A founding member of the Beatles, Paul McCartney has been singing about peace and love for the past half a century. In his personal life, he is practicing what he preaches.
Finding his calm in daily meditation
There are dozens of books and documentaries about him, and he has never left the spotlight after stepping from Liverpool to the global stage in 1960s.
However, few people know that sir Paul McCartney is an avid meditator. 
“In moments of madness, meditation has helped me find moments of serenity — and I would like to think that it would help provide young people a quiet haven in a not-so-quiet world,” McCartney says.
The technique he uses is called Transcendental Meditation or TM, and he picked it up from the Indian sage Maharishi Mahesh Yogi back in 1968.
“It was a great gift that Maharishi gave us. For me it came at a time when we were looking for something to stabilize us towards the end of the crazy sixties.
It’s a lifelong gift, something you can call on at any time.”
David Lynch interviews Paul McCartney
In an interview with the famous director David Lynch, Paul McCartney recalled how he and The Beatles first met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1967.
“It was actually George Harrison’s wife, Patti, who had heard Maharishi was coming to town,” Paul McCartney said. “And she said we should all go… [I was] just overdoing it in the ‘60s. I was just not very centered and I was looking for something. I think we all were.
So we heard that Maharishi was going to have a meeting and give a lecture in London. So that was the first time I’d heard about meditation.”
Paul paused for a moment as he recalled those transformative days four decades ago when he first heard about the TM meditation and met Maharishi.
“It was very interesting. It was very calming and it seemed like something that was worth trying. [Maharishi] put it very well.
He made it seem simple; he made it seem very attractive.”
Does Paul McCartney still meditate, half a century after learning the practice from Maharishi?
“Yes, I think it’s great!” Paul says. “I think it’s always very good to get a sort of still moment in your day. Whenever I have a chance in a busy schedule, I’ll do it, if I’m not rushing out the door with some crazy stuff to do. But yeah, I always like to take a moment and just meditate. Transcendental Meditation is a good thing.”
WATCH VIDEO: Film director David Lynch interviews Paul McCartney about meditation and Maharishi
Sources:
“David Lynch Interviews Paul McCartney About Transcendental Meditation” by Heather Hartnett, tm.org
“Paul McCartney”, InsidePhilanthropy.com
Paul McCartney’s official blog
