There’s a 20 minute meditation tecnique improving sleep patterns, reducing stress and improving overall health.

Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a technique that was introduced to the United States in the 1950's. It’s being called one of the most effective techniques to help people sleep, settle the mind, relieve stress, anxiety, and depression.

Jessica Cowie once suffered from anxiety, depression and addiction. She says this technique has been life changing.

“I’m much calmer, I don’t have as much of an anxious disposition and wasn’t suffering as many anxiety attacks anymore," Cowie said. "I also was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and suffered with severe chronic migraines. My pain has significantly lowered. I’m off of all my medications for those illnesses. I literally take nothing."

Young people spend more than six hours a day stressed out according to a mental health study released this year. Practicing TM is known to reduce the stress hormone by 30 percent and it’s the main reason Peggy Birx says people walk into a session for the first time.

“We’re just living in this crazy, high pressured time where people are on call 24/7. They’re connected all the time and expected to be performing constantly. I think so many people have become disconnected wit their quiet inner self,” said Birx, Rochester Transcendental Meditation teacher.

In 20 minutes of meditation, someone can gain as much rest that’s required from six to eight hours of deep sleep.

“I used to need to take something to sleep. I don’t need anything to sleep anymore. My dreams are more vivid, I wake up refreshed. My mind is more alert and I don’t have brain fog as much,” said Cowie.

TM is a practice that the American Heart Association has endorsed as they only technique proven to help heart disease reducing the chances of heart attack, stroke and death by 48 percent.

Teachers are based all over the country, including Rochester.

For more on costs and locations visit this website.