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6 ways to manage holiday stress, Vedic-style
Householders, Meditation, relationships, Stress management, Insights and Activism Jill Wener Householders, Meditation, relationships, Stress management, Insights and Activism Jill Wener

6 ways to manage holiday stress, Vedic-style

The holidays are coming! Whether you’re excited or you’re dreading all the parties and family time, here are 6 tips to help you manage stress and get the most out of holiday time:

1.     Manage your expectations. If you expect apples to fall from an orange tree, you are going to be disappointed. If you expect your family to be anything other than, well, your family over the holidays, you will get needlessly upset over something you can’t change. Treat everything that happens as if you EXPECTED it to happen. That way, there are no surprises.

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The *real* story of how I learned to meditate
fulfillment, Householders, Meditation, Stress management Jill Wener fulfillment, Householders, Meditation, Stress management Jill Wener

The *real* story of how I learned to meditate

This High Holiday season marks my 6th anniversary of learning Vedic meditation. It started innocently enough… It was Yom Kippur in Chicago, and a Friday night. I hadn’t been to synagogue in years. I was probably getting over yet another dramatic breakup, and had also been experiencing months of massive, soul-destroying work burnout, so I decided my friend and I should celebrate… by going to a bar. I knew exactly which bar we should go to (The Southern), and I (earmuffs, mom and dad) wanted to sit at the bar and flirt with dudes. Not my usual M.O., but somehow I knew that was definitely the plan.

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Keeping it calm, cool, collected, and PERSPECTED
fulfillment, Meditation, Householders, Stress management, Insights and Activism Jill Wener fulfillment, Meditation, Householders, Stress management, Insights and Activism Jill Wener

Keeping it calm, cool, collected, and PERSPECTED

Some of you may know that I’m in the process of opening a new studio. It’s ridiculously exciting, and I’m in love with the space and with my neighborhood. However, from construction issues, to permits and zoning, all issues that are out of my control, one thing after another has tested my patience. It’s been a perfect lesson in how the world doesn’t just become unicorns, rainbows and puppy dogs once we start meditating, and it inspired me to share some of my thoughts on how Vedic meditation has helped me to keep it calm, cool, collected, and PERSPECTED during this process.

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Meditate-Anon (Part 2)- for the non-meditators!
Meditation, Stress management, relationships, Householders Jill Wener Meditation, Stress management, relationships, Householders Jill Wener

Meditate-Anon (Part 2)- for the non-meditators!

Vedic meditation (or any physical or spiritual practice), while life-changing for meditators, can sometimes be a drag for the partners (and family members, friends, and colleagues) of meditators. Several weeks ago, I posted part 1 of this series- how Vedic meditators can make it easier for their family members, colleagues and friends, to be supportive of their practice. If you missed it, or want a refresher, you can read it here!

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Meditate-Anon (Part 1)
Meditation, Householders, fulfillment, relationships Jill Wener Meditation, Householders, fulfillment, relationships Jill Wener

Meditate-Anon (Part 1)

Vedic meditation, while life-changing for meditators, can sometimes be a drag for the partners (and family members, friends, and colleagues) of meditators. They may feel left out, left behind, jealous of the time spent meditating (I’ve been told by a partner that it felt like meditation was the 3rd person in our relationship), threatened that we will evolve past wanting (or needing) them, and more. 20 minutes twice a day ends up seeming like a LOT to people who aren't practicing. ‘Wow, she’s a meditator, how cool’ turns into ‘why can’t she just miss one meditation? What’s the big deal?’. It can happen pretty quickly, if we aren’t careful, and it may end up being costly to the relationship. We don’t want our partners to feel like they need to start a chapter of Meditate-Anon, a support group for partners of meditators!

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