Back in the 1970s, my wife, Jean, took a course in Transcendental Meditation, or TM, as it was known. The course was expensive, at least several hundred dollars (which was expensive in those days). It consisted of a few one-and-two-hour sessions, but the highlight was a special ceremony in which Jean, and each of the other participants, was taken individually into a separate room, and the teacher whispered her mantra into her ear. This was the Sanskrit phrase she was supposed to repeat to herself to help focus her mind. "I remember thinking, when the instructor told me my mantra, that he was probably telling each of the other participants the same mantra," she recalls today.

I thought that TM had gone the way of Erhard Seminar Training, better known as EST, one of the great self-improvement fads of the 1970s, since there are today so many easily accessible options for learning how to meditate. But alas, I learn in today’s Wall Street Journal, that it is alive, well, and as pricey as ever ($2,500 for entry-level instruction). In an article, "Meditating for Heart Health", WSJ reporter Laura Johannes writes that research studies have shown meditation to be helpful in reducing death rates from heart disease. (To access the article, go to wsj.com and search for "johannes" or "aches & claims".) 

All that is fine. What is bothersome about the article is its focus on TM as the method of meditation, apparently because it "is the trademarked name of a method available only through this group," according to the article. You see, trademarks mean a lot to the WSJ. Even though the reporter points out that the scientists who conducted the study have ties to TM, she manages to reinforce the endorsement by quoting one of the TM bigwigs as saying, "the TM technique provides greater benefits than other types of meditation because instead of encouraging active thought, it uses unique methods to achieve a ‘quieter state of the human mind.’ That, in turn, he says is believed to reduce levels of stress hormones such as cortisol."

In business terms, the WSJ has helped position TM as the premium brand in meditation. That is truly unfortunate, since one form of meditation really can’t be proven to be better than another, no matter what the TM bigwigs say. There have been all kinds of studies on both meditation and yoga, and generally they show the practices to improve health on many levels. 

I practice Vipassana meditation, in which the meditator focuses on the breath rather than a mantra. I have found it highly beneficial not only in lowering my blood pressure, but in helping me enjoy life more. But I wouldn’t claim it is the best form of meditation. There are many variations of meditation, but the underlying point of all of them is to help practitioners calm their minds, as a way of moving into the present, rather than focusing on the future and past, as we are wont to do. Note the term "practice" that is applied to meditation. No matter which type of meditation you do, you need to regularly practice for it to yield benefits.

Finally, there is absolutely no need to pay $2,500 to learn how to meditate. Any number of books will instruct you; Amazon sells many, and you can also take a look at this list. Meditation is supposed to open your heart, not rip you off.