Transcendental Meditation
Play Video
How can Transcendental Meditation help you?
Transcendental Meditation (TM) has been associated with a great many benefits for mental and physical well-being. Some of the top benefits of TM are related to brain functioning, heart health, stress management, and the relief of anxiety.
Additionally, TM has been found to be helpful for depression, insomnia, addiction treatment, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention-deficit disorder, autism spectrum disorders, and even Alzheimer’s. (Verywell Health)
Overview
Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a simple and effective form of Meditation that is shown by research to be quite effective at minimizing anxiety, helping people manage stress, and even lowering blood pressure, along with many other benefits. It gained popularity in the 1960s, even attracting the attention of the Beatles, as well as other celebrities and prominent people since then.
Those who practice TM may experience a decrease in stress and anxiety within minutes. As with other forms of meditation, long-term practice can lead to even more positive changes, including resilience to stress, lower overall anxiety, and even greater life satisfaction. (Verywell Mind)
Transcendental Meditation (TM) is said to be the simplest, most natural and effortless technique of meditation—so simple that the adult technique can be learned from the age of ten and onward. A maximum of twenty minutes, twice a day, sitting in a comfortable chair are all that is required.
TM is also considered by some to be the most advanced and fundamentally different approach because its simplicity is based on a profound and complete understanding of not just the mind and its behaviour but also the body, and how the two interact during deep meditation, something not understood in virtually any other approach.
TM is not concentration or visualization, nor is it control or even mindfulness. Using a mantra (or sound) upon which to gently and innocently rest your attention, the basic premise is that you simply allow your mind the freedom to follow its natural tendency toward happiness, and it will settle spontaneously into silence. This unique approach comes from the ancient Vedic tradition of India.
The resulting peace (and sometimes increasing bliss) allows your body also to gain very deep rest (much deeper than sleep), in which it can dissolve even its deepest stresses accumulated as a result of life’s worst traumas. As you emerge refreshed and revitalized from the silence of Meditation, you may begin to see sometimes dramatic improvements in any area of your life—as indicated by a vast and ever- increasing body of research over the last forty-five years. However, for most people, the biggest results come gradually and comfortably over time. (Meditation Trust)
Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a simple, natural, effortless technique practiced twenty minutes twice each day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed.
The TM technique allows your active mind to easily settle inward, through quieter levels of thought, until you experience the most silent and peaceful level of your own awareness—pure consciousness.
Transcendental Meditation is:
- Effortless—It’s so easy and enjoyable that anyone can do it—even children with ADHD. This makes it very different from other techniques.
- No concentrating
- No control of the mind
- No monitoring of thoughts (mindfulness)
- No trying to “empty the mind”
- Authentic—The TM technique was founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi over fifty years ago, and has been learned by more than six million people. It can only be taught by certified TM teachers in a course carefully personalized for each individual.
- Unique—Other meditations often claim to be the same or similar to the TM technique. In fact, they are very different—and there is no evidence they provide the same benefits.
- Evidence-based—Hundreds of published research studies on the TM technique have documented major benefits for:
- Stress and Anxiety
- Brain Function
- Cardiovascular Health
- Established—Over six million people have learned the TM technique and experienced its benefits—people of all ages, cultures, religions, and walks of life.
- Nothing to believe in—The TM technique is not a religion, philosophy, or lifestyle. No belief or expectation is needed for it to be effective. (Official Transcendental Meditation Site—a Non-Profit Organization)
Unlike Mindfulness-based Meditations that focus on clearing the mind of thoughts and gently bringing the attention back to the present moment when you notice that your mind has wandered (as it will), Transcendental Meditation is based around focusing on a single mantra, repeated silently.
This mantra can be different for every person, and those who complete training programs are generally assigned mantras based on their personal characteristics and are expected to be a good fit.
Transcendental Meditation options may include
Transcendental Meditation is commonly used to treat
Explore the Research
We believe you should have access to high-quality research to help you make informed health decisions. Below are four trusted databases you can use as tools to expand your healthcare knowledge.
