I began meditating at the age of 16. It wasn’t an easy journey – teaching myself from a book, but it was lifesaving, and profound at times.
I went on to dabble in different forms of focussed and reflective modes of meditation, mainly via yoga classes and retreats. However, when I met Gary Gorrow and was given my mantra and taught Vedic Meditation I felt like I came home finally.
I experienced such a deep sense of rest that I was able to easily align with my core beliefs, values and understanding of the world. I was also able to recoup precious energy and alleviate stress – an important thing for a solo mum entrepreneur.
I believe everyone, especially pregnant women need to connect deeply with their heart and silence through the tumultuous changes and in preparation for birth and parenting.
Without my double dipping practice, every day, She Births® would not be where it is. Vedic Meditation has given me the energy and the space to see the world from a broader and more enlightened view. This fool-proof method works every time – it is pure gold.
Jess Osie, Sydney-based Vedic Meditation teacher, chats to us about Vedic Meditation, and how it can support your pregnancy and life as a new mum – and her tips for committing to a meditation practice.
If you’re keen to learn Vedic Meditation, Jess is running a 4-day Prenatal Vedic Meditation Course for mums-to-be, commencing on Monday 9 July, in Sydney. New mums are also welcome but would need to attendwithout their babies.
Jess is generously offering She Births® mamas a 10% discount.
If you’d like to stay calm, centred and rested during your pregnancy, and enjoy the benefits of meditation as you start your journey into motherhood, click here to find out more, and get in touch with Jess directly to book:
hello@jessosie.com or 0402 123 440.
What is Vedic meditation and how is it different from other styles of meditation?
Vedic Meditation is a simple, effortless mental process. We sit comfortably in a chair with the eyes closed and use a mantra (translated as mind-vehicle) that spontaneously triggers the mind to de-excite – moving from the busy, chaotic layers of the mind to the subtler, deep and quiet (which is actually our natural state).
As we begin to de-excite the mind, the body also de-excites, allowing the physiology to naturally dissolve stress and fatigue – this restores our body to a state of vitality, vibrancy and health.
Unlike other techniques, it doesn’t involve any kind of concentration or focus and you don’t need to have yogi-like flexibility. The course is taught in-person with expert personal instruction, leaving meditators with the confidence they need to be self-sufficient – it’s an easy and effortless technique and absolutely anyone can learn!
What are the benefits of Vedic Meditation that are particularly useful during pregnancy and for new mums?
Meditation has some well known overall benefits; decreased anxiety and stress, improved sleep, increased productivity and creativity, improved interpersonal relationships and peace of mind. In addition to these benefits, I feel that Vedic Meditation is especially important during pregnancy and for new mums.
As a mum-to-be or a new mum, our bodies are going through an enormous amount of change, growth and transformation. The deep state of rest and tranquillity achieved in meditation allows the body to repair, restore and heal on a daily basis – something particularly relevant for new mums who may be operating on little sleep. There is strong research to suggest that the body chemistry of an expectant mother has a direct impact on the development of a baby in utero. In this regard, meditation can be a powerful method to support the health and development of our babies.
Another change that we’ll notice through this journey is that life gets more demanding! We’ll face the challenge of new responsibilities and less time for ourselves. Vedic Meditation increases our stability – our adaptation capability to meet demands and change in an easy, effortless and graceful way. By increasing our levels of rest, we are able to respond to the demands in an adaptive, progressive way. We’ll become better parents as we are responding to our children’s needs as opposed to reacting to them. It enables us to be present and truly with our children.
Vedic Meditation deepens our connection to ourselves. By centring ourselves daily, we connect with that deep, silent, still part of us. By tapping into that state every day, we stabilise the meditative state over time and begin to operate from a higher baseline of calm, fulfilment and bliss.
What would be your tips for those who have tried meditation (e.g. using apps), but can’t seem to find the time to commit to it?
Firstly, it’s all about priorities. We all have 24 hours in a day – but how we choose to spend those 24 hours is what gives shape to our lives. By prioritising time to de-excite, reboot and self-love, we are able to give more of ourselves to the world around us (especially our children!) The more we meditate, the greater we derive benefit from the practice and so it becomes an obvious choice in prioritising our time.
We don’t need to meditate in specific conditions – we just need to find a seat where we can comfortably and safely close our eyes. Noise in no barrier to meditation either. So instead of waiting for the “perfect” conditions to meditate, get practised at being adaptive, flexible and creative – I often meditate in the car, public transport, shopping centres and street benches. Whenever I get the chance, that’s when I’ll do it.
Vedic Meditation is taught in-person by an expert teacher – I feel that proper personal instruction instils a level of confidence and nurtures the meditator’s drive and enthusiasm to be able to practice daily in a self-sufficient way. We also have a special program catered especially for pregnant women and new mums to accommodate their limited time and increased demands!
Other than meditation, what else can mums-to-be do to support their pregnancy and birth – from a Vedic perspective?
In it’s essence, the Vedic perspective is all about living in tune with nature – this means navigating life in an easy, effortless and natural way in tune with nature’s intelligence.
With regards to pregnancy, our bodies are incredibly intelligent – they know exactly how to make a human from the moment of conception to giving birth and also through nurturing our babies. In this way, we want to spend less time in the mind and more time letting our bodies do their thing (of course meditation helps with this!) Personally, I have loved yoga, stretching, walking and spending time connecting with my bub as a means of getting into the body.
Following your intuition is a big one – we become more instinctive as new mothers so I highly suggest going with what your heart and gut say (as opposed to the mind)…even if this means listening to any weird cravings that the body has because the body knows what it needs! (Lately I’ve been eating a LOT of haloumi!)
Pregnancy is a big lesson in the art of ‘surrendering’ – our capability of letting go. Along with the vast change happening in our lives and in our bodies, there may be everyday things we are no longer able to do (from exercise to work to being able to form coherent sentences…baby brain anyone?!) Surrendering is our capability to witness this phenomenon without judgement or particular expectation of how things should be and leaning into how they are – going with the flow!
This special time is a deeply feminine experience where we may innately crave more yin – more inward time, more time for reflection, more nesting. By taking ample rest we can connect with ourselves and our babies – this conscious process is super important in getting us ready to become the best parents we can be for our children.
How did you become interested in Vedic meditation, and how has it helped you?
I came across Vedic Meditation many years ago when I was experiencing severe anxiety in a new job. I hadn’t really experienced anxiety like that before – it was totally debilitating. I would dread going to work because I was so on edge and overly stimulated. I wasn’t performing at work and that was just the beginning. Other aspects of my life started to change too – particularly my relationships (how can you have a loving, happy relationship when one person is suffering and miserable?!)
My best friend had learnt Vedic Meditation and insisted I learnt. She said it would help me have more self-love (which was what I believed was the major thing missing from the equation).
I went along to a free intro talk and knew straight away that this was what I’d been waiting for my entire life. It seemed almost too good to be true. Being the eager person I was, I signed up and learnt the very next day.
To say I got more than what I bargained for is an understatement.
For a start, the anxiety immediately started to melt away – within a few days I was experiencing spontaneous moments of joy (something that hadn’t happened in a long time) and then within months of consistent practice, the anxiety was gone.
What I didn’t foresee was that by practising this technique, I have gained more stability in my inner world. Whilst the journey is not complete, I feel more stable, confident in my decision making, have greater awareness and perspective in all situations and most importantly, deep inner fulfilment. There’s more joy, love and bliss to ALL of life because of this practice. And yes, way more self-love!
I now look back at the anxiety experience as something that needed to happen. As a teacher, I understand the stress and pressure people go through on a daily basis. I can see how life gets tough and that we need tools and strategies to help us be the best versions of ourselves to navigate these experiences. I feel absolutely privileged to be able to share a technique with people that actually works!