Discovering Transcendental Meditation(Gordon England) My friend, Steve, was the first to talk to me about meditation.
After I complained about exhaustion and stress during college finals, he asked,
“Have you tried to meditate?”
“What’s that?”
“A relaxation technique. I started last semester, and it works wonders.”
“Really? How do you do it?”
“There is a book by Maharishi Yogi in the bookstore. Buy that and try it out.”

I doubted something sounding like the Beatles tripping in Katmandu, but I trusted Steve. Maybe he had a point. When my brain turned to mush after my Calculus final that afternoon, I went to the campus bookstore and spent $5 of my last $10 on a Transcendental Meditation (TM) book. Back in my dorm room, I threw the book on my desk and forgot about it. After a quick nap, I began studying for my next final, and the next, and the next. I slept most of my Christmas Break to recover from extreme exhaustion.

TM classes were available off campus, but as a broke student, I would try to learn by myself. When the next semester started, I resolved not to trash myself out again. Back in my dorm, I picked up the TM book and started reading about the technique originating in India. In Texas, we didn't believe in weird stuff like that, but Steve had recommended it, and he was smart. What the heck? I'd try, but I would not tell anybody.
My first step was to pick out my particular mantra word. Malakesh worked for me and sounded Indian. Next, I found a quiet place where no one would bother me for thirty minutes. After lying down, I silently repeated my mantra while relaxing my toes one foot at a time. Then I relaxed my feet, legs, and up to my head, one small part at a time. After my body loosened, I erased my thoughts and continued chanting my mantra for twenty minutes.

The first few times I tried TM, nothing happened, though my body and mind became tranquil and rested, which was a start. The next step was to loosen my consciousness and let my thoughts slip into the dark globe of my mind for twenty minutes. Cool. My doubts faded as I settled into a routine of daily TM similar to Non-REM sleep, except I stayed awake as I chanted instead of losing consciousness. Each time, I became rested with minimal mental stress. The results were surprising, but TM worked. A few weeks later, I found a quiet place in a courtyard and lay in the grass. The soft grass leaves massaged my back and arms. I fell into my most profound level of relaxation yet, analogous to sleeping in a dark, quiet room. After twenty minutes, I returned to ordinary consciousness, albeit calmer than when I started. I opened my eyes and smiled. Laying there a minute longer, I contemplated what had happened. Complete, silent relaxation with memories of wandering through dark space had the same effect as deep REM sleep without losing consciousness. My mind was clear and recharged, ready to go to my next class. Steve was right. As a result, my studies and tests became easier without exhaustion.

Advanced teachings in Yogi's book discussed different paths and experiences people accomplished while meditating. I experimented with several, to no avail. Until one day, I was in a deep state and followed a new path into the darkness of my consciousness. I broke through the black bubble and floated out of my body on a new exploration. My mind ventured through the dark with no fear. There were no stars, so I wasn't in space. I was a little ball of energy in an infinite cosmos, using a strange awareness outside of my five ordinary senses. Time did not exist in whatever ether I had entered.
I abruptly became aware of another energy presence. Not visually, but I detected it like radar. The energy grew larger and brighter, not with light but like intense heat when close to a fire. Only it wasn't hot. I realized this was a massively powerful being that traversed the meditative world with me. Though I had no fear, my intimidation level reached a new peak. The presence moved along but did not contact me. I backed away in awe, retreated into my body, and immediately awoke.
Laying still in shock, I contemplated the immense strength of mental power I had encountered. Maybe it was an influential teacher like Yogi or one of his students. The intimidation stayed with me, and I did not try an out-of-body experience again.

I don't meditate as often as I did in my college days. A habit I do treasure from TM is that most of my naps to this day drop into full sleep within seconds and last twenty minutes. I awake refreshed, though not as thoroughly as with full meditation. To me, these naps are like TM light. Once again Steve taught me a life lesson.

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