Financial Director, 60, overcomes lifelong insomnia

“Transcendental Meditation has given me inner peace that I didn't believe I had. But for me the greatest benefit was that normal sleep – which had eluded me for the best part of 20 years – was dramatically enhanced. When I do wake up in the night, I go off to sleep again, as opposed to tossing and turning and lying awake. This happened within about a week of learning to meditate; and it has continued.” This is how Michael Andrew describes his experience of this simple mental technique, taught in the UK by certified teachers approved by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Michael has worked in the financial business for the last 30-odd years, in London and New York. What would, to most people, appear to be relatively stressful, was simply a part of his life – a life that involved long hours, getting up early, getting home late.

“My immediate impression of Transcendental Meditation was how quickly I responded to it. It worked. My children said that I was a lot calmer, sort of a nicer person.”

Another thing Michael noticed was that he began to appreciate things more: “I adore the sound of the birds, I adore looking at sunsets. I notice things more. And it all emanates from that calmness and peacefulness.”

Soon after starting Transcendental Meditation, Michael created his own company, which he had felt apprehensive about doing before. “It feels completely right. I wake up in the morning and I don't feel apprehension, just: ‘Give it a go! You can do it! This is your life. You only get one crack at it. Make the most of it. Really go for it.’ Transcendental Meditation has given me a sense of calmness about the way I feel and react to the present and the future. That for me is a secondary benefit that I never believed could happen.”

Michael was brought up a Roman Catholic, but does not see any comparison at all between Transcendental Meditation and religion. “Although the church can give you a degree of spirituality, that inner calm from being at peace with yourself twice a day, that is what works for me.”

What he can’t understand now is why everyone isn’t taught this as part of their education and training for life: “It seems so unfair when something like this works.”