Dr. César Molina learned the Transcendental Meditation technique during his senior year in high school in Puerto Rico in 1972. He says that his 40 years of TM experience has been “enlightening.”
“As a high school student I had done some reading on self-actualization. Although I didn’t exactly know what self-actualization really meant, I had a strong desire to know my Self. I heard a lecture on the Transcendental Meditation and I decided to learn.
“I was 18 years old, with the active mind of a typical teenager when I learned Transcendental Meditation. I thought I would never be able to sit still for 15 or 20 minutes. But during my instruction, I had a very beautiful and enjoyable experience. I didn’t want to stop meditating because it felt so good.
“In college I quickly realized the benefits of doing TM regularly. I became a much better student. My daily meditation improved my concentration and my ability to study. It gave me great energy, vitality and confidence. Many of my friends learned to meditate as a result of the benefits I experienced.
“I graduated with honors and then went to Yale University School of Medicine. Here again, TM was of great benefit. If I needed to stay awake due to my studies or clinical responsibilities, meditation recharged my batteries.
“From Yale I moved on to Stanford University for my internship, residency, and cardiology and clinical pharmacology fellowships. Now, as a busy cardiologist in private practice and a father of two beautiful children, I continue to meditate twice daily. I can always find the time to meditate.
“I have a large medical practice where I meet 20 to 30 patients per day. I often prescribe the TM technique to patients because there is excellent evidence that the practice improves cardiovascular health. It is easy to introduce TM to patients who are interested in being active partners in their medical care. I present it as an effortless technique that is easy to learn. Unfortunately, some patients come into my office looking only for a magic pill. They can take a pill, but that’s all they get. There is no magic.
“I believe that there’s no better medicine than TM. It’s a potent intervention because it easily brings about a state of restful alertness, or Transcendental Consciousness, in which all physiologic processes are in balance. The cardiovascular system is very sensitive to this balance, which is why TM is so effective in the treatment of cardiovascular disorders.
“To maintain that balanced state of physiology achieved by the practice of TM, I think it’s a good idea to follow the commonsense principles of the Vedic approach to health brought to light by Maharishi, such as having a regular daily routine, proper diet, and a suitable stretching aerobic exercise program. These are all so important to allow the physiology to recall that ideal state of inner balance.
César Molina, M.D., F.A.C.C.P., obtained a Bachelors of Science from Boston College, and his medical degree from Yale University, and later a research fellowship at Harvard University Medical School, and completed his advanced training in cardiology at Stanford University Medical School where he later became a member of the medical school faculty. Dr. Molina currently has dual fellowships in Cardiology and Clinical Pharmacology from Stanford University Medical Center with special interests in preventive cardiology, stress reduction, exercise and cholesterol metabolism. He is also the Medical Director of the South Asian Heart Center at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, California. Dr. Molina has appeared in the international edition of CNN discussing the benefits of diet, exercise and the Transcendental Meditation technique for heart health and coronary heart disease. His research papers have been published in such journals as the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and the American Journal of Physiology.
From an article published in Enlightenment magazine (volume 3, issue 4)