ABOUT ARIAN YOUNG

The Early Days

How did a former Tibetan Buddhist nun who has been meditating for over 30 years, find herself returning to Melbourne after living in Asia, Europe and USA? Arian Young discovered meditation at the confused age of 18, when a very kind friend who was a psychiatric nurse, introduced her to a sequence of deep breathing and mind stilling techniques which helped her enormously with anxiety and nervousness. This proved to be a god-send because during winter in the same year, she naively indulged on one too many psychedelic mushrooms. Consequently, she hallucinated for several days which resulted in a temporary nervous breakdown. As part of her recovery, meditation amongst other modalities, helped to ground her and, bring her back to health. The 'accidental' mushroom incident was fate; it was enough to remove the desire for any further experimentation with mind-altering substances. Little did she know that in years to come, meditation would prove to be a safer way to experience positive states of altered consciousness. 

Arian on daily duties with her dharma sisters at Hsi Lai Temple Monastery Los Angeles 1988

In 1981 in a second hand book store at university, she stumbled upon the title, 'Zen Mind, Beginners Mind' by Shunryu Suzuki, one enigmatic phrase jumped out, “In the beginners mind, there are endless possibilities, in the expert’s mind, there are a few.” The innocence of this powerful enquiry resonated deeply, triggering questions around life’s deeper meaning, its purpose and how to live. 

Life And Death

Whilst working in radio at Queensland University in the early 1980s, she was introduced to Inta Mckinn, a fiercely bright and eccentric woman who was a Jungian analyst, painter, musician and Tibetan Buddhist teacher.

Arian taking a rest from being a nun and having some fun. Fo Guang Shan Monastery, Kaohsiung Taiwan 1989

In amongst the meditation and Buddhist psychology, Inta was able to confirm that Arian’s near death experiences of almost drowning when she was 21 in the Southern Ocean and later at 23, in Cairns, replicated the quiet surrender and authentic trust meditation can offer. Now Arian claims you don’t have to go to great extremes, such as drowning, to experience serenity and peace. What was clearly evident, was that both meditation and, giving over to a near death experience, twice; not only induced profound states of being, but confirmed, that no matter what situation you find yourself in; it’s never as bad as you think.

This completely defied conventional thinking and existence, as she knew it.

Buddhist Nun

Her various Buddhist teachers expanded further on these meditative experiences as she travelled the world, engaging the Gelugpa tradition of Lama Tsong Khapa Tibetan Buddhism, Chu’an Zen Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism. Eventually this lead to her ordination in the late 1980s with Geshe Tsultrim Gyeltsen and Master Hsing Yun at the Triple Platform Ordination for novice nuns and for nuns seeking higher ordination as Bikshunis at the Ch’uan (Zen) monastery Hsi Lai Temple, outside Los Angeles. Living in monasteries and women’s hermitages in Asia, Europe and the USA, inspired a life of service, devotion and rebellion, especially when prompted by one master who said, “Everything you have ever known, leave at the front gate.”

Arian with one of her delightful dharma sisters. Fo Guang Shan Monastery, Kaohsiung Taiwan 1989

East Meets West

Living in a forest monastery that had a traditional chinese medicine clinic for their monks, nuns and surrounding villages, inspired the inevitable desire to learn chinese medicine. Arian's journey with oriental healing and the intuitive arts was born, which led to further training and study, including chi gong, wai dan gong and wu chi in the USA. This was to eventually complement her training and love for bodywork, soul centred psychotherapy, Jungian analysis and dream work, as well as, thought field therapy and ecstatic trance dance. Several years of part time actor training at the VCA and a passion for script writing which she studied at RMIT University, prepared her for future roles as an engaging speaker, facilitator and trainer. These diverse experiences helped Arian to infuse her approach to living and teaching meditation in the 21st century.

Arian was fortunate enough to receive week-long teachings from H.H. The Dalai Lama in India and California. Los Angeles 1989

Today

With over 30 years of meditation experience, Arian feels like an absolute beginner in meditation. Why? 
Because meditation continues to delight and intrigue her, “the symbolic intelligence of meditation reflected in its muliple layers of meaning, discovery and nuance, keep informing my exploration and curiosity and, I love the continual unfolding of revelation that takes place for my clients; what they teach me continues to train my insight, wonder and sense of imagination”, says Arian.

Along with her commitment to the humanities and sciences of human potential, Arian is deeply inspired by meditation pioneers Dr Lorin Roche and Camille Maurine. Both have supported her in bringing meditation in to the 21st century, as an instinctive, sensual and refreshingly intimate way of living in the world today.

This enduring knowledge embodies a capacity to intuit a client’s needs and discover together, what their optimal mind and body states are for wellness, creativity, life purpose and spiritual development.

Vajra Yogini Institute (formerly the castle of painter Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec) in the hills of Tarn, east of Toulouse France 1990

She has been training and coaching executives, professionals, families and groups in meditation for 10 years.

Taking Meditation To the Masses

Arian has been selected as one of a panel of eight national experts, including renowned international health and longevity expert Dr John Tickell. This panel of Australian experts in the field of wellness, launched in May 2009 for the nation’s first comprehensive Health and Happiness test of all Australians is an annual event and, has in its first year, a membership of 55,000 + members nationwide. It is held in conjunction with News Limited, Channel 7, Sunrise, Today Tonight, Abundant Media and The Federal Government Health Department. 

Arian is actively engaged in promoting to all Australian's, the benefits of meditation, as part of a holistic approach to health and, its inextricable link to happiness.

Along the way, Arian has had the great fortune to train with some very memorable and outstanding teachers.

Arian resides in Melbourne with her beloved husband Alan - an executive coach, business strategist and photographer extraordinaire. She loves script writing for film and theatre, playing frisbee, yoga, cooking, being in nature and occassionally, exquisite chocolate and oysters; but not in the same mouthful.

For further reading, Arian’s forthcoming book will be published soon.