Learn Vedic Meditation with Georgia Vavasour

An effortless practice for calm, clear, grounded living.

Vedic Meditation is one of the most effective & effortless styles of meditation. Over 4 easy sessions of expert instruction, you'll gain a self-sufficient practice for life, with ongoing support from your teacher, Georgia.

Georgia has personally taught over 1500 people to meditate (with in-person, live instruction) & is an expert at guiding even the busiest people to meditate effectively & to integrate the practice into their daily routine.

Three Easy Steps to an Effortless, Self Sufficient Practice

STEP 1

Attend a Free Intro Talk

Meet Georgia & understand the mechanics of Vedic Meditation.

Intro talks are held regularly online. There’s no obligation to learn by attending, or to share anything during an Intro Talk.

STEP 2

Expert Instruction

Over 1 x 90 minute session a day over 4 consecutive days, receive personalised, expert instruction in the technique of Vedic Meditation.

Day One

  • Receive your individual mantra (a ‘mind taxi’, or short sound thought quietly inside which has the capacity to draw the mind inward)

  • Have your first experience of Vedic Meditation.


    Days Two - Four

  • Have your practice verified & validated

  • Gain a comprehensive understanding of the mechanics of the technique

  • Understand the experiences you may have

  • Learn to navigate meditation obstacles (such as noise & interruptions)

  • Learn how to integrate meditation into your daily routine. 

It’s important to attend all 4 sessions, as instruction is delivered sequentially & your meditation practice will progress each day.

*Private courses are available to learn more intimately individually or as a group, or to have extended time to address any particular concerns you’re wanting meditation to address.

STEP 3

Welcome to a lifetime of Ongoing Support & Opportunities to Advance

  • Lifetime access to weekly online group meditations with Georgia & any accredited teacher of Vedic Meditation worldwide.

  • Take the course again for free (as a refresher).

  • Contact Georgia any time with any questions you have about your practice.

  • The opportunity to progress with a full pathway of Advanced Techniques, Knowledge Courses & Retreats for those wanting to progress.

Listen to Georgia discuss Vedic Meditation

An image of Art and Matilda from the Well and Good podcast smiling and laughing

An in-depth interview with Georgia discussing the benefits of Vedic Meditation and her own experience of the practice.

Logo of Motherness Podcast

Georgia discusses Vedic Meditation for Mums, the science behind this technique, and exactly why it’s so restorative, healing and calming for mums especially.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Almost everyone who comes to learn this technique has little or no consistent or sustained practice. The course is designed to both teach you the technique but also to support you into a consistent practice of meditation. You’re integrating the practice during the course, so you’ve already started to create a routine & are starting to feel the benefits byt the time the course ends, which sets you off with momentum for sustained home practice. You’ll learn how to meditate with noise, distractions, children & interruptions which means you’re more likely to be able to do it in the home environment. We’ll spend quite some time on the course discussing how to integrate it & make time for meditation in daily life. So really, it’s the course itself which makes you ready for a consistent practice & Georgia provides ongoing suppport and opportunities to refresh or reinspire your practice (for free) should you find you become inconsistent at any point. Many students report that they’ve been inconsistent with other styles but they find Vedic meditation is different - both easier to practice & easier to integrate, they enjoy the beenfits and so want to keep going with it.

  • In this meditation practice you sit easily in an upright position with back support (leaning up against your bed, sofa, or anywhere you can lean against something). You’ll close your eyes & think a particular 'mantra' (a ‘mind taxi’, or sound) quietly on the inside - no external chanting or yogi-like flexibility required. The practice is based on being as effortless and natural as possible. Most people will assume you're taking a short nap. This meditation practice is so simple and easy it can be practiced anywhere, by anyone.

  • Yes absolutely. Georgia teaches busy minds to meditate every week. Vedic Meditation works differently to almost every other style of meditation, requires no concentration or focus. The mantras used in the practice are impulses of sound which cause the mind to go inward, so it’s not a skill-based proposition, the mantra meditates you, effectively. This means it’s not dependent on how ‘zen’ you are, how much stress you have, your success or lack thereof with other styles of meditation or how monkey your mind is.

  • Most meditators report feeling a difference almost immediately - from a greater sense of calm, increased energy and focus to better sleep and less reactivity with their partner/children or the traffic for example. Often friends and family are the first to notice and comment on the change.

  • Other techniques of meditation are either based upon concentration (focusing the mind on the voice of a guided meditation, visualisation, the breath or a mantra/chant for example) or are contemplative (bringing the attention to an idea such as a positive statement), which calm the mind to an extent, but the mind is still engaged. Vedic meditation is completely effortless and uses a particular type of 'mantra' (an impulse of sound, literally a ‘mind taxi’) which when thought in a particular way allows the mind to step beyond, or transcend, the active layer of the mind. This provides both mind and body with an extremely deep state of rest, deeper than sleep, inducing stress release at an accelerated rate. This is why Vedic meditators report it's so easy to practice, and is even enjoyable, and experience such profound change in their lives as a result.

  • Vedic Meditation is so simple and natural that by the end of the course you will be able to meditate with ease on your own, without any need for further instruction or to attend a meditation class ever again. Georgia is an expert at teaching people to meditate, having successfully taught Vedic Meditation to over 1000 people (most of whom were complete beginners).

  • There are two parts to the recipe of successful meditation which Vedic Meditation provides: the right technique which can provide immediate and proven benefits, and an expert teacher who can guide you to self-sufficiency and correct practice of the technique. The thousands of meditators who currently practice Vedic Meditation report that their experience is vastly different - both deeper, and much easier - to that of any app or meditation practice they had previously tried, and that they experience profound and tangible benefits in their daily life as a result, which is why they have been able to stick to and implemented the practice into their life. If an app is doing this for you, then great, if not - then come and learn to meditate with an expertly trained teacher.

Meditation for Children

The 'Children's Technique' of Vedic Meditation, which is practiced by the child with the eyes open whenever the child feels like it, is taught to children of 4-8 years during a one hour session. Children aged 9-12 are taught a specialised children’s version of the Vedic Meditation course over 3 x 1 hour sessions.

Children 12 and over may join the full Vedic meditation course either alone or accompanied by a parent who is also learning.

At least one parent must have learned Vedic Meditation (or is learning at the same time as their child and the child must be open to learning. 

An image of child meditating in a beam of sunshine

What does the Science say about this Technique?


Meditation has been the subject of countless studies.  Here are some studies relevant to this technique.

  • Of particular note are the studies (listed below) which have been conducted on Transcendental Meditation ("TM"), definitively proving a wide range of benefits resulting from regular practice of TM, which support the benefits obtainable from the regular practice of the technique of Vedic Meditation.

    + DECREASED DEPRESSION 

    Brooks J.S., et al. Transcendental Meditation in the treatment of post-Vietnam adjustment. Journal of Counseling and Development, 64:212–215, 1985. 

    Kniffki C. Tranzendentale Meditation und Autogenes Training- Ein Vergleich (Transcendental Meditation and Autogenic Training: A Comparison). Munich: Kindler Verlag Geist und Psyche, 1979.

    Geisler M. Therapeutiche Wirkungen der Transzendentalen Meditation auf drogenkonsumenten (Therapeutic effects of Transcendental Meditation on drug use). Zeitschrift fur Klinische Psychologie 7:235-255, 1978.

    Ferguson P.C., et al. Psychological Findings on Transcendental Meditation. Journal of Humanistic Psychology 16:483-488, 1976.

    + REDUCED STRESS AND ANXIETY

    Alexander C.N., et al. Effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on stress reduction, health, and employee development: A prospective study in two occupational settings. Anxiety, Stress and Coping: An International Journal 6: 245-262, 1993.

    Barnes V. A., et al. Impact of Transcendental Meditation on cardiovascular function at rest and during acute stress in adolescents with high normal blood pressure. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 51, 597-605, 2001.

    Barnes V. A., et al. Stress, stress reduction, and hypertension in African Americans. Journal of the National Medical Association, 89, 464-476, 1997.

    Brooks J.S. and Scarano T. Transcendental Meditation in the treatment of post-Vietnam adjustment. Journal of Counseling and Development 64: 212-215, 1985.

    Candelent T., et al. Teaching Transcendental Meditation in a psychiatric setting. Hospital & Community Psychiatry 26: 156-159, 1975.

    Dillbeck M.C. The effect of the Transcendental Meditation technique on anxiety level. Journal of Clinical Psychology 33: 1076-1078, 1977.

    Dillbeck M.C. and Orme-Johnson D. W. Physiological differences between Transcendental Meditation and rest. American Psychologist 42: 879–881, 1987.

    Eppley K.R. et al. Differential effects of relaxation techniques on trait anxiety: A meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology 45: 957-974, 1989.

    Gaylord C., et al. The effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique and progressive muscle relaxation on EEG coherence, stress reactivity, and mental health in black adults. International Journal of Neuroscience 46: 77-86, 1989.

    Haratani T., et al. Effects of Transcendental Meditation (TM) on the mental health of industrial workers. Japanese Journal of Industrial Health 32: 656, 1990.

    Jevning R., et al. The physiology of meditation: a review. A wakeful hypometabolic integrated response. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 16(3):415-24, 1992.

    Jevning R., et al. Adrenocortical activity during meditation, Hormonal Behavior 10(1):54-60, Feb. 1978.

    Jevning R., et al. The transcendental meditation technique, adrenocortical activity, and implications for stress. Experientia 34(5):618-9, May 15, 1978.

    Orme-Johnson D.W. Autonomic stability and Transcendental Meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine 35, 341-349, 1973.

    Orme-Johnson, D. W., & Barnes, V. A. Effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique on Trait Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 19, 1-12, 2013.

    Orme-Johnson D.W. and Walton K. W. All approaches of preventing or reversing effects of stress are not the same. American Journal of Health Promotion 12:297-299, 1998

    Rees B, Travis F, Shapiro D, Chant R. Reduction in post traumatic stress symptoms in Congolese refugees practicing Transcendental Meditation. Journal of Traumatic Stress. 2013:1-14.

    Rosenthal JZ, Grosswald S, Ross R, Rosenthal N. Effects of transcendental meditation in veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom with posttraumatic stress disorder: a pilot study. Military Medicine. Jun; 176(6):626-30, 2013.

    Schneider R.H. Altered responses of cortisol, GH, TSH and testosterone to acute stress after four months’ practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM). Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 746:381-384, 1994.

    Sedlmeier, P., Eberth, J., Schwarz, M., Zimmermann, D., & Haarig, F. The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 138(6), 1139-1171, 2012.

    Subrahmanyam S. and Porkodi K. Neurohumoral correlates of Transcendental Meditation. Journal of Biomedicine 1: 73–88, 1980.

    Walton K.G., et al. Lowering cortisol and CVD risk in postmenopausal women: a pilot study using the Transcendental Meditation program. Annals of New York Academy of Sciences 1032:211-215, 2005.

    + LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE

    Alexander C.N., et al. Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness, and longevity: An experimental study with the elderly. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 57:950-964, 1989.

    Alexander C.N., et al. Trial of stress reduction for hypertension in older African Americans (part II): sex and risk subgroup analysis. Hypertension 28:228-237, 1996.

    Anderson J.W., et al. Blood pressure response to Transcendental Meditation: a meta-analysis. American Journal of Hypertension 21 (3): 310-6, 2008.

    Barnes V.A., et al. Impact of Transcendental Meditation on ambulatory blood pressure in African-American adolescents. American Journal of Hypertension 17: 366-369, 2004.

    Barnes V. A., et al. Stress, stress reduction, and hypertension in African Americans. Journal of the National Medical Association, 89, 464-476, 1997.

    Barnes V. A., et al. Acute effects of Transcendental Meditation on hemodynamic functioning in middle-aged adults. Psychosomatic Medicine, 61, 88, 525-531, 1999.

    Rainforth M.V., et al. Stress reduction programs in patients with elevated blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Current Hypertension Reports 9:520–528, 2007. Full article

    Schneider R.H., et al. A randomized controlled trial of stress reduction in the treatment of hypertension in African Americans during one year. American Journal of Hypertension 18(1): 88-98, 2005. Full article

    Schneider R.H., et al. Long-term effects of stress reduction on mortality in persons = 55 years of age with systemic hypertension. American Journal of Cardiology 95:1060-1064, 2005. Full article

    Schneider R.H., et al. A randomized controlled trial of stress reduction for hypertension in older African Americans. Hypertension 26: 820-827, 1995.

    + DECREASED CHOLESTEROL

    Cooper M. J., et al. Transcendental Meditation in the management of hypercholesterolemia. Journal of Human Stress 5(4): 24–27, 1979.

    Cooper M. J. and Aygen M. M. Effect of Transcendental Meditation on serum cholesterol and blood pressure. Harefuah, Journal of the Israel Medical Association 95(1): 1-2, 1978.

    + REDUCED CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE

    Jayadevappa R., et al. Effectiveness of Transcendental Meditation on functional capacity and quality of life of African Americans with congestive heart failure: a randomized control study. Ethnicity and Disease 17: 72-77, 2007. 

    + REDUCED ATHEROSCLEROSIS/STROKE

    Castillo-Richmond A., et al. Effects of the Transcendental Meditation Program on carotid atherosclerosis in hypertensive African Americans, Stroke 31: 568-573, 2000.

    + DECREASED FREE RADICALS

    Schneider R.H., et al. Lower lipid peroxide levels and practitioners of the Transcendental Meditation program. Psychosomatic Medicine 60: 38-41, 1998.

    Van Wijk E.P.A., et al. Anatomical characterization of human ultraweak photon emission in practitioners of Transcendental Meditation and control subjects. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine 12:31-38, 1998.

    Van Wijk E.P.A., et al. Differential Effects of Relaxation Techniques on Ultraweak Photon Emission. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine 14:241-250, 2008.

     

    + REDUCED METABOLIC SYNDROME/PRE-DIABETES

    Paul-Labrador M., et al. Effects of randomized controlled trial of Transcendental Meditation on components of the metabolic syndrome in subjects with coronary heart disease. Archives of Internal Medicine 166:1218-1224, 2006. Full article 

     

    + REDUCED CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS

    Alexander C.N., et al. Effects of Transcendental Meditation compared to other methods of relaxation and meditation in reducing risk factors, morbidity and mortality. Homeostasis 35:243-264, 1994.

    Barnes V.A., and Orme-Johnson D. W. Clinical and Preclinical Applications of the Transcendental Meditation Program® in the Prevention and Treatment of Essential Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease in Youth  and Adults: A Research Review. Current Hypertension Reviews 2:207-218, 2006.

    Schneider R.H., et al. Cardiovascular disease prevention and health promotion with the Transcendental Meditation program and Maharishi Consciousness-Based Health Care. Ethnicity and Disease 16 (3 Suppl 4):S4-15-26, 2006. Full article

    Walton K.G., et al. Review of controlled clinical research on the Transcendental Meditation program and cardiovascular disease: Risk factors, morbidity, and mortality. Cardiology in Review 12(5): 262-266, 2004. Full article

    Walton K.G., et al. Psychosocial stress and cardiovascular disease, Part 2: Effectiveness of the Transcendental Meditation program in treatment and prevention. Behavioral Medicine 28: 106-123, 2002.

     

    + REDUCTION IN PAIN

    Orme-Johnson D.W, et al. Neuroimaging of meditation’s effect on brain reactivity to pain. NeuroReport17(12):1359-63, 2006. Full article

    Mills W. W. and Farrow J. T. The Transcendental Meditation technique and acute experimental pain. Psychosomatic Medicine 43(2): 157–164, 1981.

    Zammara J. W., et al. Usefulness of the Transcendental Meditation program in the treatment of patients with coronary artery disease. American Journal of Cardiology, 77, 867-870, et al. 

     

    + DECREASED HEALTH CARE COSTS AND UTILIZATION

    Herron, R. E. Changes in Physician Costs Among High-Cost Transcendental Meditation Practitioners Compared with High-Cost Non-practitioners Over 5 Years. American Journal of Health Promotion 2011; 26(1): 56–60.

    Herron R. E. Can the Transcendental Meditation Program Reduce the Medical Expenditures of Older People? A Longitudinal Cost-Reduction Study in Canada. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 2005; 17(1): 415–442.

    Herron, R. E., Hillis, S. L. The Impact of the Transcendental Meditation Program on Government Payments to Physicians in Quebec: An Update. American Journal of Health Promotion2000; 14(5): 284–291.

    Orme-Johnson D. W., Herron R. E. An Innovative Approach to Reducing Medical Care Utilization and Expenditures. American Journal of Managed Care 1997; 3: 135–144.

    Herron R. E., et al. The Impact of the Transcendental Meditation Program on Government Payments to Physicians in Quebec. American Journal of Health Promotion 1996; 10: 208–216.

    Herron, R.E., et al. Cost-Effective Hypertension Management: Comparison of Drug Therapies with an Alternative Program. American Journal of Managed Care 1996; Vol. II(4): 427–437.

    Orme-Johnson D.W. Medical Care Utilization and the Transcendental Meditation Program. Psychosomatic Medicine 1987; 49: 493–507.

     

    + HIGHER LEVELS OF BRAIN FUNCTIONING

    Arenander A. and Travis F.T. Brain patterns of Self-awareness. In B Beitman and J Nair, Eds. Self-Awareness Deficits. New York: W.W.Norton, 2004.

    Badawi K., et al. Electrophysiologic characteristics of respiratory suspension periods occurring during the practice of the Transcendental Meditation program. Psychosomatic Medicine46(3): 267–276, 1984.

    Banquet J.P. and Lesevre N. Event-related potentials in altered states of consciousness: Motivation, motor and sensory processes of the brain. Progress in Brain Research 54: 447-453, 1980.

    Bennett J.E. and Trinder J. Hemispheric laterality and cognitive style associated with Transcendental Meditation. Psychophysiology 14: 293-296, 1977.

    Dillbeck M. C. and Bronson E. C. Short-term longitudinal effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique on EEG power and coherence. International Journal of Neuroscience 14: 147–151, 1981.

    Dillbeck M. C., et al. Frontal EEG coherence, H-reflex recovery, concept learning, and the TM-Sidhi program. International Journal of Neuroscience 15: 151–157, 1981.

    Gallois P. Modifications neurophysiologiques et respiratoires lors de la pratique des techniques de relaxation. L’Encéphale 10: 139-144, 1984.

    Goddard P.H. Reduced age-related declines of P300 latency in elderly practicing Transcendental Meditation. Psychophysiology 26: 529, 1989.

    Hebert R., et al. Enhanced EEG alpha time-domain phase synchrony during Transcendental Meditation: Implications for cortical integration theory. Signal Processing, 85(11): 2213-2232, 2005.

    Lyubimov N.N. Electrophysiological characteristics of mobilization of hidden brain reserves. Abstracts, the International Symposium “Physiological and Biochemical Basis of Brain Activity” (St. Petersburg, Russia: Russian Academy of Science, Institute of the Human Brain): 5, 1994.

    Mason L. I., et al. Electrophysiological correlates of higher states of consciousness during sleep in long-term practitioners of the Transcendental Meditation program. Sleep 20 (2): 102-110, 1997.

    McEvoy T.M., et al. Effects of meditation on brainstem auditory evoked potentials. International Journal of Neuroscience 10: 165-170, 1980.

    Nidich S.I., et al. Kohlbergian cosmic perspective responses, EEG coherence, and the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program. Journal of Moral Education 12: 166-173, 1983.

    Orme-Johnson D.W. and Haynes C.T. EEG phase coherence, pure consciousness, creativity, and TM-Sidhi experiences. International Journal of Neuroscience 13: 211–217, 1981.

    Orme-Johnson D.W. and Gelderloos P. Topographic EEG brain mapping during Yogic Flying. International Journal of Neuroscience 38: 427-434, 1988.

    Travis F. Eyes open and TM EEG patterns after one and after eight years of TM practice. Psychophysiology 28 (3a): S58, 1991.

    Travis F. and Miskov S. P300 latency and amplitude during eyes-closed rest and Transcendental Meditation practice. Psychophysiology 31: S67 (Abstract), 1994.

    Travis F. Patterns of EEG coherence, power, and contingent negative variation characterize the integration of transcendental and waking states. Biological Psychology 61: 293-319, 2002.

    Travis F. T. and Orme-Johnson D. W. EEG coherence and power during yogic flying. International Journal of Neuroscience 54: 1–12, 1990.

    Wallace R.K., et al. Modification of the paired H reflex through the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program. Experimental Neurology 79: 77-86, 1983.

    Yamamoto S., et al. Medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulated cortex in the generation of alpha activity induced by Transcendental Meditation: A magnetoencephalographic study. Acta Medica Okayama, 60(1): 51-58, 2006.

     

    + IMPROVED INTELLIGENCE, CREATIVITY AND LEARNING ABILITY

    Alexander C. N. and Gackenbach J. Transcendental Meditation and improved performance on intelligence-related measures: A longitudinal study. Personality and Individual Differences, 12, 1105–1116, 1991.

    Aron A., et al. The Transcendental Meditation program in the college curriculum: A 4-year longitudinal study of effects on cognitive and affective functioning. College Student Journal 15: 140-146, 1981.

    Cranson R.W., et al. Transcendental Meditation and improved performance on intelligence-related measures: A longitudinal study. Personality and Individual Differences 12: 1105-1116, 1991.

    Dillbeck M.C., et al. Frontal EEG coherence, H-reflex recovery, concept learning, and the TM-Sidhi program. International Journal of Neuroscience 15: 151-157, 1981.

    Dillbeck M.C. Meditation and flexibility of visual perception and verbal problem-solving. Memory & Cognition 10: 207-215, 1982.

    Dillbeck M.C., et al. Longitudinal effects of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program on cognitive ability and cognitive style. Perceptual and Motor Skills 62: 731-738, 1986.

    Fergusson L.F., et al. Vedic Science based education and nonverbal intelligence: A preliminary longitudinal study in Cambodia. Higher Education Research and Development 15: 73-82, 1995.

    Jedrczak A., et al. The TM-Sidhi programme, age, and brief test of perceptual-motor speed and nonverbal intelligence. Journal of Clinical Psychology 42: 161-164, 1986.

    Jedrczak, A., et al. The TM-Sidhi programme, pure consciousness, creativity and intelligence. The Journal of Creative Behavior 19: 270-275, 1985.

    So K.T. and Orme-Johnson D. W. Three randomized experiments on the holistic longitudinal effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique on cognition. Intelligence, 29(5), 419-440, 2001.

    Tjoa A. Increased intelligence and reduced neuroticism through the Transcendental Meditation program. Gedrag: Tijdschrift voor Psychologie 3: 167-182, 1975.

    Travis F. The Transcendental Meditation technique and creativity: A longitudinal study of Cornell University undergraduates. Journal of Creative Behavior 13: 169-180, 1979.

    Warner T.Q. Transcendental Meditation and developmental advancement: Mediating abilities and conservation performance. Dissertation Abstracts International 47(8): 3558B, 1987.

    So K.T. and Orme-Johnson D.W. Three randomized experiments on the longitudinal effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique on cognition. Intelligence 29: 419-440, 2001.

     

    + IMPROVED ACADEMICS

    Fergusson L.C. Field Independence and art achievement in meditating and non-meditating college students. Perceptual and Motor Skills 75: 1171-1175, 1992.

    Kember P. The Transcendental Meditation technique and postgraduate academic performance. British Journal of Educational Psychology 55: 164-166, 1985.

    Nidich S.I., et al. School effectiveness: Achievement gains at the Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment. Education 107: 49-54, 1986.

    Nidich S.I. and Nidich R.J. Increased academic achievement at Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment: A replication study. Education 109: 302-304, 1989.

    + IMPROVED SCHOOL BEHAVIOUR 

    Barnes V.A., et al. Impact of stress reduction on negative school behavior in adolescents. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 1:10, 2003.

    Fergusson L.F., et al. Personality and health characteristics of Cambodian undergraduates: A case for student development. Journal of Instructional Psychology 22: 308-319, 1995.

      + BENEFITS FOR SPECIAL AND REMEDIAL EDUCATION

    Eyerman J. Transcendental Meditation and mental retardation. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 42: 35-36, 1981

    Subrahmanyam S. and Porkodi K. Neurohumoral correlates of Transcendental Meditation. Journal of Biomedicine 1: 73-88, 1980.

    Improved Integration of Personality

    Alexander C.N., et al. Transcendental consciousness: a fourth state of consciousness beyond sleep, dreaming, and waking. in J. Gackenbach (ed.), Sleep and Dreams: A Sourcebook, New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 282–315, 1986.

    Alexander C.N., et al. Growth of higher stages of consciousness: Maharishi’s Vedic psychology of human development. in Charles N. Alexander and Ellen J. Langer (eds.), Higher Stages of Human Development: Perspectives on Adult Growth. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.

    Alexander C. N., et al. Major issues in the exploration of adult growth. In C. N. Alexander and E. J. Langer (Eds.), Higher stages of human development: Perspectives on adult growth (p. 3-32). New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.

    Alexander C. N., et al. Advanced human development in the Vedic Psychology of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: Theory and research. In M. E. Miller and S. R. Cook-Greuter (Eds.), Transcendence and mature thought in adulthood: The further reaches of adult development (pp. 39-70). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1994.

    Alexander C.N., et al. Effect of Practice of The Children’s Transcendental Meditation Technique on Cognitive Stage Development: Acquisition And Consolidation of Conservation, Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 17, 21-46, 2005.

    Alexander C.N., et al. Transcendental Meditation, self-actualization, and psychological health: A conceptual overview and statistical meta-analysis. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 6: 189-247, 1991.

    Chandler H.M., et al. Transcendental Meditation and postconventional self-development: A 10-year longitudinal study. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 17(1), 93–121, 2005.

    Gelderloos P. Cognitive orientation toward positive values in advanced participants of the TM and TM-Sidhi program. Perceptual and Motor Skills 64: 1003-1012, 1987.

    Gelderloos P. Field independence of students at Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment and a Montessori school. Perceptual and Motor Skills 65: 613-614, 1987.

    Gelderloos P. and Beto, Z. H. A. D. The Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program and reported experiences of transcendental consciousness. Psychologia—An International Journal of Psychology in the Orient 32(2): 91–103, 1989.

    Gelderloos P., et al. Field independence of students at Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment and a Montessori school. Perceptual and Motor Skills 65: 613–614, 1987.

    Gelderloos P., et al. Transcendence and psychological health: studies with long-term participants of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program. Journal of Psychology 124(2), 177–197, 1990.

    Jedraczak A. The Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program and field independence. Perceptual and Motor Skills 59: 999-100, 1984.

    Nidich S., et al. Influence of Transcendental Meditation: A replication. Journal of Counseling Psychology 20: 565-566, 1973.

    Pelletier K.R. Influence of Transcendental Meditation upon autokinetic perception. Perceptual and Motor Skills 39: 1031-1034, 1974.

    Seeman W., et al. Influence of Transcendental Meditation on a measure of self-actualization. Journal of Counseling Psychology 19: 184-187, 1972.

     

    + INCREASED LONGEVITY

    Alexander C.N., et al. Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness, and longevity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 57: 950-964, 1989.

    Alexander C. N., et al. The effects of Transcendental Meditation compared to other methods of relaxation in reducing risk factors, morbidity, and mortality. Homeostasis 35, 243-264, 1994.

    Barnes V. A., et al. Impact of Transcendental Meditation on mortality in older African Americans—eight year follow-up. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 17(1) 201-216, 2005.

    Glaser J. L., et al. Elevated serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels in practitioners of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) and TM-Sidhi programs. Journal of Behavioral Medicine 15: 327-341, 1992.

    Schneider R. H., et al. The Transcendental Meditation program: reducing the risk of heart disease and mortality and improving quality of life in African Americans. Ethnicity and Disease 11; 159-60, 2001.

    Schneider R.H., et al. Long-term effects of stress reduction on mortality in persons > 55 years of age with systemic hypertension. American Journal of Cardiology 95: 1060-1064, 2005. Full article

    Wallace R.K., et al. The effects of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program on the aging process. International Journal of Neuroscience 16: 53-58, 1982.

      + REDUCED SUBSTANCE ABUSE

    Alexander C.N., et al. Treating and preventing alcohol, nicotine, and drug abuse through Transcendental Meditation: A review and statistical meta-analysis. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly 11: 13-87, 1994.

    Aron E.N. and Aron A. The patterns of reduction of drug and alcohol use among Transcendental Meditation participants. Bulletin of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors 2: 28-33, 1983

    Clements G., et al. The use of the Transcendental Meditation programme in the prevention of drug abuse and in the treatment of drug-addicted persons. Bulletin on Narcotics 40(1): 51–56, 1988.

    Gelderloos P., et al. Effectiveness of the Transcendental Meditation program in preventing and treating substance misuse: A review. International Journal of the Addictions 26: 293–325, 1991.

    Geisler M. Therapeutische Wirkungen der Transzendentalen Meditation auf Drogenkonsumenten. Zeitschrift für klinische Psychologie 7(4): 235–255, 1978.

    Monahan R.J. Secondary prevention of drug dependence through the Transcendental Meditation program in metropolitan Philadelphia. The International Journal of the Addictions 12: 729-754, 1977.

    Orme-Johnson D. W. Transcendental Meditation as an epidemiological approach to drug and alcohol abuse: Theory, research, and financial impact evaluation. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 11, 119-165, 1994.

    Royer A. The role of the Transcendental Meditation technique in promoting smoking cessation: A longitudinal study. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly 11: 219-236, 1994.

    Shafii M. et al. Meditation and marijuana. American Journal of Psychiatry 131: 60-63, 1974.

    Shafii M. et al. Meditation and the prevention of alcohol abuse. American Journal of Psychiatry 132: 942-945, 1975.

    Wallace R.K. et al. Decreased drug abuse with Transcendental Meditation: A study of 1,862 subjects. In Drug Abuse: Proceedings of the International Conference, ed. Chris J.D. Zarafonetis (Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger): 369-376, 1972

    Walton K. G., and Levitsky, D.A. A neuroendocrine mechanism for the reduction of drug use and addictions by Transcendental Meditation. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly 11: 89-117, 1994.

    Georgia teaches Vedic Meditation and was trained to teach this form of meditation as taught by Thom Knoles, who continues to teach Vedic Meditation. Thom was trained as a teacher of Transcendental Meditation (“TM”) by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (“Maharishi”) - a revered Master from the Shankarcharya lineage of the Vedic Tradition - and taught it for over 25 years with organisations affiliated with Maharishi. Since 1997, Thom has continued to teach meditation as he learned it from Maharishi, and has done so independently and separately from the TM organisations. Georgia Vavasour is not affiliated with the TM organisations or their current services, processes or programs, which may differ from her services.