Imagine that by just sitting quietly for 20 minutes two times a day and easily chanting a simple, “meaningless” word you can alter your heart rate, lower your stress level, change your thinking, revitalize your physical body, and achieve spiritual bliss. Wow! Sign me up. As overly simplistic as this sounds, it is one of the basic claims that Transcendental Meditation, or TM, has been making for the past 40+ years.

TM is a popularized and simplified form of Hindu practice that was brought to the West by a Hindu guru called Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The Maharishi (meaning “great sage”) was catapulted onto the world stage in the late 60’s by the Beatles. Soon TM was all the rage among rock musicians and film celebrities. Its claims to positively affect the physical and mental health of practitioners caused it to be taught in government institutions, from elementary schools to federal prisons. It main PR approach was that it was not a religious exercise, but a mental health discipline—available to anyone. Continue reading →