Chris Griscom

Chris Griscom conceived of the Nizhoni School for Global Consciousness after giving birth to her sixth child, Bapu, in the Atlantic Ocean while living on an island in the Bahamas. "My own inner self said, 'You're going to do a school,' " Griscom recalls. She balked at first, but the inner voice was persistent. Seven years later, Griscom is a well-known New Age teacher whose students include Shirley MacLaine.

Chris Griscom conceived of the Nizhoni School for Global Consciousness after giving birth to her sixth child, Bapu, in the Atlantic Ocean while living on an island in the Bahamas. "My own inner self said, 'You're going to do a school,' " Griscom recalls. She balked at first, but the inner voice was persistent. Seven years later, Griscom is a well-known New Age teacher whose students include Shirley MacLaine.

Over granola and bran muffins, Ana-Lisa Nel and her friends describe the visualization sessions in which they connect with the Higher Self to rid themselves of fear from conflicts in their past lives. "I can really feel that something is released from my body," the 20-year-old German student says. "Basically, we discover how to use our energy and power, because we all have it inside," chimes in Christina Chamberlain, a 24-year-old from New Hampshire.