Sometimes gentle ocean breezes, clear blue skies and abundant sunshine just aren’t enough to soothe a troubled soul.
This is where Transcendental Meditation can help.
The many positive effects of Transcendental Meditation (TM) are available to anyone, but are especially beneficial for those seeking to improve their sense of well-being and overall health.
Palm Beach residents can learn more about the profound connection between Transcendental Meditation and happiness next Thursday, March 21, at the “Conversations on Meditation: Happiness and the Brain” luncheon seminar at the Colony Hotel.
What is happiness?
Happiness is achieved through a variety of factors, said Dr. Tony Nader, a physician and neuroscientist who will answer questions from the audience and moderated by Bob Ross, CEO of the David Lynch Foundation, which is sponsoring the event along with the Joanna Plavsky Foundation and the Transcendental Meditation Center of Palm Beach Island.
Among the factors that contribute to happiness, the most important are good health, inner peace and a lasting sense of finding meaning in life and continuing to evolve to fulfill one’s aspirations, said Nader, who leads groups that teach the Transcendental Meditation technique in more than 100 countries.
Evolutionary forces are always pushing us to greater heights, said Nader, a Harvard- and MIT-educated physician with a doctorate in neuroscience.
“And if there’s a way to achieve more and see ourselves evolving, all of this leads to fulfillment, which is how we feel happy,” Nader says.
Happiness, which can be an ongoing state or experienced in distinct, discrete moments, can be achieved through TM by improving one’s health, physical well-being, and ability to see things from a bigger perspective, which can lead to better life choices and greater clarity in achieving one’s aspirations, Nader adds.
TM and the mind-body connection
Meditation resets and revitalizes your entire nervous system, eliminating stress, fear and anxiety.
TM actually changes the way we perceive and process information and overcome potential challenges, filling us with a sense of being able to evolve and achieve our goals, Nader explains.
“And when there’s a sense of growth and development, it’s usually accompanied by a sense of satisfaction and true happiness,” Nader says.
On a physical level, feelings of well-being are correlated with increases in the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. These chemicals can be enhanced by practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique, producing coherence in brain function that can be detected by electroencephalography.
TM also enhances the ability to move from lower limbic thinking, the fight-or-flight response that protects an individual from danger, to higher level cognition, as seen in changes in blood flow to the brain’s cerebral cortex, where higher level problem solving takes place.
“All of these things combine to produce a sense of calm, a sense of fulfillment, and increased resilience and ability to cope with a situation,” Nader says.
Since the early 1970s, scientific research has explored the mind-body connection and the affective value of cognitive behavior (often referred to as the ABCs): emotions, behavior, cognition, and sensations are all intricately interconnected.
“Although situations sometimes manifest as physical sensations, they have a mental component that influences how we feel, our emotions and our behavior,” Nader says.
Research has shown that thoughts affect electrical activity and chemical reactions in the brain, affecting neurons, the endocrine system, and the immune system.
“Transcendental Meditation is about transcending, about going beyond a specific mode of functioning and awakening the entire functioning of the nervous system,” Nader says. “That’s what the EEG shows us. When you practice this technique, you go beyond a specific mode of functioning and nourish and balance the whole brain.”
As a result, we experience a sense of wholeness, expansion and inner well-being. Once insurmountable problems become solvable. Latent and pervasive stress is dramatically reduced.
Meditation: Beauty in Simplicity
Experts typically recommend two 20-minute TM sessions each day, one in the morning and one in the evening, for people over the age of 10.
Learning TM should begin with private instruction from a qualified teacher, followed by a three-day follow-up to ensure proper practice, advises Nader.
Ross, president of the David Lynch Foundation, which teaches TM to at-risk youth, veterans, police officers, firefighters, doctors and nurses, called Nader “the world’s foremost meditation expert” and said he will speak about the latest advances in science, understanding the brain and realms of consciousness and how that can translate into greater health and happiness in life.
Recalling his personal journey with TM, Ross said he learned about the practice when he was a struggling college student and was skeptical at first, but decided to give it a try nonetheless.
“Within a day or two, I felt so much more relaxed and was sleeping better,” Ross says, “and my grades were doing much better.”
The beauty of Transcendental Meditation is its simplicity, Ross points out.
“It’s very easy to learn,” says Ross, “fun to practice, and requires no changes in beliefs or lifestyle.”
TM works because the technique puts the body into a “deep state of rest and relaxation, almost instantly relieving fatigue and deep-seated stress. It also awakens the creative centers of the brain,” explains Ross.
Ross has taught TM to thousands of people over the past half century and says they see positive results within weeks, sometimes just days. Because everyone is wired to respond to meditation, he says, anyone can benefit from the technique.
“It’s a simple yet powerful technique that unlocks the full potential of the mind and body, leading to greater well-being,” he says.
A Dialogue Luncheon Seminar on Meditation, Happiness and the Brain will be held on Thursday, March 21st from 11:30am to 2pm at The Colony Hotel, Palm Beach (155 Hammon Avenue).
To register for this event, which costs $300 for an individual ticket, please call the Palm Beach Island TM Center at 561-516-0685 or lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/46z67pt?mode=preview&source_id=8dc0da16-6478-4ab9-b9ed-0ddc7b6ce70b&source_type=em&c= Or scan the QR code below.
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