Read the first chapter, endorsements by Robby Krieger, John Gray, Paul Saltzman, and more, and get high-resolution photos at www.maharishiandme.com. (PRNewsfoto/Susan Shumsky)

Before Maharishi arrived in America in 1959, there was no “meditation,” “mantra,” or “yoga.” Within 10 years, he singlehandedly made these into household words. His brush with celebrities put him into the spotlight. But his true legacy is his gift of Transcendental Meditation (TM). Those who followed the most renowned guru of the 20th century were yoga pioneers, and their story is the story of an entire generation that changed the world. Even if boomers didn’t participate directly in the Summer of Love, they were swept up in a spiritual revolution.

Maharishi & Me: Seeking Enlightenment with the Beatles’ Guru is a memoir written by Susan Shumsky, a rare TM insider who lived and studied with Maharishi for 22 years in India, the Swiss Alps, Fairfield, IA, and elsewhere. Shumsky served on his personal staff for six of those years. Only a handful of the six million people who learned TM had firsthand experience of Maharishi. Shumsky was one of them, and she spills the behind-the-scenes story about this enigmatic guru and celebrities who followed him.

In her memoir, Shumsky reveals fascinating details about the ashram, the true meaning of songs the Beatles wrote in India (including “Sexy Sadie,” “Dear Prudence,” “Get Back” and more), why Maharishi believed Ringo was the best meditator of the Beatles, the reason the Beatles left India and why it wasn’t about Mia Farrow, why the Beatles made a pact to never disclose the real reason they left, Maharishi’s shocking prediction for the Beatles that came true, Maharishi’s devastating comment when John Lennon tried to return two years later, why George Harrison apologized to Maharishi, and true stories of the intense emotional roller coaster of being a disciple of a guru from India.

Shumsky, award-winning author of 14 books, and pioneer in the consciousness field, has been featured on Fox News TV, L.A. Times, Cosmopolitan, GQ — over 1400 media and speaking engagements. See this Salon.com article for book excerpts.

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ —  Susan Shumsky