Oprah Winfrey Says Transcendental Meditation Makes Her '1,000 Percent Better'
Oprah Winfrey's transcendental meditation experience has been "fantastic" for her and her entire company now participates in the practice, according to the media mogul.
Oprah Winfrey's foray into transcendental meditation was exposed on "Next Chapter" and on the "Dr. Oz" show, where she told the former host friend and fellow host Dr. Oz how she came to find the spiritual art, and how it made her "one thousand percent better."
Oprah visited the town of Fairfield, Iowa, an otherwise normal, rural town of about 9,500, except for the fact that many of them- as much as a third of them- meditate daily. Town members who participate in transcendental meditation all head to a domed building at a certain part of the day to meditate for a short while.
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Oprah found the practice to be relaxing, and invited teachers to relay the technique to her staff at Harpo Studios. Now, her attempt to "connect with that which is God" has spread to the entire company.
"Being connected to that which is greater than yourself, for me at this particular time in my life, is the most important thing and that's what I've been working on," Oprah told Dr. Oz.
The media mogul is convinced that "being still with [herself]" does more than just relax her, it "brings a kind of energy … that we've never had before." She mentioned it curing migraines, relationship stress, and sleep disorders throughout the company.
Now, everyone in the company takes 15 to 20 minutes out of their day at 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to meditate, according to the television show host.
Despite Oprah's claims that she's "not talking about religion" when referring to transcendental meditation, the practice has roots in Buddhism, Hinduism, the teachings of Krishna, and yoga sutras. Originally, the founder of TM, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founded it as a religion.
The practice involves thinking repeatedly on a mantra, usually one without words unique to each student of TM. Learning TM from a certified teacher can cost as much as $1,500 in the U.S.
