Hi Viviane,

Can you please send me more information on transcendental meditation? I'm currently doing it early in the morning, but still struggling to focus.

Thanks,

A

Zica,

There is an activity in 'Things to do'.

I don't know if it passed already. If you can't find it ask David_Lawson.He was one of the organizers and might put you in contact with the right people to advise. 

For the first time I got curious about meditation recently, after reading "The Tao of physics".

N.B.

It has nothing to do with religion.

David Lynch, who's directed some of my favourite films as well as, of course, Twin Peaks, which was some kind of strange formative influence on me, champions transcendental meditation so I have positive impressions of it, without having ever tried it.

However, if I was looking for a study that aimed for objectivity in this field I don't think the Maharishi University of Management in Iowa would be the first place I would turn to. Is that in fact where the study was carried out or was Dr Schneider commenting on a study from another institution?

Hi Zica, I was meaning to give you information on Saturday, during the Meal & Mystical Evening, but just in case you can't make it, you can give me your email so that I can send you the document. Anyone else is also welcome to come, even by curiosity, all that's needed is to be open-minded.

The meditation I practice is basically a deep relaxation, which anyone can achieve with a little patience and perseverence, there are no rituals involved, no chanting, which means all with different beliefs can try it, either to attain psycho physical well-being, control emotions and feelings, develop psychic faculties, or one can explore further.

As David Lawson says, there are different types of meditation, for example some understand meditation as in becoming more conscious of the surroundings and the present moment, and finding the middle path. Then there is ultra meditation, through which we can obtain altered states of conscience, and which involves the spiritual part of ourselves, beyond the ego.

I don't know how and where exactly the study was carried out, as there was not much more indicated in the article from the Daily Mail newspaper.

I would think that the people who participated in the study were probably asked to leave thoughts and worries aside as much as possible when spending the 20 minutes meditating, which is already a stress reducing factor.