Mary Glesige is a Vedic Master from Nashville, Tennessee. A Vedic Master is an instructor who has become certified in all three branches of the Chopra Center’s Teacher’s Path: Primordial Sound Meditation, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga, and Perfect Health. In this month’s teacher feature, Mary shares the story of her spiritual journey into healing and teaching.

When the Beatles went to India to visit the Maharishi in 1967, meditation was suddenly the “in thing” to do. Being part of the 60’s generation, I joined the trend and began my own journey into meditation at the ripe age of nineteen. But what started as a trend became a life-long spiritual pursuit, and I have spent many years studying different spiritual and holistic modalities, including yoga and Ayurveda.

A few years ago, I attended the Chopra Center’s Seduction of Spirit program in Atlanta, Georgia. It was an amazing week-long retreat devoted to self-discovery and meditation, and it brought about magical changes in my internal awareness. Even though I already considered myself to be a seasoned meditator, the experience deepened my consciousness and “brightened” my awareness, taking me to a whole new level.

While I was at Seduction of Spirit, I established a routine of practicing yoga twice each day. The daily practice made me feel so alive and rejuvenated on all levels . . . mentally, physically, and – above all – spiritually. I knew I needed to get back to making yoga a regular part of my life.

Following the Path of Yoga

My first step in establishing and grounding my yoga practice was to participate in the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga teacher training. The class was scheduled to take place directly after Seduction of Spirit. Through a variety of synchronistic events, I simply knew that I was supposed to go to. My intuition proved correct as the instructors – Claire Diab and Samara Tricarico – were deeply inspiring and motivating.

I was exhilarated by the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga course,, which was different from other yoga classes I’d attended in the past. I returned home feeling invigorated and began teaching, thrilled to share a refreshing and powerful concept of yoga with my students.

As my consciousness was lifted, everything else in my life improved as well. On a personal level, my relationships changed for the better. Professionally, the stagnation I had felt regarding my career path vanished. I now had the conviction that I was moving in the right direction. I was finally achieving a wholeness that supported my belief system and incorporated the therapies I had studied.

The Next Step: Primordial Sound Meditation

After becoming a certified yoga teacher, I really wanted to be able to offer my students instruction in both yoga and meditation, which have been the perfect pairing for thousands of years. I believe that meditation is the key to transformation, offering so many physical, mental, and emotional benefits. Over the years, I have experienced some wonderfully deep spiritual connections through the art of meditation, and it was clear that the next step for me was becoming a certified instructor in Primordial Sound Meditation.

Practicing and teaching meditation and yoga brought me to a new level of personal understanding and spiritual development. As well, my experience with the Chopra Center staff and other students in the courses provided me with a worldwide network of like-minded people. These amazing experiences made me want to learn more about healing and Ayurveda, and I decided to complete the Perfect Health instructor training.

Ayurveda is a natural way of living that brings well-being and balance into all aspects of one’s life. In fact, Ayurveda had been a lifesaver for me in my early 40s when I hit the so-called change of life or perimenopause. I was put on birth control pills to regulate my cycle, but I had adverse reactions to medication. Western medicine’s answer to my dilemma was a hysterectomy, but I knew there had to be a better way.

I began to study Ayurveda, and the whole Ayurvedic system of meditation, yoga, herbs, abyhanga, and emotional release worked very well for me. I was able to avoid surgery, and my “hot flashes” were minimal after I started following a Kapha-Pitta balancing lifestyle. I really paid close attention to what I ate and realized that food is so key to wellness. Food really is medicine!

In studying Ayurveda, I have learned so much about harmony, wholeness, and health. It's amazing to me that such powerful healing can be brought about through these simple yet profound therapies. As an instructor at the Natural Health Institute in Nashville, Tennessee, I love teaching and sharing Ayurveda, yoga, meditation, and other healing practices with my students. I hope I can inspire others to create as much happiness and wholeness in their own lives as I have experienced in mine.

Mary Glesige
Vedic Master, certified in Primordial Sound Meditation, the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga, and Perfect Health
Nashville, Tennessee
email: tag1115@comcast.net
phone: 615.596.9355

Read more about becoming a certified instructor