Learning to Be Still: My Journey With Transcendental Meditation

I have been a meditator since the early 2000s, and meditation has become one of the most grounding and sustaining practices in my life. I specifically practice Transcendental Meditation, commonly known as TM, but I believe there are many paths that can teach us how to slow down,

turn inward, and become still.

We live in a world that constantly encourages us to do more, move faster, and remain available to everyone. We are often praised for being productive but are rarely taught how to rest our minds. For many people, sitting quietly can initially feel uncomfortable because stillness brings us face-to-face with thoughts and feelings that busyness allows us to avoid.

But stillness is not emptiness. It is a place of connection.

Transcendental Meditation has taught me that I do not have to struggle with every thought or force myself to stop thinking. During meditation, the mind is allowed to settle naturally. As the mind becomes quieter, the body can experience a deeper state of rest, creating space for stress and tension to soften.

Over the years, meditation has helped me become more centered, self-aware, and intentional. It has helped me pause before reacting, listen more closely to myself, and distinguish between what is truly mine and what I may have absorbed from other people or my environment. It does not prevent life from happening, but it changes how I meet what happens.

One of the principles associated with Transcendental Meditation is the “support of nature.” I understand this as what can happen when we become more aligned with our deepest and most authentic selves. Instead of forcing every outcome, we begin to recognize timing, opportunities, relationships, and directions that feel more harmonious with who we are becoming.

The support of nature does not mean that we will never experience disappointment, loss, uncertainty, or difficulty. It means that even during challenging times, we may experience greater clarity, resilience, or an unexpected opening. Sometimes the support of nature looks like an opportunity. Sometimes it looks like protection through a closed door. At other times, it is simply the inner strength to accept what we cannot control and move forward with peace.

Transcendental Meditation is my chosen practice, but it is not the only way to experience stillness. Mindfulness meditation, guided meditation, prayer, breathwork, contemplative walking, yoga, sitting near the ocean, or spending quiet time in nature can also help us reconnect with ourselves.

The practice you choose matters less than your willingness to create space for yourself consistently.

Learning to be still does not mean becoming passive. It means becoming quiet enough to hear your own wisdom. It means permitting your nervous system to rest and giving yourself a moment when nothing is required of you. From that place, you may discover that you do not have to chase, force, or control everything.

Sometimes, when you become still, life meets you there.

Meditation has taught me that peace is not something I must wait for the outside world to provide. It is something I can cultivate within myself. And the more connected I become to that inner stillness, the more supported I feel by the natural flow of life.

In Stillness, 

Cherie