Maharishi Mahesh Yogi introduced Yoga along with Transcendental Meditation to the Western world as a religious exercise and philosophy. As most people were skeptical, the Maharishi revamped the movement, marketing it as a scientifically sound, non-religious psychological exercise designed to relieve stress, and to bring peace to what he described as the inner man. It was promoted as having a positive effect on society and enabling the advanced practitioner to participate in astral projection (described as a person's soul leaving the body) and levitation.*
Let me tell you the story of my friend 'Sonia' who became a passionately exciting Christian, when I first met her. After the birth of her third child, Sonia decided to join the local Yoga class to get her figure back and de-stress. She returned to class the second week to tell her teacher that when practising her exercises on her bed she had an 'out of body experience'. Her teacher praised her and informed her she must be a very good student!
