Training Vedic meditation teachers in India (and heading offline for 10 weeks)
Expanding the community and bringing greater coherence, connection, and flow of intelligence into the world.
This week I head to India to begin our second Mahasoma Vedic meditation teacher training. We will be diving in deep for 12 weeks as devoted meditators in our community take the rite of passage to become teachers of Vedic meditation. The last time we did this was in 2019 (it was meant to take place every 2 years but then Covid hit). So, here we are with the next iteration. It’s a mammoth journey that’s for sure! But one I know they are all very well prepared for.
If you’re interested in becoming a teacher of Vedic meditation you can read all about the journey and process here.
Our meditators are coming from around the world and upon graduating at the end of August 2024 you’ll be able to find them teaching Vedic meditation in:
Full-time teacher (with weekly group meditations):
Australia
Melbourne, VIC
Mornington Peninsula, VIC
Stradbroke Island, QLD
Newcastle, NSW
Europe
Tallin, Estonia (English)
Zurich, Switzerland (English and German)
London (English)
North America
Santa Monica, California
Winter Park, Colorado
South America
Mexico City, Mexico (Spanish + English)
And more places to come as they find new homes after the training.
Travelling to teach:
Australia
Sydney, NSW
Albury, NSW
Adelaide, SA
Gold Coast, QLD
Brisbane, QLD
North America
Aspen, Colorado, USA
Bentonville, Arkansas, USA
Toronto, Canada
South America
Latin America (Spanish)
Europe
Sofia, Bulgaria (Bulgarian)
Bucharest, Romania (Romanian)
Spain (English + Spanish)
Portugal (English)
Holland (Dutch)
Nuremberg, Germany (English)
Finland (English)
Latvia (English)
Lithuania (English)
Asia
Phillipines (English)
Lombok, Bali (English)
During the 12 weeks Mahasoma will be offline to some degree. We won’t be teaching any Vedic meditation courses, we’ll be off Instagram, and checking emails weekly. We have the great fortune and generosity of Caroline Birch from The Still, Vedic meditation teacher from Sydney, who will hosting our weekly online group meditation. She will be taking the Tuesday evenings group meditation and Vedic wisdom Q&A 6pm-7pm (see timetable below for dates). We hope you’ll join her and continue the weekly connection, community, and sharing of experiences.
I thought to ask Caroline some questions about her experience as a meditator and meditation teacher…
Laura: We know the Vedic principle ‘what you give you also receive’ and ‘the more you give the more you receive’. What’s one of the greatest gifts you’ve received from teaching Vedic meditation?
Caroline: Teaching has shown me how it feels to be completely and utterly present. To be entirely where I am, without thoughts of past or present, no distractions, simply meeting the need of the moment as it continues to unfold. This is one of the greatest gifts I’ve received because of how freeing, light, and joyful this level of presence feels. If I can add another, it’s the gift of being part of a lineage of wisdom and knowledge. For so much of my life I felt like I didn’t belong, so the gift of being in a community of meditators and belonging to an ancient wisdom tradition is both a great honour and a healing balm for that illusion of separateness I once lived with.
L: What vision do you have for our world? And in what way do you feel your dharma is to serve that need?
C: My vision is a world where it is safe and celebrated to express both who you are and how you feel. A world without expectation of conformity to others’ projections of who you should be. A world where healthy expression of emotion, needs and desires, attunement to mind-body, and knowledge of how to move through experiences without the need to distract, suppress, or repress is the norm. My dharma as a teacher and mentor has become more and more centred around serving this need. Much of what I do is give permission, normalise, and demonstrate how to come back to what we all innately know to do, which is to be the unique and brilliant expression of nature that we were born as, so we can share our gifts, live our dharma, and ultimately uphold nature’s intent.
L: If you were to sit down with teenage Caroline, what would you say to her knowing what you do now?
C: I would say one day soon, the depth to which you feel will no longer feel like a burden, but your most precious gift. That your sensitivity will lead you to finding your people, the tools and practices that help you to heal, and the work you love and find peace in.
You can read of Caroline’s musings on meditation and life on her journal here.
Personally, I’ll be off Instagram for the 3 month training (what a gift) but will share the India feelings, tastes, and sounds when I land so you can come along for the journey with us. We appreciate you all so much and can’t wait to be back at the end of the year with a fresh wave of energy, vitality, and vision for the Mahasoma community.
PS - Melbourne you’ll be in for a treat with many new teachers who will be supporting, growing, and enlivening our already thriving community there.
See you on the other side! Jai Guru Deva!
With love,
Laura x
Resources to explore.
Follow Caroline Birch @thestillmeditation and join a weekly online group meditation with her for all our Vedic meditators
Listen (or re-listen) to the Mahasoma podcast episodes. Some of our favourites
Read Searching for Vedic India (Kindle Edition) by Devamrita Swami - a beautiful historical, philosophical, and spiritual journey into the ancient Vedic culture from where yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, and all the Vedic sciences have come.
Join us this week for a group meditation and wisdom session. Open to all Vedic meditators. Please book in via the timetable.
Upcoming online group meditations with Caroline Birch Tuesday’s 6pm-7pm:
21st May + 28th May + 11th June + 18th June + 25th June + 2nd July + 9th July + 16th July + 23rd July
BOOK A SESSION WITH CAROLINE
Tuesday 30th July - 6pm-7pm online with Sarah O’Brien
Upcoming courses.
Gift yourself a lifelong practice for health, happiness, and deeper connection. Join our community and be supported for life. We currently teach in-person courses in:
We are on break from teaching courses for the next 10 weeks but will be back in August. Learn with us:
4-7 August in Cheltenham (Melbourne) with Sarah
15-18 August in Redfern (Sydney) with Sarah
Please note: we are in India training new teachers June-August this year. There will be no Vedic meditation courses offered from end of May till end of July. Sarah will be back teaching from start of August. Laura will be back teaching in October.
Free discovery call.
We get it! Booking in to a 4-session in-person course is a commitment. Looking to learn Vedic meditation but want to meet your teacher and know more before signing up? Join us LIVE for a free Q&A discovery call on Zoom.
Retreat with us.
Join Mahasoma in 2024 on retreat. Connect to yourself through deep practice, nourishing wisdom and community connection.
Bali Bliss Retreat - FULLY BOOKED
July 20-26, 2024 with Kathleen O’Brien
Navaratri Rounding and Yajña Retreat in Rishikesh, India
3-12 October, 2024 with Kathleen O’Brien and Pandit Baskaran
This retreat will be hosted over the auspicious time in the Vedic calendar known as Navaratri - the 9 nights of Mother Divine. This is an incredibly auspicious time ideal time for rest, rejuvenation, and letting go of what's no longer relevant. Retreating to India is a pilgrimage to the heart of who you are, and a deep dive into the Self.
Who is Mahasoma?
The Mahasoma team is a feminine-led collective of Vedic meditation teachers, who choose to come together to create something greater than what could be done as individuals. Through working together they support the ever growing community of Mahasoma meditators by offering Vedic meditation courses, online and in-person group meditation and Vedic wisdom sessions, advanced trainings, and retreats. They are accredited Mental Health First Aiders and have been trained in pre- and/or postnatal support for women and families.
Want to know a little more on who and what we are? We’ve written a few things on our website you can check out. We would love to connect with you!