Meditation has always been a struggle for me, I’ve gone through phases of trying out different apps and guided meditations, but I never stayed consistent to see results. And then I heard about Transcendental Meditation (TM). I heard about it on several occasions, and every single person spoke so highly of it. It then came up in conversation with my grandmother, who has been doing it for 50 years! So I finally decided to give it a try, I took the course with a teacher at the Santa Monica TM center, and the results couldn’t be more gratifying.
WHAT IS TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION (TM)?
There is no right or wrong way to practice TM, and once you learn the basics, it’s pretty simple. Firstly, you don’t need anything to practice except a quiet space and perhaps a clock or timer. During the meditation, nothing is forced or required, no way of thinking or way of breathing. 20 minutes 2 times per day is suggested, but in my opinion, as long as you’re consistent (even if it’s only 10 minutes daily), whatever you can manage is great. The course will teach you an immense amount and provide you with all the necessary tools to practice successfully. I would recommend TM to anyone interested in meditating or who hasn’t seen success with other methods. By the way, if you do practice another method and it works for you, that’s great; keep doing it.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MEDITATING?
Research has confirmed meditation’s role in reducing stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and optimizing brain function (to name a few). It has also demonstrated a positive impact in improving cardiovascular health, especially hypertension. You can go to the Transcendental Meditation Website to check out the published research studies (you can also just google the research-backed benefits of meditation). If this doesn’t convince you, I can confidently say that I have experienced some of the benefits, including stress reduction, boosted mood, and overall enhanced mental clarity. I am so glad to have finally found a form of meditation that works for me, and I hope this helps you find one too.
