The Tale of Jacqui Lewis

Meditation will change your life. I know this because I was recently introduced to vedic meditation by Jacqui Lewis, co-founder of The Broad Place, a Sydney-based school for creativity, innovation and clarity. After four days of meditating twice a day for 20 minutes at a time, everything changed for me. Almost instantly I was more chilled out with the kids and more focused at work. I’d complete each job, one by one, rather than jumping from task to task and I generally felt more content. “Vedic meditation changed my entire life and I am very proud to teach it now and watch the impacts it has on the lives of others,” says Lewis, mother to nine-year-old Marley. “For me personally, I no longer suffer from anxiety, stress is absolutely minimal, I sleep better, I am healthier and I am a hundred times happier and more confident. Watching the same process unfurl in my students is such a joy.” Since becoming a mother Lewis says: “Life has changed for me in every possible way. For the better I believe now, although that belief eluded me for some time when my daughter Marley was a baby! The initial loss of independence really tested me to be honest. It took me some time to settle into being a mum and now I can’t imagine life not being a mum. I think this is the story line for many mums. I became remarkably efficient after having Marley and everything stacks up against time spent with her, so I am increasingly discerning with what I do with my time.” I’m so thrilled to have Lewis on the site today – she’s one of the most inspiring and grounding women you’ll ever meet and hopefully this tale will inspire you to start meditating. It’s a total game changer, will make you feel sane and I truly believe that EVERY mother should do it…

Motherhood has taught me…

To be totally present in each moment is the best type of parenting there is. That everything is evolution and ever changing, so not to get too attached to a particular stage that is perceived as good or as bad.

When Marley was a baby…

My beauty routine was entirely different to now and that was entirely different to how it was pre-Marley! I think that getting older and more comfortable in who I am has actually contributed more, and at the moment I am much more relaxed and happy in my own body and skin, so my beauty routine is pretty simple. I use a lot of Sodashi products as they’re heaven and based around Ayurvedic principles. I am obsessive about hydration in general and drink a lot of hot water, which I believe helps my digestion and thus my skin. Once a year I travel to India to experience panchakarma, which is heavy duty cleansing on the body, mind and spirit and this has done wonders for my nervous system and as a result how I look.

If you ignored my sugar addiction I think I would be classified as incredibly healthy…

I meditate twice a day, do daily gentle yoga and walk a lot and I rarely drink alcohol now and I eat really well. I eat whatever I feel like whenever I feel like it to be honest, and mostly eat breakfast around 9-10am and lunch around 3-4pm and I rarely have dinner as I teach in the evenings. If I have dinner, it’s usually a weekend at home or out to a restaurant, and I do love it. I do drink a fair amount of coffee as I enjoy it, and am conscious of monitoring how my nervous system feels to let me know if this is a good or a bad idea. I’m pretty high energy at the lowest of times, so caffeine and sugar can sometimes send me loopy and I have to keep an eye on it. I eat mostly plant-based foods, locally sourced. Travelling as much as I do presents it challenges. I won’t eat plane food unless it’s dire straights, so I have to be prepared and take my own. It certainly takes some effort.

The Broad Place we launched as a school for creativity, innovation and clarity…

It was something that my husband Arran and I deeply desired was available and so we created it ourselves as an experiment to see if others were after the same thing. Thankfully the experiment has been a resounding success! We have a school in Paddington and the Northern Beaches and are mobile, traveling all around Australia and major cities throughout the world. Our backgrounds are incredibly varied and have been of huge benefit to The Broad Place. I used to be an interior architect, designer and then in communications and was a brand strategist and co-founded with Arran an agency called Folke Army. We also launched our own restaurant, café and lounge bar in Sydney. Arran studied a double degree in fine art and visual communications and went on to found some cult fashion brands and a globally awarded vodka brand. We have launched, closed or sold out of 14 businesses between us over a combined 38 years between us and consulted for some incredible brands along the way. The Broad Place has been a creative melting pot of these things, and a new way of working for us, which involves following our instinct and challenging every thing we have learnt to date. It’s continually evolving

The Broad Place offers education, experiences and tools for better living…

This involves courses in vedic meditation, philosophy events, study programs, books and products. We also host advanced training and mentoring for individuals and workplaces around how to be more dynamic, conscious and creative and we also host retreats around Australia and in India

I love that the philosophy of Ayurveda and Vedic meditation stems from the same body of knowledge…

I found that there was a limited amount of product on the market that involved ancient wisdom for modern knowledge. And what was available didn’t line up with my aesthetic. Arran started to feel the same way (mostly about the design, he’s an aesthetic snob) and we decided to test the market with some slick product founded on ancient knowledge. This includes Dosha Balancing Body Oils and organic teas, copper drinking vessels, copper bangles and more. All our items are designed on ancient principles and/or on the concept of luxuries and pleasures should be daily.

When I became a mother, I owned my own PR and design business…

I worked straight through. I was only 25 years old and so I had a lot of stamina. If anything, I worked more determinedly and harder. The huge career shift for me to The Broad Place was the immense amount of stress I was under, and the anxiety I suffered which led me to vedic meditation and much study and work in learning ancient Eastern knowledge. I became obsessed with sharing with the world what I had learnt. Throwing it all into launch The Broad Place was more terrifying than having a baby.

I initially juggled work and motherhood without success…

I think I have a knack for it now and refuse now to feel guilty for working. And likewise when I am not at work I don’t feel guilty about that either – being self-employed can be a double-edged sword! I used to be constantly filled with guilt – if I was working I felt I should be with Marley, if I was with Marley, I felt I should be at work. It was a pretty awful time. Flexibility is only useful if you allow yourself it. Now I absolutely adore what I do, and I barely consider it work most of the time, so being away from Marley to work is easier most of the time. We chat about how important it is to contribute to the world and what I am trying to achieve, and I think for now she really respects that and finds it inspiring.

My tips for running a successful business are to…

Follow your instinct, test the market first, know when to adapt or quit – these are my top three rules to live by. Following your gut instinct and knowing that you’re onto something is vital. Testing the market is imperative. You might have the greatest idea in the world, but if the time isn’t right, it just won’t float. Testing the market on certain things minimises risk and allows you to be more flexible with your business long term. Knowing when to quit is so important. There’s so much ‘never quit, you’re almost there’ banter in entrepreneurial scenes. Honestly though, if something’s not working and you’re grinding yourself and your team into the ground, and creating massive amounts of stress as the ‘reward’ you hope is just a step away, it might not be worth it. So know when to move on or adapt. Flexibility is absolutely key, and evolution of any kind involved adaptability.

We’ve only been in our current home for a few months…

We were in the Eastern Suburbs and just moved to the Northern Beaches. I would describe our interior as light filled, gentle and warm. We always create a beautiful energy in our homes. Arran is very much into art and as you can see most of it hasn’t even been hung yet, but most of our things centre around this. We love Japanese design, and a minimal aesthetic when it comes to furniture. Arran would like to having us living like we were in a monastery such is his obsession with minimalism, I’m more of a mess.

Meditation is incredible…

There are so many types and they all get different results. I believe vedic meditation is the easiest to practice and it gets the greatest results. For mums, eliminating fatigue and stress from the nervous system is absolutely key. Additionally creating an inner world of calm that can be used as a resource on those days when you think you’re going crazy is ridiculously helpful!

A happy home is filled with…

Love, flexibility and no expectations. I read this recently and find it so true; Happiness = reality without expectations.

I only wear mostly white…

With a little navy or black and grey. It makes dressing incredibly simple. I’m a huge fan of Japanese brands Yaeca, Kapital, Evam Eva and also I wear some Jac+Jack and Acne. I love huge oversized white shirts, in soft cotton or linen and usually wear mens. I am a fan of Indian men’s kirtan pyjama style outfits with their lengthy shirts and massively baggy pants. My daughter is pretty much horrified at what I get around in, and frequently states ‘it’s getting looser and whiter mum’ with a look of horror. I definitely stand out in the school playground, which she’s being forced to get used to.

The hardest part of motherhood for me is…

Allowing my daughter to be who she truly is without my input. This is from language, to friends, through to what she wears to her creativity and her expression of it. It’s so easy to slightly control and manipulate with what ‘we know is best’. Truth of the matter is I have no real idea what is best, but she seems pretty confident, so we let her be who she wants more and more. This has presented its challenges along the way as we have quite strong and differing ideas on how life should go. The best part is watching this play out. I find her utterly fascinating and I have never mourned her ‘getting older’ in any way or missed her being a baby like I hear parents talk about all the time as it just gets cooler and more interesting.

My favourite part of the day is…

The hours before the sun rises are called Brahma Mahurt in Sanskrit and are a very special 1-2 hours as it moves from night to day, and I absolutely love being up at this time. It’s so still and quiet and I can hear my heart beat as I do my yoga. Also going to the beach when I can to see the sunrise and my morning meditation practice is non negotiable. I like to drink lots of hot water before making a hand ground and pressed coffee, and read one of the hundreds of books I have on the go. I am really into study, and there’s always something inspiring to digest early in the morning. I truly relish this time of the day.

We travel all the time…

Japan is our favourite, we frequent Hong Kong, and this year I will go to India three times and Hawaii for the first time. Next year there are multiple trips to America in the pipeline and of course we move around Australia a lot. We’re adding to our Exploration Manuals which are free travel guides for the conscious traveller – so we can share our highlights of each place we travel. Creating these is an epic undertaking as Arran and I do all the photography, writing, editing and graphic design, so they’re being added to slowly at the moment! Ubud, Indonesia is live and Tokyo and Hong Kong on their way

We offer Vedic Immersion Retreats in Australia…

They are four day and three night experiences for people to learn Vedic meditation and advanced practice and for existing Vedic meditators. They’re like a two week holiday in regards to stress release. We also host an annual India Retreat, a two week extravaganza for a complete Vedic experience of exploration, education, meditation, yoga and Ayurveda. In 2016 we are launching a few more nourishing retreat experiences, one in beautiful Byron Bay with our friends, watch this space!

Jacqui’s little list of loves:

To be honest I am currently obsessed with Marley and my husband Arran full stop. Marley has just turned 9 and is the funniest person I know and is growing into a rad little person who challenges me daily. Arran is the other best thing in my life, and I’m proud of the little unit we make up, and so experiencing life with the two of them is my favourite thing. Travel is always on my list. We travel a huge amount with our work and I love every moment of it as well as the holidays we take together. Travel for me is about being pushed outside of your comfort zone, and being truly flexible and adaptive. On another level it’s incredible relaxing when done well! Teaching vedic meditation – truthfully it’s as rewarding as parenting is. Working with my husband Arran is the most incredible experience. We have almost the exact same aesthetic, sometimes different ideas and a unique way of communicating together, and we work really well together. He’s my ultimate sounding board and co-creator and I couldn’t imagine not working with him on everything that we create together. Going to our local growers markets, I enjoy knowing that what I cook and eat is from nearby. I love cooking and Ottelenghi’s new book Plenty More is providing lots of inspiration Spending time in Japan, especially Tokyo brings me an immense sense of calm, clarity and inspiration. Photography: Grace Alyssa Kyo