So are we rolling? Yes, we're rolling!
If someone says, "what is Transcendental Meditation", how do you explain it?
Transcendental Meditation... to me, is like a great workout for your
mind. Without working out. But you get all the effects of working out
I come from a very spiritual world, from a very religious upbringing
and it's not religious. It's not spiritual. Although, I think if you're taking care of your body and
your mind, that is a spiritual thing. But it doesn't have that kind of religious
background. To me it's mostly medical. It's like a little pill but not a pill.
It's a practise. So it's a little practise that you do.
And to me it's the most rest. It's like the most powerful power-nap you could ever get.
That experience of that quiet; that's something they call the state of restful
alertness according science. Where your mind is completely settled but you're
wide awake. And it's before thoughts. Someone said to me
"well, how do you know when your twenty minutes are up?" and I said, "well, you can look at your watch!"
It's not like you're going someplace! But that peaceful state that you access just happens quite
effortlessly. And that's a wonderful description.
How do you think it has impacted your remarkable career?
My life is so crazy. It really is. It's extreme. I live in this one percentile, extreme life
I'm zig-zagging all over the world... I'm on a plane more than I am on the ground.
And this tool helps me find moments of peace, because I don't have a whole lot of time
so it extends my day so I can live my fullest capacity
It gives me two days in one day! It just gives me this power! You know?
And I do it before I write a song, sometimes. Definitely before I go out on stage.
And it's just such an incredible, useful, simple tool.
That has made such an impact on me, and that's why I'm sitting with you here today.
You're very calm on tour! At least with me, because you invited our whole team
to come and teach the 40 of your team to meditate. And I ran into you just when
you were coming out of your room, and we were just chatting... and you said, "Bob, there are
16,000 people waiting for me right around the corner." You just said that,
you were so polite with me, then you walked out on the stage! But there was such an evenness.
I'm a multi-tasker.
Yeah. You have a great deal of kindness inside of you.
Thank you! I think that it would be such a shame to have such a great
cure all to yourself. Like, the cure to the common cold.
And not to share it with people that are suffering! So it's a cure for the common stress.
Stress is a killer these days and I have a lot of it in my life and I have
a great tool that helps subside that. And I want to share that! I don't want
people to suffer. I'd like to lift people up.
And last question: David Lynch and our work in schools, working with women and children who are
victims of abuse, our work with veterans... Tell me your thoughts on the David Lynch Foundation.
Well I think it's fantastic to be able
to give that kind of tool to schools where there is so much going on.
From disruptive technology, to bullying, to abuse from home, and to be able to
teach them that and for them to be able to have that throughout their whole
educational experience I think it would just make the educational experience
even better! What you guys are doing with veterans as well, I know firsthand
people in my own life who have PTSD and you were able to teach one of
them and he said that the first time that he learned, he slept through the night
for the first time in years. And so I know that this has a profound impact on them.
The tipping point has tipped. When you and I first met each other many years ago it was
still a new idea but now it's in schools... There's nothing to be scared of!
It's just doing good things for your body. It's like P.E. for your mind.
That's how they should think about it. Without the smelly locker rooms and things like that.
So, thank you very much.This has been absolutely fantastic.
I love you, Bob!
I love you very much, Katy.