In a fun article published in Women’s Health magazine, Caitlin Carlson gives her stamp of approval for learning the Transcendental Meditation technique. And she offers six reasons to learn TM – including better workouts, lower risk of heart disease, improved productivity at work, weight loss, stronger relationships, and a more youthful body. Here are a few excerpts from Carlson’s story.
6 Benefits of Transcendental Meditation (and How You Can Get Started Today)
Practice transcendental meditation for 20 minutes, twice a day, to help you lose weight, thrive at work, and ward off heart disease.
Far from the hippy dippy stigma it used to carry, meditation is starting to be viewed as hip—and healthy. And it seems like everyone is catching on and talking about it, from Oprah to Heather Graham to Russell Brand to Dr. Oz. In fact, the American Heart Association recently gave Transcendental Meditation (TM) its stamp of approval, which means you might even hear your doctor talk about it at your next appointment.
Here’s the gist: for 20 minutes, twice a day, you sit quietly with your eyes closed while silently repeating a mantra. The idea is that regular practice of Transcendental Meditation will help you feel less stressed, more focused on the here and now, and more attuned to your body and your mind.
• TM can amp up your workout
• TM can slash your risk for heart disease and stroke
• TM can help you thrive at work
• TM can help you lose weight
• TM can improve your relationships
• TM can make you grow younger
“By strengthening synaptic connections in the brain, TM helps us to gain patience, be a better listener, and see more value in others and our relationships,” says Rachel Katz, a certified Transcendental Meditation teacher at the David Lynch Foundation in New York City.
Research published in the International Journal of Neuroscience found that subjects with an average chronological age of 50 years who had been practicing Transcendental Meditation for over 5 years, had a biological age 12 years younger than their chronological age. (Translation: a 55-year-old meditator had the physiology of a 43-year-old.)
Convinced yet? To learn how to practice this awesome meditation, visit TM.org. You’ll need to get trained by a certified teacher (in the same way it was taught thousands of years ago)—and pay a fee. (Each local TM center offers a payment plan, as well as partial grants or partial scholarships for those facing financial hardship, so the money should definitely not be your reason for passing.)
Why the training? “It’s like so many things—from learning a musical instrument to learning to play tennis, it’s valuable to have a good teacher to help guide you so that you master the technique,” says Katz.
To read the full Women’s Health article, click here.