SPOTTED: Inner Peace & Deeper Healing with Transcendental Meditation
If you follow me on Instagram, you might know that I’ve recently completed a four-day course in transcendental meditation. I promised to share more information here on the blog, so today’s post explains more about this simple and accessible form of meditation.
Meditation has become something of a watchword for wellness practitioners in the last few decades as research increasingly emerges about its powerful benefits for our minds and bodies.
The trouble is many of us really struggle to develop a meditation practice. Trying to quiet our busy minds feels like wrestling an octopus. We can’t still our racing thoughts. We get bored, or fidgety, or distracted. We give up.
I say ‘we’ because I absolutely include myself in this. I’ve tried many times to establish a regular meditation practice. But I struggle with it.
It’s one of the many reasons I love breathwork so much. It is actually an active form of meditation that gives your mind a focus, so you can make space for the healing and emotional release that we all desire.
Powerful though breathwork is, I still wanted to explore other forms of meditation. I was drawn to transcendental meditation because it promises to be an effortless practice that helps people who struggle with traditional meditation find their focus - and if I am being honest all the Beatles use TM so I figured it must be legit.
What Is Transcendental Meditation?
The idea behind transcendental meditation is simple. Instead of trying to clear your mind, you focus on a specific mantra you are given as part of your training.
The key to this mantra is that it holds no meaning for you besides the sound. If you understand the word you are saying, your mind has a conscious thinking response to it. This prevents you from entering into a meditative state.
But focusing on the syllables in your mantra it helps you to avoid distracting thoughts. You repeat it silently in your head. As you do, the mantra works as a gateway, guiding your mind into a place where you are operating at a higher consciousness.
This is what makes transcendental meditation so effortless for people who usually struggle to meditate. The mantra provides a tool for your mind to focus on. As you repeat it in your head, you move closer to a state of pure consciousness. Often times actually losing the mantra and drifting deeper into transcendence.
Once you have your mantra, you are encouraged to meditate twice a day for twenty minutes. You don’t have to wear special clothes or sit in a particular way. Just find a comfortable place to sit, close your eyes, and repeat your mantra in your head. If you have a thought you just see if you can put more of your focus onto the mantra sound.
I find this structure is part of what makes transcendental meditation simple to practice. It gives you a clear framework for what to do but is still very gentle and non-rigid in its approach. Throughout the course I was even told that our thoughts are to be welcomed because it is out body processing these ‘stressors’. Over time and with more meditation the thoughts will become less and the mediations will become deeper and more profound. Three weeks in and I can already attest to this.
Transcendental Meditation Mantras
The mantras are based on Sanskrit, so it isn’t quite accurate to say they have no meaning at all, just that you shouldn’t ascribe meaning to your mantra.
In the Vedic tradition, bija mantras use sound vibration to create transformation and expansion on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level. The mantras used in transcendental meditation are based on the same idea.
When you do a course in transcendental meditation (often referred to simply as TM), you’ll be given your mantra by your teacher. They will also show you how to use it correctly.
You keep your mantra a secret. It isn’t supposed to be spoken out loud or written down because it loses its power. And by power they mean for it ‘s meaningless nature - if you attach any meaning to it whether that’s comparing it to another persons or just associating it to something then it has lost it’s ability to let the brain and nervous system stop working.
The mantra is designed to be repeated silently in your own head during meditation only. The rest of the time, you try not to focus on it, as you don’t want the sound to become associated with your daily life.
One of my concerns going into learn transcendental meditation was that I would hate the mantra I was given and would find it hard to work with. Fortunately, I love it, so that is a relief!
According to the Meditation Trust, few people find their mantra doesn’t work for them. When it does happen, it is usually because they aren’t using it correctly, not because the mantra itself is wrong for them.
Ok So What Are the Benefits of Transcendental Meditation?
Practiced regularly, transcendental meditation actually rewires our brains, as researchers found recently when they studied changes in brain connectivity in people who had been using TM for three months.
These changes in our brains correspond to benefits for our mental health. People who practice transcendental meditation report that they feel less stressed, anxious, and depressed. It has also proved a powerful tool in reducing the symptoms of PTSD.
Transcendental meditation helps with the physical manifestations of stress too. Various studies have demonstrated that it has benefits for our cardiovascular health, lowering our blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke.
Personally, I noticed some differences even after just a few days of transcendental meditation. As you may know, I have an autoimmune disease that affects my thyroid. One of the benefits I have seen is a reduction in pain, and I almost immediately stopped grinding my teeth. A habit I picked up with the onset of hyperthyroid.
I also noticed that I was finding it easier to be patient and was able to be kinder and more loving towards my family. And my sleep improved too.
Generally, I’m feeling happier and calmer, and have less stress around my health.
I can also confirm that transcendental meditation really is an effortless practice. If you have struggled with meditation in the past, I urge you to give it a go.
I’ve followed guided meditations for years. Although they relax me, the effect is not as deep or as profound as the results I’ve had with transcendental meditation. The addition of the mantra has made a noticeable difference.
How to Learn Transcendental Meditation
Unlike many forms of meditation, you need to take some formal training before you can use TM. This is because your teacher assigns you a mantra and shows you how to use it correctly.
Don’t worry, it isn’t a huge time commitment. It takes just four days, and you only need to dedicate an hour or two each day. Your teacher will do some initial instruction and conduct a short ceremony to give you the mantra you will use. The next three days are about increasing your understanding of the practice to make sure you get the full benefits.
You can find a teacher via the Maharishi Foundation’s website. Many teachers offer remote or partially online options, especially for the three follow-up days.
I hope this has given you some inspiration for how to integrate meditation into your daily life if you’ve struggled in the past.
If I can support you in your wellness journey, please get in touch!