and director of education at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Center for Integrative Medicine. Paul Roochnik, Ph.D., director of the Baltimore/Annapolis Transcendental Meditation Program, has been meditating for almost 44 years. “It gets rid of the stress and calms the mind,” he says. “It makes me feel as though I just got back from vacation—twice a day.” TM is but one kind of meditation. While concentration and mindfulness are central to every form of meditation, different styles have different objects of focus, ranging from breath to sound, visualization, movement, standing and walking. They all have impressive results though. Indeed, Annapolis physician Fritz Sutter cites a study that appeared in Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, in which a team of Harvard-affiliated researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found that meditation actually produces measurable changes in the brain. There is no one right form of meditation. For Chiaramonte, the most beneficial kind of meditation is the one that you actually do on a regular basis, no matter the style. “Some people respond better to sitting in silent meditation while others do better with a more active form of meditation such as walking meditation or a moving meditative practice such as Tai Chi or Qi Gong,” she says. While TM is taught by trained instructors, other forms of meditation can be learned in a class, or even through books, videos or apps (try the app Headspace or the free podcasts by Tara Brach, of the Insight Meditation Community in Washington, DC).
Yoga, which has a long tradition dating back more than 4,000 years, can bring transcendence and calm to busy lives as well. In the last 20 years it has flourished in the Unites States, with approximately 21 million adults now practicing. In addition to its mental benefits, yoga has also been shown to offer numerous health benefits, including better sleep, decrease in blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reduction in chronic pain and improved breathing. “The physicality combined with the spirituality of the experience is amazing,” Debbie Ailiff says of the classes she takes at Evolutions, a full-service health, fitness and wellness studio in Annapolis, adding that she’s never felt better in her life. “I’m physically stronger, my lower back issues have cleared up and my balance and posture are much improved.” “Yoga is a very holistic, comprehensive practice," according to registered yoga therapist Pam Blum, Evolutions’ program director. “People who take yoga are looking for more than just a physical workout,” she says. “They’re looking for a practice that they can take off the mat and out into the world.” “Many students come to yoga class for a time to be still and present,” adds Severna Park YogaWorks instructor Jen Hoenshied. “Others come to work on a particular pose or just overall flexibility and body movement. They all walk away more at peace.” World peace is certainly elusive. However, the wise teach us that inner peace is not. Why not try to access your own peace? It is there waiting. Or at least meditate on the possibility. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who died in 2005, believed that meditation is itself a powerful action and that all true change comes from within. LG
It didn’t take long for Cam Ailiff to see the results of his TM practice, but he became convinced of its effects when his wife and a colleague at work commented on his newfound sense of calm.
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In fact, Debbie, who has been practicing yoga for the past six years, was so impressed that she too took the four-day TM training class, and now the two get up before dawn every morning and meditate together. “We’re relaxed, joyful and healthy!” say the couple, who have also become vegans in an effort to live a “cleaner” lifestyle.
YogaWorks, yogaworks.com
Evolutions, evolutionsannapolis.com Insight Meditation Community of Washington, imcw.org Transcendental Meditation Annapolis, tm.org/transcendental-meditation-annapolis Transcendental Meditation, tm.org
“People who take yoga are looking for more than just a physical workout. They’re looking for a practice that they can take off the mat and out into the world.”
Pam Blum, Registered Yoga Therapist and Program Director, Evolutions