A Transformative Calm

dose of calmness. Every weekday morning, I'll share a meditation story, offer a simple practical tip about how you or loved one can stay a bit calmer in your life, and then we'll end each episode together with a moment of gratitude. My hope is that I can share what I know to anyone who needs it. Ready, sit comfortably, take a few deep breaths, and let's begin today's journey. I want to tell you about the first time I went into

San Quentin Prison. I was thirty years old, and I did not go there for anything I had done wrong. I had been invited to teach meditation to the inmates and guards, who both lived a nightmare existence behind the walls. To get to San Quentin, first you have to drive through two gates, and then you walk through four huge bolted locked doors, and at each door to gain entry into the courtyard, the inner space of San Quentin Prison, I had to sign an agreement that if I was

taken hostage, they would not negotiate for my life. So the guards took us downstairs and into a dingy, dark classroom with thirty chairs, and then thirty men came in. They all had learned to meditate before, and I was just coming in at the time to talk to them about their experiences and do a refresher So I sat in the front and we meditated. I remember it today like it was yesterday, the experience of settling down, of such profound rest and relaxation, and my mind just settling

into this inner quiet. And after I was done meditating, after the twenty minutes we're up, we had talked, I reflected, and I said, of all my years of meditating, that was one of the most profound experiences I've ever had. Afterwards, a guard came over to me who had been in the room, who was a Baptist minister and also a meditator, and he said he'd never had an experience like that in the thirty years he'd worked in the California prison. System. He said, you had in the room members of three

deadly violent gangs. He said, you never have any of those men sit next to each other, much less close their eyes. And you had all thirty of them meditate for twenty minutes, and they left talking to each other. I reflected on that, and I've reflected on that for years, and transcendental meditation, which I practice and teach, gives access to a deep, transcendent field within every human being. Doesn't matter what religion you are, philosophy, anything, it's just natural.

And when you have that experience, it's so incredibly peaceful and then rejuvenating. I thought those men in San Quentin Prison, maximum security prison, in twenty minutes could have that experience of just deep peace. What would the world be like if more people took time to access that field of silence that lies within every one of us. There's a whole science now called self transcendence where brain researchers and physiologists are looking at the experience of transcendence and it's

benefit to daily life. There was a study on some high school students. They were out in the woods and they just spent one minute looking high at some eucalyptus trees, and afterwards they reported that they were less self centered and they were more generous with each other. Other people who had transcendent experiences reported that they were more satisfied with their lives, that their life was more meaningful. But most important, they had higher levels of oxytocin, which is

the hormone that promotes bonding between two people. Oxytocin was coursing through their veins. My tip for you is make moments of transcendence, and that can be between you and a loved one, you and your child, you listening to music or playing music, you playing a sport, do things like spend some time in nature. Calm is not a surface reality. Calm starts from deep within and bubbles up. Make moments of transcendence, even a few minutes, a priority

in your life. All right, let's end this time together doing something that I think should be a feature of our everyday life, and that's appreciation and gratitude. So let's take thirty seconds of quiet, thirty seconds to take a break, just take a moment. It turns out when we do that it's good for our health as well. I'll be right back, all right, Thank you, for joining. This is Bob Roth. Keep calm. Thanks for listening today. I hope you heard something that inspired airs, that uplifts you, and

that you can incorporate into your own life. Until next time, remember, meditate, be kind, and be true to yourself. Hey, all of you out there, I'd love to hear from you. You can send me your stories, your questions, or anything else on your mind. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram at meditation Bob. You can also send me an email at meditation Bob Roth at gmail dot com. I look forward to hearing from you.