Embody your Evolution
supreme knowledge + advanced techniques to accelerate expansion
Jai Guru Deva ♥
Welcome, beautiful meditators! This page is designed to motivate and inspire our daily practice, and I'm so thrilled that you've found your way here.
More than anything we'll find on this page, the most beneficial gift that we can give ourselves is to continue to close our eyes for 20 minutes, twice a day, and utilize our practice exactly as we learned it. Simple. Natural. Innocent. Effortless.
And, if we find ourselves having fallen off the wagon (don't feel bad, it happens!), please don't hesitate to get in touch with me so that I can help support you in integrating meditation back into your daily life. You and I both know that we much prefer to be an expression of our true inner nature as opposed to an expression of the stress we've collected over the years. And I'm here to support you in doing this, every step of the way.
with Love and bliss + Jai Guru Deva,
Rachel
connect + receive
shared experience to strengthen our practice
GROUP
MEDITATION
There is something incredibly powerful about meditating in a group. Not only do we tend to experience "deeper" meditations, but the power of community and building relationships is paramount to our ability to thrive as humans. Fortunately for us, there is a beautiful and continuously budding global meditation community, and I highly encourage you to take advantage of this and join us for group meditations, if it feels charming for you. The opportunity to gather with like-minded people tends to be an invaluable part of the meditation journey. We get to check-in, every week, which supports us in maintaining a regular practice, and we also have the opportunity to share our experiences, to ask questions about what's happening when our eyes are closed, and to chat about the world we're creating when our eyes are open.
sundays
5pm EDT / 2pm PDT
zoom room opens 5 mins early for an on-time start
For the time being, we're meeting online for our weekly group meditation and knowledge session via Zoom. We start with a 20-minute meditation and then enjoy the remainder of the hour together with Q+A and an exploration of the Vedic worldview. All Vedic Meditators and Transcendental Meditators who have completed a 4-day/in-person course are welcome and invited to join.
LA / sun 2.00pm - 3.00pm PDT
PGH / sun 5.00pm - 6.00pm EDT
UK / sun 10.00pm - 11.00pm BST
GER / sun 11.00pm - 12.00am CEST
OZ / mon 7.00am - 8.00am AEST
Live somewhere else? convert to your local timezoneFirst time joining us? Fill in the form below to introduce yourself, and you'll receive an email with zoom login details.
GROUP
ROUND
Those who have learned how to round know that this industrial strength approach to our meditation practice is an invaluable and deeply profound tool. Incorporating rounding into our regular routine is extremely powerful at dissolving years of accumulated and deeply-rooted stress and fatigue. By regularly rounding, we accelerate the purification of our body and strengthen the physiology so that we can more easily access and enjoy the baseline of bliss that is resting naturally within each of us.
And if you haven't yet learned how to round, check out info on rounding instruction below!
fridays
4.30pm EDT / 1.30pm PDT
zoom room opens 5 mins early for an on-time start
Each week, we go through a self-guided round with a 'Jai Guru Deva' at each transition point. Open to all students of Vedic Meditation and TM who have attended a rounding retreat or have received rounding instruction from a qualified initiator.
LA / fri 1.30pm - 2.30pm PDT
PGH / fri 4.30pm - 5.30pm EDT
UK / fri 9.30pm - 10.30pm BST
GER / fri 10.30pm - 11.30pm CEST
OZ / sat 6.30am - 7.30am AEST
Live somewhere else? convert to your local timezone
and check upcoming offerings for changes or cancellations.
First time joining us? Fill in the form below to introduce yourself, and you'll receive an email with zoom login details. Include your WhatsApp number if you would like to receive a text reminder, with zoom link, the day before. Otherwise, enter "123" in that field if you'd prefer to not receive a text reminder.
expand + deepen
advanced courses to expedite our evolution
ADVANCED
PRACTICES
From time-to-time, we may feel a desire to up our meditation game. We're very happy with our practice and the results we've been enjoying, yet, we can't help but notice a feeling, deep inside, that there's more for us to uncover...and we want it all! More tools for expansion. Faster purification. And specific practices to more deeply integrate the state of Being we experience when our eyes are closed with the everyday life we experience when our eyes are open. When this happens, it's a sign that we're ready to expand our toolkit with some advanced Vedic practices. These babies fast-track our progress and unleash our latent potential, launching our evolution to the next level.
advanced
techniques
After every 12 months of regular, twice-daily practice, meditators looking to deepen their experience and accelerate their evolution are eligible to receive an advanced technique.
Akin to upshifting and enjoying a smoother and faster ride while on the highway, advanced techniques are designed to take one’s awareness to the layer of consciousness that comprises the interface between thinking and pure silence. Repeated exposure to this subtle layer of consciousness allows us to integrate the incredibly charming state that we experience in our deepest meditations into the waking state of our everyday lives.
Advanced Techniques are taught over two separate one-hour appointments. In the first private appointment, you receive your advanced technique. The second session occurs within 10 days following the first session and involves checking your advanced technique and its correct usage, either privately or in a group setting.
For the time being, private 1:1 in-person sessions are available by appointment, and all group sessions are postponed until further notice.
investment
group // $360 - $1,125
private // starting at $1,500
rounding
instruction
A round is an advanced practice that incorporates a series of gentle yoga postures, a simple breathing exercise, and an extended horizontal resting period to our regular 20-minute meditation. By doing this specific sequence and highly-refined combination of activities, we signal to the mind and body that we're ready to rest deeply and that it's an optimal time to release as much stress as is ready to come out...all before we even close our eyes to meditate.
This industrial-strength approach to our regular meditation practice is deeply relaxing, incredibly rejuvenating, and profoundly soothing and strengthening to the nervous system. It increases our adaptation energy, tenfold, so that we are better able to face the demands and challenges of life with grace and ease, and incorporating this practice into our regular routine is an extremely powerful way to dissolve years of accumulated and deeply rooted stresses and fatigue so that we can more easily access and enjoy the baseline of bliss that is resting naturally within each of us.
And while the outcomes of rounding are quite advanced, the program itself is incredibly simple to learn and is suitable for everyone, from long-time yogis to absolute beginners of all shapes, sizes, and flexibility.
The course of instruction is two hours and is currently being offered privately in a 1:1 in-person session or virtually in a group via Zoom.
investment
group // $108
private // starting at $220
Live outside of NY, LA, or Pittsburgh and would like to learn an advanced practice? Get in touch to arrange a private course or to receive a recommendation for another qualified initiator in your local area.
ADVANCED
KNOWLEDGE
There comes a point in every meditator's journey when we know that it's time to expand our thinking. We've been getting to the chair -- twice a day -- for quite some time, and the hardware has been well upgraded. We begin to feel ready for a complementary software upgrade, and the hunger for advancing our knowledge continues to grow. When this happens, the natural next step is to embark on advanced courses in Vedic Knowledge, where we fine-tune our thinking and really hone the ability to "correct the mistaken intellect." Here, we peel back decades of social conditioning and lift layer-after-layer of misunderstanding by re-awakening the universal knowledge of Veda from within. It is a deeply profound and truly enjoyable experience that is nothing short of life-changing!
coming
soon
(re)treat + immerse
dedicated space to deepen our wisdom
INDIA 2023
Join as Thom Knoles leads our beautiful global community through an incredibly immersive experience in Rishikesh, India -- land of the Veda and the birthplace of our amazing meditation technique. For more information and to join the waitlist for registration, click the button below!
more
coming
soon
nourish + inspire
outer sustenance to sustain our inner growth
BOOKS
Beyond our own direct experience, we can gain great value from learning about and from the experiences of others. Each of the books listed below piques curiosity and contains beautiful and wise words to nourish our mind, heart, and soul. Happy reading ♥
vedic knowledge + texts
The Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation and Commentary (hardcover) // Maharishi Mahesh YogiThe Science of Being and Art of Living (hardcover) // Maharishi Mahesh YogiThe Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic // Ramesh Menon
The Mahabharata: A Modern Retelling // Ramesh Menon
Creating Affluence: The A-to-Z Steps to a Richer Life // Deepak Chopra
Devi: The Devi Bhagavatam Retold // Ramesh Menon
Siva: The Siva Purana Retold // Ramesh Menon
Shankara's Crest Jewel of Discrimination // Viveka-Chudamani
consciousness + spirituality
Outrageous Openness: Letting the Divine Take the Lead // Tosha SilverA Return to Love // Maryanne WilliamsonHope for the Flowers // Trina PaulusLOVE and GOD // Maharishi Mahesh YogiAutobiography of a Yogi // Pramahansa YogananadaThe Four Agreements // Don Miguel RuizThe Alchemist // Paulo CoehloLife After Death: The Burden of Proof // Deepak Choprahuman science + stress
The Science of Being and Art of Living (hardcover) // Maharishi Mahesh YogiThe Biology of Belief // Bruce LiptonThe Brain that Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science // Norman Doidge M.D.Why Zebras Don't get Ulcers // Robert M. SapolskyMolecules of Emotion // Candace B. PertTranscendence // Norman E. Rosenthal MDThe Neurophysiology of Enlightenment // Robert Keith Wallacehealth + ayurveda
Perfect Health: The Complete Mind/Body Guide // Deepak ChopraQuantum Healing: Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine // Deepak ChopraA Woman's Best Medicine // Nancy Lonsdorflove + relating
How to Love // Thich Nhat HanhThe Way of the Superior Man // David DeidaLOVE and GOD // Maharishi Mahesh YogiA Return to Love // Maryanne WilliamsonDear Lover // David DeidaThe Four Agreements // Don Miguel RuizThe 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts // Gary Chapmangrowing + guiding tiny ones
For a Blissful Baby: Healthy and Happy Pregnancy with Maharishi Vedic Medicine // Dr. Kumuda Reddy, Linda Egence and Margaret MullinsMadre // Jessica Chapnik KahnPODCASTS
Veda is an oral tradition. As such, there really is no better way to re-awaken the universal knowledge within than to let the vibration of wisdom wash over us. When it is not possible to do this in person, we can take a few moments to slow down, tune in, and enjoy a podcast from the recommendations below.
vedic knowledge
The Vedic World View with Thom Knoles
Is the Age of the Guru Over? Tapping into your Inner-Guru, and Vedic Meditation – with Rachel Gross on Sacred Leadership with Sigrid Tasies
health + ayurveda
The Vital Veda Podcast with Dylan SmithAny podcast featuring Dr. Zach BushA Quiet Chat About Cancer - Talking About the Things You Don't Talk About on Live Like You Love Yourself with Chara Caruthers and Maria Kirstengrowing + guiding tiny ones
Meditation for Mother and Baby on The Vedic World View with Thom KnolesThom Knoles Part II: Mothers Elevating Consciousness on Under the Hood with Patti QuinteroThe Initiation of Man: Two Nine-Time Fathers Talk About the Magic of Birth on Taking Back Birth with Maryn Green (interview by Jason Green, Maryn's husband)EMAILS + BLOGS
If we're wanting some extra love and support on our meditation journey, we can sign up for regular emails and scroll through Vedic resources to help keep us on track. A little hit of ancient wisdom can breathe life into our everyday experiences and helps to remind us of the Truth of what it is that we're doing here in these squishy little bodies.
vedic knowledge
Sporadic Love Notes from Rachel GrossDaily Thoughts from Jeff KoberWeekly Wisdom from Susan ChenWeekly Dose of Inspiration from Jamey Hoodjyotish / vedic astrology
Musings by Dalia GencherQUOTES
Some words of wisdom from the Masters of the tradition.
Jai Guru Deva ♥
"You deserve the best.
Never feel unworthy or unjustified in having the best.
I tell you, this is your heritage;
But you have to accept it.
You have to expect it.
You have to claim it.
To do so is not demanding too much.”- Guru Deva (Swami Brahmananda Saraswati)"We have infinite reasons to be happy and a serious responsibility to not be serious."
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi"Let go of the right to have an opinion of yourself."
- Thom Knoles (Maharishi Vyasanada Saraswati)"Life finds its purpose and fulfillment in the expansion of happiness."
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi"No one has the right to suffer. Because suffering is contagious, it is irresponsible to indulge it. We have the birthright to live in fearless happiness, in harmony with evolution."
-Thom Knoles (Maharishi Vyasanada Saraswati)"Just think of any negativity that comes at you as a raindrop falling into the ocean of your bliss."
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi"Traveling the earth's surface is valuable only to the extent you have traversed the depths of your own mind."
- Thom Knoles (Maharishi Vyasanada Saraswati)"The important thing is this: to be able, at any moment, to sacrifice what we are for what we could become."
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi"Nature's command: EVOLVE."
- Thom Knoles (Maharishi Vyasanada Saraswati)"You must learn to take life less seriously and to laugh. The highest state is laughter."
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi"The human brain is a pharmacy, capable of producing higher consciousness states than any external substance, whether plant or synthetic."
- Thom Knoles (Maharishi Vyasanada Saraswati)"Man is the master of his own destiny."
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi"All we are looking for is the ocean that is already within us."
- Thom Knoles (Maharishi Vyasanada Saraswati)want more Maharishi Mahesh Yogi quotes?
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© 2021 Rachel Gross Meditation All Right Reserved
design and content by Rachel Gross
headshots by Maz Valcorza
♥ JAI GURU DEVA ♥
Rachel Gross teaches Vedic Meditation and was trained to do so by Thom Knoles, who also teaches Vedic Meditation. Thom was trained as a teacher of Transcendental Meditation (“TM”) by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (“Maharishi”) and taught it for over 25 years with organizations affiliated with Maharishi. Since 1997, Thom has continued to teach meditation as he learned it from Maharishi and has done so independently and separately from the TM organizations. Rachel Gross is also an independent meditation teacher. She is not affiliated in any way with the Maharishi Foundation USA, or with any trademark, program, service, or organization that is affiliated with, or a licensee of, the Maharishi Foundation USA. Vedic Meditation is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider regarding any medical conditions you may be experiencing.
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