Side effects of TM, Art of Living

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I was taught a mantra which I was requested to promise to keep secret (a promise I have kept and I have no particular problem with this either), and I was taught to meditate on this mantra by relaxing into it and allowing it to become subtler and subtler.

Definitely TM induces and extremely relaxing state of body and mind, but it induces mental fogginess. From a Buddhist point of view it is basically training in mental sinking which is a state of meditative concentration in which we have hold on the object of meditation but in which our clarity of it is fading. Mental sinking is a form of faulty concentration and yet is the essence of the practice of TM.

The effect of TM on me was to make me increasingly angry and confused. I started shouting at my family more and more. Eventally after a year and a half or so I decided to give it up without knowing quite why – a decision I am very grateful for.

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MichaelSeptember 16, 2011 at 12:50 AM
TM had me feeling the same way. I had a very bad time by the end of my time at the university. I'd get headaches on the left side of my head, but I was also turning in to a madman, not remembering things I would say or do. Apocalyptic ego-dissolution. The worst kind. The damnedest kind. I luckily had a few thousand dollars saved up to rest my mind and NOT practice TM before my life started back up (which had been a struggle for me for about a year). Nowadays, sometimes by habit the mantra rolls in my head when I am exhausted and collapsed on the couch from a long day. It soothes me but it also stimulates startling thoughts which I do not remember upon waking from my stupor, as often happens in dreams.

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Truth MirrorFebruary 3, 2013 at 6:13 PM
What disturbed me about TM was how I became slowly addicted to it. I needed it before work, and I craved it as soon as I could on arriving home in the evening.

Once I realized what was going on (a mantra-buzz blissy kind of addiction) I dropped it and never went back. It's just not a balanced technique. And now they say Maharishi wasn't even taught to teach, it's something he just made up.

No wonder so many had so many issues.

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Heart Problems Caused By Sudarshan Kriya
MARCH 26, 2011
by The Doctor
Akshata (March 24, 2011 6:17 am)

My sincere appeal to people. If you are having problems due to Sudarshan Kriya please stop immediately. it can worsen your condition if you do not heed the warnings and continue. This practise not suitable for all. It took me almost six months to recover from my three month practise of kriya. I did not have a heart attack as some one was mentioning before. but very strong heart palpitations due to kriya. the doctors warned me that I might even get some of the heart valves damaged.

Be very careful when you practise hotch potch techniques like sudarshan kriya. The teachers themselves do not know how this sudarshan kriya works or do not work. Ask questions to them and do not take their silly answers like guru’s revelation or grace. Otherwise you will suffer like how i suffered.

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I have been doing it since last 4 years in gaps as after experiencing its harmful effect, leaving it and somehow again after some time doing it either by getting attracted to improve health from it or getting influenced by art of living people constantly influencing you, and again and again i have been experiencing the same dull effects, but not anymore. I have decided to fully dissociate myself from art of living. I think my experience needs to be shared with people to find some out there who is experiencing the same. I would list some of the effects that i have felt after some of the Sudarshan Kriya.

1. don’t feel like doing anything, dont want to work, earn, talk etc

2. unable to think, take decision, unable to concentrate, inattentiveness. cant put your mind on work. unable to focus and be determined. ( i was so focused on working on my website, but after doing long kriya i just don’t feel and care less about it or infact i care less about anything. I can feel the damage in the brain. i dont feel the awareness to feel, focus and do it; something in mind that makes us want to do things is just not felt and i know because it was there before and how because of it i was able to work on a stretch and be motivated to work)

3. don’t feel to respond to others, being unresponsive. feeling dejected; dont care about the things happening around, make you emotionless.

4. dont feel good in mind. Feels like something is missing in the brain.