What is the TM technique?

Evidence-based benefits
  • Reduce stress & anxiety

    Find increased resilience to stress and the ability to handle challenging situations calmly. Research has shown the TM technique is also effective for PTSD and ADHD.

  • Increase mental clarity & creativity

    Through improved brain function, you’ll gain a broader perspective and enjoy more focus and creativity to make progress towards your goals.

  • Get better sleep & health

    Enjoy a deep rest that enlivens the body’s natural healing response, improving heart health, immunity, sleep quality, and stress-related conditions.

Most Meditation Asks more of you. Transcendental Meditation is different. 

TM is a simple, natural meditation technique practiced 20 minutes twice a day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. 

No concentration. No control. Just an ancient, proven technique that allows the mind to settle naturally, without mental effort.

Featured in
  • Easy to master

    "Perhaps its greatest benefit is that it’s relatively quick to learn and easy to master. No waiting weeks or months of practice before you see results: TM cuts right to the chase..."

  • Proven benefits

    "A movement of 10 million people around the world who rely on TM for its proven benefits (in hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific papers and more than a dozen major clinical trials)..."

  • Reduces stress

    "The most tangible result of practicing TM is the way it reduces stress... TM has, over many studies, helped cut stress and lower blood pressure. It has been shown to ease depression..."

How to learn the TM technique
  • Step 1: Find a teacher

    Fill out a quick form to locate your nearest TM teacher. A local, certified TM teacher will get in touch with you soon.

  • Step 2: Attend an Intro Talk

    Taking place for free in person and online, this is your opportunity to find out more about TM.

  • Step 3: Take the TM course

    The TM Course takes place over four consecutive days. First, you’ll work one-on-one with a certified TM Teacher to learn the TM technique. Then, you’ll join three group sessions to clarify and deepen your understanding.

What people say about TM

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El

Certified TM teacher

David Lynch

Director & artist

Jolie

Student

Nancy

Attorney

Enrique

Business professional

Leo

Production designer

Raisa

Certified TM teacher

Ryan

Art curator

Yolanda

Doctor & certified TM teacher

Charles

Business owner

Salvatore

Former FDNY Commissioner

Greg

Software engineer

Ethan

Startup founder

Sherri

Project manager

Ellen Degeneres

TV host & comedian

Isabella & Paula

Mother & daughter

Jerry, George, Bob Roth

TV host & comedian

Meet a few of our 100+ certified TM teachers...
  • Emily Fitz Randolph

    Emily teaches the TM technique in Los Angeles and has been a certified TM teacher for more than 5 years.

  • Joshua Pittman

    Joshua is based in New York City and is passionate about helping others achieve peace through TM.

  • Raisa Martinez

    Raisa lives in Washington D.C., and has a lot of experience teaching TM to people affected by serious trauma.

Common questions

Having a certified teacher guide you in a personal, one-on-one setting ensures: 

  • You’re accurately and effectively learning the Transcendental Meditation technique
  • You have the chance to talk through the new experiences that come up
  • Establishes the foundation for a lifelong support system

TM is practiced sitting comfortably, with your eyes closed, for 20 minutes, twice a day. During the practice, your mind naturally settles inward into quieter levels of awareness, without asking you to concentrate or control anything. The result is pure consciousness—a unique state of deep rest that helps the body and mind reset.

Your Transcendental Meditation mantra is a specific sound chosen for you personally by your TM Teacher. Unlike affirmations or other phrases rooted in meaning, your TM mantra isn’t meant to keep your mind active or focused. Instead, it’s an important part of the technique that helps the mind settle inward naturally and effortlessly.

Scientists have studied what happens to the brain during Transcendental Meditation, and it’s called “transcending”. It’s when your mind and body settle inward into a quiet, deeply restful state, while you’re still fully awake. There’s no concentration or effort required on your part—it all happens automatically through the TM technique. 

Throughout this process, the nervous system begins to reset, which is what leads to many of the benefits people notice from TM, like less stress, clearer thinking, and greater overall balance. And when you do this day after day, these benefits keep growing.

That’s completely okay, and actually very common. Especially because the Transcendental Meditation technique doesn’t ask you to control your mind, nor does it require any concentration or effort. The technique works naturally, even for people who feel like their mind never slows down.

No worries, a lot of people are at first. The good news is Transcendental Meditation doesn’t depend on any religion, philosophy, or belief system to work. In fact, you don’t need to change your lifestyle at all. The technique works naturally by allowing the mind and nervous system to settle into a deeply restful state, regardless of whether or not you have doubts.

Absolutely! Transcendental Meditation is designed to be effortless to learn and practice, even if you’ve never meditated before. Children as young as 10 years old learn the technique successfully, because transcending is something the mind naturally knows how to do.

Transcendental Meditation is a gentle, natural technique that helps regulate the nervous system and create deep rest. Many therapists and healthcare professionals recommend it as a complement to other forms of support and treatment, and it’s the only meditation practice ever referenced in American Heart Association guidelines.

Anywhere you can sit comfortably with your eyes closed, you can practice Transcendental Meditation. People practice sitting up in bed, riding on the bus, on an airplane, or in a comfortable chair at home. TM is designed to fit into your day, not interrupt it.

You’ll learn Transcendental Meditation over four sessions with a certified TM Teacher. The first is a personal one-on-one instruction, followed by three guided sessions designed to deepen understanding, ensure accuracy, and support your experience. Most people describe the learning process as surprisingly easy, and many tell us they wish they’d started sooner.

Your support doesn’t end after the course. You’ll continue to have the partnership of your Transcendental Meditation Teacher for guidance, tune-ups, and questions whenever you have them. Plus, you’ll have lifelong access to TM Centers worldwide, and ongoing daily resources through the official TM app.

Learning Transcendental Meditation starts by enrolling in a course with a certified TM Teacher. In your first session, you’ll receive personal one-on-one instruction. Then, you’ll join a small group for the following three sessions, either in-person or virtually. During this time, you’ll learn everything you need to know to maintain a self-sufficient TM practice, while also having our ongoing support to help establish a practice that feels natural, sustainable, and easy to maintain.

Learn more about the TM Course here: Transcendental Mediation Explained