Transcendental Meditation® is a simple, natural, effortless mental technique for self development that is practiced for 15-20 minutes twice daily while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. Its benefits include increased happiness and intelligence, greater creativity, decreased stress, better health, improved relationships, and a deeper sense of inner peace and well-being.
The Transcendental Meditation technique allows the mind to settle inward, beyond thought, to experience the source of thought, pure awareness, also known as Transcendental Consciousness. This is the most silent and peaceful, yet fully awake level of consciousness. EEG readings taken during the practice of Transcendental Meditation show that the mind and body are experiencing a state of remarkably deep rest along with heightened alertness and wakefulness. In this state of restful alertness, the brain functions with significantly greater coherence and the body gains profound rest. The state of restful alertness produced during the practice of Transcendental Meditation dissolves stress and fatigue, promoting balanced functioning of mind and body, and more harmonious behaviour.
The Transcendental Meditation technique can be easily learned by anyone and is enjoyable to practice. It is not a religion, philosophy, or lifestyle. Over 7 million people worldwide from all backgrounds, cultures, races, and religions have learned Transcendental Meditation. Among many techniques of meditation, Transcendental Meditation is distinguished by its effortlessness, naturalness, and profound effectiveness, validated by extensive scientific research.
Nearly 700 scientific research studies confirming the benefits of the Transcendental Meditation technique have been conducted in 35 countries at more than 235 independent research institutions and universities, including the medical schools of Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and UCLA in the USA. Over 300 of these studies have been published in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals. Over the past 20 years, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States has awarded more than $25 million for research on the effects of Transcendental Meditation, especially on cardiovascular health.
The scientific research on the Transcendental Meditation programme has shown that the daily experience of restful alertness leads to increased creativity, improved learning ability, higher IQ, better moral reasoning, more efficient brain functioning, and a wide range of health benefits including normalized blood pressure, reduced need for doctor visits, and a younger biological age.
Transcendental Meditation involves neither concentration nor contemplation. A number of meta-analyses of studies covering many meditation and relaxation techniques have been conducted. They have found that the Transcendental Meditation technique produces deeper rest than other practices and is more effective for reducing anxiety and depression, alleviating drug abuse, reducing high blood pressure, and increasing psychological health and self-actualization. In addition, neural imaging and EEG studies indicate that Transcendental Meditation is the only meditation technique known to create widespread brainwave coherence.
