The practice of Yogic Flying has gained its fame in different parts of the world. In many parts of India, we can hear saints practicing the art of levitation, lifting their body above the ground with spiritual practices. Naturally, the question arises, is it actually possible to fly through spiritual practices?
The concept of levitation isn’t new, we have been hearing people rising their body or an object into the air by mystical means or meditation. There have been many cases, where we have heard yogis and monks floating in the air while being deep in their meditation or while doing some certain yogic posture.
In the Yogic tradition, it is believed that someone who has achieved Siddhi in the spiritual path, can evolve the power to be able to levitate or fly. Guru Patanjali tells in the sutras that it is possible to attain this power when a Yogi practices meditation and drives their attention towards the weightless quality of the body. Being just like cotton or a feather once can acquire the lightness.
The Eight Siddhis
In the spiritual tradition, Yogic Flying has its value and many of the seekers have been practicing these methods and knowledge since ages. There are meditative and spiritual methods to get into this process. There are various Siddhis, which when attained in the body, one gets supernatural or magical abilities, by which one can become a minutest size or weightless as the air too.
The eight primary siddhis are as follows:
1. Anima Siddhi
Anima Siddhi is the ability to become very small in size. It is said, one who attains this siddhi can reduce their body to the size of an atom or even become invisible.
2. Mahima Siddhi
Mahima Siddhi is the ability to expand one’s body to an infinitely large size. It is said, one who attains this siddhi can expand the size of their body even larger than the universe.
3. Garima Siddhi
Garima Siddhi is the ability to become infinitely heavy. It is said, one who attains this siddhi can make himself as heavy as he desires to be and cannot be moved by anyone or anything.
4. Laghima Siddhi
Laghima Siddhi is the ability to become weightless or lighter than air. It is said, one who attains this siddhi can become any creature on this earth, enter into his body and even fly.
5. Prapti Siddhi
Prapti Siddhi is the ability to appear anywhere and anytime at will. It is said, one who attains this siddhi will have unrestricted access to all the dimensions of space and time.
6. Prakamya Siddhi
Prakamya Siddhi is the ability to obtain whatever is desired. It is said, one who attains this siddhi has the power to materialize any desired object or situation.
7. Ishita Siddhi
Ishita Siddhi is possessing absolute lordship over the entire creation. It is said, one who attains this siddhi has the power of controlling these 5 things; creation, protection, destruction, concealment, and showing grace.
8. Vashita Siddhi
Vashita Siddhi is the ability to have control over natural forces. It is said, one who attains this siddhi has the power to have everything under control, especially the physical manifestation made up of 5 elements.
Siddhis are the spiritual, supernatural, paranormal or the magical powers or abilities that a Yogi attains, with a long and continuous practice of meditation, sadhana, and Yoga. Among the eight Siddhis, the attainment of Laghima Siddhi, makes a Yogi able to become almost weightless by which they can fly in the air.
The Meditation Technique to Learn Flying Yoga
Transcendental Meditation (TM) has been a popular meditation technique for more than 65 years now. Amongst its numerous features for being a famous meditation, ‘TM’ has been an ideal technique for a seeker to pursue into Yogic Flying.
In the mid-1950s Maharishi Mahesh Yogi found and introduced the technique of Transcendental Meditation, which is a form of silent mantra meditation and started its movement in different parts of the world. Yogic Flying is the practice that helps a seeker realize the lightness within themselves in the form of bliss and peace.
In his practice, there are basically three stages. They are hoping, hovering and actually flying in the sky. It is taught in the TM Siddhi program. The first stage is hoping, bouncing or jumping with legs crossed in a lotus posture. The second stage is hovering, flying like a frog for along feet distance about 10 feet or more, which is possible with the continuous practice of the first stage. The third stage is when the Yogi actually flies through the air like a weightless body.
The knowledge and practice of Transcendental Meditation and Yogic Flying should be initiated and learned the only in the presence of qualified and trained teachers to get the best benefits and avoid injuries.
In Conclusion
There are several ancient hindu scriptures, where the methods and paths to these powers have been mentioned and described. There are stories of different Yogis flying, but many Yogis who have acquired this power and ability, don’t really expose their quality freely. They are satisfied and fulfilled with it.
There are different stories and happenings, which indicates that Yogis who have gained such quality and power can fly. It was reported that, on June 6th, 1936, the crowd of 150 people witnessed Yogi Subayah Pulavar levitating in the air for about four minutes. It seems quite astounding, isn’t it?
