# Transcendental Meditation: Worth the $$$ for a course? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 7, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transcendental-meditation-worth-the-for-a-course/714482 "2015-03-07T22:42:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transcendental-meditation-worth-the-for-a-course/714482/21 "2015-03-10T06:50:13Z")
As I thought: TM is the offspring of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The Beatles “White Album” contains _Sexy Sadie_. The title just happens to have the same cadence as " Maharishi", which, the story goes, was the original subject (lawyers got in the way). It seems the saintly Maharishi was humping the young women who sought his guidance. Meditation is not difficult, and putting the word “Transcendental” on it simply makes it eligible for trademark. And the “never tell anyone your mantra” BS was outed decades ago. $1000? Well, somebody’s gotta pay the bills, and they aren’t getting recruits by the thousands any more… ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transcendental-meditation-worth-the-for-a-course/714482/22 "2015-03-10T08:41:27Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > Meditation is not difficult It’s not? I find it _extremely_ hard. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transcendental-meditation-worth-the-for-a-course/714482/23 "2015-03-10T09:11:37Z")
That’s right. It is very hard but it isn’t at all difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transcendental-meditation-worth-the-for-a-course/714482/24 "2015-03-10T10:47:31Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Did you think you made that pun up yourself? > > Did **running coach** think **Left Hand of Dorkness** made it up? Yeah, full disclosure–that’s a hoary old chestnut of a pun, I just told a story around it. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transcendental-meditation-worth-the-for-a-course/714482/25 "2015-03-11T03:36:31Z")
It is 100% a scam; they’re selling something that doesn’t exist. “Meditation” is sitting and breathing, two tasks most humans are pretty well capable of doing without paid instruction. If you find it relaxing, more power to you, but the people selling it as accomplishing anything other than helping you chill out are literally no different from faith healers. You wouldn’t pay money to someone claiming that they can cure your \ with the Power of Jesus; don’t pay money to someone who claims they can cure your \ with the Power of Meditation. ---
**Author:** ![RunSilent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@RunSilent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RunSilent)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transcendental-meditation-worth-the-for-a-course/714482/26 "2015-03-11T12:47:13Z")
I paid $30 for the TM “course” back in 1972. It was absolute nonsense then, and I imagine it still is. If you want to meditate, simply sit quietly and breathe slowly. Make up your own “mantra.” ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transcendental-meditation-worth-the-for-a-course/714482/27 "2015-03-11T22:59:28Z")
Hell - I’l throw in a meditation technique right here, absolutely free! Close your eyes and breath deeply and constantly. Now imagine an infinity symbol (figure 8 on its side) on your forehead. Now there is a small dot running around the figure. Coordinate your breath to that dot’s position on the track. Breathe in: dot moves to top of one side. Exhale: dot moves to bottom In: dot runs up other side Out: runs to bottom That dot and its position is all you are aware of. I’ve never pushed this to see how far it would go, but I use it to stop hiccups. Works 100% at that. ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transcendental-meditation-worth-the-for-a-course/714482/28 "2015-03-11T23:36:36Z")
I think a teacher can be useful for meditation. Meditation is not difficult, but it is hard. Things come up, and it is useful to have an experienced mentor to talk about them with. I’ve donated way more than $1000 to my teacher over the years. But $1000 just for a technique and a mantra, that’s a con. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transcendental-meditation-worth-the-for-a-course/714482/29 "2015-03-12T02:13:35Z")
You can always use John Lennon’s personal mantra, bestowed on him by the Maharishi. As a casual “Fuck you, Maharishi,” he used it in the lyrics of “Across the Universe.” Jai Guru Deva Om. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transcendental-meditation-worth-the-for-a-course/714482/30 "2015-03-12T04:25:32Z")
And don’t think for one moment that the $1000 will be their last request for money. Its just the beginning; a drop in the bucket! ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transcendental-meditation-worth-the-for-a-course/714482/31 "2015-03-12T05:11:21Z")
I took the TM course in the 70’s. I believe it was $300, which was a lot of money back then. The instruction of the technique was excellent. I’ve used it for 45 years. It was a good investment. ---
**Author:** ![maikai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/53a042/32.png) [@maikai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maikai)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2015, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transcendental-meditation-worth-the-for-a-course/714482/32 "2015-03-15T20:51:53Z")
[Natural Stress Relief](http://www.naturalstressreliefusa.org/) was created as an alternative to TM. It costs $47 for an instruction manual, 5 minute long instructional CD and some email consultations. It’s $25 for downloadable materials and no email consultations. I bought it and was happy with it, but fell out of the habit of practicing it. It was created by a TM teacher who was unhappy with the direction the TM movement was going. If you look at their forum you’ll see there’s a lot of overlap between NSR and TM. [NSR forum](http://www.network54.com/Forum/254541/) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transcendental-meditation-worth-the-for-a-course/714482/33 "2015-03-16T03:08:50Z")
Yesterday, as you all know was pi day. I celebrated it with transcendental meditation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transcendental-meditation-worth-the-for-a-course/714482.md?page=1)