There are so many meditation techniques that promise dramatic improvements, how is TM different?

Dozens of meditation techniques claim to have the same effects as TM, but neither experience nor research could ever confirm this.

The difference between Transcendental Meditation and other meditation techniques is in the word “transcendental”, a technique that leads to the experience of transcending.
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How reliable is the research around TM?

The story of TM is not just one of extraordinary effects, but also a story of the extraordinary high quality of research that confirms these effects.

Today anyone can do research and prove what they want to prove. In the scientific community, however, there are 4 factors that define the reliability of scientific research.Transcendental Meditation research generally gets very high scores on all 4 factors.
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If this technique really works so well, and if you really want to create a better world, then why don’t you give it away for free?

The answer is very simple: “because then it wouldn’t work”.

If it was possible to teach this technique through books or through the internet, the technique would never have gotten lost, because the books have been there for thousands of years.
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Should I adjust my lifestyle in order to learn Transcendental Meditation?

No, absolutely not.

Transcendental Meditation is a do-it-yourself technique, and requires absolutely no changes in lifestyle, religion or of any other nature.
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Do the results not depend on successful practice? What if I am not able to meditate successfully?

Of course results depend on the successful practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique. But in this case “successful” in most cases simply means “frequent”.

In terms of successful meditation the rule for Transcendental Meditation is simple: anyone who can think a thought, can practice TM, because the Transcendental Meditation process is as natural as the thought process.
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Transcending = Much more than relaxation

Meditation is becoming more and more popular to manage stress, but the true experience of transcending has a far more profound effect than just relaxation. Unfortunately, the knowledge of how to easily transcend had been lost to the world until recently. The ancient texts from the oldest tradition of knowledge describe transcending as the highest human experience, essential for our full human development. Today we can confirm this through modern science, by measuring what happens in the body and the brain during the practice of Transcendental Meditation:

1. A profound state of rest: much deeper than ordinary relaxation, even deeper than sleep.
2. Inner peace and happiness: significant decrease of stress hormones and increase of happiness hormones
3. Wholistic brain development: measurable through EEG brain wave coherence measurements.

All these together make the TM practice so effective for all areas of life.

Transcending = Deep Rest

When the mind transcends the finest impulse of thought, it comes into a state of complete inner silence. This happens in a completely natural and effortless way. We can’t try to make the mind silent, nor do we have to. With the right technique the mind will go there by itself. When the mind transcends, the body spontaneously comes into a very deep state of relaxation as well, far deeper than sleep.

sleepThis can be objectively measured by monitoring oxygen consumption.Ref.,Ref. This graph, from a Harvard Medical School research study, shows that during TM, the body comes into a state of rest that is twice as deep as even the deepest rest during sleep. More than 30 studies around the world have confirmed the deep rest during TM practice.

This deep rest activates the inner healing power in our own bodies.

Relaxation means relaxing tensions. The body has a completely natural way to remove all the tensions it accumulates. This is what we do during sleep, but the rest during sleep doesn’t go deep enough to remove the deeply rooted traumatic stresses. Transcending will do exactly that.

cnn storyThe results are most obvious with those who need it most. A recent study with Iraq war veterans showed a 50% reduction in PTSD and depression after only 8 weeks of TM practice.Ref. The results were so spectacular that CNN did a feature on it on US Veteran’s Day. (Watch the CNN video.)

This was just another confirmation of earlier research with Vietnam war veterans that was done 25 years ago.

PTSD,-anxiety,-depression

In this study the TM group saw such significant reductions (in PTSD, anxiety, depression, insomnia, etc.) that after only 3 months of practice, 70% of the war veterans required no further treatment. The control group that received standard psychotherapy showed no improvement.Ref.

These people have problems that go far deeper than ours. If TM can help them, even when nothing else that has ever been tried works, we can imagine that it can help anybody.

The video below shows several more examples of just how powerful TM can be for those who are suffering from traumatic stress. It also shows why more and more scientists, educators, celebrities and governmental institutions are supporting the TM technique.

Stress disturbs the normal functioning of the brain, causing among other things, a decrease in the production of the “happiness hormone,” serotonin. A lack of serotonin influences not only our inner sense of happiness, but is also associated with migraines, sleep disorders, anxiety, anger outbursts, Alzheimer’s, eating disorders, addictions and many others. One can try to influence serotonin artificially (as antidepressants do), but this only treats the symptoms, not the real problem itself.

serotoninThe experience of transcending on the other hand activates the body’s own healing ability, so that the brain can function normally. The result? An increase in serotonin production completely naturally during the TM practice, and eventually during the rest of the day.Ref. This has implications in all areas of life, as you can discover on this site.

Transcending = Measurable Brain Development

Transcending not only has an effect on our health, our well-being, our self-esteem and our relationships, but it also influences our brain development, even in adults, whose brains are supposedly already fully developed. How can a simple experience effect the brain in a way that was considered impossible, (such as disappearance of ADHD, increase IQ and creativity in adults etc)? This requires a little more explanation.

But the effects themselves are clearly measurable, for example through EEG coherence.

Every time a part of our brain is active, the electrical activity can be measured through an electroencephalogram (EEG) and the results can be displayed as a waveform. Nowadays, one can send two of these waveforms from different parts of the brain to a computer and mathematically calculate the extent to which these waves are similar, or coherent. A high coherence means that these different parts of the brains work together as one whole.

Transcending is essentially the experience of unity. This is directly measurable in the brain. Here’s a video where you can see how EEG coherence rises to a maximum during the TM practice in real-time.

The more someone has this experience of high EEG coherence, the more the brain gets used to optimal functioning, after which the EEG coherence outside of the TM practice rises as well. A higher EEG coherence is associated with higher IQ, more creativity, more emotional stability, better reflexes, and more ethical thinking, etc.

How can I learn to transcend?

Real meditation is effortless and pleasant to do, it can be learned by anyone, and gives immediate results.

David-Lynch-Russell-BrandThe experience of transcending can be achieved only in a completely natural and effortless way. It is an experience of complete, inner silence; that can not be achieved by trying to be quiet. The more you try, the more it keeps the mind active. This is why most current meditation methods that require concentration have little effect.

The Transcendental Meditation technique is taught individually, by a professionally trained teacher who is able to lead anyone in a completely natural way to the experience of transcending.

If one has had this experience once, then the mind remembers it and afterwards it can go back there spontaneously, in a totally natural and effortless way, provided that one uses the correct technique. This technique is taught step by step, during four consecutive meetings. This initial training course is followed by a extensive program of follow-up meetings to ensure continued correct practice.

Do you have 1 hour to discover how everything can change?

Through these links, you can find more information on what TM is and how it works and how you can learn TM. The first step, however, is simply to attend a free, no-obligation information seminar. These seminars are organized in various locations in Switzerland on a regular basis (See dates and locations of the free introduction seminars.) During these seminars, you’ll hear in more detail how the TM technique actually works and what you can expect from it. You’ll receive information and answers to all your questions so you can decide whether you’d like to learn the technique.

Willy Vanduren

This technique is truly one of a kind.

I am meditating now for almost 30 years and my general health is excellent, especially when compared to my peers. Not only did it make my creativity grow remarkably, but also my ability to deal with a team of employees and actors in an inspiring and stimulating way.

I am still amazed on a daily basis to see how such a simple, natural technique can generate so many positive effects. And it is also nice to do.

Nina Van Herwegen

I have done so many meditation courses, but there was always something that felt not right; I missed something. I did not feel satisfied. When I learned TM, it felt just like coming home to me. Finally I have found it.

Hugh Jackman: TM Changed My Life

In recent interviews with the UK edition of the Huffington Post and with Oprah Winfrey, Hugh Jackman discussed the fundamental role that Transcendental Meditation played in his personal and professional life. This is what he said:

“Meditation Has Changed My Life.”

Hugh Jackman

“Nothing has ever opened my eyes like Transcendental Meditation has. It makes me calm and happy, and, well, it gives me some peace and quiet in what’s a pretty chaotic life!”

“The activity of being a husband, a father—those are roles, too, but underneath them is the spiritual center that connects us all, and that’s what’s most important.”

“In meditation, I can let go of everything. I’m not Hugh Jackman. I’m not a dad. I’m not a husband. I’m just dipping into that powerful source that creates everything. I take a little bath in it.”

When asked how he could get any free time for Transcendental Meditation in his busy life, he answered:

“Everyone takes a shower every day, and we don’t complain about it. We do it out of discipline. There will always be an excuse not to meditate…. The ego says, ‘You don’t need to meditate, man. You’re really busy. What about the kids?’ But do I say, ‘I can’t shower today because I have to make time for the kids?’ No.”

Oprah Winfrey about TM: “I’m a 1000% better person if I do this”

In this interview with Dr. Oz, Oprah talks about how she learned Transcendental Meditation, how she paid the TM course fee for all 400 employees in her company, and the changes it has brought.

“9:00 in the morning, and 4:30 in the afternoon no matter what is going on, we stop and we meditate,” says Winfrey, ”And you can’t imagine what has happened in the company, people who used to have migraines, don’t. People are sleeping better, they are having better relationships and they are interacting with other people better. It’s been fantastic.” About herself, she says that she becomes a 1000% better person if, through TM, she bring herself in touch with something greater than herself.

Oprah came in contact with TM when she made a documentary about the TM community in Fairfield, Iowa, USA. The 45-minute documentary showed an enthusiastic Oprah clearly impressed by the whole community, which is famous for its low crime rate, the exceptional achievements of the Maharishi School, the advanced green technologies, a passion for healthy lifestyles, healthy food, healthy home design, and extraordinary entrepreneurship. Fairfield has been recognized as one of the most successful small business communities in the USA.

David Lynch: True happiness lies within

Over the past few years David Lynch has done more to bring the Transcendental Meditation technique to people’s attention than anyone else. He has practiced the technique for over 37 years and says he has never missed a meditation. He ascribes his legendary creativity to his TM practice. A few years ago he attended a theater play in the Maharishi School in Fairfield, Iowa, and was so impressed by the students that he decided to devote his life to offering more children the opportunity to deploy their full creative potential. In 2005 He founded the David Lynch Foundation (DLF) which offers financial support to learn the TM technique to those that need it most. Since then the foundation has brought TM to over 250.000 students, war veterans, prisoners and people suffering from PTSD around the world.

More info on www.davidlynchfoundation.org.

Paul McCartney: TM is “a lifelong gift.”

The Beatles remain the most famous TM practitioners of all time, and after 45 years they still meditate and support TM in public. During a press conference for the David Lynch Foundation benefit concert, McCartney and Ringo Starr stood together on stage for the first time in a long time. Paul said that
“It was a great gift that Maharishi has given us. It came during a period at the end of the 60s when we were looking for something that could bring us more stability, and it was a lifelong gift. It’s something you can call on at any time.”

In a later interview with David Lynch, Paul McCartney explained why he supports the David Lynch Foundation:

“The kids love it, Kids in Brazil love it, Kids in the West Bank love it .… I think this is what people need, they don’t need high minded talk, as much as results”

Clint Eastwood: 40 years practicing TM

Clint EastwoodThe famous actor, producer, composer, and film maker Clint Eastwood has been practicing the Transcendent Meditation technique faithfully for more than 40 years. His unlimited energy and creativity still earn him regular Oscar nominations even in his old age. He is an excellent example of what TM can do for long-term TM practitioners. He spoke about the many benefits of the TM technique during a recorded video message for the launch of David Lynch Foundation’s “Operation Warrior Wellness,” a nationwide initiative to teach TM to ten thousand war veterans suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

William Hague has practiced TM for 30 years

William HagueIn a newspaper interview with The Times (17-4-10), British Foreign Secretary William Hague revealed that he has been practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique for over 30 years. He said that he always clears twenty minutes for TM twice a day from his busy schedule for a very practical reason: “It calms me down, I have less headaches, and I sleep better.”

Katy Perry: TM is the best thing I’ve ever done to bring more creativity, positive energy and peace into my life

Katy PerryKaty is on a roll. In 2011 she was the first artist to beat Michael Jackson’s record of 5 number one hits from one album. On her birthday last year she sent a tweet to over 25 million fans asking them to support the David Lynch Foundation.

Katy has practiced Transcendental Meditation for over 2 years, and says it’s the best thing she’s ever done to bring more creativity, positive energy and peace into her life. She says: “When I feel tired, tense, scared or depressed, I meditate. It clears my mind, and makes me feel more relaxed and happier. I have shared these experiences with my friends and I recommend it to all of them.

I support the David Lynch Foundation because it brings Transcendental Meditation to the attention of millions of people all over the world. People like war veterans, suffering from post traumatic stress disorders, children from poor suburbs in large cities, and girls and woman who were the victim of violence.

Help me celebrate my birthday by donating money to the DLF. This doesn’t just mean a lot to me personally, but to all the people that you will help with it.”

George Lucas

George LucasGeorge Lucas learned the Transcendent Meditation technique more than 40 years ago. The internet is full of rumors that the concept of “The Force”, in his Star Wars films, was inspired by Maharishi’s “Science of Creative Intelligence”, the more theoretical background behind the Transcendental Meditation technique. George Lucas has recently given his full support to the initiatives of the David Lynch Foundation. A video was recently published on the website of his Edutopia project (the George Lucas Educational Foundation) about the exceptional success of Transcendental Meditation (Quiet Time) in a school in San Francisco see TM Edutopia Video.

The main editor of Edutopia, after his visit to a school in San Francisco where TM was practiced, said: “Every once in a while, when visiting a successful school, you see something that makes your jaw drop, something so extraordinary, you have to stop and make sure what you saw is actually what it appears to be.”

Jerry Seinfeld: already 40 years a TM practitioner

Jerry Seinfeld, one of the US’s all time most popular comedians, has practiced the TM technique for nearly 40 years.

In this interview on Good Morning America he describes some of the benefits of TM.

Moby: No other meditation technique is as effective as TM

Moby speaking about Transcendental Meditation at the David Lynch Foundation press conference.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth PaltrowGwyneth Paltrow, who recently learned TM, recently announced on her website that she was selling a large part of her wardrobe. The purpose: to support the David Lynch Foundation so that TM could be further promoted in education.

Martin Scorcese

Martin Scorcese is one of the most famous film makers of our time. Mr. Scorcese learned Transcendent Meditation a few years ago and had such a good personal experience with it that he now supports the technique publicly, as in this video that was aired for the David Lynch Foundation’s initiative to help war veterans to overcome PTSD.

Ellen Degeneres: TM is the only meditation where after 20 minutes I regret that it is over.

Ellen Degeneres is, after Oprah Winfrey, the most famous talk show host in America. In this video of her speech at a recent benefit gala for the David Lynch Foundation she speaks about her experience with TM, and why she is so fond of it (1:36).

Even Rupert Murdoch practices TM

Rupert MurdochRecently media giant Rupert Murdoch, one of the richest and most influential people in the world, recently tweeted: “Trying to learn transcendental meditation. Everyone recommends, not that easy to get started, but said to improve everything!”

Dr. Oz: Transcendental Meditation works

Dr OzTreat the cause (stress) and the consequences will disappear, even cardiovascular diseases. Dr Mehmet Oz has such a big influence on health care that Time magazine in 2008 placed him at the 44th spot on the list of the 100 most influential people in the world. He is director of the cardiovascular institute in a prominent hospital in New York, is author of several books, and currently has his own television show that is broadcasted worldwide.

Dr Oz has been practicing TM himself for the past several years, and has paid for all 200 employees of his show to learn the technique. He talks about the technique in public on a regular basis and explains how TM has an effect on blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases that even medicines can’t always match. He says it can “influence things that we didn’t think were changeable”.

Dilma Rousseff

Dilma RousseffThe current president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff is a fervent Transcendental Meditation practitioner, and she also recommends it to the public. She once said: “I am going jogging to keep my body healthy, and I do Transcendent Meditation to keep my mind healthy.”

Some of the largest Transcendental Meditation teaching projects in the world are happening in Brazil, including an ongoing project to teach the TM technique as part of the curriculum in all 38.000 public schools in the country.