Lalitha Parameswaran, age 8, of Orleans, Ontario, Canada, for her question:
WHAT IS TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION?
Transcendentalism is a philosophy that became influential during the late 1700s and the early 1800s.It was based on the feeling that knowledge is not limited to and only received from experiences and observations. Followers of the transcendentalism theory said that the solution to human problems lies in the free development of individual emotions.
About 200 years ago a philosophy called transcedentalism said that reality exists only in the world of the spirit. While people learn about the physical world through their senses and understanding, they learn about the world of the spirit through the power of reason. Reason, said the transcendentalist, is the independent and intuitive capacity to know what is absolutely true.
During the 1970s a method of relaxing the body became popular. Called transcendental meditation, the method was developed in the 1950s by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a Hindu monk from India. The word transcendental was used to describe the process of reaching a state of pure consciousness, where the mind is not aware of anything in particular. He said that people who used this technique became happier and more relaxed and creative.
Centers that teach transcendental meditation, also called TM, have been established in many countries including Canada and the United States.
TM is practiced by sitting quietly in a comfortable position. The person closes his eyes and silently repeats his mantra, a pleasant sounding word from the Hindu scriptures. A TM teacher selects a personal, secret mantra for each student. The meditation is practiced each morning and evening before meals for 15 to 20 minutes.
Certain bodily changes happen during meditation, scientific studies show. Oxygen intake is decreased and the heartbeat also slows during meditation.
Psychologists have reported that many people who practice TM feel less anxious and aggressive and that they are able to handle stress more easily. Some scientists believe that TM can cause these changes because people have faith in the method and expect to be helped by it.
The Maharishi claimed that a person cannot meditate effectively without training from a TM teacher and the use of a mantra. Many scientists, however, say that other forms of meditation and relaxation can produce the same results as TM.
Scientists have found that alpha brain waves increase in intensity during the relaxed period of meditation. Alpha waves are those which become prominent when a person is completely relaxed.