60-day Transcendental Meditation Update

It’s been a couple of months now since I took my class in Transcendental Meditation, so as promised, I’m giving you my 60-day Transcendental Meditation update! I have to say it’s become such a wonderful part of my day, and I have no regrets in learning the technique.

One of the things that really appealed to me when deciding to learn, was the analogy I heard of the waves and the sea – that our conscious mind is like the surface of the ocean, lots of waves swishing this way and that way, little boats getting tipped around, trying to stay afloat. And yet, at the bottom of that very same ocean, just one mile down, all could be quiet and still. Ahhhhhh that sounded nice – quiet and still. I want quiet and still; but my mind felt more like the little boat going up and down on the waves, always in action and always moving. There wasn’t a lot of quiet and still. To some extent, that action is what allows me to get a lot done, to be productive and to stay in action. It’s just tiring to be there all the time.

What TM has given me is to be able to experience the stillness, the peace, the tranquility, that I imagine is not dissimilar to the bottom of the ocean. In that 20-minute period, my thoughts do quiet down and it’s very peaceful and very relaxing. What I especially notice is my body feels like it’s melting into the chair. I never knew how much tension my muscles held until now – I can feel the tiniest little facial muscle just relax and let go, it’s quite astonishing.

Even when I have a hectic day ahead and I’m excited to get into my projects, or I’ve had a busy day with patients and my mind is turning over all the cases, I am able to get to that place of deep relaxation. About 10 minutes into my 20-minute session, the thoughts slow, my body relaxes and I have 10 minutes of the calmest, most peaceful time.

I won’t lie though, I find the twice-daily part quite challenging, and I have definitely missed the second session quite a few times. But I do the best I can, and that has to be ok.

Have I seen the benefits spill over to the rest of my life as I hear long-term meditators talk about? Well, I do feel that I’m calmer at home and have better tolerance and patience, especially with my daughter. I think it’s still early days for me in the grand scheme of things, so I’m looking forward to seeing what else is to come. I can’t say that I’ve had any experiences of “transcendence” yet, but I for sure know a depth of relaxation I haven’t known before.

I see enough benefit to know that TM is good for me. I know other kinds of meditation bring similar benefits for other people, but for me the structure of TM has been great. I have my mantra to come back to, and it’s starting to feel like an old favorite teddy bear – familiar, comforting and always there.

I would definitely recommend TM to others who have tried to meditate but just couldn’t get it! That was me, and I’m happy that now I’m “getting it”. I love that it’s so simple, I love that I don’t have to try to resist thoughts or not have thoughts, and that thoughts are an accepted part of the process.

I’ve loved it so far and have no regrets at all in learning in, and I’d definitely recommend it to others. If you want to learn more, just go to www.tm.org and find a local chapter.