VEDIC MEDITATION EXPERT
Jillian has been teaching people to meditate since 2003. She co-founded London Meditation Centre and New York Meditation Center with her partner, Michael Miller, and is based in London. Through teaching Vedic Meditation, the world’s most ancient form of meditation, Jillian has helped thousands of people across the globe to transform their lives.
Originally from New Zealand, Jillian held senior business roles in Sydney, Paris and New York. During this demanding time leading global publishing companies, she learned Vedic Meditation. The improvements to her life were immediate. Her stress levels began to dissolve and the fatigue began to subside.
When work brought her to London, Jillian took some time to review where she was in her life. She left her CEO role, and headed for the US, and then to India, where she trained for 14 months to become a Vedic Meditation teacher.
Alongside teaching meditation, Jillian is the author of two books, Why Meditate? (Hachette, 2021) and Do Reset (Do Books, April 2025). She is also an expert in Ayurveda and consults on health, diet, sleep, fertility and lifestyle. She delivers this ancient knowledge in an accessible and practical way for modern life.
LEARN WITH JILLIAN
Interested in learning to meditate?
The next step is to sign up for a free Introductory Talk. An hour-long session where you’ll learn about Vedic Meditation, how it works and how it’s taught. From there, you can join the basic meditation course.
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Portugal Retreat June 2026
A remarkable group of students — I was so impressed by their openness and commitment to their personal development. Big transformations.
Thank you to @casafuzetta @chef_ricardosantos @whisking.up.a.storm @guestmar for your behind the scenes support.
Jun 11
One of our dear students in Copenhagen sent me this message this morning ♥️
Jun 10
Q: How does stress (and meditation) affect weight gain?
A: When you’re stressed, your body reacts by increasing the level of sugar in the blood. This is so that you have the energy to fight-or-flee.
The signal that drives this is originates in the hypothalamus. This is a region in the brain at the base of the skull connected to the pituitary gland.
The stress response triggers the hypothalamus to produce a neurotransmitter that stimulates the pituitary gland. This then produces the adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH).
ACTH is carried by the blood to the adrenal glands. This leads to the secretion of stress neurochemicals called corticoids. The most common, and the one many people have heard of, is cortisol.
A short term, genuine fight-or-flight response can be easily recovered from. However the body is not designed to handle the low-level ongoing release of these stress hormones. If you experience chronic stress, it has a negative effect across many of the body’s systems.
One of these is blood sugar levels. When your body is continually prepped for stress reactivity, it’s always on the hunt for energy.
This means insulin levels go up. This leads to:
- increased appetite
- weight gain (particularly visceral fat in the abdominal area)
- emotional imbalances
If this continues, it can lead to diabetes.
This is where Vedic Meditation helps.
Deep rest -> calmer mind -> less stress -> less variations in blood sugar -> more stable weight.
What are your experiences with weight gain and stress? Let me know.
~ Jillian
Jun 1
What a fantastic night hosting our panel talk “Vedic Meditation & Modern Psychology: A Conversation About the Meeting of Two Models”.
I joined chartered counselling psychologists @dr.sarah.jane and @fiona.mckinney63 in conversation with @michaelmillermeditation to explore an increasingly important question:
What happens when meditation and psychology meet?
Modern psychology offers valuable frameworks for understanding behaviour, emotional patterns and relationships. Vedic Meditation works at the level of the nervous system, allowing the body to access deep rest and release accumulated stress.
Throughout the evening, we discussed how these models intersect in real life — both professionally and personally.
Topics included:
• why deep rest changes the way we think and respond
• how meditation can support therapeutic work
• the role of the nervous system in emotional wellbeing
• why insight alone is not always enough for lasting change
One of the most interesting parts of the discussion was hearing from psychologists who are also long-term meditators and students at @londonmeditationcentre. The conversation moved beyond theory into lived experience.
We were joined by a thoughtful audience of meditators, therapists, psychologists and coaches, all wanting to deepen their understanding of this rich and evolving area.
The conversation was also recorded for an upcoming episode of Michael’s podcast #SpeakingOfMeditation.
Thank you to everyone who joined us — I’m excited to share the full conversation with you soon.
#VedicMeditation
#Psychology
#MentalWellbeing
Meditation
May 20
This is a very good article in @guardian (by #joelsnape) about acute stress vs chronic stress.
He discusses some coping mechanisms to deal with this issue. Slow breathing, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based techniques.
I agree that regulated breathing may help in the moment when you’re feeling strung out. Cognitive analysis can be helpful in understanding patterns over the medium term. And mindfulness techniques can try to orient you to the present moment.
However we need to move beyond managing stress. We need to remove stress.
If we look to the science, what actually releases stress is deep rest.
Rest is the antidote to stress. And this is what Vedic Meditation delivers.
I have taught thousands of people over two decades. Every time, the improvements I see, come from getting high quality rest on a daily basis.
This is why the #1 benefit in my book ‘Why Meditate? Because it Works’ is “Reduced Stress”.
When you know how to de-excite your nervous system you clear out old stress. This is a key benefit of Vedic Meditation.
Rest your system deeper than sleep in just 20 minutes.
By removing stress you build resilience to deal with the never-ending demands of the day.
#LearntoMeditate
#VedicMeditation
#WhyMeditateBecauseItWorks
May 18
Q: Why does my tracking device say I’m sleeping when I meditate?
A: Because your nervous system is resting very deeply.
Your tracking device is monitoring changes in a few key variables when you meditate:
- heart rate variability goes up
- resting heart rate goes down
- the accelerometer picks up on the fact that you’re very still
As a result, the device assumes you’re merely sleeping.
But it’s missing something important – oxygen metabolism.
Within minutes of practising Vedic Meditation your metabolic rate drops.
It’s this drop in both oxygen metabolism AND heart rate that point to an unprecedented level of rest.
Because the actual resting state in Vedic Meditation can be much deeper than sleep.
This is a completely new level of rest for the body. And it’s the opposite of what happens when you’re in the hyper-excited state of a stress reaction.
Of course, that’s good for you in many ways.
More energy, improved cardiac health, lower blood pressure and less stress.
What do you see on your device when you meditate? Let me know.
And if this has sparked another question, send it my way and I’ll answer it on another Meditation Monday.
~ Jillian
#MeditationMonday
#VedicMeditation
May 18
I loved catching up with my dear friend Nerina Ramlakhan @drnerina.
We meditated together.
She then shared the printout from her #OuraRing.
“Stress” was way down. “Restored” was way up.
The science of Vedic Meditation backs this up:
- powerful rest in just 20 minutes
- stress down
- anxiety reduced
- energy up
- calm restored
Thanks Nerina for sharing this and for all your work.
Nerina has written many books - her latest is “Finding Inner Safety”.
May 4
I’ve shared my go-to sleep recommendations with @redmagazine for their feature “7 daily habits sleep experts swear by”.
They aren’t all necessarily what you’d think:
• meditation (of course) is going to transform your sleep. The deep rest removes stress from the system, meaning you can settle more easily at night.
• eating your main meal at lunchtime. Switch to this, and you feel lighter and less heavy going to bed.
• go to bed early, around 10pm. Get up around 6am. This way, you’re aligning yourself with natural rhythms, and you’ll feel more energised as a result.
Thanks to @nicoladown1 for the article – check it out at the link in bio.
Apr 30
Q: What do you think about meditation apps – do they work?
A: If you want to get into meditation, apps can be a start.
- they’re easy to access
- they don’t ask much of you
- they’re relatively cheap
- they have a simple offering
But apps only take you so far.
I meet many people who’ve tried them and say similar things:
“I didn’t stick with it.”
“I don’t really know what I’m doing.”
“I’m not seeing much of a difference.”
“I’m trying to use my phone less, not more.”
For me, the important question is:
Do you have a regular practice that you look forward to?
Because meditation only works if you do it.
This is where apps have a problem.
Yes – there are low hurdles to starting.
But usage drops off quickly.
95% of people who download a meditation app stop within one month.
Only 4.7% continue after 30 days, and some estimates suggest average use is just 1–4 sessions.
That’s a terrible usage rate.
J. David Creswell, a health psychologist who has studied meditation apps, makes a similar point — they can be a helpful first step, but they’re unlikely to replace learning properly with a teacher or group.
I agree.
If an app gets you moving in the direction of learning meditation, that’s positive.
And that’s just the beginning.
The next step is to learn to actually meditate.
To go beyond simple guided relaxation.
To rest your mind and body deeply, self-sufficiently.
No internet connection.
No voice in your ear.
No dependency on a device.
If you’ve tried an app and it didn’t quite work, don’t stop there.
The reason you’re not meditating every day is not because you can’t do it.
It’s because technology cannot replace what is essentially a human, personal experience.
What are your experiences with using an app to try to relax? And if it’s sparked another question, send it my way and I’ll answer it on another Meditation Monday.
~ Jillian
#MeditationMonday
#VedicMeditation
Apr 27
I really enjoyed listening to fellow @dobookco authors @abbycornwall and @wavemakernick talk about their new book, Do Blue last night at @thenedlondon.
They talked a lot about the power of water to heal in ways that are accessible and growing in scientific understanding.
And their work at @thewave in Bristol is a shining example of how to bring community together through experiences in water. Very inspiring.
Apr 21
A beautiful celebration for our @londonmeditationcentre student Caroline Sylge on her new book, “How to Retreat”.
Congratulations Caroline - we know how much work, love and research has gone into creating this guide, and we’re honoured to be included in it (see the “Reclaim” chapter).
Founder of Queen of Retreats @theglobalretreatcompany, Caroline is expert in this field - you can find all sorts of ways to retreat in here, whoever you are, and whatever your budget or schedule.
Apr 20
Great to be in the @guardian @gdnsaturday today speaking with @rhiannonev about how Vedic Meditation impacts patience in children.
“When I teach children, they settle down very quickly. The first thing you notice is the change in their body. Children who were restless and fidgety are quiet and settled within minutes. They come out feeling calm and are more able to be patient when things don’t go as planned.”
@londonmeditationcentre @newyorkmeditation
Apr 18
