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. 

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 Don't Have to be a Monk to Meditate

By Ben Turshen. 

My views on meditation have changed. This may surprise you, but I used to think meditation was strange. Something for people that were not like me at all. When I thought of meditation, I imagined monks dressed in robes sitting perfectly still in silence for hours in mountaintop temples or yogis sitting in full lotus position chanting mantras.

I had no desire to become a monk and had never taken a yoga class, but I was envious. The idea that I could quiet my mind, shut down the daily barrage of fear, worry, anger, sadness, frustration that swirled in my head was very appealing. But it seemed like an impossible dream for someone like me. Along with anxiety, depression and insomnia, I struggled with what doctors diagnosed as Attention Deficit Disorder. I thought that my mind was too busy to meditate. 

Fortunately, I was mistaken. While many types of meditation are monastic by nature (i.e., designed for monks), Vedic Meditation is a "householder" meditation technique, designed for people fully integrated in life, with families, jobs and busy minds--people like me (and you). Vedic Meditation settles the mind and body effortlessly and automatically without any need to focus or concentrate.

Although Vedic Meditation was born in ancient India over 5,000 years ago, it's application in modern life cannot be overstated. Accumulated stress leads to disease, pre-mature aging and low-grade performance and behavior. A plague of modern times. Vedic Meditation efficiently and systematically removes accumulated stress, improving all aspects of our lives, our physical health, our mental health and our relationships. 

So if you're not a monk, that's OK, Vedic Meditation is the perfect practice for you. 

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 

Are You A Game Day Performer?

By Ben Turshen. 

Our ability to perform at our potential is proportional to our stress levels. Stress is not a given situation or demand, but rather our reaction to a given situation or demand. It's how we respond.

Growing up, I came to understand this all too well. Whether on the playing field or in the classroom, I found myself sabotaged by stress. As an athlete, you could label me a "practice player." I had the skills and the ability to perform, but when the game was on the line, my anxiety would get the best of me and I would "choke" under pressure. I would let my coaches and teammates down. This was apparent in my schoolwork as well. I would go into a test fully prepared, but get so nervous that I would not be able to recall the material I had memorized or apply the knowledge I had acquired. These experiences did a number on my self confidence and left me feeling miserable.

Through the practice of Vedic Meditation we can efficiently and effectively reduce our stress levels. The result is that our ability to perform at our potential is dramatically increased. This makes us feel really good about ourselves. It's a game changer. 

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. 

The Great One

By Ben Turshen. 

Recently, I've been thinking about hockey. Maybe because the New York Rangers made it to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in twenty years. Growing up, I was completely obsessed with the sport. My parents would spend their weekends driving up and down the East Coast to take me and my teammates to our games and tournaments.

As a native New Yorker, my favorite team to watch was naturally the Rangers, but my favorite player was Wayne Gretzky, who didn't play for the Rangers until 1996. Nicknamed the "The Great One", Gretzky is considered the greatest hockey player of all time. He was small for the sport and despite lacking the speed and strength of the other players, he was able to see the game unfold better than anywhere else. He thrived under pressure and when the game was on the line, he always found a way to put himself in the right place at the right time, "I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been". 

Wayne Gretzky's gift was that he played the game with more awareness and presence than anyone else. Vedic Meditation provides that very same gift. It delivers us into the present moment with clarity and allows us to perform at our very best.