"It needed a scientific age for the world to appreciate the significance of the philosophy of Yoga and its practical application in creating integrated individuals, integrated nations, and an integrated world family. Yoga means union, the union of the individual awareness with the Unified Field of all the Laws of Nature in the state of transcendental consciousness.

Acting  from The Unified Field
"Yogic Flying demonstrates the ability of the individual to act from the unified field and enliven the total potential of Natural Law in all its expressions—mind, body, behavior, and environment. Yogic Flying presents in miniature the flight of galaxies in space, all unified in perfect order by Natural Law. The mind-body coordination displayed by Yogic Flying shows that consciousness and its expression—the physiology—are in perfect balance. Scientific research has found maximum coherence in brain functioning gives rise to Yogic Flying. As the coherently functioning human brain is the unit of world peace, Yogic Flying is the mechanics to make world peace a reality, and thereby bring world health, world happiness, world prosperity, a world free from suffering—Heaven on Earth in this generation." —Maharishi

"Yogic Flying is so profound that I sometimes wonder how people go through the day without it," says Frank diChiara, M.D., Chief of Staff at New Jersey Medical Hospital, and one of more than 100,000 people around the world who take time twice each day to practice Yogic Flying.

Doctors and lawyers, teachers and students, business executives and homemakers, military, political and religious leaders, retired people and teens—all kinds of people practice Yogic Flying. Why? Not just because they hope someday to levitate or fly. Although the experience is enjoyable and revitalizing, they practice Yogic Flying for two more important reasons: For themselves—to be happier, healthier, more successful; and for society—to help create world peace.

Coherent Brainwaves = Success
Scientists have observed remarkable changes in the way the brain functions during Yogic Flying. Brainwaves become highly coherent and orderly—with maximum coherence occurring at the point the body lifts up—indicating that the brain is functioning more powerfully and gaining greater access to its full potential.

This more orderly and powerful brain functioning translates into equally remarkable benefits, such as increased intelligence and creativity, clearer thinking, improved health, enhanced perception, reversal of the aging process, more fulfilling relationships. In short, people practice Yogic Flying because of its results in everyday life.

"Since I started Yogic Flying, my life has been very smooth," comments one Yogic Flyer. "My thinking has become clearer, my physiology stronger, and my desires more easily fulfilled." Another says, "I experience freedom and happiness during Yogic Flying. It's an unbounded happiness; not the ordinary limited happiness that seems like it will be gone soon. I feel as though I've come home."

Creating World Peace—Together
Studies on the quality of life in society show an even more extraordinary effect. When people practice Yogic Flying together in a group, they create an influence of orderliness and coherence that radiates out to their environment. This coherence-creating effect, called the Extended Maharishi Effect, neutralizes stress and negativity within the innermost fabric of society, the field of collective consciousness*.

As coherence in collective consciousness increases, research shows that the crime rate drops. Sickness and accident rates drop. Inflation and unemployment decline and the economy improves. Even terrorism and open warfare have been reduced or stopped by groups of Yogic Flyers, and the superpowers have become friendlier.

The TM-Sidhi program, including Yogic Flying, was introduced by Maharishi in 1976 as a natural extension of the Transcendental Meditation technique. Although individuals who have learned the TM-Sidhi program are of all ages, professions, religious traditions, educational backgrounds and political affiliations, they share one common conviction: Yogic Flying is the best thing you can do for yourself, and the best thing you can do for the world. They admit that their approach is new and different. Yet scientific research studies unanimously confirm its effectiveness. It has been proven to accelerate human development in unprecedented ways, and at the same time to resolve the most intractable social problems—problems that have defied every other attempt at solution.

The bottom line is: In a world sorely in need of solutions, Yogic Flying works.

*Collective consciousness is the sum of all the individuals’ consciousness in a city, state, nation, or the world. The next issue of Enlightenment will include part two of this series: "Floating and Flying through History."

Craig Pearson is Executive Vice President of Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa. This article is excerpted from his forthcoming book, The Complete Book of Yogic Flying.