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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💬 Said Simply

With a million things pulling at us every day, how wild is it that one choice still manages to cut through the noise and feel like the best decision we make everyday?

It doesn’t mean the choice is always easy.

Even the most dedicated meditators will admit that there are days when fitting in both sessions feels like wrestling time itself. Life gets loud. Resistance gets clever.

But we make it non-negotiable. We choose to sit.

And when we choose to sit, we’re choosing the very best for ourselves. Every single time.

So let me ask you:

Is there something in your life—meditation or otherwise—that you’ve committed to daily? And how has that transformed the way you move through the world?

I’d really love to know.

✨ The Cosmic Giggle

We know this stuff. It’s common sense. But how many of us actually do the one super-obvious thing that would help us rest like a champ… and not like a wired-up zombie gremlin?

Because…brain science.

When we’re overtired, our brain shifts into autopilot. The body starts doing silly, automatic things like scrolling for no reason.

Let me break down the Scroll Spiral after a long, exhausting day:

• You’re tired → your prefrontal cortex is snoozing (this is the decision-making part of your brain)
• You crave something easy and pleasurable → dopamine center lights up
• You reach for what’s familiar → your phone
• You get small hits of dopamine while watching golden retriever videos → feels good, but fades fast
• Your brain looks for the next hit → loop reinforced

So the next time you’re toast, it grabs the phone again.
Before you even realize it, you’re 40 minutes into a scrolling vortex of celebrity divorces, climate disasters, and kitchen hacks you’ll never try.

So what’s the fix?
​Power down your devices at least one hour before bed.

Instead of doomscrolling, try:

• Reading a physical book
• Journaling or easy writing
• Coloring (yes, 6-year-olds hold the secret to nervous system regulation)
• Sipping warm tea
• If you must, watch some light TV (think Ted Lasso, not Game of Thrones)

By the way, this is golden advice for your mornings, too. It’s good to avoid checking emails, texts, or news alerts until after you’ve meditated. It keeps the world at bay so you can prioritize meditation and prepare for the day.

Let your body wind down at night. Let your brain fire up when it’s ready.

Want more bedtime magic? I wrote a blog post on this very topic.

🔍 Behind The Scenes

I’ve been here in the Indian Himalayas for the last five weeks, co-leading a Vedic Meditation Initiator (Teacher) Training.

During last night’s lecture here on Initiator Training, my teacher Thom said something that’s still rattling around in my head like a bell I can’t un-hear:

“The process of Enlightenment is largely the process of you realizing that you are already enlightened. Stop resisting the bliss of your Being.”
– Thom Knoles​

Thom’s words really got me thinking. None of us chooses to ignore our bliss. We don’t wake up in the morning writing a to-do list titled “Ways to Feel Miserable Today.” So what’s getting in the way?

The first thing that comes to mind: stress accumulation.

It sneaks in quietly. Whenever you’ve felt overwhelmed, your body stashes that stress like it’s storing leftovers you’ll never eat. It builds up and blocks the system, clogging the pipes of perception in the present moment where life feels easy, serene, and naturally easy.

Day after day. Heartbreak after heartbreak. Meltdown after meltdown. The stress builds until one morning, you bolt awake in a cold sweat, sleep-deprived and panicked, thinking not just where did my bliss go but how do I get back to feeling like a normal human again?

Of course, meditation helps with all of this—but there may be other layers worth exploring too.

If you’ve been wondering why the inner glow feels more like a flicker these days, hit reply and let me know. We’ll find some time to chat and explore what else might be going on beneath the surface, and get you on your way to embracing your bliss of Being.

Love and Jai Guru Deva,
Susan