we accomplish more. By doing least, we accomplish most. 

Vedic Meditation is easy and effortless. For thousands of years in India, this form of meditation was referred to in Sanskrit as "Nishkam Karma Yoga", which translates to yoga or union attained by action hardly taken. The technique does not involve any focus or concentration, nor does it involve paying attention to, or monitoring, thoughts or activity, as is the case in some other types of mediation, such as mindfullness. With Vedic Meditation, our mind de-excites and body rests deeply (much deeper than the rest experienced in sleep), unwinding decades of accumulated stress and fatigue.

We start sleeping better and feeling rested, we get sick less, we become more focused and productive at work, our relationships improve as notice ourselves being more patient and attentive. 

Vedic Meditation gives you leverage. When we practice this technique, we find that we can move the "heavy objects" in our lives with less effort. 

Spreading Peace

By Ben Turshen. 

It's been a long time since I first learned Vedic Meditation. Since then, this meditation practice has absolutely impacted the way I think, act, behave and interact with the world. But I certainly don't think, act, behave or interact in any which way whatsoever because I'm a "meditator" or even a "meditation teacher". 

One of the things I like the most about Vedic Meditation is there no mandated moral or ethical codes or belief systems, religion or lifestyle changes that are prescribed. You don't join an organization or receive a special name. But expect some changes to come about on their own. 

When you practice Vedic Meditation (a simple mental technique), your mind settles down to its least excited state beyond thought and your body experiences deep rest (exponentially deeper than the deepest rest that can be obtained in a night's sleep) without any focus or concentration or effort. It's easy and enjoyable. Having had that experience in meditation, you then enter the world rested and energized, calm and relaxed, with greater clarity, feeling peaceful and equanimous. Operating in that state influences the way we think, act, behave and interact with the world. You don't need to set an intention or visualize yourself in a particular situation or try to act compassionately or feel grateful. It all happens spontaneously. 

The world needs more meditators, now more than ever before. 

Being Present

By Ben Turshen. 

Growing up, my coaches would shout at me, "get your head in the game". My school teachers would constantly remind me to "listen, pay attention". I was not alone in receiving these instructions. 

We often find ourselves reviewing the past or trying to predict the future, speculating, and mostly worrying. Why is it that we have a such a hard time being in the present moment? How come our mind and body become so easily disconnected? Stress is the main culprit. 

Stress is caused by any overload of experience, even a pleasurable one. When this happens, the mind and body store every minute detail of this experience, what it looked like, sounded like, tasted like, smelled like, felt like. It's as if we downloaded a program that's running continuously in the background, putting us one on high alert 24/7. This draws our mind away from where we are. 

There are many types of meditation where the goal is to try to be present by attending to thoughts or focusing on breathing or concentrating on some other activity. But trying to be present and being present are quite different experiences. When you're trying to be present, you're not actually being present. 

Vedic Meditation is different. The technique involves no focus or concentration, the mind is not forced in any direction. With Vedic Meditation, the mind settles effortlessly and spontaneously, which means there is no trying at all. While practicing Vedic Meditation, the mind de-excites automatically and the body achieves levels of rest exponentially deeper than the deepest rest that can be achieved in a night's sleep. This is the exact opposite physiological state as when we are overloaded by stress. By revisiting this state regularly in our Vedic Meditation practice, we delete the old programing. The result is that outside of meditation, we find ourselves present and aware in the moment, without trying. And this is where want to be. 

Finding the Time

By Ben Turshen. 

When it comes to Vedic Meditation, the meditation technique itself is easy and enjoyable. The mind and body settle down automatically and spontaneously without any effort, focus, or concentration. 

The hard work for most people is finding the time to meditate. Vedic Meditation is a daily practice and the general strategy is to meditate for 20 minutes in the morning and another 20 minutes in the afternoon/evening. For new meditators, this is may be challenging. It was for me.

As a meditation teacher, my role is to teach you how to be a self sufficient meditator. I get you to a place where you can practice this technique correctly and regularly. I work with each student to determine the best way to integrate the practice into their busy lives. Like the gym, you actually have to show up to receive the benefits, but ask anyone who's been practicing consistently and they'll tell you it feels like they've been doing it for years even if they only learned a few weeks ago.

You Deserve the Best

By Ben Turshen. 

Dear Friends, 

I'm writing to you having recently returned from two weeks in Rishikesh, India, a incredibly beautiful holy city known as the birthplace of yoga. While there, I meditated in abandoned ashrams, explored ancient temples, swam in the Ganges River, met new friends and received supreme knowledge from my teacher. During my trip, I was reminded of these words that come from Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (who is also commonly referred to as Guru Dev), the great master from whom we have Vedic Meditation:

You deserve the best.
Never feel unworthy or
not justified in having the best.
I tell you this is your heritage;
but you have to accept it,
you have to expect it. 
You have to claim it.
To do so is not demanding too much.

The impact of this message is clear, but how do we get there? How do we have the experience the best in life? The technique of Vedic Meditation is simple, easy and enjoyable to practice. It removes stress from the body and brings you to a place of peace and clarity, where you can truly enjoy the best that life has to offer. 

Wishing you the very BEST. 

With Gratitude, 

Ben 

Happier Everyday

By Ben Turshen. 

We all have some sense of how we want our lives to look. We might know where we would like to live or even what we want to do to earn a living.  We have a picture of how we would like to spend our time and the people we would like to spend that time with.

Regardless of what our lives look like on paper, we all desire the same thing. We want to be happy. This is the human condition. Our minds are designed to move us in the direction of greater happiness. We're always on the lookout for more satisfaction, more fulfillment, more happiness.

Vedic Meditation employs this inherent nature of mind and delivers us to a place where the mind is supremely content--a state of absolute fulfillment. Vedic Meditation is easy and enjoyable to practice and we become happier every time we do it. When we're happy, when we're fulfilled, that's when our lives really take off. 

Better Than a Band-Aid

By Ben Turshen. 

We are creatures of habit. Our days are filled with rituals and routines. As we approach the end of the summer, many of us move into our "back to school routine" as we shift gears into the fall season. Vedic Meditation is enjoyable and easy to practice, but it's also a routine, a daily practice, and that is a key feature to it's efficacy.

There's a tendency to think of meditation as something to do when you're feeling especially stressed--like a band-aid, a quick fix. Vedic Meditation decreases our stress and increases our happiness everyday, providing immediate and sustainable change. 

Nature asks for change. When you practice Vedic Meditation, you respond with greater happiness.