Inspiring Journey Of Indra Devi: The First Lady Of Yoga

Indra Devi was one of the most influential yoga teachers of the 20th century. She is credited with popularizing yoga in the West and helping to spread its benefits to people all over the world. Born in Russia in 1899, Indra Devi moved to India in her twenties and became interested in yoga after meeting Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. She began studying under the renowned yoga teacher, Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya.

Indra Devi’s students included some of the most famous names in Hollywood, including Gloria Swanson, Mae West, and Rita Hayworth. She also taught many Indian celebrities, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Sri Aurobindo.

In 1952, Indra Devi relocated to Argentina and then to the United States, where she opened a yoga studio in Hollywood. She continued to teach and write about yoga until her death in 2002.During her lifetime, Indra Devi helped bring yoga to millions of people around the world. Thanks to her efforts, yoga is now practiced by people of all ages and backgrounds, and its benefits are enjoyed by people all over the globe.

You give love and light to everybody – those who love you, those who harm you, those whom you know, those whom you don’t know. It makes no difference. You just give light and loveIndra Devi

The phrase “The First Lady of Yoga” was frequently used to refer to Indra Devi, also known as Mataji (mother).

She became the first female student and the first Western lady ever at an Indian ashram when Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya accepted her into his school in 1937. He also personally oversaw her asana and pranayama training. He informed her that she had to teach toward the conclusion of the school year.

She played a crucial role in the global spread of yoga from the 1930s until her death in 2002, instructing in countries like China, India, Mexico, Russia, and the United States. Devi spent 15 years instructing in Argentina after accepting an invitation from a group of Sai Baba devotees in 1982.

Early Life Of Indra Devi

On May 12, 1899, Eugenie Peterson was born in Riga, Latvia. Her mother was a Russian nobility, while her father was a Swedish bank director. When the Communists took power in 1917, she fled to Berlin with her mother after attending theatrical school in Moscow as a young girl.

She trained as a dancer and actor in Berlin. When she was 15, she first became interested in India after reading a book by the poet Rabindranath Tagore and a few yoga-related publications. She set off for India in 1927.

She rose to fame in Indian cinema with the stage name Indra Devi. She wed Jan Strakaty in 1930, who served as the commercial attaché at the Czechoslovak Consulate in Bombay. Through him, she was introduced to Sri Krishnamacharya, who ran a yoga school in the palace of the Maharaja and Maharini of Mysore.

She requested a lesson from the master. Because she was a lady and a Westerner, he declined. However, she convinced the royal couple to pressure the guru, who grudgingly agreed, according to Fernando Pages Ruiz, a freelance writer who interviewed her.

She became a student of Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, the legendary guru who gained worldwide attention for stopping his heartbeat for two minutes. At a time when yoga was almost an exclusively masculine pursuit, she was his first female foreign student.

Soon her husband was transferred to China. Indra Devi had to go along with him. She taught what was thought to be the first yoga class in modern China. In the meantime, her husband had been sent back to Czechoslovakia, where he passed away in 1946.

Yoga Teacher Indra Devi

After spending considerable time teaching Yoga in Shanghai. She found her way to Hollywood, arriving in January 1947. She discovered ready students among movie stars, who found yoga’s breathing and relaxation techniques useful to their work. Her students included Miss Swanson, to whom she dedicated one of her 12 books, Robert Ryan, Greta Garbo, Jennifer Jones and the violinist Yehudi Menuhin.

She wed Dr. Siegrid Knauer in 1953; he favoured preventive care over antibiotics. She formally changed her name to Indra Devi after becoming a citizen of the United States.

In order for her to host yoga teacher training programmes, Dr. Knauer purchased her a 24-room villa in Tecate, Mexico. In 1977, he passed away.

Her meeting with the senior Soviet officials, including Premier Aleksei Kosygin, Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, and Supreme Soviet Chairman Anastas Mikoyan, was arranged in 1960 by India’s ambassador to Moscow. Yoga was made legal in Russia after she explained to them its advantages.

She was enthralled in 1966 by the guru Satya Sai Baba’s teachings. As a result, she developed a brand-new kind of yoga that she dubbed Sai Yoga.

She travelled to Argentina in 1982, when she became incredibly well-known with just one television appearance. To propagate her yoga techniques, she set up a foundation. It had six studios running when she passed away in 2002 aged 103.

The First Lady Of Yoga

Indra Devi’s contribution to yoga was immense. She wrote several books on the subject, including Yoga for Americans (1961) and Forever Young, Forever Healthy (1972). In addition to her writing, she also produced a number of instructional yoga films.

Indra Devi was an inspiring teacher and an important figure in the history of yoga. Her work helped to spread the practice of yoga around the world and make it accessible to everyone.

She was a true teacher and an inspiration to all who knew her. Her legacy will continue to live on through her students and those who continue to practice yoga today.

In ancient times, Yoga was a discipline practiced by ascetics and forbidden to women.

His deep change and openness towards everyone without distinction of sex, race and creed is due in large part to one of the greatest Yoga teachers in history: Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya.

A humble tribute to the person who revived the practice of Yoga and raised it to be recognized as a physical, emotional and spiritual therapy.