The picture associated with transcendental meditation might scare you out of your wits. What’s with the long white hair and long white beard? Stop fretting, you are not required to grow your hair and beard, nor will you look like that if you engage in transcendental meditation. The image is simply that of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the transcendental meditation. His habit of giggling during interviews earned him the nickname “giggling guru”. Transcendental meditation is said to be a set of Hindu meditation techniques, involving having a mantra which is basically just a name of a Hindu god. However, transcendental meditation, according to its leaders and followers, requires nothing more than just two 20 minutes a day of being in a comfortable sitting position with the eyes closed, a state they call restful alertness. According to them, it doesn’t need you to concentrate or focus on anything. And it allegedly works even without you believing that it does. The followers of transcendental meditation also say that at the height of restful awareness, the mind transcends all mental actions which they term as Transcendental Consciousness. They further claim that scientific studies have proven that experiencing this state of the mind brings about higher IQ, creativity, learning, moral reasoning, and even a better neurological functioning of one’s body. In short, transcendental meditation frees the mind and body of their great natural capabilities for a happier life.
Some people think that transcendental meditation is a cult or a religion-related business. The contrasting party to the transcendental meditation followers’ claims thinks so because the program is also being declared as the “Science of Creative Intelligence”, which is now a degree at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa. The university also boasts of “a Full Range of Academic Disciplines for Successful Management of All Fields of Life”. The party arguing transcendental meditation’s claims also points out that several health and beauty products are being sold at the university for people who want to “improve” their body as much as their mind. The most unbelievable claim of transcendental meditation is enabling its followers to fly – or levitate. This was probably disproved because they do not insist on being able to fly anymore, though some others still declare to have possessed supernatural and paranormal capabilities like becoming invisible. Along with flying, this too has not been proved.
A former transcendental follower once said that basically the other meditation methods are the same as the transcendental meditation, except that the latter is wrapped up in questionable publicity claims.
So whatever meditation technique you choose to practice, do it for the mere purpose of acquiring self-relaxation. All other powers are not for us to have.
