I started meditating before I got sober, and a big part of AA is Step 11, which is meditation.

Students find Vedic Meditation at different times and for different reasons. For Adam Koureas, he was struggling with addiction and destructive behaviour. This is his BMC story.

I had sort of health breakdown and decided not to drink for a while, and in that phase, I ran into a friend of mine whos a trainer in Bondi. And he said, Why don’t you go and try meditating? And Id had a friend try and push it on me for many years, and I just thought, ‘Why not?’ I was in a pretty open place right then and there.

I went and did the course with Matt and it has changed my life.

I think there was a bit of a higher power intervention to a lot of that as well, just pushing me to do it. I believe Gods journey for me was to learn to meditate, and to get me on the right path in terms of balancing out my head and dealing with my anxiety.

And then what else its done has given me space to think logically in my life. The way that I used to look and the world as opposed to the way I look at it now has totally changed. The way I deal with things in situations. . .

See before I started to meditate, some situation could get me off queue or send me out on a drug and alcohol binge.

Today, as soon as these things happen they just roll off my back, and then straight afterwards the most logical thought process comes into my brain about exactly how to deal with the situation and manage it. And that for me, that is just like, Wow, did that actually just happen?

Thats when I knew that this was really starting to work for me. That kicked in around the six or eight-week mark. Ive been practicing for two years now and I am religious with doing it twice a day.

Recently Ive been going through a lot with relational stuff with someone and its just saving my life every afternoon when I get home. I just knock one out straight away and it just sets my brain in line. And the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is just sit straight up in bed and meditate. Thats how I start my day, every day.

Its made me a lot calmer around people and again, given me that way of looking at a logical process on how to deal instead of getting, you know, off-center with the behaviour.

I just really don’t get bothered by a lot of peoples stuff anymore. In the past thats the stuff that would trigger me, now I just can’t be bothered with it. Its like I’m on a different energy, and you know, I just dont need that negativity around me.

I can really feel it in people, you know what I mean. Like peoples bad aura or bad energy around them. . . Its just like, Stay away from me.

The one thing about sobriety is it gives you that ability to pick and choose what world you want to live in now.

Ive found in sobriety I have very little tolerance for peoples behaviour anymore that I don’t want to surround myself with. Because the one thing about sobriety is it gives you that ability to pick and choose what world you want to live in now. And when it comes to social situations, Im far happier when Im around recovery people. But if I have to be around my real friends in the real world, I don’t mind them in one-on-one but in groups it really does my head in because Im just not on that wavelength anymore.
I just choose not to put myself in that environment anymore. Not that I judge them, or like it bothers me, but thats just where my head is at right now. I can just look at them and think, Thats your journey. Im on a totally different one.

I started meditating before I got sober, and a big part of AA is Step 11, which is meditation. So because I was meditating before I stepped into AA, it really helped me get the benefit of that program.

I actually went to AA to support a friend and I heard everyones story in the room and giggled to myself thinking, Wow, I really belong here.

Id been in AA for about three to four months and I was doing really stupid things like going out and hanging out with people until 5 a.m. in the morning while they were doing drugs and drinking in front of me. And I just didnt want to touch it. But again, I think [meditation] just created that logical space in my brain to actually make me think clearly enough to just not do it.

I actually went to AA to support a friend and I heard everyones story in the room and giggled to myself thinking, Wow, I really belong here. I offered to go for him, to support him, but I think there was a big part of me that actually wanted to see what it was about.

I found my people, and thats how I got started. The fact I was meditating from the start just helped my journey so much more I think. You know a lot of people in the room dont meditate enough or dont meditate at all and they struggle with it. Whereas for me, its just a religious part of my journey.

I dont do a lot of [Vedic] knowledge sessions. I just prefer to actually do the meditation itself. Theres a whole level of spirituality which I think just fine and Im not against it because theres a lot of value in it, but I just dont click with it.

[Matt] talks about charm, and when I talk that through in my AA world, know we look at what God wants and thats how I sort of look at life now. But the charm idea I completely get and understand. Its about what feels good and what feels right.

Hes just a great guy. Hes very laid back and easy to get along with. I just got it from day one and I could relate to him, you know? I felt completely safe around him.

I would tell the old me to just to be completely open to it now, and just simply, let go. Be willing to try something different because it is going to completely change you for the better.

Are you interested in learning more about Vedic Meditation?

Matt hosts a free, no-obligation introduction talk every Monday night at Bondi Meditation Centre.
You can RSVP here, or email info@bondimeditation.com.au.