Followers of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s teachings are optimistic for the future of the world. By teaching transcendental meditation, they hope to bring about world peace.

A Maharishi Enlightenment Center was recently opened at 137 Lynn Ave., and other centers in Iowa are located in Des Moines, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids.

Anthony Antimuro, director of the center in Ames, said the center plans to teach people how to practice transcendental meditation and sell preventive health care products such as herbal teas and coffees.

The center chose Ames because approximately 1 percent of the city practices transcendental meditation, Antimuro said. The center wants to cultivate and expand the population that practices transcendental meditation, he said, moving toward world peace.

The teachings originated in India about 5,000 years ago, Antimuro said.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of the movement to expand the practice outside of India, wants to build 2,400 centers across the United States and 5,000 worldwide, Antimuro said. Maharishi plans to build two peace palaces in Ames, he said.

“Maharishi Mahesh Yogi has dedicated his life to improve the quality of life,” said Shanaz Vollmer, co-director of the Ames enlightenment center.

Transcendental meditation helps people relax and get their bodies in balance, Antimuro said. For about 30 minutes twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening – people meditate, he said.

After continual practice the inner peace will come, he said.

“[Transcendental meditation] allows a person to tap into their inner intelligence,” he said.

Meditating helps people gain personal enlightenment, inner peace and an inner calm, Antimuro said. Meditating helps people relieve stress and shed negative energy, filling them with a lot of love and harmony, he said. Through continual practice, it will reduce crime and violence in war-torn countries, Antimuro said.

“People radiate what they are,” he said.

Antimuro said he was 19 when he learned transcendental meditation at the University of Iowa. He had an anger problem and practicing transcendental meditation helped him control his anger.

“It doesn’t take away the dynamics of life, but it makes everything more smooth and comfortable,” Vollmer said.

Antimuro said transcendental meditation leads to a long life. If stress is allowed to build up, over time it ages the body’s biological age. Transcendental meditation allows people’s biological age to progress slower than their chronological age, he said.

Maharishi Vedic City, near Fairfield, is the newest city added to the state of Iowa, Antimuro said. Established in 2001, the town includes a school and houses that are built according to the Vedic architectural styles, which is similar to feng shui. Main entrances face either north or east, which helps promote prosperity and good energy, Antimuro said. Most families within the city practice transcendental meditation, he said.

Burt Chojnowski, former president of Fairfield Entrepreneurial Association and resident of Vedic City, said the city is a culture of entrepreneurs.

“It’s a place to get inspired,” Chojnowski said.

There are many successful businesspeople and artists in the community, he said. People see others living out their ideas and it inspires them, Chojnowski said. He shared two residents as examples.

Eric Schwartz, creator of the Cambridge Investment Research company, was bringing in $500,000 10 years ago, Chojnowski said. It has now risen to $150 million in annual sales, he said.

Marci Shimoff went to the writers of “Chicken Soup for the Soul” to ask about writing “Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul,” he said, adding that she has made the book series what it is today.

“People in the area are extremely creative,” Chojnowski said.

Vollmer said a big difference between living in Maharishi Vedic City and other cities is that it takes less effort to fulfill everyday desires.

“I enjoy life more,” she said.