Making (Brain) Waves

In the 1950s, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi introduced a meditation technique in India termed Transcendental Meditation, so-called because its practice was said to transcend normal thought processes to a higher state of consciousness.   Although initially taught as a spiritual or religious practice, in the 1960s, the Maharishi began to take a more behavioral approach to TM, citing health and mental benefits, which … along with the participation of various celebrities such as The Beatles … ushered in a burst of popularity in the United States.  Transcendental Meditation is a mantra meditation in which the meditator focuses on a single word while sitting in a relaxed position with closed eyes for twenty minutes, twice a day.   The idea of achieving this higher state of consciousness without effort in forty minutes a day made it ideally suited to our Microwave Society, although it attracted the ridicule of more traditional practitioners of meditation.   It was also condemned by some religious leaders as a stealth religion or a cult.  However, by the 2000s, it had been taught to millions of people worldwide and established multinational organizations to promote its practice.