Oprah Meditates With 400 Women In Iowa

FAIRFIELD, Iowa — Oprah Winfrey meditated with more than 400 women in southeastern Iowa and also talked to students about her spiritual journey.

Suzanne Stryker says she was among the women participating in the transcendental meditation Wednesday at the Maharishi School in Fairfield. She says no one in the meditation group knew the TV personality was going to be there until Winfrey, who heads the OWN television network, arrived with a film crew.

The private Maharishi School specializes in "consciousness-based education" for kindergarten through 12th grade.

Director Richard Beall says on the school's website that Winfrey spoke with students about her spiritual journey. He says the school will host a discussion Monday night about the visit.

A message left Saturday for Winfrey's production company wasn't immediately returned to The Associated Press.

Comments

[Jeanne Ball]

08:48 PM on 10/29/2011

It's great to hear Oprah is discovering the power of large group meditation.

[Deone Benninghoven]

02:45 PM on 11/05/2011

Yes, Oprah could do a large-group-religious Vedic-mantra meditation or Hindu-diety worship via the TMO or she could do it for free (http://www.stephen-knapp.com/meditation.htm) without endorsing a group that more than likely facilitates violating the US constitution by teaching TM (http://file.wikileaks.info/leak/tm-governor-course-2005.pdf) in public facilities through the David Lynch Foundation(http://vimeo.com/4201441 , http://www.davidlynchfoundation.org/, and http://www.dialogueireland.org/dicontent/a2z/tm/index.html): vulnerable populations, including schools, homeless shelters, tribal centers, prisons, and/or VA centers).

Oprah's been sent multiple copies of David Wants to Fly (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq0rsiw6IFo) or perhaps she'll watch it for free on 6 Nov or 12 Nov at http://www.linktv.org/programs/david-wants-to-fly ! LOL!

[John Genryu]

03:17 PM on 12/20/2011

Well said Deone. The TM organization is certainly not something that any person should be endorsing.

[Deone Benninghoven]

12:06 AM on 12/21/2011

Thanks John. I agree and find it unfortunate that Oprah doesn't appear to comprehend that as she imminently transitions from being abused to abusing.

[Glory Dog]

04:38 PM on 10/29/2011

I wonder how much of the completely shallow, unfair, baseless, and indulgent negativity toward Oprah below comes from white males (or white women) who are just threatened by a powerful black woman. She is doing such a good thing for people now, encouraging everyone to meditate and be compassionate and caring of others. Is that really a problem for some people? Maybe a little self-reflection is in order. Jesus, lighten up.

[Djay0252]

11:11 AM on 10/29/2011

If Oprah said the world was coming to an end half the people of this country would go meditate

[Glory Dog]

04:31 PM on 10/29/2011

that would be a good idea.

[Jacob Aud]

04:30 AM on 10/26/2011

I found this to be very enlightening, encouraging and true:

[[WHEN birds wake up in the morning, they often chirp for a while and then fly off in search of food. In the evening, they return to their roosts, chirp a little more, and go to sleep. In certain seasons they mate, lay eggs, and raise their young. Other animals follow a similarly predictable pattern.

We humans are different. True, we eat, sleep, and reproduce, but most of us are not content with just those things. We want to know why we are here. We seek meaning in our lives. We also desire a hope for the future. These deeper needs point to a quality that is unique to humankind—spirituality, or the need and capacity for spiritual things.]]

- How Can You Find Inner Peace? (“Happy Are Those Conscious of Their Spiritual Need”)
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20050701/article_01.htm

[TheLadyOphelia]

03:43 PM on 10/25/2011

Sorry, but I have a problem with someone who arrives at a group meditation and with a camera crew! Talk about interrupting the "calm of nothingness" !

We are all, everyone of us, are on a spiritual journey and I don't feel a "personality's" journey is anymore meaningful than yours or mine.

And if the school is all about "consciousness- based education" then a celeb would seem out of place. The whole idea of a consciousness-based (I my line of thinking) lifestyle would be to eschew that over-the-top lifestyle of one of richest women in the world. There are lots of much more interesting people out there who could have spoken to the children.

I does seem like a blatant attention getting ploy. I could be wrong - but I doubt it.

[CressonStreetBlues]

12:46 AM on 10/26/2011

Thinking Oprah would agree with you that her journey isn't more meaningful than yours. Where did you dig that up?

[Saijanai]

09:14 PM on 10/28/2011

Well, the kids found it amusing and exciting, by all accounts, and the purpose of the school is 2-fold: 1) to allow those specific kids the opportunity to become enlightened as fast as possible and 2) to show case to the rest of the world what it is like in a school where kids are well on their way to becoming enlightened, so that the rest of the world will be inspired to create such schools everywhere.

Oprah's visit didn't do anything for purpose #1 but everyone involved (including the most of the kids since their parents and even grandparents in a few cases are often TM teachers themselves) is very much in favor of both stated goals of the school so they are happy to see her visit bring publicity to the school.

So yes, it WAS a blatant attention-getting ploy, and a very welcome one, at that.

[InedaName]

02:36 PM on 10/25/2011

Oprah meditating with 400 women? That's enough estrogen to overpower a herd of bull moose at the peak of rutting season.

[TdeyoMN]

10:26 AM on 10/25/2011

You can say whatever you want about Oprah - SHE'S WEALTHY! I bet some of your mothers and your fat sisters with low self-esteem watched her show for years to "find themselves" because you were too busy living your selfish life and being the prude you are. Don't hate; congratulate!

[GiaMTL]

12:38 PM on 10/25/2011

Wow, frustrated much?

[CressonStreetBlues]

12:46 AM on 10/26/2011

Leave it to a male with a dirty mind.

[TaoistG]

11:40 PM on 10/24/2011

God is becoming a black woman with a lot of eye makeup...

[Thumbody]

11:18 PM on 10/24/2011

Thinking that spiritual journey speech was pretty short

[soma77]

09:26 PM on 10/24/2011

Salutations to the Divinity within Oprah. The spiritual experience seems to remove all doubts and fears, and casts out all uncertainty the ego may produce.

[Peterson James]

08:22 PM on 10/24/2011

I think this article was misplaced. It should have been under the Comedy header not religion.

[methodman]

07:52 PM on 10/24/2011

I think people are confused between spirituality which requires delineation symbols definitely expressing an idea. LIke an electric circuit or a Doctors Form with recommendations. recommendations don't come just with a whatever attitude. There are detailed descriptions of why certain types of deep breathing exercises are good for contacting say the stomach zone, the cardio vascular zone. Pulling between a frozen muscle so it might switch. Hey meditation for me has worked much better than friends of mine who got themselves addicted to pills. They also never think to read anything either. They however do pray.

[thoreau101]

07:12 PM on 10/24/2011

I can see meditating with O, even though she doesn't have a spiritual bone in her body.

[seeing11s]

07:56 PM on 10/24/2011

Judging people you don't know isn't very spiritual either.

[thoreau101]

08:52 AM on 10/25/2011

She is as spiritual as a stiffed shrimp and far less appealing, a charlatan.

[GiaMTL]

12:39 PM on 10/25/2011

Thoreau, why not carry your bitterness, false judgement and cynism over to the story about Swami Bhaktipada, a real slime that deserves your miserable attention.

[thoreau101]

03:47 PM on 10/25/2011

I don't know the swami, but religion is mostly fraudulent. O is a self-promoter. Why else surround this "meditation" with all the publicity and usual garbage.

She is an uneducated hack who has done much damage to many people. She owes the world an apology.

[SaddleBum]

03:46 PM on 10/24/2011

if only her journey would take her - away

[thoreau101]

07:12 PM on 10/24/2011

We'll never be rid of her.

[WhatASweetBegining]

11:20 PM on 10/24/2011

Thank God for that.

[tchoupitoulav1]

10:04 AM on 10/25/2011

HILARIOUS!