February 2017

Ok, so to start with, I’ve been researching TM to death. I kept reading books (best ones for me were Transcendence and Super Mind both by Norman E. Rosenthal but David Lynch has a lot to say too) looking for a how to sort of deal like the books I’d read about other types of meditation, you know, “clear your mind, stare at a candle, focus” sort of things. I was universally frustrated that there is no such thing, but let me go back to how this all started.

I have a wonderful friend, Lynn, who owns a traveling bookstore (I know, best friend to have ever), she lives in the mountains a few hours away and will come stay with us when she has an event near us in downtown LA. Now Lynn’s day job is a dual role, Head Librarian for her local school district and teacher. She’s one of my favorite people to talk to, we geek out on books, business and the goings on in the world so I love when she comes to visit. A few months ago, she mentioned the David Lynch TM Foundation and it’s work with kids. She was musing out loud about how helpful she thought it would be to the kids she saw every day. We got to talking about it and I got curious. The thing about it, more than anything, was the science behind it. The work with PTSD survivors, the way it helps lower stress and creates an integrated mind that functions better in stressful circumstances. Even more intriguing for me were the studies that showed integrating this practice universally improved performance in athletes, test takers, and people whose careers were some sort of creative pursuit reported a boost in ideas and creative thought. Productivity was shown to improve, despite the dedication of 20 minutes, twice a day.Who doesn’t want that?

The past several years have been stressful, an understatement, my wife and partner of nearly 12 years developed a brain tumor in 2014. Within 2 weeks we went from thinking she had an ear infection to her slurring her words and needing immediate surgery. We spent most of 2014 in and out of hospitals and navigating near death experiences repeatedly. In 2017 we are facing down a life profoundly changed, we are navigating a future that is suddenly precious, if uncertain, shaped by disability and modification. Every day is a challenge and a joy because it is one more in a number that seemed so finite in 2014. To manage the anxiety I have been juggling a number of things but finally accepted a few prescriptions from our doctor, I can’t manage our life if I’m hiding in bed having a panic attack and crying, so the drugs help, but they’re not a long term solution.

I’ve had the opportunity over the past few months to begin more self care. Cyndi is more self sufficient every day and is carrying more and more of the weight of our life as we figure out the new shape of it. This means diet and exercise and now meditation are on my radar. After 3 books I emailed the local TM center to find out how this thing works.

You have to attend a free intro talk to be allowed to do the training. It’s a 4 day course where you come at different times each day, ask questions, meditate in a group, review how you know you’re doing it right and get feedback from the mentors. It seemed like a good idea for me so I started last week.

The first day you meet one on one with your mentor, there is a ceremony of gratitude (a puja) as this is an ancient tradition, this is the only remotely religious thing about the whole deal. During the ceremony, your mentor assigns you your mantra, it is one of many different mantras that represent a vibration or sound (think OM, but not). Your mantra will be yours for the rest of your life, when you practice this is the mantra you use, key to the practice is that you don’t share your mantra with anyone, it’s private, which is why this ceremony is done alone.

The second day you meet in a group, mine had about 15 people in it, they spoke about how you would know you were doing it right, or Signs of Correct Practice. You reported back how the meditations between this class and the previous were and asked any questions you might have had come up. We meditated together and watched a short video of the guru who brought the technique to the US.

The third and fourth day were much like the second, no video but group meditation, questions and answers. Once you go through the workshop you are welcome at any center, anywhere in the world for any event or group meditation or to meet with an instructor to brush up on your practice. In two weeks I’ll be going in to touch base and see how my practice is developing.

The results for me so far are subtle, TM is surprisingly easy. In the video they showed us, Maharishi repeats over and over that meditation should be as easy as having a thought, any thought, what’s crazy is, it actually is that easy. I am finding that meditation is making other things easier for me, I am less overwhelmed all the time, I can focus more easily. Most importantly, I have less and less need to read for my anti-anxiety meds and the natural remedies I use are more effective than they were before. I’m into it. I’ll report back a few months from now when the daily meditation has cleared the long standing fatigue and stress from my nervous system, but for now, I’m sleeping more and better.  This is a profound change from the repeated waking and nightmares I’ve had for the last few years. If I get only this out of it, I’m grateful.

If you have any more questions I’m happy to talk about it, or contact your local TM center and check it out.