It has been sixty years since Maharishi Mahesh Yogi left the Himalayas and travelled to the West to introduce a revolutionary form meditation he named 'Transcendental Meditation' (TM).
TM was based on the principles behind the creation of International Yoga Day - that yoga is not about exercise, but about discovering the sense of oneness within by uniting mind and body and the expansion of human consciousness.
Today over 6 million people around the globe practice the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique on a daily basis with tens of thousands more learning TM every year.
TM has been the subject of over 350 peer-reviewed scientific studies from the Harvard Medical School and other leading institutions, making TM the most scientifically reviewed and verified meditation practice in the world.
"We would like to pay our respects to the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Narendra Modi for establishing International Yoga Day in 2015" a spokesperson for the TM organisation in Australia, Gavan Evans, said today.
"The word yoga is derived from the word 'yuja' in Sanskrit which literally means union.
"By effortlessly settling the mind and transcending thought, TM achieves this state which was traditionally thought to require years of concentrated practice.
"The reason why TM is continuing to receive such widespread global acceptance is because it is both effortless to practice, and universal in its application."
"People from all walks of life, ethnic and religious backgrounds can reap the life changing benefits of TM simply by practicing the technique for 20 minutes twice a day".
"For this reason, TM is increasingly being adopted to help military, police, frontline health workers and others recover from debilitating stress and psychological trauma disorders." He said today.
"Maharishi's legacy, along with Narendra Modi's support for yoga, has changed countless lives by helping break the cycle of ignorance, confusion and pain we see everywhere."
"We are immensely grateful to be part of this global transformation process".
The Australian TM organisation has a number of International Yoga Day Programs running throughout Australia today.
