{"id":3134,"date":"2009-06-11T01:35:29","date_gmt":"2009-06-11T06:35:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizonsmagazine.com\/blog\/?p=3134"},"modified":"2025-03-06T08:05:41","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T13:05:41","slug":"herbert-bensons-relaxation-response-is-the-transcendental-meditation-technique-minus-the-ritual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/horizonsmagazine.com\/blog\/herbert-bensons-relaxation-response-is-the-transcendental-meditation-technique-minus-the-ritual\/","title":{"rendered":"Herbert Benson’s Relaxation Response is the Transcendental Meditation technique minus the ritual"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Did you know that the book by Herbert Benson<\/a> The Relaxation Response<\/a> gives the exact technique<\/a> of\u00a0 Transcendental Meditation<\/a>, minus the ritual and religious overtones and using the word “One” as the mantra?\u00a0 The\u00a0 Transcendental Meditation<\/a>, or TM, technique is a form of mantra meditation introduced worldwide in 1957 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and popularized in 1968 by the Beatles, and the Beach Boys.<\/p>\n

STEPS TO ELICIT THE RELAXATION RESPONSE<\/a>
\nFrom the book The Relaxation Response<\/em> pages 162-163<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Sit quietly in a comfortable position.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 Close your eyes.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Deeply relax all your muscles, beginning at your feet and progressing up to your face.\u00a0 Keep them relaxed. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0 Breathe through your nose.\u00a0 Become aware of your breathing.\u00a0 As you breathe out, say the word, “ONE”*<\/span>,\u00a0 silently to yourself.\u00a0 For example,\u00a0 breathe in … out, “one”,- in .. out, “one”, etc.\u00a0 Breathe easily and naturally.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0 Continue for 10 to 20 minutes.\u00a0 You may open your eyes to check the time, but do not use an alarm. When you finish, sit quietly for several minutes, at first with your eyes closed and later with your eyes opened. Do not stand up for a few minutes.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0 Do not worry about whether you are successful in achieving a deep level of relaxation.\u00a0 Maintain a passive attitude and permit relaxation to occur at its own pace.\u00a0 When distracting thoughts occur, try to ignore them by not dwelling upon them and return to repeating “one.”\u00a0 With practice, the response should come with little effort.\u00a0 Practice the technique once or twice daily, but not within two hours after any meal, since the digestive processes seem to interfere with the elicitation of the Relaxation Response.<\/p>\n

* or any soothing, mellifluous sound, preferably with no meaning or association, to avoid stimulation of unnecessary thoughts.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I took TM in 1970.\u00a0 There is no doubt that it changed my world.\u00a0 There exists\u00a0 a certain \u201cMaharishi effect<\/a>\u201d\u00a0 when 1% of persons in a community are practicing the TM technique. The \u201cMaharishi effect\u201d <\/a>is considered by the TM practitioners \u201ca stage of transition to a superior state of harmony and order in life, reported by a lower number of murders, crimes, violence, accidents, diseases and by the improvement of the economical conditions and of other sociological indexes\u201d.<\/p>\n

The scientists who discovered the effect gave it this name to praise Maharishi Mahesh Yogi<\/a>, who had predicted 30 years before that \u201cshould a small amount of persons act in the Transcendental Meditation program, that would suffice to improve the life quality for the entire community\u201d.\u00a0 The official website for Transcendental Meditation (TM) Technique can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I believe the magic in the TM technique is the single minded focus and steady 20 minutes twice a day discipline.\u00a0 I think I paid $750 back in 1970 and now understand it can be had for $1,500.\u00a0 The magic is in the fact that if you single-minded focus on something for 20 minutes twice a day, you will transcend your ordinary state of consciousness and reach that state called meditation.\u00a0 That is a transcendental meditation.\u00a0 So the Maharishi well named his technique.<\/p>\n

Try the technique using the steps above.
\nLet me know of your success.<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0Meditation links\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

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