Facing The Music
Yoga Journal|May - June 2020
Remembering the revolutionary sound that helped bring meditation to the West.
By Jennifer Davis-Flynn
Facing The Music

In October 1966, 18-year-old Prudence Farrow Bruns was kneeling at the foot of the Apparition Grotto in Lourdes, France, praying for a miracle. She desperately wanted to study Transcendental Meditation (TM) with her guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh, India, but students at his TM teacher training were required to be at least 24 years old. When her older sister, actress Mia Farrow, was invited to the Maharishi’s ashrama year later, the younger Farrow was desperate to join her. “It was my dream!” she recalls.

As fate would have it, Prudence got her miracle, and in January 1968, she traveled with her sister Mia to the small Himalayan town where her guru made camp when he was not traveling around the United States and Europe lecturing about elevated consciousness and the joys of inner happiness. There were more than 60 people staying at his ashram at the time, including the Beatles, Scottish pop star Donovan, and the Beach Boys’ Mike Love—all seeking enlightenment from a shaggy-haired pacifist whose battle cry was that with just 20 minutes of TM a day, practitioners could achieve “pure bliss consciousness” and live from a place of love rather than in the prison of their minds.

But it wasn’t all peace and love at the compound. The Beatles famously left after two months amid rumors of sexual misconduct by the Maharishi (no suits were ever filed and some of the attendees later denied that anything inappropriate had taken place) but not before they penned 48 songs, including the White Album’s “Dear Prudence,” a nod to the young Farrow’s reclusive dedication to her meditation practice while at the ashram.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM YOGA JOURNALView all
Learning to Hear the Voice of Self-Care
Yoga Journal US

Learning to Hear the Voice of Self-Care

How to discern what really matters.

time-read
6 mins  |
Summer 2022
Inclusive Yoga for All
Yoga Journal US

Inclusive Yoga for All

A Down syndrome diagnosis set this family on a path to make yoga accessible to everyone.

time-read
4 mins  |
Summer 2022
For the Joy of Practice
Yoga Journal US

For the Joy of Practice

Doing yoga without attachment to the outcome can bring unexpected gifts.

time-read
4 mins  |
Summer 2022
Be Kind to Your Spine
Yoga Journal US

Be Kind to Your Spine

Your vertebral column is a series of complex, interconnecting parts that support your every movement. Here's how to keep it safe.

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer 2022
A Skeptic of Chakra Balancing
Yoga Journal US

A Skeptic of Chakra Balancing

The experience helped me make peace with things that can't be explained.

time-read
6 mins  |
Summer 2022
Are We Having Fun Yet?
Yoga Journal US

Are We Having Fun Yet?

Bring play back into your practice with three styles of yoga that can get you out of your head and bring a smile to your face.

time-read
9 mins  |
Summer 2022
12 Ways to Use Blocks You've Probably Never Tried Before
Yoga Journal US

12 Ways to Use Blocks You've Probably Never Tried Before

The beauty of blocks? They not only meet you where you are in your practice, they take you beyond where you ever thought you could go.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Summer 2022
THE SCIENCE OF AWE
Yoga Journal US

THE SCIENCE OF AWE

THOSE MOMENTS IN LIFE THAT STOP YOU IN YOUR TRACKS IN ASTONISHMENT? RESEARCH SAYS EXPERIENCING MORE OF THEM CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

time-read
8 mins  |
Summer 2022
What Your Doshas Say About Your Dharma
Yoga Journal US

What Your Doshas Say About Your Dharma

Ayurveda can explain so much more than what's out of balance.

time-read
4 mins  |
Summer 2022
The Future of Yoga
Yoga Journal US

The Future of Yoga

Yoga has been evolving for thousands of yearsfrom a mind-and-body spiritual practice to a billion-dollar "lifestyle" practice. What's next? We asked futurists, teachers, and thinkers what to expect in the next decade and beyond.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Summer 2022