Welcome to The Slow Newsletter, your weekly dose of dazzling, aha-moment-generating Vedic wisdom. The Slow is where we break down teachings on meditation and consciousness to inspire easy, abundant living—even in the most demanding times.
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💬 Quote of the Week
It’s easy to hop on the “Something good is happening!” train when everything’s going our way. But the real test of our zen comes when life throws us a curveball so fiery it feels like it’s set our house on fire.
When things don’t go our way, we tend to get grippy and tense. We think, “Something BAD is happening! How can I control what’s happening so things go back to MY way?”
One of the timeless gems from the Vedic worldview is this: All change is progressive change. Without exception, change is always a positive step forward in our greatest evolution.
The less we grip, the more we flow with the natural course of evolution, which is constantly guiding us toward a more evolved state.
Having trouble wrapping your head around it all? Here’s a tip that has always worked for me:
Swap out “my” for “that.” It makes the following message resonate even more:
“Things didn’t go that way. Something good is happening. Let me de-excite, get present, and discover where the flow of evolution is taking me.”
Stay consistent with your meditations, and you’ll find yourself easing into this reality.
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Subscribe Now📚 Knowledge Sesh: Do Less, Accomplish More
My teacher, Thom Knoles, recently shared more about the importance of doing less to accomplish more:
“We’re habit-bound. We dive into problems with 2% of our potential and don’t think we can take time out to reach 100% of our potential.
When you’re obsessed with getting a thing done, others can often see that you’re in ‘failure mode.’ You’re missing details from feeling tired, worn out, and stressed. If you could just de-excite, everything would be better.
We’ve been indoctrinated to believe that success is proportional to the effort we expend. We think that if we’re not succeeding, we simply need to apply more effort.
In reality, true success is inversely proportional to the effort we expend.
When you enter an effortless state of Being through Vedic Meditation, you move away from constant thought and action, awakening your full potential. Now you’re going to bring the whole brain to the proposition.
Yet, we’ve been conditioned to believe that more effort is always the answer. We’re living in a world where most people are using just 2% of their brains to solve problems.
If everyone could quiet down and experience their full potential, then come back to their circumstances with 100% of their brain, things would be much better.”
– Thom Knoles
If you find yourself constantly running around, perpetually busy, but not making any real progress, it might be time to quiet your mind through meditation. Vedic Meditation can help you access the potential that’s ready and waiting for you to tap into. As Thom shares, you’ll begin to “bring your whole brain to the proposition.”
Ready to explore how you can do more by doing less? Click here to read stories of meditators who have walked the path to their greatest potential.
💫 The Vedic Spin: Will You Accept This Rose? 🌹
Have you ever been caught in the trap of thinking that abundance is all about money and material things? When we talk about living a rich, abundant life, does it mean cruising in Porsche 911s, lounging on a yacht in the Mediterranean sipping on an espresso martini?
Well, I’ve done the deep dive into finding happiness and feeling secure through material goods and over-the-top experiences. Spoiler alert: It never works out the way you think it will. It’s a lot to ask from a Chanel bag to deliver ever-lasting joy. 😂
The truth? The richest life isn’t about things; it’s about feeling so free and genuinely at home with yourself that you can spread that joy around like confetti, without worrying that it’s running out.
(Note: It’s not that liking nice things is an un-Vedic practice; it’s that we’ll never find material things to be the source of true happiness.)
This week, I’m channeling the spirit of abundance through a simple yet vibrant yellow rose.
This rose had quite the adventure—touching the hands of a dozen meditators in New York City, brightening up many weary travelers in the security line at Newark, and making a frazzled mom smile on a Los Angeles-bound plane. The rose shared with me whiffs of its divine scent throughout the flight; every glance at this gorgeous bloom was like a mini-vacation for the soul.
At the end of the flight, I spotted our flight attendant, holding it together with a tight smile through pursed lips. She had a challenging flight with some very demanding passengers.
As I left the plane, I approached the flight attendant, extended my arm, and offered her the rose. “Thanks for taking such great care of us,” I said.
Her face lit up like a child waking up on Christmas morning. She exclaimed, “For me? Thank you!”
Walking off the plane, I savored the sound of her voice. I could hear it lift, and her farewells to the other passengers became more naturally cheerful.
One yellow rose, lifting the spirits of so many in just one day.
And the biggest winner in all these interactions? Me. The joy from these connections made me feel like the richest person on the planet, overflowing with happiness and energy.
Imagine if we had more of these moments throughout our days. How different would our world be? How fulfilled and rich in experiences could we all feel?