If you have tried meditation and it hasn’t worked for you, it may be because
your meditation technique was in conflict with your personal style (see the
blog on Meditation by Personal Style).
I got lucky. The first meditation technique I tried matched my personal audio
style and I got a “miracle” the first time I used it.
When I lived in Anchorage, AK, it was considered a “virus capital”, because
flights between Asian and US cities stopped there to refuel. Briefly
disembarking passengers spread their viruses around the airport, which
were carried to town by traveling locals and airport employees.
At the onset of a new virus, when I was complaining I just didn’t have time to
be sick, a friend insisted I visit her TM teacher (Transcendental Meditation). I
told the teacher I didn’t want to expose her to the virus, but she insisted I
come for an orientation, and that I bring fresh flowers and rice.
A placidly calm woman, she led me to a tiny meditation room in her
apartment where she placed the flowers and rice on an altar. After a brief
introduction to the practice, she gave me a “mantra” to repeat mentally. Then
she sat with me in solid silence while I mentally rehearsed. She left me alone
for awhile, then re-joined and sat with me as I finished.
As I was leaving, she took one flower from the bunch and returned the rest
to me, instructing me to set up an altar at home for my practice. I strongly
resisted, saying the flowers would be frozen by the time I got the car heater
running (it was about 8 degrees). She insisted, saying the flowers would be
fine.
The next morning, I was virus free, and the flowers were healthy and stayed
fresh for two weeks – both miracles by my standards. I was sold on TM.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, creator of TM, gave a public lecture about
meditation at the London Hilton Hotel in August 1967. It became big news
when three young attendees signed up for his ten day course, along with
their fourth cohort. The 4 registrants were the Fab Four – the Beatles. The
media attention from this and their subsequent trip to Maharishi’s ashram in
India spread information about TM and Eastern principles around the world.
Born in India @ 1917, Mahesh attended Allahabad University where he
specialized in physics. He became a devotee of the saint, Brahmananda
Saraswati, serving for thirteen years as his clerk and organizer. Upon his
guru’s death, Mahesh lived in seclusion in the Himalayas before embarking
on a tour of sacred sites in India. He was asked to give public talks, and at a
religious festival in 1955, he was dubbed Maharishi. Maha means great: rishi
means sage. Two years later at a gathering of 10,000+, he spontaneously
announced a program to spiritually regenerate the whole world with
meditation.
Maharishi’s meditation technique was distinctive in many ways, especially:
(1) being open to all (democratic)
(2) being simple, easy and natural (user-friendly)
(3) being fully compatible with science, though based on Vedanta
principles
Because his program was growing too slowly in India, Maharishi took it to the
US. A gentle wave of upper middle class Americans embraced TM first,
followed by a tsunami of college students. Subsequently, the Maharishi
embarked on a decades-long emphasis on and involvement in research of
the method.
Scientific studies have been conducted at many US and international
universities and research centers, including the medical schools at Harvard,
Stanford, Yale, and UCLA. The findings show TM practitioners have *Reduced
Stress and Anxiety *Decreased Depression *Reduced Insomnia *Lower
Blood Pressure *Decreased Cholesterol *Reduced Congestive Heart Failure
*Reduced Atherosclerosis/Stroke * Decreased Free Radicals *Reduced
Metabolic Syndrome/ Pre-Diabetes *Reduced Cardiovascular Risk Factors
*Reduction in Pain *Decreased Health Care Costs and Utilization *Higher
Levels of Brain Functioning *Improved Intelligence, Creativity and Learning
Ability *Improved Academics *Improved School Behavior *Benefits for
Special and Remedial Education *Improved Integration of Personality
*Increased Longevity * Reduced Substance Abuse
If you’re not a meditator, or haven’t been a consistent one, this list of benefits
might convince you to practice it. How-to articles and videos are available on
the internet.
APPLY:
Here’s the technique.
Set aside 20 uninterrupted minutes
Get relaxed, close your eyes, breathe deeply, mentally repeat a
“mantra” for 15+ minutes (it helps to set a soft timer)
When the timer sounds, let the mantra float off
Return your attention to your surroundings
Do it 2 times a day
Extensive research on meditation / mindfulness / the Relaxation Response,
etc. have shown a mantra isn’t the key. Consistent practice is. So I began
experimenting with my own mantras, like peace, harmony, joy…
Being a multi-tasking career woman, I combined TM with daily intention. I
chose a word in alignment with my objective for the day: productivity,
effectiveness, efficiency… and started the day meditating on the chosen
word. Then I periodically repeated the word throughout the day.
I also tried meditations with affirmations, linking them with my breath.
I mentally repeat the affirmation while I Inhale: I think “dissolving all else”
while I exhale.
Some of my go-to’s are
I am in Divine Right Timing (when I’m over-scheduled or running late)
Dissolving all else
I take Divine Right Action (when I’m uncertain about what to do first or
next)
Dissolving all else
I am full of positive energy (when I’m tired)
Dissolving all else
I would have enjoyed asking Maharishi, the creator and founder of TM, about
these modifications (or aberrations, depending on your viewpoint!). Being a
man of science who stressed research, he most likely would have suggested
researching them.
APPLY:
Try several audio techniques to discover your bestfit:
- amantra, humming, chanting
- are cording of nature sounds
- arecording of high frequency music(there’s lotson YouTube) Try Centering Prayer, the Christian adaptation of TM (see the blog on Centering Prayer).
