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The Transforming Power of Meditation

By Jillian Lavender

I first learnt about meditation from a good friend of mine over 15 years ago when I was living in Australia. He was a successful businessman who had experienced some difficulty sleeping over the years. It seemed to get particularly bad when he went through very demanding periods at work. However it wasn’t until he retired that he developed insomnia. Without the productive outlet of his working week he found that he was not able to switch off at night.

He tried everything, but nothing seemed to give him lasting results. Then he learnt to meditate and within days he was sleeping. I knew what a big deal this was and so it really caught my attention. I was engaged in a demanding job at the time, setting up a business and traveling a lot, so I was interested in how meditation might help me deal with all those demands.

Mental refreshment

I went along to an introductory talk to learn more. The teacher explained how this natural technique is practiced for 20 minutes in the morning and evening, while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. By introducing a particular sound into the mind, thinking becomes increasingly quiet and settled. At the same time the body gains a state of very deep rest. He explained how following the practice you feel refreshed mentally and physically - the mind is calmer and more alert, thinking is clearer and energy levels increase.

I decided to sign up for the course and it has been a part of my life ever since.

The first thing that attracted me to Vedic Meditation was its ease. If you can think, you can meditate. It is easy because it is a natural process. It doesn’t require you to sit in a funny position, or chant out loud. In fact you don’t need to change anything in your life. And it is highly portable - you can do this at home, on the bus, on a plane, or anywhere else where you can have a few minutes undisturbed. As a result I found it was easy to fit into my life and I noticed the benefits immediately.

In only 20 minutes, you can get the equivalent of several hours of deep sleep. The health benefits of giving the body such deep rest have been well documented. One of the most important benefits is reduced blood pressure. Hypertension affects over 16 million people in the UK and the higher the blood pressure, the greater the risk of stroke, heart attack and heart failure. What is also worrying is that high blood pressure rarely has any symptoms. And the likelihood increases with age - 7 out of 10 people in their 70’s have high blood pressure.

After practicing meditation for over a decade I was inspired to make this knowledge available to others and so I decided to become a teacher.

One of my students, a grandmother of two, has noticed dramatic improvements in her blood pressure since learning to meditate. “Three years ago, I was on blood pressure medication and the doctors said I would have to be on it for life” she says. “My blood pressure ran borderline high, even on the meds - 150 over 95. After beginning meditation, my blood pressure dropped to low normal, while still on medication. It then ran about 115 over 75. My dosage was cut in half at that time, at my request. I was at the cardiologist for a check-up a few months ago and asked if I needed to continue the medication. She looked at my records and in a surprised tone said no I didn't. I went off blood pressure medication completely, have continued meditating, and my pressure continues to be low normal...sometimes as low as 100 over 60.”

As a teacher it is very rewarding to witness such positive changes across a wide range of students. Having taught people from aged 5 to 95 I am continually impressed by the benefits that come from such a simple, natural and enjoyable technique.

Jillian Lavender