This is our story. A story that includes you. A story that continues to unfold and teach us about ourselves, each other, and this glorious thing we call life. And I want to tell it in a way that honours each season, each person, each moment of connection. If you’re reading this in your inbox, you’re probably going to have to click ‘view entire message’ at the bottom, as your email provider may limit the post because of the many photos included. But we didn’t want to leave anything out! We’ll also be sharing more photos and videos of our story on Instagram this week. Some of you have been with us from the beginning and others found us somewhere along the way over the past 9 years.
As we move into a new expression of Mahasoma, I thought to start from the beginning and share not just the chronological timeline, but the learnings, unlearnings, and transformations that have taken place as we keep saying “yes” to the feeling, vision, and living reality that is Mahasoma.
The early days.
Mahasoma was conceived in early 2017 after I had been teaching Vedic meditation for nearly 5 years. We had a thriving community in Melbourne but it was expanding beyond my capacity as one teacher. I knew I couldn’t sustain it alone but nothing else existed yet to support the growth. I had a sense things needed to change but I also knew it needed to form naturally. Forcing change from a state of lack means you usually end up rushing, skipping over the deeper process, and missing the little nudges from nature that are guiding the unfolding. I had to be patient with this feeling, not ignoring it, but giving it room to birth itself in right timing.
In February 2017 I hosted my first solo South India retreat, an intimate experience where we ventured to Auroville, Pondicherry, and Sri Narayani Peedam. In our wisdom sessions we explored the themes of dharma, seva, and how to take Being into action. Inspired by the visionaries of the Mother, Sri Aurobindo, and Sri Sakthi Amma, we expanded into what’s possible when you co-create with nature. We asked, what’s needed in the world right now? How can I serve? How big can we dream?
I’ve always known that what I’m teaching others, is also what I need to hear myself. I frequently laugh when words come out of my mouth and it’s as if life is talking to me, through me, even though it looks like I’m responding to someone else’s enquiry. These wisdom sessions not only inspired those attending the retreat, but also inspired the name Mahasoma along with a vision for the next chapter.
But as I came home and started sharing about the name Mahasoma, I found out that two other people in our community had also come up with names for their new projects that had ‘soma’ in it. My immediate thought was “NO! I came up with that!” And some fear started rising in the body of not getting there first. It was a not so gentle reminder from nature that we are not the generator our our ideas - life is. When there is a need in the collective, it draws upon the field of infinite consciousness that is present everywhere. If you’re open to that field (a natural by-product of daily meditation) you begin to sense the need of the time. If multiple versions get picked up on at the same time, it doesn’t mean you’re too late or the need has already been served. You’re picking up on it because your unique flavour has something to contribute.
Soma is a Sanskrit word that expresses the flow of consciousness. It’s nurturing and nourishing and brings us into full vitality. Maha expresses the great, big, Totality. So, Mahasoma is the great flow of consciousness that nourishes all things and brings the Totality of wisdom, love, and vitality into everyday life. And if I looked around, it was the world calling more of that into itself - not me.
This experience reminded me that I am always in service to the creative ideas that flow through me. I will benefit from them, but I am not the author. Nature is always leading us to the most evolutionary path, but we have to be open to receiving it while having the courage to say ‘yes’ and actually follow it through into action.
Returning to our roots.
Over the next couple of years, I continued to host retreats and pilgrimages to the Himalayas, taking our Vedic meditation community from Rishikesh to Kedarnath by helicopter, Badrinath, Guru Deva’s ashram, and a long winding pilgrimage to the source of the Ganga. These journey’s connected us to the land, people, and sacred spaces from where our tradition and practice comes. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started, but I was being led by something powerful inside that was telling me to ‘go here!’ So, of course, I said yes without thinking so much.
This way of moving had become the norm after nearly a decade of daily meditation. I had seen the pattern enough times to know that creating experiences I personally wanted to have, was actually a way of tapping into the love and joy that was there to serve others who desired to go deeper, explore, and be together on their inner journey. It was a great learning that when you devote yourself to being in service to life, you are taken care of in the process. And what you sense is ‘for you’ is actually just a way that nature gets you to serve the need of the time.
Back in Australia, local community events had us meditating in the cinema, on the beach, and going on indigenous bush walks with Lionel. Weekly group meditations grew at Greenfields, ever evolving advanced wisdom trainings took meditators deeper within, and our Elwood home turned into a mini-ashram. There were Vedic celebrations, yajñas, and workshops from inspiring guest teachers, while I continued to teach hundreds of wonderful souls Vedic meditation in Melbourne. This was one of the most fulfilling times in my life, and if you’re reading this and were part of this chapter of the story, thank you for showing up, contributing, and making our community what is was. These are core memories that have shaped who I am as a human being and a teacher. For that I am eternally grateful.
The birthing of the Mahasoma team.
As what happens when the creative power flows through your life, what was, the previous, the ‘no longer relevant’, had to dissolve. As I continued to follow what my heart was leading me towards, a birthing of a new reality, I was led away from a male-led hierarchical system that I had ‘grown up in’ as a teacher, toward a new way of expressing the wisdom from our tradition, rooted in Nature and honouring the feminine. It was a time of great creativity but also one of grieving ‘what was’, sitting with the uncomfortable, asking really important questions, deep fatigue coming out, and continuing to trust while stepping into the unknown. I would not have been able to do this without the beautiful humans in our meditation community (who became the first Mahasoma team), encouraging me, lifting me up, and contributing to the new story. We are also stronger together.
In 2019 the first Mahasoma Vedic meditation teacher training took place in the Himalayas, India. Eleven teachers graduated including those who brought Mahasoma to life, our first team, Kathleen O’Brien, Sarah O’Brien, Julia Turco, Alex Wild, Lianne Richardson, Cailin Rose, and Tameka Buckley. Based in Melbourne, Mahasoma began its life as a collective of like-hearted teachers, sharing feminine-led Vedic meditation, wisdom, and supporting the ever growing community.
In 2020 the first Mahasoma Rishi Training began and the Mahasoma Podcast came to life. We hosted Guru Purnima at Greenfields, weekly meditation & dance parties in the St Kilda Botanical gardens, women’s gatherings, and garden working bees. We went all in creating the life we wanted to live together. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start. We always said Mahasoma will be whatever is needed. Seeing communities diminish the importance of the individual, and individualistic cultures missing the power of community, Mahasoma’s vision was to create a space where the individual could flourish in all its diverse beauty while working, being, and sharing together in community.
I think we can get caught up in having to know how it’s all going to work out before we make a move. But we really only know what’s needed when we go out and begin serving. In real time, in real life, we come into contact with the need, and our creative ideas either hit the mark, or we realise we were slightly off, and we need to adapt. Reality is the best teacher. But you have to get into the field of doing to refine your work in the world. Success isn’t a final destination. Success is a word derived from the verb succedere—meaning "to come after, follow after, or go near to". True success means succession, the constant evolution of life, action after action, that births new realities and creates a legacy beyond one person’s individual life.
The natural growth and shedding process.
As the world locked down in 2020, in-person teaching ceased (the only way we share Vedic meditation) and we moved online to support our existing community. I moved to the Surf Coast while the team continued holding space in Melbourne. Opening and closing, starting and stopping teaching, we adapted to the changing environment. It was not an easy time but we grew immensely through it. We opened a pop-up studio in Armadale, hosted online yajñas with Panditji, held online women’s circles weaving Vedic and indigenous wisdom, and continued having powerful conversations on the podcast.
As what happens in life, things change and the story evolves. People expand and new pathways open up. As our team grew more fully into their roles as teachers, their lives also took on new shapes and forms. Babies were had, life-long partnerships formed, and there was a moving in, out, and around the state and country. Mahasoma was taking on a new shape as we sensed what was needed now, allowing it to adapt to the time and space we found ourselves in.
This, again, was not always an easy process. Being dear friends, colleagues, and working together, then seeing Nature lead us on different paths, meant letting go of the idea of Mahasoma, and in that, sometimes being disappointed or thinking we had failed in some way. But doing it together, we held each other in compassion, wisdom, and love, reminding each other that every time we surrendered and let go, the next expression always revealed itself, and was what we all really needed.
The team became four, I made another move to Noosa, while the Melbourne community grew with greater love and devotion led by Kathleen, Sarah, and Julia. We hosted a beautiful kirtan for Guru Purnima at Greenfields, more meditators learnt the transformative practice of the Siddhis, there were sound baths, lively group meditations, and of course, we continued to initiate more people in the effortless practice of Vedic meditation. The first Rishi Training cohort finished with a trip to Sri Sakthi Amma’s in South India (reunited with Pandit Baskaran) where after years of not being able to leave our streets, our hearts expanded in love and devotion. The retreat was inspiring, expanding, and brought our little group of meditators home to their Self, to each other, and to the world, after what had been a strange couple of years.
As humans, we love stories because although they look unique, all stories carry with them archetypal narratives. We see parts of ourselves; yearnings, burning desires, fears, joys, and the ‘oh no what if it doesn’t work out?’ At some point along the way we realise that it was never about getting anywhere but arriving fully here. A returning, a learning and unlearning, an aiming but also a letting go. As Nietzche said, 'The end of a melody is not its goal: but nonetheless, had the melody not reached its end it would not have reached its goal either. A parable.'
See you next week for Part 2.
With love,
Laura
Group meditation timetable.
Tuesday 5 May - 6pm-7pm AEST online with Laura Poole
Wednesday 6 May - Every Wednesday 6:30am movement + 7am meditation. Open to anyone to attend. Tell your friends! Follow us @noosa_meditation to stay in touch.
Wednesday 6 May - 6:30pm-8pm in Melbourne (Cheltenham) with Sarah O’Brien
Sunday 10 May - 3pm-4:30pm in Noosa (Eumundi) with Laura Poole
Sunday 17 May - 9am-12:30pm - Rounding Workshop in Derrimut, West Melbourne with Victoria Madamba (paid)
Upcoming courses from our Mahasoma teachers.
Gift yourself a lifelong practice for health, happiness, and deeper connection. Join our community and be supported for life.
14-17 May - Vedic meditation course in Noosa (Eumundi) with Laura Poole
15-18 May - Vedic meditation course in Castlemaine with Kathleen O’Brien
21-24 May - Vedic meditation course in West Melbourne (Derrimut) with Victoria Madamba
11-14 June - Vedic meditation course in Noosa with Laura Poole
2026 retreats from our Mahasoma teachers.
1-11 October - South India Rounding Retreat with Sarah O’Brien
Join Sarah for a 10-day journey of deep practice and devotion. This retreat will be an immersion into softening the mind, opening the heart, and meeting yourself through meditation, rounding, connection, and ceremony.
Mahasoma - a home for Vedic meditators living, leading and teaching.
We honour the wisdom of nature, the intelligence of the body, and the power of shared presence in community. Rooted in tradition, relevant for everyday lives, and deeply human. Come home to a meditation practice and community that feels like yours.