Our mission is to help people around the world to find inner peace and lead happier, healthier lives.

Maharishi Foundation

The Maharishi Foundation was founded in 1959 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Established to promote the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique and maintain the authenticity of the teaching, it has since grown to become a global organisation with branches in over 100 countries.

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About the foundation

Non-profit

The TM technique is taught in Australia. by Maharishi Foundation Australia and GMDO. a recognised non-profit educational organization. Maharishi Foundation Australia Ltd - ABN 21 615 281 546 & GMDO - ABN 91 133 636

No owners or shareholders

As a non-profit, 100% of the TM course fee supports our educational and charitable initiatives. There are no profit distributions of any kind.

Independent audit

The organisation’s finances are audited annually by an independent CPA firm.

Dr. Tony Nader

Tony Nader, M.D., Ph.D. is a medical doctor trained at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Ph.D. in neuroscience), and a globally recognised Vedic scholar. As Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s successor, Dr. Nader is head of the international Transcendental Meditation organisations.

Dr. Nader guides the Transcendental Meditation programme and its advanced practices, and the practical applications of this technology in all areas of life – education, health, business, defense, agriculture, and more.

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There are 50+ TM Centres in Australia where you can learn to meditate, and discover a deep inner peace.

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Our work with firefighters

watch the video with the New York City Fire Department, in partnership with the David Lynch Foundation.

Our work with first responders

watch the video with the Herndon Police Department, in partnership with the David Lynch Foundation.

Our work with medical professionals

watch the video with healthcare workers from the Heal the Healers Now initiative, in partnership with the David Lynch Foundation.

Our initiatives for
world peace

watch the video with Dr. Tony Nader as he explains how large groups of meditators coming together for their TM practice promotes world peace. A recent example is the 10,000 Assembly for World Peace held in India.

Find a teacher

There are 50+ TM Centres in Australia. where you can learn to meditate, and discover a deep inner peace.

Find a teacher near you

Research on the effect of the TM technique on society

TM & TM-Sidhis group practice over √1% of the U.S. population correlated with significant reductions of conflicts and improvements in quality of life.

Orme-Johnson, D. W., Cavanaugh, K.L., Dillbeck, M. C., Goodman, R. S.

Field-Effects of Consciousness: A Seventeen-Year Study of the Effects of Group Practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Programs on Reducing National Stress in the United States. World Journal of Social Science 9 (2): 1–38 2022

7 experiments: Effect of TM & TM-Sidhis group practice on war. Reduced conflict by 48%, war fatalities by 71%, increased cooperation by 66%.

Alexander, C. N., Davies, J. L.

Alleviating Political Violence through Reducing Collective Tension: Impact Assessment Analyses of the Lebanon War. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 17(1): 285–338, 2005)

Changes in Lebanon war casualties & quality of life in Israel correlated with the number of people in the group practice of TM and TM-Sidhi program.

Orme-Johnson, D. W., Alexander, C. N., Davies, J. L., Chandler, H. M., & Larimore, W. E.

International Peace Project in the Middle East: The Effects of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, (1988): 32(4), 776–812.

TM practice & families: More psychologically healthy after 5+ years of TM practice than families who had just begun TM practice.

Chen ME

A Comparative Study of Dimensions of Healthy Functioning Between Families Practicing the TM Program for Five Years or More or For Less Than a Year. Journal of Holistic Nursing. 1987;5(1):6-10. doi:10.1177/089801018700500103

TM & PTSD: Significantly reduced family problems, depression, anxiety, emotional numbness, alcohol consumption, difficulty getting a job, insomnia.

Brooks, J. S., & Scarano, T.

Transcendental Meditation in the treatment of post-Vietnam adjustment. Journal of Counseling & Development, (1985): 64(3), 212–215.

TM & employees: Improved employee effectiveness, job satisfaction, personal & work relationships; reduced job worry, trait anxiety, insomnia, fatigue.

Alexander, Charles N., Gerald C. Swanson, Maxwell Rainforth, Tom W. Carlisle, Christopher C. Todd and Robert M. Oates.

“Effects of the transcendental meditation program on stress reduction, health, and employee development: A prospective study in two occupational settings.” Anxiety Stress and Coping 6 (1993): 245-262.

TM & women living in poverty in Uganda: Significantly improved in self-efficacy, perceived stress, and mental and physical well-being vs. control.

Goldstein, L., Smith, A. M., Romagnoli, D., & Katergi, E.

The effect of Transcendental Meditation on self-esteem, self-efficacy, and gratitude, for increasing empowerment of female youth in Uganda. Health Care for Women International, 1–34.

TM & college students: Increased inter-hemispheric brainwave coherence; alpha1 activation overlapped the default mode network, vs. resting control.

Travis, F., Haaga, D.A.F., Hagelin, J. et al.

A self-referential default brain state: patterns of coherence, power, and eLORETA sources during eyes-closed rest and Transcendental Meditation practice. Cogn Process 2010 11, 21–30

TM & health care use: 50% fewer doctor visits & hospital days vs. control over 5 years. Little increase in health care needs as age increases.

Orme-Johnson, D.

Medical care utilization and the transcendental meditation program.. Psychosomatic Medicine 49(5):p 493-507, September 1987.

TM & African Americans with coronary heart disease: 48% risk reduction in the composite of mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke.

Schneider RH, Grim CE, Rainforth MV, Kotchen T, Nidich SI, Gaylord-King C, Salerno JW, Kotchen JM, Alexander CN

Stress reduction in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease: randomized, controlled trial of transcendental meditation and health education in Blacks. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2012 Nov;5(6):750-8.

TM practice & employees: Reduced anxiety, job tension, insomnia, fatigue; improved health, employee effectiveness, job satisfaction, relationships.

Alexander, Charles N., Gerald C. Swanson, Maxwell Rainforth, Tom W. Carlisle, Christopher C. Todd and Robert M. Oates.

“Effects of the transcendental meditation program on stress reduction, health, and employee development: A prospective study in two occupational settings.” Anxiety Stress and Coping 6 (1993): 245-262.

The effect of coherent collective consciousness on national quality of life and economic performance indicators-an analysis of the IMD index of national competitive advantage

Hatchard GD, Cavanagh KL

Journal of Health and Environmental Research 2017 3(3-1), 16-31. doi:10.11648/j.jher.s.2017030301.12

Transcending as a driver of development

Travis F

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2016 1373(1):72-77. doi: 10.1111/nyas.13071

Societal Violence and Collective Consciousness: Reduction of U.S. Homicide and Urban Violent Crime Rates

Dillbeck MC, Cavanaugh KL

SAGE Open 2016 6(2):1-16. doi:10.1177 /2158244016637891

TM & female prison inmates: Significantly reduced symptoms of total trauma, intrusive thoughts, and hyperarousal in a randomized controlled study.

Nidich S, Seng A, Compton B, O’Connor T, Salerno JW, Nidich R.

Transcendental Meditation and reduced trauma symptoms in female inmates: A randomized controlled study. Perm J 2017; 21:16008

TM practice & physicians: Relief reported from classic burnout and depression symptoms. The control group did not show improvement.

Loiselle M, Brown C, Travis F, Gruener G, Rainforth M, Nidich S.

Effects of Transcendental Meditation on Academic Physician Burnout and Depression: A Mixed Methods Randomized Controlled Trial. J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2023 Summer 01;43(3):164-171.

TM practice & U.S. active duty military with PTSD or anxiety: Decreased medication usage & severity of psychological symptoms. Controlled study.

Barnes VA, Monto A, Williams JJ, Rigg JL

Impact of Transcendental Meditation on Psychotropic Medication Use Among Active Duty Military Service Members With Anxiety and PTSD. Mil Med. 2016 Jan;181(1):56-63.

Cortisol, a stress-related hormone, decreased significantly in long-term TM practitioners while meditating, with no change in the control during rest.

Jevning R, Wilson AF, Davidson JM

Adrenocortical activity during meditation, Hormones and Behavior, 10(1), 54-60, 1978

Meta-analysis of 146 independent studies: The TM technique was more than twice as effective in reducing trait anxiety as other techniques.

Eppley KR, Abrams AI, Shear J.

Differential effects of relaxation techniques on trait anxiety: a meta-analysis. J Clin Psychol. 1989 Nov;45(6):957-74.

“ I have been ‘diving within’ through the TM technique for over 50 years. 
 It has changed my life.”

David Lynch

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