Argiro Student Center, America’s first student center constructed according to the ancient principles of Vedic architecture for harmony with natural law.

As we go through different seasons in life, there comes a time of big change like going back to school for the first time in decades.   In my last post, I announced that I was accepted in the Masters’ program at Maharishi University of Management where I’ll be studying Vedic Science (the study of consciousness).

Since I’m about to make a cross country move to Iowa to attend this university, I’ve been busy purging things I no longer need.  It’s all part of the clean up process to get rid of old, stagnant energy and make way for new, fresh and vibrant energy.   I spent several hours this past week shredding old financial documents from the 80’s and throwing out things I no longer have any use for.  My Mom once told me that I was like that as a kid.  I would go through cycles where I’d get the urge to “spring clean” more than a couple times a year.   It’s no wonder my home isn’t very cluttered these days!

Part of the clean up process involved learning Transcendental Mediation (TM) even though I could have waited until the Fall to learn it at the university.   There are a couple of reasons why I decided to do it now rather than later:

1.  David Kidd, a certified TM teacher from Canton, OH was not only very easy to lipread during the private introductory and preparatory lectures but he also took it upon himself to shave off his beard so that I could lip-read him!  Never has anyone done that for me.  Most men, especially those who’ve had a beard for a while, are usually reluctant to part with precious facial hair because it’s become part of their identity.  It was a powerful gesture that spoke louder than words and inspired me to learn TM from him.

2.  All students at the university receive a scholarship to learn TM once they’re enrolled.   Had I waited until then, I would not have had to pay any out of pocket money.  But while I was there during Visitor’s Weekend back in April, I was told by the admissions counselors that once I was accepted, I could request a special scholarship to offset the cost of learning TM prior to enrollment.  About a week ago, a letter from admissions arrived confirming this.  All the necessary paperwork has been sent back for processing and I am now waiting to hear from the scholarship committee on how this will be handled.

Practicing Transcendental Meditation

The purpose of this article is to share with you what I’ve experienced so far but before I delve into this, you should be made aware that the experience is not only different for everyone who learns TM but it’s also hard to describe.   It’s like trying to tell someone exactly what something tastes like.  Pretty hard to do, right?

Likewise, it’s difficult for me to put in words what TM is like - it’s something you have to experience for yourself.

Having said that, it’s been a full week since the last day of class.   I’m now practicing TM twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

The first week found me transcending pretty deep a couple of times.   The best way I can describe that experience is by telling you that I lost all track of time and fell into the “zone.”  Have you ever worked on a project that you enjoyed so much that it was a pleasure to do it, that it didn’t feel like work and how the time flew by?  Well, that’s exactly what happened.  Although meditation is only twenty minutes, it sometimes felt like five!

I’ve noticed that I sleep less at night and wake up earlier.  That’s because from what I’ve understand about TM, you gain deep rest during meditation.

Indigo Lake - my favorite place to partake in nature

A few days after the first lesson, I was at my favorite park, a lake near my home (see photo to the left).  It was a gorgeous sunny day.  As I was taking in the visual symphony around me, I thought I was seeing vibrant colors everywhere!   I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination or if I was really seeing them but they were in full splendor for me to enjoy!

When I told my teacher about it, he said nothing’s changed “out there” - all that’s changed was me and how I was perceiving the world around me.   That reminded me of Ghandi’s famous quote:  “Be the Change You Wish to See in the World.”  Hmmmm…..smart man.

I’ve been wearing my glasses less and less but I was doing that long before learning TM.  At first I thought my vision improved because I was reading small print off the back of containers without my glasses but just the other day, I was reading small print again but had some difficulty focusing so the jury is still out on that one.

The other thing I noticed was that people, especially strangers, seem to be friendlier to me a little more often.  I’d go to the gym and every once in a while (in other words, more frequently) people appeared to be glad I was there.  They’d smile and beat me to it by saying “hi” first.   We all know that hardly anyone does that these days, especially at the gym or the supermarket where everyone is in their own little world.

The church I go to most Sundays.

Last Sunday virtually everyone at my church was clamoring for me, going out of there way to say give me a hug and ask how I was doing.  It’s not that they don’t do that but it just seemed on that particular day it was happening more than normal.  I was like, “What the heck is going on?!??”  Who knows, maybe it’s because everyone there knows I’m leaving soon for school so they’re acting more friendlier than usual.  People are funny that way, you know?  But, hey, I’m not complaining!

At the start of my meditation, I noticed that every time I attempted to take a deep breath within the first few minutes, it was always an effort to get air all the way in but after approximately ten minutes or so of meditating, it becomes easier, almost spontaneous to take those deep breaths.   And then as the day goes on, I find myself taking deep breaths easily, regardless of what I’m doing.  Wow.  That’s a strong indication that I’m truly relaxed because it’s pretty hard to take deep breaths when you’re not!!

All of you have been to a gym at least once in your lifetime so here’s an analogy for you about how benefits tend to accrue over time.  The more you practice something like weightlifting or running on the treadmill, the more benefits you’ll see over time.  Whereas you once weighed a certain amount, you’re now seeing a trimmer body with less weight.   Whereas before you might have huffed and puffed your way around the track, after working out for a while, you’ll have an easier time doing it.  It’s the same thing with TM.

Ancient method of dyeing cloth

Here’s another analogy.  In the old days when a piece of cloth needed to be dyed a certain color, say purple, it had to be dipped into a vat of purple liquid and then laid out in the sun to dry.  During the drying process, the color would fade away and then the cloth would dipped into the vat later in the day and laid out to dry once more.  As the cloth is repeatedly dipped into the vat and laid out to dry, there’s a build up of residue of color that remains on the cloth over time.   (Photo credit:  robin.elaine)

Meditating twice a day is like dipping the cloth in the vat to be laid out to dry (which is like going through the normal course of the day) until it is again dipped in the vat (i.e. meditating for the second time at the end of the day).  The more you dip the cloth (i.e. the more you meditate, workout or practice a skill), the more the cloth retains the color of purple (which is like saying the more you’ll experience the benefits of TM taking hold).

Now, a review of my experiences isn’t fair without discussing the flip side.   Among many of the benefits that are said to accrue over time is increased clarity, more inner peace, a higher sense of well being, more creativity and a change in the way you appear to others, to name a few.   To be fair, it’s still too early in my practice to gauge whether or not any of these have manifested.

While I appear to absorbing more information when reading certain books (i.e. more clarity), I’m not yet sure any new ideas have been popping up (i.e. increased creativity).   No one has told me that I appear to have changed because if they did, that would mean I’ve made an outward change of behavior or in other words, changed my way of being.  I’ve always been a loving, caring and positive person but with increased practice of TM, my understanding is that you become more settled and peaceful.  Your manner of speaking becomes more congruent with your inner life’s purpose.   I haven’t noticed any changes in my manner of speaking either.  Granted, these are hard to judge objectively but until I learn how to observe myself from an outside, detached point of view, I’ll have to rely on other people’s perception of me to tell me whether or not I’ve made any noticeable changes.

On other news, I just learned that a student in Maharishi University’s work-study program has been busy typing up transcripts of videos that will be a part of some of the classes I’ll be taking in the Fall so I’m pretty excited about that.   Because the university has never had a deaf student enrolled before, finding ways to make my education more accessible is a new learning experience for them.   To help them along those lines, I did some research and emailed a list of different ways for they can make my education more accessible.    I am now waiting to get feedback back from them on this.

Students begin arriving to campus on August 13th, which means my time left here in Akron, OH is rapidly drawing to a close.  It’s hard to believe I’m moving on but I am truly blessed and excited to have an opportunity to study something I have a strong, compelling interest in.   My vision is to become a consciousness expert and help others learn how to tap into the powers of the mind to achieve their dreams.  I also see myself teaching TM, becoming a university professor as well as co-creating world peace.

For more information on TM, here are a couple links for you:

Transcendental Meditation

Book on TM by Robert Roth (you can read the entire book for free online)

Until next time, enjoy the beginning of your glorious summer!

If you liked this post and you want to be notified of the next one, subscribe via Email or Full Text RSS Feed. I would love to have you as part of the community!