The Beatles began writing songs for the album while they were in India, taking a teaching course in Transcendental Meditation. taught by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh. They planned to become gurus, or spiritual teachers, and use their music to spread Transcendental Meditation to a wide audience. Their helpers back in England looked after their business matters, so the Beatles could have time to study, and to think about what they learned. They released a new single, "Lady Madonna", just before they left for India, so they would not be missed by their fans while they were away.