The Score Magazine July-Aug issue | Page 51

Transcendental meditation is essentially a simple practice of concentration . Students are given a mantra ( a string of Sanskrit syllables ) to repeat over and over to exclude other thoughts .
Transcendental meditation interrupts our habitual mental interpretation , opening a door to the creative space beyond thoughts . While applying transcendental meditation , we experience spontaneous solutions to countless creative problems . And there is no question in everyone ’ s mind that transcendental meditation facilitates creativity in general . Mindfulness Meditation The ultimate goal of mindfulness meditation is to create a nonjudgmental awareness of the flow of one ’ s experience of the present moment .
As anyone who knows brainstorming knows , letting go of judgment is essential to the creative process . But being careful is much more than letting go of judgment . As we rest more deeply as careful observers of our experience , we begin to notice the natural , fabricated awareness that all thoughts come and go . Then we can rest more deeply in this space . By doing this , we begin to free ourselves from being attached to the mechanical , repetitive , and not very creative nature of most thinking and tap into the true source of creativity .
Einstein also said , “ No problem can be solved at the same level of consciousness that created it .” This statement applies no less to us , although musicians cannot solve problems like a physicist . By temporarily transcending the noisy mind , we give ourselves the gift of entering that mysterious space from which all creativity is born , the source of “ all true art and science .”
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