Finding Faith with Ellen Miles

Ellen Miles has found a lifetime’s worth of learning in Veda and loves how Indic spirituality has transformed and nurtured her understanding of faith and divinity.

By Sophia French

I was born and raised in a Christian-Muslim home surrounded by faith and parents who practised their faith without imposing it on each other or me. God has been an inescapable part of my life, but finding what that meant to me has taken years. I found that essence in Hinduism despite being raised in Abrahamic faiths. The quality that drew me to practising Hindu practices like yoga and Veda is that it didn’t require me to change but rather to become more me, dissolve the me I know and seek a higher Self that is inherent in all sentient beings. You don’t have to convert to dharma to practise it. I love that. But it was easy for me to understand faith and experience the abstract because I saw it in my parents, and even though I chose a different faith, I knew what faith looked and felt like based on how my parents practised the religions they were born into. When I meet people like US-based author Ellen Miles, who grew up with no religious background, my first question is, how did you go from that to practising Veda? How did you find a path to the divine that begins with Sūktams like the Śraddhām Sūktam, that establishes conviction and requires us to have faith? “Frankly, it is a question that I still ask myself. I recite Veda and ask myself, ‘What am I doing?’ ‘What is this?’ So, I have thought about that, and I believe the spiritual angle connects me to Veda. Veda’s spirituality connects with me because it is based on the natural world. I love that. Shantala talks about how Veda reflects the rhythms of the universe and the world and our connection to that as humans, which is what I tap into. I felt this during Rudram. The Rudram finds Śiva everywhere — in trees, in medicinal plants, in the water of small streams and the sea, on islands… So that resonated with me. It is funny when I talk to my friends about it; they think I have gotten into this weird religion (laughs). But I know that I’m not Hindu, I never will be Hindu and yet, there is something that resonates. I love the wide openness of Veda. I love that it is for anyone who can tap into it. That is why I am here; this practice continues to draw me. It resonates with me, and I am sure many people in Shantala’s classes feel the same way. We’re all so diverse and from across the world,” says Ellen. 

She spent most of her life in New York and comes from a family of writers. Her mother and father were writers and editors, and even her grandmother was an editor. Writing is her family’s parampara and Ellen is a published author of 71 children’s books called The Puppy Place. Speaking about her life’s work, she says, “I worked in publishing as an editor when I was in New York, but when I moved away from New York to Vermont, I needed to do some freelance work and started writing The Puppy Place series — it is about a family who fosters puppies in New York. I just wrote my 71st book. I feel lucky to be one of those writers who can earn my living writing what I love. It is a simple, accessible story, and I use my books and writing to promote values that are important to me, like compassion, teamwork and kindness. The children who read my books appreciate the storyline, so I’ve been lucky.” 

When I heard Ellen talking about her books, I understood why Veda resonated with her. Anyone who appreciates language and good writing will appreciate Veda. It is poetry of the highest calibre, and its language is a living experience. 

For the Love of Language

Ellen didn’t come to Veda from yoga or any other spiritual practice. She practised a few forms of meditation, and around ten years ago, she was introduced to a Western form of kirtan and met a Sanskrit professor who got her interested in Sanskrit. “I did a 20-minute session with this teacher on the movement of our mouth when we speak Sanskrit, and I wanted to dive more into that. I learned to read and write Devanāgarī. Around three years ago, the devotional singer Nina Rao told me about Shantala and Veda Studies. I took one class with Shantala, and I was like, ‘Okay, this is where I’m going.’ I just fell in love with it,” says Ellen.

I hear this a lot from Veda students. I had similar experiences, too. What is it about these ancient sounds that resonate so deeply with us? We don’t know the meaning of these sounds until we study them, and even then, they’re abstract yet familiar and knowable. I asked Ellen if she could make sense of it. “I do not have an answer for that, except that I do feel like there’s something about the fact that many people have said these words so many times over many centuries. They have so much weight and meaning; I think we like being a part of that. Veda is the connection with something larger. It is divine, but also this forever community of human beings. For example, I sometimes recite certain phrases and think, ‘That is just so beautiful,’ then I think of all the people throughout history who have felt the same satisfaction from reciting these words. Then there’s the tangible benefits. I’m an unbelievable procrastinator, but reciting Veda has improved my ability to focus. I’m much better at focusing on what I’m supposed to be doing. I also love that Veda is so much in the body. I’ve always been physically active, so I love that reciting Veda involves everything — the ears, eyes, mouth, breath and heart. It is such a whole-body experience. I love the feeling immediately after reciting as well. When I have just recited Rudram with a group of people from the Veda Studies community, I can feel my heart beating slow and strong, and I am so aware of prāṇa. You must also be fully present to learn and recite Veda; it keeps your mind active and engaged. Another aspect I love is that reciting Veda allows us to have a sādhanā — there is something special about committing to doing something daily that profoundly affects us.”

The Strength of Community

Ellen was never drawn to teaching but took up the Indica Veda Studies Teacher Training Programme because she wants to share the practice and enjoys learning to master a subject. “I live in a very rural area in Vermont, and there’s no city near me. I live in a tiny town with nobody nearby who does what I do. I realised that if I wanted to recite Veda with other people in person, I would have to teach them, and that was part of the motivation. The programme also demands more from the students. You need to go into depth about the study of Veda. I have always enjoyed gaining mastery over a subject, and the challenge of being presented with a text I have never seen or heard before and then learning to master it is a process I love and enjoy. I find that most exciting and wonderful and miraculous. A huge part of why I love the TTC is also our wonderful community. I love our teacher training group. This group has many amazing, accomplished, incredible, lovely people, and I also love the study groups we’ve formed. You know what they say about keeping good company — our group is the best company to me. Everybody in the class is so kind and thoughtful, and I was surprised that so much came out of the connection with these people,” says Ellen.

India in Context

Ellen travels to India annually and has experienced various parts of the country. I asked her about her experiences in India as a traveller and how her understanding of our culture changed after she started studying Veda. “I travel to India because it utterly differs from anything I know or grew up with. If I want to travel, I want to go to a place completely different from what I know, and India gives me that; for example, when someone dies in India, it isn’t hidden away — there is an equal awareness of life and death. I also love the dichotomy of India and how different it is within itself. I have an affinity for South India over North India, and it is interesting how much I have fallen in love with one part of India more than others. I guess that also comes from the fact that I am learning Veda from a South Indian lineage. What keeps me going is Shantala’s teaching style. She has high expectations but teaches with love and humour. That is such a great model for how a teacher should be. She never makes it about her, which is the quality that has created this community we all share.”

For further information on Elle or to connect with her, email her at [email protected]