Why Vedic Meditation is Perfect for Mothers
Imagine feeling like a patient, calm, relaxed mother unfazed by sibling fights, sleep deprivation, endless multi-tasking and constant demands – where clarity and vitality are the norm? As many mothers are discovering, Vedic Meditation is an amazing tool which helps us do just that. Over three years ago I found myself as a newly single mother with three very young children (5 years, 3 years and 15 months at the time). I was exhausted, overwhelmed, stressed out and my thoughts were endless. That was when Vedic Meditation entered my life and to say it rocked my world is an understatement.
I had dabbled in meditation for a while at that point. I had done mindfulness meditations, guided meditations, the headspace app but nothing really became a daily practice that I looked forward to. When I finally signed up to do a Vedic meditation course I remember saying to myself “Ok I’ll try this but there is absolutely no way I’ll be able to do this twice a day for 20 mins.” I could not have been more wrong. Within a week I was not only meditating twice a day but I was starting to feel the benefits of better sleep, clarity of mind, less reactivity and more space to breathe. I wasn’t only doing the meditation, I was looking forward to it. These benefits have only multiplied over time.
Fast forward a few years to the present moment and I have not only continued to practice Vedic Meditation but my passion has lead me to teaching, enabling me to share this beautiful life-changing technique with others.
I have found Vedic Meditation to be the most successful and easiest meditation technique to do. My meditation practice makes me a better mother – more patient, calm, compassionate and grateful. It gives me the deep rest I need to operate from a better place, my highest self.
My personal Vedic Meditation practice has given me the gift of clarity of mind, increased creativity, improved adaptability to stress and greater vitality and it is no coincidence that my students and colleagues alike have reported the same benefits time and time again.
With ongoing practice we become less reactive to the daily demands of life so that we can enjoy greater connection with those around us.
Here are my top 5 reasons why every mother (and father) should learn Vedic Meditation —
1. You can’t pour from an empty cup
Modern day mothering is hard. We are busier than ever constantly multitasking – family, friends, children, work and school commitments, study, exercise, travel, technology, healthy food, finances…. We are trying to do it all and a lot of us seem to have lost our village and mama support network that was supposed to come with this gig! All of these factors place our bodies in a chronic state of stress and feelings of overwhelm, failure, scattered thoughts and anxiety become the norm. We often lack the tools to help us deal with the demands of life in a sustainable way and this is where Vedic Meditation comes in.
Backed by scientific research, Vedic Meditation is a way to RECHARGE, it is a powerful rejuvenator designed for people who live busy lives. We need to take care of ourselves so we can take care of others. Just as you need to place the oxygen mask on yourself before you help others, many women are realising they need to prioritise self-care so they can be there for their loved ones. You cannot give to others when you are depleted and exhausted yourself.
During the practice of Vedic Meditation we de-excite the mind through a personalised mantra and settle the body into a state of deep rest and relaxation automatically and spontaneously without any effort, concentration, or attempting to control the mind or suppress thoughts. We take 20 mins twice a day to tap into this state of stillness and activate our parasympathetic nervous system (our rest and repair mode of the body) to dissolve accumulated stress, tension and fatigue.
By regularly practising this technique you are naturally ‘filling your cup’, you are tapping into what it is to be the highest version of yourself and then bringing that state to your interactions with the people you love.
2. 20 mins of Vedic Meditation is equivalent to 2-3 hours sleep
Vedic Meditation is an absolute must for sleep-deprived mums. It allows you to access a deep state of rest 3-5 times deeper than sleep, so it’s like having a nap but more restful and energising.
The practice improves sleep by lengthening deep sleep cycles and increasing sleep efficiency.
It can be incorporated into the daily routine for sleep deprived mamas as the 20 minutes of meditation can be used throughout the day as an energiser to refresh and recharge, and science tells us it is the rest equivalent of 2-3 hours sleep. It can also be used in the middle of the night when breastfeeding or when trying to fall back to sleep once the baby is down. It’s also a great way to combat the afternoon slump rather than reaching for coffee or chocolate.
Meditating during pregnancy also means the mother is producing less stress in the body, which naturally helps to reduce stress chemistry in utero. A reduction in stress chemistry means better sleep so mothers are happier and bonding better with their baby.
It is also really helpful for reducing postpartum depression and for bringing on breast milk.
“Meditation is deceptively simple but don’t confuse simplicity for weakness”
3. It is so easy, it can be done with noisy kids and you don’t have to control your thoughts
The main difference between Vedic Meditation and other meditation techniques is its simple and effective approach.
It is an effortless, self-sufficient take anywhere technique, where we are not ‘trying’ to do anything. It is all about letting go which is ironic because to me motherhood is a complete letting go process as well. Letting go of being the perfect parent, having the perfect child, having a tidy house, having it all. In Vedic Meditation we are also letting go of control and letting the body come to a healing state of rest as the mind settles – dissolving accumulated stress and fatigue.
Thoughts are also allowed in the meditation process, they don’t need to be stopped or controlled – the mind can wander. So if you are a person with a busy mind (most of us in the modern world) this technique is perfect for you.
You can practice this meditation technique absolutely anywhere you can sit comfortably with your back supported, there are no uncomfortable lotus postures here! And an extra bonus is noise is no barrier to this type of meditation which makes it perfect for mothers with babies, children, pets and partners.
Here are some examples of places both myself and my students have meditated:
Sitting in bed with a child/baby draped across the lap
In a parked car before school pick up, meetings, events
In a parked car with kids asleep in the back seat
On public transport, taxis, planes
On the lounge after putting the kids to bed but BEFORE doing the dishes, lunches, tidy up etc
On the lounge after putting the kids to sleep but BEFORE scrolling on Instagram
On the lounge with kids playing on the floor and/or screaming in the next room
While breastfeeding
At a desk at work
On a park bench
In bed before the kids wake up
In a car while the partner is driving and children are in the back seat
Next to the cot/bed while waiting for baby/child to fall asleep
4. It will make you calmer, less reactive, happier and more present for your loved ones
Through Vedic Meditation, by releasing the stresses from the nervous system quickly and effectively on a daily basis, we have greater capacity to be adaptable, less reactive and calm and I believe being calm is like a superpower in motherhood.
Vedic Meditation also floods the brain with ‘bliss chemicals’ like serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine and these stay around after you have finished meditating, which makes a powerful lasting difference with how you interact with the world around you. As a result we come from a place of bliss and peace when interacting with our loved ones, rather than a reactive and cranky one.
With continuous practice we bring more patience, and a calmer, happier, softer version of ourselves to our daily lives. We also don’t have to TRY and be mindful in life because this meditation technique naturally makes us more mindful and present in the moment.
Over time the challenges around you don’t change but your reactions to them become very different. Throughout our days as mothers things will go wrong, things will happen that we didn’t expect or don’t want but we get better at adapting and being more resilient to whatever life throws at us.
We start to consciously respond rather than mindlessly react. And through continuous practice, the space between stimulus and response will widen and we begin to come from a calmer, more balanced state of being which has life-changing results.
5. It will make you more productive and foster what is important in your life
So many people say they don’t have time to meditate but once you commit to a regular Vedic Meditation practice, it’s amazing how much more time and mental space you have. The reduction in stress and increased clarity makes you realise what your priorities are and you start to filter out the unnecessary ‘noise’ in your life which leads to increased productivity.
The pockets of pause in meditation where we tap into our inner stillness, gives us more space and flow in life. It allows you to really consider what it is you want in your life, your place in the world and helps you to shift and align your expectations and priorities according to your truth.
Through a regular practice, by connecting with this place of happiness inside ourselves, we bring more of this happiness into the world and find more meaning and purpose in our life.
“The thing about meditation is you become more and more you”
Vedic Meditation is the best gift you can give yourself and your children.
Natalie x