TM is a simple mental technique, practiced silently with the eyes closed, sitting in any comfortable position.
The TM technique is not:
mindfulness
focusing on your breathing
concentration
trying to “clear your mind”
How is TM different?
watch the video with Dr. Fred Travis, comparing TM with other types of meditation
Certified TM instructors
The authentic TM technique can only be learned from a certified TM instructor in a course carefully personalized for each individual.
All certified TM instructors have successfully completed an intensive in-residence TM Teacher Training Course, and they maintain their certification through ongoing professional courses.
Origins of the TM technique
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, whose life's work was to revive and demystify the timeless knowledge of meditation, and verify its effectiveness through the lens of modern science, began teaching Transcendental Meditation in the 1950s. After refining and systematizing the teaching of TM, Maharishi began a movement to make the technique available worldwide. He oversaw the training of thousands of instructors and established a non-profit foundation to preserve the authenticity of the TM technique for generations to come.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi spent 13 years learning from his enlightened master, a renowned custodian of the ancient Vedic wisdom, who inspired him to share with the world a simple, natural meditation technique for every human being to develop their consciousness. By 1958, Maharishi was traveling the world teaching Transcendental Meditation.
Maharishi’s life’s work revived and de-mystified traditional Vedic knowledge through the lens of modern science. He knew that the objective scientific approach had no way of accounting for the knowledge of the observer, looking only outwards to understand life. And so he introduced a subjective scientific approach, using the same fundamental principles applied to a reliable, repeatable experience of pure consciousness. In other words, a scientific approach to understand life by looking inwards.
Taught by a non-profit
For over 60 years, the Maharishi Foundation has made Transcendental Meditation available worldwide, training instructors who have brought the practice to millions of people. It has also been involved in many charitable initiatives, including providing free meditation instruction to under-served communities and supporting the establishment of TM Centers in developing countries.