RAY DALIO is the Founder, President, and Chief Investment Officer, Bridgewater Associates, which manages $150 billion in global investments for a wide array of institutional clients.
“I notice a difference from the moment I start to meditate. I can be
stressed or tired and I will meditate and immediately I will get very
rested and relaxed and the stress will flow off me. I’ll finish meditation
feeling refreshed and centered, and that feeling will carry throughout the
day. It’s a heck of a return on an investment of twenty minutes!
“I want to emphasize: TM is practical. Some people may think it’s exotic—that you light candles and burn incense. It’s not that—and it’s not some religion or dogma. It’s a practical tool that makes life go better.
“I started meditating over 35 years ago, and I would say TM is the single
most important reason for whatever success I’ve had.”—Ray Dalio
Meta-analysis is a procedure for drawing definitive conclusions from large bodies of research studies. A meta-analysis of all available physiological research on the Transcendental Meditation more
program found that the practice of this technique produces a state of deep rest compared to control conditions, as measured by reduced respiration rate, reduced basal skin conductance (increased skin resistance), and reduced plasma lactate. Reference: American Psychologist 42: 879–881, 1987. close
DR. OZ is host of the Daytime Emmy Award-winning
The Dr. Oz Show, one of the most well-known cardiac
surgeons currently practicing in the United States,
Vice-Chair and Professor of Surgery at Columbia
University’s Department of Surgery, and director of
the Cardiovascular Institute and Complementary
Medicine Program at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
“The amazing thing about Transcendental Meditation is the very well established research showing that the technique impacts things that we didn’t think were changeable. If you look at basic high blood pressure, which is the number one cause of death, you can actually reduce your blood pressure significantly with just using Transcendental Meditation. You can also reduce cholesterol, atherosclerosis, obesity, risk of stroke—even reduce death rates due to cardiovascular disease. But there are so many more benefits—these are just the tip-of-the-iceberg.”
—Mehmet Oz, M.D.
This study followed the mortality pattern up to 19 years after adults with high blood pressure learned the Transcendental Meditation technique or participated in control interventions. more
The results showed a 23% decrease in mortality due to all causes, and a 30% decrease in therate of cardiovascular mortality, among those who learned the Transcendental Meditation technique. Reference: American Journal of Cardiology 95 (2005): 1060–1064. close
RAMANI AYER is the past Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of The Hartford,
which is one of the nation’s largest financial
services and insurance companies.
“A leader has to be capable of seeing the future—of embracing bold, positive ideas and setting very ambitious goals. A leader has to have the capacity to understand, in very harsh, real terms, what is going on at the ground level of his business—what are its strengths, its weaknesses, its opportunities and challenges. I have been practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique for over 30 years. It has certainly helped me to consistently raise my performance levels. It has helped me cope with the stresses and strains of life. And I believe very strongly that the practice of TM has helped me to maintain a steady state of mind—it has given me equanimity no matter what happens.”—Ramani Ayer
Individuals who practiced the Transcendental Meditation technique showed significantly increased skin resistance during the practice, in contrast to controls. more
Skin resistance is an electrophysiological measure of calmness or restfulness. Reference: Physiology & Behavior 35: 591–595, 1985. close
DR. LONSDORF is a specialist in women’s health;
author of A Woman’s Best Medicine and The
Ageless Woman and a popular lecturer, who has
been featured frequently in the national media.
“When you meditate, job stress affects you less, and that has immediate benefits for your health and happiness. It also naturally follows that you enjoy your work more, are more productive, and find it easier to get along with co-workers. But equally important, you don’t carry stress from the office home with you. You have better relationships with your family and friends, and you enjoy your life more. It’s clear from the research that spending a few minutes twice a day to practice TM is extraordinarily helpful in achieving balance between your work and the rest of your life.”—Nancy Lonsdorf, M.D.
Patients with high blood pressure who learned the Transcendental Meditation program showed a significant reduction of systolic and diastolic blood pressure after three months, more
in contrast to those randomly assigned to a control technique or to those who received health education on how to reduce blood pressure through diet and exercise. Reference: Hypertension 26: 820–827, 1995. close
DR. KAPLAN is a neurologist, neuroscientist, educator,
and Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology at Hofstra University School of Medicine. He is the former Director
of Clinical Neurophysiology at North Shore University Hospital and also the recipient of the Albert H. Douglas
Award from the Medical Society of the State of New York.
“The TM technique simply and naturally allows the mind to settle down to experience a state of inner coherence and calm during which time the left and right hemispheres, and the front and back of the brain begin to work in harmony with each other. This brain wave coherence has been correlated with improvements in memory, problem-solving and decision-making abilities. In fact, everything good about the brain depends on its coherent, orderly functioning. This change in brain functioning also affects the rest of the physiology, reducing high blood pressure, strengthening the heart, and overall improving health.”—Gary Kaplan, M.D., Ph.D.
During the Transcendental Meditation program, early (sensory) components of the brain’s response to somatosensory stimuli are more widely distributed across the cortex, more
indicating greater participation of the whole brain in the response to a stimulus. Reference: Human Physiology 25: 171–180, 1999. close
RUSSELL SIMMONS is the co-founder of the pioneering hip-hop label Def Jam, a founder of Russell Simmons Music Group, and the creator of the clothing line Phat Farm. USA Today called him one of the “Top 25 Most Influential People of the Past 25 Years” for his groundbreaking vision that has influenced music, fashion, finance, television and film, as well as the face of modern philanthropy.
“Transcendental Meditation promotes stillness—and when you are still is the only time you can think, the only time you can focus. When you have distractions and noise in your mind, you can’t comprehend properly and you can’t do your job. Comprehension comes from stillness, focus comes from stillness, and TM is the practice of touching that stillness for a few minutes twice a day.”—Russell Simmons
Field independence has been associated with a greater ability to assimilate and structure experience, greater organization of mind and cognitive clarity, improved memory, more
greater creative expression, and a stable internal frame of reference. The results show that practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique develops greater field independence. This improvement in Transcendental Meditation meditators is remarkable because it was previously thought that these basic perceptual abilities do not improve beyond early adulthood. Reference: Perceptual and MotorSkills 39: 1031–1034, 1974. close
DAVID LYNCH is an award-winning filmmaker
(Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive,
INLAND EMPIRE), photographer, painter,
songwriter, and musician, and author of
Catching the Big Fish: Meditation,
Consciousness and Creativity.
“The Transcendental Meditation technique is a simple, effortless way to ‘dive within,’ to experience an ocean of pure consciousness, pure creativity, pure knowingness. It’s a unique experience but also very familiar—it is your own Self. I have never missed a meditation in 34 years. I meditate once in the morning and once in the afternoon for about 20 minutes each time. Then I go about the business of my day. I find the joy of the ‘doing’ increases. Creativity increases. Intuition increases. The pleasure of life grows. And negativity recedes.”—David Lynch
This study used the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking to measure figural and verbal creativity in a control group and in a group that subsequently learned the Transcendental more
Meditation technique. On the post-test 5 months later, the Transcendental Meditation group scored significantly higher on figural originality and flexibility and on verbal fluency. Reference: Journal of Creative Behavior 13:169–190, 1979. close
MINDY WEISEL’s art hangs in museums and
institutions around the world, including the
Smithsonian, Hirshhorn Museum, National
Museum of American Art, Israel Museum, U.S.
Capitol, and Baltimore Museum of Art.
“I am happier and more creative now than I ever would have imagined. I just wish I had started to meditate years ago, but I never realized it was something that you can be taught! What a joy it has been to learn TM—it’s such a beautifully easy and natural technique.”—Mindy Weisel
Self-actualization refers to realizing more of one’s inner potential, expressed in every area of life. A statistical meta-analysis of all available studies—of 42 independent studies—indicated more
that the effect of the Transcendental Meditation technique on increasing self-actualization is markedly greater than that of other forms of meditation and relaxation. This analysis statistically controlled for length of treatment and quality of research design. Reference: Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 6: 189–248, 1991. close
