FIFTH FLOOR MEDITATION
Welcome to FIFTH FLOOR MEDITATION™
FIFTH FLOOR MEDITATION™ is a meditation practice located in the East Village and on Fire Island. It is designed to take us to a level beyond our everyday existence, offering a simple and effective technique rooted in the ancient tradition of Vedic Meditation.
At FIFTH FLOOR MEDITATION™, our mission is to:
Facilitate Vedic Meditation to a wider community, including individuals, corporations, and creative teams.
Help people deepen their connection to their Creative Intelligence through regular meditation practice.
Provide opportunities for students to expand their awareness and adapt to the ever-changing laws of Nature through additional knowledge courses.
We offer:
Personalized instruction in Vedic Meditation.
Ongoing weekly calls and gatherings, both in-person and online.
Advanced courses to refine awareness and experience less friction in daily life.
FIFTH FLOOR MEDITATION™ is here to guide you in reducing stress, managing life's demands, and awakening clarity and creativity. Join us on a journey to discover the power of meditation in transforming your life.
ABOUT SUZANNE TICK
Suzanne Tick
Founder & Director, FIFTH FLOOR MEDITATION™
Hi! I’m Suzanne Tick, an artist, mother, weaver, and teacher of Vedic Meditation. My journey into meditation began as a way to unwind from the unnecessary stress of a demanding career in the Architecture and Design field, where I ran a design studio and juggled deadlines and round-the-clock product development schedules.
After being initiated into the Shankaracharya tradition in India, I have taught dozens of students across the country, sharing the transformative power of Vedic Meditation.
As the CEO of Tick Studio, a New York City-based product development studio specializing in textiles, carpet, and glass for the Architecture & Design community, I bring creativity and mindfulness into every aspect of my work. I’m also the creator of "Tick Talks," where I blend insights from the 5,000-year-old wisdom of the Veda with modern creativity.
My path to meditation began in the 1990s with Tibetan Buddhism and continued with yoga and teacher training. In 2017, I discovered Vedic Meditation and my ultimate teacher, Thom Knoles (Maharishi Vyasananda Saraswati). My studies brought me to India three times, culminating in a three-month Initiator Training in Rishikesh in 2020.
My passions include traveling, gardening, cooking, and being a mom to my beautiful adult son, Gabe, and my cat, Cupid.
I serve as a board member of The Light Inside, an organization that expands the teaching of Vedic Meditation to Rikers Island and other prison facilities in the U.S. and Australia.
FIFTH FLOOR MEDITATION Philosophy
The FIFTH FLOOR MEDITATION™ nomenclature is a metaphor for the “place beyond the body or structure of space that we occupy… A floor or dimension beyond.”
FIFTH FLOOR MEDITATION™ allows you to learn to transcend all thoughts of the ‘ever repeating known’ and explore this deep unbounded field of bliss. This place is called Being. It is the layer beyond that we go to twice a day while practicing this Vedic technique. Progressive Change is an ever evolving phenomenon that we are all experiencing on some level or another. Our minds are always searching for “a better way.” As taught by Thom Knoles, my teacher, who studied with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for 26 years.
The form of meditation that Thom Knoles taught for over 25 years with the TM organization has been the subject of hundreds of scientific studies showing a wide range of benefits from regular practice. These studies, which refer to this form of meditation using the name “Transcendental Meditation” or “TM”, support the benefits obtainable from regular practice of Vedic Meditation, which are referenced above.
Thom was trained as a teacher of Transcendental Meditation (“TM”) by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (“Maharishi”), and taught it for over 25 years with organizations affiliated with Maharishi. Since 1997, Thom has continued to teach meditation as he learned it from Maharishi, and has done so independently and separately from the TM organization. Suzanne Tick is an independent Vedic Meditation teacher, as taught by Thom Knoles. Suzanne is not affiliated in any way with the Maharishi Foundation.
FIFTH FLOOR MEDITATION™, located in the East Village and on Fire Island, takes us to a level beyond our everyday existence. As a CEO, weaver, mentor and teacher, Suzanne’s teachings enable us to fully tap into our Creative Intelligence by adapting to the need of the time with relevance and grace.
Vedic Meditation is an effortless mental technique that allows one to experience fully awake-restful consciousness and its many physiological benefits. Our tradition is founded in The Veda: the knowledge governing the unity of the laws of nature and human consciousness from which yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda are derived.
Vedic Meditation practice is simple, natural, innocent and effortless. And it works.
Vedic Meditation is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider regarding any medical condition.
Studying in India
In 2020, Suzanne left NYC for three months to complete her initiator training of Vedic Meditation. Three years previously, she acquired the knowledge of the Veda and Patanjali’s Sutra programs.
The Initiator training, an intensive course, is held in a beautiful sattvic campus on the banks of a spring-fed river at the base of the Himalayas near Rishikesh, India.
Surrounded by beautiful mountains with exotic birds and wildlife, this rigorous program focuses on deepening your meditation practice so as to unstress your nervous system at a molecular level. With over 745 hours of meditation in three months, one begins to recognize their individuality in connection with universality. The student becomes the teacher and the teacher becomes the student.
The courses taught by Thom Knoles and other master teachers, and cognized by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, changes one’s neuroplasticity pathways through learning from a place of inner peace. Remapping the cortex of your brain results in the ability to adapt, remember and live your life more fully with bliss-filled pleasure.
Ayurvedic vegetarian food was cooked by in-house chefs each day; with 70% of the produce coming from organic farming in the area. Satisfying bowls of kitchari and vegetables were served daily to aid in the process of purification along with a lovely cup of chai.
If interested, contact Suzanne about ten-day retreats in January each year with her teacher Thom Knoles.
