Long before meditation apps flooded the wellness market, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi quietly laid the foundation for what would become Transcendental Meditation. In the mid-1950s, this charismatic teacher distilled centuries-old Vedic techniques into a simple mantra-based practice, making meditation accessible to anyone—from students wrestling with exam stress to business executives navigating the fast lane. By wrapping ancient wisdom in a modern package, a global movement was born.

Maharishi’s real magic lay in systematizing the training. He introduced a standardized four-day course, complete with personal instruction and follow-up, ensuring consistency across continents. That recipe for quality control was a game-changer: TM instructors in Tokyo, London or Nairobi were all drawing from the same playbook, so the experience felt seamless no matter where it was taught.

The 1967 Beatles pilgrimage to Rishikesh put Transcendental Meditation on the map. Headlines carried Maharishi’s name around the world, igniting curiosity in millions. Yet beyond the flash and frenzy, he encouraged rigorous scientific studies—an unusual move for a spiritual teacher at the time. By the 1970s, researchers from Harvard to Stanford were documenting TM’s benefits on blood pressure, brain coherence and stress relief. Those early experiments set the stage for the current surge in mindfulness research, influencing today’s clinical trials on meditation and mental health.

Under Maharishi’s guidance, TM branched into education and agriculture, birthing programs like Consciousness-Based Education and Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture. Even in 2025, echoes of his vision resonate: high-tech firms sponsor TM courses to boost employee well-being, and meditation retreats in Bali or Costa Rica often trace their lineage back to his methodology.

By marrying tradition with scientific curiosity, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi didn’t just found a meditation technique—he sparked a cultural shift. From celebrity endorsements to peer-reviewed journals, his fingerprints are all over the modern mindfulness landscape.