Arnold Schwarzenegger says a year of practicing Transcendental Meditation in the '70s changed his life
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Schwarzenegger had just finished shooting the film "Stay Hungry" and was participating in the documentary "Pumping Iron," which followed him through his training for Mr. Olympia, which he we would win for the sixth straight time. He was also a successful California real estate investor.
As his international celebrity - and bank account - grew, Schwarzenegger realized that despite his signature extreme self-confidence, he was starting to feel overwhelmed, he tells Tim Ferriss in the latest episode of Ferriss' podcast.
"Eventually it felt like I've got to do something about it because I have such great opportunities here and everything is happening and everything is going my way, but I'm just clustering [it all] into one big problem rather than separating it out and having calm and peace and being happy," Schwarzenegger says.
He tells Ferriss that during this time he ran into a friend at the beach who told him that he was teaching Transcendental Meditation (TM), which prompted Schwarzenegger to reveal he had been struggling with anxiety for the first time in his life.
His friend set him up with an instructor who taught him proper TM technique, which entails sitting with your eyes closed for 15 to 20 minutes while breathing deeply and repeating a mantra.
"I did 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes at night, and I would say within 14 days or three weeks, I got to the point where I could really disconnect my mind ... and learn how to focus more and calm down," Schwarzenegger says.
After a year of daily practice, Schwarzenegger's anxiety had subsided, and he no longer felt like he needed to keep up his TM habit. But he tells Ferriss that his year of intense daily meditation fundamentally changed the way he approached life.
Today he prefers to work intensely for 45 to 60 minutes on whatever project he's involved in before playing a game of chess to detach his mind from whatever he had been focusing on. He uses workouts in the same way.
Ultimately, TM taught him that the root of his anxiety was seeing all of his responsibilities as part of a massive, interconnected task that seemed impossible to overcome.
"Even today, I still benefit from [the year of TM] because I don't merge and bring things together and see everything as one big problem," he says.
For example, now when Schwarzenegger studies a script for a movie, he says, "I don't let anything else interfere. I just concentrate on that."
You can listen to the full podcast episode, in which Schwarzenegger discusses his multifaceted career and life philosophy, at Tim Ferriss' blog.
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- Colon cancer rates are rising in young people. If you have two symptoms you should get a colonoscopy, a GI oncologist says.
- Saudi Arabia wants China to help fund its struggling $500 billion Neom megaproject. Investors may not be too excited.
- Catan adds climate change to the latest edition of the world-famous board game
- Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
- Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
- JNK India IPO allotment – How to check allotment, GMP, listing date and more
- Indian Army unveils selfie point at Hombotingla Pass ahead of 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market