If you've considered signing up for a meditation course, or maybe are simply exploring how meditation can help the balance and quality of your life, Angela Dugas, one of a mere 36 teachers of Vedic meditation, has some thoughts on the five thousand year old practice.
Angela’s own, personal search for balance and significance in her life coupled with a vigorous curiosity and commitment to diverse forms of creativity led her to discovering the Veda – an ancient body of wisdom, which serves as the foundation for yoga and Ayurvedic medicine.Her 3 year study began with her own first meditation course in LA, under the teaching of Thom Knoles, a preeminent, venerable expert of Vedic philosophy. Angela’s studies continued in India and found its completion in a residential training program in Flagstaff, Arizona.
“Meditation, specifically Vedic practice, is designed for individuals leading busy, active lives with families, relationships and jobs that demand the most of them,” Ms. Dugas explains. “Many people are daunted by meditation, believing they have to become some kind of guru. In fact, it’s the most simple and effortless practice that anyone can master. It really doesn’t require a change of lifestyle or personal beliefs,” she continues.
According to the Vedic practice, the repetition of a mental mantra – a “meaningless sound” prepares the mind to settle – to experience a state of rest up to five times deeper than that of a solid night’s sleep. Twice daily, twenty minutes per meditation, the mind spontaneously quiets, providing a restful state of peace that balances the body with the mind.
Strong research suggests a manifold of health benefits derived from Vedic meditation. According to Ms. Dugas, over six-hundred reports from two-hundred institutions in thirty countries have validated the physiological and mental benefits yielding from consistent meditative practice, learned first, and naturally, through a reputable meditation course.
“I’ve noticed increased energy levels, a more fortified immune system and reduced anxiety, to name a few of the benefits I’ve experienced from this ancient practice,” Mrs. Dugas claims from personal experience.
“We live in stressful, uncertain times,” referencing how a fellow instructor of the Vedic practice saw the need to teach meditation in New York City immediately after September 11th. “Even now, during such economic turbulence, it is more imperative than ever to manage and adapt to the complex stresses of everyday life,” Mrs. Dugas continues, sipping herbal tea (but still very much a coffee lover).
But, if one has never meditated, how does one begin? A meditation course is a great start.
“The first step is to attend one of my introductory talks, free of charge. There, I will tell you my story, what let me to Vedic meditation, the basic tenets of the practice and then be available to answer any questions,” Ms. Dugas tells. “Following the talk, the meditation course is conducted over four consecutive sessions, each session approximately an hour and a half.”
This particular meditation course is designed to develop a clear comprehension of the practice and to teach how to incorporate it into one’s daily life. By the end of the course, a new meditator will be self-sufficient.
“I am always here for my students and both welcome follow-up and offer advanced instruction for those wishing to take their meditative practice to a deeper level,” Ms. Dugas says. “It’s changed my life and even though I never thought this is what I would be doing, it’s very clear to me now that it is what I am meant to be doing,” Ms. Dugas concludes, her voice, its own soothing instrument of centeredness.