Transcendental Meditation (TM) refers to a specific form of silent meditation and the organizations that constitute the Transcendental Meditation movement. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi created and introduced the TM technique and TM movement in India in the mid-1950s. Advocates of TM claim that the technique promotes a state of relaxed awareness, stress relief, creativity, and efficiency, as well as physiological benefits such as reducing the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. The technique is also purported to allow practitioners to experience higher states of consciousness.