Hugh Jackman’s Meditation Journey

Meditation is a key part of Hugh Jackman’s life. He meditated before hosting the Academy Awards, he meditates before he goes on stage and during a lunch break in the middle of a film shoot. Bob tells the story of teaching Hugh to meditate nine years ago and how the practice keeps him centered and down-to-earth—and gives him the energy to do good in the world. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Stay Calm as a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome
to Stay Calm, your daily dose of calmness. I'm Bob Roth,
and I've been teaching people to meditate for fifty years,
helping them to stay calm under pressure, reboot and re
energize their lives, and basically be a happier, healthier version

(00:22):
of themselves. And now I want to help you do
the same. Ready, sit comfortably, take a few deep breaths,
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

(00:43):
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

(01:06):
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,

(01:27):
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.

(01:50):
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,

(02:12):
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

(02:36):
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

(02:56):
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

(03:16):
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

(03:37):
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,

(03:57):
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

(04:19):
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,

(05:04):
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,

(05:24):
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.