Transcendental Meditation for beginners
I learnt Transcendental Meditation (TM) nine years ago at the Maharishi Centre in London. The official website is at www.tm-org.uk. My teacher, Neil Lukover, is one of those listed at www.mvi.org.uk/tmteachers.htm. (I have no financial interest.)
TM is one of the most useful things I’ve ever learnt. It wasn’t cheap, but the benefits have been enormous. At first I found it more difficult than other forms of meditation. However, having learnt the simple technique behind TM, I now find it much easier.
A group of us attended an introductory talk. Then Neil taught each of us a mantra, in my case a two-syllable word that I’ve been using ever since. I’ve experimented with other mantras, but none has the same effect. All I have to do is sit somewhere, close my eyes and let the mantra come.
This is what I noticed in the first few days and weeks:
• Once I could hear the mantra repeating in my mind, all I had to do was let go. It felt like falling into a deep pool, while continuing to breath normally.
• After the recommended 20 minutes of meditation, I felt well-rested, both mentally and physically. TM seems to be more effective than the equivalent amount of sleep.
• I felt less need for tea and coffee. I discovered that, if I felt tired, I could do TM practically anywhere. If there’s a lot of background noise – on a train or in a cafe – I sometimes wear earplugs.
• I felt calm, as though I was allowing things to fall into place.
There’ve been many other effects over the past nine years. I’ll write about them soon. In the meantime, I’d be very interested to hear about your experience of meditation. Please write your thoughts below or at www.facebook.com/johnpurkissfriends.
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