“It was the start of 2012, and it had been the holiday of my life. San Francisco, and my first time in the US. But what a long flight out! Nearly an hour from Newcastle to Heathrow, nine hours from Heathrow to Dallas, and a further three hours from Dallas to San Francisco. Jet lag, said Chris? Not a bit, he said; not if you do your TM a couple of times during the journey.

So, I did the first one not long after leaving the UK. By the time I got on the last plane at Dallas, I was absolutely shattered. But, not long after take-off I closed my eyes and started on the second TM session.

I know Chris says we’re not supposed to concentrate on the mantra, we just take it as it comes, he says, but, honestly, everything was conspiring against me! The hubbub inside the plane, my cramped space by the window, and my feelings of absolute and utter tiredness. On top of it all, I couldn’t relax; I couldn’t rest my head against the wall of the plane, I couldn’t keep my feet still, and my arms were twitchy: much frustration. Until. Until I realised it was TM doing one of its functions.
I’ve had it before, when I’m tired, usually towards the end of an exhausting week; TM gets seems to get rid of stress from the mind in the form of twitching of one or more limbs.
So I stuck it out for the full twenty minutes, and more or less from the moment I stopped the mantra, the twitching stopped and the restlessness went from my mind and my body. I actually slept for a little less than an hour before we flew into San Francisco.

And jet lag? Not a bit of it.

At the end of the holiday I had a direct flight back to Heathrow, all ten hours of it. I did two TM sessions on the plane, and, as before, when I got back home, no jet lag.

I’ve been doing TM for over 26 years now.
What got me into TM in the first place? Seeing some strange marks on a friend’s back. When I asked him what they were he told me they were the scars of what psoriasis had done to his skin. The doctors had tried all sorts of remedies, but only TM had worked: TM was the only successful treatment for his psoriasis.

I didn’t have psoriasis, but, a few years later, hoping it would help me in some way, I took up TM myself, and, as they say, I never looked back. It cleared my thinking so incredibly quickly. By that, I mean that before taking up TM, I could see – in retrospect – that my thinking was like water in a glass, but water that was as cloudy as if a Disprin tablet was fizzing away in the water, making it cloudy. I start doing TM, and almost immediately the water went clear; clarity of thought.
Now I can not imagine my life without TM.”
Ken, Darlington.

Update after meditating for a month (not non-stop, silly!) :
“Just thought I would drop you a line to let you know how I have been getting on with my meditation. Well basically its going fantastic. I am religiously carrying it out twice a day for the correct 20 minute period and have not missed a single one! I absolutely love doing it and cannot believe how it has made me feel and how it makes me feel in general. The energy boost it gives is miraculous and never ceases to amaze me.I find it particularly noticeable when I do it mid afternoon just before I go on the school run because at that time I am normally flagging again and find it hard to summon up the rest of the energy for the latter part of the day, but I no longer find this a problem. Also last night I was up in the night with my daughter and she was not very well, so of course today would normally be a real struggle for me but after carrying out both my meditations today, feel amazing and full of energy. Also I feel in general I am a lot calmer than I was before, the little things that may have wound me up in the past do not bother me as much. One of my friends also saw me about 2 weeks ago and she had not seen me for a while and commented on how I look vibrant and glowing.

So there you have it, cannot praise the TM enough. It is definitely enriching my life for the better.”

Julie, Wigan

Another in our series of testimonials on TM :

“My experience of learning TM was something I will never forget. I remember in the first session I was gobsmacked at its simplicity! After my first 20 minute meditation I could instantly feel the results!! I felt calmer and had a level of mental clarity that I couldn’t t explain. When meditating regularly it has really helped me with my problems with anxiety!! I wish the government made TM a compulsory part of the national curriculum!!”

Mark, Merseyside

“Its been fabulous, thoroughly enjoyable. I feel motivated and happy about my future meditating as I have struggled on + off with other meditation techniques for years (clearing my mind etc)”
Shannon, Wakefield, West Yorks
“I’ve really enjoyed it. I feel I’ve travelled a long way in a short time”
Heather, Malton, East Yorks

“The course has been excellent. I was particularly pleased with its secular stance and the emphasis on the physical stuff of how to actually do it”
Alex, Manchester.