In celebration of woman's history month I would like to acknowledge a woman who broke a very unusual glass ceiling. Indra Devi was the first and foremost female yogini of her time. Commonly referred to as the first lady of yoga, she has influenced generations of teachers since opening her first yoga studio in the 1930's. Born Eugenie Peterson in Riga, Livonia in 1899, fascinated by Oriental philosophy and mysticism she moved to India in 1927. After changing her name she became a silent screen actress, married and discovered yoga, becoming a student of Sri Krishnamacharya. She was convinced of the natural healing qualities of hatha yoga after an "incurable heart disorder" disappeared. Devi was the first woman and first western woman to train in an ashram in India. On the urgings of her teacher, when she relocated to Shanghai she opened her first school of yoga. She continued her studies in the Himalayas eventually bringing her teaching expertise world wide with studios in United States and Mexico. In the 1960's she traveled to the Soviet Union and Vietnam introducing hatha yoga and meditation. In 1985 she moved to Argentina, where she set up the Indra Devi Foundation. She spread Yoga throughout South America, while holding seminars and classes in the U.S. and Europe. Indra Devi published a number of books, including Forever Young, Forever Healthy, Yoga for Americans (which has a forward by Gloria Swanson),Yoga, the Technique of Health and Happiness and Yoga for you. She died in Buenos Aires, April 25, 2002, just shy of 103rd birthday.Today, Fundacion Indra Devi, located in Buenos Aires has six studios throughout the city. Some 25,000 students have passed through its doors since its inception in 1988.
"Yoga is the art and science of living"
Thank you Indra for opening the door for the rest of us.
