Today is my fifth anniversary of teaching meditation. As I reflect on these last five years, I feel incredibly grateful for this journey and everything I’ve learned along the way.
Teacher training class of 2014
It was in April of 2014 when I finished a 12 week intensive training in the Himalayas of India, and began sharing Vedic Meditation in New York and California. I hit the ground running with fearless excitement ready to help anyone reduce stress and feel better. I had everything I needed to get started, but also had no idea what I was doing. I was a one-man show in my mid-20s with no entrepreneurial experience offering a service that was new and out of the ordinary for the common public. Believing in my potential to grow and share the practice that changed my life was enough to get me going. So I began teaching, one student at a time.
I thought teaching looked pretty easy from the outside, but as I got into it I realized the learning curve was STEEP. There’s also a lot of business work to sort out behind the scenes. Gradually, I figured things out and learned from my mistakes along the way. Staying diligent, I grew as a teacher day-by-day. After a couple years, word caught on and teaching became full-time. To this day it’s an ever-evolving process, which keeps things fresh and full of possibility.
Throughout the last five years, I’ve taught over 60 monthly meditation courses, hosted over 300 weekly group meditations, facilitated over 20 residential and non-residential retreats, traveled to India 5 times, and opened a new meditation studio in NYC, all in service of expanding happiness in the world. I’ve had the honor and privilege of teaching almost 400 students Vedic Meditation, and have facilitated advanced trainings for several dozen students who are now also teachers of Vedic Meditation.
If you told me before I became a teacher that all this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have believed you. I lived a simple life in NYC working as an engineer and making art with friends. Even though becoming a teacher changed everything about my life, I’m so glad I followed the call to serve in this way. There’s nothing more fulfilling than living out your purpose.
It’s remarkable how much growth we’re capable of when we listen to that calling, face fear with courage, and go for it. The path less traveled also makes for an unforgettable adventure. In some ways, I feel like this adventure I’m on is just getting started, and yet it feels like I’ve had a lifetime of learning experiences already. They say if you want to become an expert in something, teach it.
Here are six key teachings of spiritual growth that I’ve honed (or have honed me, I should say) in my first five years as a teacher.
Take life as it comes as an open-minded, curious student of life. There is no point of arrival or perfection, only balance and beauty within the messiness of life. Change is inevitable and evolution is all that’s happening. Thus, learning is continuous throughout life, even when you’re called to play the role of a teacher. With a daily meditation practice, learning becomes more intuitive and less intellectual as the mind remains present to what is, and the clarity of insight sharpens within.
Be consistent and self-motivated even when it’s easier not to be. You have to be your own leader when you’re your own boss. Diligence with your daily self-care practice and dedication to the cause you’re serving are both essential. It’s a balancing act between the two. Don’t let the cause overtake your self-care. Don’t let your self-care overtake the cause. Your self-care practice is there to make you more capable of serving. The cause is there to give you purpose and relevance. As motivational inspiration, envision your future self 10, 30 or 50 years from now and make them your hero.
Sacrifice who you are for who you wish to become. Turning your caterpillar self into a butterfly is a process that involves letting go of what you believe defines you. It can be emotional and vulnerable at times, but also incredibly uplifting and liberating. The method and speed at which you move through this process of spiritual growth is up to you. The key is not to resist the process, but to sweetly surrender and get into it. Trusted guidance from a teacher who’s walked the path before is essential. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from experts. It’s also important for the process to elevate your dignity, for the fear of your dreams coming true can hold you back if you believe that you can’t live up to it or that you don’t deserve it.
Trust in the organizing power of nature. Life challenges can teach you how to persevere through self-doubt and discouragement. They can also show you how to adapt and respond gracefully in the face of any obstacle. When life throws you a curve-ball and things don’t go the way you expect them to, trust in the bigger picture that everything is ultimately working out in your favor. Trust that nature knows best how to organize and allow the universe to handle the details. Try that on and see how it feels. You’ll find that the need to be right and the need to control specific timing or outcomes begins melting away. It’s in the letting go of these thoughts that nature’s support is given. Letting go becomes second nature with meditation as it releases the stress that triggers the mind to be reactive and controlling. The meditated mind can more easily take pause, problem solve, and respond effectively in a challenging situation.
Align your actions with nature’s intent. Nature supports and empowers you to thrive when you let go of your thoughts, listen to nature’s intent, and align your actions accordingly. Starting with meditation retrains the brain to automatically let go of thoughts that keep you in your head. A calm mind allows you to see nature’s intent through the subtle desires arising in your heart. Give these subtle desires the opportunity to inspire your actions everyday, instead of being driven by an agenda in your head. The mind is meant to follow the heart, not lead the way. The outcome of acting from your heart is a daily experience of peak mind and flow state.
Bring fulfillment to your relationships rather than needing to be fulfilled by them. It can take time for the intellect to fully adopt this perspective especially when we live in a society that tells us otherwise. However, you can experience true unconditional love in so many of your relationships because of it. The mind has been conditioned to believe that happiness is coming from outside of you when the source is within you all along. Your relationships are a reflection of your relationship with yourself. When you take personal responsibility for this and uncover unconditional love within yourself, then love reflects outwardly into your relationships. Better relationships always begin within.
Thank you friends, family, teachers, and colleagues who’ve played a part in my journey thus far. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the insights I’ve received from my mentors, and without my community sharing their encouragement. Don’t be afraid to give honest advice or a kind compliment to the people in your life. Truthful words are influential.
And remember: everyone is here to carry out impactful work for the benefit of humanity. When you hear your call, don’t hesitate. LEAP. Leap out of your comfort zone and say YES to the path less traveled. The world needs your greatest gifts. They are already within you, but they can only shine through if you seek, inquire, listen, and leap.
