Have you heard of Transcendental Meditation (TM)? It’s one of the most popular forms of meditation and has been studied in depth by scientists over the years.

There are many other individual benefits to be gained for people who regularly practice TM. Three hundred ninety five peer reviewed studies show that TM improves physical and mental health and wellbeing. TM reduces the pathological and physiological results of chronic stress. Clinical trials and meta-analyses show reductions in: anxiety, high blood pressure, smoking, alcohol use, hardening of the arteries, insulin resistance, and a nearly 50% reduction in risk of heart attack, stroke or death.

TM was founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1950’s. He began teaching TM around the world and given the results it was quickly popularized and studied. Due to its effectiveness, TM reached all around the world and is still used heavily today.

A New Film

Shadows of Paradise is one of the films premiering at the ILLUMINATE film festival. This film documents the Transcendental Meditation (TM) Movement with intimate access to two of TM’s leaders — iconic filmmaker David Lynch and dedicated disciple Bobby Roth. The film documents the movement’s metamorphosis following the death of founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Having grown up within TM, Director Sebastian Lange approaches his subject through an introspective lens, seeking to reconcile the present-day incarnation with the teachings and practices that have shaped his worldview.

Lynch has been creating awareness about TM for quite a while, and he’s done a lot of work to help more people recognize that this is not just some farce. During an event hosted by Lynch, he had Russel brand interview renowned physicist, Dr. John Hagelin, regarding TM and transformation from within. Russel started off with the question:

“why on Earth are you, a quantum physicist, even here on a night where we are talking about transcendental meditation?”

The first words to come out of Dr. Hagelin’s mouth were:

“That should be obvious, quantum physics has basically revealed the fundamental unity of life…..”

You can watch that full interview here.

“When a spiritual luminary dies, how do his adherents continue? Having himself grown up within the movement, Director Sebastian Lange approaches his subject through an introspective and essayistic lens, seeking to reconcile TM’s present-day incarnation with the teachings and practices that shaped his worldview. From star-studded galas hosted by Lynch’s Manhattan-based foundation to a perilous cliffside cave in Madhya Pradesh, the film accompanies Lange as he pursues personal spiritual meaning amidst TM’s transformative global growth.”

Be sure to check it out!

The ILLUMINATE film festival will be showcasing this film along with a number of other  great conscious films that explore what it means to be a human on the planet today. The festival helps to empower others to lead more peaceful, happier and more “enlightened” lives. The festival premiers films regarding mindful meditations to groundbreaking explorations of mind-body science.

“Illuminate films reminds us who we are by awakening the heart to embody love once more – for ourselves and each other.”

Their films and workshops explore the following themes:

The Human Journey: Self and Relationship

• Self-love and self-acceptance
• Unity consciousness and interconnectedness
• Life purpose and possibility
• Conscious relationship and family
• Sexuality and intimacy (masculine and feminine presence, tantra)
• Career, money, and abundance

Mind and Science

• Mindfulness
• Neuroscience and metaphysics
• Intuitive arts
• Dream psychology

Meditation, Spirituality and Practice

• Spiritual practice (yoga, tai chi, qigong, etc.)
• Healing techniques (EFT, Reiki, etc.)
• Native American ceremony and shamanism

Body and Nutrition

• Bodywork and therapy (massage, craniosacral, myofascial, acupuncture, chakra balancing, kinesiology)
• Movement and dance (ecstatic dance, 5 rhythms, creative movement)
• Culinary and detox (cleansing, plant-based diet, organic food movement)
• Alternative medicine

Nature and Sustainability

• Environment and ecology
• Sustainable living
• Herbalism

Arts and Creative Expression

• Music and sound healing: kirtan, drumming, etc.
• Collage and vision-boarding
• Writing, journaling and spoken word
• Visual arts: painting, photography

We will be down at the ILLUMINATE film festival this year and would love to see you there!