London Meditation Centre

“I want to get better sleep.”

“Better quality sleep”

“Ability to sleep”

“I want to stop waking at night overwhelmed by anxious thoughts”

We hear this so often from people coming to learn to meditate with us - they want better sleep, and to feel properly rested. To feel like themselves again.

When they learn everything changes. Students such as Bryony report within weeks and even days of starting.

Wonderful to be featured in ’s amazing Indian Wellbeing Guide, edited by our dear student .

An incredible comprehensive and lovingly curated guide to wellbeing in India - one of our favourite places in the world.

Well worth getting yourself a copy and enjoying a good read this summer.

As Daisy says - “when dreams travel, they take you to India.” 🇮🇳

She’s here! Our dear friend and trusted Ayurvedic consultant Dr. Padma Raju arrived yesterday, and has already begun seeing some of you for consultations this morning.

There’s lots of ways you can access Dr Padma’s deep and vast knowledge whilst she’s here in London:

- Lecture on Ayurveda tomorrow - online or in-person, free
- One-on-one Consultations - new times added
- Banana Purification Treatment for women & men
- Thyroid Treatment

We’d love for you to meet Dr Padma and take advantage of this rare opportunity to access one of the finest and most authentic Ayurvedic experts in the world.

For details and to book sessions, go to the link in bio.

We’re excited to host our dear friend and trusted Ayurvedic consultant Dr. Padma Raju in London this July.

This is a rare opportunity to access one of the finest and most authentic Ayurvedic experts in the world.

The Raju family comes from a long line of distinguished Vaidyas (Ayurvedic physicians) going back generations. They’re based in Hyderabad, South India, and have a busy clinic offering some of the most refined Ayurvedic purification treatments in the world.

We’ve known the Rajus for 20 years and have worked closely with them in India. The effect they’ve had on our own lives and that of many of our students is profound.

There are several ways you can access Dr Padma’s deep and vast knowledge whilst she’s in London:

- Lecture on Ayurveda
- One-on-one Consultations
- Banana Purification Treatment for women and men
- Thyroid Treatment

All of these are available to both meditators and non-meditators. Please pass on to friends and family.

Link in bio for details & booking.

In a couple of weeks we’ll be teaching in Copenhagen 28th-31st May.

If you’re based in Copenhagen or nearby we’d love to be in touch.

The first step in joining the course will be to join to an Intro to Meditation Talk. We’re offering couple of talks online, or see us in-person on Monday 27th May (at the brilliant ). It would be great to meet!

DM us or check the link in bio for details and sign up.

In May we’re visiting Copenhagen to teach a course in .

If you or those you know are based there and interested in learning, we’d love to hear from you.

Check the link our bio for further details, or send us a message.

P.S. for those who already practice Vedic Meditation, we’re also offering an Advanced Techniques course whilst we’re there. DM us for details.

Happy Holi! The festival of colours is observed by 100’s of millions around the world and marks the transition to spring.

Here’s some 📷 of on our 2019 India Retreat, celebrating “Green Holi” at the ashram where we stay. For this environmental initiative, we threw dried flowers, sandalwood powder and turmeric in place of the usual coloured dyes.

Michael spoke to Asia News International and was quoted in the Times of India, watched and read by millions.

Are you looking for new ways to expand your understanding of meditation, health, science and more? We’re often asked what books we recommend — and we’ve got you covered.

Check out the For Meditators page on our website, where you’ll find our full “Recommended Reading” list, helpfully organised under different sections, so you can explore what interests you.

Link in bio!

Happy reading 📚

We know it can be a balancing act fitting your meditation in at this time of year. The good news is, there are so many ways to make it work!

Our top tips:

1. Plan it!

Meditation happens when you plan it. And over the holidays when your schedule is more fluid, you need to be on it with your planning.

Set a reminder on your phone to give you a nudge. Give the children something to watch while you sit for 20 minutes in the next room and meditate. Have someone else drive and then you can meditate en route. Find that moment.

2. Be flexible about the where and when.

Over the holidays you might not have the same regular routine to keep your meditation consistent. Remember it’s not necessary to meditate at the same time each day. You have a lot of flexibility over when and where you do it.

If you know you’re having a big lunch and a few afternoon drinks, you can do your second meditation late morning (keeping a minimum of 4 hours between meditations). Or if you’re eating late, remember you can meditate up to 8pm/8.15pm.

3. The ultimate jet lag buster.

Flying is tough on the body and even short-haul flights make for a tiring day — just getting on the plane is a huge logistical feat. The best way to counteract these effects is to meditate as much as is comfortable on the flight.

This might mean you’re meditating for longer, e.g. 30-40 minutes at a time. It might mean you’re meditating several times during the flight. If you’ve already meditated in the morning and then you’re flying during the day, add an extra meditation on the flight, or at the very least count that as your second meditation for the day.

4. You’re meditating for those around you.

Remember, you’re meditating for your loved ones as much as you are for yourself. Your calmness and stability will radiate to those around you — leading to a more balanced, peaceful time.

——

Wherever you are over the holidays, we’re wishing you a relaxing time.

We look forward to seeing you in 2024.

Jillian & Michael

What Holiday Group Meditation prep looks like for 150 people… that’s a lot of mince pies! 🥧

We're thrilled to announce a 5-day New Year Retreat for meditators, at the magnificent .

This will be a profound start to 2024.

Rest deeply, rejuvenate your mind and body, and gain clarity about the decisions that lie ahead.

This intimate retreat is a unique opportunity to reset, recharge and begin the year strong and ready to go.

All in the spectacular and nourishing setting of Broughton Sanctuary – recognised as one of the top retreat destinations in the UK.

More details at the link in bio…





📷 images courtesy of

setting up for our workshop this weekend.

We loved seeing students coming to plug in, be inspired and connect with their twice-a-day practice.

is speaking tomorrow at festival in Dorchester. He’ll be in conversation with discussing all things .

This is a stunning location - one of the most beautiful sculpture parks in Europe.

He’d love to see you there - ticket link in our bio.

The final episode of Season 3 of ’s podcast is out today.

His guest is Megha Mohan, the BBC's first global Gender and Identity Correspondent.

Megha's work takes her across the world, covering women's rights, LGBT communities, and race and ethnicity. She's interviewed Finland’s all-women coalition government and Samoa’s first woman Prime Minister, as well as pop star and actor .

Meditation surprised Megha. She stopped smoking, and drank less. ("I'd no intention of cutting down on either!"). Now, in a life where routine is hard to come by, her practice is foundational.

“Wherever I am in the world, I have those two 20 minute slots.”

Link in bio to listen.

The new episode of ’s podcast is out now!

His guest is .spector, award-winning Professor of Genetics, author and founder of the worldwide phenomenon .

Dr Tim's work is renowned in the scientific community. He's hailed in popular culture as the straight-talking doctor who's changing the way we eat, with best-selling books such as The Diet Myth and Food For Life.

His current project, the Zoe App, tracks the power of the gut microbiome on overall health and longevity.

Tim's been meditating since the 70's. Learning as a teenager to aid his studies ("I got bored so easily"), he had no clue if he'd keep it up. Surprisingly to Tim, he's been doing it regularly for almost five decades.

“I surprised myself I’ve carried on… I thought I was too much of a rebel.”

So speaking of meditation, here's Tim...

Link in bio to listen.

"I've experienced more joy.”.

New student Felix has been meditating for just a couple of months — we loved hearing from him the other day:

"I've felt markedly less stressed since starting meditation. There have been far fewer days where I feel wired and nights where I can't sleep.

I've experienced more joy. Bad moods and negative thought patterns have seemed not to last so long. I've felt more able to let them go and turn my attention to what is important.”

The latest episode of ’s podcast is out now.

His guest is Sarah Lyall, prominent writer for .

Her career spans two decades as their London correspondent, now covering international affairs, culture and media. Her recent feature on acclaimed psychologist was hailed by Esther as “wonderful”.

Sarah's journey into meditation isn't conventional — she admits she wasn't interested when she signed up. She learned only because her daughter wanted her to.

"I can be the centre of gravity for my kids now... I can tell them everything will be okay."

So speaking of meditation, here's Sarah…

Link in bio to listen.

The latest episode of ’s podcast is out now!

Philip Knatchbull is the CEO of Curzon Cinemas, and member of BAFTA. He was awarded an OBE in 2019 for services to film distribution.

Philip's enjoyed a fascinating career in the film world, growing up on the sets of 'old-school' movies such as the original Agatha Christie pictures, and Passage to India. He’s worked with greats such as .

Meditation wasn’t on his radar until a few years ago, when he realised he was “sleep-walking my way through life”. After trying the apps, he found , and hasn’t looked back. “Now, I treasure each day”.


So speaking of meditation, here's Philip... link in bio to listen.

A new episode of ’s podcast is out now!

His guest is , executive coach and host of the Female Inner Power podcast.

"I'll talk about meditation whenever anyone will listen. It'll change your life!"

Noomi clocked the power of meditation right away. "I realised I had inner work to do. I could no longer repress what wasn't working for me." Empowered to face this head on, the trajectory of her life completely changed.

Noomi's now particularly inspired to help women escape the shadow of the 'good-girl' persona and tap into their full power.

Link in bio to listen now.

—

“I’m consistently feeling less tired.”

Kitty is 5 months into her meditation practice - we loved hearing from her the other day, sharing how she’s been getting on.

Kitty says:

"I wanted to share that my practice is going strong. My boyfriend asked me this morning if I felt any difference after 5 months (of meditating everyday).

The clear answer is YES.

I’m consistently feeling less tired. This shift is bringing much peace to my way of being.

Making the time for meditation twice a day has helped me realise how easy it is to unconsciously sign away my time, as if I don't control how I choose to spend it. I feel more aware of this now, and it inspires me to live more consciously."

—-

The latest episode of ’s podcast is out today!

His guest is Peter Magnani, founder of Beam, a new app that improves people’s mental, physical, and financial health.

Advertising exec Peter certainly didn't see himself as the "tree-hugging type", and thought meditation was cultish.

It took hitting a personal rock bottom for him to realise something had to change.

Meditation changed everything. He left his high-level job to become the founder of Beam, a data-led, self-management tool which enables people to use their own data to track and improve their wellbeing on every level.

"I want to really help people. No catches."

So speaking of meditation, here’s Peter…. Link in bio to listen.

——

The latest episode of ’s podcast is out today.

His guest is Peter Magnani, founder of Beam, a new app that improves people’s mental, physical, and financial health.

Advertising exec Peter certainly didn't see himself as the "tree-hugging type", and thought meditation was cultish. It took hitting a personal rock bottom for him to realise something had to change.

Meditation changed everything. He left his high-level job to become the founder of Beam, a data-led, self-management tool which enables people to use their own data to track and improve their wellbeing on every level.

"I want to really help people. No catches."

So speaking of meditation, here’s Peter…. Link in bio to listen.

——

The latest episode of Michael's podcast is out today.

His guest is , founder of , the UK's original organic supermarket.

Recognised as one of Britain’s 100 Most Entrepreneurial Women and London’s 1,000 Most Influential People, Renée has changed the way people think about food. In her most recent business, , she gathers groups of women to nourish, fulfill, empower and belong.

Renée has been meditating since 1991. They have a fascinating conversation about the twists and turns of her career, and how meditation has provided the "golden thread" running through the whole thing.

She says: "Thank the Lord for meditation. I am a different person because of it."

Listen here: https://www.londonmeditationcentre.com/speaking-of-meditation-podcast/

- -

’s podcast, Speaking of Meditation, is back!

Michael’s first guest of season 3 is Jesse Peretz , an Emmy-nominated filmmaker, producer, and creator known for ’s Glow, ’s Shrill, and ’s Girls.

His feature film Juliet, Naked, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018. And his latest TV show City on Fire, debuts on tomorrow!

Jesse shares stories about group meditations on the set of Girls, how his practice is fundamental to his career success, and why he thinks that "everyone should meditate... even if that's a corny thing to say".

We think you'll love this episode. Link in bio to listen.

- -

Season 3 of ’s podcast, Speaking of Meditation, is coming out soon!

Michael has an amazing line up of guests, sharing their stories of why they meditate, and how it’s changed their lives.

Listen to seasons 1 & 2 at the link in bio now.

📷
- -

"I wanted to drop a note to say thank you for teaching me how to meditate — I had tried so many things, and I didn’t believe it would work just like that. Just like I didn’t believe I could meditate twice a day. I’ve found it surprisingly easy and fun to stick to it. So thank you and I’m looking forward to everything else that is coming on this journey."

We loved hearing this report from a new student. Many people come to us thinking meditation is hard, and they won't be able to do it.

is different. It is easy and enjoyable. You'll want to do it.

- -

Twenty years ago today, I graduated as a teacher of Vedic Meditation.

This was the culmination of many years of meditating and more than a year of one-on-one study involving hundreds of hours of extended, deep meditation.

As I left my haven in the mountains of Arizona to begin a new career, I took a massive leap into the unknown. Prior to this, my education and working life had followed a seemingly predictable trajectory. Becoming a meditation teacher in 2003 changed all that. I didn’t know how it would all unfold, and I didn’t have a clear model to follow. I didn’t even know where I was going to live.

Soon London became my home base and remains so today, though I’ve been fortunate to teach Vedic Meditation in many countries around the world.

The diversity of people I meet continues to inspire me – the appeal of this ancient technique of transcending thought is universal. And the power of this wisdom to bring truly positive change continues to motivate me.

There is no teacher without students. It is a privilege to teach and I am so very grateful to everyone who has placed their trust in me to teach them this profound knowledge.

Jai Guru Deva.

Jillian

Recording for season 3 of Michael's podcast is underway!

Have you listened to season 2 yet? – fascinating conversations with people who meditate.

Listen now: https://www.londonmeditationcentre.com/speaking-of-meditation-podcast/

--