Improve Life in Just 20 Minutes a Day
T
by Martin Miron
he nonprofit Transcendental Meditation Program® (TM®) is active in Gainesville, Ocala, The Villages and surrounding areas. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a physicist and sage, brought this age-old Vedic Knowledge from India to the world in 1958. His goal was to relieve suffering in the world and bring peace through individual development of higher states of consciousness with an easy-to-do mental technique called Transcendental Meditation®. This technique allows the mind naturally to transcend or go beyond the surface level of the mind, settling easily and gradually to the goal of all meditations, the state of pure awareness, pure consciousness at the basis of everything. Local certified teachers of the Transcendental Meditation® technique include Martha Peters, 352-338-1249 [for texts use 352318-9010], mpeters@tm.org, TM.org/Gainesville, in Gainesville; Andrea La Fave, 414-371-1048, alafave@tm.org, TM.org/Ocala, in Ocala; and Patti Thar, 561-703-2062, pthar@tm.org, TM.org/thevillages, in The Villages. They offer a free introductory talk about the TM® technique and the research into its effects and teach the TM® course on how to practice the Transcendental Meditation® technique, including continuing support in the form of follow-up knowledge and refreshers. TM® students may also choose to attend retreats and advanced programs. If a TM meditator moves to a different area, teachers in that area provide the continuing support. They look forward to being able to teach more actively when COVID-19 decreases in our area. A new project called Heal the
Healers will teach the TM® technique to medical professionals as a way to help manage the intense stress and avoid potential PTSD caused by this pandemic. They are currently meeting with people online to give the introductory talks that are both informational and a prerequisite to taking the TM® course. Individuals most go through a teacher training course that takes about five months in residence. They are required to maintain a high standard of instruction and periodically pass recertification courses to ensure that their current expertise in both knowledge and teaching skills meets a standard of excellence. Some have completed undergraduate and graduate degrees, but the critical credential is certification by the Maharishi Foundation to teach the TM® technique. The Transcendental Meditation® technique is an easy to learn and effortless to do process of meditation that has been researched for more than 50 years. The results of these scientific studies show that doing the TM® technique creates a unique physical response of deep relaxation and coherent brainwave patterns indicating that the whole brain is working together during TM® practice. The results of the research studies confirm what students report; that the TM® technique improves physical health, including heart health and the ability to sleep; and enhances mental focus, creativity and the ability to learn while reducing PTSD symptoms and anxiety. Practice of the TM® technique also enhances social relationships by increasing patience and strengthening problem-solving skills, and has been found that in communities with over 1 percent of TM® meditators, crime rates, accident rates and hospital admissions go down. Meditation techniques fall within two primary categories— concentration techniques or contemplation techniques. With concentration techniques, the goal is to empty the mind or keep the mind focused on a particular word, a concept or a physical item such as a candle.. The TM® technique is not a concentration technique and is easy to learn and to do. The other category is contemplation, in which the mind is directed to follow a thought, series of thoughts, concept or sensory experience. The mind stays focused on exploring one or more of these directions, although it may be directed to follow a thought or line of thinking. The TM® technique is not a belief system and does not use contemplation as its practice. The TM® technique is neither a concentration technique nor a contemplation practice. It is a third type of meditation described as automatic self-transcending. It has been found to be both easier and more effective than either concentration or contemplation meditation practices in promoting health and well-being by decreasing anxiety. There are now eight volumes of published research studies that elucidate the changes during TM® practice and detail their effectiveness. The potential is to find improved health, increased mental focus and other benefits leading to a more fulfilling life through becoming stronger within as a result of practicing the TM® technique regularly for just 20 minutes twice a day. For more information contact, Martha Peters, 352-338-1249 [for texts use 352-318-9010], mpeters@tm.org, TM.org/Gainesville, in Gainesville; Andrea La Fave, 414-371-1048, alafave@tm.org, TM.org/Ocala, in Ocala; and Patti Thar, 561-703-2062, pthar@ tm.org, TM.org/thevillages, in The Villages. September 2020
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