Business Q&A: Maharishi Ayurveda Spa

Name of Business:

Address: 286 Boston Tpke.

Owner: Dale Friedgen serves as director. Abbie Barber is a transcendental meditation instructor and Heather Small is president of the Ayurveda Health Spa.

Years in business: Friedgen has been teaching transcendental meditation for 35 years. He has been at this business the past five years.

When was the business started: About five years ago.

Business Mentor: Friedgen said his brother, who started an auto parts business many years ago, shared his experience and gave him some knowledge and a sense of business.

Quote to Live By: "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Reside: Worcester

Family: Friedgen has three children. They live in New Orleans, Upton and Boston.

Like best about owning/running this business: "I like to see the effects it has on people's lives."

Like least: "I'm not crazy about long hours," Friedgen said, adding that he doesn't often work long hours and that he feels a work week should be 25 hours maximum. "Life is too short."

Where you see yourself five years from now: "Probably greatly expanded and serving many more people."

Facebook/Twitter: This business is not currently on Facebook or Twitter, but more information is available on this website.

Favorite book/movie/song: Friedgen likes the movie Meet Joe Black. He also said he enjoys music by Bob Dylan, The Moody Blues, and X Factor winner Melanie Amaro.

Advice for someone new to the business: "Take care of yourself. Meditate twice a day," Friedgen said. "Start using more than the 10 percent of our mind that pyschologists say we use. Dissolve the stress and you'll be successful in whatever you do."

According to director Dale Friedgen, "Ayur" means life and "Veda" means the knowledge of science. Ayurveda is the oldest continuously practiced health care system in the world, he said, and originated in India. It has many benefits, including relieving stress, Fridgen said.

"Stress is the number one health concern, 80 to 90 percent of diseases are caused or complicated by stress," he said. "It affects all aspects of our body and mind ... the ability to love, be compassionate and patient."

Friedgen said research shows the transcendental meditation technique lowers high blood pressure, reduces anxiety and hypertension, and is one of the most effective ways to quit smoking.

It can also improve sleep, increase IQ in adults, and "allows a person to experience a fourth state of consciousness called transcendental consciousness," he said.

The spa offers free introductory lectures, by appointment, at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays.