Vedic Meditation Teacher Training: The Journey Begins
Sometimes something in life tugs at you and you’re not exactly sure why. What you do know is the tug can’t be ignored, even if it makes little sense to you. I received such a tug in September last year.
I was taking part in a meditation training (actually I was taking part for the third time, as my meditation school lets you resit the course any time). Afterwards I got chatting to my teacher about a friend who had been having trouble sleeping. I was hoping to introduce her to meditation. Sleep came much more easily to me since I began my practice. While a huge fan of my school and a complete convert of the particular technique I practice, Vedic Meditation, I was looking for something to get my friend started on her own before she made a larger commitment.
My teacher gave a couple of suggestions, then, with a glint in her eye asked ‘but have you ever considered becoming a teacher?’ A little bell went off inside my head. Actually...I had.
It was not a serious consideration, but a thought that had brushed past so lightly on a couple of occasions, I didn’t really notice it. The time someone I met in Bali talked about wanting to do training in India. The time I was listening to a Vedic knowledge podcast and the host spoke about more people needing to become teachers in the technique. And now this. A direct question from something deeper, via my teacher ‘...have you ever considered becoming a teacher?’
The seed was sown and was watered by my persistent teacher who promptly sent me all the information, unsolicited. (I say this in jest, I’m very thankful she did). But my logical brain wasn’t having a bar of it. “It’s too expensive.” “You don’t need another thing.” “You haven’t even been that solid with your own practice these last few months.” “Who are you to become a meditation teacher?” And yet, the tug was there. When I let my mind go quiet, I could hear a very faint “yes”.
So, thankfully, I didn’t write it off immediately. I let it sit and the longer it sat, the stronger the tug became. The strange thing was, it didn’t feel like the tug was coming from me, but something deeper. The choice, despite my mind’s insistence to the contrary, had already been made for me. All that was left for me to do was let go and trust in that decision. I was going to do the training.
So at the end of November, I embarked on a journey that will take a little over a year, to become an initiator (or teacher) in Vedic Meditation. What does this involve? Well I’m still discovering some of this on a daily basis, as it’s quite the personal journey. But from the practical perspective:
A 50 minute (ish), twice per day practice of ‘rounding’: a sequence of self massage, asana poses, pranayama breathing, 20 minutes meditation and 10 minutes rest
Learning Puja (the initiation song) in both Sanskrit and English, with actions
Writing out a special text, by hand, as it’s dictated to us over the course of a number of 2 hour session.
Listening to over 52 hours of lectures on Vedic knowledge
A number of in person workshops.
My teacher described it beautifully when she said it’s like giving you “the equivalent of a PHD, so you can teach kindergarten.”
The strange thing is, I’m not sure exactly where it’s all going to lead. And yet, I’m fine with that. For now I’m just going to trust and enjoy the ride. I look forward to sharing some of my experiences and insights with you along the way. Hopefully they will help you approach your work and life more consciously, as they are already helping me to do.
Oh and if you’re looking to learn to meditation, I hope patience is one of your stronger qualities. I’ll be qualified and taking classes this time in 2019.