December 2022
Dear Friend,
We hope you enjoy our December TM for Women mini magazine.
- Blog posts from November written by women for women
- Articles
- It’s always the season of giving
- TM for Women helps stressed children
- Q&A: Why do TM meditators need a follow-up program?
- What women say: TM is a game changer
In case you missed them, below are links to two posts that were published on our blog in November. To see previous posts and to search past posts by topic, please visit our archives at tm-women.org/blog/
Too Stressed to Function?
According to a 2022 poll conducted among 3,192 American adults for the American Psychological Association, 27% of us report that we are too stressed to function on most days.
How stress affects your life depends on its intensity and duration—and what measures you take to avert it and recover from it.
Difficult Women
This article is about the type of women who are sometimes labeled “difficult.” These are women who speak up and take action when they think something needs improvement. These women are discerning; they challenge the status quo, keep on questioning, break rules, and think independently. They may be defiant and persevering in supporting a cause. These women are often heroes.
It’s Always the Season of Giving
Studies show that giving to others can enhance physical and mental health. Research indicates that the process of giving—whether you’re giving time or gifts—reduces hypertension, stress, and depression while increasing self-esteem, happiness, and longevity.
Of course, it’s common to feel anxiety around holiday gift shopping, but the advice from Psychology Today is to find comfort in our own good intentions. And this is a good takeaway for relationships in general.
In his book, the Science of Being and Art of Living, Maharishi explains how giving is the basis of good relationships:
“The basic fundamental of behavior should be to give. When you are going to meet someone, think about what you are going to give him, whether it be a concrete gift of a beautiful object, words of greeting, warm sympathy, praise, adoration, love, elevating advice, or good news for his body, mind, or soul. There must be some thing for you to give when you meet someone. Just a “hello” and “how do you do” cannot produce a wave of love and joyfulness at the meeting. The art of behavior is such that the first moment of the meeting should have a real value of the meeting of the two hearts.
“Thus, we find that the first fundamental in the art of behavior is: meet with warmth, and meet to give. Behavior should be on the level of giving. “In giving, you receive” is a common saying: it has great truth in it. If all the people in a society behaved on this level of giving, social behavior could only result in the advancement and glorification of everyone’s life. Giving is the basic formula of the art of behavior.”
The ability to give of yourself increases exponentially when your mind and heart function in a refined way. In the TM technique, there are two components that facilitate this:
First, the mind transcends active levels of thinking, engaging the innermost silent level of the Self, the nature of which is bliss. When bliss starts to permeate our experience, it flows naturally in all our relationships.
Second, while the mind transcends, the body correspondingly settles down and imbalances dissolve, freeing the nervous system to function in a healthy, unencumbered way. Emotions and behavior are naturally more generous when we aren’t hampered by stress and fatigue.
Consider learning TM as a holiday gift for yourself. And if you have learned, consider gifting a course to your loved ones. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.
When Children are Stressed
Many life experiences that adults can manage will cause deleterious stress in a child. Even small changes that require a child to adapt may trigger issues in their feelings of safety and security.
For young children, stress is triggered by tensions at home, with a broad range of causes ranging from stressed parents to living in an unsafe environment. Stress in children can also be caused at school due to peer pressure, having to make new friends, or taking exams.
Every prolonged activation of the stress response, with a failure of the body to recover fully, could adversely affect a child’s brain development, chemistry, and gene expression. These can lead to ongoing problems in learning, behavior, and health.
Toxic stress is defined by Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child as “severe, uncontrollable, chronic adversity.” Toxic stress in a child, even in toddlers, can have many symptoms. Be alert to changes in eating habits, clinginess, unwarranted angry or aggressive behavior, thumb sucking, withdrawal, nightmares, stomach or headaches, poorer school performance, inability to concentrate, and reduced self-esteem.
Research shows that the Transcendental Meditation technique is an effective remedy for stress. It’s our experience that once a parent has learned the technique herself and has started noticing tangible benefits, she naturally wants her child to be instructed as well.
The Transcendental Meditation program for kids aged 10-19
The Transcendental Meditation technique is easy to learn and practice. It doesn’t require focus or concentration or sitting perfectly still. Even children with symptoms of ADHD practice the TM technique successfully.
The TM technique produces orderly brain function associated with sharper focus, greater comprehension, improved learning ability, and better moral reasoning. It’s important to note that this type of orderly brain functioning is not found while a child is studying, playing, watching entertainment, or listening to music nor achieved through other types of meditation, such as mindfulness, watching the breath, or visualization.
Because the TM program is validated by hundreds of scientific research studies and has been taught in schools throughout the world, parents feel confident that the program is safe and reliable. It’s well established that the TM program reduces kids’ stress and improves their learning ability, emotional balance, and behavior.
Our program for girls aged 5-9
TM for Women teaches girls aged five to nine the Word of Wisdom technique, which doesn’t involve either sitting or keeping their eyes closed. This technique settles children, increases their focus, and enlivens Executive Function skills that regulate behavior and emotions. The Word of Wisdom technique is easy to learn and will fit seamlessly into a child’s day.
Q: Once I have finished my four-part TM course of instruction and am able to practice the TM technique on my own, why would I need a follow-up program?
A: By the end of the course of instruction, you can enjoy all the benefits of the TM technique in your daily life—results will be both immediate and cumulative. To ensure that you continue enjoying TM in the most effortless and effective way, we recommend:
Checking of meditation: This 20–25-minute step-by-step procedure establishes correct, effortless practice of the TM technique and refreshes you on some basic instructions. No fee.
Online “group” women’s meditation: Meditating in a group (even online by Zoom) and having a Q&A or short informative talk afterward by a certified TM teacher can be fulfilling and strengthen your practice and results. If you have already completed the TM course of instruction and wish to participate on one or more afternoons weekly, contact educationdirector@tm-women.org. No Fee
TM Refresher Course: Months or years after learning TM, you can benefit from refreshing your understanding and experience of the technique. In just a few hours your TM teacher will answer your questions and provide a comprehensive review of the instruction and information from your original TM course. No fee.
Advanced lectures, online courses, and books: For maximum benefit in the evolution of consciousness, it’s important that one’s understanding grows over time. To this end:
Advanced lectures in your area: contact your local certified TM teachers for their schedule.
Books: Maharishi International University Press offers profound, accurate literature on enlightenment and the latest and most comprehensive collection of books and recordings on the evolution of consciousness through the TM technique and its applications to every area of human life
TM Retreats: a wonderful opportunity for women who practice the Transcendental Meditation technique to spend a relaxing half day or even a weekend gaining profound rest and a deeper understanding of both the process and goal of meditation. The course routine cultures a deepening of relaxation and inner silence—reducing fatigue, stress, and tension. The discussions enliven an understanding of the evolution of consciousness and its relationship to all aspects of life. In-person residential courses will resume soon; meanwhile, the courses are currently offered online.
Emmanuelle Chiqui is an award-winning Canadian-born film and TV actress who been nominated for industry awards an outstanding nine times. She has performed in more than one hundred TV series and movies.
Excerpted from NewBeauty:
“Wellness to me is cultivating good, empowering habits that make you feel good from the inside out. It’s a combination of mental, spiritual and physical. When these things are aligned for me, I feel my absolute best. When one is off, it affects everything else.
“I am a very regimented person. I start every single day with TM…. If I have a 5 a.m. call time, I will wake up 30 minutes earlier to get it in—it’s been a game-changer for me. It clears the cobwebs and makes me feel grounded and present… especially (a game changer) for clarity and warding off anxiety!”
