Camilla Baker

I was not looking for Meditation. If anything I was very resistant to the 'mumbo-jumbo'. And anyways, I was fine, thanks - totally fine. I was doing well on the ticksheet of life: meaningful job - check, promotion - check, home ownership - check, boyfriend -check. Until everything went in to freefall.

And as things fell apart, I met a stalwart drinking buddy at the time, an insomniac stressed by his soul-sapping job. But he stood before me in ruddy health, glowing and well slept. When had this happened? and - most importantly - How?

When I look back at the weekend I learnt to meditate, I remember buying peaches, cycling across the city and returning a sauté pan to my ex. I left my job within weeks, and moved house within the year.

These days I live a life my old self would call miraculous. Dreams I never dared to express have come true. I became a (solo) mum in my 40s, and I live in a place I love. No more ticksheet - life is not a series of successes to achieve, but a flow of fulfilment and bliss to be enjoyed and savoured.

I still work as a school teacher, it suits my life at the moment and the kids are fun. I run Cacao Ceremonies and Wellness Events that allow anyone to nurture their own connection to nature. And whenever I am called to, I teach Vedic Meditation - my favourite thing to teach. It is a simple, natural practice that contains all you need to become self-sufficient in stress-release. It has opened up my life beyond my wildest imaginings - come and it could do the same for you. All it takes is an open curiosity and a willingness to follow a few simple instructions.