Transcendending through Meditation
Author: John Pronchik

In 1980 John Pronchik, who graduated from Penn State in 1978, was a stressed out electronic engineer burdened with work pressure and health problems stemming from a back injury as a result of a motor cycle accident. "I felt I was losing my grip," he says, "and found myself drinking more in order to numb my sense of powerlessness."

John began looking for answers to his dilemma. He began swimming at the YMCA, he started to do yoga, and when a friend gave him a book on Transcendental Meditation, his interest was piqued enough for him to attend a free introductory lecture near his home in Hatboro. “I was very motivated to get better, so I decided to give it a go and within a few days of practice, I felt as if huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.? No longer did he have the feeling that a runaway train was zooming in his head. Within a few months his mental fatigue from college days had lifted and he became hungry for learning again. He felt himself more able to concentrate on his work. And, best of all, he experienced a greater ability to give and receive love -- to "connect on a subtle level." The goal of Transcendental Meditation is to “transcend,?to go beyond thinking and be connected with universal bliss consciousness.

By 1985 John was ready to enter a two-year program that would qualify him as a Transcendental Meditation teacher. He wanted so much to share with others the benefits he now enjoyed. “The training is comparable to a Master degree program, Phase 1 was 5 months of full-time schooling which I did in Avon Park, Florida; Phase 2 was a year of field work which I did in Philadelphia; and Phase 3 was another 6 months of full-time schooling which I completed in Huntsville Ontario. Since then, I have been teaching TM full time in the Philadelphia area.?

When asked if he is witnessing positive results in his students, John replies, "Absolutely. I can see the transformation in people's faces. Chronic-digestive problems are alleviated. Blood pressure is normalized..... And the key to all of this is effortlessness." John takes pride in his association with the TM form of meditation. "'The benefits of the TM program are very well documented," he remarks. As one example he cites a recent article in the American Heart Association's journal, Hypertension, that reported that the TM technique lowered high blood pressure more significantly than the progressive muscle relaxation technique or exercise and diet modifications. In fact the TM technique was shown to produce blood pressure reductions equal to those commonly found with medication. As further evidence of TM's effectiveness, John refers to a report in the International Journal of Neuroscience stating that people practicing TM for five years or less tested five years younger in their biological age as measured by their near point vision, their hearing threshold and their blood pressure. Those practicing TM for more than five years tested on average 12 years younger in their biological age.

John makes special note of a report published in the May/June 1998 issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion based on an over-view of a total of 567 studies involving an estimated 20,000 subjects. The conclusion is that the Transcendental Meditation technique surpasses all other forms of meditation and relaxation in the areas of anxiety reduction, blood pressure reduction, physiological relaxation, self-actualization, improved psychological outcomes, and decreased use of cigarettes, alcohol and drugs.

John emphasizes the fact that the TM technique is based on science, requiring neither specific beliefs nor adoption of a particular lifestyle. It is practiced and enjoyed by people of all ages, educational backgrounds, cultures and religions worldwide. During the last 40 year, over 5 million people have learned the TM technique, over 1 million of them in the U.S., including more than 6000 doctors.

John describes TM as follows: "The TM technique is a simple. natural technique that is practiced sitting comfortably in a chair for 15-20 minutes twice a day with the eyes closed. From the outside the person appears to be just resting, but inside the individual is using an effortless, easy to learn technique which allows the mind and body to come to a completely settled, restfully alert state."

While the cost of learning this meditation technique may be considered high by some -- 5 for adults. 5 for students and seniors, and 0 for children under 18 -- graduates are qualified to take advantage of a follow-up program for the rest of their lives. If you are one of the over 20,000 individuals that have learned TM in this area over the past 30 years, John would be happy to help you with your meditation free of charge.

John points out that some of the top Fortune 100 companies approve TM for employee tuition reimbursement and that the TM organization is now being contacted by many schools across the country looking for help in reducing stress and violence in their schools.

To the objection that a person may be too busy to devote daily time to meditation, John Pronchik replies, "Meditation helps you become more efficient, more effective and more happy. Everyone should make time for that." That should be incentive enough for today's busy Americans.








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John Pronchik was personally qualified as a teacher of the Transcendental Meditation program by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1987. John is currently a wellness consultant specializing in developing human potential and the director of the TM program for Delaware County. He may be reached at by phone(610) 622-9977, email: tmdelco@erols.com or visit http://www.erols.com/tmdelco

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