What is Effortless Meditation?

The Similarities and Differences between Effortless Meditation (EM) Vedic Meditation (VM) and Transcendental Meditation (TM)

I think it’s great to start with a backstory… Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was a disciple of Guru Dev, who was from a long-standing Vedic lineage. When Guru Dev died, Maharishi went to the West and began a global movement known as Transcendental Meditation (TM).

Walter Bellin (my teacher) was a student of Maharishi, as was a man named Thom Knowles (who went on to start the Vedic Meditation movement). When Walter left the TM organisation in the mid 70s, he wanted to preserve the core technique of TM but strip away the religious, ceremonial and organisational elements.

He has called the technique various names over the past 50 years but when he joined forces with Nikki and Kevin from Centred Meditation in 2017, they coined the technique “Effortless Meditation” which speaks to the essence of the practice itself. Our form of Effortless Meditation remains secular and non-religious and it is not affiliated with the Maharishi organisation or any other spiritual organisation.

Thom Knowles decided to break free from the TM organisation in 1997 and teach the same technique under his own banner.

He called it Vedic Meditation (VM). Many other teachers over the years have done the same thing, referring to the technique by various different names. The technique itself – the eyes-closed practice of meditation – is the same for Transcendental Meditation, Vedic Meditation, and Effortless Meditation.

Whilst TM and VM always use a mantra as an “anchor” to rest one’s awareness on, which has been given to the student by the teacher, Effortless Meditation can be practiced in a guided setting using various different anchors, or in a self-directed format using a chosen mantra by the student themselves.

They coined the technique “Effortless Meditation” which speaks to the essence of the practice itself.

The practice is completely effortless, with participants instructed to float between the mantra and thoughts. There is a gentle preference on the mantra, rather than a rigid returning to it.

The TM course is presented over three/ four sessions, and students pay the TM organisation directly – teachers are then paid. TM courses often involve watching old videos of Maharishi with content, concepts, and metaphors. The VM course is taught by independent teachers, and while the same core technique is taught, there are no videos and rather, the content is shared conversationally.

Similarly to TM and VM, Self-Directed Effortless Meditation (the one I teach) also involves being taught the technique over several consecutive sessions and focuses intensively on the students’ grasping the ‘effortless’ quality of the practice. Each teacher is an expert in emphasising the releasing of resistance and of trying. No ceremonies or rituals are included. In EM, participants are assisted in choosing their own mantra, one that resonates with the student.

A mantra is a phrase or word that is used in a meditation practice as an anchor to place or rest our awareness on.

Throughout history many different anchors have been used in the practice of meditation. Inner sound is an effective anchor because it has a pleasant resonance on our physiology, which is deeply relaxing and helps facilitate the meditation process.

In our form of Effortless Meditation, we emphasise that the magic does not lie in the mantra itself but in how you USE the mantra. Once you have mastered how to use the mantra 100% effortlessly, there’s no more improvement requirement. You have embodied the technique for life and continue to reap the accumulated benefits from a consistent practice.

So are you ready to learn? I can teach you Effortless Meditation in four sessions over four consecutive weeks, for 90 minutes per session.

The course is simple, conversational, practical, and there is no test! And I charge $150pp which is a total bargain. I want it to be affordable and accessible for people in our communities.

THIS COURSE ALLOWS YOU TO:

Become 100% competent and confident in the Effortless technique of Meditation.
Learn what and how the neurological effects of Effortless Meditation take place on the brain and body.
Understand the inner mechanics of Effortless Meditation & the inner mechanics of stress release.
Discover how you got to think, feel and act the way you do; How your socially-emotionally conditioned mindset was formed.
Cultivate awareness about what to expect as you begin to peel away layers of deeply held stresses accumulated in life.

I honestly believe that learning Effortless Meditation is the best thing you can do for yourself, your family, your community and the world.

EFFORTLESS MEDITATION

If you’re ready to live with more presence and ease, join our waitlist to receive our announcement of new dates and begin your journey toward a softer, more grounded way of being.