How To Do Transcendental Meditation: An Ultimate Guide

Are you looking for one of the best and most effective meditation techniques? It’s Transcendental Meditation (TM). This is a simple, natural practice that anyone can do to access a greater sense of inner calm and clarity of mind.

This incredible meditative practice has been around for years! This ultimate guide will teach you the basics of TM and how to get started with your own practice to find inner calm and peace. 

By the end of this TM guide, you will know exactly how to do Transcendental Meditation. Let’s get started with the basics of Transcendental Meditation.

New to TM meditation? Try this guided meditation instead.

What is Transcendental Meditation?

Transcendental Meditation is an effortless technique where you focus your mind on specific mantras in a meditative state. It allows you to access a state of restful awareness. In this state, you’ll have access to increased creativity, improved self-confidence, and reduced stress and anxiety. 

It’s a practice that uses very specific sounds, Tm mantra, and a technique that allows you to train your brain to become more relaxed, focused, and stress-free.

When you practice Transcendental Meditation, you’ll sit comfortably with your eyes closed for about 20 minutes. During this time, you’ll silently repeat your mantra in your mind. Your mantra is a special sound that’s connected to your desired outcome. The mantra is used as a tool to focus your mind.

History Of TM

The history of transcendental meditation (TM) is a story of ancient wisdom rediscovered and passed down through the years. 

The practice of TM dates back many years and has been practiced by cultures all over the world. In the early 1950s, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi reintroduced the transcendental meditation technique.

The Maharishi, as he was known, was born in India and studied yoga and Vedic scriptures from a young age. He later traveled to the west to spread his teachings.

“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

It became more popular during the 1960s. Since then, millions of people have learned TM and have benefited from it.

How To Do Transcendental Meditation

Let’s start by saying that it’s recommended to learn TM technique from a certified TM teacher. If you get training from a certified teacher or a guru, you will also be provided with TM mantras. Mantras are a crucial part of this meditation technique.

If you still want to try it without the help of a certified teacher, use guided meditation for the best experience. You will be able to feel safer and assured that you are practicing the meditation the right way by using a TM-guided meditation. This will allow you to focus on the guided instructions and help get you into a calm state of mind.

Also, study the meditation technique so that you know what to expect. Follow the instructions and take some time to practice before your first real session.

Now let’s proceed to understand the steps for how to do TM:

1. First, make sure to choose a time of day when you know you’ll have a few uninterrupted hours. This could be first thing in the morning or before bed. 
2. Choose a place where you’ll feel relaxed and comfortable. This can be your bed, couch, or even a chair in a quiet room. If you are wondering, can I lay down to meditate? You can, but there are some things you need to understand first to avoid falling asleep.
3. Choose a mantra that you feel most comfortable with. If you don’t know any mantras, you can go with “Om” or “Om Shanti” For peace. You can also look for Sanskrit mantras to use. It’s best not to use affirmations as mantras, given the original meditation teachings suggest using them. Sanskrit mantras have been used for meditation from ancient times in India, and it’s where the roots of this meditation are.
4. Now close your eyes, focusing your attention on your breath until you feel a state of stillness.
5. Take a few deep breaths and calmly start saying the mantra in your head. 
6. Now continue to take deep breaths as you silently think and repeat the mantra in your mind. Open your eyes whenever you feel ready.

You can do this for 15 to 20 minutes twice per day or as long as you wish. It is a mantra-based meditation, yet it’s not part of any religious practice.

What To Expect When Doing Transcendental Meditation

People report the most common feeling after doing TM is restful alertness. This is a state of being relaxed but alert and aware. After your first couple of transcendental meditation sessions, you will be able to notice its effects. You’ll start to feel a reduction in stress and an increase in creativity and focus. 

Over time, you’ll notice that TM becomes easier and that you’re able to get into a relaxed state more quickly.

Benefits of Transcendental Meditation

This meditation technique will help you access a greater sense of inner calm and clarity of mind. It can also help reduce stress, anxiety, and insomnia. Improve overall well-being, and increase creativity and productivity.

You will be able to see the effect of meditation on work, relationships, and your health. By reducing stress and increasing clarity, it can help improve performance in all areas of life. Suppose you’re looking for a way to reduce tension and increase your overall well-being. In that case, transcendental meditation may be a great fit for you.

Let’s take a deeper look at the benefits of transcendental meditation.

• Reduced stress and anxiety: 

Any form of meditation will help reduce stress. The notable benefit of TM is long-term practice can help you build resilience to stress and anxiety.

• Increased focus and concentration:

If you wish to increase focus and concentration faster through meditation. This meditation can help you achieve that because with this, we practice going into the deepest parts of the mind.

• Improved self-awareness: 

It becomes easier to be more self-aware because as we practice this unique meditation, we connect deeper with ourselves.

• Improved emotional balance and well-being: 

This happens because TM provides us with more clarity than any other meditation type.

• Improved relationships: 

When our mind is clear and we are in touch with ourselves, it also affects our relationships. The clarity of thoughts and peace within leads us to have better relationships.

• Improved physical and mental health: 

Meditation can incredibly positively affect our physical and psychological health. Given you are practicing meditation regularly. 

• Improved relaxation and inner peace: 

Deep relaxation and peace are one of the instant effects of meditation that you will experience. 

• Improved sleep quality: 

We all have different needs for different hours of sleep. Practicing TM can definitely increase the quality of sleep while reducing the need for sleeping longer.

• Reduced blood pressure: 

Studies have shown that Transcendental is an effective meditation for safely lowering blood pressure. American Heart Association also says that TM can be considered for clinical practice for blood pressure. 

In 2015 another study was done on the effect of TM on high school students, and the results were surprising. Students who practice TM reported increased confidence, improved sleep, and lowered stress.  

Tips For Starting Your Transcendental Meditation Practice

If you are starting out and a beginner in meditation, here are some tips that are going to help you during your meditation session.

• Let go of any expectations you have about how your practice will feel. The experience is different for everyone, so let it be what it is for you. 
• Learn more about the technique and what it means to you so that you can understand what works for you and your needs. 
• Try different types of transcendental meditation to see what feels best for you.
• You don’t need to perfect the Mantra pronunciation. It’s okay if it changes a little as you get into the deeper meditative state. You will get to know about them as we get further in the article.
• Try to experience the sound frequency in your mind as you repeat the mantras. You can also use a mantra recording to help you if you are just starting.

Setting Up Your Transcendental Meditation Practice

Here are a few things you do to get yourself ready for your practice and make it easier to get started. 

First, make sure that you have a quiet and comfortable place to sit. This is important because outside distractions can prevent you from focusing and repeating the mantra.

It’s also important that you have enough time to experience your practice fully. You’ll want to plan for at least 15-20 minutes for your practice and set yourself up to be ready. 

Try using a mantra that resonates with you and has personal meaning. So research the mantras before choosing to meditate on one. It’s important that you connect with your mantra so that it becomes easier to use. There are also different styles of transcendental meditation that you can try to find what works best for you.

How Long To Do Transcendental Meditation

It’s best to do Transcendental Meditation for about 20 minutes for your first couple of practices. After that, you can do it for as long as you like. If you can’t meditate for 20 minutes, it’s also good enough to start meditating for 10 minutes in one meditation session.

You can start noticing benefits as soon as a week of regular meditation. But if we consider the study done with high school students, it can take up to 7 months to be able to see significant changes. 

Related: How Often To Meditate? You Might Be Meditating More Than You Need

Different Types Of Transcendental Meditation

There are different types of transcendental meditation. The original TM, integrated TM, and natural extended TM (NET).

1. Original Transcendental Meditation

This is the classic 8-12-minute technique that has been practiced for decades and is the most studied form of TM.

2. Integrated Transcendental Meditation

This is a hybrid that combines the benefits of the classic technique with the added benefits of a longer 25-minute method.

3. Natural extended Transcendental Meditation 

A variation of integrated TM that’s customized for each person to meet their unique needs. This is a technique that uses sound, mantra, and a specific technique to help you quiet your thoughts and increase clarity and focus.

Tips For Getting the Most Out Of Transcendental Meditation Practices

After a few weeks of practice, you may be ready to make TM a regular part of your life. By doing this, you’ll be able to experience all the benefits that the technique has to offer. Here are a few tips and suggestions for you to get the best out of Transcendental Meditation.

• Stick to your schedule – Make sure to carve out time on your calendar and stick to a daily schedule. This way, you become more consistent with your practice. It will make it easier to fit your practice into your everyday life.
• Create a special place for your practice – You don’t need to meditate in a special place or room. Create a special place for your Transcendental Meditation in your mind. By this, we mean you can have a designated place where you practice every day. This doesn’t mean you must make a meditation corner or a room. Practicing at the same place every day where you feel safe and comfortable is enough. The more you practice, the easier meditating will be to create this special place.
• Get comfortable – You don’t have to sit cross-legged with your hands in a special position. Get comfortable and find a position that works best for you.
• Stay consistent – Meditation will make a difference in your life, but you need to stick with this meditation to see results.

Conclusion

TM is a simple and easy practice you can learn on your own after doing some research, but it’s still best to do it with guidance. If you are not an avid meditator, it will be smarter to get into meditation practice with a different type of meditation. You may wonder why! Meditation can also be dangerous if not practiced properly. 

If you want to try different types of meditation practices and want to benefit from them. You can try guided meditations on the Enhanced app. These guided meditations can help you get all the benefits of TM and more. If you are already an advanced meditator, you can also benefit from the refreshing creative meditations available on the app.

FAQs

How do you get your TM mantra?

The TM mantra is usually taught by certified teachers. However, certain sound types vary according to age and gender. You can find all the detailed here.

What is the mantra for Transcendental Meditation?

Meditation enables us to free ourselves from our mental and emotional clutter. In this kind of meditation, the most common form of mantras is the uttering of the Sanskrit word OM and it is essentially central to our thoughts about life.

How do you know when you transcend in meditation?

During meditation, the usual thought process is “transformed”. This is transformed into an awareness. In a similar position, the practitioner possesses complete calmness, relaxation, stability, order & no mental constraints.