What is Álainn Meditation (AM)?

Álainn Meditation (AM) is a specific form of silent, effortless mantra meditation practised for 10 minutes, twice a day, while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. It does not require concentration, contemplation, or monitoring your thoughts. Instead, it uses a specific sound or phrase (a mantra) to naturally settle the mind into a state of “restful alertness.”

How It Works

The Mantra

In Álainn Meditation, you are given a specific sound or word to use as your mantra. The sound is not used as a concept to think about or analyse. Instead, it provides the mind with a simple, effortless vehicle for settling inward.

No Effort

Unlike mindfulness techniques that ask you to monitor your breath or observe your thoughts, AM involves simply repeating the mantra silently. When your mind wanders, you gently return to the sound without judgment.

Transcending

The aim is to “transcend” or go beyond the active, thinking mind. This allows you to experience a state of deep inner quiet, restful alertness and profound physical and mental rest.

Key Characteristics of AM

• Non-Religious: AM is a mental technique, not a belief system or lifestyle. You do not need to adopt any particular religious, philosophical or spiritual belief in order to practise it.
• Simple and Natural: The technique is designed to be learned in a structured way and then practised naturally, without force, concentration or attempting to control the mind.
• Automatic Self-Transcending: AM works with the mind's natural tendency to move from activity towards greater levels of inner quiet. Rather than trying to empty or control the mind, the practice allows the mind to settle naturally.
• Research and Understanding: Meditation and the experience of deep rest have been the subject of extensive scientific research. Research into meditation has explored its potential effects on areas such as stress, relaxation, wellbeing and physiological functioning.

AM vs. Other Meditation Types

Mindfulness / Vipassana

These approaches generally focus on monitoring present-moment sensations, thoughts or experiences. AM instead uses a mantra as a vehicle for allowing the mind to settle beyond active thought.

Zen / Concentration

Some approaches involve active mental discipline, concentration or focusing intensely on an object. AM does not require concentration. It relies on the mind's natural tendency to seek greater levels of stillness and is totally effortless.

What is actually happening is that you are going into a very deep state of rest, deeper than the deepest sleep. Invariably, at some stage, you will experience transcending for the first time. When that happens, you’ll know. As my amazing teacher used to say: If you know, you know.

My Journey

To describe it best, let me take you back on my own journey.

Back in 1977, I was suffering with anorexia nervosa. It was brought on by being bullied at school—as happens, unfortunately. I was overweight, so I put myself on a diet and lost 40 pounds in a very short space of time, dropping under seven stone. I looked like something from a concentration camp, but the deeper damage was mental, occurring during my most formative years.

I literally called out to a God of my understanding at the time—a man in the clouds with a beard. The answer arrived in the form of Transcendental Meditation.

I didn't have many friends at boarding school because I wasn't capable of proper interactions with my fellow students. Everything was mechanical. I talked incessantly, but it was mechanical talk with no heart to it. I exercised like a machine, feeling forced to go for a run or do something every day. The whole mental state was horrible, and while it affected me physically, it was deeply a mental condition. I had no hope.

Then, a classmate's half-brother came down to collect him. He was a bit of a hippie with messages of love on his car, and it turned out he was a TM teacher. I knew straight away: that's for me.

The Turning Point

I was initiated about two months later, and it literally changed my life. Within roughly six weeks, I woke up one morning and the entire mental condition was gone—just like that.

I'd love to say that was the end of it—you can read my bio to see what happened 18 months later—but those 18 months and my mantra stuck with me.

I remember meditating, effortlessly thinking of the mantra. It would become finer, more precise, and vibrate. Quite regularly, I would experience transcending.

The Cottage & The Stadium

Living before transcending is like living in a little cottage—you're happy and everything is grand. But when you experience transcending, it's as if the roof of the cottage comes off and you find yourself in a massive stadium, an absolutely incredible space. A worry in a little cottage feels huge, but in that vast space, there is plenty of room. Suddenly, you realize what a wonderful experience this life really is.

The Unified Field

For those who choose to go further—and I am not pushing this—the next level involves what I call the Sutras. When you practice them, it is like a rocket: the roof of the stadium comes off and the rocket takes off.

The more human beings who meditate and experience this oneness—the truth that we all come from one unified field—the sooner this world will be a better place.

Thank you so much for listening, and I look forward to seeing you soon at one of my introductory talks.

Warmly,

Billy
Founder & 1st Teacher of Álainn Meditation (AM)

(Enjoy photographs of my amazing guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who brought this technique of automatic self-transcending to the West. There is a painting of him with his teacher Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, also known as Guru Dev. Finally, there is a photo of me.)