My Personal Experience of TM. HEALTHY SCEPTICISM

There were the Beatles, on the telly with (what to me) seemed a rather
strange but interesting man with long hair & a beard. It was 1968 and I was
13. The strange man in question was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi the founder of
Transcendental Meditation, little did I realise the major impact this man
would have on my future. The Beatles had taken up T.M and were off to India
to train as teachers of the technique. Like thousands of others over the
next few years, I finally decided to give it a go in 1971, encouraged by a
friend who thought it was wonderful. Skeptical I was, yet aware that there
is more to this world then what we percieve on the surface. Fortunately
skepticism is no bad thing for prospective T.M’ers, because it is a
technique and doesn’t rely on belief.
I must say I didn’t notice anything at first, aged 16 patience was
definately not one of my virtues.. However over the next couple of months
the benefits almost crept up on me, nothing mindblowing, but significant, a
greater ease within myself, more confidence, greater clarity of mind and
perhaps most importantly, the ability too seriously relax on a daily basis.
But as many people will tell you there is more to it then that. As I have
discovered over the years, T.M is a wonderfully simple and uncomplicated
procedure to allow the mind & body to regain a state of balance through a
really profound state of deep relaxation. Yes, it is enjoyable to do and
quickly becomes something that you look forward to doing. It isn’t just
easy, it is completely effortless. Consequently anybody can do it. There
is no effort, no trying, no concentration, no attempt to empty the mind of
thoughts. In other words, you don’t have too work at it, the beauty of
Transcendental Meditation is that rather then trying to force the mind, you
are allowing it to settle. As so many people have said, it’s a nice place to
go… You know that whatever may come up that day, at some stage you will be
able to sit and meditate and come back to that quietest level of yourself,
but ultimately meditation is a preparation for activity, an overall quality
of life enhancer. Something that has it’s origins in ancient India, today
offers huge benefits in a modern stressed world.
Encouraged by my experience and curious too find out more I went out to
Switzerland to work with the T.M organisation for a couple of weeks in the
summer of 1974. Two weeks turned into two and a half years during which I
trained and qualified as a T.M teacher. Being able to mix with thousands of
people from all over the world, of different backgounds & age groups was a
very enriching experience, not to mention attending daily lectures by
Maharishi, boy was I inspired! By now I was a T.M evangelist and really
thought it was the answer to all the world’s problems. Naiveity of youth?
Well nearly 30 years later I still meditate and certainly wouldn’t be
without it. Unfortunately the T.M organisation has become ever more
fanatical and bizarre in promoting itself, convinced that it is right.
Eventually in 1995 I decided to make the break, having taught T.M and worked
with the organisation all over the UK and abroad (including 15 months in
India) . The final straw had come with the huge increase in the course fee
for learning T.M, in 1993 it was raised from £180 to £490 and then £1280!!!
So much for peace and love. Although still high, over the past 3 years the
TM org have twice reduced their fees, free market ah, it’s enough to make
you believe in competition.
I’m no saint, but do enjoy teaching Transcendental Meditation and seeing the
results in peoples lives. In the UK, myself, Colin
Beckley & a growing band of TM teachers continue to teach T.M at affordable fee’s,
independently of the TH organisation. Many thousands of people have taken up T.M
with us, often travelling from distant parts of the UK & abroad and increasingly we
are running T.M courses in business, education authorities & government
agencies.
Yes what started out as a slightly hippyish, quasi/spiritual meditation is
increasingly practiced by ordinary, everyday people who just want something
that actually works, without any “bull”!

Chris Greathead (teaching TM for 42 years)