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Joining the Universal Peace Corps: Transforming the World from Within, Part II

Most of us have been trained to view the world from a material perspective, although this outlook is indeed changing. We have tended to think that the only way to cause change is through direct action on the surface level of life—like a billiard ball hitting other balls. But this, modern physicists tell us, is the “old school” perspective in science (sometimes referred to as “material realism”). Science is now revealing with ever greater clarity what the ancients understood : to affect change in life, we must engage deeper levels of nature.

Modern physics explains that our material world is an expression of deeper, invisible fields of existence. Whether we consider the flowers in a garden or the stars in the night sky, a computer screen or the cat jumping in front it, physical matter is not wholly what it appears on the surface.

A New Noteworthy Partnership

In December, TM for Women was honored to begin a formal partnership with Million Hearts®, an organization that brings together existing efforts and new programs to improve health across communities and help Americans live longer, healthier, more productive lives. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are the co-leaders of Million Hearts within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Million Hearts is a national initiative that has an ambitious goal of preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. Partners of Million Hearts includes federal agencies; doctors, nurses, pharmacists, health care professionals; health advocacy groups; and community organizations. According to published research funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, the TM technique can reduce heart attacks and strokes by 48 percent and so we feel this partnership is a perfect fit. In the US, 25% of women pass away from heart disease. Narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart itself, is the most common cause. This coronary artery disease builds over time and is a significant cause of heart attacks.

Brain Games: What Improves Memory, Intelligence and Cognition?

A December 15th article in The Atlantic written by Venkat Srinivasan and called The Myth of the Brain Game discussed the current popularity of puzzles that are touted to increase mental acuity and possibly even

Joining the Universal Peace Corps: Transforming the World from Within, Part I

I realized how relevant this was for my post—relevant to the question many ask today: CAN we possibly transform this world of ours, on a large scale, for the better? Buber’s life was devoted to urging others to realize that this possibility is there each and every moment.

But how? When we want illumination to significant questions, there are three sources we can turn to for knowledge: wisdom of the sages, both ancient and contemporary; modern science; and our own experience. Maharishi calls these the “Three Eurekas.”

Good News! Continuing Education Hours for Nurses

Just in time to celebrate the New Year, the American Holistic Nurses Association has approved education “contact hours” for nurses for taking the course of instruction in the Transcendental Meditation technique (at a special discounted medical professionals fee) from a certified TM teacher in any state except California and Iowa.

I believe that this is a great leap forward in AHNA offerings to enhance a practitioner’s capacity. Most education hours involve gaining more clinical knowledge or skill, but learning the TM technique will unfold the practitioner’s mental and physical potential enabling her to expand her skill set and comprehension more easily. It will increase intelligence, creativity, focus, energy, good health and stamina while reducing fatigue, stress, anxiety and depression. As health professionals, we can feel secure in the knowledge that all of these benefits are verified by extensive, published, peer-reviewed research.

Report on Alliance of Women Scientists, 2014

The Fourth International Conference of the Alliance of Women Scientists and Scholars for a Better World was held July 21-24, 2014. The theme of the conference was: The World is as We Are: Culturing the

Balancing Praise and Criticism

Like many girls of my generation, I was raised to be nice and not make waves. I also happened to be an extremely sensitive child, which on the one hand was useful as I developed my skills as a writer. Writers, after all, need large reserves of empathy to understand the people they write about.

On the other hand, writing for publication requires you to develop a tough skin, to become impervious to praise and criticism. Writing is a profession that subjects you to rejection, revision, and in some sense, criticism, on a daily basis. Of course it also subjects you to praise and accolades when you hit it right. A rather tortuous career choice for someone who cares too much about what other people say about them.

Saving a Bathhouse in Uzbekistan: The Human Side of International Development

 Linda Cloutier is a certified teacher of the Transcendental Meditation technique in Ottawa, Canada. Before becoming a TM teacher she worked for 20 years with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), an organization that administered

Moms Say: Taking Time to Meditate is Good for Kids

Having watched the “Mommy Wars” from the safe perspective of one who has no children of my own, I do wonder how moms these days keep up with their jobs, their marriages, their kids, staying fit and posting on Facebook every day.

In a sometimes funny, sometimes poignant piece in the Sunday Review opinion column of the New York Times, Heather Havrilesky, journalist and mother, comes down squarely on the side of “enough is enough is enough.”

What Makes Great Literature Great?

What makes great literature great? Why do some short stories, plays and novels strike a universal chord and impart relevant and meaningful wisdom hundreds or even thousands of years later?

According to a new book on literature and language, it all comes down to the consciousness of the writer. If the writer is able to fathom the depths of silence within herself, she can convey that depth of wisdom to others through her writing.