Frequently Asked Questions

Other styles of meditation involve concentration (focusing the mind through effort) or contemplation (ongoing thoughts about something). Both keep the mind active.

In Vedic Meditation you use a special mantra to quickly and easily settle the mind. When the mind is in this quiet state, your brain functioning is optimal and your body rests very deeply.

To be mindful is to be in the present moment. Mindfulness is not a practice, it is an outcome of meditation.

Practicing mindfulness involves effort. You’re thinking about and concentrating on being in the present moment. Thinking and concentrating use effort, and are exhausting. You’re trying hard to be present.

Vedic Meditation is easy. You close your eyes and repeat a mantra. Your mind settles down and your body rests deeply. You automatically release stress and tiredness.

When you come out of meditation, you are spontaneously aware and in the present.

Jillian and Michael teach Vedic Meditation. They were trained to teach by Thom Knoles.

Thom trained as a teacher of Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and taught for over 25 years with groups affiliated with Maharishi.

Thom now teaches independently of the TM organizations. He continues to teach meditation as he learned from Maharishi. Jillian and Michael teach in just the same way.

Jillian Lavender and Michael Miller are independent teachers of Vedic Meditation. They are not affiliated with the TM organizations. Services, processes and programs may differ.

A lot. Every year more studies come out saying how good meditation is for you, including benefits to health, emotional state, memory and relationships. For an overview and some recent articles see the page on Vedic Meditation.

We teach Vedic Meditation, the form of meditation that our teacher, Thom Knoles, taught for over 25 years within the Transcendental Meditation organizations. TM has been the subject of hundreds of scientific studies showing a wide range of benefits from regular practice. (These studies refer to this form of meditation using the name “Transcendental Meditation” or “TM”.)

Four two-hour sessions over four days in a row. Group courses are Friday to Monday. Here’s the usual schedule:

Friday: 12.30pm–2.00pm OR 6.30pm–8.00pm
Saturday: 10.30am–12.30pm
Sunday: 10.30am–12.30pm
Monday: 6.00pm–8.15pm

Private courses are also four consecutive days. We’ll work out the schedule according to your calendar.

The course fee is on a sliding scale according to your circumstances. You can pay in instalments over ten months. We also have special rates for young students.

We work on the fundamental principle that you get from meditation what you put into it. This means you make a meaningful commitment of your time and your resources to learn this ancient knowledge. Your willingness to meet this commitment indicates your understanding of that value.

We’ll explain all this in detail when you come to the Introductory Talk.

Our sessions are offered at venues in central Manhattan. When you sign up, you’ll get the full address for the evening you’re attending.

Once you’ve learned from us, you can come to group meditations for free. These usually happen once a month. Come as often as you like and for as long as you like.

We also stay in touch by email and social media. You’ll get regular newsletters from us and you can check out our blog and Meditation Notes.

You’ll feel changes right away. We get you meditating on the first day of the course. Then we give you a way of identifying and tracking the effects.

Most people report feeling calmer, more energized and more focused after only a few days of meditation.

No. If you can think, you can meditate. You simply need to be open, curious and willing to follow some simple instructions.

You don’t have to stop thinking in order to meditate. If you try not to think, you end up thinking more!

In Vedic Meditation we teach you a sound (called a mantra) that leads the mind to quieter and quieter layers. You don’t need to do anything. The mantra does it for you.

We’ve taught thousands of people who find the time to meditate every day. We’ve got lots of tips about how to fit this in to very busy lives. And when you’re less anxious and more focused you start to gain time and get stuff done. Including meditation.

Nope. No robes, no shaven heads, no chanting.

The Veda is the umbrella body of knowledge from ancient India. It’s the source of meditation, yoga, Ayurveda and all Eastern philosophy. So Vedic Meditation has that cultural reference point. Yet, the practice itself is a simple mental technique, free of dogma or belief.

We’ve taught people from all the world’s major religions—there is no conflict.

No chanting. You simply sit in a comfortable chair with your eyes closed.

No, just the opposite. Meditators find that they are even sharper, more driven and more focused.

You don’t turn into a spaced-out bliss bunny. You actually get better at dealing with the things that matter in your life. You also get clearer about what those priorities are.

No. We’re not going to ask you to stop drinking coffee and start eating kale. You don’t have to change your life at all in order to learn.

That said, some people learn because they want to stop smoking, or reduce their drinking, or change other habits. Meditation will help.

Not at all. The group courses involve discussion about the technique and the effects you are noticing. We won’t be talking about your parents or your neuroses.