Global Good News: Excellence in Action

The Transcendental Meditation Programme has been applied in schools and universities worldwide for the past 50 years. As verified by hundreds of scientific research studies and outstanding educational achievements, the Transcendental Meditation and advanced Transcendental Meditation Sidhi Programmes systematically and holistically unfold the latent creative potential of students and teachers, irrespective of their social or educational background.

Mentally, the students become more alert, receptive, and intellectually keen. Physically, they become more balanced, calm, and vital; damaging habits spontaneously decline. Emotionally, they become more tolerant, appreciative, confident, and happy; and the influence of the whole school population practising these technologies creates an environment that is orderly, harmonious, and positive—an environment most conducive to learning and to developing students' unique abilities.

Particularly significant for society as a whole is the repeated scientific finding that when large groups practise the Transcendental Meditation and Transcendental Meditation Sidhi Programmes together in one place, negative and disorderly social trends measurably decrease and positive trends increase.

Schools incorporating this technology thus benefit not only the students and teachers individually; they radiate a beneficial influence in the community and—if many schools participate—in the entire country. Through such schools, national consciousness can become so integrated that no chaotic or weakening influences from within the country or outside its borders can take hold—the nation will become increasingly invincible.

Extensive Scientific Research Validating the Benefits
The unique effectiveness of the Transcendental Meditation and Transcendental Meditation Sidhi Programmes in education has been scientifically documented over the past 40 years.

More than 600 scientific research studies, conducted at over 250 universities and research institutes in 33 countries, verify the profound benefits of Consciousness-Based Education for all aspects of individual life and society.

These selected research findings are particularly relevant to education.

Improved Brain Functioning, Increased Intelligence, and Improved Academic Performance:

Greater Use of Total Brain Functioning
• Mobilization of the Hidden Reserves of the Brain (1)

• Increased Efficiency of Information Transfer in the Brain (2-5)

• Greater Adaptability of Brain Functioning (6)

• Increased Blood Flow to the Brain (7)

• Increased Coherence of Brain Functioning (8-9)

• Maximum Coherence of Brain Wave Activity (Electroencephalogram—EEG) During Yogic Flying Practice of the Transcendental Meditation Sidhi Programme (10-11)

Increased Intelligence and Mental Ability
• Increased Intelligence (12-16)

• Improved Memory (17-18)

• Accelerated Cognitive Development in Children (19-20)

• Increased Efficiency of Concept Learning (21)

• Broader Comprehension and Improved Ability To Focus Attention—Increased Field Independence (22-23)

Increased Creativity
• Enhanced Creativity (13, 24-25)

• Increased Innovation (13)

• Increased Cognitive Flexibility (17-18)

Improved Attention and Reduced Distraction
• Decreased Distraction Effects in EEG (26)

• More Effective Executive Functioning of the Brain Indicated by Diminished EEG Distraction Effects (27)

• More Efficient Attention Deployment During Choice Reaction Time Task (28)

Improved Academic Performance

• Improved Academic Performance in Elementary and Secondary School (29-30

• Improved Academic Performance in College and Post-Graduate Study (31-32)

• Improved Educational Outcomes—Primary and Secondary School Students Performing in the top 1% on National Standardized Tests; Secondary School Students Winning State Competitions in All Academic Areas, and in Athletics (79)

• Increased Time Competence: Increased Ability To Think and Act Efficiently in the Present (33-35)

• Increased Efficiency and Productivity (36-37)

Increased Integration of Personality:

Growth of Positive Qualities
• Increased Self-Actualization: Increased Integration, Unity, and Wholeness of Personality (33-35)

• Higher Levels of Self Development (38)

• Orientation towards Positive Values (39)

• Enhanced Self-Regard and Self-Esteem (13, 40-42)

• Enhanced Inner Well-Being (17)

• Increased Emotional Stability (43-45)

Reduction of Negative Qualities
• Decreased Anxiety (13, 37, 44-47)

• Decreased Tension (37,43)

• Decreased Depression (40, 43-44)

• Decreased Hostility and Aggression (48-49)

• Decreased Impulsiveness (50)

• Less Sensitivity to Criticism (40)

A second article will feature the effects of the Transcendental Meditation and Transcendental Meditation Sidhi Programmes for school-related behaviour, improved health, and the benefits for society created by large groups practising these technologies of consciousness.

References

(1) Human Physiology 25: 171–180, 1999.

(2) Zeitschrift für Elektroenzephalographie und Elektromyographie EEG-EMG 7: 99–103,

1976.

(3) International Journal of Neuroscience 10: 165–170, 1980.

(4) Motivation, Motor and Sensory Processes of the Brain, Progress in Brain Research 54: 447–453, 1980.

(5) Psychophysiology 27 (Suppl.): 4A (Abstract), 1990.

(6) Psychophysiology 14: 293–296, 1977.

(7) Physiology & Behavior 59: 399–402, 1996.

(8) International Journal of Neuroscience 14: 147–151, 1981.

(9) Psychosomatic Medicine 46: 267–276, 1984.

(10) Scientific Research on Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Programme: Collected Papers, Volume 1: 705–712, 1977.

(11) International Journal of Neuroscience 54: 1–12, 1990.

(12) Gedrag: Tijdschrift voor Psychologie 3: 167–182, 1975.

(13) Dissertation Abstracts International 38(7): 3372B–3373B, 1978.

(14) Personality and Individual Differences 12: 1105–1116, 1991.

(15) Intelligence 29: 419–440, 2001.

(16) Higher Education Research and Development 15: 73–82, 1995.

(17) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 57: 950–964, 1989.

(18) Memory & Cognition 10: 207–215, 1982.

(19) Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 17: 65–91, 2005.

(20) Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 17: 47–64, 2005.

(21) International Journal of Neuroscience 15: 151–157, 1981.

(22) Perceptual and Motor Skills 65: 613–614, 1987.

(23) Perceptual and Motor Skills 39: 1031–1034, 1974.

(24) Journal of Creative Behavior 13: 169–180, 1979.

(25) The Journal of Creative Behavior 19: 270–275, 1985.

(26) Psychophysiology 34: S89 (Abstract), 1998.

(27) Biological Psychology 55: 41–55, 2000.

(28) Biological Psychology 61: 293–319, 2002.

(29) Education 107: 49–54, 1986.

(30) Education 109: 302–304, 1989.

(31) Scientific Research on Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation Programme: Collected Papers, Volume 1 (Rheinweiler, Germany: Maharishi European Research University): 396–399, 1977.

(32) British Journal of Educational Psychology 55: 164–166, 1985.

(33) Journal of Counseling Psychology 19: 184–187, 1972.

(34) Journal of Counseling Psychology 20: 565–566, 1973.

(35) Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 6: 189–247, 1991.

(36) Academy of Management Journal 17: 362–368, 1974.

(37) Anxiety, Stress and Coping 6: 245–262, 1993.

(38) Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 17: 93–121, 2005.

(39) Perceptual and Motor Skills 64: 1003–1012, 1987.

(40) Gedrag: Tijdschrift voor Psychologie 4: 206–218, 1976

(41) Dissertation Abstracts International 38(6): 3351A, 1977.

(42) Dissertation Abstracts International 34(8): 4732A, 1974.

(43) Zeitschrift für klinische Psychologie 7: 235–255, 1978.

(44) Journal of Counseling and Development 64: 212–215, 1985.

(45) Psychotherapie • Psychosomatik Medizinische Psychologie 32: 188–192, 1982.

(46) Journal of Clinical Psychology 33: 1076–1078, 1977.

(47) Journal of Clinical Psychology 45: 957–974, 1989.

(48) Criminal Justice and Behavior 5: 3–20, 1978.

(49) Journal of Offender Rehabilitation 36: 127–160, 2003.

(50) Japanese Journal of Industrial Health 32: 656, 1990.

"The potential of every student is infinite. The time of student life should serve to unfold that infinite potential so that every individual becomes a vibrant centre of Total Knowledge."—Maharishi