Meditation Programs
Integrated Amrita Meditation Technique (IAMT)
"The purpose of meditation is to attain clear direction and centering, and then good qualities spontaneously bloom….the same energy that manifests as anger, hatred, jealousy, lust and other negative thoughts, can become compassion, love, and non-violence.” - Amma
The Integrated Amrita Meditation Technique (IAMT) is a powerful, easy to learn meditation approach created by Amma.
IAMT blends gentle movement (yogic postures), breath, visualization, and sound. There are four versions of the IAMT: IAM-35 and IAM-20 for adults, and two versions designed for children aged 10-14 and 15-18, respectively. IAM-35 is a thirty-five minute practice. IAM-20, a twenty-minute practice, is shorter but still powerful. All versions of IAMT are taught by instructors who are carefully selected and thoroughly trained.
A recent study at Yale University discovered that meditators developed extra grey matter in the brain, giving them greater concentration and more stable emotions. Another five-year controlled study of the IAMT published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine demonstrated a wide range of significant physiological and psychological benefits.
Recognition of the effectiveness of IAMT is rapidly growing world-wide. IAMT has been taught in the Indian Army, Navy, and Paramilitary, Whole Foods Corporation, Genentech USA, the State University of New York, the Juvenile Detention Center in Santa Fe, and correctional facilities in Ontario, to name a few. IAMT practitioners report many positive benefits including: spiritual development, a more positive outlook, increased clarity, greater resiliency when facing challenges, more satisfying relationships, and enhanced creativity.
A person who practices the IAMT regularly thus described the effect it has had on his professional career:
I feel a lightness, a significant reduction in negative thoughts and feelings. I work with more energy, efficiency, and feel more ease when a difficult decision is required. It gives me more patience and compassion. On the rare morning that I am not able to do the IAMT, my day at work is far less satisfying.
IAMT instructional classes and refresher classes are taught regularly in local venues, as well as during Amma’s yearly visits to Canada and the US. IAMT classes are always taught free of charge; there may occasionally be only a nominal cost to cover any overhead required to hold a class. For more information on upcoming IAMT classes or to host a class in your community, kindly contact ammatoronto@ammagroups.org.