22 Jan Benefits of Transcendental Meditation | Effects of TM on the Brain
The benefits of transcendental meditation are widely accepted.
From Russell Brand to Clint Eastwood, even celebrities are adding it to their routine to benefit from it.
Derived from Indian Vedic practices, it has now reached every corner of the world.
Moreover, the exciting part is, it is scientifically backed to reduce stress and depressive symptoms.
Additionally, unlike other meditation practices, it is not about pointed concentration and requires only 20 minutes of your everyday routine.
Even the spiritual benefits of transcendental meditation are so compelling that practitioners usually adopt it in their daily life.
But how far are these facts true?
How does transcendental meditation really work? Let’s find out…
Does Transcendental Meditation Work?
There are many theories about transcendental meditation in online media.
Ever since the term got popularized in the West, it has been extensively researched.
There are too many results that have changed the lives of people. So yes, transcendental meditation works.
There are, in fact, more benefits of transcendental meditation than you can think of.
But before that, let’s look into some of the collected evidence to see if these claims are actually true.
Evidence For Transcendental Meditation
Right below are some of the upsides of practicing transcendental meditation.
#1. Transcendental Meditation Benefits Cardiovascular Disease
The trial took place between 1998 and 2007 in two phases.
The Department of Medicine, Medicine College of Wisconsin, performed the study.
The patients had pre-existing coronary artery disease.
All those who learned TM and practiced for 8 months showed greater exercise tolerance, higher maximal workload, delayed onset of ST-segment depression, and a decrease in the double product at each exercise interval.
The results reflected a 48% reduction in heart disease after the practice of TM in everyday life.
#2. Benefits of Transcendental Meditation on Alcohol Addiction
The analysis covered a total of 4524 subjects.
The cases under study were adolescents, college students, working adults, elderly individuals, and even mild alcoholics.
The study reflected a mild change in these habits by giving upon them.
#3. Benefits of Transcendental Meditation on Lowering Lipid Peroxide Levels
An observational study was done by RH Scheider, S I Nidich, J W Salerno, H.M Sharma, C.E Robinson, and others by the center for health and aging studies, Fairfield Iowa on people of average age 67.
It appeared that TM program practitioners had significantly lowered lipid peroxide levels than the people for their age and gender.
#4. Benefits of Transcendental Meditation for Hypertension
The study was conducted by James W Anderson, Chunxu Liu, and Richard J kryscio.
The results were published in the prestigious American Journal of Hypertension.
There was an examination of various indicators of hypertension risk: psychosocial stress, obesity, alcohol use, physical inactivity, and dietary sodium-potassium ratio.
Reductions in the TM group were large. Blood pressure reductions by the TM technique showed equal benefit for both sexes.
Three months of the TM program reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in older men with hypertension.
#5. Transcendental Meditation Affects the Brain
One of the largest of the TM studies could be located for stress reduction and trait anxiety.
There is a study by Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health. The team comprised Masud Yunesian, Afsin Aslani, Javad H Vash, and Abbas B Yazdi.
The effect size for TM was significantly greater than for “other types of meditation,” progressive relaxation, and other relaxation techniques.
The effect size for TM was 3 times more than other forms of meditation as well as for relaxation techniques.
What Are The Benefits Of Transcendental Meditation?
To answer what happens during transcendental meditation and how does it benefit you, we’ve compiled the answer on three levels, namely:
#1. Physical Benefits Of Transcendental Meditation
The physical benefits of transcendental meditation include health benefits in the form of regulated heart disease, focused breathing, and reduction in hypertension.
- Keeps Cardiovascular Diseases at Bay: According to a study, it has been observed that TM has high chances of improving heart diseases. The inner core training of the body improves the heart rate and functioning.
- Regulates the Blood Pressure Level: The studies show the chanting of a mantra and regulated breathing make the blood pressure level normalize. It is very surprising but welcoming research.
#2. Mental Benefits of Transcendental Meditation
The TM (Transcendental Meditation) works as a therapy session to give relief to your anxiety.
If you don’t feel like sharing the problems with people around you, you can always switch to TM for stress-busting.
In fact, many users have claimed stress relief from a weak session.
The submergence of anxious thoughts opens up better possibilities for a person.
Plus, it is very helpful for those with PTSD.
PTSD patients are reluctant to talk about their traumatic experiences. The triggers they face result in them being converted into anti-social units.
TM will help patients with PTSD to look back at the incidents, face them, and combat them.
#3. Spiritual Benefits of Transcendental Meditation
It includes self-awareness, connection with the outer and inner environment, and resilience to stress.
And the people who work on self-grooming show greater satisfaction with life. Their thoughts are organized, and they have more control over their emotions.
#4. Other Transcendental Meditation Benefits
The other benefits of transcendental meditation are as follows:
- Brings inner peace and works well with felons: In a study with felons in a prison, it was found that those who opted for TM were far more organized and guilty of their crime. They were the prisoners who actively volunteered for any service and showed excellent behavior.
- Easy to do methodology: The basics of transcendental meditation are focused on breathing and saying a mantra of your choice. The easiest mantra is OM, which you can repeat while you focus on yourself and let go of the negativity. This is the easiest way to soothe your inner self and have self-introspection.
Adding to these, transcendental meditation health benefits also include:
- Extremely good for lowering hypertension
- Effective against heart diseases
- Stimulates good vibes in the body
- Controlled breathing leads to numerous health benefits
- Helps in stabilizing mental health
- Gets rid of toxins from the body
- Lowers high lipid profile in the body
- Keeps one refreshed and healthy
There is actually no limit to the benefits of transcendental benefits.
Moreover, there is no secret that meditation has only positive effects on the brain.
But what does transcendental meditation do to your brain exactly to encourage these positive effects?
Transcendental Meditation Effects on the Brain
The effects of TM are reflective on the brain.
A recent study indicates transcendental meditation is linked with measurable changes in the brain.
- It releases anxiety and stress.
- It helps with better cognitive functions.
- There could be quick and measurable effects on the brain and feelings of individuals.
- Moreover, the David Lynch Foundation encourages people with depression and a high level of work, educational, and environmental stress to practice TM. Vedic meditation benefits the brain and body.
- It stimulates brain waves after several sessions that automatically calm people down.
In a study done in 1993 on 24 felons, 19 were subjected to the ancient practice of Vedic TM and they had better mental health and deep realization. They turned out to be significantly better coped than others.
All in all, the TM technique is not a means of practice for the treatment of disease, rather it’s a way of life.
The primary objective is to enhance human awareness to its highest state.
But to completely understand the working of TM, we need to trace back to the Vedic perspective on higher states of consciousness.
The Vedic Meditation in the form of TM indicates greater abilities of interactions with the internal being and external environments.
Moreover, there are descriptions in the Vedic literature, personal reports of practitioners of the TM program, and results of empirical studies.
Regular practice of the TM technique can restore the normal functioning of body mechanisms.
Now, you must be wondering, if transcendental meditation has such effects on the brain, can it help people with depression?
Well, let’s find out then…
Can Transcendental Meditation Help With Depression?
As per the study led by researchers of the University of California Los Angeles, people who performed Transcendental meditation for 12 months showed a decline in depressive symptoms by up to 50%.
Moreover, the transcendental Meditation technique increases happiness. It reduces stress and increases inner peace and contentment.
Transcendental meditation reviews show the effects it has on the mind, body, and soul.
The ancient mantras written for the well-being of humanity works wonders when it comes to calming the mind and creating a reverse effect of depression.
But though it has innumerable benefits, are there any side effects of Transcendental Meditation too?
Is Transcendental Meditation Dangerous?
Meditations usually only have good effects on the body and mind. However, minor transcendental meditation side effects do exist.
Transcendental meditation can cause anxiety and make you lose some of your motivation.
It can give rise to negative thinking and alter your sensory perception.
Moreover, in the beginning, it can lead to dizziness, headache, and nausea.
Nevertheless, if you follow the set of rules given, there are no transcendental meditation dangers.
First of all, you need to focus on your breathing, thoughts, and overall being.
The feeling of constantly being self-conscious is what causes anxiety. TM works on getting rid of that.
The only thing you need to focus on is how to improve yourself and the rest will fall into place.
If done properly, TM can’t cause anxiety ever! In fact, it is the practice to get rid of all the negativity.
There are several apps, instructors, and guides present to help.
Once you learn to connect with your inner self, you can be a self-guide.
Moving on, many people confuse TM with mindfulness. Are these the same practices and is transcendental meditation better than mindfulness?
Transcendental Meditation vs Mindfulness: Is TM Better Than Mindfulness?
The origin of TM and mindfulness are very different approaches to a common goal of mental peace and getting hold of our body, mind, and soul.
#1. Mindfulness appears in the Buddhist practices of calming oneself down. Mindfulness meditation is born out of the Cognitive Behavioral Theory (CBT), which is the branch of modern psychology.
Whereas, TM appears in the study of yoga.
#2. Mindfulness works on the principle of identifying a faulty thought and challenging it along with the associated belief to create a shift in the negative emotion and behavior.
It is constant monitoring of thought to push it out of your mind until it clears up.
In a way, mindfulness is the first stage of transcendental meditation. As said by the practitioner, Jon Kabat Zinn, the practice of mindfulness involves “paying attention, on purpose, non-judgmentally, in the present.”
Whereas, TM, on the other hand, is the process of settling down with thoughts.
For example, if the mind is an ocean, the thoughts floating all over are valid. According to TM, the thoughts should be collected in a submarine and settled down.
This settlement will bring peace and calmness to people. The thoughts generally eating you up will go beneath and what will spring is a plethora of creative ideas.
According to TM, the mind is at its best when the negativity settles down and we remain unaffected by them.
While mindfulness is practiced by many, transcendental meditation is not a very popular concept.
So, Is TM Hard To Learn?
Well, Transcendental meditation is an easy and simple technique and anyone can perform it.
When implemented in daily life, this effortless form of meditation can help reduce stress and anxiety and improve overall health.
Here’s how to start a practice to avail of its benefits.
Transcendental Meditation: How To Get Started?
Transcendental meditation is not new, and one can practice it anywhere.
Most importantly, it’s better to start this technique with the help of a TM professional.
Here’s how to begin…
- The first session lasts for 60-90 minutes in which a mantra is provided along with the guidelines on how to use it.
- The 2nd to 4th sessions teach the technique of doing it.
- Sit comfortably on the chair or on the ground with hands on your lap.
- Next, take a deep breath and close your eyes.
- Relax your body and silently repeat the mantra for 15-20 minutes.
- Completely focus on the mantra. At first, you might feel distracted many times but try to bring your thoughts back to the mantra.
- After the completion of the session, sit quietly for a few seconds before you feel ready to get up.
Unarguably, the benefits of transcendental meditation come with regular practice.
However, in case you still have any queries, we are here with answers to some of the commonly asked questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
#1. Can I do TM without mantras?
Transcendental meditation typically involves chanting mantras silently.
However, it’s not ‘mantra-based’, and one can begin practice just by repeating a meaningless sound.
#2. What happens when you do transcendental meditation?
Transcendental meditation helps you achieve a state of perfect stillness. It encourages you to open your mind and let the thoughts flow.
#3. Why is transcendental meditation so secretive?
Meditation is something that is an intimate part of your life by its very nature. And talking about transcendental meditation, it’s a tradition to keep the mantra you practice a secret.
#4. Can I teach myself TM meditation?
Generally, it requires a professional to learn transcendental meditation. However, you can teach yourself TM with the use of apps and other online sources.
#5. Is Transcendental Meditation spiritual?
Because transcendental meditation involves practicing repetition of mantras, it’s characterized as a spiritual practice.
The Takeaway
Transcendental meditation is the simplest technique to provide freedom to your mind and wandering thoughts.
It allows the body to release the deepest stress and anxiety and revitalize in the silence of meditation.
However, the real benefits of transcendental meditation are only felt after practicing it regularly for years.
Plus, you must follow a process. Better yet, take the help of someone experienced in the practice.
Transcendental meditation is a way to unlock your potential for self-growth and healing when practiced in the right way.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading today’s blog on transcendental meditation. Leave any queries or thoughts in the comments section down below.
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