By: Caterina Tomaselli
The 1990′s were a time of yuppies, day-traders and twenty something stock brokers. Any young upstart with a fresh idea and a borrowed suit could get investor cash for his or her dot-com, get-rich-quick, scheme. During that time, I saw my peers judging one another primarily by the car they drove, the watch they wore and how hot their dates looked. The power of so much money, so easily obtained, was intoxicating, and many of my generation began to identify themselves solely by their possessions. They placed almost no value on personal fulfillment despite their chronic lack of inner happiness.
Instead they developed a dangerous routine of long work weeks and late night parties which often included drugs and alcohol. As for me, I had a different agenda.
I had learned the Transcendental Meditation technique several years before. And though I loved beautiful things like anyone else, I also loved the beautiful, inner silence I experienced during my twice daily meditations even more. Through my practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique I found a place within me, from which all my creativity emerged; a flow of subtle impulses that guide me serenely through my daily life, even to this day.
Unlike my friends, I like being quiet. I don’t mind being alone and don’t need to surround myself with constant activity. As I continue my practice of Transcendental Meditation I realize that I have been given an invaluable tool for self-fulfillment: a gift I could never pay for in dollars and cents.
The Transcendental Meditation technique really works. Almost everyone has heard about it, and almost everyone knows someone who practices it. Most people know that it brings results and benefits that are scientifically validated. Yet those same people, many of whom are willing to throw money after anything, complain that spending $2000 to learn Transcendental Meditation is just too expensive.
To them I say “As a matter of fact, you aren’t exactly paying for it,” This amount of money, as significant as it may be to many of us, will help support a world wide non profit organization, but does not provide a measure of the value of this technique. Because in truth, no amount of money can equal what Transcendental Meditation gives to us. The cost of learning the Transcendental Mediation technique is less than the cost of a one-week cruise or a family trip to Disney World. And no price can be placed on one’s inner stability, happiness and the benefits that the Transcendental Meditation technique gives us. It’s a simple effortless technique that brings improvement to all areas of life by creating a healthier body and a more efficient, fully functioning brain that is free from stress and anxiety.
What price can we put on improved health, increased energy, creativity, happiness, better relationships and growing self-actualization? All this and more is possible according to the more than 600 published research studies and scores of theoretical papers, PhD dissertations and critical reviews from all over the world.
Have you seen the statistics on how the TM technique reduces health care costs? <a target=”_new” href=”http://www.doctorsontm.org/reduced-health-care-costs”>http://www.doctorsontm.org/reduced-health-care-costs</a>. Anyone who thinks the Transcendental Meditation technique is too expensive, should take a look at how much money America is spending on medical bills and health insurance every year. This savings alone makes the Transcendental Meditation course fee a smart investment.
In addition, the course fees for Transcendental Meditation are comparable to many personal training programs that are taught in schools, businesses and other professional settings. The course fee includes approximately 10 hours of personal instruction and a lifetime of optional follow up classes. The TM organization is recognized by the IRS as a non-profit organization whose purpose is to provide educational programs for self-development, prosperity and world peace. The Transcendental Meditation course fee supports this non-profit educational organization, and allows it to bring the benefits of Transcendental Meditation all over the world.
For those who cannot afford the course fee, the organization offers financial aid just like any other educational institution. There are also long term, low interest, student loans available as well as full and partial scholarships for qualifying students and families. The Transcendental Mediation organization also works closely with a number of charitable foundations that provide scholarships to those in substantial need. Over the past two years more than 50,000 students in schools across the United States, Latin America and Africa have learned the Transcendental Meditation technique through this program. The most active foundation providing scholarships for the Transcendental Meditation technique in schools is the David Lynch Foundation (<a target=”_new” href=”http://www.davidlynchfoundation.org”>http://www.davidlynchfoundation.org</a>).
The most important thing about Transcendental Meditation is that the results speak for themselves. The value of the benefits I personally have received since I learned the Transcendental Meditation technique cannot be counted. It is the best investment in myself that I have ever made. Or, for that matter, that anyone can ever make.
An attorney by trade, but a would-be-writer at heart, I have been practicing Transcendental Meditation for over 20 years. Raised in Florence and Rome, Italy, I now live in the US Midwest with my husband and child. Though I sometimes miss my native cities, I love my new town and the wonderful people who live here.