| ation in the U.S. started in the late nineteen sixties | | | | Transcendental Meditation doesn’t utilize |
| and became more popular in the seventies. It was | | | | contemplation or concentration. It is done twice |
| part of the hippy movement or at least that | | | | per day for twenty minutes. There is a |
| movement embraced it. One of the icons of that | | | | seven-step program for learning this type of |
| time in music The Beatles got into meditation and | | | | meditation. This process involves an interview, |
| some of the eastern music from India was | | | | lectures that introduce the technique, four days in |
| integrated into a few of their songs and this | | | | a row of instruction that are two hours apiece. |
| helped bring attention to meditation. The member | | | | The teaching starts with a brief ceremony, then |
| George Harrison probably was its biggest | | | | learning the methods begins and the student |
| proponent from the rock/pop band. John Lennon | | | | starts practicing. The other instruction periods are |
| was the other Beatle that was more interested in | | | | used for tutoring in the correct way to practice |
| this form of contemplation. The singer, guitarist, | | | | the meditation. |
| and songwriter Cat Stevens also got into a religion | | | | What is the effect of TM on physiology? |
| that espoused meditation as a big part of its | | | | Research began in the seventies to see what |
| tradition. That was Islam. | | | | these effects might be if any. There have been |
| The teacher of meditation to the Beatles was the | | | | other studies since then. What was discovered is |
| Maharishi; he moved to England in 1959. This was | | | | that a person’s respiration, blood lactate, |
| around the time of the infancy of The Beatles. | | | | minute ventilation, and tidal volume were lessened. |
| After awhile the Marharishi returned to India for | | | | While the basal skin resistance and coherence and |
| study in meditation from Guru Dev and this lasted | | | | the brain’s functions of integration were |
| for thirteen years. Then he traveled back to | | | | increased. The initial study was published in these |
| London and started teaching a type of Hindu | | | | publications: Science, American Journal of |
| meditation. He is the one that created | | | | Physiology, and Scientific American. |
| Transcendental Meditation in which there | | | | Others studies published in reputable medical |
| isn’t a struggle between the material and | | | | journals have shown that TM can help relieve |
| spiritual. It is this from of meditation that first | | | | asthma, high blood pressure, coronary heart |
| became so popular in the United States in the | | | | disease, stroke, pain, depression, digestive |
| seventies. | | | | disorders, insomnia, and smoking. |