On Friday, thousands of people in more than 200 cities will meditate in highly visible public places around the world, including De la Guerra Plaza in Santa Barbara, City Hall in Austin, Texas, Occupy Wall Street in New York, Rabin Square in Tel Aviv and the Colosseum in Rome.

In De la Guerra Plaza, a group of sitting meditators will exude an inner peace, strength and happiness intended to brighten the day of every observer. The mediation will last for an hour and will be closed with a sound bath of 11 minutes.

Thousands of Santa Barbara residents and tourists will be exposed to a tidal wave of silence and bliss they may have never experienced before. The intention of the flash mob is to expose the world to meditation and expand positive vibrations to every walk of life.

This movement, called MedMob, started in January when 60 people attended a meditation flash mob at the Texas State Capitol. It grew to 250 people the next month with seven other cities joining, and is now a worldwide movement with meditations in more than 200 cities.

The meditation in Santa Barbara will start at 11:11 a.m., and everyone is invited to join — all experience levels and all spiritual paths.

This meditation movement is consistent with increasing developments in our society where people around the world realize the benefit of seeking for internal peace, balance and fulfillment.

Research has shown that meditation has a positive effect on our health and that meditating in big groups creates an electro magnetic wave that impacts the world around us.

The vision of MedMob is to continue organizing global flash mob meditations until the entire world is invited to join — literally.

The next coordinated international MedMob will be held Dec. 22, with many cities organizing MedMobs monthly and weekly.

Click here for more information about Friday’s Santa Barbara event.

— Bob Banner represents MedMob.