The vendor explains that as an avid Beatles fan she wrote to John Lennon asking about Transcendental Meditation, having been able to get his address from her employer, a florist who had a contract with Brian Epstein's offices. She included a stamped addressed envelope, as was the way, in the hope it would encourage Lennon to reply.
The Beatles first met the Maharishi in London, on 24 August 1967, and subsequently attended a retreat in Bangor, North Wales, where they learnt the basics of Transcendental Meditation. In February 1968 the Band would travel to the 'International Academy of Meditation', Rishikesh, which proved to be a particularly creative period for them. However, Lennon and Harrison would leave abruptly in April, the cause for their departure having several but no defining explanation. The departure and split with the Maharishi was well-publicised, with Lennon quoted in the press as saying, "We made a mistake. What could be more simple?"