First, some details about group meditations. What is their use and benefit? Let us dwell upon this issue.

It seems impossible that a small group of people sitting together with eyes closed could reduce crime, accidents, and warfare in the surrounding society. Yet more than 40 separate scientific studies, conducted in cities and states and nations all around the world, repeatedly show that when just 1% of a population practices a meditation technique, or when just the square root of 1% of the population prays together in one place or one area, especially at the same moment or sustained for a prolonged period, for instance people praying in the same room, in turns for 24, 48, or seven days even, remarkable changes happen throughout the society - crime, accidents, disease, inflation, and unemployment go down. Terrorism and even open warfare, if present, drop sharply.

What is the evidence? How does it happen? Take this chance to ask the hard questions, and learn why many reasonable, practical people have come to believe that it's true - and how this new yet ancient practice can solve the seemingly unsolvable social problems that face us. Robert Oates, who holds a master's degree in history from UCLA, has studied the evidence on group meditations extensively and has taken part in many of these social experiments himself. He has written more than a dozen books, including a book examining the Maharishi Effect. He has lived in Fairfield since 1979, was until recently director for the Department for the Development of Consciousness at Maharishi University of Management, and is currently employed as public relations director for Genetic ID in Fairfield.

The fact is that such a massive and beneficial concentration of energy and force cannot go on unnoticed. The principle of resonance works in this area just as well as in any other. Consequently, when two or more persons come together for meditation and prayer, the subtle energetic field developed through their efforts will attract subtle similar forces, increasing the impact such activities would normally have. Jesus clearly expressed the power of such an endeavor in Mat 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

Meditations upon a certain spiritual issue are beneficial as they enhance our positive energy and vibration. Our conscious awareness has been focusing on a specific vibrational current of information. Therefore, when meditating within a large group of spiritual people, as a collective with directed intent, we are offered greater potential to anchor this frequency map and to hold the Light in our hearts, minds and visions.

You may project any specific manifestation for yourself and the planet that you feel is appropriate to request of this energetic connection. Your intent during this meditation is to connect with the specific energies evoked through a meditation, to "align" yourself to the theme of the meditation is ways that are appropriate to you, and to ask for assistance in focusing this dynamic in your life on a daily basis.

The subtle field of beneficial energy swirling when meditating is very powerful and transformational. If you remain open and allow the waves of energy to enter your bio-energetic matrix, you can access the energy for any of the healing processes you are currently exploring.

Group meditations also allow us to get more in touch with our own personal guidance, our inner forces. Group meditations tend to increase the experiences and understanding we can gain through meditation.

In the beginning, you may start out with a simple, non-directed meditation of three to five minutes. This is often called a centering meditation. After this centering meditation, in which all your thoughts have gathered as one in gratitude for God, you can start focusing on the theme of the meditation.

Come out of the meditation gradually, slowly, without forcing anything. The members of the group may want to share their experiences in meditation. This is an admirable action, as it offers great help to everybody, both teller and listeners. Sharing experiences may open up new horizons and are enriching, offering different perspectives on the same topic that we think we already know well enough after meditating on it. After everyone has shared their meditative experiences, then there can be an open discussion on the meditative experiences just shared with each other. This discussion often brings out common threads of experiences and tends to add more meaning to the meditative experiences. This is also a time to ask for more clarity from others about their shared experiences during the meditative exercise. Try to keep the general discussion to full, waking consciousness after the meditation, and then each person in turn can share what was experienced during the meditation. It is recommended there be no interruptions or questions from others during the sharing time.

The purpose for not interrupting during the sharing time is threefold. First, we honor the person who is willing to share an experience with us. Second, during the sharing a person retreats somewhat into the meditative state re-experiencing what is being shared. The third purpose is to discipline ourselves to truly listen to what another person is sharing with us. Too often when others are sharing with us, we are very busy thinking about what we want to say. Whatever you don't understand about what a person is sharing with you can be asked about during the general discussion time following the sharing.

These were some broad guidelines in meditation. The rest comes with intense and regular practice so, Good Luck!

Remember: Once you have a clear understanding of what you want to do in life, the Universe will bend its efforts toward that end. Be careful, however, not to expect the Universe to fall into your time frame for the accomplishment of your goal. To the Universal forces a word like 'soon' can mean the next instant or the next millennium. LOVE YOURSELF ALWAYS! Love is the cornerstone of your being.

About the people with whom you are about to meditate.

MISA stands for The Movement for Spiritual Integration in the Absolute and is a school of Yoga and Tantra with headquarters in Bucharest, Romania. Its founder, yoga professor Gregorian Bivolaru is teaching yoga since 1978, and has struggled through the communist regime to help people preserve their spiritual interest and faith, and ultimately he was imprisoned and persecuted with great cruelty.

Nonetheless, after 1989 when yoga was no longer a forbidden discipline in Romania, Mr. Bivolaru established this yoga school open for everybody regardless of age, sex, religion, and race. In fact, MISA has branches in Denmark, Germany, Finland, Holland, Sweden, England, Italy, France, Greece, Hungary, the Czech Republic, USA, Canada, India and South Africa. His school of yoga organizes two annual international yoga camps, one in May, in the mountains, and one in august, on the Black Sea beach. These activities have begun in 1996 and have endured since, enjoying great success and international recognition. The summer champ takes place in Costinesti (LINK) and lasts from the 1st of august to the 31st of august. The group of yogis attending this camp has practiced yoga for periods comprised between one year and 18 years.