London-based Vedic Meditation teachers Will Williams 35 and Jess Cook 34 met 16 years ago, when he was suffering from severe stress-induced insomnia and chronic fatigue. The greater Will’s success in the music industry, the more self-destructive and burnt-out he felt - until a friend suggested Vedic Meditation. So profound was the turnaround, that Will left his career and travelled with Jess on a two and a half year global and spiritual odyssey, on which he spent six months learning the ancient secrets of Ayurveda at the world renowned Raju Institute of Hyderabad.
Here, Will shares how his Sacred Union with Jess has been strengthened through meditation.
We met in October 1999 on our first night at University. I found myself in a dorm party and as soon as I saw Jess I was captivated. We became the closest of friends over a period of 8 years and it was 3 days after I learned to meditate that we finally got together. As my journey unfolded and Jess joined me, our rising levels of consciousness and understanding of the deeper layers of life have really shaped our engagement with, and response to, the world.”
How can meditation support those experiencing turmoil in their relationships? “Turmoil leads to activation of a branch of the nervous system we don't want activated, and when both parties are in activation mode, it doesn't matter who the people are, its going to result in some major tension, and it may spin out of control. This is why many break-ups and divorces get so messy. So specifically, I would learn Vedic meditation as this calms the nervous system and stops the tensions escalating. It's far superior to counselling or any other therapy I know of. The rest will take care of itself. It will give the couple a much greater chance of working through it, free of emotional scars, and if at the end of it all there is a realisation that both parties would be better off growing separately, then it will allow the break to be clean and smooth and edifying, so you can remember the great bits of the relationship and not have it clouded by the negative stuff that normally creeps in.
As well as delivering a really sacred level of shared experience, meditation helps you stay cool, calm and collected and avoid conflict situations. Meditation also processes all of your baggage and so you come to the table clean and free of past hurts that would otherwise cause you to be defensive or reactive. Most importantly of all meditation brings an amazing level of communication where you can be honest, open and rational about all things and be totally safe in the knowledge that the other one will take it gracefully. This fosters trust, avoids things being left unsaid, and ensures there is a blissful lack of resentment. Ultimately it means both parties can get the very most from the relationship. Its also worth mentioning that meditation takes away any neediness, so you don't cling onto each other, and that gives you both the breathing space to be independent when needed and to enjoy each other even more when together."
Our Sacred Rituals are simple yet significant. Date nights, meditate together and massage. Your Sacred Union is great for that.
Love Is…inspiring, beautiful, celestial and thoroughly heart warming. It seems to emanate from the deepest depths of your soul.
Describe your ideal lives together in years to come. “We no longer have plans. We flow with life and dance our way through it. But wherever we are and whatever we are doing, I would like to think we would always be holding hands like young lovers."
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