Common questions about TM

The course fee for learning TM is a one-time payment.  With such a great variation in people's ability to pay we use a scale of fees based on gross income.  This way those on higher incomes pay more and those on lower incomes pay less. We do not ask to see payslips but rely on your integrity.  If you have any questions, your Teacher will be happy to discuss them.

Course fees:

• Income over £60,000 - £725
• Income over £40,000 - £625
• Income over £25,000 - £525
• Income under £25,000 - £395
• Concession* - £295
• School children - £195
• Under 10 - 25% of main parent's fee.

*On universal credit, state pension only or similar, or full-time students with NUS card or similar.

Special rates: There are special rates for families.

If you are on a higher income and would like to make an extra donation, this helps support those in need through our scholarship scheme.

What about those in need?

For those on low incomes we make the TM course as accessible as possible via concessionary fees and extended payment terms. When possible, scholarships are provided to those unable to pay full fees, using funds donated for this.

Working with the David Lynch Foundation, Maharishi Foundation also helps support TM courses for emergency workers, military personnel, prisoners, and children at risk.

For more information: David Lynch Foundation.

TM is a simple, natural, effortless technique practised 20 minutes twice a day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed.

TM allows your active mind to easily settle inward, through quieter levels of thought, until you experience the most silent and peaceful level of your own awareness — pure consciousness.  At the same time, your body gains a deep state of rest.  A Harvard Medical School study found this rest can be deeper than sleep.

The benefits build over time through regular practice. TM requires no belief, nor any change in lifestyle or diet. It can be learned by anyone regardless of age, education, or culture.

Millions of people have learned TM and enjoy calmer, happier more dynamic lives as a direct result. Hundreds of published research studies over the past 50 years have catalogued TM’s effectiveness for reducing stress, improving focus and clarity of mind, strengthening immunity and much more.

Among the documented benefits:

• Reduced anxiety, stress and depression
• Increased happiness
• Reduced insomnia
• Greater resilience to stress
• Lower risk of heart attack and stroke
• Improved brain function and creativity

Transcendental Meditation originates from the ancient Vedic tradition of India and has been handed down over thousands of years. It was brought to the West by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi over 60 years ago and has been learned by more than ten million people.

It can only be taught by certified TM teachers.

A lot! So far more than 380 peer-reviewed scientific research studies from 300+ universities and research institutes in 30 countries, including Harvard Medical School, Stanford Medical School and Yale Medical School have been published. Findings have appeared in over 160 scientific journals, including The Lancet, British Medical Journal and American Journal of Cardiology.

This extraordinary body of research has shown that regular practice of TM leads to a wide range of benefits including decreased anxiety and depression, improved memory and clearer thinking, reduced high blood pressure, decreased illness and more harmonious relationships.

For the full picture see: “Transcendental Meditation: Overview of Research on Health”

Yes! Here are some of the ways that TM stands out from other techniques and forms of meditation:

1. When you learn TM you get your own TM Teacher and private personal instruction. All TM Teachers are advanced practitioners with years of experience behind them.
2. TM is so easy and natural that anyone can do it. This makes TM very different from other techniques.
   - no concentrating
   - no control of the mind
   - no monitoring of thoughts (mindfulness) or trying to be aware
   - no trying to “empty the mind” 
3. TM is effective from the outset. No waiting weeks or months of practice before you see results. New meditators find it profoundly relaxing.
4. TM is by far the most comprehensively researched of all popular meditation techniques. No other type of meditation comes with as much objective validation.
5. Beginning TM is the start of a journey. Regular practice takes one to greater joy and higher states of consciousness.
6. Both the technique itself and the process of learning TM are simple and systematic. So too is the knowledge of the growth of consciousness that you'll gain.
7. No other form of meditation has the same level of authority and authenticity. TM is always taught in its purity by certified Teachers. It comes from an ancient tradition and source of wisdom, the Vedas. 

Mindfulness is a meditative practice that attempts to manage our stresses by training us not to respond to them emotionally. The practitioner, while sitting with eyes closed, monitors his stream of thoughts, and practices a nonjudgmental attitude towards them. For example, if an angry thought arises, one attempts to stay calm and be neutral about it. Or one may think to oneself, “I am having these thoughts, but they are not myself.” Such techniques can be practised in activity as well as with eyes closed, and they are helpful in managing stress.

Transcendental Meditation takes a different approach to dealing with stresses. It eliminates their physiological basis instead of trying to manage them. Practising TM, effortlessly the mind settles into a physiological condition of deep rest, inner wakefulness, and enhanced brain coherence. This state of restful alertness is different from waking, dreaming, or sleep states of consciousness. Stress unwinds automatically. Regular practice allows tension and stress to dissolve and inner peace to grow in daily life.

No problem! Whether you believe it will work or not, TM will deliver results for you. This is because automatically and effortlessly it allows your active thinking mind to settle down to a state of deep inner calm. You will get the benefits whether you expect them or not. A healthy scepticism can even be helpful.

Learning TM is easy, but personal tuition is vital if you’re to experience the proper technique and its benefits. The instructions are precise and vary from person to person. For this reason, TM is only taught one-on-one and by a certified Teacher.

There is no other way to learn the authentic TM technique. There is no evidence that any other method delivers the full range of benefits documented in all the published research on TM.

You can find your local TM Teacher here or phone 01695 51213 to speak with a certified Teacher.