Peace and Well-Being For Musicians and Artists

Transcendental Meditation and De-Stressing For Artists and Musicians

Article:
www.peaceandharmony.org
Mary Hyland 2003

The technique of Transcendental Meditation was developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1957.  In 1980 Maharishi introduced Maharishi Ayur-Veda, a revival of the world's most ancient system of health care. Transcendental Meditation is unique, and it's fundamentals are different from other systems of meditation and relaxation. 

This type of meditation is a very cool way to de-stress and take stock of your life. The Beatles found inner peace and increased creativity by delving into the technique, and Transcendental Meditation is quite easy to learn. The technique is practiced for 15-20 minutes, twice a day, sitting comfortably with your eyes closed. It is easily learned by anyone - young and old,  regardless of background, religion or culture. The technique is effortless and requires no belief system or change in your lifestyle. It does not include dietary guidelines. 

Transcendental Meditation is different from other meditation practices, in what is involved and also in results. Quieting the mind is not the technique of practicing Transcendental Meditation - it's the natural result of practicing the technique correctly. It uses the natural tendency of the mind to settle down and experience a state of restful alertness

Other forms of meditation involve concentration and reflection. If you concentrate, you're working too hard, and if you're reflecting, your mind is too busy thinking - often about what's wrong in your life - so your mind will not quiet down for you to achieve your inner tranquility

Stress Can Make You Sick

Stress disrupts your relationships with family and bandmates, and other important social and business contacts, and therefore threatens your success as a performer. And stress can kill.... it builds up over a lifetime, and is quite often the precipitator of heart attacks or strokes. It has many damaging effects on the human body including a direct and damaging influence on the immune system. You get sick more often and your illness will last longer, due to your suppressed immune system. Stress can also lead to substance abuse - some people quiet their minds, only temporarily, with alcohol or drugs. 

Transcendental Meditation helps reduce the symptoms and onset of stress. Research shows that when a person meditates, the body experiences deep rest, the reduction in stress hormones, increased relaxation and creativity, and those who have experienced anxiety disorders have noticed a reduction in the onset and frequency of sudden anxiety attacks. As the mind relaxes and finds peace and quietude, the body renews and energizes itself. 

The body gains an extraordinarily deep state of rest while the mind settles down to a state of inner calm and wakefulness. This process stress and tension, rejuvenates the body, increases creativity and intelligence, and dynamic activities.

The changes that take place during Transcendental Meditation have been documented with testing, and were found to actually reverse the harmful physical and psychological effects of stress overload. Studies of employees of large corporations indicated that employees who practiced Transcendental Meditation displayed a reduction in anxiety, a more relaxed physiological functioning, and reduced tension on the job, when compared to control subjects with similar job positions in the same companies.

A large number of health professionals practice Transcendental Meditation and recommend it to their patients. 

Studies Show the Beneficial Results of Transcendental Meditation

Increased physical and psychological relaxation, increased feelings of self-worth and boosted confidence in oneself, lowered blood pressure, can help a smoker decrease the amount of cigarettes per day or perhaps quit altogether, decreased the use of alcohol and drugs, and eased depression and anxiety

In a study conducted at Stanford University of all available studies, a large number of independent results indicated that the effect of Transcendental Meditation on reducing anxiety as a character trait was much greater than that of all other meditation and relaxation techniques, including muscle relaxation. This analysis also showed that the positive Transcendental Meditation result could not be attributed to subject expectation, experimenter bias, or quality of research design

Differential effects of relaxation techniques on trait anxiety: A meta-analysis, Journal of Clinical Psychology 45: 957­974, 1989 Stanford University

Transcendental Meditation plays a large role in preventive medicine. Research in the United States examined health care use over a five-year period, among 2,000 people practicing Transcendental Meditation, as compared to control groups. The control groups were comparable in age, gender, occupation, and health insurance coverage. Results of the test found that those subjects practicing Transcendental Meditation had consistently less than half the occurrences of doctor visits and days in hospital, as compared to control subjects. The Transcendental Meditation group also showed very little increase in need for health care with increasing age. This trend was clearly seen in the control subjects. Hospital admissions for medical and surgical procedures were 60-70% lower in the TM group, with reductions in all disease categories studied. 

Further research showed a reduction in medical costs among those subjects practicing Transcendental Meditation. Other studies have reported decreased medication requirements for certain illnesses among those subjects practicing TM, and reduced need for antihistamines, mild pain relievers, sleeping pills, tranquilizers, anti-depressants, asthma inhalers, anti-hypertension and heart disease medications.

Transcendental Meditation also reduces a variety of risk factors for disease, including heart disease and cancer. These findings include reductions in high blood pressure, alcohol and drug abuse, high cholesterol levels, smoking, cardiovascular reactivity to stress, obesity, physical and psychological stress levels, anxiety, depression, and aggressive behavior. It has also been found to enhance job satisfaction and overall psychological health and well-being 

*There are several clinics and teachers online and in your area - check one out and learn to take care of your mind and body before and after the stresses of a performance or creative binge

Scientific Reference papers to check out at the library:

Brooks JS, Scarano T. Transcendental Meditation in the treatment of post-Vietnam adjustment. Journal of Counselling and Development, 1986, 64: 212-215

Orme-Johnson DW, Haynes CT. EEG phase coherence, pure consciousness, creativity, and TM-Sidhi experiences. International Journal of Neuroscience, 1981, 13: 211-217.

Abrams AI, Siegel LM. The Transcendental Meditation program and rehabilitation at Folsom State Prison: a cross-validation study. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 1978, 5(1): 3-20

Jevning R, Wilson AF, O'Halloran JP, Walsh RN. Forearm blood flow and metabolism during stylized and unstylized states of decreased activation. American Journal of Physiology, 1983, 245 (Regulatory Integrative Comp. Physiol. 14): R110-R116.

Hebert JR, Lehmann D. Theta bursts: an EEG pattern in normal subjects practising the Transcendental Meditation technique. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 1977, 42: 397-405

Dillbeck MC, Araas-Vesely S. Participation in the Transcendental Meditation program and frontal EEG coherence during concept learning. International Journal of Neuroscience, 1986, 29: 45-55

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