Hugh Jackman to Host MEDITATE AMERICA Event in New York City

The David Lynch Foundation’s Institute for Mental Health and Resilience is launching MEDITATE AMERICA, a public awareness campaign to drive home the benefits of meditation techniques to help manage and reduce stress. The campaign aims to combat America’s stress epidemic – according to a 2024 study commissioned by the American Psychological Association, nearly 50% of American adults report feeling more stressed out than ever, and the numbers are soaring. 

MEDITATE AMERICA will launch in more than 100 cities nationwide on September 12th and run through November 12th, with the goal of encouraging more people to meditate to address the pandemic of toxic stress, especially during this volatile election season. Local Transcendental Meditation centers nationwide will offer up to 50 percent off course fees to learn Transcendental Meditation. A scholarship fund is being set up by the David Lynch Foundation in partnership with the US TM organization for people who require financial assistance to learn to Transcendental Meditation.
 
Meditate New York will help make TM available to all the people in New York City. The initiative’s goal is to raise funds to provide scholarships to bring the TM technique to New York City’s veterans, first responders, healthcare workers, and those in financial need. 
 
MEDITATE AMERICA will be inaugurated during a benefit gala on September 12 hosted by the charismatic Hugh Jackman and the David Lynch Foundation. This sold-out event will be held at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, where Mr. Jackman will interview Dr. Tony Nader, neuroscientist, global Transcendental Meditation expert, and New York Times bestselling author of “Consciousness Is All There Is.” In addition, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy will receive the “Enlightened Doctor of the Year Award” and global women’s health activist and long-time TM practitioner Maria Shriver will receive the “Enlightened Woman of the Year Award.” Magician Joshua Jay will entertain. This pivotal event will be live-streamed worldwide for free, inaugurating a campaign to promote collective healing and mental well-being. The event will be live-streamed HERE on September 12 at 7:45 PM ET
 
“MEDITATE AMERICA is about waking people up to the very real hazards of stress and the very real, science-backed benefits of Transcendental Meditation (TM)—and encouraging people to take action, learn to meditate and protect themselves against the toxic onslaught of stress,” says Bob Roth, CEO of the David Lynch Foundation and author of the New York Times bestseller, “Strength in Stillness.” 
 
“Americans are feeling very anxious – especially over the economy, gun violence, and the upcoming 2024 election. It’s more important than ever to find ways to mitigate the stress around these destabilizing issues.” Roth says.
 
Transcendental Meditation is a simple, easily-learned technique that allows the body to gain a profound state of relaxation while the mind, though deeply settled, functions with increased coherence. More than 10 million people have learned the technique and over 400 peer-reviewed studies have verified the physiological and psychological benefits of TM for reducing stress and stress-related disorders, including hypertension, anxiety, depression, and insomnia, while increasing creativity, energy, resilience, and focus.

Photo Credit: Bruce Glikas