Transcendental Meditation. I Love It! Anybody Else Doing It?

[Solomon]

Cardiologist insisted on it so I learned it. I have been at it slightly less than 2 months. I look forward to my 2 sessions daily like they are vacations.

[hlthe2b]

1. How did you learn it?

[Solomon]

2. unfortunately you have to pay a teacher and its not cheap. I thought that I could buy books

and teach myself but none of the books will teach you, they all tell you you have to learn it from a teacher one on one. When I insisted to my doctor that I already took various meditation courses, he insisted that it be transcendental meditation. In trying to understand why, I learned that different kinds of meditation have different effects. Transcendental meditation is reputed to be very good for health, i.e. lowering blood pressure, etc. and they have studies backing that up so I went and took the plunge. I am ever so grateful that I lucked up and got a doctor who pushed me to do it. I'm 58 and just learning it. The more you do it the better it is for you. I envy people who ha e been doing it for years and years.

The thing that is so great about it is its the easiest kind of meditation I have ever learned. No concentrating on posture, breath, or thoughts. Ask me anything else. I love talking about it.

[hlthe2b]

3. How do you avoid getting ripped off and how expensive is it?

[Solomon]

4. Well, the transcendental meditation centers are spread out in various cities throughout the

world. I am very fortunate in that the one in my area of the world, Washington DC, is 5 minutes away from me. There are people who drive for miles away to come to the center. Each teacher is certified by the transcendental meditation organization. The normal fee is $1500 but because they want as many people who want to learn to learn it, they have various "grants" to make it affordable. If you get referred by a doctor, they cut the fee. For me, the doctor referral cut it to $1020. My daughter is an adult who lives in her own household but since she's a student, they charged her $750.

I know that sounds bad but considering that you get lifetime free access to any transcendental meditation center around the world for making sure you are doing it right, it's not bad. They have free introductory sessions at all of the tm centers. Go to tm.org and do the little thing to find out where the nearest center is and go to the free lecture. When I went they were also giving away a nice book called Transcendental Meditation: Healing and Transformation through... by Norman Rosenthal, MD. Look for it.

They really teach it to you in one session but they want three follow up sessions on three successive days so it's about 4 90 minute sessions. After that they have you check in once every two weeks for a couple of weeks; then once every couple of months for two.months. Then you are on your own with the right to.come back at any time.

Before I decided to pay, I tried making up my own mantra and doing it on my own for a few weeks. Because I went to the free lecture I knew that when you pay you are really paying for them to give you a mantra. However I was not able to get the same satisfaction doing it myself, as I have been getting with the mantra they gave me and the instruction.

[elleng]

5. My brother's been practising it since he was in college.

He is now way past college and very involved in their activities, at their center, in Fairfield, Iowa, along with the rest of his family.

It never caught on for me. Hope it does good for you.

[Solomon]

6. Hello elleng!

As you can see, I don't post much anymore. Maybe it's the TM.

It does a lot for me. In fact, I kind of anchor my life around it and let everything run its course from there. I have a session in the morning before work, and one in the afternoon after work. I let nothing interfere with that. Within a week it caused me to change the way I react to people on the job and it was perfect timing for me because I started a new job about a week after learning it.

I have been amazing myself everyday about how I respond to things now. The only problem with it, and it's not really a problem for me, is that you have to do it consistently. They say it takes about 2 months to have an effect, but with me it was almost immediate.

The good news for you is that since you learned it, you could always use it again if you felt the need to. You'll always have your mantra. Some of the people in the sessions I've been to are people who stopped doing it years ago and are starting up again. I think it's rad that everyone has a secret mantra and that no one tells anybody else what their mantras are. I don't want to know anybody else's because it may try and creep into my sessions. There's a wonderful story about how George Harrison and Ringo Starr got really close and were on the brink of telling each other their mantras, but in the end, decided not to.

[elleng]

8. Hi, Solomon!

Where's the center in DC? Was on 14th Street near our house some years ago, but I think that place is a school now.

and NOW you're gonna make me try to recall my mantra! That may take a while!

My brother and his family are so used to doing their meditation that we all know, and try to comply, not to call them at those times. VERY ingrained now, and he travels around the world to help teach AND help students obtain visas etc to attend courses in Iowa, not just in TM. School in Fairfield is now called Maharishi School of Management.

Very glad to hear you're doing so well with it.

[Solomon]

9. The main one for DC is actually in Bethesda. I live in North Chevy Chase which is a stone's

throw from Bethesda.

[elleng]

10. Aha, they've moved up in the world from 14th Street!

Good for you.

[HarveyDarkey]

14. I grew up in Fairfield, moved away for 30+ years & recently came back

All I have to say is, it's a cult. The most spaced out, oblivious people I've ever encountered. I can't believe how many of them walk down the middle of the street, ignoring the sidewalks & traffic. I'm thinking about writing a song called "Goofy Guru Grin", they all have it, they're easily recognizable, it's scary. Not to disparage your brother, but....

[Solomon]

20. lol. it is not a cult. the place in fairfield might be a cult, but transcendental meditation itsel

Is a technique, not a religion or dogma. Lol.

[elleng]

21. and 'the place in Fairfield' isn't a cult,

its a largely middle-class neighborhood with all the same likes and dislikes as everyone, pretty good schools and teams, AND participants in all mainstream religions. (Have visited family there a few times.)

[Solomon]

22. i know its not a cult but people are gonna think

what they think. LOL. I resisted my cardiologist until I found out that he does it himself. Somebody not just talking the talk, but also walking the walk.

[elleng]

24. Right. Enthusiast did a pretty good explanation, imo.

and very good for your cardiologist!

[Avalux]

7. Interesting.

I practice yoga and meditate, however not crazy about TM. There is no reason on earth why 4 sessions should cost $1500 just to get a 'mantra' (which is of secondary importance to posture and breathing). There is also a cult like quality to TM practitioners who believe a specific dogma and impart that on their students while they are in a trance state.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, I'm happy you've found something that you really enjoy. I would however, caution against believing that TM is the only way to achieve deep relaxation, and that the cost is justified. Be warned you may be asked to spend more money for adjunctive therapies.

[Solomon]

11. LOL. You are trying to rain on my parade, but you can't anyway. lol

Did you read all of what I've said? I am 58 years old. I have experienced many other forms of meditation. None of them costing me anything. I was skeptic about paying for tm so I did everything I could to get around that. In then end I found that paying the money and getting the instructions was well worth it for me. There is nothing cultist or religious about it to me. It is another tool in the tool box, a technique, and it is very effective, not just for me, but for many others as well. There are studies that show results.

Everything you've said I've already heard detractors both before I learned it and afterwards. In fact, when my cardiologist referred me, I said all of those things to him as well. I thought I knew, just like you. You think you know. That's okay. I will continue what I'm doing, thank you very much.

[Avalux]

15. I respect your opinion. Would you be able to send me links to the studies you speak of?

I'm interested in reading them; might change my perspective.

[Solomon]

17. when i get some time I will see if i can find links to some of the written material

that I have, some of which are newspaper articles and youtube clips of tv news reports. There's a move being made to get it into urban schools because studies have shown that when they teach the kids to do it, fights and suspensions go down and grades go up. I'll see what I can do and try to vet back to you.

The theory of it is that the mantra is a word with no.meaning to you, so saying it silently to yourself allows the brain to disengage from contemplating thereby allowing your nervous system to conduct repairs. If the word had meaning, like say "inkpen" then your mind would have to think of inkpen. That's why I said earlier that finding out the theory after attending the free session, I spent quite a number of weeks doing.myself making.up mantras. LOL. I didn't want to spend the money. I will admit that the first little short ceremony you have to watch when they teach it to you is a bit weird, but after that it's okay.

[Incitatus]

13. That part did seem a little strange to me.

That's sounds like a lot of money to take a few classes to learn how to meditate. I don't see how it can be that hard to learn proper breathing techniques from some videos or books. If it works for the OP, then good for them, but I'm not ready to go that point.

Are there any sources you would recommend? I have been interested in getting into meditation for a while and have tried a few times. I think I could use it and it's time to make a commitment.

[Solomon]

16. There are many different kinds of meditation that do different things for you.

Some help you focus more, some help you concentrate better, etc. Most of the other courses in meditation I have learned teach you breathing techniques and postures. TM, which lowers blood pressure, among other things (which is why cardiologists recommend it) does not require special breathing techniques or postures beyond sitting comfortably upright. You should do a little research to see what each kind of meditation can do for you and go from there. I had a heart attack last year so TM was recommended. I was just as skeptical as others on this thread have been.

[Enthusiast]

18. I don't care what you practice, about TM you are just plain incorrect.

TM practitioners do not impart a dogma on their students while they are in a trance state. TM students do not go into a "trance state". This is just wrong.

TM doesn't seek to control the breathing at all. And TM doesn't try to control the posture. TM is effortless. All this 'trying' and effort is absent from TM. The Maharishi taught that effort in TM can even be an impediment. So no difficult postures or special breathing are necessary.

[Solomon]

19. Thank you. That's what makes it so effective for me. its effortless.

No hypnotism or trances either. I notice some dogma being thrown against it, like you have to focus on your posture and breathing to meditate.

[olddots]

12. be carefull

n.t.

[ananda]

23. Sort of.

I'm not very good at plain meditation, so I've been listening
to BrainSync tapes.

They really help my sleep relaxation. My blood pressure
is still very low, but I also keep to a good diet and exercise
as much as I can.