← On Purpose with Jay Shetty
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
Jay’s Must-Listens: The Step-by-Step Guide to Meditation ANYONE Can Do (Eliminate Anxiety & Rewire Your Nervous System)
00:35:40
Loading summary
Transcript35 lines
- [00:00]
Dr. Joe Dispenza
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:06]
Jay Shetty
This episode of On Purpose is brought to you by Chase Sapphire Reserve. I believe that travel is one of the greatest gifts that we've ever been given and Chase Sapphire Reserve has been my gateway to the world's most captivating destinations. When I use my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, I get eight times the points on all the purchases I make through Chase Travel and even access to one of a kind experiences. Experiences like music festivals and sporting events. And that's not even mentioning how the card gets me into the Sapphire Lounge by the club at select airports nationwide. Travel is more rewarding with Chase Sapphire Reserve. Trust me. Discover more@chase.com Sapphire Reserve cards issued by JP Morgan Chase bank member FDIC subject to credit approval terms apply. Step into the freedom of summer with jewellery that reflects who you are and where you're going. From sunrise to sunset. Pandora Jewelry transports you to paradise. No passport required. From ocean charms to colorful tennis bracelets. Shop new arrivals to add to your summer staples. Be unmissable this summer with vacation ready designs. Personally, I love simple statement pieces for summer, something gold toned or engraved with a meaningful word or date. Pandora actually has in store engraving with personalization which is such a fun idea especially for summer memories. Feel it, live it, embrace it. Be love. Shop in store or online@pandora.net to discover new styles. Lately I've been trying to be more intentional, even with small decisions like cooking at home instead of ordering out. It's simple, but it helps me save for things that truly matter. That's why I love the State Farm Personal Price Plan. It lets you bundle home and auto insurance to create an affordable price that fits your needs. It's one of those thoughtful choices that that support the life you're trying to build. Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts and savings and eligibility vary by state. Hey everyone, it's Jay Shetty. Welcome back to the YouTube channel. If you haven't subscribed yet, make sure you do so that you never miss a video. Mindfulness meditation can reduce cortisol levels by up to 25%, decreasing stress and inflammation. Long term meditators have brains that are on average 7.5 years younger than non meditators. Meditation can reduce the experience of pain by 40%, which is greater than morphine which reduces pain by 25%. Now I've been fortunate enough to practice meditation for nearly two decades. It's a deep part of my practice. It's a part of my daily commitment. It's something I turn to for greater self awareness, alignment, and to really tap into my intuition. But at the same time as knowing the benefits of meditation, I also recognize it's something that a lot of people struggle with. Most people today have heard of it, but a lot of us don't know if we're doing it right. We're judging ourselves, questioning ourselves. And maybe you've been wanting to try meditation but you don't know where to start. Well, then this video is for you. Or maybe you want to start, but you're worried you're not going to be able to shut off your mind. Well, this video is for you too. Or maybe you're someone who's completely skeptical about meditation altogether. Research shows that meditation can actually reduce stress and anxiety. It can improve sleep, enhance brain function, and help with emotional regulation. In my own time as a monk, I've seen firsthand the power that meditation has over your reality. And in this episode we'll hear from top experts about how anyone can harness that power for themselves to improve the quality of their lives. I think for so many of us today, we're always on, we're always on the go, we're always on the move, we're always on top of everything. Meditation can be that reset, that break, that moment of the day that is just for you. It's that scheduled time to give yourself a little bit of a break, to give yourself a little bit of a reset and to give yourself a moment of peace and calm. It's something I know I turn to all throughout the day, just to get ready before a meeting, just before I walk on stage or just before I go to bed to make sure that I maximize and improve that moment of my day. So let's get into it. The number one health and wellness podcast, Jay Shetty.
- [05:16]
Dr. Joe Dispenza
Jay Shetty.
- [05:17]
Vishen Lakhiani
The one, the only Jay Shetty.
- [05:21]
Jay Shetty
In this first clip, Dr. Joe Dispenza shares data backed insights about how meditation affects the brain and body and the incredible healing power it can have. He explains that lasting transformation happens when you consistently train to shift your internal state with focus and intention. Dr. Joe Dispenza shares how meditation helps shift the body out of stress and survival mode and and into a state of healing, acting like your body's own medicine by calming the mind, balancing emotions and supporting physical recovery. He shares powerful stories of people reversing chronic health conditions through Consistent practice, proving that when you change your inner state, you can actually influence your biology and immune system, whether you're feeling stuck in stress, burnt out, or emotionally overwhelmed. Dr. Joe Dispenza explains how even small, repeated moments of mindfulness can rewire the way you think, feel, and show up each day. Change might not happen overnight, but that doesn't mean it's not happening. Meditation helps you stay in motion, create new patterns, and build a new reality from the inside out. Let's take a listen to what Dr. Joe Dispenza has to say.
- [06:44]
Dr. Joe Dispenza
We've done the largest studies on meditation that have ever been done just because. Because we have a community of 1800 people that come to an event that are going to be getting up at the same time, doing the same thing, pretty much eating, making the same food choices in pretty much a big laboratory, right? And so our discoveries in working with 1800 people in measuring brain waves, their brain function, before and after the event, measuring their gene expression before and after the event, we're measuring 2,882 metabolites in their blood, we're measuring DNA expression, we're measuring urine, we're measuring saliva, we're measuring the energy of the room. We're measuring everything. And meditation, in a sense that it's not in the traditional way, what we do is we look at what really works. We're actually looking to say, well, that's something that we can actually see a change in. So we teach meditation three ways to become familiar with your old self and to become familiar with your new self. That's what the word meditation means, familiarization, to become familiar with. So we use that model for change. To slow your brain waves down and get beyond your analytical mind is meditation. And you teach your body how to do that. And we've discovered a formula that simply makes it very easy for people to do it. You practice it, you'll get good at it, just like anything else you practice. So, so to get beyond the analytical mind is another way to reprogram ourselves. And then meditation is really about getting beyond your body or disconnecting from your body, disconnecting from your environment, and forgetting about time. And that is that eye of the needle where we begin to make the most significant changes. So we're data driven. You know, we're really looking to see what it is. And when we see brains respond in the same way, it helps me enormously to teach the material better. And so the more people understand what they're doing and the more they understand why they're Doing it, the more naturally the how becomes easier and nothing is left to conjecture. If nothing is left to superstition or dogma or even in spiritual, you know, traditional words. Use science as the contemporary language to demystify that process. You need to give new people numerous times to overcome themselves and numerous times to connect. Sooner or later, you'll start watching transformation right before your eyes. And so one of the cool things that we've discovered is that we have so much compelling data to suggest that you're greater than you think, more powerful than you know, more unlimited than you could ever dream. We have compelling data that suggests that your nervous system is the greatest pharmacist in the world, that it makes drugs that work better than any drug in a drugstore. A drug study is about 18 to 25% cause and effect causality. Our data is between 75 and 85% cause and effect. This is a person creating their own pharmacy of anti inflammatories, their own pharmacy of anti carcinogenic chemicals, their own pharmacy of pain relievers. We're seeing this over and over again. So we have this incredible data that says that this is no longer pseudoscience, this is the real, this is really science. The side effect of a person's transformation is, has changed my belief in what's possible. I have seen people stand on the stage with stage four cancers that were in every single organ in their body that metastasized and, and they have no sign of cancer in their body. And we have data that suggests that you put the blood of an advanced meditator and a uterine cancer cell, a pancreatic cancer cell. 70% of the mitochondrial function in the cancer cell is diminished and mitochondria is the energy packets of the cell. It's taking energy out of the cancer cell. Works perfect with what we're seeing, with the testimonials that people are telling around the world. We've seen blind people see, we've seen deaf people hear, We've seen people with spinal cord injuries walk again. We've seen ALS change. We've seen all kinds of unbelievable health conditions change by a person simply changing the way they think, the way they act, and the way they feel.
- [11:06]
Jay Shetty
How long have you seen certain things last? Like how much does the practice have to continue daily to sustain impact? Because I feel that, you know, this isn't, as, you know, isn't a one off thing and that isn't what you're encouraging. Like, this is the experience of when someone's coming to a retreat or an Event, they're having this incredible experience. But then do you measure how people continue to practice?
- [11:30]
Dr. Joe Dispenza
Yeah, it's important. Yeah, it's super important for us. And of course, we have mounds of data. But let's see if I can say this as. As clear as I possibly can. When a person has that arousal where they're feeling that elevated emotion, and their. Their eyes are closed, they're in a room with 1800 people, there's music playing in the background. They're not eating, they're not smelling, they're not tasting. They're moving about and feeling on some level, they're having an inner experience, right? And the body is so objective that it's literally believing it's living in a new environment. And so that elevated em somehow tends to drag the body right out of the past into the present moment. So many people with everything from eczema to muscular dystrophy, when they have those events, there's a biological change that takes place in their body where they feel completely differently. Now, some people heal all the way. Some people are out of their wheelchair and they're walking again, but they're limping. And that doesn't mean it's over. It just means they made contact where they. They hit gold. And so there's varying degrees that we see. We've seen people for seven years work on a terminal health condition. To them, seven years to heal that health condition. Some people, it takes two years, three years. Some people, they do it in three months. We. There's no predictable menu that we can say it's this way. Now, when people have those more profoundly aroused states, it seems like their change is much more immediate and much more permanent. But for the most part, we see people's response pretty dramatic. Now, it's also important to say that we have seen people heal from. From terminal cancers, stop feeling those elevated emotions, and returns to responding to the circumstances and conditions in their life and return back to the same personality. The same personality is the same personal reality, and their body's believing it's living in that same environment and they're feeling the same way, and they're in the habit of acting the same way and thinking the same way. And lo and behold, the condition returns. We've seen people heal themselves of Parkinson's disease more than once, have one response to some very serious event in their life that produced a very strong emotion. And in one hour, their condition returned because they literally went back to their old self. And we've seen that person turn around and reverse the condition again, again. People do the best with what they think is available. The person standing on the stage who's. We've had numerous physicians and researchers stand on the stage. They're the four minute mile. They're telling the community, I'm the example of truth. This is no longer philosophy. This is no longer theory. Here's my scans. We had someone with bilateral breast cancer just recently. No evidence of cancer in her breasts or any lymph nodes. No longer in our liver. I'm looking out at the audience and everybody's leaning in. There's the four minute mile and that person's telling the truth. And they're, they're telling a story. And it's not pretty, it's not always rosy. They, they went through a lot of dark nights. They went through a lot of their condition getting worse. But every day they had to show up for themselves. If they stopped showing up and doing the work, they would really not believe it was possible. But if they showed up and did the work, it means that they believe it's possible. And I think when you believe in possibility, you got to believe in yourself. You believe in yourself, you got to believe in possibilities. So it used to be a few examples of that. Now we have so many great testimonials, so many great stories that now people. It's becoming infectious, just like a virus or any bacteria becomes infectious. Now health and wellness becomes as infectious as disease. And you get a community of people starting to break through, and you start seeing these changes where people stand on the stage. Invariably you're going to see a very strong shift in consciousness. And consciousness is awareness. And if you're unaware that you could actually heal yourself, you'll make the same choice. Once you see it, I think it starts creating a brush fire. And that's really the exciting part. So we've seen so many great testimonials that are undeniably great stories of transformation. And many, many of those people still no longer have their eczema, still no longer have their Parkinson's, still no longer have their cancer. Life is an experiment. So if your personality creates your personal reality and your personality is made up of how you think, how you act, and how you feel. If you keep thinking the same way, you keep acting the same way, you keep feeling the same way, your life is going to stay the same because you're the same. So the experiment is, okay, let me begin to think differently. So I got to remind myself how I do want to think, and I have to remind myself of how I no longer want to think. So I don't default and go unconscious. Let me remind myself how I'm going to behave so that I could actually get my behaviors to match my intentions. And let me remind myself of how I'm going to feel. If I'm able to succeed in that day, then there should be some change in my life. That is the experiment. And if it doesn't change, that doesn't mean the law doesn't work for you. It's just you're not that good yet. You just got to keep practicing, right? So the act of disconnecting from your life long enough to remind yourself of who you do want to be and who you no longer want to be. That experiment then, is the experiment called life.
- [17:13]
Jay Shetty
Our next clip is from the rapper Big Sean. Now, if you answered my question earlier that you want to start meditating, but you're worried you won't do it right, this next clip is for you. Big Sean challenges the idea that there's a right way to meditate. Whether it's sound, healing, a walk, or even a quiet moment, what matters most is finding what works for you and showing up consistently. There's no wrong way to meditate. The intention matters more than the method. Over time, consistent meditation deepens the connection to self and increases impact. Big Sean describes his meditation practice as a deeply spiritual experience, using visualization, energy, work, and body awareness to realign himself. For him, it's not just about stillness. It's how he sets the tone for productivity, creativity, and emotional balance.
- [18:11]
Big Sean
I practice. I am. It's so much power. So I am grateful. I am this. I am happy, I am confident. I am happy that I get to sit down and talk to my friend Jay today. You know, I'm happy. I get to whatever the case is, right? So that's what I do. And then at the end of it of the journal of the. When I do the gratitude stuff and there are times where I write how I feel, not as much. I also speak out loud by myself. You know, there are a lot of processes I do, but when I do that journal, I sign it at the. At the bottom of it, like a contract. And I like I sometimes I put it is done, or I put like, so be it because it's a declaration when I do that. And I sign it because it's that important to me. I have to sign my contracts. I have to sign things that will be upheld as an important thing. And that's how the level of importance even more that I hold that to. So I sign it every time.
- [19:11]
Jay Shetty
That is so Good man. I've never heard that before. I'm going to start doing that.
- [19:15]
Big Sean
It's powerful.
- [19:15]
Jay Shetty
Yeah, I've never signed it. That's dope.
- [19:17]
Big Sean
It's powerful. And Jay, does everything I write down come to fruition? No, sometimes it does. A lot of them do. And then I realized that I'm also on God's time. So the things that I've always wanted, wanted and things that I've desired, it may not just be the right moment in my journey for that, but that's the beauty of it, man. I'm like, I'm still here, I'm still able, I'm still inspired, I'm still passionate, you know.
- [19:45]
Jay Shetty
Beautiful.
- [19:46]
Big Sean
Yeah. Yeah. So that's how I. That's how I do my journaling. I also have like a. There's a book I have of like poetry too that I like write poems and stuff. I've only. I only write a few a year, honestly. But like I'll like fully write and draw around the poem and like it was really like a beautiful art. It's just some. Something I do for fun. I haven't actually. I've only written one this year and last year I wrote a few. So maybe I'll maybe inspire me to write one today. But that's kind of all it is. But I don't spend too much time on it. Takes me about five to 12 minutes.
- [20:23]
Jay Shetty
That's great, max.
- [20:24]
Big Sean
And then I meditate after that because it kind of like. It's kind of like a good transition to like the energy is set for me to like to meditate because when I meditate I feel like I'm attracting these things more and giving myself the best shot of being the most productive, the most impactful that I can be, you know, so that's. That's kind of the first thing I do when I wake up, if I can. Being a dad, though there are times where I get. I get woken up and I have to go immediately, you know. And so I come back to it later on. It's not preferred that way, but it's a good trade off.
- [21:03]
Jay Shetty
I can't wait to dive into the next part. But first, a short break for our sponsors. It's always bittersweet when summer winds down. You've had this beautiful free flowing time and now there's this subtle pullback into routine. But I actually love this part part. It's a chance to reset and one of the best ways I've found to ease into that rhythm again is refreshing my space with Wayfair. Whether you're organizing your home office, upgrading your cookware for weeknight dinners, or just wanting to make your space feel more you, Wayfair has everything. I found this really cozy armchair and a few floating shelves for my reading corner and now it's one of my favorite places to unwind. And not only did they arrive fast and hassle free, they've completely changed the vibe of that corner. It's cozy, calming and exactly what I needed to feel grounded again. Wayfair's got furniture, storage, bedding, kitchen essentials, you name it. And the best part? Delivery's free, even on the big stuff. So if you're thinking about how to ease back into the season ahead, this is the perfect time to do it with Wayfair. Get organized, refreshed and back to routine. For way less, head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. That's W A Y F A I R.com Wayfair Every style, every Home.
- [22:37]
Washable Sofas Sponsor
This Labor Day, say goodbye to spills, stains and overpriced furniture with washablesofas.com featuring Anabe, the only machine washable sofa inside and out where designer quality meets budget friendly pricing. Sofas start at just $6.99, making it the perfect time to upgrade your space. Anibe's Pet Friendly stain resistant and interchangeable slipcovers are made with high performance fabric built for real life. You'll love the cloud like comfort of hypoallergenic, high resilience foam that never needs fluffing and a durable steel frame. That style stands the test of time with modular pieces you can rearrange anytime. It's a sofa that adapts to your life. Now through Labor Day, get up to 60% off site wide@washablesofas.com Every order comes with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping, no restocking fees. Every penny back. Shop now@washablesofas.com Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.
- [23:35]
Big Sean
Foreign.
- [23:38]
Jay Shetty
This episode of On Purpose is brought to you by Chase Sapphire Reserve. I believe that travel is one of the greatest gifts that we've ever been given, and Chase Sapphire Reserve has been my gateway to the world's most captivating destinations. Every time I travel, I find a part of myself I didn't know was missing. I remember being in this small town completely unplugged and for the first time in a while I felt still travel does that. It grounds you, expands you and connects you to something deeper. That's why I'm always looking for experiences that go beyond the typical. Chase Sapphire Reserve makes traveling a breeze. Earning eight times points on all purchases through Chase Travel and granting access to Sapphire Lounge by the club at select airports nationwide. No matter my destination, travel is more rewarding with Chase Sapphire Reserve. Discover more with Chase sapphire reserve@chase.com Sapphire Reserve cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank NA member FDIC subject to credit approval terms apply. I hope you learned about some of our incredible partners. And let's jump back in. What about your meditation? What does your practice look like?
- [24:58]
Big Sean
It depends. I love doing guided meditation. Sometimes I love doing. I kind of have my own process where I like and visualize the light of creation, like the light of the sun and it like really filling my whole body up and literally everything that doesn't align with that, anything that isn't that light and bright, you know what I'm saying, immediately leaves my body and goes back into the earth. And like so you know, there are times where I, if I'm not in nature, I imagine myself in nature and like things going back into the earth and I like surround myself, you know, from my. I forgot the word. The esoteric body. I think it's like one inch off you, then your emotional body, then your mental body. And like I just do the same thing. Like it's like a shower of light. It's like hopping in the shower after you work out like a bit of light and whatever it is. I kind of like cater to how I'm feeling. So from there I'll like if I have like something wrong with my stomach, I'll like for some reason I associate green with healing energy. Right. And this comes from years of like practice or I associate royal blue with power, you know, the power of the universe. I associate like red with the love of the universe, the love and support of the universe. And like I represent like the violet flame of Saint Germain, like to cleanse things that are holding me back. Right. So I do, I have like quite a process and I break it down in a book and afterwards I feel just it really makes a big difference. And you know I read this book, the Hidden Messages in Water I believe it's called and it talked about, you know, there's like itty bitty microscopic crystals in water and they, one of the part of the book they experiment of like how positively when you speak to water, like hey, you're amazing, I love you keep going like you're beautiful. And then they had another water glass or container of water where they said like, you suck. It's never that, you know, real negative. And you look at the crystals and one is like a beautiful snowflake looking crystal and then the other one is like distorted and all damaged and we are 70, 80, water. So these things, when you write these affirmations down or when you say them out loud or when you journal, these things have a real effect on you tremendously. Like, scientifically. It's not even like a woo woo type of thing. It's not even like, it's not even up for debate, you know what I'm saying? It's literally scientific for the people who are more, you know, need the proof as opposed to, you know, more analytical than like opinion based. So I just want to stress the importance of it. It really is. And by the way, the most, the most honorable people that I've met and like what I consider to be successful, and I don't mean richest, I just mean successful in like the impact, what they're doing, how they are. Yeah, they meditate. They all, you know, from my favorite rappers down to my favorite. Down to you, you know, down to anyone who I just really admire. Yeah, and, and, and, and you can meditate in your own ways. They're like, I know, like Janae does different meditations, you know, through sound healing or mirror meditations. I know people who do shower meditations, walking. There's no wrong way to meditate either. That's another misconception. There's no wrong way to do it. The fact that you take the intention out, or if you focus on your breathing, the fact that you take the, the time out to be that conscious of yourself. Over time you will get more and more into it. It's like anything you do and you will see the effects of it.
- [28:42]
Jay Shetty
Next up, Michael Acton Smith. The founder of calm reflects on how much the perception of meditation has shifted. And I remember these days it used to be met with a lot of doubt, a lot of scrutiny, but now it's widely seen as a practical, effective way to support your mental well being. Early on, people thought meditation required robes or lengthy silence. Now it's understood you can start with just one conscious breath. In a world designed to distract you, focus is power. Meditation can help you improve your attention and reclaim the power within you. When you're not aware of where your attention goes, it's easy to slip into autopilot. Meditation can help you stay present, avoid distractions and make more intentional choices with your time.
- [29:33]
Michael Acton Smith
In the early days when we'd go to parties and tell people we were building a meditation app. We'd get one of two reactions. One is that they'd back away from us and make any excuse to go and talk to someone else. The second was that they'd be like, oh, I've heard of that. I've tried it, but I can't do it. You know, my mind is far too too busy. And it has been extraordinary how that has shifted over the last decade. Again, this is connected to mental health. Do you remember how stigmatized it was? No one talked about it. Could you imagine telling your boss you were struggling with your mental health years ago? It wouldn't have been a good move. And for most organizations now, that has changed dramatically. I think it was because people did have so many misconceptions about meditation. There were so many myths associated with it. I think they thought it was either religious or connected to the counterculture. They thought they might have to dress up in robes or go to a different country or sit for hours and hours in an uncomfortable position. And we just wanted to let people know that that is not true. You can literally start with one mindful breath. If you don't have time to meditate for a minute or ten or longer, literally start with one conscious mindful breath and then build your practice from there.
- [30:45]
Jay Shetty
In this next clip, Vishen Lakhiani, the founder of mindvalley, shares how meditation has helped him heal phys and stay grounded through life's ups and downs. His story is a powerful reminder that meditation isn't just about calmness, it's about growth, resilience and finding your center when life feels chaotic. Vishen shares how he used meditation to heal severe acne as a teenager and how that experience sparked a lifelong fascination with the mind body connection. Through the Silver Method, he discovered active meditation, a structured form of inner work that turns life's challenges into step by step problem solving opportunities. He explains the difference between daily meditations that keep you grounded like his six phase method, and more tactical techniques used to solve specific issues. For Vishen, meditation isn't about escaping problems, it's about engaging with them directly and using your mind to heal, grow and create real world results. I think everyone can remember or has a distinct memory of their first meditation experience. What was your first meditation experience ever? Do you remember it like the first time you were ever introduced to any form of meditation?
- [32:04]
Vishen Lakhiani
So the first time it happened to me, I was 14 years old. I was a young kid in Malaysia and I decided to try a form of meditation that I learned from a Book called the Silver Method. A really old 1960s, 1970s book. Back then I was 14, so must have been like 1990. There was no Internet in Malaysia. We had four television channels. So really, to pass the time by, all I did was I would browse all of the books in my father's bookshelf, and I discovered this book called the Silver Method. Now, the book captivated me because it spoke about how the mind can heal the body. What was happening to me back then is I was having a really horrible skin problem. My face was covered in acne. I had very little confidence. I considered myself ugly. I had difficulty making friends at school. You know, even if I liked a girl, I had no confidence to even talk to her. And so when I read in this book that the mind can heal the skin, I was game on. I want to figure this out. So I tried practicing. Nothing happened. I continued practicing. Nothing happened. And there was very little results. But I read and reread and reread that book over and over and over and over again. Then I started picking other books from Bob Proctor, from Wayne Dyer. I started reading these books. It became a passion. And slowly things began to click. And one day, applying the Silver Method, at this point, I was 17 years old. Things had finally started clicking. I began to understand it's not just about hoping and wanting your skin to heal. There was a process. There was a method, there was a psychology. When it clicked, in five weeks, I completely healed my skin. Five years of skin disease healed in five weeks. Today, science talk about this as a thing. It's called psychodermatology. How your mind influences your skin. But that was my first evidence that we can use our minds to influence our bodies. Now, the next thing I did was I decided to see, can I use my mind to accomplish a really big goal for me, that was qualifying for the US Open Taekwondo Championships. Taekwondo is Korean karate. I was really into it, and I managed to qualify. My first ever trip to the United States, which was my dreamland. Since I was, like a kid, I wanted to go to America. My first ever trip was to the US Open to represent my country. It was in Colorado Springs in 1993. My first time I fell in love with America. But it became. Because I visualized that in my mind. And that was my beginning, the beginning of my fascination with the human mind. That would later lead to me starting mindvalley and writing this book.
- [34:34]
Jay Shetty
That's amazing. I love that story for so many reasons. A. Because, well, let me just break this down for everyone. You had an Intention that was very clear. Even if it was to save your skin or to impress a girl or whatever. Whatever it was, you were clear of why you wanted to meditate. The second thing was you were happy to read the book again and again.
- [34:52]
Vishen Lakhiani
And again and again and again.
- [34:54]
Jay Shetty
And I think that takes a lot of resilience because most of us, when we try something once and it doesn't work, we give up. And the third thing is you didn't just test on something small. Once you saw a small result, you were like, well, does this apply to something bigger? And I think those three lessons in and of themselves are so powerful. What has changed in the benefits to you of meditation today? At that time, it was solving your skin. It was getting focused around the Taekwondo championships. How do you view meditation? Like, what is its use in your life today? Because I feel like so many people keep telling us to meditate and there's so many benefits. But for you personally, what's the reason?
- [35:30]
Vishen Lakhiani
So I grew up in a Hindu family in Malaysia. Meditation was never what I was taught. The style of Hinduism I was taught was very dogmatic. You had prayers, you had chants, you had mantras. And I found it. Oh, God. So boring and irritating. I hated being dragged to temple to listen to a priest speaking in Sanskrit, a language I didn't even understand. So when I was 19, I gave up Hinduism. I decided the religion was not for me. I read a quote by Gandhi that said, I'm a Hindu and I'm a Muslim and I'm a Christian and I'm a Jew and I'm a Buddhist. And I thought, that's it. I want to study and unite ideas from all of these different spiritual practices. And so that was my beginning. I got obsessed with spirituality. I started reading books by Esther Hicks, by Neil Donald Walsh. And I became particularly captivated by the spirituality that was emerging from the United States, from everyone from Paramahansa Yogananda, who was an Indian, who crossed over here to Neil Donald Walsh, to especially Jose Silva. Now, a lot of them spoke about spirituality. What made Jose Silva's work different was that he broke it down into actionable steps. And that's what fascinated me most. So a lot of people spoke about meditation, about sitting still, about going within. Jose Silva would teach the method. You're going to do this method to reduce your brainwave frequency, frequency to the alpha level. This method together down to the theta level. This method of positioning your eyes to activate alpha frequency in your brain. This method to reprogram your subconscious, this method to manifest A goal. This method to do healing and that structured approach captivated me. Now, we call that active meditation. That's the word Jose Silva use. Osho used the same word, active meditation. This means it's different from passive meditation, which was more the meditation from Hinduism, from Eastern cultures, where you focus on your breath or you go within. And there's a usefulness in that. But what I loved about active meditation is in the words of Jose Silva, you use it to solve problems. You do not push your problems away. You turn your problems into a project. You have skin disease, you're going to heal it. You need to achieve a business goal. You're going to make it happen. And you would apply different tools to solve these problems. Now, when I was in Silicon Valley, I applied the Silva Method and it completely transformed my career. I was able to hold down two jobs. I got promotion after promotion after promotion. At the age of 26, I was vice president of a booming dot com. And I was meditating using the Silver Method. And other practices I would combine with it. And one day, I certainly had a calling. I realized that meditation was the most powerful thing I'd learned in life. It was the reason why I was successful at my career. Yet my university degree, for which I paid almost a quarter million dollars for, taught me Jack. It wasn't really helping me. So I decided I wanted to do something that could help the world. I decided to quit and become a meditation teacher. Now, as I started becoming a meditation teacher, as I started compiling all of these methods, I needed something for myself. And I look at meditation from. As a tool. Okay, so a lot of people say, all right, meditation is a form of self awareness, of prayer. Yes, yes, yes. But meditation is also a tool. The point of meditation, in the words of the great teacher Emily Fletcher, is not to get good at meditation. It is to get good at life. And so I use two different types of tools. Now, let's think about our home. We have coffee makers and we have electric drills. We use a coffee maker every single day or a tea kettle every single day to put ourselves in a good state to start our morning. An electric drill is a power tool. You don't use it every day. You use it when you have a problem. When you have to drill a hole in a wall or threaten someone, I guess. So in meditation, the style that I teach, there are two types. You would use a power tool like the Silva Method, which now sits on Mindvalley, for a really tactical problem. For example, healing. Right. The silver method has been proven by Dr. Ocal Simonton as a very effective form of imagery therapy for accelerating healing. You're sick. You want to do it. If you are suddenly feeling like you have a migraine, you want to use it to help reduce your migraine. The six phase is what I developed as not the electric drill, but the coffee maker, something you use every single day. Even if your life is amazing, you use it every single day because it helps put you in a peak state for work, for happiness, for human connection. And it puts you in this beautiful state where it almost feels as if the universe has your back. Like you have, you know, the Tinkerbell fairy following you around, blessing everything you do and making your life magical. This is how I view meditation. It's an active approach to tackle the most complex problems in life, but also as a daily approach to put you in peak states of humanness.
- [40:21]
Jay Shetty
This is why I love talking to you, because I love that explanation and I think that that breakdown of how meditation can be used differently for different challenges is fantastic. And I love the analogy with the. With the tea kettle we'll go with and the drill, because I do think you're right that we've made meditation. What you just said is about becoming good at meditation, which is absolutely irrelevant to life. I hope this episode serves as a reminder that there's no single way to meditate and no perfect practice. What matters is that you start, whether it's to heal, focus, align, or simply breathe. Meditation is a tool that can meet you wherever you are in life. Remember, the goal isn't to get good at meditation. The goal is to improve your life. So whatever form works for you, a guided practice, a moment of stillness, or a walk in nature, I hope this episode inspires you to make it your own. And if you've ever told yourself I'm not the meditation type, I hope this conversation helps you realize you already are. You just have to begin. If you loved this episode, you will also love my interview with Charles Duhigg on how to hack your brain, change any habit effortlessly, and the secret to making better decisions.
- [41:43]
Dr. Joe Dispenza
Look, am I hesitating on this because I'm scared of making the choice? Because I'm scared of doing the work? Or am I sitting with this because it just doesn't feel right yet?
- [41:54]
Jay Shetty
This episode of On Purpose is brought to you by Chase Sapphire Reserve. I believe that travel is one of the greatest gifts that we've ever been given, and Chase Sapphire Reserve has been my gateway to the world's most captivating destinations. When I use my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, I get eight times the points on all the purchases I make through Chase Travel and even access to one of a kind experiences. Experiences like music festivals and sporting events. And that's not even mentioning how the card gets me into the Sapphire Lounge by the club at select airports nationwide. Travel is more rewarding with Chase Sapphire Reserve. Trust me. Discover more@chase.com Sapphire Reserve cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank NA member FDIC, subject to credit approval terms apply. I've been seeing a lot more EVs lately. Parked in driveways, passing on the road, friends making the switch. And they all say the same thing. These cars are simpler. Fewer parts, fewer repairs, fewer headaches. That's what makes EVs worth considering. Less to break, less to fix. Even if you haven't made the move yet, it's hard to ignore the shift. They're more affordable, more available, and honestly just make sense for everyday life. The way forward is electric. Learn more@electricforall.org American Public University is the number one provider of education to our military and veterans in the country. They offer something truly unique special rates and grants for the entire family, making education affordable not just for those who serve, but also for their loved ones. If you have a military or veteran family member and are looking for affordable, high quality education, Apu is the place for you. Visit Apu Apus to learn more. That's Apu Apus edumilitary.
- [44:04]
Vishen Lakhiani
This is an iHeart podcast.