Individual Meditation Instruction
Special ~ $85
I want to touch as many lives as possible during these stressful times.
You will experience greater clarity, vitality and equanimity. Meditation is a process of tapping into your innate wisdom and inner calm. That in turn informs and drives behavior in a direction that brings more alignment with inner values and higher quality-of-life. As this muscle is developed, it significantly impacts every area of life: health, well-being, relationships, decision-making, productivity, creativity, morale, and ability to cope with stress and adversity. See research below.
4 one-on-one phone sessions, weekly:
1st session is 45-min. for instruction in 2 styles: 1) “Allowing what is” and 2) Self-inquiry
2nd, 3rd, 4th sessions are 25 min. each for accountability, processing obstacles, fine tuning and applying principles to other areas of life
Monique’s Approach
Monique’s meditation instruction incorporates her experience with TM, working for Deepak Chopra in 1993, plus a decade of instruction from her Zen teacher. She teaches clients to use various techniques below. In over 25 years of meditation practice, she used TM exclusively for only a couple of years and yet continues to enjoy tremendous benefits, such as those touted in TM research below. In her experience and in witnessing others, the benefits are for meditation in general. High-cost courses are discouraged as unnecessary.
Meditation instruction with Monique can take place during one-on-one coaching sessions or with groups. Depth of success depends on personal commitment, natural ability, and practice. Most people can indeed meditate successfully; many simply haven’t glimpsed the possibility yet. Monique will share misconceptions and mental obstacles that arise when attempting to meditate.
Meditation Techniques
Sitting meditations with closed eyes:
- Breath awareness
- “Allowing what is”
- Inquiry (e.g., What’s true?)
- Mantra (using a word or phrase)
- Body scan (noticing physical and emotional sensations)
- Guided relaxation with a facilitator
Moving meditations techniques:
- Mindfulness walking
- Free-flowing movement with music
- Yoga
- Tai Chi
- Qigong
Supplemental Stress Reduction Activities
- Conscious living: Awareness + Attention + Action + Acceptance
- Beliefs and assumptions exploration
- Yoga breathing techniques
- Stream of consciousness writing; anger release writing
- Time in nature
- Body basics: healthy nutrition, sleep, exercise, rest, and work-life balance
- Monique’s stress relief coaching
Deepak Chopra, MD, & TM
Below is scientific evidence of the benefits of TM (Transcendental Meditation) as sited on tm.org. In 1993, Deepak Chopra, MD, (bestselling author) left the TM Health Center in Massachusetts to join Sharp HealthCare, one of the largest healthcare systems in California. He intended to complement Western medicine with Ayurvedic medicine. Ayurveda is a 5000 year-old science of medicine from India which integrates mind-body techniques, such as meditation, yoga, and a well-being philosophy. Deepak now offers his own meditation technique (chopra.com). When Monique worked for Sharp and Deepak in 1993, her TM training was $200. As of October 2011, TM meditation was $1500, while Deepak’s was $375. Both programs offer a personalized mantra to use in meditation. Deepak provided a free breath awareness (non-mantra) meditation instruction for all patients and guests of the Chopra Center when Monique worked with him.
Research at a Glance (tm.org)
Please refer to tm.org for more detailed information.
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health The NIH has awarded more than $24 million to study the benefits of the Transcendental Meditation technique for improving brain functioning and cardiovascular health during the past 20 years. MORE
American Medical Association
The AMA’s journal Archives of Internal Medicine published a recent study showing the TM technique is highly effective in preventing the risk factors for high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. MORE
American College of Cardiology
During its annual convention, the ACC hosted a symposium on the research conducted at more than a dozen independent universities and medical schools on the effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique for reducing heart disease, hypertension, stroke, cholesterol, atherosclerosis, and heart failure. MORE
American Psychological Association
During its annual conference last year, the APA featured research on the TM technique that documents the positive, long-term benefits of the practice for self-actualization and self-development. MORE
Decreased Need for Medical Care: Decreased Hospitalization
A study of approximately 2000 participants in the TM program analyzing five years of medical insurance data found that they required significantly less hospitalization, for both medical and surgical procedures, in comparison to the average of all other insured persons. Reference: Psychosomatic Medicine 49: 493–507, 1987.
Improved General Health in University Students
University students in Cambodia who began the TM program showed an improvement in general health (composed of physical, mental, and social factors) after three months, in contrast to groups of students from two other universities who did not learn the TM program. Reference: Journal of Instructional Psychology 22: 308–319, 1995.M
Increased Longevity in the Elderly
This follow-up study of a group of elderly people (average age 80.7 years) who were randomly assigned to either learn the TM program or to three control groups found that those who learned the TM program showed a significant increase in longevity (survival time) in comparison to the other three groups. Reference: Circulation 93: 629 (Abstract), 1996.
Younger Biological Age
Those who had been regularly practicing the TM program showed younger biological age, with a greater reduction in biological age the longer they had been participating in the program. Reference: International Journal of Neuroscience 16: 53–58, 1982.
Reduction of Atherosclerosis
This study found that those who learned TM showed reduced thickening of the carotid artery. This finding was in contrast to continued thickening of this artery among a control group, shown on the left, who took a health education program on diet and exercise for alleviating cardiovascular problems. Reference: Stroke 31: 568–573, 2000.
Reduction of High Blood Pressure
Patients with high blood pressure who learned the TM program showed a significant reduction of systolic and diastolic blood pressure after three months, in contrast to those randomly assigned to a control technique or to those who received education on how to reduce blood pressure through diet and exercise. Reference: Hypertension 26: 820–827, 1995.
Biochemistry of Deep Rest: Decreased Plasma Cortisol
Those who practiced the TM technique showed significantly decreased plasma levels of cortisol during the practice, in contrast to controls. Increased plasma cortisol is an endocrine response to stress, and decreased plasma cortisol thus indicates reduced stress. Reference: Hormones and Behavior 10: 54–60, 1978.
Physiological Indicators of Deep Rest
A meta-analysis of all available physiological research on the TM program found that it produces a state of deep rest compared to control conditions, as measured by reduced respiration rate, reduced basal skin conductance (increased skin resistance), and reduced plasma lactate. Reference: American Psychologist 42: 879–881, 1987.
Next Step
Please contact Monique if you wish to receive her meditation instruction. She is not currently affiliated with TM or Deepak Chopra.
I asked Deepak Chopra if he practiced all that he teaches. He said, “No, but there’s one thing I’m fanatical about: meditating 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening.
Monique Martineau