T.M is of benefit to people of all walks of life

“I first became aware of T.M during the 1970’s when a work colleague showed me a poster of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. At the time I was interested in the meditation but not in the “hippy” and religious lifestyle that seemed to go with it.
Last year, after a sudden and traumatic bereavement, I was at a very low point in my life, compounded by the fact that I was in real danger of literally losing the roof over my head, but that is another story. Suffice to say I was frightened, anxious and panic stricken.
A friend told me about an article she had read in a newspaper which said that doctors were recommending T.M as an aid in stress related disorders. We started searching the internet for information and came across an independent TM teacher based in Newcastle upon Tyne.
We attended a week-end course in October, 2002 and were amazed at how simple the meditation technique is. Just 20 minutes, twice a day, relaxing in a chair and repeating a mantra, has resulted in my feeling much calmer and more at peace with myself. My anxiety and panic attacks have disappeared and my normal sleep pattern has returned. I have also noticed after meditation an increase in energy and enthusiasm.
I feel that T.M has come of age after shedding its “hippy image” and is the antidote for all the stress we encounter in today’s hectic world.
I was waiting at a bus stop recently and got into a conversation with a walker. (big boots and rucksack) He had come over from Alaska to do some long distance walking in the Lake District and North Yorkshire moors. I was impressed by the distances he had covered as he wasn’t a young man, but in his late sixties at a guess. He told me he had discovered T.M when he was at college and had practised it ever since.
T.M is of benefit to people of all walks of life – it isn’t a religion or a lifestyle but a simple technique that anyone, of any age, can learn.”
~ Hilda, Whitby, North Yorks

TM in Chorley

“I was persuaded to try TM following on from my yoga practice. I felt there was something more to be had from the period of relaxation and muscular rest after a session.

Almost immediately after just the group practice that followed the initial instruction I felt a difference, that a new window of experience had been opened.

In the days and weeks that followed, I noticed that I felt calmer (particularly whilst driving) and more assured within myself (and of myself). I had more energy physically and mentally although being retired I do not face the tensions that I used to. I am convinced that if I still had those work tensions that my TM practice would help immensely.

I personally find the morning practice to be difficult to fit in but confess that this really is laziness in not getting up early enough. This leads me to ensure that I nearly always have an evening TM.

I hold dear my mantra and inwardly use this from time to time to help to relax and concentrate when for example on the golf course taking an awkward shot or put. It is my friend for life and maybe beyond!”
~ Peter, retired professional from Chorley, Lancs.

“Best thing we ever did!”

“I have been practising TM for the past 18 years on and off and started on the recommendation of a friend when I’d complained about feeling stressed . My husband decided that he would be interested in doing the course so we went along together and have to say it has been invaluable. As a person who thrives on being very busy and active there are times when I either don’t get enough sleep or feel stressed and this manifests itself in migraines. Being able to draw on the positive qualities of TM over the years has been wonderful and I know that its something that I will use for the rest of my life. Apart from the feeling of complete refreshment after meditating for 20 minutes [you do feel like you’ve had a couple of hours sleep ] it helps to slow down days which are particularly hectic. It is sometimes hard to find 2 separate 20 minutes in every day, but even once a day when time is short TM has been a great tool for me.”
~ Hazel, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Hugh Jackman on TM

“Nothing has ever opened my eyes like transcendental meditation has. It makes me calm and happy, and, well, it gives me some peace and quiet in what’s a pretty chaotic life!” ~ Hugh Jackman

“It is the best thing I’ve ever done”

“I find it amazing & do it every morning when I wake – not so good at doing it twice a day. It is the best thing I have ever done.”
~ Mary, Bolton, Lancs.

Soon after learning TM

“Really impressed, starting to feel calmer and more focused already” ~ Paul, Manchester.

Jerry Seinfeld on TM

“It’s very hard to explain. … I was describing it to somebody. I was saying it’s like having, you know how your phone has a charger – it’s like having a charger for your whole body and mind. That’s what TM is.” ~ Jerry Seinfeld

“20 minutes morning and evening does the job”

“I started meditating whilst in my final year at university, mainly because I hoped it would help me deal with exam stress. It was very cheap (we are talking more than 30 years ago) on a student rate, and I enjoyed the whole slightly esoteric process very much. Even more, I enjoyed and continue to enjoy the benefits of a very simple and easy technique that basically gets you through your day. It worked for exam stress: it has gone on working in all kinds of circumstances, and in the times when I have stopped meditating, I have noticed a difference. You can become more involved, through extra meetings and weekend retreats, but for me, it’s the 20 mins morning and evening which does the job. Sometimes I find it difficult to fit in, but that’s really bad planning and a failure to prioritise on my part. When I make time for TM, I feel a whole lot better.”
Jo (Digital Learning Designer)
Darlington, County Durham.

TM for Teachers

“More than 15 years ago I was teaching in a High School in a ‘challenging’ environment (that’s the polite way to describe it). Although teaching had always been my desired employment, I was increasingly finding that the aggressive behaviour of the students was causing me more and more stress. I developed all the stress related symptoms (IBS, headaches, stiff neck, high blood pressure, and insomnia to name some. My husband tells me I was difficult to live with, although he knew it was not me, but the effects of the job on my health. I felt like I was swimming through treacle and the harder I tried the thicker the treacle became. I could not see a way out and despair began to close in on me.

A good friend of mine who worked for the NHS suggested I go to meditation classes and so in desperation I went – not knowing quite what to expect. I remember my husband joking that “if I started wearing a yellow sheet and shaving my head he was leaving”!!

I arrived with a very sceptical mind but very soon all my worst suspicions were gone. It seemed that Chris knew more about the way I was feeling than I did myself. At last someone who actually understood – but was also offering me a way to deal with my stress. He couldn’t make my everyday troubles go away, but he could teach me how I could deal with them so that my health would not suffer.

I could write pages about how easy I found it and how within a very short time I knew it was helping. I wanted to tell the whole world that everyone should be trying this. I continue to use TM although I am now retired, and over the years I have told as many people as I can about how wonderful the effects are. I can honestly say that TM ‘saved’ me from what would probably have ended up in a complete meltdown of my nervous system.”

Heather, Newcastle upon Tyne.