What is Transcendental Meditation?
Transcendental Meditation is practised by letting go of distracting thoughts and resting in a state of relaxed awareness. Ashishh L Vyas describes it as an easy-to-learn practice that allows the mind to move past thought into pure awareness, where you can reach your inner store of happiness, creativity and serenity.
The technique became widely known through its association with The Beatles and is still practised and studied today. Because it does not depend on concentration, many people find it approachable even after struggling with other methods.
The role of the mantra
Transcendental Meditation revolves around sound, in the form of a mantra: a single sound without literal meaning. You repeat the mantra while remaining aware of your thoughts and watching them arise, much like a witness. This is what brings the mind towards calm.
During practice the body rests while the mind becomes settled and focused. In the yogic view, mantras awaken the dormant faculties of the mind and stir prana, the body's life energy. Spiritually, they are believed to open access to higher levels of awareness.
Regular practitioners often describe greater vitality, a clearer mind and a wider sense of awareness.
The five elements in meditation
TEAM9's approach to meditation draws on the five elements of traditional Indian thought. Each element offers a quality to reflect on and cultivate during practice.
These qualities link meditation to everyday life, from handling change to staying patient and grounded.
- Water: fluidity, adaptability and purification; emotions and intuition
- Air: breath, communication and intellect; openness and freedom
- Fire: passion, transformation and energy; willpower and action
- Earth: stability and grounding; patience and perseverance
- Space: consciousness and the interconnectedness of all beings
Benefits and how guided meditation helps
Regular meditation is commonly associated with reduced stress, a calmer mind, better concentration, greater self-awareness, clearer thinking, more creativity, more restful sleep and stronger emotional resilience. Meditation complements, and does not replace, medical care for any health condition.
Guided sessions give beginners a clear structure, reduce the overwhelm some people feel when meditating alone, and help keep the mind from wandering. A guide can introduce different techniques, tailor practice to goals such as stress relief or better sleep, correct mistakes as they happen, and encourage you to keep a regular routine.