Latest / The Inner Well Podcast / What is Transcendental Meditation, Actually?
Transcript
- The Inner Well Podcast: We all contain a space within that when enlivened and nourished will support us with unwavering stability, expansion, and peace of mind. Join us each week as we dive into honest, grounded conversations about transcendental meditation, consciousness, and growth, and what it means to live an integrated life supported by a foundation of creativity and calm. This is the inner wealth. Hi everyone, welcome to the inner well. My name is Emily FitzRandolph. I'm a Transcendental Meditation teacher and I'm joined by my two lovely hosts. Hi everyone, my name is Megan Williams and I'm a teacher out of Austin, Texas. And my name is Danielle Freeberg. This is my sidekick, Dolly Parton. And I teach in Nashville, Tennessee. for joining us guys. We want to talk about Transcendental Meditation, a little bit more in depth. We want to lay the groundwork today on what is this technique? And I think that all of us who've been teaching for quite some time, the number one question we get when we're out and about living our lives and the fact that we're a meditation teacher comes up and the fact that we teach Transcendental Meditation comes up, people say, okay, that's interesting, but what makes Transcendental Meditation different? than other methods of meditation. What's unique about it? I don't understand, right? So we want to say- people think they're actually already practicing transcendental meditation. All the time, I know. And the other day I went down a little TikTok rabbit hole. I am not a TikTok user, but I was curious. And there were some really interesting things out there of people who were describing TM in all kinds of what they were saying was TM. in all kinds of really interesting ways that have absolutely nothing to do with what this technique is about. So I think it is super important that we bring some clarity to this. that's the reason we're doing this podcast. We are teachers of this technique. We feel this responsibility to get some message out there, some authority on what is TM, and really give some accurate information. And what you're going to hear today from us is really, what is this technique? How does it work? what makes it different than other techniques, and also how you can learn. And I think that's really important that this is a technique that requires some instruction. So we're not going to teach UTM today, but we're going to talk about what it is. And this is often we consider it the first step to learning. We want to kind of understand what the framework is, what the foundation is. So I'll just kick us off and jump in. But let's start with this word transcendental. So transcendental, that word means to go beyond. And the word meditation literally means to think deeply. So in transcendental meditation, we're actually going beyond that busy, active surface level of our mind and experiencing deeper and quieter and more subtle levels of our own thinking process. Now, TM is not a lifestyle technique. It's not a belief system. We don't have to be good at clearing our minds. That's probably the big misconception that meditation means rigidity. I've got to be really good at clearing my mind or having no thoughts. And in fact, thoughts are very much a part of meditation, which we'll talk about. But in TM, it's a very easy, effortless, natural technique. And that's the key word. It's easy, not simplistic, not basic, but natural, easy, effortless. And we practice sitting comfortably, eyes closed for 20 minutes twice a day. Now again, there's no belief system. So we don't have to be in a room with candles and incense. We don't have to use anything external to us, right? This is a technique where we can be completely self-sufficient. We can do it anywhere. So let me take you back and give you a nice analogy that we use to really describe this technique. So think of an ocean, busy and active at the surface, all those waves, all that activity. If you were to dive to the depths of the ocean, it's quiet, calm, still. Now, the ocean has those two states of activity happening simultaneously, right? We have that active, busy state of the ocean. We have that quiet, naturally silent depth. Our mind has that same structure. We live our life up here on the surface, right? Being tossed around by the waves. And that's often how we experience life. We just feel maybe oversaturated, overstimulated, burnt out, exhausted. We can just feel that busy, active, gotta go, gotta do this mind. And that's sort of the nature of life, right? We're in this society of producing and creating and going. But we also have this deep inner peace, this inner silence, this inner stillness. It's there all the time. We're just not accessing it, or least not regularly. Something's blocking us. So what TM does, very simply, is it allows the mind to quietly, automatically, effortlessly access those subtle states of awareness, very naturally. And I think something to just piggyback on from that is what actually enables an effortless experience of getting to that bottom state of the ocean, that what we call that ground state of consciousness. And so the whole effortless experience of TM is motivated entirely by the natural evolutionary principle of our mind. You know, the human mind, I'm sure we've all noticed, is an insatiable being. It is never satisfied. We're always gravitating towards more. and more and more. And we see this in so many different examples. You I mean, you graduate from college, you get your first job and you're like, this is great. I got a paycheck, I got a title, but you know what? I definitely want more money and I should probably have a better title. So let's climb that corporate ladder. Or you get your first car, it's a Honda Civic. You think, well, great, I got wheels, but you know what? I really want a Mini Cooper. always gravitating towards the next best thing. Now, the beauty of this, that ground state of consciousness, that bottom of the ocean is an infinite reservoir of creativity, of expanse, of creative intelligence. When the mind gets there, it actually reaches most. There is no more than that. And so the mind has this experience of being satisfied. It's completely content just to be. And so this is what drives the effortless experience of transcending. But I also kind of want to just take a moment and let's talk about specifically what makes TM different than the other meditations out there, right? That's the biggest question that we always get asked. And it's such an important thing to clarify. Yeah. And I mean, I feel like there's so many different options. It's a buffet of meditation possibilities out of out there. So let's just briefly touch on that. So science breaks meditation into three basic categories. They say that we have focused attention, we have open monitoring, and then we have self-automated transcendence. focused attention is going to be your concentration and contemplation based meditation. Concentration would be like, focusing on a candle or on a word or on a color, something with the intention to direct your focus and block out the thoughts. Now trying to stop the mind from thinking, as we all know, is not a possible thing to do. And not fun. And also I think one of the biggest ideas are just kind of... perceptions that people have about meditation is that's what you're supposed to be able to do. You're supposed to be able to clear your mind or I'm supposed to only be able to focus on one thing the whole time. And if I can't do that, then I failed. And then throw out meditation altogether because they feel like they can't do it. And by the time they've come in and are learning and we're sitting together having this conversation, that's the first thing that I always assure people is they don't have to clear their mind. And it's just such a relief. And that's, I'd say, one of the biggest things that sets TM apart. Yeah. And just to go back to the ocean analogy, right? Trying to stop the mind from thinking literally would be like going to the ocean and trying to stop the waves. It's the natural tendency of the ocean to move, just like it's the natural tendency of the mind to think. So we don't want to go against our natural tendency. And so these focus-based meditation techniques, they will improve your ability to focus, which is not a bad thing. But if we're looking for relaxation, for just a little bit more of that nervous system regulation, the focus-based meditations is going to require a little bit more effort than what we're wanting to achieve with that regulated stasis state. And so the next meditation that falls into this category would be contemplation. Now, this is like guided meditation. And ⁓ this is going to be when you picture yourself at the ocean or in a cave or on top of a mountain, right? And so this is the capacity to sort of let your mind waft in the field of puppies, right? It's just getting, swimming in the level of meaning. So instead of trying to actively stop the waves, you're swimming in them, which still keeps you very actively engaged in the conscious thinking mind. And both of these techniques show up in the brain as gamma waves. You guys want to go into what gamma waves are, anyone? Very high amplitude, high frequency brain waves. So same brain wave produced if we're doing a lot of cognitive processing, math problem, or even if right now you're listening very intently to this podcast and you're trying to stop all the external stimuli, your brain is producing gamma waves at this moment. So it's something that happens when we're doing a lot of effort, trying to control. When we go into the next bucket of meditation, open monitoring, This is going to be Vipassana, mindfulness, open monitoring, invites you to become the witness, to become the observer of your reality. You know, I observe the rise and fall of my breath. I observe the feel of the sun on my skin, the feel of the wind in my hair. I even observe my thoughts. Therefore, if I observe my thoughts, I am not my thoughts. And this provides a level of detachment from that conscious thinking mind, which is incredibly beneficial. Now the thing with this is with open monitoring, we're not trying to stop the waves, we're not swimming in them, but we are actively watching them. And so we're still very consciously, presently, intentionally engaged with that conscious thinking mind, the surface level of the ocean. And this shows up as theta waves in the brain. It's that sort of dreamy quality. And these meditations often, it feels good, right? We're having that kind of, ⁓ it's nice, I'm in the present moment. There's something happening, but again, still engaged, still swimming in the waves. And so the next bucket that we move on to is self-automated transcendence. And TM is actually the only meditation out there that falls into this bucket. With self-automated transcendence, you get a systematic technique that enables you to go beyond, to transcend the conscious thinking mind, experience the full range of the thinking process, and actually settle in that deep, silent space, that bottom of the ocean, that ground state of consciousness. And this shows up as alpha brain waves. Specifically alpha one. It's about eight to 10 hertz. Same brain wave produced. For example, I always use this. If you take an elite athlete and they enter into the flow state, the zone, while wearing an EEG hat, same brain waves produced. And it's something that's so interesting. It only happens in a human physiology uniquely when we're in this state of rest and activity, where there's rest in the body and alertness in the mind. So think of, you your elite athlete in that flow state, not really thinking about it, mind and body in complete coherence. So that coherence you're mentioning, that's starting to show up. We know that our brain can change with experience. It can rewire itself ultimately. And because you get such consistent access to this ground state of consciousness in this practice, our neuroplasticity kicks in. So we can actually start creating neural pathways to this alpha brainwave state, this very relaxed, cognizant, very coherent, effective space of functioning, this restful alertness. So it becomes available for us as a space to move from even outside of our meditation. which is really where we have all the benefits and so many people have been able to say, wow, TM changed my life, because they're actually able to integrate a higher functioning state of being. So how do we do this thing? How do we learn how to access this beautiful space? Before we even get into the how, I think the why is such an important piece. Why would we want to take 20 minutes? twice a day, which is what's recommended to really get the maximum effect for this meditation. And one way I like to think of it as an investment of time. ⁓ We're investing those 20 minutes in the morning and then again in the afternoon for the impact that it has in the rest of our life. So great, I feel this physiological relaxation. Great, my brain waves are changing and this awful one coherence is increasing, but what is the impact that that has in our daily life? Why would we wanna do that? And that's. really what this whole podcast is about and through the conversations with our students and with the experts, we're gonna explore what that looks like for different people in terms of the benefits. But I'm just curious to hear from each of you, what are some of the first things that your students often notice and express and experience as they start to implement this practice in their daily life? Such a good question. When I teach TM, know, the number one thing on the very first day, is people say, ⁓ I had no idea that it was so easy. I had no idea that I could relax so much. This was way easier than I thought. And all this access to expansion, it's right there. So just from that very first session, and these are people often that first come in and they're saying, are you sure it's gonna work for me? Like, you know, does it ever not work for anybody? And I can say, don't worry, truly, everyone asks me this, it's gonna work for you. Even your crazy mind, it will work for you. We all have crazy minds. I often describe it as that delighted surprise is the most common response. Like a delighted surprise at just how easy it can be is the most universal response. 100%. The other thing I'll often notice is simply in a really, I think, impactful way when they come in a couple days or day after learning, they'll say, I have never slept better. I slept so well last night. you know, we talk about this rest that's happening in the nervous system during TM. Now, during the day, we're getting a couple opportunities to down-regulate that fight or flight response to settle the nervous system. So that now when we go to sleep at night, we lay down our head and try to sleep, people find they fall asleep faster, the quality of rest is deeper. And that rest that we're getting now from TM and sleep makes a huge difference in the day. What have you experienced? The two things that my students most oftentimes comment on is this experience of levity and tolerance. Like what would normally press their buttons and really overstimulate their nervous systems are not impacting them in the same way. You know, they're able to have some space so their life isn't backing up against them. and they're able to experience what would normally be somewhat triggering situations with a level of regulation and not getting overshadowed by their reality. And I think because of that, it reinstills this experience of hope. What I'm loving and hearing that this is the first time we've sat down and had this conversation with the three of us and how universal it is. Like we are all teaching in different cities, different populations. And even the people that come in to learn with us, it's a huge range. This is something that any human being can do. We're all in different cities, and I'm resonating with everything that you are saying. like, yeah, that's the same thing my students say. And what a universal technique this is, I think, is so profound. that's really how it was set up. The process of learning this is so simple and so systematic that when you go and learn from a certified TM teacher, you're going to get this same quality of experience. Transcendental meditation comes from an ancient tradition. It's not new, it's not new age. It's an ancient tradition that's been handed down for thousands of years. And it was brought to the West by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He's the one who really systematized the process of learning this and began to train teachers so that it can continue to be used today. This ancient technology has its relevance in our modern life because it's a universal human being thing. And that level of consciousness that we've been talking about, that inner well, is something that has always been there for eternity. It's there right now. It will continue to be there tomorrow. this is a, I like to think of it as a really user-friendly way to access that. ⁓ really simple, systematic, user-friendly way to access that. And the process of learning it is consistent. It's always learned over four consecutive days. So the first session, it's not the whole day, about 90 minutes a day on four days in a row. So the first session is always gonna be one-on-one with your teacher. In that first session, you learn something called a mantra. And that word I find is often just kind of has a wide range of understandings, but the actual definition of that word is a sound whose effects are known. And the mantras that are used in TM are really simple sounds. Short, couple syllables, not complicated, and they don't have any meaning. And that's intentional, because if there's a meaning, then that engages our intellect. And it keeps us caught on that more conscious, concrete, active level of the mind, more that surface of the ocean that we've been talking about. And so if our mantra was, when I worked with kids a lot, often said if our mantra was pizza, then we start thinking about how hungry we are and that great pizza we had last week and now I'm really hungry, what am gonna have for dinner? And it engages the intellect and keeps us on that conscious level if there's a meaning, but by having a meaningless sound, it gives our mind a direction and allows it to stay lively and alert, but without being attached to that concrete level. And then this natural tendency of the mind that you talked about, this natural evolutionary. principle that our mind wants to move towards more and more takes over and begins to lead us on this inward dive. And the mantra is an important piece of it. So in that first session, you'll learn your mantra and it's not one size fits all. There is a set of mantras that's used in TM that are all simple, specific sounds that are known to be very settling, very life supporting. for all this different range of nervous systems. So your teacher has been trained through a really extensive process. We all went through five or six months in residence, deep dive training program to be certified to guide other people through this experience. your teacher will give you your mantra. But I'd say equally as important, if not more important, is how to use the mantra properly. And that's the guidance and support that you'll get through the process of learning. And that's why it's learned over four days like that. So in that first session, from the beginning, you'll learn your mantra and the basics of how to use it and walk away with enough that you can take it home and start. You go home, you practice 20 minutes twice a day, have a couple more opportunities to practice before you come back for the next session. And naturally questions start to arise like, am I doing this right? Is this normal? So then what is the next? three days look like. Yeah, so it's so great. You you get that sort of experience, right? OK, mantra, how to use it. OK, something's happening. So then the next day you come back and now we start to get into the basics, right? The proper instructions so that you are going to be set up to meditate on your own forever anywhere. How to do it, how to time yourself, what happens with noise and interruptions and all of this stuff. We go through very deeply the basics, you know? And so by the end of that first day. OK, you're a little bit more confident. You've got some more under your belt. You can go home and practice a couple more times. Then you come back the next day. What do you learn? The second to last day of knowledge is, in my opinion, the most pivotal day of the course when you can create that connection of the experience and the knowledge coming together to give you that aha moment and really understand the profound impact it's having on your reality. Yeah, I always find that that day three is really a pivotal aha moment. And then on the final of the four days, we roll into talking about what this looks like as you continue to implement the practice with consistency over time. What is the vision of what's possible in your daily life? And we start to paint that picture because often by that point, people are noticing some glimpses of change taking place. And it's so interesting, you know, a lot of people will feel like, again, you know, we're expressing this four days, but if we try to give all of this, you know, knowledge and experience in one session, it's impossible. So this four days really integrates it, right? It's like with anything we're learning, experience and knowledge, hand in hand, that forms that complete picture. So then you've done the four days, now you can practice on your own forever. You don't need to keep coming into a center or meeting with a teacher. That teacher will support you in your practice forever. but you've got this tool, you've got this technique. We can sit here and talk and talk and talk, but it's starting that experience and experiencing it working. So we're gonna continue to talk more about Transcendental Meditation and how it works and the experiences and the benefits. And please join us, come back, learn more about the history and hear from experts and our students and very real world experiences that we'll go through. But thanks so much for joining us. We love talking to you about Transcendental Meditation and the inner well. and we'll see you again next time. Transcendental meditation is a scientifically validated technique that provides access to become more ourselves. Join us next week for more conversations with real people living fulfilling and peaceful lives with infinite support from their inner wealth.