Hugh Jackman’s Meditation Journey

and let's begin today's journey. One hour before showtime, Hugh Jackman found a quiet place to sit down and meditate for twenty minutes before he hosted the Academy Awards on global television. He meditates before he goes on stage. He meditates in the morning and at lunchtime when he's on a film set. For him, meditation is like a twice daily reboot, allowing him to access his own inner, steady world, a far disc and cry from the chaotic celebrity world

he often moves through. I've been very fortunate over the past many years to teach many thousands of people transcendental meditation from CEOs of fortune, one d Companies, two nurses on the front lines of the COVID nineteen pandemic to veterans who suffered from PTSD. Along the way, have also taught quite a few famous entertainers. Among the best, meaning, most authentic, kindest, and wisest would have to be Hugh Jackman and his extraordinarily talented wife Debra Lee, and their

two kids, Oscar and Ava. A mutual friend introduced me to Hugh and deb They were interested in the meditation not for themselves, but for their son, Oscar, who was twelve years old at the time. Oscar was an amazing kid. We would have long conversations about anthropology, history, religion, philosophy. Sometimes it was hard for me to keep up. Oscar took to the meditation so quickly, and his parents were

so impressed that they asked to learn themselves. Actually, Hugh had first learned to meditate while in drama school in Australia, but he asked for a reboot. That was nine years ago, and since then meditation has been his friend through innumerable films, theatrical productions, concerts, you name it. Hugh works very hard, takes his craft very seriously, and is at the top

of his game. But he's also keenly aware that he lives a privileged life that his stresses are not anywhere near that of a woman dealing with domestic violence or a child growing up in a high crime neighborhood. But for Hugh they are. His stress is none the less, and he appreciates how much meditation helps him deal with it all. There's a level of stress to my job that's easy to get caught up in. Hugh says. You don't necess necessarily know what's coming up next month or

next year. It doesn't matter how long you've been doing it. Each new role or each new job you do, whether it's hosting or an acting role, or film or theater, there's an element about it that's risky, that's frightening, and they can bring stress. I used to find it difficult to cope with. I would internalize it. Now with meditation, it's still there, but so much less. When I meditate, he says, I'm connecting to my true self, which is

this calm, peaceful, blissful, limitless self. And that's how meditation has helped. People say, Oh, you're so down to earth. No, it's just that meditation makes me see what's true and real. The wonderful thing about Hugh and deborahly is, how kind they are in their personal lives, how generous they are with their time, resources and energy to help countless charities, including the David Lynch Foundation, create a kinder, more, just,

more prosperous life for people in need. I'm deeply grateful to them and to everyone who, in some way every day contributes their fair share to create a better world. All right, let's end this time together doing something that I think should be a feature of our everyday life, and that's appreciation and gratitude. So let's take thirty seconds of quiet, thirty seconds to take a break, just take a moment. It turns out when we do that, it's good for our health as well. I'll be right back,

all right. Thank you for joining me today. I hope you heard something that inspires, that uplifts you and that you can incorporate into your own life. This is Bob Roth. Stay calm, hey, all of you out there, I'd love to hear from you. You can send me your stories, your questions, or anything else on your mind. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram at meditation Bob. You can also send me an email at Meditation Bob Roth. At gmail dot com. I look forward to hearing from you.