Acute stress and deep fatigue are common features in the lives of government leaders everywhere. These factors take a negative toll, impacting health ...
William Hague, the current Foreign Secretary in a Conservative-Liberal Democrats coalition government, is among a growing number of government leaders to speak publicly about the benefits of the Transcendental Meditation technique for life in the political fast lane. Hague served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001.
Mr. Hague, 47, recently told The Times of London that he learned the Transcendental Meditation technique when he was a student at Oxford University and has practiced it regularly ever since. He said he finds time in his 15-hour working day to meditate because it makes him “calmer, have fewer headaches, and sleep better.
Nick Clegg, 43, now Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Democrats, is another UK government leader who learned the Transcendental Meditation technique. Mr. Clegg started meditating as a student at Cambridge University and found it incredibly helpful when he was starting out with his career. “TM is an extremely good way to deal with the stresses of ordinary life,” Mr. Clegg said.
Mr. Hague began his career as an author. His biography of the 18th-century British politician William Pitt the Younger was named “History Book of the Year” at the National Book Awards. He later received an MBA and went on to hold several directorships before beginning a career in public service.
David Cameron became Leader of the Conservative Party and assumed office on 6 December 2005. In 2010, after David Cameron became the Prime Minister of Great Britian, Mr. Hague took on the key government roles of First Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary. He is also the Member of Parliament for Richmond, in Yorkshire.
Mr. Clegg also serves as Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the UK coalition government of Mr. Cameron. In addition, he is a Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam.
With Mr. Hague and Mr. Clegg having learned the TM technique, maybe a group meditation in Parliament would be a good idea. All in favor…
Transcendental Meditation is a simple, natural, effortless procedure practiced 20 minutes twice each day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. It’s not a religion, philosophy, or lifestyle. It’s the most widely practiced, most researched, and most effective method of self-development.
The Transcendental Meditation technique allows your mind to settle inward beyond thought to experience the source of thought — pure awareness, also known as transcendental consciousness, or the unified field. This is the most silent and peaceful level of consciousness — your innermost Self. In this state of restful alertness, your brain functions with significantly greater coherence and your body gains deep rest.
Transcendental meditation has been taught all over the world for the past 50 years and is the most widely researched of all meditation techniques. Over 600 research studies have been conducted at more than 250 universities and research centers (including Harvard, UCLA, and Stanford). These studies have been published in more than 100 journals.
TM & the effect of “ahimsa” in the Yoga Sutra
In the Yoga Sutras, the first of the eight limbs of yoga is called “yama”. Yama has five aspects, beginning with ahimsa, which means “non-injury” or “non-violence”. Mahatma Gandhi made ahimsa famous when he mobilized all of India to free itself from British domination without firing a shot. Martin Luther King, Jr., the head of the civil rights movement in the U.S., was one of many who were influenced by Gandhi and his use of ahimsa to achieve social change without violence.
Giving your mind some healthy “downtime”
Very recently, much has been written about our new “plugged-in” society. A recent feature story in the New York Times highlighted the potential dangers to healthy brain functioning that can result from the incessant use of our modern digital communication devices.
The yoga sutra and deep meditation
While yoga is generally understood in America to be a diverse array of bending and stretching exercises that originated in India, the word yoga has a much wider connotation, and includes sitting with the eyes closed in silent, deep meditation. In India, yoga is a state of mind, not just an exercise for the body.
