Elena Bowes talks with Jillian Lavender, one of the most experienced and in-demand meditation teachers in the world, about her book Why Meditate? Because It Works. Jillian and her American partner in life and work Michael Miller co-founded the London Meditation Centre and New York Meditation Center in 2008. They have taught thousands of students over the years through their courses in London and Manhattan, as well as at retreats all over the world (from the Yorkshire dales to the banks of the Ganga River).

Jillian:

“More and more people know about meditation, which is fantastic. But with that comes confusion. The thing I hear time and again, ‘oh, I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t sit down and stop thinking. I couldn’t shut down the thoughts. My mind is crazy busy.’ And in fact, that’s not what we want to do when we meditate, control the thoughts.

Another myth is that ‘I don’t have time to meditate.’ What I found when I started meditating, 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the late afternoon, was that I actually had more time. I was more productive and was able to let go of things that shouldn’t have been on my to do list. Meditation really changed my relationship to time.”

Read the full interview here.