Yogic flying

Yogic flying is the purported ability to levitate which is a capability one gains through advanced practice of transcendental meditation (TM). While sitting cross-legged, yogic flyers can move around in a hopping kind of motion. This actually represents the earliest part of levitation, the bh?chari-siddhi, the "perfection of leaping like a frog". Proponents of yogic flying claim world peace can be induced by thousands of simultaneous yogic flyers spread world-wide.

Facilities and Practioners

Special facilities for yogic flying are located at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa and at Maharishi European Sidhaland in Skelmersdale, U.K.

Groups practicing yogic flying are found in cities throughout the world. Fifty published research studies in journals such as the Journal of Social Conflict published by Yale claim positive societal trends are correlated to gathering of large numbers of yogic fliers.

During the 1990s, various Natural Law Parties encouraged the use of yogic flying as part of their party platform. Current plans by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of the Transcendental Meditation Program and related programs, include building 3000 Peace Palaces in major cities, and creating permanent groups of 8,000 yogic flyers to create permanent world peace. A group of 500 Vedic pandits, all flyers, will soon be in residence at Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa.

History of Yogic Flying

Yogic flying traditionally stems from the Vedic rishi Avatsara, "the flying-one". Later yogic texts also describe this siddhi ("perfection") in varying degrees of detail, most notably the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali.

A system of yogic flying also exists within the inner tantras (anuttara-tantras) of Tibetan Buddhism as a system to attain enlightenment. In this system the practioners work at the dissolution of the vital airs, prana, into the centermost part of being, the avadhuti or "central channel". In the initial stages this is used in a system of yogic-running where the practitioner is able to proceed across the ground in large jumps. Some of kings of the Himalayan kingdoms kept speed-runners from this tradition to carry messages over long distances.

Once perfected, the adept of this school (rlung-gompa) can then work for the attainment of simultaneous bliss and emptiness (in Sanskrit, shunyata). Ultimately one attains mahamudra siddhi, total non-dual realization, and is able to radiate bodhichitta, the thought of enlightenment, for all sentient beings.

Criticism of Yogic Flying

Yogic flying is not accepted by the mainstream scientific community. The social science methodology of the studies have been disputed:

The most fundamental problem is the statistical methods used -- essentially survey methods rather than controlled laboratory experiments -- are open to manipulation. Moreover, the researchers don't apply Occam's Razor, one of the most basic scientific maxims. [1] (http://www.rickross.com/reference/tm/tm16.html)

Claims of levitation conflict with the known mainstream physics. TM explanations have been criticized for being pseudoscientific such as misusing the term unified field. Further, no levitation in yogic flying has ever been reproduced under laboratory settings.

After witnessing demonstrations of yogic flying, critics note that yogic flying has never advanced beyond hopping and consider such demonstrations to be unimpressive and comical. [2] (http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_136.html)

In the 1998 ABC News special The Power of Belief, John Stossel documents a series of disputed phenomena beginning with yogic flying. Skeptic James Randi has an outstanding offer of $1,000,000 if such paranormal claims can be verified. [3] (http://www.positiveatheism.org/writ/stoss01.htm)

In a 1987 Washington Post article, yogic flying has been criticized as "fake" and has been linked to cult activity. Former TM adherents from Maharishi University of Management say:

"It's strictly physical exercise," said Kelly. "There's nothing spiritual about it."

"It's purely physical," said Taity.

Another former MIU student, Patrick L. Ryan, said that he studied yogic flying there in a "totalitarian environment" where every minute of his day was programmed.

Yet, he said, "I never saw anybody fly." [4] (http://www.rickross.com/reference/tm/tm68.html)