Transcendental meditation and other mantra meditation techniques

[PyramidHead]

Many people that I would otherwise consider level-headed, practical human beings without much tolerance for wishy-washiness have publicly and emphatically sung the praises of Transcendental Meditation (TM). If it was just Deepak Chopra and David Lynch going on about cosmic consciousness, I wouldn't give it another thought. But I like Jerry Seinfeld and think he's pretty smart, and I've always admired Clint Eastwood despite his ramblings at an empty chair. And there are plenty of others who don't seem like your usual New Age types who seem to get something useful out of it. Hugh Jackman, hell even Rupert Murdoch. So this got me curious at least.

So, what is TM? As near as I can tell, it's a mantra meditation technique that involves little more than 'internally' repeating a meaningless word or syllable over and over while sitting comfortably with one's eyes closed. It's not like focusing or concentration, you can let yourself think, but when you wander too much, get back to repeating the mantra. 20 or 30 minutes in the morning and again in the afternoon. That's it. The TM Foundation charges an arm and a leg for someone to instruct you on the proper method, but it seems very simple.

What actually is going on when someone does this, and why does it work? I'm assuming it actually works and isn't 100% placebo effect, because millions of people do it and say it changed their lives. It doesn't seem like a Scientology type of deal, at least not obviously, and while there are some Eastern mysticism trappings about the "source of ultimate reality" the success of the technique by all appearances does not rely on belief in any kind of metaphysical claims. So it must be a physiological effect, and not one that is ordinarily achieved by e.g. listening to a monotonous noise. That tends to put people to sleep. TM practitioners say it gives them this boundless creative energy. Reflect on that for a moment: thinking about the sound 'ay-ma' or 'ki-rim' repeated in one's mind for about 20 minutes can make you feel like you've had a good night's rest and a big breakfast. How is this possible?

There are published studies that examine the effects of TM, most of which seem reputable, though some are of course funded by the Foundation. They are largely interested in characterizing the result of the technique, such as what kind of brain waves it is associated with, what kind of skin response, and how those variables are correlated with whatever the practitioner is hoping to gain (or lose, like stress and anxiety). I haven't found anything that proposes a testable model for how this mental repetition causes what people say it does, and what are the necessary and sufficient components. Does it need to be a meaningless word, or can my mantra be 'coca-cola'? Do I have to keep my mantra a secret? Can I concentrate on repeating a long mantra, like the entirety of the Gettysburg Address? What if my eyes are open? What if I record myself saying my mantra and listen to it in headphones? Is it possible for this technique to be harmful to my health if overdone or done the wrong way?

Also, there are a host of TM alternatives, many of them organized by former TM instructors who didn't feel right about charging the exorbitant fees. Their lawyers have instructed them to claim their technique is not the same as TM, but I don't see how it could be so different since TM is extremely simple. But there are those who insist TM is the only 'real' way.

Does anybody here actually mediate in the way I described, and if so could you offer your thoughts on how you imagine it works on a physiological level?

 

[bilby]

Many people that I would otherwise consider level-headed, practical human beings without much tolerance for wishy-washiness have publicly and emphatically sung the praises of Transcendental Meditation (TM). If it was just Deepak Chopra and David Lynch going on about cosmic consciousness, I wouldn't give it another thought. But I like Jerry Seinfeld and think he's pretty smart, and I've always admired Clint Eastwood despite his ramblings at an empty chair. And there are plenty of others who don't seem like your usual New Age types who seem to get something useful out of it. Hugh Jackman, hell even Rupert Murdoch. So this got me curious at least.

So, what is TM? As near as I can tell, it's a mantra meditation technique that involves little more than 'internally' repeating a meaningless word or syllable over and over while sitting comfortably with one's eyes closed. It's not like focusing or concentration, you can let yourself think, but when you wander too much, get back to repeating the mantra. 20 or 30 minutes in the morning and again in the afternoon. That's it. The TM Foundation charges an arm and a leg for someone to instruct you on the proper method, but it seems very simple.

What actually is going on when someone does this, and why does it work? I'm assuming it actually works and isn't 100% placebo effect, because millions of people do it and say it changed their lives. It doesn't seem like a Scientology type of deal, at least not obviously, and while there are some Eastern mysticism trappings about the "source of ultimate reality" the success of the technique by all appearances does not rely on belief in any kind of metaphysical claims. So it must be a physiological effect, and not one that is ordinarily achieved by e.g. listening to a monotonous noise. That tends to put people to sleep. TM practitioners say it gives them this boundless creative energy. Reflect on that for a moment: thinking about the sound 'ay-ma' or 'ki-rim' repeated in one's mind for about 20 minutes can make you feel like you've had a good night's rest and a big breakfast. How is this possible?

There are published studies that examine the effects of TM, most of which seem reputable, though some are of course funded by the Foundation. They are largely interested in characterizing the result of the technique, such as what kind of brain waves it is associated with, what kind of skin response, and how those variables are correlated with whatever the practitioner is hoping to gain (or lose, like stress and anxiety). I haven't found anything that proposes a testable model for how this mental repetition causes what people say it does, and what are the necessary and sufficient components. Does it need to be a meaningless word, or can my mantra be 'coca-cola'? Do I have to keep my mantra a secret? Can I concentrate on repeating a long mantra, like the entirety of the Gettysburg Address? What if my eyes are open? What if I record myself saying my mantra and listen to it in headphones? Is it possible for this technique to be harmful to my health if overdone or done the wrong way?

Also, there are a host of TM alternatives, many of them organized by former TM instructors who didn't feel right about charging the exorbitant fees. Their lawyers have instructed them to claim their technique is not the same as TM, but I don't see how it could be so different since TM is extremely simple. But there are those who insist TM is the only 'real' way.

Does anybody here actually mediate in the way I described, and if so could you offer your thoughts on how you imagine it works on a physiological level?

Seinfeld, Eastwood, Jackman and (arguably) Murdoch are all entertainers - their careers have been in generating popular media for wide consumption. Nothing about this career path suggests that they have any more valuable opinion about TM than any random man in the street. Why would you consider their opinion valuable?

The idea that a person who is well known is somehow an authority on matters outside their area of learning is a common cognitive failing; We evolved in an environment where a person's popularity was likely closely linked to their ability to make life better for the tribe, so it made for a sensible heuristic - weight people's opinions based on their level of popular support and/or their degree of fame and renown.

But in the specialist age that began with the agricultural revolution about five thousand years ago, and particularly in the recent information age where mass celebrity is possible for talented (and even not-so-talented) actors, directors, newspaper barons and even singers, this is a poor way to decide what is or is not a good idea.

People all over the world are shoving strange things into orifices that they really shouldn't, simply because Gwyneth Paltrow is famous, and recommends the practice.

Never mind Seinfeld; What do neuroscientists, psychiatrists, and psychologists have to say about TM? Singing the praises of something is what entertainers do for a living, and smart people pay it no heed (even if the entertainer in question is a paragon of extraordinary wit).

Assuming it actually works and isn't 100% placebo effect, because millions of people do it and say it changed their lives, is yet another bad heuristic. Lots of positively dangerous things are very popular. You could make the same argument for Christianity, Islam, aromatherapy or homeopathy.

Popularity and celebrity endorsement, as the only support for something, are generally a good indication that that something is bullshit - non-bullshit claims don't need to be promoted by celebrities, nor said by millions to have changed their lives, in order to be seen to be worthwhile.

There might be something to it - but the description you give, and in particular, the reasons you give, suggest otherwise.

As Tim Minchin (entertainer) points out, "By definition, alternative medicine has either not been proved to work, or been proved not to work. Do you know what they call alternative medicine that's been proved to work? Medicine."

I would no more ask Clint Eastwood's advice on the value of TM than I would ask my psychologist for movie acting and directing tips.

 

[PyramidHead]

I think you're reading a little too much into my mention of those names. I'm not relying on them for any kind of scientific knowledge about brain function. I am simply noting the slightly unexpected situation, which could have been otherwise, that people who I have normally admired for being level-headed and intelligent based on what I know of their careers have endorsed something that I would usually dismiss as new age nonsense. It could have been the case--and this is what I thought was true until recently--that the only vocal proponents of meditation were the usual suspects that jump on every bandwagon from crystal healing to Reiki. I think I'm a pretty good judge of who is and isn't a flake, but I've been wrong in the past. Everybody who buys into crystal healing is a flake. My strong inclination, again not saying it's infallible, is that not everybody who says TM works is a flake. That's literally the only datum I took from their testimony to get me curious about it.

Of course they could all be dupes, and some of them could be frauds (though I'm pretty sure not all of them are frauds). But I have a hard time believing that Sam Harris is either of those. He doesn't practice TM in particular because he is wary of its cult-like trappings, but the techniques he describes are very similar to how TM is practiced. There is actually a good deal of literature on various types of meditation techniques and their effects, but none that I have come across offer any testable hypotheses about the mechanism behind these effects, and that is what I'm interested in learning about.

 

[rousseau]

Many people that I would otherwise consider level-headed, practical human beings without much tolerance for wishy-washiness have publicly and emphatically sung the praises of Transcendental Meditation (TM). If it was just Deepak Chopra and David Lynch going on about cosmic consciousness, I wouldn't give it another thought. But I like Jerry Seinfeld and think he's pretty smart, and I've always admired Clint Eastwood despite his ramblings at an empty chair. And there are plenty of others who don't seem like your usual New Age types who seem to get something useful out of it. Hugh Jackman, hell even Rupert Murdoch. So this got me curious at least.

So, what is TM? As near as I can tell, it's a mantra meditation technique that involves little more than 'internally' repeating a meaningless word or syllable over and over while sitting comfortably with one's eyes closed. It's not like focusing or concentration, you can let yourself think, but when you wander too much, get back to repeating the mantra. 20 or 30 minutes in the morning and again in the afternoon. That's it. The TM Foundation charges an arm and a leg for someone to instruct you on the proper method, but it seems very simple.

What actually is going on when someone does this, and why does it work? I'm assuming it actually works and isn't 100% placebo effect, because millions of people do it and say it changed their lives. It doesn't seem like a Scientology type of deal, at least not obviously, and while there are some Eastern mysticism trappings about the "source of ultimate reality" the success of the technique by all appearances does not rely on belief in any kind of metaphysical claims. So it must be a physiological effect, and not one that is ordinarily achieved by e.g. listening to a monotonous noise. That tends to put people to sleep. TM practitioners say it gives them this boundless creative energy. Reflect on that for a moment: thinking about the sound 'ay-ma' or 'ki-rim' repeated in one's mind for about 20 minutes can make you feel like you've had a good night's rest and a big breakfast. How is this possible?

There are published studies that examine the effects of TM, most of which seem reputable, though some are of course funded by the Foundation. They are largely interested in characterizing the result of the technique, such as what kind of brain waves it is associated with, what kind of skin response, and how those variables are correlated with whatever the practitioner is hoping to gain (or lose, like stress and anxiety). I haven't found anything that proposes a testable model for how this mental repetition causes what people say it does, and what are the necessary and sufficient components. Does it need to be a meaningless word, or can my mantra be 'coca-cola'? Do I have to keep my mantra a secret? Can I concentrate on repeating a long mantra, like the entirety of the Gettysburg Address? What if my eyes are open? What if I record myself saying my mantra and listen to it in headphones? Is it possible for this technique to be harmful to my health if overdone or done the wrong way?

Also, there are a host of TM alternatives, many of them organized by former TM instructors who didn't feel right about charging the exorbitant fees. Their lawyers have instructed them to claim their technique is not the same as TM, but I don't see how it could be so different since TM is extremely simple. But there are those who insist TM is the only 'real' way.

Does anybody here actually mediate in the way I described, and if so could you offer your thoughts on how you imagine it works on a physiological level?

Seinfeld, Eastwood, Jackman and (arguably) Murdoch are all entertainers - their careers have been in generating popular media for wide consumption. Nothing about this career path suggests that they have any more valuable opinion about TM than any random man in the street. Why would you consider their opinion valuable?

The idea that a person who is well known is somehow an authority on matters outside their area of learning is a common cognitive failing; We evolved in an environment where a person's popularity was likely closely linked to their ability to make life better for the tribe, so it made for a sensible heuristic - weight people's opinions based on their level of popular support and/or their degree of fame and renown.

But in the specialist age that began with the agricultural revolution about five thousand years ago, and particularly in the recent information age where mass celebrity is possible for talented (and even not-so-talented) actors, directors, newspaper barons and even singers, this is a poor way to decide what is or is not a good idea.

People all over the world are shoving strange things into orifices that they really shouldn't, simply because Gwyneth Paltrow is famous, and recommends the practice.

Never mind Seinfeld; What do neuroscientists, psychiatrists, and psychologists have to say about TM? Singing the praises of something is what entertainers do for a living, and smart people pay it no heed (even if the entertainer in question is a paragon of extraordinary wit).

Assuming it actually works and isn't 100% placebo effect, because millions of people do it and say it changed their lives, is yet another bad heuristic. Lots of positively dangerous things are very popular. You could make the same argument for Christianity, Islam, aromatherapy or homeopathy.

Popularity and celebrity endorsement, as the only support for something, are generally a good indication that that something is bullshit - non-bullshit claims don't need to be promoted by celebrities, nor said by millions to have changed their lives, in order to be seen to be worthwhile.

There might be something to it - but the description you give, and in particular, the reasons you give, suggest otherwise.

As Tim Minchin (entertainer) points out, "By definition, alternative medicine has either not been proved to work, or been proved not to work. Do you know what they call alternative medicine that's been proved to work? Medicine."

I would no more ask Clint Eastwood's advice on the value of TM than I would ask my psychologist for movie acting and directing tips.

Yea, this. That's not to say that there aren't benefits to certain forms of meditation, but popularity alone is a bit of a broken metric. A lot of people who try meditation will have the reaction that they want to have, and espouse benefits that aren't really there. It's the same as belief in God, first you believe in God, then you see the results. In this case you inherently believe in meditation, than your mind looks for reasons why it's working.

But again, sitting quietly, breathing calmly, and focusing for short periods of time probably does have benefits, I would just be more likely to research said benefits on Google Scholar, than asking the guy with dreads who lives down the street and whose house smells like weed.

 

[Thomas II]

Many people that I would otherwise consider level-headed, practical human beings without much tolerance for wishy-washiness have publicly and emphatically sung the praises of Transcendental Meditation (TM). If it was just Deepak Chopra and David Lynch going on about cosmic consciousness, I wouldn't give it another thought. But I like Jerry Seinfeld and think he's pretty smart, and I've always admired Clint Eastwood despite his ramblings at an empty chair. And there are plenty of others who don't seem like your usual New Age types who seem to get something useful out of it. Hugh Jackman, hell even Rupert Murdoch. So this got me curious at least.

So, what is TM? As near as I can tell, it's a mantra meditation technique that involves little more than 'internally' repeating a meaningless word or syllable over and over while sitting comfortably with one's eyes closed. It's not like focusing or concentration, you can let yourself think, but when you wander too much, get back to repeating the mantra. 20 or 30 minutes in the morning and again in the afternoon. That's it. The TM Foundation charges an arm and a leg for someone to instruct you on the proper method, but it seems very simple.

What actually is going on when someone does this, and why does it work? I'm assuming it actually works and isn't 100% placebo effect, because millions of people do it and say it changed their lives. It doesn't seem like a Scientology type of deal, at least not obviously, and while there are some Eastern mysticism trappings about the "source of ultimate reality" the success of the technique by all appearances does not rely on belief in any kind of metaphysical claims. So it must be a physiological effect, and not one that is ordinarily achieved by e.g. listening to a monotonous noise. That tends to put people to sleep. TM practitioners say it gives them this boundless creative energy. Reflect on that for a moment: thinking about the sound 'ay-ma' or 'ki-rim' repeated in one's mind for about 20 minutes can make you feel like you've had a good night's rest and a big breakfast. How is this possible?

There are published studies that examine the effects of TM, most of which seem reputable, though some are of course funded by the Foundation. They are largely interested in characterizing the result of the technique, such as what kind of brain waves it is associated with, what kind of skin response, and how those variables are correlated with whatever the practitioner is hoping to gain (or lose, like stress and anxiety). I haven't found anything that proposes a testable model for how this mental repetition causes what people say it does, and what are the necessary and sufficient components. Does it need to be a meaningless word, or can my mantra be 'coca-cola'? Do I have to keep my mantra a secret? Can I concentrate on repeating a long mantra, like the entirety of the Gettysburg Address? What if my eyes are open? What if I record myself saying my mantra and listen to it in headphones? Is it possible for this technique to be harmful to my health if overdone or done the wrong way?

Also, there are a host of TM alternatives, many of them organized by former TM instructors who didn't feel right about charging the exorbitant fees. Their lawyers have instructed them to claim their technique is not the same as TM, but I don't see how it could be so different since TM is extremely simple. But there are those who insist TM is the only 'real' way.

Does anybody here actually mediate in the way I described, and if so could you offer your thoughts on how you imagine it works on a physiological level?

TM is a very easy relaxation technique, and it works very well as that, a relaxation technique, which is the only reason I do it.

You sit down comfortably, close your eyes, and repeat the mantra without concentrating or straining. Other thoughts might come and go, but when you remember you are not repeating the mantra simply reintroduce the mantra again in a gentle way, NOT concentration or obsessing about it.

After 20 minutes, stop repeating the mantra and take about two minutes to fully open your eyes again and go about your day.

That's about it. So yes it works, yes it's very easy, and it doesn't require to follow any religious or spiritual beliefs of any kind, so even an atheist like myself can do it.

 

[PyramidHead]

Many people that I would otherwise consider level-headed, practical human beings without much tolerance for wishy-washiness have publicly and emphatically sung the praises of Transcendental Meditation (TM). If it was just Deepak Chopra and David Lynch going on about cosmic consciousness, I wouldn't give it another thought. But I like Jerry Seinfeld and think he's pretty smart, and I've always admired Clint Eastwood despite his ramblings at an empty chair. And there are plenty of others who don't seem like your usual New Age types who seem to get something useful out of it. Hugh Jackman, hell even Rupert Murdoch. So this got me curious at least.

So, what is TM? As near as I can tell, it's a mantra meditation technique that involves little more than 'internally' repeating a meaningless word or syllable over and over while sitting comfortably with one's eyes closed. It's not like focusing or concentration, you can let yourself think, but when you wander too much, get back to repeating the mantra. 20 or 30 minutes in the morning and again in the afternoon. That's it. The TM Foundation charges an arm and a leg for someone to instruct you on the proper method, but it seems very simple.

What actually is going on when someone does this, and why does it work? I'm assuming it actually works and isn't 100% placebo effect, because millions of people do it and say it changed their lives. It doesn't seem like a Scientology type of deal, at least not obviously, and while there are some Eastern mysticism trappings about the "source of ultimate reality" the success of the technique by all appearances does not rely on belief in any kind of metaphysical claims. So it must be a physiological effect, and not one that is ordinarily achieved by e.g. listening to a monotonous noise. That tends to put people to sleep. TM practitioners say it gives them this boundless creative energy. Reflect on that for a moment: thinking about the sound 'ay-ma' or 'ki-rim' repeated in one's mind for about 20 minutes can make you feel like you've had a good night's rest and a big breakfast. How is this possible?

There are published studies that examine the effects of TM, most of which seem reputable, though some are of course funded by the Foundation. They are largely interested in characterizing the result of the technique, such as what kind of brain waves it is associated with, what kind of skin response, and how those variables are correlated with whatever the practitioner is hoping to gain (or lose, like stress and anxiety). I haven't found anything that proposes a testable model for how this mental repetition causes what people say it does, and what are the necessary and sufficient components. Does it need to be a meaningless word, or can my mantra be 'coca-cola'? Do I have to keep my mantra a secret? Can I concentrate on repeating a long mantra, like the entirety of the Gettysburg Address? What if my eyes are open? What if I record myself saying my mantra and listen to it in headphones? Is it possible for this technique to be harmful to my health if overdone or done the wrong way?

Also, there are a host of TM alternatives, many of them organized by former TM instructors who didn't feel right about charging the exorbitant fees. Their lawyers have instructed them to claim their technique is not the same as TM, but I don't see how it could be so different since TM is extremely simple. But there are those who insist TM is the only 'real' way.

Does anybody here actually mediate in the way I described, and if so could you offer your thoughts on how you imagine it works on a physiological level?

TM is a very easy relaxation technique, and it works very well as that, a relaxation technique, which is the only reason I do it.

You sit down comfortably, close your eyes, and repeat the mantra without concentrating or straining. Other thoughts might come and go, but when you remember you are not repeating the mantra simply reintroduce the mantra again in a gentle way, NOT concentration or obsessing about it.

After 20 minutes, stop repeating the mantra and take about two minutes to fully open your eyes again and go about your day.

That's about it. So yes it works, yes it's very easy, and it doesn't require to follow any religious or spiritual beliefs of any kind, so even an atheist like myself can do it.

That's pretty much what I've been doing for the past couple of days now, without any prior training or instruction, just using one of the mantras I found online. I guess it's relaxing, but I don't know about any long-term benefits. But what interests me is the mechanism: why should repeating something purely in my mind, not aloud, have this effect, and is it a specific version of a broader phenomenon (repetition of anything, under X conditions, results in Y) or can we not make any inferences about how it works? In other contexts, having the same thought over and over again can be unnerving or exhausting, like having a song stuck in my head. But when done intentionally with a certain mindset that you describe, it has this other effect. It's kind of like hacking the brain directly from the inside, and that fascinates me.

 

[Thomas II]

TM is a very easy relaxation technique, and it works very well as that, a relaxation technique, which is the only reason I do it.

You sit down comfortably, close your eyes, and repeat the mantra without concentrating or straining. Other thoughts might come and go, but when you remember you are not repeating the mantra simply reintroduce the mantra again in a gentle way, NOT concentration or obsessing about it.

After 20 minutes, stop repeating the mantra and take about two minutes to fully open your eyes again and go about your day.

That's about it. So yes it works, yes it's very easy, and it doesn't require to follow any religious or spiritual beliefs of any kind, so even an atheist like myself can do it.

That's pretty much what I've been doing for the past couple of days now, without any prior training or instruction, just using one of the mantras I found online. I guess it's relaxing, but I don't know about any long-term benefits. But what interests me is the mechanism: why should repeating something purely in my mind, not aloud, have this effect, and is it a specific version of a broader phenomenon (repetition of anything, under X conditions, results in Y) or can we not make any inferences about how it works? In other contexts, having the same thought over and over again can be unnerving or exhausting, like having a song stuck in my head. But when done intentionally with a certain mindset that you describe, it has this other effect. It's kind of like hacking the brain directly from the inside, and that fascinates me.

I really don't know why it works, but it has a relaxing effect. It's like a good power nap, maybe even better. How about you?

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/2013/09/06/does-transcendental-meditation-actually-work

There are many scientific studies explaining its effects, and yadayadayada, but to me the bottom line is do I feel better after meditating? Do I feel more relaxed and clear minded? If its a yes, I'm happy with it. I don't complicate things.

So I would do the same in your case. First learn to do it correctly, which is effortlessly. And take time to open your eyes after you stop repeating the mantra. Don't just open your eyes, because that could startle you. Open your eyes slightly for a second, and close them again. Then open them slightly again and closed them again...Do that for about 2-3 minutes, until it seems comfortable to open them fully and continue with your daily activities.
Meditation is not a time to analyze your thoughts or anything like that. It's a time to relax, not to overthink.

To me the interesting part is the effect it has in your daily life, not so much what comes to mind during the 20 minute session.

Learning from a Meditation Center has its advantages, because they are available to answer any question you might have, specially when you are starting.
I don't know what they charge nowadays, because I don't follow the group, but back when I started they were very accommodating about their one time fee. Once you learn how to do it correctly you are ready to go.

 

[rousseau]

TM is a very easy relaxation technique, and it works very well as that, a relaxation technique, which is the only reason I do it.

You sit down comfortably, close your eyes, and repeat the mantra without concentrating or straining. Other thoughts might come and go, but when you remember you are not repeating the mantra simply reintroduce the mantra again in a gentle way, NOT concentration or obsessing about it.

After 20 minutes, stop repeating the mantra and take about two minutes to fully open your eyes again and go about your day.

That's about it. So yes it works, yes it's very easy, and it doesn't require to follow any religious or spiritual beliefs of any kind, so even an atheist like myself can do it.

That's pretty much what I've been doing for the past couple of days now, without any prior training or instruction, just using one of the mantras I found online. I guess it's relaxing, but I don't know about any long-term benefits. But what interests me is the mechanism: why should repeating something purely in my mind, not aloud, have this effect, and is it a specific version of a broader phenomenon (repetition of anything, under X conditions, results in Y) or can we not make any inferences about how it works? In other contexts, having the same thought over and over again can be unnerving or exhausting, like having a song stuck in my head. But when done intentionally with a certain mindset that you describe, it has this other effect. It's kind of like hacking the brain directly from the inside, and that fascinates me.

Another aspect of it is likely that it'd act as a daily reminder to be mindful. When the days start trudging into each other sometimes we get lost in our sub-conscious modes of being, without really being present. But setting aside some time every day to reel it all in would reinforce our mindfulness throughout the day.

 

[skepticalbip]

TM is a very easy relaxation technique, and it works very well as that, a relaxation technique, which is the only reason I do it.

You sit down comfortably, close your eyes, and repeat the mantra without concentrating or straining. Other thoughts might come and go, but when you remember you are not repeating the mantra simply reintroduce the mantra again in a gentle way, NOT concentration or obsessing about it.

After 20 minutes, stop repeating the mantra and take about two minutes to fully open your eyes again and go about your day.

That's about it. So yes it works, yes it's very easy, and it doesn't require to follow any religious or spiritual beliefs of any kind, so even an atheist like myself can do it.

That's pretty much what I've been doing for the past couple of days now, without any prior training or instruction, just using one of the mantras I found online. I guess it's relaxing, but I don't know about any long-term benefits. But what interests me is the mechanism: why should repeating something purely in my mind, not aloud, have this effect, and is it a specific version of a broader phenomenon (repetition of anything, under X conditions, results in Y) or can we not make any inferences about how it works? In other contexts, having the same thought over and over again can be unnerving or exhausting, like having a song stuck in my head. But when done intentionally with a certain mindset that you describe, it has this other effect. It's kind of like hacking the brain directly from the inside, and that fascinates me.

I know diddly-squat about TM. That said, I do find that meditation ("calming the mind") to be relaxing. I have never used a mantra, just sit quietly and allow the random thoughts to flit through my mind without latching onto any of them until they finally diminish to nothing. I think possibly that the use of a mantra may be a technique used to stifle those unwanted random thoughts by providing a single repetitive phrase repeated until it becomes meaningless.

For me, the benefits of meditation seem to be to sharpen mental focus during work and certainly makes falling asleep at night almost immediate - no tossing and turning.

 

[PyramidHead]

Maybe the mantra (or in some techniques, the actual repetition inherent in your breathing) acts like a kind of backdrop against which the comings and goings of your thoughts are easier to observe passively. And if you do it for long enough, the backdrop itself becomes observable, represented by the mantra as a placeholder. But if you can already watch your thoughts this way, perhaps a mantra isn't needed.

 

[skepticalbip]

Maybe the mantra (or in some techniques, the actual repetition inherent in your breathing) acts like a kind of backdrop against which the comings and goings of your thoughts are easier to observe passively. And if you do it for long enough, the backdrop itself becomes observable, represented by the mantra as a placeholder. But if you can already watch your thoughts this way, perhaps a mantra isn't needed.

My understanding of the idea of meditation isn't to "observe" your thoughts but to ignore them until they vanish, leaving your mind empty.

 

[Thomas II]

Maybe the mantra (or in some techniques, the actual repetition inherent in your breathing) acts like a kind of backdrop against which the comings and goings of your thoughts are easier to observe passively. And if you do it for long enough, the backdrop itself becomes observable, represented by the mantra as a placeholder. But if you can already watch your thoughts this way, perhaps a mantra isn't needed.

My understanding of the idea of meditation isn't to "observe" your thoughts but to ignore them until they vanish, leaving your mind empty.

People have different ideas of what "meditation" means.

What I like about this technique is that it works even when you might think it's not going to work, so belief is not a factor.

People do a lot of concentration. I tried that, and it didn't work. It was exhausting. TM worked from the beginning. It was very simple. It was relaxing and I felt energetic afterwards. And that was plenty for me.

 

[Treedbear]

Maybe it's just a way to practice disengaging the unconscious from the conscious. From what I've learned most of our thought processes are unconscious and an over-reliance on conscious mediation (with one "t") is inefficient and counterproductive. We go about everyday life always trying to think through how we should swing the golf club. Rather than trusting our intuition and how we feel about things, we trust in the chatterring monkey (Huston Smith would say a monkey that was stung by a bee). So meditation reminds us of the serenity that comes with trusting in the inner self (without the baggage that often comes with praying to an external god). The purpose of the mantra is to learn to accept how one needs to give up forcefully controlling one's thoughts. Otherwise the two are frequently in conflict, with the unconscious only available on (as David Eagleman says) a need-to-know basis. Just a guess as I haven't tried to meditate in many years.

 

[braces_for_impact]

Different types of meditation is practiced different ways, and focuses on different things. TM often has a lot of woo in it in my opinion, and is less useful and more complex in the later stages from what I can tell. Keep in mind I'm just a novice.

Mindfulness is different, and it has quite a bit of scientific study backing up it's utility. I researched lots of different types of meditation including TM, and ultimately decided against it. I instead follow THIS method. I really like this book, it removes a lot of the ambiguity from learning, and has no real woo to it. It's a mixture of techniques, leaving out weaknesses and enhancing certain strengths.

 

[Thomas II]

Different types of meditation is practiced different ways, and focuses on different things. TM often has a lot of woo in it in my opinion, and is less useful and more complex in the later stages from what I can tell. Keep in mind I'm just a novice.

Mindfulness is different, and it has quite a bit of scientific study backing up it's utility. I researched lots of different types of meditation including TM, and ultimately decided against it. I instead follow THIS method. I really like this book, it removes a lot of the ambiguity from learning, and has no real woo to it. It's a mixture of techniques, leaving out weaknesses and enhancing certain strengths.

There is also a Catholic priest called Father Keating who teaches something called Centering Prayer who follows a similar path of meditation. It has its level of woo but if you can navigate it it might work for you.

 

[Thomas II]

Maybe it's just a way to practice disengaging the unconscious from the conscious. From what I've learned most of our thought processes are unconscious and an over-reliance on conscious mediation (with one "t") is inefficient and counterproductive. We go about everyday life always trying to think through how we should swing the golf club. Rather than trusting our intuition and how we feel about things, we trust in the chatterring monkey (Huston Smith would say a monkey that was stung by a bee). So meditation reminds us of the serenity that comes with trusting in the inner self (without the baggage that often comes with praying to an external god). The purpose of the mantra is to learn to accept how one needs to give up forcefully controlling one's thoughts. Otherwise the two are frequently in conflict, with the unconscious only available on (as David Eagleman says) a need-to-know basis. Just a guess as I haven't tried to meditate in many years.

Yes, no trying to control in TM at all. In fact if you try to control you're not doing it right. Try harder doesn't apply here. There seems to be two strokes to the process, one internalizing when one repeats the mantra, and it feels like you're going deep within, and another externalizing when our attention goes towards random thoughts, and we're brought back to a more superficial level of the mind. Then we reintroduce the mantra and the same process happens again, and again, for 20 to 30 minutes...The end result is a state of relaxation with clear awareness.

 

[Thomas II]

Different types of meditation is practiced different ways, and focuses on different things. TM often has a lot of woo in it in my opinion, and is less useful and more complex in the later stages from what I can tell. Keep in mind I'm just a novice.

Mindfulness is different, and it has quite a bit of scientific study backing up it's utility. I researched lots of different types of meditation including TM, and ultimately decided against it. I instead follow THIS method. I really like this book, it removes a lot of the ambiguity from learning, and has no real woo to it. It's a mixture of techniques, leaving out weaknesses and enhancing certain strengths.

No woo in the practice itself. I don't involve myself with the woo of the Maharishi or his group. I learn from everything, so I can leave the woo aside because the practice itself does not require it to be effective.

How do you do your method?

 

[abaddon]

Maybe it's just a way to practice disengaging the unconscious from the conscious. From what I've learned most of our thought processes are unconscious and an over-reliance on conscious mediation (with one "t") is inefficient and counterproductive. We go about everyday life always trying to think through how we should swing the golf club. Rather than trusting our intuition and how we feel about things, we trust in the chatterring monkey (Huston Smith would say a monkey that was stung by a bee). So meditation reminds us of the serenity that comes with trusting in the inner self (without the baggage that often comes with praying to an external god). The purpose of the mantra is to learn to accept how one needs to give up forcefully controlling one's thoughts. Otherwise the two are frequently in conflict, with the unconscious only available on (as David Eagleman says) a need-to-know basis. Just a guess as I haven't tried to meditate in many years.

Yes. A degree of unconsciousness is a nice goal regarding things where thought is an impediment. To disengage from the mind and get more into the body, so you can induce some spontaneous "effortless action" (wu wei, in Chinese thought) and do an excellent golf-swing without screwing it up with self-consciousness and over-analysis.

Chuang Tzu tells a story of a butcher who can slice a bull into slabs of meat effortlessly, never hitting a bone but passing cleanly between the joints. The animal practically just falls apart, and the butcher hasn't had to sharpen his cleaver in 18 years! That's wu wei (pronounced "oo way"). And so is an effortless sport or the fun-and-play with friends (similar to "flow" with some differences). It's done without being only half-present as a result of the mind wandering about into regrets of the past and anticipations for the future. Being fully bodily, sensorily present.

Meditation is good for relaxing. But it can be much more. It's a mindfulness practice. And mindfulness is wakefulness, it's bodily presence within self-and-world. There's a body-wisdom that's worth trusting. What something like mantras may help with is shutting up, or at least distancing from, the ranting bit of the mind that distracts from being present, wakeful, lucid. The mechanism is it aids a person to identify less with the contents of his mind and identify more with awareness itself.

 

[braces_for_impact]

After a good deal of really feeling like I have no clue what I'm doing, I'm following The Mind Illuminated and seeing results. It was Sam Harris' book Waking Up that convinced me meditate initially, but I floundered around looking for a way to do so on the cheap. I'm most interested in increasing my concentration and other mental abilities, and emotional control.

The Mind Illuminated works well for me because it removes a lot of the ambiguity associated with meditation, the constantly nagging feeling of "am I doing this right" or what results I should be expecting.

From the cover:

The book that bestselling meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg raves “brings the path of meditation to life,” The Mind Illuminated is the first how-to meditation guide from a neuroscientist who is also an acclaimed meditation master. This innovative book offers a 10-stage program that is both deeply grounded in ancient spiritual teachings about mindfulness and holistic health, and also draws from the latest brain science to provide a roadmap for anyone interested in achieving the benefits of mindfulness. Dr. John Yates offers a new and fascinating model of how the mind works, including steps to overcome mind wandering and dullness, extending your attention span while meditating, and subduing subtle distractions.

This groundbreaking manual provides illustrations and charts to help you work through each stage of the process, offering tools that work across all types of meditation practices. The Mind Illuminated is an essential read, whether you are a beginner wanting to establish your practice or a seasoned veteran ready to master the deepest state of peace and mindfulness.

It's very pragmatic, and lighter on the "spirituality" aspects, although they're not absent, which is actually come to be to my liking. I am just starting the beginning stages of the book, and it's designed so you can use the book any way you like, taking a section at the time, or reading it entirely through and then starting your practice, or using it as more of a referral guide.

 

[Thomas II]

After a good deal of really feeling like I have no clue what I'm doing, I'm following The Mind Illuminated and seeing results. It was Sam Harris' book Waking Up that convinced me meditate initially, but I floundered around looking for a way to do so on the cheap. I'm most interested in increasing my concentration and other mental abilities, and emotional control.

The Mind Illuminated works well for me because it removes a lot of the ambiguity associated with meditation, the constantly nagging feeling of "am I doing this right" or what results I should be expecting.

From the cover:

This groundbreaking manual provides illustrations and charts to help you work through each stage of the process, offering tools that work across all types of meditation practices. The Mind Illuminated is an essential read, whether you are a beginner wanting to establish your practice or a seasoned veteran ready to master the deepest state of peace and mindfulness.

It's very pragmatic, and lighter on the "spirituality" aspects, although they're not absent, which is actually come to be to my liking. I am just starting the beginning stages of the book, and it's designed so you can use the book any way you like, taking a section at the time, or reading it entirely through and then starting your practice, or using it as more of a referral guide.

Whatever works for you. There is no single path for all. It has to be what works for you individually.