We are conducting a gene expression study on the effects of the 10,000 for World Peace Assembly, with blood samples and questionnaires from the 1st and 10th days of the assembly. This is a unique endeavor designed to analyze not only the coding mRNA but also the changes in non-coding RNA and microRNA. We collected 162 blood samples from Assembly participants and a non-meditator control group. Wellbeing questionnaires from Ayurveda, testing for levels of Ojas and Ama, were administered along with Western measures of wellbeing. Blood samples have undergone preparation for later assay and are stored frozen, awaiting funding for RNA analyses.

SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first longitudinal study of gene expression related to the Maharishi effect. We have published two pioneering research papers on long-term TM practice and change in gene expression, and a third paper has been submitted, with a separate paper on changes in Ojas and Ama in preparation.

The anticipated outcomes of the 10,000 Assembly study hold immense scientific and practical implications. A deeper understanding of the potential epigenetic effects of group practice of the TM and TM-Sidhi programs, and how beneficial changes may be induced in program participants as well as non-meditators, is poised to ignite a global interest in applying Maharishi Effect technology.

Our Team, in collaboration with Steve Cole, a leading bioinformatician from UCLA, and MiBiome Genome Center, Mumbai are working diligently to complete the study. The results will provide critical physiological evidence for creating a permanent 10K group and for obtaining research grants for the related studies that will follow.

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your invaluable support in this endeavor. Your contributions have played a pivotal role in our progress, and we deeply appreciate your unwavering belief in our work. We also extend our sincere thanks to the volunteers and all those who have been directly or indirectly involved in making this study a reality.