Down to earth testimonial on TM experience

“My name is Anne, I am 71. I have been meditating for five years. Meditation was suggested by a Sleep Clinic however I have to say the effect on my sleep has not been significant. I know that this is not the case for other people.
I went to the Transcendental Meditation course completely ignorant and innocent of anything to do with TM. I had been to a lovely Yoga/Meditation/Relaxation class for three years with a friend a few years previously, but came to the conclusion that meditation was not for me.

The TM course taught bowled me over. It seemed as if all my birthdays had been rolled into one big birthday! The first year I took my TM instructors advice and was determined just to do it twice a day, to build up the habit. During that first year I had some surprising times during meditation: I saw lovely colours, very bright yellows and reds.
Since then the surprising things have stopped and my meditation seems quite plain, but the benefits are still super. My blood pressure is good, I am able to go about my day in a calm manner, and I do not feel anxious about anything that I have to do. When we are going away for a day I usually leave my meditation to do in the car. It is not quite as good as in the quietness of our home but much better than missing it. I have also practised it on trains and in aeroplanes. One day when we were going on holiday I dashed round all morning getting ready to go and by the end of the morning when we set off I was quite uptight which was surprising and then I realised it was because I had not meditated.
When I have got up late I resented having to meditate before getting on with my day. If this happens I now meditate later on. The teatime slot is something I have to work at fitting in because of not being at home at the same time every day and because of visitors for meals which I have to prepare. Later on during the evening is too late because I fall asleep so sometimes I have to miss the second session but I try hard not to have to do so.”
Anne, Merseyside

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TM, jet lag and psoriasis!

“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.

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“The energy boost it gives is miraculous”

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

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Simplicity of Transcendental Meditation

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

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Comments from last weekends Transcendental Meditation course in York

“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

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Comment from Manchester TM course last week :

“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.

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Katy Perry on TM.

“I have been meditating for two years now, and it’s the best thing I have ever done to help bring more creativity, positive energy and peace to my life. When I’m tired, stressed, anxious or depressed, I meditate, and it clears my mind, and makes me feel relaxed and happier. I have shared the meditation experience with my friends, and recommend it to everyone I know.”
Katy Perry.

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Comments from last weekends TM course in Manchester

* “Really enjoyed it. Surprised at how easy the technique is”
Katrina, Rotherham

* “Interesting, rewarding, the entire opposite to what you envision meditation to be. A lot easier then I thought.” and a few days later :

“Still loving the TM , already feel like it is part of my daily routine. It is starting to amaze me on a daily basis too. Last night I had a particularly bad nights sleep. We live next door to a MOT Garage and some machinery in there kept going off all night by mistake,(someone had left it switched on). Normally after a night like that I would be grumpy and irritable and extremely shattered for most of the day. But after carrying out my 2 rounds of TM, felt full of energy and not tired at all, am so impressed!”

Julie, Wigan

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13 years of Transcendental Meditation

“I first stumbled across TM at 29 after finishing a degree and not spending enough time on my own health and general  welfare.  I was anxious, unfit and felt that I had to reconnect with myself on a deeper level and had spent too long on hectic nights out and unhealthy habits.   After attending an introductory talk on TM with Chris in August 99 I realised it was just what I needed and attended the weekend course and follow up sessions which were fun, interesting and shared them  with other everyday people.

I quickly integrated it into my daily routine and from doing TM 20 minutes twice a day I noticed benefits within the first 4 weeks and these quickly cumulated over the first six months and longer.  Over time I found myself to be more at ease and noticed that I slept better, was a lot less anxious, calmer, digestion improved, my mood was more balanced, improved relationships with others and actually found the time to slow down rather than just living life at the usual fast pace.  Ironically I found that I achieved more in less time and enjoyed life more.

Over the past 12 years I still do my daily TM practice and this has totally changed my perspective and quality of life and has opened up new avenues.   I now teach Yoga of which meditation is a key practice and I am always more than happy to recommend TM and Chris to anyone who feels it may be of benefit to them.”

David Atkinson, Yoga teacher, Newcastle upon Tyne

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