MAHARISHI Vedic City
In the middle of Iowa is what many consider to be the most progressive city in America. Maharishi Vedic City generates enough energy to power neighboring communities, has a ban on non-organic food, and has a community of people that meditate two times a day in America’s largest meditation dome. Much of the city was influenced by of one the world’s most famous gurus, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi… Which raises the question, is this a cult?
Our Experience
Out of everywhere we went, Maharishi Vedic City seemed to be the most mysterious. Without knowing much about it, the claims that America’s most progressive city being located in the center of Iowa seemed a bit unlikely. Everyone we told this to was stumped that this title didn’t belong somewhere in Washington state, or any coastal city really. However, with this being one of the last stops on our 45 day adventure, we entered the city limits with open minds.
Ken Chawkin
Upon entering flat, vast cornfields, our first impressions were along the lines of “Wow…this is Iowa!” Yet, as we drove further into the city we started to notice some uniqueness. The buildings were all similar, yet different than what we were used to. Each one was facing the same direction. We wrote it off and continued on to meet with our guide, Ken Chawkin, who would be our main point of direction for the next few days.
Why do houses face to the East?
It turns out that the interesting layout of the city’s houses is intentional. They are all facing the same direction, East, in order to harness energy from the sun. In fact, every house is required to follow Vastu architectural designs which promote high efficiency living. One aspect of Vastu design is an open skylight in the middle of each structure. This allows for maximum light dispersion, and in turn each house requires less electrical light. Along with this, many structures in the city have solar panels, further maximizing their environmental efficiency.
John Lipman AIA
What is Vastu artchitecture?
John Lipman, an architect in town took us through his home and explained all of the Vastu elements he had incorporated into his living situation. His kitchen sink faces East, his stove faces South, his meditation room is in the North side of the house, his bathrooms are all on the West side, and bed faces East. Lipman made sure we were aware that everything was placed in its spot for a reason. These arrangements, according to ancient beliefs, support happier, healthier, and safer living.
Where is America’s largest mediation dome?
This pair of meditation domes in Maharishi Vedic City are the largest in the U.S. and each resident of the city goes there two times a day to practice Transcendental Meditation. We felt the silence as we broke the doors open to the structure. Upon arrival, the building was empty. We found hundreds of meditation beds sprawled out across the floor. In the back there was a shrine for Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Eventually, a guide came and walked us through the structure. We hoped to capture footage of people meditation… apparently that was against the code. While we weren’t able to capture the townspeople meditating, we were lucky enough to talk with an expert. Valerie explained the domes to us. There is one dome for males, and another dome for females. The theory behind this is that if both sexes were in the same meditation zone there would be distracting sexual forces. For somewhere that is claimed to be the most progressive city in America, we wondered about how the LGBTQ community fit into this. The city has not gotten into that yet.
Is yogic flying real?
Valerie, while giving us the run down on Transcendental Meditation made the claim that “throughout history there have been over 600 saints historically documented who could levitate.” This took us off guard. Yogic Flying? We thought… like on a magic carpet? Apparently some ‘masters’ have indeed been known to use carpets. While we were unable to confirm nor see any true flying, through our research we later discovered yogic flying competitions. With crossed legs, competitors hop along a padded arena and are scored off of the length of flight.
While skeptical, we enjoyed Valerie’s enthusiasm. Our conversation with her inspired us to give meditation a try, so we each cooped up on a visitor mat and tried out a small session.
What is a meditation pandit?
While we were able to check out many elements that made Maharishi Vedic City unique, there was a significant section that we discovered after we had left the premises. It was after further research that we found out about a small subset of the city that used to be home to around 2,000 more people. In fact, most of those residents were transplants from India, and were considered Pandits. While many of the residents denied a cult presence in Maharishi Vedic City, the Pandits may seem to fit in that category. However, as of recent, the Pandits are no longer a part of the town or community in Maharishi Vedic City.
Does Maharishi Vedic City offer tours?
Tours of the Maharishi Vedic City are offered everyday. Source
According to Lipman, South facing homes fall victim to the nations highest theft and burglary incidents.
Maharishi Vedic City produces about five times more energy than they consume.
The city is home to the Raj Health Spa which is a magnet for celebrities.
The Maharishi University of Management serves exclusively organic vegetarian foods.
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