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 "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.

Criticism of Yogic Flying

Yogic flying is not accepted by the mainstream scientific community and has been criticized as a cult by the mainstream press. 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. http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_136.html

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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. Also, the social science methodology of the studies have been disputed:

Related Topics:
Physics - Pseudoscientific - Unified field - Laboratory - Social science

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:The most fundamental problem is that 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. http://www.rickross.com/reference/tm/tm16.html

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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 the activity was "strictly physical exercise ... nothing spiritual about it." Also, the MUI center was "a 'totalitarian environment' where every minute of ... was programmed."http://www.rickross.com/reference/tm/tm68.html

Related Topics:
1987 - Washington Post - Cult - Totalitarian

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More recently, 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. http://www.positiveatheism.org/writ/stoss01.htm

Related Topics:
1998 - ABC - John Stossel - Skeptic - James Randi - Paranormal

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