Meditators let fly in contest
Des Moines Register, USA

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Fairfield, Iawa. - From a seated, full-lotus position, his legs crossed with the bottoms of his feet facing the ceiling, Martin Davy faced a great test of his mental and physical prowess.

It was sudden death in the final round of Friday's yogic flying high jump competition, down to just Davy and his opponent David Sinton. Five foam mattresses, each 6 inches thick, were stacked before him. The commentator had just announced that it equaled about the height of a typical first-grader.

The crowd was hushed. Judges, seated next to the mats wearing suits, ties and spectacles, awaited his next move. He took a few bounces from his pretzel-like position, and then leaped - and found himself atop the mats. And the crowd went wild.

This was the high drama of the yogic flying competition, which took place Friday in the Golden Dome at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield. Organizers said it was the first public competition of its kind in 10 years. The 14 male participants maxed out at about 2.5-foot heights and 5.5-foot distances, and accomplished 25-meter dashes as fast as 14 seconds, all while hopping from a full-lotus position.

The ability to "fly," which looks a lot like bouncing around, is the expression of a blissful state achieved through meditation, practitioners say.

Transcendental meditators believe their practice can increase creativity and intelligence in the individual, and lead to world peace.

In Fairfield, practitioners of Transcendental Meditation can opt to progress to the advanced meditative stage of flying at the age of 15. Some practice every day in the Golden Dome, although they usually just hop around in the 25,000-foot space on a single layer of foam mats.

The competition was announced a week ago, which prompted several men to start testing their flying speeds and altitude. About 25 men participated in preliminaries Wednesday. Women opted to hold a private competition in a separate dome this year.

The winner of the 25-meter dash was 52-year-old grandfather Rod Falk, who has been a flier for 26 years.

"For me, it's just pure bliss," Falk said. "You become completely integrated - your mind and your body the same become filled with lightness and completeness, and it spills over into your everyday life. We're really training so that life becomes easier."

The physical exertion required for yogic flying is quite hard for the average person, said Des Moines YMCA yoga teacher Christine Meinecke.

"I doubt anybody could do it if they were just goofing around," Meinecke said. "I don't think you'd ever get off the ground unless you'd really, really learned the concentration part."

Although many people fly, the competition requires that competitors maintain the lotus position, which is an added test of ability.

Yogic fliers will tell you that the event is not a dead-serious competition. In the competitor's corner there were no coaches, no grudging handshakes or competitive stare-downs. Waiting competitors smiled at each other, sat down, and stretched or meditated to warm up for the next round or next competition. They were unfazed by the media attention.

"When I first walked in and saw all these lights and cameras, I was getting a little bit nervous. But as soon as I started flying, it was total bliss and I didn't have to worry about anything," said Geoff Boothby, who won bronze and silver medals in the high school division for jumps, hurdles and the race. "We fly every day anyway."