Dr Robert Roth, National Director of Expansion for the Global Country of World Peace in the United States, recently reported on the benefits experienced by the Ho-Chunk Native American tribe in Nebraska, USA, after many members learnt the Transcendental Meditation Technique.

When elders of the Ho-Chunk, or Winnebago tribe, began learning the Transcendental Meditation Technique several years ago, with funding support from the David Lynch Foundation, they intuitively knew that the practice resonated with their own ancient traditions of knowledge. Although the contemporary lifestyle of native tribes in the US has been shaped by many foreign and sometimes harmful influences over the last century, the elders still retain a great deal of wisdom of how daily life is connected to its source in the wholeness of Nature's cosmic creative intelligence, Dr Roth commented.

One of the most severe problems within the Ho-Chunk community, which Transcendental Meditation has helped alleviate, is that of diabetes. Ever since the US government placed its native peoples on reservations, forbidding them to move about, the tribes began eating more processed foods and leading more sedentary lifestyles. These factors, coupled with the everyday stresses brought upon them, have led to an epidemic of diabetes—affecting nearly 80% of native peoples. With the practice of Transcendental Meditation, said Dr Roth, tribe members suffering from diabetes or pre-diabetes have experienced greatly reduced stress levels, lower blood pressure, and stabilized blood sugar levels.

Quoting Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Founder of the Global Country of World Peace, Dr Roth said, 'It doesn't matter why a person decides to learn Transcendental Meditation; he will still gain all of the benefits it offers.' Although many members of the Ho-Chunk tribe are attracted to Transcendental Meditation for its effect on diabetes, once they learn, they will discover a host of unforeseen benefits in all areas of life.