“Meditation Changed my Life”
Blog by Jacqualine Haller
Meditation can change your life! In the fall of 2005, off I went to India to become certified as a yoga teacher. It was my first trip overseas and a pretty big adventure for a girl who grew up in Saskatchewan Canada. There, I learned many new things, a lot about myself and other major life lessons of course. As part of the curriculum, we learned (or in my case tried to learn) meditation. I had a hard time with it. I couldn’t adjust to the many distractions around me. All part of the process, I now understand.
After returning back to Canada, I ended up moving to Toronto from out west. I was in a long-distance relationship at the time, and the company I worked for had relocated me. To make a long story short, my relationship ended. I found myself alone in a city where I knew no one. Monotonous routine ensued… work, yoga, home and repeat.
I found myself facing the same person I had always been, except I was alone and lost.
I decided to dive into a meditation practice to see if there was really something to it; possibly something I missed during my time in India? I was hoping it could help me understand my life and shift my energy so I could attract a different experience than what had been. I spent many years in dedicated meditation practice, purchased pretty much everything I could find to help me, and used all my vacation time attending meditation and Kirtan workshops and retreats.
In 2011, I opened Jaya Yoga Centre in Toronto Canada. Named “Jaya” (Sanskrit for ‘Victory’), as a thank you for the spiritual name gifted to me from my teacher’s Yogi Vishvketu and Chetana Panwar from Anand Prakash Ashram, Rishikesh India.
I’ve been teaching meditation classes for the last 8 years now. Teaching meditation is my true passion. My classes are designed around what worked for me when I was first starting out, leaving out what did not work.
A few years ago, I began recording my classes into a guided meditation CD series. Jaya Meditation was created! 6 CD’s have been created so far, which are a part of a growing collection. The 4th CD has my teacher Yogi Vishvketu chanting “OM” with me. The 5th CD has the “Godfather of Kirtan” American Kirtan Wallah, Krishna Das, chanting “OM” with me. My 6th CD has the incredibly talented Deva Premal chanting “OM” with me. I am deeply grateful to all of these amazing people for the gift of their “OM’s.”
I hope to build momentum and awareness about the importance of meditation in our lives and for our future.
The world is shifting. People are yearning for a more authentic human experience. While not everyone is going to pull out a yoga mat, we can all turn our attention inward, even if for a little bit to see what is there and what is possible.
OM,
Jacqualine (Jaya!)
Listen to my AUDIO BLOG by clicking HERE!