TM is taught in a seven-step course as follows:
Steps 1 & 2 – The Introductory Talk:
This is in two parts. Part 1 covers what TM is and describes the benefits, and in Part 2 you can find out more about how it works, why it works, where it comes from and how it differs from other systems of meditation and relaxation. I have recorded a presentation so you can watch it in your own time at your own convenience. It’s about 45-minutes long.
Step 3 – A 10-15 minute chat:
Either before or after you have seen the video we can have a one-to-one chat. This normally lasts 10-15 minutes and it gives you a chance to clarify anything that wasn’t covered in the talk, to cover any personal considerations, and make an appointment to learn if that’s what you decide you want to do.
Step 4 – Personal instruction:
This takes place at my office just off Cherry Hinton Road in Cambridge. Allow 90 minutes.
Steps 5-7 – Understanding and stabilising the practice:
On each of the three days after you have learned you will do a class in which more knowledge and understanding is given based on your experience so far. This can be face-to-face in a group with others who learned on the same day, or via an App which you download to your smartphone. If you learn with the App there will be an additional 30-minute Zoom session with me so you can ask questions. Allow 90+ minutes or so for each of these sessions.
6-month follow-up
Once you have finished the course we recommend that you stay in contact with your teacher so that they can answer any questions you may have and see that you are happy with your practice and you are getting the benefits that you expected. Typically there would be a session about a week after the end of the course, another a couple of weeks later, and then as needed. This follow-up is considered part of the course and is covered by the course fee that you pay.
Course fees
In the UK there is a very wide range in people’s ability to pay, so the Trustees of Maharishi Foundation, the charity overseeing the teaching of TM in the UK, have devised a sliding scale of fees based on people’s ability to pay. We don’t ask to see payslips or anything, it’s up to you to put yourself in a suitable category. This system means that those who have more means are able to support those with less. Here are the categories.
Medium earners:
- £525: individual income over £25,000 pa (higher standard rate)
- £395: individual income under £25,000 pa (lower standard rate)
- £295: individual income under £15,000 pa (living on their own with no other household income)
- £295: Students aged 18 and over in full-time education
- £190: Students under 18 in full-time education.
High earners:
- £625: individual income over £40,000 pa
- £725: individual income over £60,000 pa