QUOTE (anwiii @ Aug 27 2008, 06:01 AM)
i'm curious if anyone has ever heard of transcendental meditation which was founded by Maharishi Mahesh yogi. i have researched the results of the meditation techniques and everything i have ever read was so positive. i have a problem researching the meditation techniques though. it seems as though the only way you can learn them is through a certified instructor that has already learned them. i guess there is room for error in the techniques but they say the techniques are very easy to master and anyone is able to use the techniques for their own benefits. what i don't understand is if the techniques are so simple that anyone can do, then why does one need an instructor? i mean, you have to take a class and within the class there are follow up classes before you are able to use the techniques without an instructor.
normally, i am very good at researching things on the net and these techniques have to be available somewhere without having to pay or take a class while an instructor watches over you. it's like these techniques are a highly gaurded secret or something because i haven't found one place that offers these meditation techniques for free.
anyway, i thought i would ask here if anyone knows anything about transcendental meditation. and if there is information on the techniques without taking the classes? if not, has anyone ever taken the program? what were your results? the program was founded by Maharishi Mahesh yogi and is world-renowned.
Hey Anwill
I learned TM years back and have been completely delighted with both my experience during practice and more importantly, in the results of my practice. I went from a struggling 3.2 GPA to an almost effortless 4.0 (at UCLA). Ever have to read a lot and find that your mind keeps wandering? You might wind up reading something several times before you feel you got it, and only to realize later that you still missed something. I had that often, and within a couple weeks of practicing TM noticed that I could read something once and understand it very well while I was reading it, pretty much always. I also found that my relationship with my folks and friends and the world in general improved greatly, as I came to feel good often, and felt like there was much more of "me" available to share and enjoy.
I used to race motocross, and while racing there are clear thin vinyl sheet layers that go over your visor or goggles called "tear offs" (see for instance:
http://www.shopwiki.com/search/DRAGON+MX+G...E+TEAR-OFF+PACK ) that while in the race, you can easily tear off to instantly and easily clear your vision. It feels like TM is a twice a day "tear off" for navigating and enjoying my life, allowing much greater clarity from all the confounding debris of stress and fatigue that interferes with my accurate view and interpretation of all the spheres of my world. A wonderfully rejuvenating experience.
Clearly worth taking the time to learn and practice (20 mins TWICE a day - very important to do it both times every day for maximum benefit)
Then the question is: "Why pay for TM instruction?"
If there was a couch that you could buy, that every time you sat in it for a few minutes, you felt deeply rested and rejuvenated (deeper rest than achieved during any point in eight hours of sleep, say) - how much would you pay? Now what if that couch lasted forever and you could conveniently take it with you anywhere? Would it be worth the price of a nice couch (that wears out in 5-10 years)? Or the price of a laptop that becomes obsolete in a few years? Or a one time vacation?
It is seriously probably the best investment in myself that I ever made.
Fwiw, the following is a pretty clear (and more detailed answer) to that question I recently came across:
[ from wiki answers:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_you_learn_th..._free_of_charge ]
Q: Can you learn the Transcendental Meditation technique free of charge?
A: The Transcendental Meditation technique is a specific technique of meditation introduced in 1957 by the Indian scholar and teacher Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
According to the non-profit, tax-exempt educational organization that Maharishi created to teach the TM technique, the practice can be properly learned only from a certified instructor.
When you learn the TM technique from a certified teacher, you can rest assured that you are learning the actual TM technique and not a facsimile, because the technique is trademarked--so no one except a certified instructor can legally teach it. There is a tuition to enroll in the TM course--this is because training in the TM technique requires personalized, one-on-one instruction and a series of classes, all taught by a professional and highly trained teacher. To ensure maximum benefit, the TM course also includes a lifetime of extensive personal follow-up, as needed, and ongoing advanced classes. The one-on-one follow-up and continuing classes are available to everyone who learns the TM technique, at no further charge and for the rest of your life. It's a one-time fee for a lifetime program.
The TM technique is unique--it's unlike all other methods of meditation, distinguished by its effortlessness, naturalness and profound effectiveness. It is the rediscovery of effortless and correct practice of "transcending" from the Vedic Tradition of Knowledge in which TM teachers are rigorously trained. TM practice is unique not only in its range of benefits, but also in that it has been scientifically verified by over 350 peer-reviewed research studies conducted at hundreds of independent institutions such as Harvard Medical School, Yale Medical School, UCLA Medical School, Stanford, etc., and published in leading peer-reviewed scientific and academic journals. (See [1] below for more about the scientific research). All legitimate, peer-reviewed research on the TM technique shows that daily practice has only beneficial effects [2]. The TM program is not a religion or a sect (although some people may mistakenly claim it to be), and it doesn't require belief because it is simply a technique.
More important, scientific research has shown that the TM technique is more effective than any other form of meditation for gaining relaxation and reducing stress and anxiety and promoting self-actualization[3].
Science itself sheds the most light on the subject of why pay $2000 for the TM technique: if you want the results that TM produces, empirical evidence strongly suggests that this technique is the easiest, simplest, most effortless and natural way to get these benefits. If you think that the tuition is too expensive, then ask yourself, "Do I want TM to be worth less than the course fee of $2000?"
There are also TM student loans, grants and scholarships available to help you learn. The TM educational organization will work with you if finances are an obstacle, but there must be a general course fee to make the organization sustainable.
There are many meditations available for free or very little, but the common experience with the TM technique is that the practice is found to be well worth the tuition--many times over. In our materialistic society, people are often challenged to think about paying money for this "non-material" practice, but the financial commitment goes entirely to support peace-creating activities of the TM organization around the world. No one in the organization profits financially from the TM course fees: the organization is strictly non-profit, and always has been. Your tuition goes to help others learn: because new meditators before you paid their course fees, the TM organization has been able to teach the technique for free to over 140,000 schoolchildren in the past three years--in inner city schools, Native American reservations, and in developing countries all around the world. (Private foundations such as the David Lynch Foundation have also contributed to this endeavor.)
Besides being a practical necessity, the TM course fee is also a way of teaching our society to value this "technology of consciousness"--sending the message that the practice is at least worth the price of a used car, new computer or weekend getaway to the Bahamas.
How much is it worth to transcend stress, unfold the full potential of life and rise to higher states of consciousness? When you think about it, the TM technique might just be the best deal in the universe.
check these links out:
http://www.DoctorsOnTM.orghttp://www.tm.org http://www.truthabouttm.org
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