For this week's Exploration Blog, I'd like you to find out whatever it is that you can and that interests you about Fairfield, IA, in particular how it relates to meditation and meditation practice. You can be as broad or as specific as you prefer. But do demonstrate that you spent some time learning and exploring what Fairfield is all about. Please provide any relevant links to sources at the bottom of your post.
Fairfield is a small town in Southeast Iowa known for its focus on meditation. According to Wikipedia, the town has a population of 9,464 people with a median family income of $46, 138. The city became the county seat of Jefferson County in 1839 with 110 residents and grew to 650 residents by 1847. It was named one of "The 20 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2013" by Smithsonian magazine. The city has a seven member city council headed by a mayor. Houses in the city commonly conform to the Sthapatya Veda style of architecture, which require buildings to have a fence around them, a monument on the roof to link them to the heavens, a place in the direct middle of the building under that monument for sunlight to come in through, and most importantly an Eastward facing entrance. The city is home to the nation’s only schools that utilize consciousness-based education programs. In these consciousness-based education programs, children (as well as students at the university) are to meditate for twenty minutes twice a day as part of the curriculum. The city is also known for its sustainability measures, and features more solar energy homes than any city in Iowa. Oprah visited this town and loved it. She described it as being incredibly peaceful and she applauded the use of meditation throughout the school system and general community. In a video I cited below, she talked with some members from the community about how meditation has benefitted them and about their overall opinions of the town. One community member talked about how transcendental meditation has cured her migraines and made her happier. The children that she talked to at the school also had nothing but good things to say about the town and the practice of meditation. They talked about how it makes them feel more peaceful and how it even allows them to be more in touch with themselves. Apparently, everyone who visits or lives there ends up loving the place, so it has to be pretty special.
http://www.zap2it.com/blogs/oprah_winfrey_visits_transcendental_meditation_town_fairfield_iowa-2012-03
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairfield,_Iowa
http://www.discoverfairfield.org/fairfield/
I want to first say that I am extremely bummed about not being able to go to Fairfield Iowa with you guys, however I would love to visit sometime soon just to experience all I can that the town has to offer. Fairfield’s students have been encouraged to practice Transcendental Meditation techniques. They participate in the practice at the beginning and end of each school day and all students come together in the “Hall of Bliss” to do so. They make the point that it is not a religion and that people of all cultures, religions, and age practice Transcendental Meditation. While researching I also learned that Oprah had visited Fairfield. I had already known she was a huge supporter and practices meditation but I had no idea she’d think to visit a small town in Iowa. That goes to show how popular the town has became to not only our state but the nation and possibly even further. In her article she explained that the town is actually referred to as “TM town”. She further explained that people of the town come together at time of practice in two dome shaped buildings, one for each sex. She explained that the experience was so powerful and tranquil that she hadn’t wanted it to end. I also learned that Fairfield is a part of Jefferson county, which was named after Thomas Jefferson. I was able to find many pictures of the golden dome which is amazing. It is known as the “Dome of Pure Knowledge”. I also found that there are like five different parks and a lot of historical sites located in the area. I was surprised at how little came up regarding the meditation aspect of the town but I’m more excited to hear about it first hand from those of you who were able to visit for yourselves! I’m so excited for class!
I looked at the Wikipedia article for Fairfield as well as the city's webpage. Their city webpage is about what you would expect. They have a vision/mission for Fairfield that states that they embrace diversity, different cultures, and the natural environment. I was surprised because this area of the page did not specifically talk about the way that the town uses meditation. I found that odd because it seems like they would be more proud/vocal about it considering how it plays a large role in their town. The wikipedia page yielded more interesting information about the town. The arts play a large part in Fairfield and every first Friday on the month they host a "1st Fridays Arts Walk." I was impressed by this because it seems like so many small towns, especially in the Midwest, are known for their lack of emphasis on the arts. Fairfield defies that and I like that they are placing more importance on these types of activities. As we discussed in class, Fairfield is considered a center for transcendental meditation. This has attracted a lot of celebrities, for me the most notable of all was Oprah. She did a segment on her television network OWN about Fairfield and dubbed it "America's Most Unusual Town." Another fact that partially surprised me was that Fairfield is home to one of the largest synagogues and largest liberal Catholic church in Iowa. I enjoyed reading a little bit about that because so many people equate meditaiton with Buddhism. This shows that people of any faith can use meditation to benefit themselves in their lives. I think that it would be good for Fairfield to brag a bit more about the benefits they have had from their approach to life and meditation. I hope to see more about Fairfield in the news as meditation itself becomes more popular state and nation wide.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairfield,_Iowa
http://cityoffairfieldiowa.com/index.aspx?NID=116
It is a little weird for me to be researching Fairfield because I grew up just 15 minutes from there and know the area very well. There are still some questions I’ve always had about the Maharishi and their practices. Growing up it was never really explained to me. I did spend a lot of time on their campus due to sports and I also played on the same basketball team for a few days with a girl that attended their school. She was able to share with me some of their practices but it all seemed foreign and strange to me at the time.
One thing I found that I thought was interesting is that Oprah Winfrey visited Fairfield to look into their transcendental meditation way of life. I didn’t realize that Fairfield is the center of the transcendental meditation movement in the U.S. That is really cool to me because I grew up right by it and never knew the importance of what they were doing. It was always just believed that the people were really weird and believed they could “float” or “fly.” This is certainly the reason why I believed they must be crazy because I knew no level of mind power through meditation was going to get my body to just lift off the ground. I think meditation itself also carried and still does at times carry a negative stigma. People immediately peg you as a weirdo and different. This class has certainly helped me to not only realize that it’s not weird, but has also helped me to understand the health benefits involved.
I looked further into Vedic City, which is right outside of Fairfield and learned a lot more about their culture. Their buildings are built purposefully to promote happiness. Each building faces east and has a space in the middle that is just a silent area. They all have golden roof ornaments called kalash. That is the principal way of recognizing their buildings. The residents of Vedic City are also very mindful of what they eat. They only have organic food and they are in the process or have completed about 100 acres of greenhouses to help produce food for their city and for the Midwest. I know I have personally experienced this because whenever I was on their campus they had organic ice pops and I remember hating to play basketball there because all of their candy was off-brand and “weird.” The education system they have is actually quite incredible. They have built everything from kindergarten up to a university right there on one campus. They follow the idea that proper education is the solution to all problems. To go further, their economy is a bit different as well. They use the currency “raam” which is the currency of “the Global Country of World Peace). They are still able to use dollars or credit cards though. Another piece is their defense. Their goal is to be a place of peace and to set an example for America and the world. They are in the process of establishing a permanent group of experts in creating peace to help prevent negativity from America.
http://www.maharishivediccity-iowa.gov/
http://www.zap2it.com/blogs/oprah_winfrey_visits_transcendental_meditation_town_fairfield_iowa-2012-03
For this assignment I was looking to gain a general, broad knowledge of Fairfield and Vedic City, Iowa with an emphasis on how education works with meditation there. This area is known for being the only places in the United States for incorporating consciousness-based education programs into the curriculum (both at the primary, secondary, and collegiate levels) and for exclusively allowing only organic food to be sold (in Vedic City only). There’s the Maharishi schools which are primary and secondary and then there’s the MUM university. At the Maharishi schools, all the students start and end the day by practicing yoga and then meditating for twenty minutes in the hall of bliss. While I didn’t see this on any website, I think I remember our guide from the field trip saying that the younger students participate in walking meditation until they’re old enough. I thought it was interesting that they do yoga in addition to meditation. From what I’ve previously read, the yoga is supposed to loosen your body so you can more comfortably go into a meditative state (which would make an interesting study to see if adding yoga can improve the quality of meditation).
At the MUM university, they take only one class for a month, but are in that class from 10 AM to 3:15 PM (with an hour long lunch break. So, the students are in class for a little over 4 hours a day. It definitely seems like the increased concentration from meditation would be needed for such long classes, but that having only one class to focus your energy on would making concentrating easier.
Another thing that I found interesting was the Maharishi Vastu architecture that is required of all buildings within the Vedic City limits. This style includes building structures so that their front door faces east, having a space in the center called a Brahmasthan, and an ornament called a kalesh on the roof. All of these details are done so that the buildings elicit harmony and balanced states of mind from the people within them. I think this relates to meditation because from the tips on picking a place to meditate, they always recommend somewhere that is relaxing, clean/organized, among other things. For people wanting to live their life with a meditative mind, it makes sense according to their logic to orient all surroundings and environments to evoke a similar response. Overall, these towns seem super interesting and I wish we could’ve seen more on the field trip.
http://www.discoverfairfield.org/fairfield/
http://www.discoverfairfield.org/maharishi-vedic-city.html
http://www.travelfairfield.com/this-is-fairfield/
http://www.maharishischooliowa.org/about-us/school-profile/
http://www.maharishischooliowa.org/our-approach
http://www.maharishivediccity-iowa.gov/
http://www.mum.edu/CBE
This week I looked a lot into the sustainability of the Vedic City. One of the buildings that we visited was completely off the grid. They only used power that they generated through a wind turbine outside of the building, and through solar panels on the roof. I’m really interested in sustainably living and I hope to one day have a house that is completely off the grid. Vedic City doesn’t just focus on a lot of power generation through green sources such as wind and sunlight; they also make sure that everything that can be recycled is recycled. All of the water waste generated from the city is recycled and is somehow used as either fertilizer, or is cleaned and treated back into useable water (safe to come into contact with humans). Lots of their drinking water comes from rain water that is collected throughout the town, and water is naturally heated through pipes on top of the buildings.
Maharishi University of Management has been recognized many times for its ability to have sustainable living for students, to offer 100% organic student meals, and have the ability to produce compost through any of the waste they may have on campus. Students have the ability to gain a Bachelor’s degree in sustainable living where they learn about the qualities of sustainable living and how to put it into practice. I’m really interested in looking more into how they are able to maintain this style of living while their population may grow. Is this style of living replicate-able on a larger scale? I also just have personal interest in the topic and this new area of study. I wouldn’t want a major in it per say, but it would be like a hobby of mine.
How does this all relate back to meditation and its practice? I saw it as a way to purify the environment that the meditation is practiced. Though I might not be able to explain it now, I know that there must be something in the quality of the air that is different, or just the general feeling of being outdoors in a city that controls its waste and consumption. I think that the purified living experience could somehow affect the people within the living conditions. Maybe the ability to concentrate on your meditation will be easier because there are fewer heaters running, or less artificial light throughout buildings. Maybe just the general background noise is different. I just would think that the living environment would effectible enough to notice a difference in everyday living and might in turn slightly affect your meditation experience.
Terms: Meditation, sustainability, off the grid, compost, recycling
Sources: http://www.princetonreview.com/uploadedFiles/Sitemap/Home_Page/Green_Guide_and_Green_OA/Green_Guide/Guide%20to%20Green%20Colleges.pdf
http://www.mum.edu/pdf/media_desmoinesregister_greenarticle.pdf
http://www.vediccityplanning.com/institute/vedic-green-sustainable-cities/
Before we went on the trip I had actually been to Fairfield once before. I was only five at the time so I did not understand why the town itself was so interesting. This time around it made more sense. I found it very interesting all the positive sites that I came across will researching this town, but it seems that whenever something bad does happen in Fairfield the media tend to blow it out of proportion. The type of mediation that they focus in on if transcendental meditation (TM), which is similar to the kind that we as a class are trying to master. However to obtain the title of TM one must go through an expensive training course, otherwise you are not certified in that kind of meditation. This requirement sometimes leads people to believe that mediation in that area is only intended for the wealthy, which I can see where they get that idea. There have been people though that are very serious about learning the correct ways of TM and therefore save up to take the course. The nice thing about it is after you are certified then you do not have to take it again.
The interesting thing that I found is that there is not a requirement to be a TM in Fairfield, rather they are just taught certain kinds of meditation at an early age. This in turn has shown a decrease in the crime rates of the city and the citizens also report a higher state of wellbeing. If you decide to live in Vedic city there are a few stipulations with house building there, but the same thing is said about the individuals who live there also. I like that the requirements for living in Fairfield are not as stringent and therefore it is more accessible to others wanting to live there. They welcome people to visit and view there town in hopes that it will impact other to live with the same ideals. I did wish that when we did our trip that we could have seen more of Fairfield, but it was still a very learning experience.
http://www.tm.org/transcendental-meditation-fairfield
http://www.experiencetheself.org/
http://www.discoverfairfield.org/fairfield/
Fairfield Iowa is a fairly small community holding a population of about 10,000 people, yet despite its small size, is a very intriguing place with its involvement in mediation. This small town in Iowa holds two domes called the golden domes which were built for the purpose of meditation. Even with this class, when I think of public meditation I picture India or a big Buddhist sanctuary where everyone meditates, I would have never guessed that Iowa contains large areas to meditation. These domes were built in the late 1970s during a world peace assembly. The Maharishi invited TM and TM-Sidhi practitioners to come together for group meditation in Fairfield therefore these domes were built. What I find very interesting is that the two domes were meant to be gender specific to minimize distraction. Master mediators should be able to handle it however I could see beginners having an issue.
Fairfield Iowa practices transcendental meditation which entails sitting for 15-20 minutes a day with a clear mind. This is what we practice in this class and perhaps if this meditation was introduced and practiced throughout the community, it may help with issues such as crime and promote an overall better well-being.
http://www.tm.org/transcendental-meditation-fairfield
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Domes
For this assignment I researched Fairfield, Iowa and Vedic City. This post is late because as I was writing it, my computer got a virus and I wasn’t able to get to a working computer until today. The meditation technique taught in Fairfield is called transcendental meditation. The Fairfield website explained TM as being different from other techniques of meditation due to its effortlessness, naturalness, and effectiveness. People practicing TM experience a natural state of restful alertness. Unlike other techniques, the TM technique involves no concentration or control of your mind. About four miles away from Fairfield is Maharishi Vedic City which is what interested me most. It is a small town with a population of only around 1,300 and was founded in 2001. The city was inspired by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who was also the developer of TM. The city plan was based on ancient Vedic literature and every building is designed according to specific architecture. Each building faces east and has a central silent space called a Brahmasthan.
Another aspect of Vedic City that interested me was the observatory. According to the Fairfield website, it is the only Vedic observatory in the Western Hemisphere. Its construction was based on the original structures designed thousands of years ago in ancient India and it is built to measure the precise motion of the stars and planets. The city is also incorporates forms of alternative energy as well as organic farms. The sale of inorganic food is even banned in Vedic City. The surplus food produced is sold and the profits help maintain the city. A wind turbine supplies the energy for the green houses and was paid for in part by a USDA renewable energy grant. The city does not have any streetlights or utility poles and its master plan includes only electric cars within the city limits. Vedic City also includes two domes in the center of the city to serve as a venue for group practice of TM. The city is run by a five-member city council.
The article I found on Wikipedia also included the “riot” that happened earlier this year. It explained the Pandits and how they were brought to Vedic City as part of a program to create world peace through mediation that began in 2007. The Indian Pandits came to the U.S. on a religious visa program and send most of their earnings back to their families in India. Below is a quote from the article describing the “violent” event.
“On March 11, 2014, the Jefferson County Sheriff was called to the Pandit compound to investigate a disturbance, in which a group of Pandits were protesting the deportation of a popular Pandit. The Sheriff's car was damaged in the melee after being mobbed by 60-70 Pandits; order was restored after more Jefferson County sheriff's deputies, Fairfield police and the Iowa State patrol responded.”
All in all, after reading about Vedic City it honestly kind of sounds like a cult city. It reminded me a lot of polygamous complexes in the Southwest and other cult-ish places like Jonestown, but not as extreme. The part about the Pandits makes it seem especially cult-ish too. I am disappointed I wasn’t able to go on the trip!
Terms: transcendental meditation, Fairfield, Maharishi Vedic City, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Pandits, Brahmasthan
Sources:
http://www.discoverfairfield.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharishi_Mahesh_Yogi#Further_growth_of_the_TM_movement_.281968.E2.80.931990.29
Fairfield, Iowa—also known as Peacetown, USA—is a small town in South East Iowa with a big culture. As of 2010, Fairfield consisted of much diversity with its population of 9,464 residents. It has the nation’s only high school and university that uses Consciousness-Based Education programs where students practice Transcendental Meditation twice a day. The TM programs are built into their curriculum. All religions/ethnicities practice the Transcendental Meditation technique.
Oprah Winfrey visited the town with her show. She interviewed a couple who moved to Fairfield, Iowa to improve their lives. Oprah noticed that all the houses are built facing the same direction, which is called Vastu architecture. Vastu architecture dates back to ancient India. Houses influence attitudes. The sun rises in the East and people get nourishment from it. Most homes in Fairfield are equipped with solar energy or other green building features.
Some businesses are joining in with the Blue Zones Project. Fairfield has more restaurants per capita than San Francisco! Like its population, its food choices are quite diverse as well—Indian food, Chinese food, Mexican food, American food, and so on.
There are 12 public park and recreational areas, including a trail. The town offers yoga, archery, rock-climbing, gymnastics, and more—all of which improve with a meditative mind and contain some sort of meditative effort. From their homes to their businesses to their education to their recreational lives, Fairfield, Iowa citizens have a township dedicated to mindfulness.
http://www.zap2it.com/blogs/oprah_winfrey_visits_transcendental_meditation_town_fairfield_iowa-2012-03
http://www.discoverfairfield.org/fairfield/
http://cityoffairfieldiowa.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairfield,_Iowa
Fairfield, IA is a decently small town with less than 10,000 inhabitants. The town is most well known for having many startup companies and because if this, was promoted by Oprah. Aside from that and Fairfield’s association and closeness with Verdic City, it is a pretty normal town. Maharishi’s College is technically in Fairfield but I would personally associate it more with Verdic City. Which, as a side note, are two different towns. Verdic City is where Maharishi settled a town that commutatively practiced transcendental meditation. This flows over into Fairfield but it is Verdic City that is mediation focus. UI don’t think I’m wrong but if I am, please let me know!
In Verdic City, the crime rate is significantly less than most towns which is good because it shares a police force and fire department with Fairfield. In Verdic, there is a unique option you have when building your home. You can build your home under transcendental meditation regulations. These regulations includes your primary door facing East and you must have a fence around your home. This is only an option. You do not have to follow these regulations in order to live in Verdic. Verdic City also strived to be environmental and off the grid. It is well on it’s way to accomplishing that. I was surprised to learn that they grow their own organic vegetables and have their own cow far for milk and other dairy products. I would have liked to visit both of those while on the tour. They are also already using solar panels and windmills to create their own energy. But really, it’s a fairly normal town with their own government and unique history. What the town chooses to commutatively practice just makes it more interesting and unique.
http://www.maharishivediccity-iowa.gov/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairfield,_Iowa
http://cityoffairfieldiowa.com/
For this entry I have chosen to write about the Maharishi School of Age Enlightenment, or MSAE. This is a prep school located on a 10 acre plot on the Maharishi campus in Fairfield. MSAE began as a school for the faculty of the Maharishi University of Management. With around a dozen students in its first few years MSAE expanded enrollment to the public. Entrance into this school only requires that one parent be in active practice of Transcendental Meditation along with the cost of tuition, a steep $13,900 for a high school student.
MSAE is an accredited school from the Iowa Department of Education and offers a unique set up. MSAE separates students based on gender during the middle and upper education years (junior and senior high school). The school faced opposition from the state based on the passage of Title IX but continues to offer its classes in the single gender format.
Students at MSAE are taught and tested in math, English, and science just as with any other state school. However, they are also taught art, music, yoga, Spanish, and the ancient language of Sanskrit. This focus on the arts and language has helped the school produce a large number of National Merit Scholar finalists and semifinalist, at a rate much higher than average for a public school. Their focus on the fine arts has yielded success for the school through the Congressional Art competition.
Fairfield is a small town in Iowa most would think that it’s just another farming town but that’s not the case. The town itself only has around 10,000 residents but is one of the most popular towns when it comes to the meditation community. Looking through their website you can tell by how the state their city values and goals that meditation is a huge part of what they hope to embody in their town. They talked about how they value harmony, respect, nurturing, the value of natural environment, etc. are just a few of the statement that they have made about their city’s goals. Another big part of the town is the Maharishi University of Management. This is a university that implements mediation practices in their curriculum. I thought that this was a very interesting point; I would like to see a comparison of normally schooled children to those that attend a school in Fairfield and compare the differences. Fairfield is a very interesting town they all have the same style of housing that meets the Sthapatya Veda architecture style. The city is very into the arts and creativity in general, they have an arts convention center and art walks on the first Fridays of the month were people showcase their art. There is also food tasting that takes place at these art walks. The type of meditation that they city is based on is Transcendental Meditation. This is the famous type of mediation that many celebrities practice. This is a place that is frequently visited by celebrities to get away and relax.
key terms: fairfield, transcendental meditation, Sthapatya Veda
According to travelfairfield.com, Fairfield was named by Smithsonian Magazine as one of America’s best small towns. Fairfield is big on culture and thriving on creativity. Fairfield lives like a metropolitan community, earning distinctions such as one of Iowa’s “Great Places” and being dubbed “America’s most unusual town” by Oprah. Fairfield is a unique place where the Iowan approach to life is spiced up with diverse culture, an eclectic scene of entertainment, shops and eateries. Visit for a day, a weekend or more. Have lunch at one of our bistros, visit with local artists during 1st Fridays Art Walk, bike through wetlands and prairies along the Fairfield Loop Trail, experience the magic of a Broadway inspired show at the Sondheim Center and discover what makes Fairfield unique.
Aside from these wonderful things, Fairfield, Iowa is also known because of its meditation programs and meditation culture. One website shows that Fairfield has a Transcendental Meditation® Program. According to TM.org, the Transcendental Meditation taught in Fairfield, Iowa is a simple, natural, effortless process practiced 15-20 minutes twice daily while sitting comfortably with eyes closed. It is unique among techniques of meditation, distinguished by its effortlessness, naturalness and profound effectiveness. The TM® technique allows your mind to settle inward, beyond thought, to experience the silent reservoir of energy, creativity and intelligence found within everyone—a natural state of restful alertness. During the practice, your brain functions with significantly greater coherence and your body gains deep rest.
I really liked this website because it had so much information about Transcendental Meditation. I felt like the website does not try and push people into joining their program. The website had the definition of transcendental meditation and it also explained the benefits of Transcendental Meditation. I also really liked the fact that the website provided the viewers with contact information if they wanted to learn more about Transcendental Meditation. The website explains that their program regularly holds free introductory talks explaining more about Transcendental Meditation. The website also provided a calendar to inform the viewers about the upcoming events. I clicked on the calendar and was surprised at the amount of events offered throughout the entire week. They literally had multiple events schedule every day from Monday through Sunday. Some examples of the events included group Transcendental Meditation practice, Introductory Lectures, Maharishi Vedic vibration therapy. Another great feature about this website was that it had a Transcendental Meditation News section and it also had a section with videos about Transcendental Meditation. One of the videos had Ellen DeGeneres explaining her experience with Transcendental Meditation. All in all this website http://www.tm.org/transcendental-meditation-fairfield was a great resource to learn about Fairfield, Iowa.
http://cityoffairfieldiowa.com/
http://www.tm.org/transcendental-meditation-fairfield
http://www.travelfairfield.com/
Terms: Fairfield, Iowa, Great Places, America’s most unusual town, Transcendental Meditation Program