As we know, becoming a parent is life changing and can be one of the hardest adjustments especially with living on minimal sleep with little support. Lauren Godfrey, New Zealand’s only full-time resident vedic meditation teacher, talks about the passion that drove her to train as a teacher in India and how she is especially interested in helping Kiwi women learn to take time for themselves to feel more nurtured, happy, healthy, confident and calm.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
Prior to setting up my business I was working as an aid worker based in London, while travelling to third world countries for weeks at a time. The work was highly demanding and I was looking for solutions to counteract feeling overwhelmed and experiencing ill health. After discovering Vedic Meditation, it profoundly changed my life and after a number of years practicing it, I felt I had to share it with friends, family and people everywhere.
The Launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
After six years studying meditation, I spent three rigorous months at the foothills of the Himalayas training to be a teacher with the world’s leading authority of Vedic Meditation, Thom Knowles. I then taught in Sydney for a number of years while also teaching yoga. The business grew pretty organically through word of mouth as most of my students came through referrals.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Whilst living and teaching in Sydney I returned home to New Zealand to visit and teach a course to 15 people. I read an article stating that suicide is one of the top leading causes of death in New Zealand. It was upsetting to read because it doesn’t have to be this way. There weren’t any other teachers of Vedic Meditation in New Zealand and I could see that my skills were needed more here.
I also had new mums approach me saying they were feeling anxious and hadn’t slept properly for months. I work a lot with parents to teach them the technique to provide greater rest, release stress, fatigue and overwhelm. My students tell me that if they have a bad night’s sleep, meditation is their secret weapon that gives them a boost to get through the day calmly.
My students tell me that if they have a bad night’s sleep, meditation is their secret weapon that gives them a boost to get through the day calmly.
It has become my mission now, to help improve Kiwis’ happiness levels and address the country’s mental health challenges as much as I can through Vedic Meditation. The response has been wonderful. I teach in five cities and get to travel our beautiful country, meeting and teaching the most amazing people.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
I am a hard worker and actually really enjoy working, however over the years I have learnt to balance work life and spending time with family and friends. Vedic Meditation is the main tool that has helped with this. It helps me to feel calm, get into the present moment and enjoy life, no matter what I’m doing. In turn, everyone else also benefits from this as they experience a better version of me. By making meditation part of my day, it assists me with getting the balance right.
