As more people understand the link between reduced stress and better health, meditation classes around the country are filling up. That’s the trend at Westchester Transcendental Meditation Center in Bedford Hills, NY, where the number of people signing up to learn transcendental meditation (TM) has increased tenfold over the past several years.

“We now know that stress increases anxiety, depression and fatigue and can directly impair our immune system and brain functioning,” says Melody Katz, one of the Center’s directors. “Just today, WebMD.com reported on how cortisol, the major stress chemical we produce, is linked to memory loss and other illnesses. The good news is that there are now four decades of peer-reviewed research showing that TM is highly effective in reducing stress. This not only results in better health, but also higher performance of creativity and intelligence.” A recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation found that individuals with heart disease who regularly practiced TM were 48 percent less likely to have a heart attack or stroke or die from any cause.

Katz, who has taught TM for more than 40 years, attributes its popularity to user friendliness. “It’s easy to learn and easy to practice, even for people with very busy minds and busy days,” she says. “This is due to the highly effective teaching methodology that utilizes personalized instruction from professionally certified teachers.”

Free introductory lectures are offered every week in Bedford Hills and Scarsdale, NY. For more info, visit TM.org/WestchesterCounty or call 914.218.3370.