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A Gentle Suggestion

By Josephine Salvador

Throughout my life I suffered from tension headaches. The headaches worsened when I took an administrative position at my school. As the pressures at work increased, the headaches got worse. I was resigned to the fact that I was one of those people who always had headaches. I was continually popping pain pills. I tried aerobics and yoga, running and swimming, all of the “sweating out” exercises. I also went to a therapist to work on the pain and tension.

The turning point came when I spoke with my father. I told him, “The headaches aren’t getting better. I’m feeling very tense. I’m really stressed.” My dad had started the Transcendental Meditation technique in the 70s. He had talked about it, but didn’t push it on anyone in the family.

But when I came to him with my headache problem, he said, “Maybe you want to try meditation.” It was a very gentle suggestion. I said, “You know, maybe you’re onto something.” At that moment, I was ready to hear it. Money was a little tight for me, but he said, “Don’t worry about that.”

It was immediate relief. In the first two days, I didn’t have a headache. I had lived with that pain for such a long time. I immediately called my father and said, “If nothing else, it has relieved my headache pain.” That hooked me on the practice.

I am the “big event” organizer at school. One day a close friend told me, “You know, I’ve never seen you so calm before an event.” I was still busy—that didn’t change at all—but I was able to get things done efficiently and then feel good about them.

My job also requires a lot of public speaking. I don’t especially enjoy it, but now I don’t get stressed or nervous. Practice has eased some of the nervousness, but I am certain that practicing TM has also been a big factor.

My students often talk about “keeping it real.” What is more real than allowing yourself to develop your true potential—intelligence, love, humanity? And what’s better than modeling this self-caring and self-awareness for our young adults?

Josephine Salvador is Head of the Upper School at Brooklyn Friends School in New York.



		A Gentle Suggestion By Josephine Salvador Throughout my life I suffered from tension headaches. The headaches worsened when I took an administrative position at my school. As the pressures at work increased, the headaches got worse. I was resigned to the fact that I was one of those people who always had headaches. I was continually popping pain pills. I tried aerobics and yoga, running and swimming, all of the “sweating out” exercises. I also went to a therapist to work on the pain and tension. The turning point came when I spoke with my father. I told him, “The headaches aren’t getting better. I’m feeling very tense. I’m really stressed.” My dad had started the Transcendental Meditation technique in the 70s. He had talked about it, but didn’t push it on anyone in the family. But when I came to him with my headache problem, he said, “Maybe you want to try meditation.” It was a very gentle suggestion. I said, “You know, maybe you’re onto something.” At that moment, I was ready to hear it. Money was a little tight for me, but he said, “Don’t worry about that.” It was immediate relief. In the first two days, I didn’t have a headache. I had lived with that pain for such a long time. I immediately called my father and said, “If nothing else, it has relieved my headache pain.” That hooked me on the practice. I am the “big event” organizer at school. One day a close friend told me, “You know, I’ve never seen you so calm before an event.” I was still busy—that didn’t change at all—but I was able to get things done efficiently and then feel good about them. My job also requires a lot of public speaking. I don’t especially enjoy it, but now I don’t get stressed or nervous. Practice has eased some of the nervousness, but I am certain that practicing TM has also been a big factor. My students often talk about “keeping it real.” What is more real than allowing yourself to develop your true potential—intelligence, love, humanity? And what’s better than modeling this self-caring and self-awareness for our young adults? Josephine Salvador is Head of the Upper School at Brooklyn Friends School in New York. CLOSE WINDOW


	My Story

A Gentle Suggestion

By Josephine Salvador

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