What Does Transcendental Meditation Feel Like? My Experiences

Interested in TM and what to know more about it? In this article, I’m going to do my best to answer, what does Transcendental Meditation feel like?

For me, it feels like I’m “lost” in my subconscious. Able to feel all the stress, tension, and pain in my body and mind float away. I come out of it mentally refreshed, physically energized, and with a profound sense of calm.

What Is Transcendental Meditation?

Transcendental Meditation is a form of meditation. There are various types of meditation, each with their own unique differences and benefits, such as:

• Mindfulness meditation
• Spiritual meditation
• Guided meditations,
• And so on

Transcendental Meditation is a little more involved than other types of meditation, and people seem to think there’s some sort of secrecy around what it is exactly.

There really isn’t. It’s not a “secret” kept by those who have been taught it, and anyone can do it.

To do it properly, however, you do need to be given a mantra by an appointed teacher.

The Beatles were famously given their mantras by the Indian sage Maharishi Mahesh Yogi himself – the person responsible for developing the TM technique.

Unfortunately Yogi has passed, if you were going to try and seek enlightenment from him for yourself.

You should be able to find a certified TM teacher in your area though. In the U.S., teachers are certified by the Maharishi Foundation USA.

Your teacher will assign you your mantra and give you some valuable pointers on how to practice effectively.

Related – Why is Transcendental Meditation so secretive?

How to Do Transcendental Meditation

If you can’t find a certified teacher, don’t want to find one for any reason, or you’re just interested to know how to do Transcendental Meditation, here’s how:

1. Sit comfortably in a chair with your back upright, feet on the ground, and hands in your lap. You can also sit on a meditation cushion or the floor if you prefer, but my teacher recommended I started seated in a chair.

2. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. In through your nose, and out through your mouth. Just as you would when starting most meditations.

3. Now breathe normally, and start to repeat your mantra in your mind. Say it over and over at a pace that’s comfortable to you.

4. If your mind starts to wander or you hear your “monkey mind” chatter, bring your focus back to your mantra.

5. You should try and practice TM for 20 minutes at a time. This is difficult at first, so do what you can. Ultimately, you should be able to practice for 20 minutes a day twice a day.

6. When you’re finished, give yourself a couple of minutes to return back fully to your conscious self.

What Does Transcendental Meditation Feel Like?

The goal of TM is to achieve a positive state of mind and a deep sense of inner peace.

Meditation is always hard to explain to someone else in fine detail, as the feelings and experiences vary from person-to-person.

For me, however, I’d say that while I’m practicing TM I feel a deep, profound, sense of relaxation.

A much deeper state of relaxation than regular meditation. I can feel my heart slowing. Hear and feel every breath. I can feel stresses, aches and pains, and other tension I’m holding onto both physically and mentally literally floating away.

I come out of it after 20 minutes feeling a rush of mental alertness, physical energy, and a sense of clarity that’s hard to explain.

Since I started practicing, I’ve noticed a marked improvement in how calm I am at all times, improvements in my memory and concentration, and loads of positive benefits in how I handle relationships in my life.

My friends and family noticed the changes in me too.

From a scientific standpoint, TM (and other forms of meditation) are known to help:

• Lower blood pressure
• Reduce physical pain
• Help improve focus, attention span, and concentration
• Promote emotional health
• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Improve sleep

I’ve noticed improvements in all of these areas myself, so I can attest to them.

Related – Struggling to meditate? Read how to get into a meditative state.

Some Famous Transcendental Meditation Quotes

Sometimes quotes perfectly capture how someone feels about something. TM has some high-profile practitioners who have been very outspoken about how it’s changed their lives for the better.

Here are a few of my favorites:

I do transcendental meditation, which is, I suppose, derived from Vedic or Ayurvedic principles, which is sort of Hindu principles – Russel Brand

I’m actually big into meditation, transcendental meditation, and that really helps create not only a sense of balance, but all the other stuff this is gonna sound cliché… serenity and kind of a calm state of mind. And not that I’m like that all the time, but it helps me deal with life’s ups and downs, coming from more of a centered place. Also it helps with creativity – Eva Mendes

I think [Transcendental Meditation] is what people need. They don’t need high minded talk, they need results – Paul McCartney

Transcendental Meditation is a mental technique, so you travel to this field through subtler levels of mind, and then subtler levels of intellect, and then, at the border of intellect, you transcend and experience it – David Lynch

The goal of the Transcendental Meditation technique is the state of enlightenment. This means we experience that inner calmness, that quiet state of least excitation, even when we are dynamically busy – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Every day when everybody would have lunch I would do TM [Transcendental Meditation] and then I would eat while I was working because I had missed lunch but that is how I survived the 9 years [of Seinfeld], it was that 20 minutes in the middle of the day would save me – Jerry Seinfeld

If world peace is to be established, peace in the individual must be established first. Transcendental Meditation directly brings peace in the individual life – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

In Summary

I’m not trying to hide the fact that I’m a huge fan, a believer, and a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation.

I’ve been practicing TM for a few years now. Which is why I’m happy to share my experiences and how it feels for me.

I hope I’ve not only been able to do this in this article but have convinced you to try TM too. So you can experience all the health and wellness benefits for yourself.

For me, it’s the most relaxing, stress-relieving, and effective form of meditation for improving brain function.

Resources

Transcendental Meditation Quotes – AZQuotes.com

12 Science-Based Benefits of Meditation – Healthline.com

Image credits – Header Photo by eniko kis, silhouette image by Dingzeyu Li on Unsplash