Amid the lush, rolling farmlands of the Midwest, the small town of Fairfield, Iowa, has become an unlikely mecca for entrepreneurs, sustainability, creativity, and most of all, the Transcendental Meditation program.

The classic town square in Fairfield, Iowa

This traditional-looking, southeast Iowa town, which has a gazebo in the town square and a historic courthouse with a steepled clock tower, is the home of Maharishi International University (MIU). At this unique, fully accredited university, everyone—students, faculty, and staff—practices the TM technique.

At MIU, cutting-edge knowledge of consciousness and inner growth are integrated into every academic discipline. The university is also the first in the world to provide fresh, organic, vegetarian meals and the first in the United States to offer a degree in sustainable living.

MIU has helped attract hundreds of people from around the world who practice the TM technique and its advanced programs to live in what many residents regard as an “ideal community.” Peaceful, harmonious, and teeming with creativity, the community is a beacon of innovative ideas for the nation and the world.

Ideal community

The university is just one aspect of the Fairfield meditating community. There’s also Maharishi School, nearby Maharishi Vedic City, The Raj Maharishi AyurVeda® health spa, an eco-village, and much more.

In addition, a progressive high-tech business segment has prompted journalists to dub Fairfield “Silicorn Valley.” The town was awarded the distinction of “Most Entrepreneurial City in Iowa” by Iowa State University’s Center for Community Vitality.

The Wiz at the Fairfield Arts and Convention Center

The Fairfield Arts and Convention Center, with its Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts, is known as one of the best venues in Iowa, featuring national touring performances and offering a diverse array of music, comedy, dance, and theater.

Fairfield First Fridays Art Walk is the city’s signature cultural event, when people from the community and across the state enjoy creativity and the arts in all forms—from art shows and installations, to live music, food fairs, movies, and more.

Plus, there are all the events offered by MIU and Maharishi School: films and art shows; concerts and plays; lectures and performances; and a wide variety of continuing education courses—all of which are open to the community.

Helping to create a more peaceful world

Fairfield is also home to the largest program for group meditation in North America. Every day, twice a day, about one thousand people gather in the two meditation halls on the MIU campus to practice the TM and TM-Sidhi® programs together. This large group practice is highly beneficial both for those participating and for society as a whole.

The Golden Domes of Pure Knowledge on the MIU campus

Scientific studies have found that when large numbers practice the TM and TM-Sidhi programs together, they create a powerful influence of harmony and peace in the environment, even reducing crime, conflict, and negative trends. To accelerate this positive effect on collective consciousness, TM Founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi launched the Invincible America Assembly in Fairfield in 2006, an ongoing course for large group practice of the TM-Sidhi program.

To further connect residents with the harmony of nature, many homes and offices in Fairfield are built according to Maharishi Vastu® architecture, an ancient system of building and planning based on natural law. In fact, there are more buildings designed by this system in Fairfield than anywhere else in the world.

You’re invited!

Come visit and experience the Fairfield community firsthand, with its vibrant creativity, lively harmony, and deep silence. It is an unforgettable experience to be in an environment with thousands of other TM meditators. Plus, you’ll have a chance to experience the wonderful feeling of Maharishi Vastu buildings for yourself.

The Fairfield and TM Information Center can help you plan your visit. Just call (641) 209-7060 or send an email to ff@tm.org with your questions and dates.

More about Fairfield

Maharishi Vedic City: The healthiest city in America

A landscaped home in Maharishi Vedic City

When you visit, be sure to take a field trip next door. A few miles up the road from Fairfield is Maharishi Vedic City, incorporated in 2001 and built on 2,200 acres of USDA certified organic farm land, with an abundance of recreational trails, parks, and lakes.

Every home and building in Maharishi Vedic City is designed and built to promote harmony and balance for those who live and work within them. They are constructed according to the principles of Maharishi Vastu architecture, which means that the layout of every home is arranged in a way that supports health, happiness, and good fortune.

Maharishi Vedic City trail system

You can experience what it’s like to spend time in an authentic Vastu building by staying at the world’s only Vastu hotel: The Rukmapura Park Hotel and Chalet, located on 220 acres of rolling hills, woods, and lakes.

Health and wellness are key elements of Maharishi Vedic City. Recognizing the importance of healthy food for its citizens, it is the first and only city in America that has banned the sale of any non-organic food within the city limits.

The city is also home to both the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention, which conducts research on integrative medicine and Ayurveda, and The Raj, a world-class Maharishi AyurVeda health spa and organic vegetarian restaurant.

More about Maharishi Vedic City

Cheryl Stone
Author: Cheryl Stone

Project Manager