In the literature, benefits of mediation are well-documented. Some of the benefits include, but are not limited to, the following: 

Reduced stress and anxiety

Improved sleep

Greater sense of clarity and productivity

Lower blood pressure

Greater sense of calmness throughout the day

Reduced cortisol

Lower risk of heart attack or stroke

Improved brain function and memory 

I can honestly tell you I have experienced each of the benefits listed above, and then some. I experimented with several meditations before I found the one that was meant for me, and that is Transcendental Meditation, commonly referred to as TM. In this week’s blog, I am providing an overview of some of those meditations I used that produced results. I probably tried twenty different meditation practices before I settled into TM, but I am only discussing three (including TM). The following meditations I recommend to anyone who wants to experiment with mediation. 

Wayne Dyer’s Getting in the Gap Meditation 

I was introduced to this one about 13 years ago. When I first tried the practice, I became very frustrated because of racing thoughts. I could NOT calm those racing thoughts down. Each day, a person has an average of 60,000 thoughts. Most of these thoughts are repetitive, and they do not serve our highest good. Racing thoughts drag us down. Dyer designed this meditation to eliminate those racing thoughts. I used to practice it twice daily, and like anything else practice makes perfect. 

After practicing the Getting in the Gap exercise for about one year, I was more comfortable with the meditation and did not resist it as much. I never mastered this one, but I was successful with taming my racing thoughts. This meditation was like an ice breaker, and I was no longer fearful or intimidated by meditation. If you cannot calm your mind down, I highly recommend this one. You can check it out on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Gap-Dr-Wayne-Dyer/dp/1401947549. I recommend starting with a guided meditation, and no one is better than Wayne. Let him teach you and let him guide you. 

Not only does this meditation help reduce racing thoughts, it helps with manifestation. We do Japa with this one. Japa is when we repeat the sound of “Ahhhhhh.” When you repeat this sound over and over, you feel the vibration inside of your body, and the combination of the sound and the feeling creates miracles. Repeating the sound also helps to take your mind off those racing thoughts that do not matter. Repeating the sound of “Ahhhhhh” greatly reduces stress and anxiety. When you come out of this meditation, you are calm, and your mind is clearer than it was before you meditated.

I found this meditation to have lasting effects, as well. When I first started meditating, I had a low level of emotional intelligence. I fell apart daily over trivial, petty things. Practicing japa increased my levels of emotional intelligence. It made me stronger and wiser. I no longer had meltdowns over not being able to find a parking space or not getting the dress I wanted or having an argument with a friend or family member. I became level-headed and proactive versus reactive. Those knee jerk reactions I used to have simply vanished. My behaviors changed and I did not even have to try. 

Malti Bhojwani’s Gold Ball Exercise 

I found Malti on Facebook in 2012, and ended up buying her book, Don’t Think of a Blue Ball. Malti explained a simple meditation practice in this book that I still use to this day. At night, before sleep, envision holding a gold ball in your hand. Get a clear picture of it. Inside of the gold ball, see yourself the way you want to be, or envision something you wish to manifest. Hold the vision inside of that gold ball until it is crystal clear. Then imagine your hand absorbing this gold light. See your body, your entire, absorb this gold light. Watch it slowly make its way through your entire body. 

Usually, I was not able to make it through this entire meditation because I often fell asleep when I was visualizing the gold light being absorbed by my body. This one is relaxing, but it also puts you in a good place before you go to sleep. It helps you focus on good things instead of bad things right before you sleep. This is important, and it is especially important if you are trying to be a more positive thinker. Never go to sleep upset. Those days when I fell apart over nothing, I went to sleep in a disturbed state. I never woke up feeling at peace. Instead I woke up with an icky feeling that something was not right. This meditation helped ease that anxiety at bedtime, and the result was waking up in a more peaceful state. 

I believe this meditation helped me to quit smoking. I also believe this meditation helped with manifestation. I used to envision a life inside of the gold ball that consisted of a close relationship with a soul mate type of partner. I was very much alone when I first started using this meditation with no prospects for a life partner in sight. Well, all of that changed, and I am now married to someone that compliments me in every way. He is just what I envisioned in the gold ball. 

If you want to know more about this meditation, check out Malti’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Think-Blue-Malti-Bhojwani/dp/938160715X. 

Transcendental Meditation (TM) 

I call this my secret weapon. I learned about it from Jerry Seinfeld. I do not know about you, but my favorite celebrities have an impact on me. Because I admire them, I am open and receptive to taking their advice. When I first heard Jerry talk about TM, I knew it was for me, but I put off learning more because I was told it was expensive to be trained. I always kept it in the back of my mind, and when I moved from my hometown to Prospect, KY, I learned we had a TM center close by. 

TM requires a monetary investment and some effort to get started. Before you can adopt a TM lifestyle, you must be trained by a certified TM coach and there is a fee. In 2017, it cost $1,600 for my husband and I to be trained. The training takes three days at a TM center. During the training, you are assigned your very own mantra, and this mantra is private. You share it with no one. Using the mantra, you meditate twice daily – 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening. Tm is an effortless practice. 

TM is my secret weapon because it gives me superhuman powers. I am not exaggerating. During my TM training, I watched videos of the late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Indian guru who developed TM. In these videos, Maharishi talked about the benefits of TM, and one of the primary topics was wealth. Maharishi said a person’s income increases greatly when he or she adopts a TM lifestyle. This is true. My income is three times higher than it was when I started TM in 2017, and so is my husband’s. And what is funny about the whole thing is I work less and earn more. 

With TM, my urge to be right has diminished greatly. My blood pressure is much lower. I went to the doctor two weeks ago and it was 116/60. No matter what comes my way I do not get upset. I might feel a twinge of anger, but I am more resilient, and I am able to let that anger go quickly. Research shows TM reverses aging. Although I am growing older, I am looking younger. People tell me that all the time and I have pictures to prove it. Pictures without filters, of course. 

Before TM, I used to get nervous before I had to go to business meetings. I really do not know why, but I just did. The nervousness interfered with my ability to think clearly, and I stumbled on my words during meetings making a bad impression on clients. I do not behave this way anymore. I do not have even a twinge of nervousness before meetings, and I think more clearly in the moment. A life without anxiety is sheer happiness. On occasion, I have a tough day, as we all do, but with TM it goes a little easier, and things always pan out in my favor. Always. 

Information comes to me at the right time every time, which eliminates mistakes. Here is a recent example. I am a grant professional, and grant writing is a stressful business. Several months ago, I worked on a complicated application for a client. It took two months to prepare and when I submitted the application package, I felt a major sigh of relief. I submitted this application package one day before the deadline. That night, I went to sleep. At 5 am, I woke up, and a thought came to me instantly. It was like a voice said, “Paula, you submitted the wrong project budget.” Frantic, I jumped out of bed, went to my computer, booted it up, and looked at the package. Sure enough, I had submitted the wrong project budget. 

Right then, I emailed the grantor and told them what I had done. By 8 am they had emailed me back explaining that I should not worry. They re-opened the portal and allowed me to resubmit the project budget. Most grantors are not willing to accommodate us like that. They were helpful, compassionate, and the grant ended up getting funded in the six figures. You experience things like this all the time when you practice TM. 

I am such a devoted TM practitioner that I enrolled in the Maharishi International University in May of this year and am taking a few courses here and there. If you want to change your life, I strongly recommend that you explore TM. The TM website is excellent: https://www.tm.org/. 

If you have not already checked me out on YouTube this week, click here to access my latest video: 

If you experiment with any of these meditation techniques, please share your thoughts and experiences with me.