The physical and mental benefits derived from regular practice of transcendental meditation sound so impressive, it makes you wonder why we don't learn the technique in school. The physical benefits have been found to include increased energy, a stronger immune system, reduced stress, lowered risk of heart disease, reduced hypertension and relief from migraine and headaches. The mental benefits include improved memory, reduced anxiety and depression, improved problem-solving and increased well-being.
A five-year study of 2,000 people in the US who regularly practise transcendental meditation found their rate of hospitalisation was 56 per cent lower than the norm.
Another study found that transcendental meditation was seven times more effective for reducing blood pressure than customary advice to lose weight, restrict salt and alcohol and take more exercise.
So what is this mental technique that keeps practitioners so well in mind and body?
"The meditation technique we offer allows practitioners to enter a very natural state by closing their eyes and repeating a mantra [a repetitive sound linked to breathing]. You don't go into a trance and you are not hypnotised but you do enter a deeper level of consciousness," explains Stewart Luck, a full-time TM teacher based in Cork city.
Luck describes the four states of consciousness as the waking state, the sleeping state, the dreaming state and the transcendental state of pure consciousness. "Most of the time, we fail to reach this fourth level but with meditation, the mind is allowed to settle to that level where we can naturally replenish ourselves in a reservoir of energy, creativity and intelligence." Exactly what type of mantra works for transcendental meditation, Luck will not reveal and one-to-one instruction in the initial stages is deemed necessary to learn the technique.
There are 30 teachers registered with Transcendental Meditation Ireland. People can learn the technique in four 90minute sessions held over four consecutive days. The costs for these four sessions is £500 with two or three free follow-up sessions within the next three months.
The transcendental meditation technique was founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Madras, India more than 40 years ago. However, its real origins lie in the Indian Ayurvedic tradition which incorporate many different treatment approaches within one system of natural medicine. There are an estimated five million people worldwide who regularly practise TM. Stewart Luck asserts that TM can be taught to people from all faiths and religions. "We don't interfere on the level of faith. The peace that practitioners usually experience enhances their theological viewpoint," he says. The discipline of practising twice a day can, he admits, be a culture shock but once the technique is mastered, the benefits usually outweigh the apparent inconvenience of time commitments.
Aisling Drury Byrne, principal cellist with the National Symphony Orchestra, started practising TM seven years ago. "I had a very dramatic reaction to it," she explains. "I instantly felt happier. I used to feel life was a duty. I didn't think it was possible to be happy but now I am more self-contained and I have this underlying feeling of blissfulness.
"Transcendental meditation is good for your relationships. It makes you more intuitive. All your small relationships are sweeter. Whatever you are doing at the time, you feel lighter about it," she continues.
Like many of the 35,000 practitioners in Ireland, Drury Byrne practises twice a day: first thing in the morning and then at about 5 p.m. or certainly before she eats her evening meal.
"The great thing about it is that you can practise it anywhere - in a car, on a train, in an aeroplane. I was at a funeral recently and I did my TM in the church during the funeral. You just close your eyes so most people think you are resting or asleep.
See also www.tm-ireland.org and www.tmcork.org