Transcendental Meditation's branch in Fresno is taking part in the national Meditate America Campaign, a two-month public awareness effort to encourage people to meditate to help keep stress at bay. Photo by Dingzeyu Li Le on unsplash.com

While there are many different methods for reducing stress, everyone should agree that that’s something more Americans need.

Business owners might need more help than most to reduce their stress, meeting personal/family obligations while at the same time meeting a payroll.

Transcendental Meditation’s branch in Fresno, Fresno TM Center, is part TM’s Meditate America Campaign, a two-month public awareness campaign to highlight the benefits of meditation techniques to help manage and reduce stress.

Meditate America launched in more than 100 cities on Sept. 12, including Fresno, and will run through Nov. 12, with a goal to encourage people to meditate to address the pandemic of toxic stress, especially during a tumultuous presidential election season.

The campaign was launched by the David Lynch Foundation’s Institute for Mental Health, founded by film director David Lynch, who also practices transcendental meditation.

What is transcendental meditation?

There are various forms of meditation, including mindfulness meditation, in which one pays attention to their thoughts as they pass through the mind; and focused meditation, where one tunes into a heighted state by engaging with any of the five senses such as breathing or counting beads.

Transcendental meditation, the most popular type of meditation, involves repeating a mantra or sound to achieve a state of inner peace and settle the body to a state of restful alertness.

Celebrities who practice transcendental meditation include Jerry Seinfeld, Oprah Winfrey, Clint Eastwood and more.

Michael Neer, director of the Fresno TM Center, said the Meditate American Campaign comes during a stressful time in the nation, with many people experiencing rampant stress — especially during the polarizing election cycle.

He said the studio, near Shaw and Fruit avenues, has been open since 2012.

“We’ve been teaching people regularly, but we want to boost that number so that we can help people get through this time in a smoother way,” Neer said.

Neer said humans have the ability tap into their nervous system to reduce stress at the deepest levels of the human mind though meditation, leading to greater coherence in brainwaves. The result? Greater creativity, relationships and less burnout, he said.

According to a 2024 study by the American Psychological Association, nearly 50% of American adults report feeling more stressed than ever.

Neer said TM is well-suited for people in stressful jobs such as firefighters, police officers, first responders, doctors, nurses and veterans.

He said that there are about 500 people practicing meditation that he knows of in the area — and he has taught hundreds more. The numbers grow steadily.

Neer said he has taught doctors, lawyers, and dozens of CEOs in the Fresno region. A recent ranking by WalletHub rank Fresno as the 29th most stressed out city in the nation, based on work, financial, family, health and safety stress.

He said there are several employers in the area with wellness programs for their employees that include TM.

Neer noted studies that analyzed the workers of major companies such as General Motors that took part in meditation sessions, nothing improvements in teamwork and creativity.

“They found that their profit margins went up because the whole company was working in a harmonious manner. It went that way with their customers as well. It’s been very helpful for businesses,” Neer said.

He local business owners ask him about squeezing meditation into their busy schedules, with them later reporting that they were more productive after starting.

While one can learn much about TM online or through apps, there is value in learning techniques from a teacher, Neer said.

Prices for classes are on a sliding scale based on annual household income, ranging anywhere from $540 to $980 for a four-month course, but there is a promotion during the 2-month campaign, with up to a 50% reduction in course fees.

Neer said that he wants to get more of the public, business owners, and institutions to get into medication to avoid burnout and build more harmonious communities.