Ancient Method For Flying

- 1 February 1988

A flying competition with a difference will be held in Auckland at the weekend.

The event is the second annual national flying championships of the Maharishi Foundation of New Zealand, which teaches transcendental meditation.

It is being held to check the progress of the TM-Sidhi technique, in which people assume the lotus position and “hop” across the floor.

It’s the first stage of yogic flying, which is a technique set out about 5000 years ago,” said the foundation’s full-time national director, Mr Bryan Lee.

“It leads to hovering, and eventually full flight.”

No one in the world is known to be capable of more than a momentary hop, he said.

“But it looks as if it will not be too many years before there is someone in New Zealand hovering.”

In the contest at the weekend, several of the best flyers will demonstrate the long jump, high jump and 50m dash on foam mattresses.

The world record for the long jump is 178cm, for the high jump 63cm, and the 50m dash can be accomplished in 22 seconds.

Mr Lee said it did not require a conscious physical effort.

“You are just sitting there and thinking, and you feel yourself as if drawn upwards.”

About 20,000 people in New Zealand have been taught transcendental meditation, and about 300 have gone on to learn the levitation technique. The technique is part of a wider plan to create world peace, Mr Lee said.