“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