Day 20 - Transcendental Meditation

Welcome to Day 20 of our Meditation Challenge.  While many people have made requests, sent emails of gratitude, shared success and joy stories, there is still a whole world of meditation options out there.  One of the pioneers of Meditation is Marhirishi Mahesh Yogi, who brought Transcendental Meditation to the for front of Westerners seeking for bliss through Meditation.  This method is a method of relaxation, stress reduction, and self development. Maharishi learned this technique from his guru Brahmananda Saraswati.  The practice itself is Mantra meditation, sitting in silence for 15 minutes, focused on your given mantra.  Some say that the price of this meditation practice is rather expensive, however for those who can afford this option, it is a path to bliss.

Many Celebrities are known to practice this meditation including: Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres, Clint Eastwood, Howard Stern, Hugh Jackman, Sheryl Crow, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Eddie Vedder, Jane Fonda, Jerry Sienfield, Russell Simmons, Deepak Chopra, Goldie Hawn, David Lynch, and many more.

This post is for those people who want the option to invest in the practice of Transcendental Meditation. 

Ellen DeGeneres admitted to a large crowd,  

'I've tried to meditate before, did the breathing and yoga, but I was always opening my eyes and it was a minute later. I thought, how am I going to do this? This is just impossible.'

'It gives me this peaceful, peaceful feeling and I just love it so much, and I talk about it as much as I can on the show without sounding like I'm preaching about it. . . . I can't say enough good things about it.' 

For those who like the concept of finding bliss through mantra, another option is to find your guru, and have that guru provide a mantra which may be more cost effective.  As TM does have a price tag that some may find too steep for their pocket.

While mantra meditation is powerful, we can also find a sanksrit mantra, and meditate on the mantra for 15 minutes in a day, sitting tall and in bliss.  The transformational power of sound is incredible, and often times if we recite the mantra without the awareness of its tangible meaning, we inevitably create a sense of bliss.  The power of meditation is when we are free of form in thought, in word.  Can we sit in meditation without wondering if we are doing it right?  without thinking about the fact that we are meditating?  without thinking about our surroundings, our thoughts and just be.  This conscious connection to everything that is, and simultaneous disconnection to everything that is, is when we transcend. 

Day 16 - Meditation with John Lennon's Imagine Song

Welcome to Day 16 of our Meditation Challenge.  Thank you everyone who is participating.  While I know many of you are maintaining your own commitment to your daily practice of meditation, I am offering tips for those who are finding it challenging.  The goal is 15 minutes of silence and stillness, sitting upright with attention to breath, but it could take a long time to be able to do this.  Our monkey mind is sometimes our biggest battle. 

While I have given many guided meditation options and affirmations, today's option is actually a song.  The song, Imagine, is from one of the most influential artists of our time, John Lennon.  It was the best selling solo song of his career, that used lyrics to inspire humanity to look beyond borders, division, religion, and unite also to detach from material possessions. For those who know the song, I am certain the lyrics and melody are already in your head, this is the power of hypnosis, and in this case brilliant music.

Freedom begins in your own mind

Many people know that John Lennon had studied Transcendental Meditation from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.  I write this blog option to encourage you to listen to this song, or read the lyrics.  Unconsciously, you will find a sense of universal connection.  This simple song have a powerful message.  John's intent when he wrote "Mind Games" was to inspire listeners to become "mind guerillas" visualizing a better society and accepting when we visualize it will manifest.  This concept of peace, unity and looking beyond borders was not in line with the political agenda's of John' Lennon's time.  Another artists who shared this same vision in music was Marvin Gaye.  This was the similar case for Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi, MLK.  Ironically all were extremely popular, they were actively against the political agenda of their time and killed. While we can always focus on the negative traits or outlandish pop star behavior of John Lennon, and perhaps some may say it is not right to put him in the same category as the names I mentioned, in my opinion lets focus on the positive message, and this song "Imagine" is one of those positive things.

Today's media some say is predicitive programming, or Hypnosis. 

If you grew up in the 70's, 80's, 90's you can honestly admit that society was a reflection of the art (Music, Films, Television Shows, Magazines).  The concept that LIFE Imitates ART.  Is this a coincidence?  When most of our media  (Television "Programming") is controlled by certain governemental regulations, is it possible that we are really being hypnotized into buying into the realities of single ladies, crime investigations, robotosizing humans, deceit, greed?  Nearly every artists today is in the "MUSIC BUSINESS" and they have "ARTIST DEVELOPMENT", "SONG WRITTERS" "Publicists", and have no actual connection to their art, except they are a puppet for whatever agenda or look the label wants to put out.  Now our female artists are dressing in ways that were once considered taboo and in now way empowering to women, shakti, goddess, and many lyrics are the exact opposite of unity but promote drama, sadness, despondence.  Is this a coincidence?  Is this the model we want for our future generations?  Even most men today are tired of the plastic look because we are all created with fundamental genetic needs, women are nurturers, men are hunters.  When the woman is giving everything up in the first moment it does not allow the man the pride of the hunt.  Many of us are oblivious to the culture being created by our media.  Ellen DeGeneres said it best when she talked about if Jesus was around today people would say he should get a hair cut, maybe he should wear a different robe, etc.....what is it that we are being conditioned to think?  What are we placing importance on?  Are these not Superficicial things that distract us from connection to each other and love.

Well I can speak about this subject for a long time, because I witnessed some fascinating fabrication when i worked in the Music Industry.  Today, our option is the brilliant lyrics or song Imagine.  You can listen to the song, or read the lyrics with a slight smile.  This is affirmation, this is hypnosis, and this is meditation.  Every moment of our lives we are in a state of meditation, especially before we go to bed and when we wake up, so be mindful of what you chose to read, watch, and listen to especially before your sleep.

While I could share tips each day from Yogic texts, I like to keep my teaching relevant to those studying with me, and I love great music.  One of my students John, responded to my meditation suggestion from Emile Coue's affirmation suggesting Emile ripped off his affirmation from John Lennon.  While I shared with him that in many ways most affirmations, hypnosis and meditation is a rip off of Yoga and Meditation from Ancient Vedic Science, and in the case of Emile Coue, he was in fact before John Lennon, and it is all evolution.  The message is KEY.  My student John's comment reminded me of the power of John Lennon's influence, so thank you to my student John who inspired me to offer today's meditation option.

Enjoy the process to Imagine a better world, a life of unity, brotherhood of man, peace, and watch it manifest in all areas of your life. ~ Namaste