Am I transcending?

Am I transcending?

Transcending occurs when we dive deeper than the intellect, beyond the mind and ego in meditation. Therefore we can’t analyse whats happening during transcending Nor can we experience it thru the senses we have transcended them. During transcending we just BE in that state and bc every experience changes us we transform to a state of greater balance. Even though this is what we are doing twice daily it can feel like an ineffable experience and I often chat with students who are doubting their meditation in the early days. Getting a little caught up in right and wrong and be concerned that we aren’t fully ‘getting it’.

In reality there is no new skill to learn, nothing you have to get – and there is nothing to create for yourself. There’s no way you can miss out. It is as natural for the mind to transcend as it is for dawn to arrive or for a tree to grow. TM is a simple, natural, and innocent practice because transcending is a natural phenomena. It’s not only available to a select, lucky few… it’s available to everyone. The TM technique does not create transcendence, it reveals your own transcendental nature. It’s revelatory of a state that is always here and always will be. We don’t have to go seeking, we don’t have to try hard, we simply need to let go into what is already here at the source of thought. The real truth is, transcendence never fades; it’s our individualised awareness that drifts elsewhere, usually back to the relative material world of ‘things to do’ and ‘places to be’. The journey of meditation is about gently revealing the unboundedness of our awareness, remembering that stillness and bliss is ever present. With each practice, we integrate greater awareness into our daily lives and it becomes the foundation for how we live. TM meditation is not about finding something new—it’s about coming home to what’s always been here, and who we truly are.

The transcendental field (or pure awareness) underlies all of life, and is often buried, ignored, or inaccessible due to over stimulation of the mind and stress in our physiology. Even though it’s a very natural experience, we didn’t grow up with practices, culture or the knowledge to integrate transcendence as a normal part of our everyday life. Those of us lucky enough, find ourselves on a journey of re-discovery later in life, through modalities such as TM. You’ve probably had an experience of transcendence long before learning to meditate. TM Meditation is not the only way to transcend but it is in my 29 years experience teaching it, the  easiest way. A very effective, easy, and enjoyable journey of re-discovery. With regular revealing of the existing reality of transcendence, this state is awakened within us. Our brain and body rapidly learn to model and integrate transcendence. We may at first experience transcendence exclusively in meditation but eventually it becomes a permanent reality.

Why do we doubt our own natural experience of transcending?
There is a physiological state associated with transcendence. As we settle down into deeper more subtle states in meditation our biology follows. There is a correlated physiological state to transcendental consciousness – certain brain waves, heart rate, breathing rate, and neurochemistry that is present – just as there is a unique physiological state for our waking state of consciousness, dreaming state of consciousness, and sleeping state of consciousness. Transcendence is a state of restful alertness; we are deeply relaxed just fully awake inside. There is stillness, peace, and presence, and our biology reflects this. Activity has subsided to the degree that the mind is no longer the mind as we know it in our waking state. Which is why we can sometimes come out of meditation and have a feeling ‘where did I go?’, ‘what was that?’ or ‘did I transcend?’ We can doubt our experience because it’s not happening on the level of the mind as we know it in everyday life. Instead, consciousness is recognising consciousness. Consciousness is awake to itself. In that direct experience there is no doubt, no misperception, no uncertainty. It simply is. There is complete and accurate recognition of the Self.
When the mind transcends, the body activates the relaxation response. As we relax we create the perfect conditions to begin processing and digesting stress. As the stress is released, a shift in our physiology occurs, and we can no longer hold that more subtle state we were in. Some activity in the mind begins, and at some point when we are on the more surface layers of the mind, we may look back at the experience and go, ‘huh? What happened there?’ We try to understand, comprehend, or makes sense of it but a different physiological state is now present giving rise to more active layers of awareness and a different model to view the experience through. Overtime this difference becomes less and less and we are able to maintain transcendence outside of meditation. We can be in activity, having a conversation, or writing an email and be silent inside, relaxed, deeply rested, and unbounded. This is the process of integration, the process we are all engaging in every time we sit down to meditate.
Let the process unfold.
The process is happening whether we are aware of it or not, whether we enjoyed it or not, and this is the process we initiate each time we meditate. We need to create a new model in the mind-body, one of transcendental consciousness and that takes some time because of stress in our physiology. With practise what emerges is a knowingness of that state rather than needing to trust it is there. Transcendental consciousness becomes awake, present, and directly perceived as a background to our awareness in all moments.
One of the most supportive t

The more we can just go with the flow, the more the practice can simply work and we experience less resistance. We don’t need to worry or get caught up in right and wrong, just relax and enjoy the journey.

Slow, integrated change is a good thing. But this means that sometimes we don’t recognise the micro-changes that are occurring in our lives from each meditation. We may normalise them.

What does the integration of transcending into daily life look like….
•    Getting less caught up in worry, future thinking, or other people’s opinions … or if you do it takes less time to come back to your centre
•    Having a deeper sense that no matter what happens everything is going to be ok
•    Feeling more content, happy, and smiling for no reason
•    When faced with challenges feeling more capable to adapt and respond
•    Feeling more connected to life, nature, and your surroundings and appreciating more the small things in your life
•    More present moment awareness rather than past or future ruminating
•    Feeling more at home no matter where you are
•    You seem to be in the right place at the right time
•    Having a greater sense of empathy and compassion

And the delicious thing is it starts right from day one!