Find your 'inner self' with Bristol Transcendental Meditation Centre
As taught by the late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, she has offered the students at Cambridge University an insight into an intriguing form of relaxation.
But Patrice recently moved to Bristol to set up the city's first Transcendental Meditation Centre on Coronation Road in Southville.
As she opens the front door, Patrice welcomes me with a smile as wide and beaming as that of the Maharishi himself – the Indian guru who died last year, but became famous worldwide in the 1960s after he introduced the Beatles to the discipline.
The Maharishi devised the transcendental meditation (TM) after being told by his own "guru" to come up with a simple form of meditation that anyone could learn. After two years walking in the Himalayas as a recluse, he emerged to launch TM on the world.
The charismatic founder of the TM movement may have died last year, but he's left behind scores of TM teachers, like Patrice, who have spread around the globe, to continue passing on his techniques.
Patrice studied under the Maharishi in 1971-2 in a Swiss retreat.
"He was the most intelligent person I've ever met," she says. "Everything he said was full of humour, but he managed to do it without messing around – he was always extremely focused on his teachings.
Patrice gives me a quick tour of the new TM Centre – which happens to also be her home.
"We've only just moved in, but we're lucky because we have three floors. So my husband and I can live on the top floor, and we can devote much of the rest of the house to meditation rooms," she says.
"I do it for the love of TM. The Maharishi set it up because he was in love with mankind, and he knew that this technique could make the world a better place. Put simply, it can make us all happier."
Patrice leads the way into the front room. A picture of St Francis feeding the birds hangs on one wall. Nearby a photograph of the Maharishi is given pride of place on a book shelf.
Mark Vaughan OBE is waiting for us, sitting on a sofa in the corner. Like Patrice, Mark began using the technique in the mid-1960s, when he was a young journalist trying to make his name on Fleet Street.
He believes TM helped him to stay focused throughout his stressful career.
Now, at the age of 64, Mark, who lives in Redland, believes that two short sessions of meditation each day still help him.
"It became such a popular movement in the 1960s, after it emerged that the Maharishi was teaching the technique to The Beatles," he says. "So as a young man, I thought I would give it a go.
"In fact, it worked wonders. It's not a religion, or even a philosophy – just a technique for connecting with the inner-silence that we all have, but few people are able to tap in to.
"I simply meditate for 20 minutes in the morning, and 20 minutes in the evening. and it makes a tremendous difference to my life. It gives me clarity and energy, and allows me to focus on whatever needs doing.
"There have been successive scientific research projects, which have proven that TM has a beneficial effect on both your mental and physical well being.
"It's perfectly natural, but it allows you to tap into a state of consciousness that we need to engage with, but which all too often gets overlooked."
Mark is quick to point one thing out. It's not a sleep-like experience.
"Far from it," he says. "Your awareness becomes heightened. During TM there is an increase of blood to the head, whilst in sleep there is a decrease. That's why it gives us a greater clarity, and improves decision making throughout your life."
We're joined in the room by Laurie Lathom-Sharp, a 33-year-old personal trainer from Lockleaze, who took up TM recently as a way of winding down after a stressful day in the gym.
"It's just about learning how to switch off," he says. "I've only been doing it for a few months, but I think it's already improved my happiness, my relationships with others, and given me more confidence."
Patrice, Mark and Laurie agree to demonstrate the process with a group meditation session.
'Can I join in?' I ask, speculatively.
Patrice smiles kindly, but explains it's not something you can just throw yourself into. Beginners must first go through a four-day instructional course with a tutor, during which the technique for descending down into the state of stillness is tailored to suit the individual's personality.
They then visit their "guru" or teacher occasionally throughout the next six months as they master the technique.
It also involves being given a "sound" – Patrice shies away from the word "mantra", claiming it's too much like something New Labour would come up with.
"It's a single syllable word without any meaning," she explains, "which acts as a focus point for the meditators when repeated inside their heads.
"We never speak our word aloud, as we believe it has to stay inward-focused for it to work."
Whilst much of the TM theory seems to make sense, this "secret word" stuff sounds rather baffling to me, but I agree to stay on the sidelines for the session.
After a bit of shuffling to ensure they're sitting comfortably in their seats, they each close their eyes, and simply sit very still for the next 10 minutes.
There's no funny chanting or Buddha-like hand gestures, and it makes a poor spectator's event, if I'm honest.
But as they come around from their peaceful reveries, it's clear from the smiles on their faces that the experience has been enjoyable for them.
"It's always a wonderful feeling when you meditate in a group," Patrice says. "It's almost as if you're able to pick up on everyone else's sense of stillness too."
Back in the real world, I've one final question. What does it cost to discover your inner-self?
"TM is taught through a registered educational charity, which means there's no profit, and scholarships are available for those who may have trouble affording the proper fee," Patrice explains.
"Fees for a full six-month course vary according to earnings: from £590 down to £290 for a person earning under £15,000 per annum."
For more information, call Patrice on 0117 9147127.
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