42.9%
of Australians aged 16–85 have experienced a mental disorder at some point in their lives.
A healthier Australia starts with being here.
Life asks a lot of us.
Which is why, more than ever, being here matters.
Vedic Meditation offers a way.
Simple to learn.
Effortless to practise.
Made for real life.
02Why prevention matters
Everyday Australians are carrying more than they realise.
And often, we only notice once it starts taking a toll.
For many of us, it’s only when life becomes too much that we think about asking for help.
Helping people earlier gives them more opportunity to care for their mental and physical health before stress contributes to more serious illness.
And stress doesn’t just affect our mental health. It can also influence our physical health over time.
More than 1 in 5
Australians experienced a mental disorder within a 12-month period.
The Be Here Project exists to make Vedic Meditation, education and community support more accessible as part of a broader approach to preventing and helping control mental and physical illnesses associated with stress, including anxiety disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
And let’s be clear: we’re not saying Vedic Meditation is the answer to everything.
What we are saying is that it’s one of the most valuable things we’ve ever learned.
We’ve seen what it can make possible.
And we want more people to have the opportunity to experience it for themselves.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2020–2022.
03Why Vedic Meditation?
There are many ways to meditate.
Some ask us to concentrate or control our thoughts.
Others guide the mind towards a particular experience.
Some involve a specific posture, setting or ritual.
Vedic Meditation takes a different approach.
We sit comfortably, close our eyes and use our personalised mantra silently, just as we’ve been taught.
Rather than asking the mind to focus or become quiet, the technique works with its natural tendency to move towards greater ease and satisfaction.
Thoughts are not a problem.
There is nothing to force.
Nothing to hold onto.
Nothing to get right.
Using the mantra, the mind settles in its own way, allowing the body to experience deep rest.
Over time, regular practice may support recovery from the effects of stress and help reduce the long-term impact stress can have on our mental and physical health.
And while the practice itself can feel deeply restful, it isn’t about escaping life.
It’s about closing our eyes, experiencing deep rest, and then opening them with more presence for the people, moments and life around us.
Twenty minutes.
Twice a day.
That’s it.
Then you simply get on with your life.
04Learn Vedic Meditation
A simple technique that stays with you for life.
Learn in person with a qualified teacher over four consecutive days in a small group.
Day 1
Receive your personalised mantra and learn how to meditate.
Days 2–4
Deepen your understanding, ask questions and learn how to make the practice part of everyday life.
By the end of day four, you’ll have everything you need to begin meditating confidently on your own.
No previous experience is required.
You do not need to arrive calm.
Or focused.
Or “good at meditation.”
You don’t even need to be sure it will work.
You simply need to be curious enough to begin.
We offer a sliding-scale investment, along with partial subsidies and full scholarships, because cost should never be the reason someone misses out.
Learn Vedic Meditation05You’re not doing this alone.
Meditation is a personal practice, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a solitary one.
After the course, you’ll always be welcome.
Join us for regular group meditations, sunrise gatherings, wisdom talks and our biennial HERE Festival.
Some are for course graduates.
Some are open to everyone.
And we’ll be here whenever you’d like to connect.
Ways to connect
01
Group Meditation
Exclusive to course graduates.
Meditate together, ask questions and stay connected with the community.
02
Sunrise Gathering
Open to everyone.
A simple way to begin the day with quiet, tea and good company.
03
Wisdom Talks
Open to everyone.
Thoughtful conversations about meditation, health and living well.
04
HERE Festival
Open to everyone.
A month-long celebration of meditation, wisdom and community.
06From personal practice to community impact
Every person who learns Vedic Meditation is one more person better equipped to care for their own health.
Over time, healthier people help create healthier families, stronger workplaces and more connected communities.
That’s why The Be Here Project exists.
Where we’re growing
Be Here Nowra
Where it all began.
A growing community helping people learn Vedic Meditation and stay connected long after the course ends.
Be Here Newcastle
Where we’re going next.
Building on everything we’ve learned in Nowra to help make Vedic Meditation more accessible in Newcastle.
Bring Be Here to your community
Have an idea for where The Be Here Project could make a difference? We’d love to hear from you.
We’re always open to conversations with people who share our vision of a healthier Australia, one community at a time.
07See what happened in Nowra
You can read about a community.
Or you can meet one.
The Be Here Nowra documentary trailer and the ABC Compass episode offer a glimpse into the people, the practice and the community that gave rise to The Be Here Project.
08Nowra showed us what’s possible
The Be Here Project didn’t begin as a national movement.
It began with one community.
Over the past few years, hundreds of people have learned Vedic Meditation through Be Here Nowra.
What started with one meditation course has grown into a place where people gather to learn, connect, support one another and contribute to the health of their community.
The Be Here Project is our way of taking what we’ve learned in Nowra and making it available to more communities across Australia.
09Our vision
A world where everyone has the tools to be here.
For themselves.
For each other.
For the future.
10Be part of what comes next
Acknowledgement of Country
The Be Here Project acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waters on which we live, learn, teach and gather.
Our work began in the Shoalhaven, and we recognise the First Peoples of the Shoalhaven and their continuing connection to Country, culture, and community.
We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging.