Tag: Transcendental meditation

Students in the Caribbean Benefit from Transcendental Meditation

Posted on by Tammy

Select schools throughout the Caribbean island of Dominica have begun to employ the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique as a stress-management tool to help students reduce symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Since January, Dr. Lucia John, director of the Dominica TM Center, has been teaching the TM technique to children in several towns, with positive feedback from students, parents, and teachers regarding the benefits for ADHD.

“The results kids are reporting from TM practice include calmer, more collected minds; greater ability to focus; better memory; greater ability to do homework without distractions; and better relationships at home, at school, and with friends,” said Dr. John. “Teachers have also started noticing these positive changes. Parents are experiencing greater calm, more normal blood pressure, and greater happiness with their children.”

The TM technique is a meditation technique practiced 20 minutes twice each day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. Extensive published research shows TM reduces stress and anxiety, improves learning ability, and promotes wellness for mind and body.

“A wide range of studies have documented the effect of practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique on the health, behavior, and well-being of children,” said Dr. John. “They return to respecting their parents, teachers and peers, and grow up to excel in whatever field of study they undertake. They enjoy greater ability to focus, inner happiness, better memory, and tolerance and improve their grades.”

The TM technique is available in the USA through Maharishi Foundation USA, a federally recognized non-profit educational organization. Through partnerships with other non-profit organizations and foundations like the David Lynch Foundation, full TM scholarships have been given to more than 250,000 at-risk children, veterans suffering from PTSD, homeless people, and others.

For more information, visit www.tm.org.

 

Transcendental Meditation Associated With Higher Graduation Rates, Study Shows

Posted on by Tammy

Practicing Transcendental Meditation technique is associated with higher graduation rates, according to a new study published in the June 2013 issue of the journal “Education.”

Analysis of school records for 235 high school senior students at an East Coast urban high school was conducted to determine on-time graduation, and findings showed a 15 percent higher graduation rate for the entire meditating group compared to the non-meditating control group, after taking into account student grade point average, according to the study. Subgroup analysis further indicated a 25 percent difference in graduation rates when considering only the low academic performing students in both groups.

“These results are the first to show that the Transcendental Meditation program can have a positive impact on student graduation rates,” Sanford Nidich, Ed.D, co-author and professor of education at Maharishi University of Management said in the study. “The largest effect was found in the most academically challenged students. Recently published research on increased academic achievement and reduced psychological stress in urban school students may provide possible mechanisms for the higher graduation rates found in this study.”

Researchers say the findings also showed significant differences for dropout rates and college acceptance, as meditating students were less apt to drop out from school or go to prison, and were more likely to be accepted to post-secondary institutions.

“While there are bright spots in public education today, urban schools on the whole tend to suffer from a range of factors which contribute to poor student academic performance and low graduation rates,” said lead study author, Robert D. Colbert, Ph.D., associate professor, and director of Neag School of Education’s Diversity Council at University of Connecticut.

“Students need to be provided with value-added educational programs that can provide opportunities for school success. Our study investigated one such program, Transcendental Meditation, which appears to hold tremendous promise for enriching the lives of our nation’s students.”

Actress Heather Graham on Meditation & Yoga

Posted on by Tammy

Actress Heather Graham told Britain’s OK! magazine: ”I do a lot of yoga. I sleep a lot. I meditate, and I just try to be happy. And I get massages. I try to pamper myself because I just think life is too short.”

She learned meditation from director David Lynch while filming the ‘90s TV Series, ‘Twin Peaks’ and believes it has provided a number of unexpected health benefits. ”I’ve been doing it ever since. When I go to doctors, they say, ‘Your blood pressure is so low.’ I think that has to do with meditation. It helps you realize you have a peaceful part inside that you can connect to at any time.”

Liv Tyler Says Meditation Helps Her With ADD and More

Posted on by Tammy

On December 13, 2012, the David Lynch Foundation held a fundraiser at Lincoln Center to raise money for its transcendental mediation program – teaching the practice to children and teachers in schools, as well as war veterans suffering from PTSD – and celebrity supporters showed up, including Dr. Oz, his wife Lisa, and Liv Tyler.

Tyler told YourTango meditation has had an amazing influence on her life. “Meditation and being close to yourself helps everything in your life,” Tyler said in the report. “It helps myself make better decisions and be a better mother, and just deal with the daily stress of the modern world that we live in. It helps with everything.”

She also told the New York Daily News that she suffers from ADD, and transcendental mediation helps her with that as well.

Jerry Seinfeld Talks About His 40 Years of Transcendental Meditation

Posted on by Tammy

Did you know comedian Jerry Seinfeld is a devotee to transcendental meditation (TM)? He has actually been practicing for 40 years, and was recently on Good Morning America to talk about it and his support for the David Lynch Foundation, which teaches children in schools and war veterans the technique as part of its program.

“It makes a difference, but it’s very hard to explain. You know how I was describing it to somebody? I was saying, how your phone has a charger. It’s like if you had a charger for your whole body and mind. That’s what TM is,” Seinfeld explained in the broadcast.

Joining him on the show as Bob Roth, executive director of the David Lynch Foundation. Roth explained the technique is not about a religion or a belief system, but simply a technique to quiet the mind.

“The whole idea is we have active, noisy levels of the mind – that we’ve got to go here, go do this, do that. But every human being has deep within, a settled, calm, silent level of your mind. And this transcendental meditation has that active mind slow down,” he noted.

To see the more than 3-minute segment, watch the video below:

Katy Perry Supports David Lynch Foundation for Transcendental Meditation

Posted on by Tammy

Katy Perry, who has spoken publicly about her love of transcendental mediation in the past, recently showed her support for the David Lynch Foundation, asking for donations to celebrate her birthday.

“I’ve been meditating for two years now, and it’s the best thing I have ever done to help bring more creativity, positive energy and peace to my life,” she said in a special e-mail message from the foundation. “When I’m tired, stressed, anxious or depressed, I meditate, and it clears my mind, and makes me feel relaxed and happier.”

The David Lynch Foundation teaches the practice of transcendental mediation to children at school, post-war veterans suffering from PTSD, as well as those in homeless shelters and prisons. For more information on the foundation, visit www.davidlynchfoundation.org.