Almost ten years ago, I took the first steps towards learning Transcendental Meditation from the TM organization after having read an excellent Swedish book about the effectiveness of the technique, but something that I first thought was a typo on the official TM website wasn't – the cost to learn was 18500 Swedish Krona (about $2,100) – which was a staggering amount for me as a student at the time – and I quickly forgot about TM for the time being.
Then, a couple of years ago, I watched the documentary "School of Thought" (2008) directed by Tony Perri, featuring director David Lynch when he visits Fairfield's TM community in Iowa. As a result, the documentary renewed and spurred my interest of wanting to learn the technique once more and to finally incorporating the practice in my daily life.
The Home Study Course 'Natural Stress Relief' (NSR)
Being a Reiki practitioner, I have taken Reiki classes both live and online, and they have all been satisfactory to me. So, with this in mind, coupled with an eagerness to begin my mantra meditation training, I began to search the web for a high-quality Transcendental Meditation online course, and stumbled upon an alternative and home study course called Natural Stress Relief (NSR). After some closer examination and having spent some time looking through their website, I ended up ordering the course material right away.
The things that stood out for me was:
- NSR was founded and is teached by independent TM teachers.
- The practice's efficiency is backed up by laboratory tests.
- Course material was available as an instant download (or as a printed manual and audio CD).
- It was easy to seek advice and assistance.
- Reviews were overall good and positive.
- Cost was only $25.
A Quick and Easy Way to Get Started
After I ordered the instant download, I received a nice PDF file with all the necessary information plus an audio file to help you work with the mantra.
I began the course by filling out a form that would help to evaluate my progress and development over time, and to assure that I was able to take the course in a safe way – depending on your mental health, intake of specific medicine etc., you might get advised not to take the training.
After this, the practical part of the course began, which meant two one-hour learning sessions a day for three consecutive days.
Working with the Class Material
The instructions was very clear and easy to follow, ensuring me that I practiced the technique effortlessly and correctly, and in the included audio file, a gentle woman voice guided me in how to use and pronounce the mantra correctly, a great aid since it can be a difficult task to know how to work with the mantra from just reading a text.
When I had completed the six sessions successfully, I was finally on my own. But, NSR encourage you to now and then take a refresher course by going through the training material once more.
Support and Checkings to Maintain a Good Practice
Upon ordering, I went ahead and paid for three email consultations, but since the class material was very easy to grasp, I have never felt the need to use any of them.
Once the course has ended and someone who has learned NSR needs to seek some additional help and advice, NSR offers proper guidance by offering consultations and checkings in the following ways:
- via email
- via Skype
- in the forum
The Forum – A Wealth of Information and Advice
Four years has passed since I took up NSR, and I still regularly visit NSR's forum, which is frequented both of people who have learned this style of meditation, TM and Deepak Chopra's Primordial Sound Meditation. One of the reasons why TM:ers seem to visit the forum, is because of the easy way to get feedback, especially if they're living in a remote area with no teacher and meditation center nearby.
The forum is a wealth of information and due to its high activity and so many people contributing, it's always certain that a question you might have, already has been answered in great detail and ready to point you in the right direction. But, if you despite this can't find any satisfactory answers and still need help, NSR's teacher David Spector and other experienced meditators more often than not seem to share some valuable insights.
Give It a Go
With so much to offer, in combination with the low cost, I highly recommend you take a closer look at the NSR course – you won't regret it.
Additional Alternatives and Resources
Since learning about NSR, I have discovered some additional alternatives and resources that can benefit you greatly.