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Long-term practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique in Puno, Perú: A five-level exploratory model of theory and research

Lee Fergusson, Javier Ortiz Cabrejos, Anna Bonshek

Journal of Maharishi Vedic Research Institute April 1, 2021 DOI: 10.66743/cirs3388 (opens in new tab)

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AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Sample size 6
Population Long-term practitioners of Transcendental Meditation from the Aymara population in Puno, Perú, who had practiced for an average of 15 years
Intervention Transcendental Meditation
Topics Meditation
Key findings The authors suggest that the experiences of six long-term Aymara Transcendental Meditation practitioners in Puno are largely consistent with prior international research outcomes across five levels: consciousness, mental, physical, behavioural, and sociocultural. The paper argues that the practice's theoretical foundations align with these international findings, while noting that Peruvian data had previously been unrecorded.

Abstract

Practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique has been well-documented in the published literature since the 1970s. However, the significance of the practice in South America generally and Perú specifically has been unrecorded, except for the recently published study on parent and teacher perceptions of Aymara children who meditate in Puno, despite its widespread use in schools, government agencies, and businesses in the last 20 years. This paper examines the theoretical foundations of the practice and compares these propositions to international research findings, all of which have been conducted outside Perú. Using a five-level qualitative approach to explore the practice in Perú, the paper reports the experiences of six long-term practitioners of Transcendental Meditation in Puno who have practiced the technique for an average of 15 years. These reports have been coded and analysed thematically and organised into the following five levels: consciousness, mental, physical, behavioural, and sociocultural, with Puno data analysed for confirmatory or dissimilar evidence vis-à-vis international findings. Participants are from the Aymara population, an under-represented group in published literature from South America, making the study distinct. Findings suggest that experiences of long-term meditators in Puno are largely consistent with prior international research outcomes.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... 2017 Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system 2004 Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety 2006 Exploratory mixed methods study n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context 2001 Qualitative study n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators 2013 Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

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Meditation Philosophy of mind