Table of Contents
- Transcendental Meditation
- How to do transcendental meditation
- What happens when you do transcendental meditation?
- How Transcendental meditation differs from other meditation techniques?
- The benefits of transcendental meditation
- Transcendental Meditation Apps
- Final Thoughts
- FAQs on how to do transcendental meditation
You may have to chance to know about amazing things about transcendental meditation. But you are not sure how to do transcendental meditation correctly. And you are interested to try it out for yourself, but you don’t know how to get started.
If you don’t know where to start then transcendental meditation can seem intimidating. There is a lot of information available on the internet today, and it can be hard to know who to trust.
We’re here to help. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know in order to start your own transcendental meditation practice. We will explain what TM is, how it works, and why it’s so beneficial. Plus, we’ll provide tips on how to find a teacher and set up your practice space.
Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation, shortly known as TM, is a form of meditation that uses a mantra to quiet your mind. You need to read that mantra silently and repeat it over and over when you do your meditation session.
When you focus on the mantra, you are able to reach a state of transcendental consciousness and experience inner peace and relaxation in you. Transcendental meditation was introduced by Maharishi Mahesh yogi in the later 1970s. TM was popular among the world through his teachings and travels.
Transcendental meditation is one of the most popular and widely researched forms while there are many different techniques and styles of meditation. Numerous research studies have shown that TM can help to reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep quality, and increase overall well-being.
In addition, TM is easy to learn and can be practiced anywhere, making it an ideal way to promote calm and relaxation in our busy lives. It is not a philosophy, any relation to religion, or a lifestyle.
Why do I need a certified teacher to practice transcendental meditation?
Transcendental meditation is taught by a certified TM teacher in a personal course under close supervision. The teacher explains the method of doing meditation with you and addresses your questions at the beginning of the meditation session.
And the mantra you need to use in the meditation is also given by your teacher by considering your nature with the teacher’s experience. The mantra is personal to you and it helps to make calm your mind.
How to find a TM teacher for me?
The recommended and accurate way to practice transcendental meditation is to find a certified TM teacher near you and follow his or her guidelines.
You can find a qualified teacher in several ways. Here is the list of methods you can try.
- Contacting a local TM center
The staff of the TM center provides you with a list of certified teachers and you can select one of a teacher that you like. You can google ‘transcendental meditation center near me ‘ to find a local TM center
2. Visit the website of the Maharishi Foundation [Recommended]
Maharishi Foundation USA is the official organization that trains and certifies TM teachers. It consists of a certified teachers database in the world.
How to choose a suitable teacher for me?
The correct way to choose a teacher for you is to communicate with the teacher. It is important to meet with them personally once you have a list of potential teachers. Because each teacher has a different way of teaching based on their experience, it is better to make sure that you feel comfortable with the teacher’s teaching style.
You can explain your learning style and why you are interested in transcendental meditation and your expected outcome from meditation. You should be able to find a qualified teacher after a little effort.
Which mantra should I use in the meditation session?
Transcendental meditation is a mantra-based meditation technique and a mantra is made from a few words or phrases. Your certified teacher will provide a suitable mantra for you. And there is a list of transcendental meditation mantras that have been used before based on age and gender. But the mantra recommended by your teacher is the correct mantra for your practice.
How to do transcendental meditation
Transcendental meditation is a simple and effective medication technique that anyone can follow easily without effort. Here is the step-by-step guide to the transcendental meditation technique. One session should be at least 20 minutes and two sessions per day are recommended.
Time required per session : 20 minutes
1. Find a quiet and comfortable place
Find a quiet place, sit comfortably in a seat where your feet are on the ground, and keep your hands on your lap and your legs and arms relaxed and uncrossed. Or you can sit comfortably on a chair you can sit on the couch, whatever is comfortable for you. It doesn’t really matter for meditation practice.
2. Preparation for meditation (Warmup)
As a warm-up, in preparation for the meditation, take a couple of full breaths while keeping your eyes closed to lose your body for a few more minutes. The number of deep breaths depends on the person. So for me, I normally take three deep breaths, inhaling as deep as I can and holding for a second, and then exhaling.
3. Perform a mindful body scan
The next step is to you want to perform a mindful body scan. A body scan is just taking a mental note of how your body’s feeling. So scanning from head to toe to see if there are any aches or pains or even if there are any feelings or emotions that are coming up.
And the important thing is that we’re just kind of taking note of how we’re feeling. We’re not judging in it anyway and we’re just seeing how we feel at this stage.
So if you have identified any painful emotions or physical sensations in the body now’s the time to take a couple of minutes just to focus on those sensations. Don’t judge them. Just sit with them for a couple of minutes.
4. Silently repeating the mantra
Now you have a given a mantra from your transcendental meditation teacher. Silently repeat the mantra and do not tell it loudly. And what we want to do is repeat that mantra gently and silently in our minds and we almost want to have it pulsating on its own.
5. Reaching consciousness
If you remember one fact or feel that your mind starts wandering, then keep reading and repeating your mantra from the brain for 20 minutes.
The goal is not to stop thoughts but just to observe when you’re lost in thoughts and then to come back to the mantra.
6. Back to normal life
When your practice time is over, bring your attention to the physical sensation. Then end the session with a few deep breaths.
And then once you’ve done that then you can just bring your attention to the body, feeling those bodily sensations. Wriggle your fingers and then slowly open your eyes and re-introduce yourself back into the world.
What happens when you do transcendental meditation?
TM makes your mind calm quiet and quieter by allowing your active thinking mind to settle down and experiencing the calmness and the peacefulness of awareness. Your body enjoys the rejuvenating rest and your brain functions with a greater sense and coherence.
How Transcendental meditation differs from other meditation techniques?
There are three common approaches of doing meditation.
Focused attention meditation
The practitioner is concentrating on a thought or object during the meditation session and tries to focus attention by avoiding other thoughts coming to mind. The external sensory stimuli (sounds, physical sensation, visual objects) or own breathing can be the single object to focus attention. This meditation technique is called Focused Attention Mediation (FAM).
Open monitoring technique
Meditation practitioner focuses their attention on the present moment and does not judge the moment. This is a type of mindfulness meditation. Developing a non-reactive attitude toward the thought and emotions that you received during the mediation is the goal of the mediation. Ultimately, this type of meditation is a powerful tool and can be used to promote a more positive outlook and well-being in your life.
Automatic self-transcending (AST)
The automatic self-transcending meditation technique is a powerful tool for achieving inner peace and enlightenment. This technique has been used by spiritual seekers for centuries. Self-transcending is based on the belief that the mind is capable of transcending the mind’s limitations. Making the mind still and reaching into a state of pure awareness is the ultimate goal of self-transcending meditation.
A deep sense of inner peace and stillness is the result of this type of meditation technique. Automatic self-transcending is not attached to any religion, philosophy, and spiritual practice. Therefore anybody can follow the meditation and achieve inner harmony and quiet the mind.
The transcendental mediation belongs to the auto self-transcending technique since it doesn’t have focused attention or open monitoring.
The benefits of transcendental meditation
Transcendental meditation has shown numerous health benefits in scientific research. And it is no wonder that TM has gained more popularity in recent years.
- Reduced stress and anxiety.
- Improves the quality of sleep.
- Increases focus and attention.
- Reduce high blood pressure.
- Lowering the rates of heart disease, hypertension, and stroke
- Improve cognitive function and reduce the risk of dementia
- A better way to manage stress and avoid negative emotions
- Improve cardiovascular health
- Improve your mental health
Read our full article for the benefits of transcendental meditation for more detailed information.
Transcendental Meditation Apps
Today we are living in a digitized world, you have mobile apps for each and everything and they manage your tasks easily and efficiently. Then why we do not use a mobile app for transcendental meditation?
In this post, we will discuss two free apps that you can use for your transcendental meditation session.
Transcendental Meditation App
This is the official app developed by the Maharishi foundation to make your life learn and practice transcendental meditation. A guided mediation tutorial along with tips and tricks are available in the app for the correct practice of TM.
Transcendental Meditation App provides you with daily meditation reminders to keep you on track and motivated. The app is totally free to use and available for both Android and Apple users.
Read our full review article on official transcendental meditation app.
Download App Free :
Transcending Mantra: Meditate App
This free app can be used for transcendental meditation, hands-on meditation, and prana stones medication. You will receive a person-neutral mantra to calm meditation and mindful relaxation. The person-neutral mantra is a type of mantra that does not have any meaning. It produces a meaningless sound when silently repeating a word or phrase but is a very effective practice for meditation.
You can reach a meditative state and then a pure consciousness by using a mantra. Normally you learn TM or other mediation through a mediation teacher and they offer you a mantra.
Download App Free :
Final Thoughts
Meditation is a skill that takes time and practice to perfect, but once you get the hang of it, it can be an incredibly powerful tool for managing stress, and anxiety and improving your overall health. Transcendental meditation is one particular type of meditation that can be helpful for those looking to improve their focus and concentration.
If you’re interested in trying transcendental meditation, there are plenty of resources available on our website to help get you started. Happy meditating !!!
FAQs on how to do transcendental meditation
Can I learn TM on my own?
There are plenty of resources today to learn transcendental meditation such as online videos, meditation books, and free courses. But following a certified TM teacher is the recommended way to learn TM.
What is the difference between Transcendental Meditation and regular meditation practices?
Transcendental meditation does not try to control or monitor your thoughts during meditation and other meditation techniques do the opposite. TM is an effortless relaxation.
What religion is Transcendental Meditation?
The root of transcendental mediation is coming from Hindu Vedic tradition, but transcendental mediation does not belong to any religion, philosophy, or lifestyle.
How long does it take for TM to work?
Most TM practitioners have experienced the results starting from the 4th day onwards with individual practice.
Is it okay to fall asleep during Transcendental Meditation?
No, It is not a good sign and it is not allowed to do so. You need to stay calm and conscious of your mind. The transcendental meditation mantras help to avoid falling asleep.