In a quiet living room in the suburbs of Auckland, New Zealand, a group of ten or so animal rights activists had gathered to sit in stillness. At the center of the circle, I stood—a former yoga teacher turned grassroots meditation facilitator—offering a new kind of practice. A practice designed to relieve the stress of activists dedicating their time and efforts to advancing animal rights and a better world. A practice known as Vegan Meditation.
It started out of necessity, paired with a desire for creative change. So many of us in Auckland’s animal rights scene were emotionally exhausted. We felt we were doing everything we could, but carrying the weight of so much suffering can wear you down. We needed somewhere to process it all—a place where we could feel recharged and reset with positive clarity that might help us strategize our next events.
That “somewhere” became a friend’s living room, where we began to gather for weekly sessions of guided meditation focused not on the present pain of the world, but on the possibility of a better one… a far gentler one. A meditation practice rooted in deep compassion and the wellness of all beings.
Vegan Meditation blends traditional mindfulness with ethical visioning. Rather than focusing solely on the breath or internal sensations, practitioners are guided to mentally and emotionally enter a world where humanity has already adopted veganism.
Participants visualize peaceful, thriving ecosystems; animal sanctuaries instead of slaughterhouses; and communities grounded in empathy, justice, and sustainability. The goal isn’t escapism—it’s restoration. No, it’s not about pretending suffering doesn’t exist. It’s about remembering why we fight for change and giving our minds a place to reconnect with that purpose by allowing ourselves to feel the way we would if all of our efforts had already been actualized.
Having been trained in yoga and meditation since 2016, I had the proper foundation to guide meditative states. Of course, those practices on their own can help to encourage inner peace, but Vegan Meditation offers something more. Not only does envisioning a healed world calm the mind, it also gives us a clear vision to help us formulate new ways to make it real. There is no formal doctrine, no required beliefs—just a shared longing for a more compassionate humanity; one that has the potential to create the kind of peace on Earth we have all dreamed about. It’s that much-needed sigh of relief that says, “We did it. We’re here. We live in that world now.”
Addressing the emotional cost of advocacy is vital. Burnout among activists, especially those working in animal rights and environmental causes, is well documented. Repeated exposure to cruelty, systemic injustice, and public resistance can lead to fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Vegan Meditation offers a much-needed remedy—one that can shift us from reaction mode into a more intentional, heart-led space. From decreased stress levels to increased clarity and resilience in advocacy work, combining the power of imagination with stillness and intention is a powerful recipe for change. It seems reasonable, then, to consider that inner change and outer change must go hand in hand.
Research on visualization and mental rehearsal has long supported its power to shape behavior and perspective. That said, I believe that consciously imagining a vegan world helps not only to sustain activists emotionally, but also to influence how they communicate and organize. If we can’t picture a peaceful world, how will we build one? If we can’t come from a place of peace within ourselves, how can we expect others to receive us openly?
It starts with us.
How to Practice
Those curious to try Vegan Meditation don’t need to wait for a group. Here are some suggestions:
• Find a quiet space and sit comfortably.
• Close your eyes and focus on slow, steady breaths.
• Visualize a world where nonhuman animals are no longer farmed or used for human purposes, where ecosystems are allowed to regenerate, and where humans live in balance with nature. Ask yourself: How do humans relate with our fellow animals now?
• Imagine yourself in that world—not separate from it, but part of it.
• Tune in to how it feels to be there. Allow the feelings of peace, purpose, and clarity to settle into your body.
Even just 10 minutes a day can begin to shift one’s mindset and recharge the emotional batteries so often depleted by advocacy and current-day reality.
Vegan Meditation is a quiet but powerful revolution—work that holds space for what we already know is possible. In a world where urgency often overshadows imagination, Vegan Meditation offers something radical: a return to the heart. A way to soften without surrendering. To envision and then embody the change. We’re not just visualizing a vegan world… we’re remembering that it’s within reach; that our co-creative energy can collectively shift reality through elevated feelings of compassion.
In short, let us see a vegan world within ourselves first, so that we can create it together here on Earth.
May all beings be free.
