Questions & Answers
Questions about getting started
What kind of meditation training is this?
Light teaches Vedic Meditation, which is a 4-day, in-person, comprehensive meditation course for beginners and experienced meditators alike. He teaches mainly in Los Angeles, New York, and London, and hosts about three immersion retreats around the world per year.
Who is this training for?
Light works with both beginner and experienced meditators who are interested in learning how to meditate with ease (without having to rely on apps, guidance, or drop-in studios). The people who are most attracted to this kind of training are those who’ve tried many different styles and they’ve struggled to find a practice that felt easy. And many people who’ve read Light’s book Bliss More or who subscribe to his Daily Dose of Inspiration find the course to be a wonderful extension of his public writings.
How do I start?
If you already know you want to take the course and you want to reserve your spot, we recommend pre-registering here. Otherwise, if you’re not sure and you have a lot of questions, we suggest viewing the Intro to Meditation orientation video where you will hear Light discuss the benefits of Vedic Meditation, learn how it works, and how it's taught. If you still have questions, you can speak with a member of our team and then decide whether you want to move forward with the training.
When does the Vedic Meditation training begin?
If you are accepted onto the training, the earliest one usually commences the day after the intro session, and continues over four days. In order to complete the training, you will be asked to attend one two-hour session a day on each of the four days. The sessions are usually scheduled before or after standard work and school hours.
I'm planning to come to the Intro to Meditation Session, but how can I pre-register for the training?
You can pre-register for the training here, and if approved, we will send you back a relevant discount code for the training. Light may recommend that you attend the Intro Session before registering.
(for questions about cost click here)
Logistics:
Where do you mostly teach?
Light and his colleagues teach mostly in the U.S.A. (Santa Monica, New York City, Chicago) and in London. Light also offers international meditation retreats, where you can learn to meditate in a tropical environment for a fraction of the cost (not including your accommodations). Click here for upcoming courses and retreats
How big are your classes?
Our class sizes are usually around a dozen participants. We purposely cap the number to insure that we can provide a generous amount of personal attention to each participant.
Do I have to take the training right away?
No. Once you have pre-registered, or attended the Intro to Meditation orientation you may take any future training. You do receive an “Early-bird” discount if you register for a future course within 24 hours of being accepted to pre-register, or on the same night of your Intro. Either way, you don't have to repeat the orientation.
Is the meditation training on your retreats the same as the one you teach in your regular trainings?
Yes. But when you take the meditation training on one of our retreats, it’s more of an immersion experience, and you usually end up paying less than what it would cost to learn in Los Angeles, New York or London. However, the meditation training cost doesn't include the cost of the actual retreat. They are separate.
How do I become a Vedic Meditation teacher?
Becoming a meditation teacher is about a 2-3 year long process. It starts with taking the basic training, then practicing in the Vedic Meditation style for a minimum of two years. During this time, you must attend a meditation retreat and take a series of advanced knowledge courses. Finally, you must attend a 3-month meditation teacher training in India. After satisfying all of those requirements, you will graduate as a Vedic Meditation teacher. There is no faster way to become a Vedic Meditation teacher. To get more detailed info on teacher training, please click here.
I read Bliss More and started meditating. How can I ask Light questions about my Bliss More meditation experiences?
First off, thank you for reading Bliss More. It’s inspiring to hear that you started meditating daily. Light gets a fair amount of emails from Bliss More readers with questions about their experiences. The issue is he can’t offer sound advice without understanding more about their meditation habits. And the best way to do that is to conduct a comprehensive meditation assessment before answering any questions. This way, Light can provide you with the most relevant answers to your questions. Because it takes time to do this properly, there’s an exchange of $108 for your initial assessment. If interested, click here to start the process.
Scheduling Questions:
Where can I find exact times and dates for the Vedic Meditation trainings?
You can find the location and schedule for upcoming Vedic Meditation trainings at the bottom of their respective event pages here on Light's teaching calendar.
What if I can't attend all of the training sessions?
If you have to miss one or two of the training sessions, you may be able to schedule an alternative time to meet with Light, or he can supply you with a recording of your missed session so you stay caught up with everyone else. Then, the next time Light is teaching, you'll be invited to come and sit in on the session you missed at no additional cost.
Questions about other techniques:
If I already read Bliss More, will I learn anything new in this training?
Yes. Bliss More should be considered a primer, but learning with a teacher is a completely different experience, where you’ll receive tools and insight that are not in any books on meditation. Plus, you’ll get your questions answered, receive ongoing follow-up support, as well as access to future trainings. These are the tools for long term meditation success.
What benefit will I get from the Vedic Meditation training versus using my meditation app?
Step-by-step, you will learn all of the relevant aspects of meditation directly with Light. He will walk you through the key principles for meditating in the easiest, most effortless way. You will see that there is nothing arbitrary about meditation—from the way you sit, to the time of day you practice, to the manner in which you treat your thoughts. You will also have plenty of home practice, group practice, and Q&A with the teacher. By the end of your training, you will be an expert meditator—able to meditate successfully almost anywhere, even with a busy mind. At the conclusion of the course, you will also remain in contact with Light in case you have future meditation-related questions. Plus you will have an open invitation to return and audit the course whenever it takes place again. None of those options exist with meditation apps.
Vedic Meditation sounds a lot like Transcendental Meditation. What's the difference?
Light Watkins is an independent teacher of Vedic Meditation, which means he’s not affiliated with the Transcendental Meditation organization, or any organization for that matter. However, some practitioners of TM have remarked that the Vedic Meditation teaching format is similar to what they learned with Transcendental Meditation, meaning there’s a personalized mantra plus with four days of instruction, and a lifetime of ongoing support.
I graduated from the TM training. Can I attend Light’s classes?
The short answer is yes, but you will have to make a one-time exchange of $500, and you can have unlimited access to Light’s trainings as well as ongoing follow-up support from him. Click here for more information for TM practitioners.
How does this compare to meditation apps and drop-in meditation studios?
Meditation apps are generally devoid of personalized instruction, which is a pre-requisite for mastery, and drop-in studios are the most expensive way to meditate where you're essentially paying by the hour to meditate, with no free support. Most apps and meditation classes offer guided meditation, which is a starter technique. What we teach you is how to meditate successfully on your own (without needing guidance).
Skeptical questions
Why is it worth it for me to take this course?
If you just want to dabble in meditation, there are less expensive ways to do that. However, if you know you want to make meditation a part of your daily life over the long term, and you want to know how to optimize your experiences, then you won’t find a more thorough training or an easier form of meditation than Vedic Meditation. Basically, you get personal instruction from an expert teacher with over a dozen years of real-world experience teaching beginners how to meditate (and not just guiding meditations), you get a minimum of two years free support from that teacher (with no monthly subscription fees), as well as the ability to audit any Vedic Meditation teacher's future courses for free, plus free access to weekly group meditations as well as to the larger meditation community. After conducting deeper research on other meditation offerings, you'll quickly see that the value of this training far exceeds that of any other training (make sure to ask the other offerings you're considering what their ongoing support options look like).
How do I know this is going to work?
Since there's no way for any meditation training to show you what your life will be like after a week or a year of meditation, without you first going through the process, the best way to see how it might help you is to read our reviews.
Full disclosure: we ask people to leave reviews with their honest assessment of their experience, good or bad. Unfortunately, Yelp's algorithm has filtered out most of those positive reviews that were solicited, and now all that's left are the things Light's students organically had to say about learning meditation with him and receiving his support.
Have you ever worked with someone who couldn't learn the technique?
The training is designed for skeptics and people with busy minds. By the end of the training, everyone gets it. Usually, people who think they are going to be tough cases are pleasantly surprised by how easy meditation feels when they learn and practice the counterintuitive mechanics for moving beyond their busy mind. It's much easier than you think. However, it's up to you to stick with it. And if you fall off the wagon, it's reassuring to know that you can come back at any time for a free reboot, either with Light or with any of his colleagues—even years later.
Are there any hidden costs?
No, it’s just one payment that you make at the very beginning, and that covers you for life. After your initial training, you are encouraged to return as often as you can, and get as much support as you need in order to maintain self-sufficiency. As you'll quickly see, the most essential component for success with becoming an enthusiastic daily meditator is learning properly the first time, and having access to the same teacher who taught you months and even years down the line whenever you have questions.
What if I'm not going to need ongoing of support?
Lifetime support is a necessary component for your success. Anyone who thinks they won't ever need ongoing support has unrealistic expectations about what it truly takes to succeed at meditation. In our experience of teaching thousands of people to meditate, just about everyone requires at least a minimal level of support and/or inspiration after their initial course ends.
How do you have time to support everyone you teach?
Light makes sure he does a very thorough job in the beginning, and provides a lot of resources throughout your first two years of meditating. You may also repeat the training, which helps to refine your understanding of the technique and commitment to practicing it.