Latest / The Inner Well Podcast / What is The Inner Well? Dive Deeper. Live Better.
Transcript
- The Inner Well Podcast: We all contain a space within that when enlivened and nourished will support us with unwavering stability, expansion, and peace of mind. Join us each week as we dive into honest, grounded conversations about transcendental meditation, consciousness, and growth, and what it means to live an integrated life supported by a foundation of creativity and calm. This is the inner wealth. Hi, welcome. My name is Danielle Freeberg and I am a Transcendental Meditation teacher in Nashville, Tennessee. I've been teaching this amazing technique for about 16 years now and I'm here with two of my dear friends and colleagues and we're starting this podcast called The Inner Well. So welcome. We're so excited that you're here and excited to dive into some really deep, beautiful conversations with you about transcendental meditation, consciousness, and the meaning that all of this has in our modern lives today. My name is Megan Williams, and I have been practicing TM for almost 20 years now, and I've been teaching for 10. I'm incredibly passionate about having the opportunity to be here with these two lovely ladies and present you with this information that really allows for a more optimum quality of life, being able to move from that inner well into outer fullness. Hi, everyone. I'm Emily FitzRandolph. I'm a Transcendental Meditation teacher. teach in Los Angeles. I've been teaching for about seven years and meditating for a very long time. And I'm so excited to be here with you and talk about this topic. and explore what does the inner well mean. And we're gonna get into that today. We're gonna talk about what is this concept of the inner well? How do we experience the inner well in our own lives? I love transcendental meditation because it's based on an experience. It's not an intellectual thing. It's not something abstract. It's actually very real. But we're gonna start by defining that today. Before we get into it though, why are we doing this podcast? Such a good question. You know, I got really excited when we... started talking about this idea. And for me, you know, for one thing, there's a lot of misinformation or confusion out there around what is transcendental meditation. You know, this word transcendental is thrown around a lot. People use it to describe all kinds of things. So we wanted to talk about what is this technique? It's a very simple, systematic technique, and it's very specific. And so we wanted to talk about what is TM? How can we make this very relevant to you and connect you with this beautiful topic. So we're going to talk to a lot of interesting people and students and experts to share their experiences. you know what I really liked is when we were all sitting around and we were trying to come up with a name for this podcast, what are we going to call it? And we landed on this idea of the inner well, because to all of us, that's what transcendental meditation really allows for this capacity to dive deep into a space inside you that allows for a consistent experience of expansion, of fullness, of nervous system regulation. We'll talk a little bit more about what that means. But this whole idea of this inner well that you can dip into and consistently replenish yourself. So I think I'm just really excited to present this idea of internal regulation for external fullness. So beautifully said. Just for me briefly, the why of this podcast, there's so much information out there. You say that Emily, you said misinformation. Anyone can put anything on the internet. there's just so many different techniques out there. There's so much available today. And this particular technique of TM is something that I feel really lucky to. have learned and has had this practice as a foundational part of my life for so long. And the first question I always get asked when it comes up that I practice this, that I teach it is, what is transcendental meditation? How is it different from other forms of meditation? So our next episode is going to dive really in depth into answering that question. Today, we wanted to lay the groundwork for this concept of the inner well, since that's the name of the podcast and the reference point. that we'll use moving forward. So if you're wondering what's this transcendental meditation that we're talking about, in the next episode, we're going to go really in depth into answering that question. But today, let's talk about the inner well. I think one of the foundational places to start is to talk about nervous system regulation, what that is. What does that look like? What does that feel like? How does that impact our reality? And I can be very honest with you guys about the fact that when I came to learn TM, I was in a space of nervous system dysregulation. I had a very stressful corporate job and my TM teacher was the first person to present this idea of nervous system regulation to me. The nervous system is what allows for your visceral experience of your reality. The nervous system is what allows us to physically feel happy, sad, anxious, fearful. All of these human emotions that we have filter through our nervous system and that our nervous system responds accordingly. And so being able to sustain nervous system regulation means that you have the capacity to process your reality in a space that allows for a grounded stillness, acceptance, resiliency, all of that being so important to be able to allow us to enjoy our lives and really feel like we're showing up in all the ways that we want to. And so one of the things that I like to use when I describe this idea of nervous system regulation is actually, and this came to me from ⁓ the most pivotal mentor of mine that I've had in my journey, who was also a TM teacher. And he explained to me that nervous systems run on a spectrum. We have what he referred to as orchid nervous systems, and we have sunflower nervous systems. The orchid nervous systems, you you think of an orchid, how many of us have tried to? grow orchids or maintain orchids, right? I do not have a green thumb. I'm a gardener and I grow lots of things. I have killed probably dozens of orchids over the years. Myself as well. mean, it's they're not the easiest plants to be able to sustain. And that's because there's a sensitivity to them. You know, the orchid nervous systems, just like the orchid itself requires just the right amount of light, just the right amount of shade, just the right amount of heat, just the right amount of cool. There's all of these elements required to be in balance in order for that particular nervous system to feel regulated. And so these orchid nervous systems, they have this capacity for empathy, for emotion, for sensitivity. And it makes their inner world a very vibrant space. Their capacity for go, go, go, go, go is not as available necessarily as the sunflower nervous system, right? Now the sunflower nervous system, just like a sunflower, know, a sunflower can be in full sun and thrive vibrantly, you know? So these are like your entrepreneurs and your doctors and your actors and these people out there that have this capacity for showing up for life with this consistent momentum that is consistently replenishing itself. They can go, go, go, go, go and do it very effectively and sustain bandwidth and sustain regulation even amidst very challenging external experiences. And so those that fall in the middle, You know, like I would say, Emily's more of a middle ground. She can successfully do both. Being able to have that level of self-awareness to understand how your particular nervous system shows up for you and what you need to sustain that regulation point is powerful knowledge. I love this. I think that, you know, this whole concept of sunflower and orchid, it makes it so clear to me. As it relates to a meditation practice, it can even be What are we experiencing in the meditation outside in our life? As you'll learn from future episodes or if you already practice TM, we know that we're not meditating for the sake of meditation with transcendental meditation. We're meditating for how our life becomes more full for the benefits we get outside of meditation. And I really resonated with this because yes, like you said, I think I fall somewhere in the middle, right? I sometimes wish I was a sunflower and I wish I could go endlessly and I think, I need some rest. need some, you know, why can't I just keep pushing through? But I can't. When I try, it doesn't really work for me. And then on the other hand, I'm not as sensitive as some of my orchid sisters who are, you know, and I just fall in the middle there, but I love this concept. And it also makes it really clear, you know, for anyone listening who's, again, practices TM or is curious about meditation. The reason why we're talking about this in this topic of the inner well is that our nervous system is, like we've discussed, it's like the container, right? The inner well is what we experience, ourself, that unbounded space inside that influences our reality. Our nervous system is the container, but a nervous system going through the world, operating in life, will be more heavily influenced by outside or less influenced based on what's happening. And so what I define as the inner well for me is the ability to not be so overshadowed by things, to not be going through life just at the mercy of all of the situations and circumstances and very real things that are happening, but a little bit more fluid, a little bit more in the flow. And so I can now take this. wonderful framework of how does my nervous system operate and how does that inner well influence my nervous system so that I can just be my full self. So it's fascinating when you think about it in this context. Yeah, and when you shared that analogy the other day, was an immediately, ⁓ I'm a sunflower. Like that just resonated and I had garden and my sunflowers are always thriving. One of the ways that I often describe the effect that TM has had in my life is that one, I can't imagine my life without it. Like it is such a foundational piece of just everything else that I do in terms of wellbeing, balance, having the capacity to do all the things I wanna do in life because I am a doer. And I think if I did not have this practice of transcendental meditation, that ability to access the inner well, access that source of energy, that source of balance, that source of clarity. I don't know that I would have the capacity to show up for life and all the things that I love in as meaningful and fulfilling of a way. The other way that I sometimes think, and the way you said overshadowed, to me it's just, it's a connection to that place where everything is okay. In the midst of the... inevitable ups and downs that life is gonna bring. Life, this human thing is a wild ride. We're all gonna go through challenges, struggles, ups and downs, twists and turns. ⁓ But I find that very quickly I come back to this place of centeredness, balance, calm, and just this knowingness that I'm okay, that things will be okay. Even if, mean, huh. It happened on the way over here. There was a moment, I realized like, we're over here, I messed up the schedule. I own that, I messed up the schedule. Had a moment of panic and like almost got really anxious. It lasted about 30 seconds. And then it was kind of like, okay, it's okay, I've handled, I'm back. And now here we are having a conversation about this and I feel fine. I think if I didn't have this practice, that would have derailed the whole day. 100%. Yeah, and that's exactly what I mean by this overshadowing, right? We can all identify with that moment. Something happens, we just lose ourself, right? Now that can happen. It's not that we're never going to have stress, but less time losing ourself, less time being just completely overshadowed. And I think you, Danielle, really, it's absolutely evident that you've been meditating for decades because, yes, naturally your nervous system is sunflower. We can say that. but you've also filled it up, right? And it shows in your nervous system, Megan, that you have this beautiful depth and sensitivity and ability to just be exactly where you need to be both with yourself intuitively and in the world. And so I think that's what's so special also just about having the three of us with our different personalities and nervous systems talking about this. And we invite you as you listen to our podcast and get involved in this is explore for yourself, reflect for yourself. What is the inner well to you? How do you relate to this? How does this inner well fill you up and how do you engage with the world? But I thought that was really fascinating how we were talking about the different ways that different nervous systems experience the technique itself. Yeah, and I think that's exactly right. Like that's one of the misconceptions that I want to talk about on this show is that You have an idea that a meditation technique, again, is supposed to be flashy. Or you even hear this word transcendental. Many times people will say, well, doesn't that mean we're ascending? And I think you're thinking of ascending, not transcending. They feel that they're gonna have this sort of wild outside themselves experience. But that's exactly what we're talking about. With TM, we feel more ourself, whatever that self is. So maybe we do have those quiet, expansive, you know, experiences, or they can feel unique. But other times, it really shows up outside in our activity. And that's certainly how this technique shows up for me. That quietness, that stillness is there, that subtlety is there, but the way that I experience subtlety is then I come out into activity and I feel more capable of being present with people, listening in a conversation. picking up on the nuance, and that allows me to be more engaged and more present. So it is, it's fascinating, and I think something that we'll continue to explore more as we go. Yeah, and I also think it's worth mentioning that the beauty of a technique like this that allows for this mind-body connection that is so powerful and so extensive, it's going to show up in whatever way is most necessary for your particular nervous system to establish and sustain a regulated space. Like for me, I tend to get very overshadowed by my external reality, because my nervous system as an orchid nervous system tends to get very overstimulated very easily. And so when I dip into the inner well, well is such a beautiful description for me, because it does feel like so much depth. There are experiences that just feel very silent, very blissful. And that's how my particular nervous system recharges. Through that depth and sensitivity expression, all of that is what facilitates a level of regulation for the orchid nervous system to be able to sustain a grounded space. and then come out and perform activity, live life without being overshadowed by the stimulation that comes with that. Every single person has that inside of them and has access to it. And it's so beautiful and really exciting to see how it shows up in different people's lives as they begin to access it during meditation and then naturally allow the effects of that to integrate into our daily life. And one thing that I love about it is that it is an experience. I'm a practical person. It's simple. It's practical. You do it, and then you go about your life. I love what you said. And I want to emphasize again a point you made, because exactly, that this is a technique. A technique is something that is systematic. You just set up the conditions, and it happens again and again and again and again. So right, we're not. learning how to think in a different way or tap into some area or get to a place, right? The technique of TM doesn't take practice to learn. You actually learn it very quickly and you just access that place very quickly. But then what happens is with more regular access, more experience of it, it grows and grows and grows and grows. So now you're expanding the conscious capacity of your mind, of your being to now bring that inner well up to the surface all the time. But that's it. That it's not anything intellectual. It's systematic. It's a technique. And I love that too. ⁓ It's foolproof. Anybody can do it. It works. ⁓ And I think the cool thing too is that when you actually come to learn the technique, what you learn, you already had that capacity within you. You just had to have the right knowledge to unlock the door. You know, that's, think one of the things I'm most excited about with this podcast is learning how that inner well shows up differently for every particular nervous system. You know, as we interview our students and we talked to one of them yesterday, his experience with the inner well was unique to him, you know, different from yours, different from mine, different from yours. And so it celebrates the individuality of the human condition. which I think is a beautiful thing because although we're all connected from this deep inner space, our individual reality is always going to be celebrated and acknowledged and our humanity is always gonna show up. And being able to have a technique that connects you to that deep well inside that we all possess while still sustaining your own individuality is a really beautiful combination. as we go through this podcast, what you can expect to see, we're going to have some that are discussions like this between the three of us hosting this each month, we'll have different themes that explore just different elements of the human experience that are universal to everyone and how the inner well access through transcendental meditations supports all these different areas of life. We'll also talk to our students, to experts. We're going to really dive into the history and the heritage of this technique. We're so excited. Thank you for being here with us. And we can't wait to continue to dive into these conversations about the inner wealth. Transcendental meditation is a scientifically validated technique that provides access to become more ourselves. Join us next week for more conversations with real people living fulfilling and peaceful lives with infinite support from their inner wealth.