Transcendental Meditation or TM, is an effortless, nonreligious technique that increases energy, creativity, mental clarity, and emotional stability. A wonderful new book has just come out called Strength of Stillness by Bob Roth, who talks about the science behind meditation in a new and accessible way. He discusses three distinct types of meditation—Focused Attention (concentration), Open Monitoring (mindfulness), and Self-Transcending (TM). Strength in Stillness: The Power of Transcendental Meditation highlights evidence that the third, Self-Transcending or Transcendental Meditation is an easy and uniquely effective way to reduce stress and build emotional and physical resilience.
Bob Roth is the CEO of the David Lynch Foundation, a non-profit organization, which has offered Transcendental Meditation to more than 500,000 children and adults worldwide, with a focus on underserved middle school and high school students, veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress and their families, and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. It also benefits people in recovery, the homeless, prison populations, those living with HIV/AIDS, and numerous others, including celebrities!
When I started TM, few people knew anything about meditation. Images commonly associated with the word tended to be either a Zen monk in a beautiful but austere monastery or a longhaired yogi sitting in a Himalayan cave. Today, everyone knows at least a little about some form of meditation. Even giant corporations like Google, Nike, Apple, and others offer employees various meditation practices.
Bob’s book answers questions about how to learn TM. In clear accessible language, he explains the neurophysiological changes that take place in the brain during TM, as well as the profound mental and physical benefits of the practice. What makes the book fun are personal stories from celebrities he has instructed, such as Hugh Jackman, Ellen DeGeneres, Katy Perry, Jerry Seinfeld, and Lena Dunham.
At the most root level, what meditation does for me
is bring me back to my most natural state and remind me
what my value is in the world. Lena Dunham
You have to give yourself a break. Your have to
give yourself a moment to revive, unplug, rejuvenate,
and Transcendental Meditation does that for me. Katy Perry
References:
Strength in Stillness: The Power of Transcendental Meditation by Bob Roth, Simon and Schuster, 2018
Transcendental Meditation: A Scientist’s Journey to Happiness, Health, and Peace by Dr. Robert Keith Wallace, Dharma Publications, 2016
Gut Crisis: How Diet, Probiotics, and Friendly Bacteria Help You Lose Weight and Heal Your Body and Mind by Robert Keith Wallace, PhD and Samantha Wallace, Dharma Publications, 2017
ROBERT KEITH WALLACE is a pioneering researcher on the physiology of consciousness. His work has inspired hundreds of studies on the benefits of meditation and other mind-body techniques, and his findings have been published in Science, American Journal of Physiology, and Scientific American. After receiving his BS in physics and his PhD in physiology from UCLA, he conducted postgraduate research at Harvard University. Dr. Wallace serves as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Physiology and Health, Director of Research, and Trustee of Maharishi University of Management (MUM) in Fairfield, Iowa. He helped create the first fully accredited Masters of Science degree in Maharishi AyurVeda and Integrative Medicine in the US. Dr. Wallace is the author of several books, including Gut Crisis: How Diet, Probiotics, and Friendly Bacteria Help You Lose Weight and Heal Your Body and Mind with his wife Samantha Wallace. See Gut Crisis website and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/gutcrisis/).
SAMANTHA JONES WALLACE is a former model, featured in Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Look Magazine. A lifelong practitioner of Transcendental Meditation, she has a deep understanding of Ayurveda and its relationship to health and wellbeing. The coauthor of Quantum Golf, Samantha is an editor of Dharma Parenting, and coauthor of Gut Crisis. She is now finishing a book called Real Deep True Beauty, which emphasizes Essential Oil Skincare, and Ayurveda.