T.M. in Yoga Journal, March/April 2001

Just for fun, I'm sharing with you the results of my spring cleaning.  This week I was going through old magazines, and picked this issue at random to browse through.  Wow!  Maybe it was a slow month at Yoga Journal, because they sure filled up a lot of space with T.M. related stuff.  Maybe the T.M. organization (TMO) public relations department sent out a bunch of "infomercials" (advertisements disguised as news items.)

Here's what I found:

1.  Paid advertisement: "America's Premier Ayur Veda Health Center - Maharishi Vedic Medicine at the Raj. Offering medically supervised programs based on….."  It included a testimonial: "I decided to try The Raj to avoid a lung transplant. It saved my life. Today I can converse without coughing, my heartburn is gone…."

[Since this is the TMO I'm dealing with, I googled the patient's name.  For what it's worth, I found her obituary - she had died of cancer seven years after the advertisement, at the age of 71.  She was treated at The Raj for something other than cancer.  - Laurie]

2.   News note: "A recent study found that ancient Vedic healing techniques….Four patients suffering from diabetes, sarcoidosis, hypertension and Parkinsons….Three weeks of Maharishi Vedic Medicine which incorporates diet, herbs, purification, yoga, T.M., Vedic sound therapy," ["Vedic sound therapy" is the term the article used for chanting - Laurie] and "yaghyas" (sic) which were defined in the article as "a Vedic therapy for restoring the harmony between an individual and the cosmos."   "….Over 18 months, many of the symptoms were reduced and some were even able to lower or discontinue medication. Source: Behavioral Medicine 2000; 26: 34-46."

3. Health article: "Allergy Alert: Stop Sneezing with these Herbal Remedies….Medical Director of Raj Maharishi Ayur-Ved Health Center in Fairfield, Iowa…imbalance of kapha dosha…Director of Research for Maharishi Ayur-Ved Products International says…."

4.  Paid advertisement: "Experience the Youthful Skin Transformation. Our Youthful Skin(™) line contains potent, natural-sourced….$26.95 for sample pack (4-step regimen of 4 lotions)."

5.   Health article: "Bathe in the Elements: Ayurveda prescribes cleansing your body in water, air, earth, fire and space….Ayurvedic 'bathing'….For example, 'an air bath…of deep breathing and focused awareness of the breath…bathes the lungs…,' says a visiting consultant at The Raj, an ayurvedic health center in Fairfield, Iowa…."

6.   News note:  "The Beatles Anthology.…Some consider the Fab Four's personal friendship with the Maharishi to be an early inspiration for the popular rise of yoga and meditation in the West."

7.  First-person story:  This one had no mention of T.M., but it ended with this paragraph, which, considering the heartbreak that sometimes results from following Maharishi, seemed to me ironically  apropros:

"Don't bow down to just a man," [a local guru  - Laurie]  I reply.  "Instead, bow down to your own Self that you recognize inside him.  Then bowing down to him is no different than bowing down before your own higher nature."  My student finally did choose to bow down.  Afterward, he looked relieved.  That's one of the opportunities that gurus provide:  They give us a chance to put aside our selfishness and replace it with surrender and service."