March 2001

"How I Learned TM"
A Gentle Nudge
By Josephine Salvador

Throughout my life I suffered from tension headaches. The headaches worsened when I took an administrative position at my previous school. I began my career as a full-time teacher, but in administration the stresses are of a different nature.

A big part of the job entailed orientations, transitioning middle school families into high school. I was also the "big event" person, and that takes a lot of organizing. As the pressures at work increased, the headaches got worse. I was resigned to the fact that I was one of those people who always had headaches. I was continually popping pain pills.

To get some relief, I tried aerobics and Yoga, running and swimming, all of the "sweating out" exercises. I also went to a therapist to work on the pain and tension. The turning point came when I spoke with my father. I told him, "The headaches aren’t getting better. I’m feeling very tense. I’m really stressed."

My dad had started the Transcendental Meditation technique in the seventies. I only knew that Daddy had his "quiet time" when he would sit downstairs before dinner and be quiet. He talked about it, but didn’t push this on anyone in the family. He just did it on his own.

But when I came to him with my headache problem, he was great. He said, "Maybe you want to try meditation." It was a very gentle suggestion. I said, "You know, maybe you’re onto something." At that moment, I was ready to hear it.

He lives in New Orleans and I was in Virginia, but he made it easy for me. He contacted the local Center, and told me, "This is where you need to go." Money was a little tight for me at that point, but as parents do when they need to, he said, "Don’t worry about that."

It was immediate relief. In the first two days, I didn’t have a headache. I had lived with that pain for such a long time. I immediately called my father and said, "If nothing else, it has relieved my headache pain." That hooked me on the practice.

I started going to weekend Residence Courses, and at one we were asked what long-term benefits we’d noticed from practicing TM. I realized there were two important things. Actually, a dear friend noticed one of them first. He knows the large amount of tasks I take on at work.

Before one large event he said, "You know, this morning you’re not running ragged. I’ve never seen you so calm before an event." I was still busy—that didn’t change at all—but I was able to get things done efficiently and then feel good about them

Secondly, my job requires a lot of public speaking. I don’t especially enjoy it, but now I’m much more comfortable. I don’t get stressed or nervous. Practice has eased some of the nervousness, but I am certain that practicing TM has also been a big factor.

Students learn by listening and by watching their teachers. They are adept at sensing when adults are speaking the truth. They know if we’re tired, sad or happy. No educator intentionally models stress, tension and chaos as a way of life, but sometimes it may look that way to our students.

They also know when we believe in what we are doing. My students often talk about "keeping it real." What is more real than allowing yourself to develop your true "potential"—intelligence, love, humanity? What’s better than modeling this self-caring and self-awareness for young adults?

My hope is that more educators and students are ready to hear about the Transcendental Meditation program— as I was that day with my father.

Josephine Salvador is Head of the Upper School at Brooklyn Friends School in New York.