The Yoga Tradition

For thousands of years Raja Yoga, the 'royal path to unity' has described the vast mental resources that lie virtually untapped below the surface of our conscious mind. Through misunderstanding of the original teachings however, the process prescribed to release this potential and thereby solve all life's problems, 'Ashtanga Yoga,' has been interpreted as eight steps of control and correct behaviour, which would eventually lead to the ability to experience a settled mind or 'samadhi'.
Because of this confusion of cause and effect, it didn't work for all but a few who were prepared to give up normal activity. Meditation was for a long time relegated to the fringes of everyday life, and for active people became substituted by visualisation and other mildly relaxing techniques.

In the 1950's, however, a major revival of interest in meditation began when Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a disciple of the renowned spiritual leader Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, travelled throughout India and around the world several times to re-establish the original! understanding of meditation. Since 1958, more than six million people have been relieved to find, on learning his Transcendental Meditation (TM), that meditation is simple and effortless because, rather than needing control, it is the natural tendency of everyone's mind to transcend - go beyond - thoughts and settle into silence, given the opportunity.
So no effort is needed. In fact, the only rule given to new meditators is 'don't make an effort.'

Quite a relief for most people!

* DISCLAIMER
As a courtesy to the Maharishi Foundation, we point out that, although our teachers were all trained under the guidance of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi by his Foundation, and we feel a deep connection still existing on a mental and spiritual level with the long Tradition of Teachers, our Trust has no connection on the physical plane with his organisation.