Vedic Meditator Catherine Asta has written a new book, Rediscovered — a must-read for anyone navigating late-discovered autism and deep personal transformation. In her book Catherine speaks about the trifecta of tools which helped her rediscover herself, and better understand her autistic self.

One pillar of this toolkit is Vedic Meditation, which she discovered after reading Jillian Lavender’s book, Why Meditate? Because it works.

The following is an extract from Catherine’s book, Rediscovered.

Vedic meditation

… I discovered Vedic meditation. I was clearly seeking something out that could access a deeper, unconscious level and was craving peace and calm, because my mind works at lightning speed and never stops.

I read the book Why Meditate, Because it Works (Lavender, 2021) which introduced me to the concept of Vedic Meditation. This led me to discover a wonderful Australian woman, Melanie, co-founder of ‘The Soft Road’ in my hometown, we connected and she taught me how to meditate the Vedic way.

Vedic Meditation comes from ‘the Veda, the ancient body of knowledge from India. The Veda is the source of yoga, meditation, and Ayurvedic medicine and is the basis of all Eastern philosophy’ (The London Meditation Centre, 2024).

I was a little apprehensive about starting, having convinced myself that there would be absolutely no way my mind would quieten itself to meditate for 20 minutes, twice a day, every day. But the benefit of Vedic Meditation (and I’m sure why it works so well for my ‘always on’ mind) is that you are given a mantra, a sound that you repeat in your head, and it’s this mantra that quiets the mind.

And as my mind settled it began to create movement to the sound in my mind – from observing waves on a beach, to being sat on a swing. I noticed that my mind was creating movement that I found deeply meditative, movement that enabled me to access a part of myself I’ve never visited before. In my first session Melanie guided me, and I meditated for 20 minutes….In that time I felt such a profound connection to myself, my mind took me to a place of complete peace and happiness, and I had an intense wave of emotion.

After that first session I felt peaceful and content, and with a newfound connection to myself and my inner world I can honestly say I’ve never felt before. When we talk about dialling down our nervous system, and dialling up our relaxation response, this was it in practice for me.

Buy Rediscovered: A Compassionate and Courageous Guide For Late Discovered Autistic Women (and Their Allies) here.