Founded by MaharishiMahesh Yogi
Founded by MaharishiA former leader in education says Transcendental Meditation® (TM) would be beneficial in schools for the students and staff to destress and thrive.
The retired Victorian woman, Heather Barber, has worked in the education field as the head honcho of the non-teaching staff for 30-years.
Students at Maharishi School in Melbourne practicing Transcendental Meditation® – image: Maharishi School
“I worked mainly at primary and secondary schools in administration. And that’s quite stressful because I was the business manager. But I loved watching the kids thrive,” Heather said.
“I think it would be a good idea for schools to adopt the TM technique so students can learn it at an earlier age. That would be so beneficial.”
Heather learnt the TM technique in April of 2023, but wishes she had learnt it at an earlier age.
“I wish I’d done it [Transcendental Meditation] when I was younger,’ she said.
She said the TM technique gives “great clarity and sense of direction” and this helps individuals to take action in the right path and “get to the pinnacle quicker”.
Heather isn’t new to the mental health space and has been practicing yoga and meditation for many years.
“I have sort of been doing a bit of meditation over the years, mainly guided meditation,” she said.
“When you do yoga, they’d have a meditation at the end. And I always liked it. But I didn’t really feel that I was getting a lot or as much as I wanted out of it.
“And I didn’t really know what I wanted. But it just felt incomplete in some ways.”
Heather heard about the TM technique while listening to the radio.
“I heard something on the radio about Transcendental Meditation® and then I looked it up on the web and booked myself for a free introductory Zoom session,” she said.
“After talking to the TM teacher, I was convinced that’s what I was going to do. And also, because I’m 72, I remember the Beatles talk about how TM expanded their creativity and helped them create all the good songs.”
Heather didn’t know what to expect from the 4-consecutive day in person TM course.
“I was very curious to start the practice. And my teacher made it very, very easy. And then after that, it was very relaxing and joyful,” she said.
“I had done other meditations and I always found it difficult to do it regularly because it was like a chore.
“But for some reason, I have no trouble remembering to do this twice a day for 20 minutes,” she said, adding: “it just is so enjoyable.”
The twice daily practice has also benefited Heather in her life outside of meditation.
“I have a pretty happy life anyway. But I think it has made me more caring and more careful with my words,” she said.
“When I speak to people, I always try to give them something. I think if everyone did TM, the whole world would be at peace. That’s my thought. I think it’s just glorious. I can’t explain it any other way.”
