Laura Poole is a Vedic meditation teacher, compassionate community builder and devotee to self practice. Her ability to intuitively teach and inspire her students is beautifully paired with over a decade’s worth of ancient Vedic wisdom from the great masters in Australia, India and the United States. Her wisdom creates a resonance that can be felt in all that she does.
By joining inner and ancient wisdom, Laura brings about life-changing perspectives to the realities of modern life; truly investing in the physical and mental well-being of our community’s women and mothers. Amongst many of her teachings is my personal favorite…returning “home” to an inner world that is balanced and in harmony with the rhythms of nature. I hope this conversation with inspires a newfound devotion to your personal practice of self-connection and acts as a beautiful reminder that everything is OK. You’re right where you are supposed to be. You’re doing great
Q: Welcome, Laura! We both have a shared passion in connecting women with the wisest parts within – Can you share a little bit about what you do and how you’ve arrived at the present?
I teach a technique known as Vedic meditation. A simple and effortless way to rest deeply, dissolve stress and establish a deep relationship with the innate wisdom of life that flows through the heart. It’s a technique, but it’s actually so much more than that. It’s a whole way of seeing the world that reflects the knowledge of nature – that which we call ‘Veda’.
Vedic Meditation…It’s a way home to ‘knowing’ and ‘being’ rather than ‘searching’ and ‘doing’. It’s the warm hug of grandmother reminding you that everything is OK and that you’re doing great. It’s community connection and experiential unlearning. It’s what we all need and what our bones are aching for.
I came to this practice not because I knew any of this, but because I was sick, stressed and anxious. I tried fixing things from the outside in – it worked for a period of time. But I didn’t know there was a way to ease the suffering I was co-creating in my mind from the inside out. That’s when my chiropractor introduced me to Vedic meditation and the whole thing unfolded from there. I would share more but you would probably be reading this blog post for hours! If you’re interested to listen to the journey unfold then take a listen to this podcast episode here, where my friend Dan (Spiritual Tradie Podcast) asks all the questions!
Q: In the Our Seva community, we spend a healthy amount of time dismantling the cultural narratives around the less common, unspoken spaces of personal transformation – When it comes to personal practice and transformation, what “unspoken spaces” do you feel deserve more attention & how can we make small steps to shift the cultural narrative?
That awakening, healing, learning, unlearning… whatever you want to call it… it’s NON LINEAR. It’s wonderful and challenging, blissful and really fucking hard, an incredible process, totally out of your control, in the hands of the Divine. And that what you thought you were doing to help ‘you get better’ is actually just a ruse to put you on the path of service to others – if you’re willing to surrender deeply, say yes, and not put up the bullshit anymore.
Q: So much resistance and internal turbulence comes from this idea that we have not quite arrived at who we are becoming as transforming women. What does your inner voice say about living within the liminal spaces…the uncomfortable spaces between who you are and who you are becoming? Any words of wisdom for those who find themselves “in-between”?
What I said above! I could also share a little of the Vedic wisdom that comforts us in knowing that the only time that actually exists is right NOW. The past… It’s a memory of the now. And the future? It’s an idea of the now. This means that NOW is the only time that actually exists. When you truly understand this, you will be able to take a gigantic breath out and just be OK with who and where you’re at. Because this moment is all there actually is.
There’s no where you’re going to ‘get to’, no place you’re going to ‘arrive at’ except for right here, right now. Where you already are. Where you’ve always been. So why aren’t we just relaxing, right now, as we are?
We have to know deep in the cells of our bodies that everything is OK. Everything is always changing, everything is evolving, and that is going to continue till the end of time. But it’s happening right here, right now. When you understand this, what I call ‘deep time’, you will transcend all the binding effects of ‘linear time’ and simply be OK in this perfectly imperfect continual flow of life.
Q: As someone who has found sacredness and steadiness within the process of tuning in (with breath & meditation), what one daily “tuning in” practice would you put on the priority list? Is there a way to turn the mundane into beautiful reminders of presence? And if you were speaking to a new mama who only had 5 minutes to spare, what could she do (right now) to hear the wisdom within?
Vedic meditation. It’s seriously a game changer. It’s the technique that delivers you right into presence. Right into your heart. We suggest practicing for 20mins (twice a day), but as a new mama in total service to a divine baby, we suggest you simply do what you can when you can! When they go down to sleep, you sit down and meditate. Meditation really means ‘letting go’. And what are we letting go of? Stress, fatigue, ideas, restrictions… all that stuff that keeps us doubting ourselves, not trusting our intuition, making everything else a priority besides our own mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing. Being a mother is the greatest service to humanity. Therefore, the wellbeing of mothers is of the utmost importance. This is why Vedic meditation is so important for mamas, newborn mamas, mamas-to-be… for all women!
When you create the space to tune into your heart, to let go into Being, then the innate wisdom of life is more clearly heard, and you have greater confidence to act upon it. Our world needs this flow of wisdom into action more than ever. Let yourself be this vessel!
Q: Modern day transforming women are often challenged to create a personal sadhana (spiritual practice) that can keep up with the pace of modern life. Instead of pivoting and changing our practices with the ever-changing tides and collective noise, how can we root into ancient wisdom for a more supportive approach to self-care?
Maybe we don’t need to ‘keep up with the pace’ of modern life. I mean, do you think modern life wasn’t designed to facilitate health and happiness, creativity and connection? I think it was sold to us as that. But is it delivering on those hopes and dreams? Maybe what we’re being shown in these challenges we all face, is the need to birth a new way of being and living in this world. We need to talk to each other, be radically honest, gestate ideas for a new story of humanity, be open to letting go, making mistakes, and giving it a go anyway. All ancient wisdom has pointed us towards nature as the greatest teacher, the Supreme Guru. If we want to root into ancient wisdom, then we need to spend more time in nature. There is the inner nature of ‘Being’ and then the outer natural world, and we need to spend more time in both these spaces. Less walls and cars, phones and stores, more open spaces, trees and bees, seeds and weeds. The ultimate aim would be to make your whole life a deep and intimate, ever evolving relationship with Mother Nature. Then you won’t have to ‘carve out time’ for your personal practice. Your life will simply BE that. To start, I suggest everyone spend more time in the inner realm of Being. Giving ourselves the time and space each day to let go and rest in the unbounded ocean of pure intelligence. And then from there, as we come out of our meditation, to ask the very simple question… ‘What would love do right now?’ Taking the response as the voice of the Guru inspiring you in a direction for the day of service that lays ahead.
Q: Community is such a huge piece of the transformation process…providing validation when our inner voices need a little extra love. How has community influenced your transformation process and where is the most unexpected place you’ve found rallying support?
In my eyes, community is everything. In a world where we can already feel so alone, to then go on the ‘inner journey’ by ourselves and have to confront really big stuff without support, it can actually accentuate the stress, trauma and conditioning that is keeping us bound in the first place. Love, connection, understanding, human touch, sharing stories, eating together… These are all so important for creating healthy humans and a healthy society. When I first learnt Vedic meditation, a big part of the offering was the free weekly group meditation and wisdom sessions. I started going every Monday night to my teacher’s house, meditating with other like-minded people, I was able to ask questions, learn more, and feel supported in this ‘new path’ I was taking. I also made many new friends that I still have to this day (10 years later), which was so comforting in a time when I was the only one meditating in my ‘group’.
I realized that this experience of community and connection in my early years of meditating, was the foundation and inspiration to create the same thing when I became a teacher. Creating the space for the community to thrive, connection, understanding, love and honoring of all parts of ourselves… That is my greatest passion. Just how seeds thrive in healthy soil, people thrive in loving interpersonal relationships – or what we call ‘community’.
The greatest thing we can do as women is to ask for help, ask for support. When we open that door, we actually create the pathway for someone else to serve; we’re allowing someone else to experience the gift of seva. And within that mutual exchange of giving and receiving, joy flows through the heart and everyone gets uplifted.
Q: Any resources (books, podcasts, groups, articles) you think are must see/reads?
Men’s Business, Women’s Business by Hannah Rachel Bell
The Global Heart Awakens by Anadea Judith
The Ringing Cedars Collection by Vladmir Megre
Milkwood Permaculture Blog
Artist as Family Permaculture YouTube Channel
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