Transcendental Meditation Practices (Transcendental Meditation)

Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental Meditation is a technique of meditation originally introduced in the West about the year 1958. This type of meditation technique was introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and say a short period of meditation. Transcendental Meditation is recommended twice a day for only twenty minutes per session. As with other methods of meditation and practices, is a target of transcendental meditation is enlightenment. The technique claims to be able to improve a person by the person individual efforts.

It is not difficult to learn transcendental meditation. If you are looking to escape from the whirlwind of ringing cell phones, traffic snarls and screaming kids, transcendental meditation can provide a peaceful getaway from the craziness of everyday life.

You may be wondering what is transcendental meditation and what makes it different from other forms of meditation? One of the most exciting elements of the transcendental meditation technique is that it so simple and easy to practice. With the right focus and dedication, you can learn transcendental meditation in a matter of moments.

Basically, during the meditation session, your body enters a deep and peaceful state of relaxation, while maintaining alertness and clarity. First, the person chooses a word or image to focus on, perhaps a religious or cultural symbol that has special meaning. As the person replays this word or image over and over, the body descends into a deeper and deeper state of restfulness. The session can last anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour and should take place in a calm and relaxed setting, with minimal noise and distractions.

No other meditation technique has been so extensively studied and researched. During transcendental meditation, the brain falls into a theta brain wave pattern (akin to sleep and deep relaxation), which then carries over to the state of wakefulness. Physical benefits include increased mental comprehension, focus, retention and creativity. Another interesting benefit is the actual reversal of the aging process. In a study conducted by the International Journal of Neuroscience, the biological age of practitioners of transcendental meditation was, on average, twelve years younger than their chronological age. Transcendental meditation also has positive effects on age and stress related conditions such as insomnia, high blood pressure, decreased visual acuity, hearing loss and depressed cerebral blood flow.

Studies have also shown that transcendental meditation can greatly reduce mental issues, such as desire for alcohol, drugs, and nicotine, and stress issues. The knowledge that stress itself can lead to many physical ailments makes this process almost priceless to one who would hold his or her health in high regard.

Although there are very many doubtful comments still floating heavily around the medical community. However, the National Institute of Health has obviously given the process some solid credibility as they have invested well over twenty million dollars in research funds towards the long-term effects of transcendental meditation on the human heart.

Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental meditation is a movement founded by Maharishi (Maharishi Mahesh Yogi) in 1957. It started with an organization named Spiritual Regeneration Movement. Maharishi aimed to establish a teaching center of transcendental meditation for every million people of the world's population.

The whole process takes fifteen to twenty minutes everyday. During the meditation, the person focuses his or her mind on a simple statement that is called a mantra. The ultimate goal, as practitioners say, is to achieve pure consciousness. The exact procedures of transcendental meditation cannot be simply learned by reading available materials. They have to be taught by a transcendental meditation expert.

However, there have been studies that say transcendental meditation has negative effects. A scientist in an American institute said that the whole process of such meditation could be hazardous to the mental health of a certain person. The weight of the impact depends on how long the person has been practicing transcendental meditation.

Transcendental meditation has also been criticized because of the exorbitant fees that go with learning them. As of the year 2000, fees have been reported to reach as much as $2,500. Other critics even point that the fee does not make sense because the founder, Maharishi, even stated that such meditation is a birthright.

Aside from these, transcendental meditation also earned the ire of a number of people because of its strict policies, particularly those that relate to building structures. Maharishi declared that all buildings should be constructed based on an Indian philosophy that can be compared to Feng Shui. In this belief, the main entrance of the structure must face the east and the rooms should be arranged in a circular fashion. The rooms should revolve around a central area called the seat of divinity. Because of their strict adherence to this belief, there was even a time when a Catholic church situated in a Maharishian university was demolished because it did not abide by the rules of this Indian philosophy.

While there may be criticisms on the practice of transcendental meditation, there have also been studies that say the process is helpful in improving blood flow. In the end, the decision to practice transcendental meditation, or any kind of meditation for that matter, still lies on the convictions of an individual.

Author : Eddie Tobey

Transcendental Meditation