Q&A with Julia Gundermann

Hi, I am Julia and I created Naamasté in 2013. Naam Yoga brought peace, clarity, meaning and health to my own life, so this is my way to share and teach its principles and practice with my clients.

But first, a little about my journey. Even as a child I was fascinated by luxury, boutique Hotels and their exquisite level of hospitality. In fact, I dreamt of running and owning my own hotel one day. So after gaining a Bachelor in International Hospitality Management and working in 5 Star hotels, I joined a company that invested in exclusive hotels, and marketed equally luxurious products. I relished the opportunity to learn about business, while enjoying the glamour and travel of my industry, setting up the New Zealand office and hosting VIP events for international clients during the 2011 Rugby World Cup. As the Chairman’s Personal Assistant, I also took care of his personal and business activities. Life was busy!

Working this high-pressure job across different time zones eventually took its toll, and I completely burned out (at the ripe old age of 22). Realising that money and prestige don’t equal happiness, I quit, refocused completely, and embarked on a journey to discover my life purpose. I knew I still wanted to do something that made people feel very welcome, cared for and special.

They say that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Well, my teacher was Naam Yoga. Realising my purpose to help people achieve harmony and balance in their everyday lives, I retrained as a Naam Yoga Therapies (RYT 200 with Yoga Alliance) teacher in Mexico and a Harmonyum Healing practitioner in Prague. Looking back, that burnout was the best thing that happened to me.

Remember above I talked about luxury? In our increasingly busy lives, the luxury we seek most (which so often eludes us) is simply time spent caring for ourselves. Naamasté is about helping people like you rediscover this luxury, and letting the positive benefits of regular practice enrich your whole life.

Meditation is a wonderful tool to create space in our mind, find inner peace and lasting happiness. It allows us to rewire our brain in order to think, feel and act positive and stay in calm control within this hyperconnected world we live in. Meditation allows us to focus on our 'inner world' so that we may let go of the misery that comes from comparing ourselves to others.

From my own experience, I know that if I practiced meditation while working in my busy corporate job, I could have prevented burnout and managed the stress levels much better.

If you have time to take a shower and brush your teeth in the morning, you have time to meditate. Modern medicine still hasn't found a way to clear the mind. That’s what meditation does. Simply think of it as part of a daily routine to detox the mind and stay fresh.

Gabrielle Bernstein's comment is very accurate; she tells people who say they don't have time to meditate: "Do you have time to feel like shit?" – It's the truth!

Meditation is preventive medicine, and like homeopathy, needs to be practiced consistently and regularly in order to witness its magical effects on your mental, emotional and physical health & wellbeing. My mantra is: achieve more by slowing down. Make time to do something really good for yourself, and you'll be grateful in the long term. Don't trust me, try it for yourself!

Apart from the many health benefits that studies and scientific research are promoting lately (read this fantastic article), it is time to let our hearts lead the way, not our minds. We can only find our own truth and purpose in our lives when we are centred in our hearts. Meditation is about the journey of connecting to something greater than yourself and following your intuition.

According to Deepak Chopra, the average person thinks about 50,000 thoughts per day. Wouldn't it be nice to organise this chaos in our mind and experience total clarity? 

Yes! In addition to my daily meditation practice (morning and evening), I also do Naam Yoga and go for brisk walks in the morning. I love mudras (healing hand postures) for their simplicity and effectiveness. It's great to be able to sit back for a moment, come back to the breath and hold a mudra. Within minutes you feel better and you can do it anywhere! Above all, the key to wellbeing is to know and respect your body.

There are many articles, books and research published at the moment that really demystify this ancient practice. Doctors increasingly recommend meditation as complementary therapy. Corporations like Google for instance, offer meditation as part of staff wellbeing, which in turn increases productivity.

I have a dream that one day everyone embraces the benefits of meditation, board meetings begin with a short meditation exercise and every household knows of these techniques to help themselves and their community.

Absolutely! Kids love Naam Meditation because singing the mantras and working with sound makes it so fun. Chanting meditations would be the easiest way to get kids started, they don't need to sit quietly crossed-legged on the floor, they can move with the music and just chant along. Mantra simply means "mind projection" and is the art of using sounds chosen for their specific rhythms and vibrational patterns that automatically slow the breath and calm the mind. Meditation for kids could be helpful to induce a restful sleep, or used in schools to get children to settle for class.

I remember that one of my friends at my Naam Yoga Therapies teacher training in Mexico last year used to chant a (relatively complicated) mantra during pregnancy. When her son was born, that mantra would be the solution to get him to sleep and before he he learned to talk he would request that mantra and chant along, because he intuitively knew he needed it. 

The beauty of meditation is that it can be practiced anywhere, at any time. I like to practice in my studio which is flooded with natural sunlight during the day and has a beautiful, clear healing energy. It's very minimalist and pure and decorated with inspirational quotes and books, candles, a Buddha and fresh flowers.

I also like to meditate at the beach, it's very peaceful and the smell and sounds of the sea add the extra zen factor to the practice.

I have many! But my absolute favourite is “Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Say So Hung”. It's a universal healing mantra that has been chanted by yogis for thousands of years and it’s the reason I became a Naam Yoga Therapies teacher. This mantra works on depression, anxiety, worry and fear and burns the seed of dis-ease. I like the adagio version on “The Healing Beat of Naam” CD on Rootlight.

I practice and teach Naam Meditation, which uses easy to learn, rhythmic chanting (with music), even the busiest minds can reach a relaxed, meditative state.

Naam means word, sound or vibration which is a positive affirmation that infuses every cell with energy. Sound allows us to change at a cellular level, rewiring our thoughts and patterns. It's is truly the quickest and easiest way I know to clear your mind and change your thought patterns, because chanting mantra (which I admit in the beginning may seem weird) creates a calm focus that takes you out of your mind and into your heart. Using the voice further stimulates the throat chakra (energy centre) which supports authentic communication.

Most people find it easier than to meditate in silence, because when we try to think of nothing, we usually start thinking about everything! Therefore, focusing on the word does not allow any opportunity to think of anything else and being in the 'now' is easily achieved. 

Choose a nice, quiet place in your home where you cannot be easily distracted and decorate it with things that make you happy. You might like to decorate it with beautiful photographs or artwork, inspirational quotes and candles, crystals (if you're into it), flowers...

A meditation space is very personal so you have to create your own and see and feel what works for you!

At work you may just like to take a picture that immediately gives you a sense of calm, peace and wellbeing. For example a picture of your last holiday or flowing water. Then use that image while you connect with your breath, maybe hold a mudra (i.e. Gyan mudra is always a favourite: bring thumb and index fingertips to touch, resting comfortably on your knees with the palms facing up. This mudra reduces stress, is good for the nerves and works on your brain and memory). 

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift… and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift” – Albert Einstein