Meet Tony Nader MD, PhD

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tony Nader MD, PhD, and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tony, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
What was your thought process behind starting your own non-profit organization? In my study of medicine, neuroscience, and neurology, I learned that our knowledge about the mind is surprisingly limited, with crucial questions about consciousness and the brain still unanswered. I was fortunate to be instructed in a simple mental technique known as Transcendental Meditation (or TM), through which I discovered that there is much more potential to the human mind than most of us realize. After being trained as a teacher of TM and delving deeper into the knowledge of meditation, I saw a gap between what I was learning at MIT and the profound understanding of consciousness from this ancient tradition of meditation. I began working directly with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the TM program, to research the effects of meditation on the brain and to explore the connections between consciousness and physiology. This exploration of the origins of consciousness led me not only to the frontiers of neuroscience, but to a deeper, more practical understanding of the vital role that consciousness plays in our lives. I found that modern science validates the power of meditation to transform and uplift human life. Dedicating myself to furthering this area of knowledge, I became director of a worldwide, non-profit foundation, whose mission is to usher in a new paradigm for understanding consciousness, and to promote meditation for unfolding higher stages of human development.

What’s one thing about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
As a teacher of meditation, I have found that many people think meditation involves concentration or controlling the mind. Mistakenly, the mind is considered the enemy—like a monkey wildly jumping about and that needs to be tamed. Meditation is often viewed as a method to corral the mind and force it to be observant, or as way to let someone try and guide you to a serene state. What many people don’t realize is that there is a law of nature governing the mind: the natural tendency of the mind is to seek greater happiness. The mind does not like to be controlled or directed, it is averse to remaining static, it wants to be free to move toward a more satisfying experience. If you attempt to control the mind, it will inevitably resist. In the meditation practice that I teach, the Transcendental Meditation technique, we don’t control the mind, we satisfy the mind. The practice is in tune with the mind’s natural tendency to seek greater charm, greater happiness. TM allows the mind to effortlessly flow towards the greater calm, clarity, and contentment that is always there deep within us. Local certified teachers, trained through our foundation, offer instruction in this meditation throughout the United States and around the world.

Risk taking: How do you think about risks. What role has taking risks played in your life career?
Throughout my training at MIT and Harvard, I expected to make a career of neurology and neuroscience research, serving those in need of treatment for brain and nervous system disorders. It would have been rewarding enough, but intuitively I felt there was something more important: how does the brain sustain consciousness, and particularly, how does it produce heightened states of awareness as reported by people adept in meditation? What is the neurophysiological basis of that state traditionally known as enlightenment? As soon as I began the practice of Transcendental Meditation, as a medical student, I glimpsed the possibility of such higher states, levels of human experience associated with increased creativity, sharper focus, greater alertness, as well as heightened compassion, happiness, and well-being. Instead of pursuing the more conventional approach, I took the risk of diving deeper into the study of meditation, incorporating inner research into consciousness with the latest discoveries of modern science. As a result, I have been rewarded many times over with a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of what is possible for us as human beings. The knowledge from this ancient tradition, seen through the window of modern science, promises to create a higher state of well-being and a more fulfilling life for everyone.

What is the most important factor behind your success and the success of your brand?
In my own experience, I find that, more than anything else, success depends on being anchored to that deepest level of clarity, creativity, and intelligence that resides within us all. Being able to access that rejuvenating inner source easily through meditation continues to fuel and support my work and research. Access to that deepest, most powerful level of the mind—we call it transcending—is why so many people cherish their twice daily meditation practice. Without it, there’s a chance that one’s work becomes draining or overly difficult, and then success can be hampered by stress, anxiety, sleeplessness, or hypertension. Effective meditation, as so many research studies on the Transcendental Meditation technique have shown, reduces stress and anxiety, improves creativity and problem solving ability, and normalizes blood pressure.

It’s empowering for any person to be able to help themselves find their own inner strength and talent. More and more, wherever I go, I meet high-performance, creative people who are finding this tested and proven technology of meditation to be an indispensable part of their toolkit for success. TM has long been known as the mostly widely practiced and scientifically validated form of meditation, because it’s profoundly effective and so easy to practice. Effortlessness is the key to its effectiveness. The technique has created its own success.

Work-life balance: How has your balance changed over time?
I used to burn the candle at both ends. But after I learned to meditate, I discovered that balancing my work with twenty minutes twice a day of the deep, rejuvenating rest of TM practice was the most effective way to stay healthy and engaged. Studies show that TM produces a state of rest deeper than sleep.

The problem with work-life balance is that most people take the stress of their work home with them. It impacts their relationships, their sleep patterns, their health. It’s not enough just to have a change of scene, watch some TV, or down a drink to shake loose the impressions of the day. Exercise helps, of course, or a walk in the woods—many things can help—but the agitation, the pressures, the negative experiences of daily life are deposited in the nervous system as well as in the mind, and it takes a deeper state of rest to unwind those accumulating abnormalities in our biochemistry, in our brain functioning, in our strained eyes or necks or digestion.

Spending a few minutes of transcending—diving deep within during meditation, to that state of silent inner wakefulness—has been found to relax and soothe your whole physiology, to reduce stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenalin, to give rest to your cardiovascular system, to create more harmonious and integrated brain functioning. The body experiences a natural state of restful alertness that is the extreme opposite of the stress response. By shifting into that state twice a day through TM practice, stresses not only dissolve, but you become more resilient. True balance in life is balance between inner and outer. If we’re not transcending in deep meditation twice a day, the outer can dominate our life and then we lose our center of calm and clarity.

Do you have a favorite quote or affirmation? What does it mean to you?
I think my favorite saying is, “The purpose of life is the expansion of happiness.” At first, this may sound simplistic or unrealistic, as so many of us go through life struggling against odds or sacrificing our dreams to meet the demands of work or personal responsibilities. But it is possible for life to be set on a course of increasing happiness through proper lifestyle and self-care, which must include meditation. On the basis of scientific evidence alone, it is clear that everyone needs to meditate every day. But it is also necessary to be educated about the wellspring of energy and happiness that lies within us all, and how to access it. Otherwise, a person may live their whole life without knowing that this rejuvenating field of inner happiness resides deep within them. I would say that unfolding that inner potentiality fulfills the very purpose of life. We may strive for material comfort, wealth, rewarding careers, loving relationships, and yet, without inner peace and self-love, our level of happiness is subject to change and our well-being vacillates with the ups and downs of life. Accessing your innermost sanctuary of peace and contentment is the key to expanding your ability to love, create, achieve, and share your life in the most meaningful way. To experience and live that greater reality is to realize what it means to be fully human.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I trained in neurology as a medical doctor at Harvard University and neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where I received a Ph.D. in Brain and Cognitive Science. In the course of my research, I was also trained as a teacher of Transcendental Meditation, a practice from which I have learned more about consciousness than in all my studies with some of the best scientific minds of our time. Valuable knowledge can certainly be gained through the objective approach of modern science, but to fully understand consciousness and the potential of the human mind, the subjective approach to gaining knowledge is also essential: research into consciousness from within the field of consciousness itself. Traditionally, this subjective approach to gaining knowledge has been called meditation. But meditation practices vary widely in their aims, methods, and effects. The kind of meditation I find most useful allows the mind to transcend its noisy, busy, surface values to experience the deeper, quieter, more settled levels of awareness, where there is greater clarity and insight into the truer nature of ourselves. This process of transcending is not merely psychological, but involves a natural, spontaneous shift in the entire physiology—which means it is measurable. I have made it my life’s work to explore, understand, and communicate the science of higher consciousness to everyone interested in improving the human condition.

The emerging paradigm sees consciousness as a fundamental unified field, the ultimate reality of all existence. One applied aspect of this consciousness paradigm is Transcendental Meditation, which shows us that our own consciousness is a field of limitless possibilities. Though the TM technique is the gift of an ancient tradition of knowledge, it can be viewed as a technology of consciousness, with modern science now verifying its life-transforming benefits. My goal is for our non-profit foundation to make this stress-reducing wellness technology available in every community—especially to people at risk from traumatic stress.

The challenge to this transformation to a higher stage of human evolution is that the old paradigm still dominates—the current scientific view, for the most part, still sees reality as entirely physical and material. My book One Unbounded Ocean of Consciousness presents the evidence and logic for a change in paradigm, to the view that the whole universe is a manifestation of consciousness. The consciousness paradigm offers practical solutions to humanities biggest problems—which are caused by underdeveloped consciousness and the belief that we are all separate from one another, that we’re on our own to try and make life work for ourselves regardless of how it may affect others or the environment. To make life work for everyone, we need to see that, in reality, we are all interconnected, we are all expressions of the same unified consciousness. By drawing upon that inner reality through these Maharishi Technologies of Consciousness, that consciousness proves to be big enough, creative enough to resolve all differences and overcome problems that had seemed insurmountable. A change in world view doesn’t happen overnight. It is akin to humanity’s shift from seeing the earth as the center of the universe, to the Copernican reality that the sun is the center of our solar system. We are witnessing the gradual overthrow of the superstition of materialism. The shift is happening. I welcome everyone to be part of it and rise to enjoy a better life.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of my favorites places on earth is a small town in Iowa. At first, it looks like any other little Midwest town—the square with the park and bandstand, the 1890s courthouse and clocktower—it could be a scene out of The Music Man. Then you might notice the diversity of ethnic and natural foods restaurants, the artsy coffeehouses, the tech companies. The Arts and Convention Center marque boasts of world-class acts. All in a town of under 10,000? And why would travel networks designate Fairfield as one of the “coolest” towns in the country?

When you see the rising, elegant curvatures of the two golden meditation domes, and the grand entrance to Maharishi International University, it might dawn on you what’s so unique about Fairfield: it’s the cultural hub of the Transcendental Meditation movement and the home of 2000 meditators. MIU is the only college in the U.S. where students, staff, and faculty meditate as part of their daily routine. MIU is the flagship institution for “Consciousness-Based Education,” developing the student’s consciousness while emphasizing the underlying unity of all knowledge.

At The Raj, a five-star ayurvedic spa, you might enjoy the best massage of your life. Then stop by the MIU cafeteria for an organic, locally-sourced meal.

Don’t miss the award-winning Sustainable Living Center, said to be the world’s most advanced sustainable building, or MIU’s solar power plant, an array of next-generation technology that supplies a third of the university’s electricity.

Another great reason to visit MIU is that the newer campus buildings and hundreds of surrounding homes are constructed according to vastu, the architectural system from the same tradition of knowledge that gave us yoga and Transcendental Meditation. Vastu buildings are finely attuned to nature—carefully positioned in regards to the cardinal directions and the movement of the sun. People report feeling at ease and uplifted upon entering a vastu building.

The most alluring feature of this innovative community may be the soft, welcoming atmosphere created by so many meditators. A sublime, peaceful feeling fills the air. In the two golden domes, hundreds of people come together to meditate, morning and evening. To grasp how meditation can exert a positive influence on the surroundings requires a new understanding of consciousness, and MIU is the home base for the consciousness paradigm. For me this is the most interesting and exciting aspect of this fabulous community.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
In my personal story of research, discovery, and teaching, the person most deserving of recognition is my own teacher, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who I see as a great scientist of consciousness. Despite worldwide fame and publicity during his 50-plus years of teaching and lecturing, who Maharishi really was, and his accomplishments, are only beginning to be fully appreciated in the world at large, especially in the West where a higher understanding of consciousness is just now taking hold. The new, rising paradigm of consciousness—the understanding that consciousness is primary in nature and is a field of limitless potentiality—is a theoretical framework that Maharishi articulated with greater clarity, alacrity, and precision than anyone I’ve encountered. But his knowledge was not merely theoretical; in his Transcendental Meditation program, he presented a technology that brought the consciousness paradigm to life and yielded practical, life-transforming benefits. Maharishi himself never took credit for the success of his worldwide movement, but credited his own teacher and the ancient tradition of great meditation masters who came before him, whose discoveries about consciousness were concisely formulated and passed down through the ages.

I also give a shoutout to the certified teachers of Transcendental Meditation in local TM Centers throughout the world, who devote their lives to helping others overcome the ravaging effects of stress and develop higher consciousness.

Website: drtonynader.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/DrTonyNader

Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/drtonynader

Twitter: http://twitter.com/DrTonyNader

Facebook: http://facebook.com/DrTonyNader

Youtube: http://youtube.com/user/DrTonyNader

Other: Consciousness Is All There Is Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/consciousness-is-all-there-is/id1472371019 https://open.spotify.com/show/0xeUiVxTJP4kxI5Sb6vnLU?si=VgAT-EPXQJyltLgbI6KfqA

To Learn TM: TM.org