PPQ designer Amy Molyneux recommends TM for life at the top

Fashion designer Amy Molyneux starts her day with Transcendental Meditation, which she describes as "yoga for the brain," reports the Sky Showbiz column. Amy is one half of the label PPQ (the other half, Percy Parker, also practises TM), and has designed dresses for Girls Aloud, Sienna Miller and Kirsten Dunst, amongst others.

Amy, 32, learned Transcendental Meditation at the age of 16 in Skelmersdale, and has been practising the technique ever since. "It's like extra sleep," she says, "it boosts your energy, and gives you more clarity and confidence."

Running a record label and organising promotional events in addition to her PPQ work leaves Amy little time to recharge her batteries, which is why she makes sure she always fits in her Transcendental Meditation. And she would recommend the technique to anyone coping with high-pressure demands.

"I think people who are at the top of any business definitely need something, because the stress is massive. A lot of them survive on drinking – not excessively – or they're into sport, or they've got a really amazing partner who does loads for them. But when you’ve been doing TM for a while you can tell if people are giving the signals that they need a break!"

Nor is Transcendental Meditation just about stress release, says Amy – it's about living your full potential.

"A lot of people have the attitude 'I'm doing OK, so why do I need TM?' But then they think, well, I could do even better. If people say to me, I don’t need that because there's nothing wrong with me, I would say no, it's not that there's something wrong with you – it's that what you’ve got is really special, and you should look after it."