The Goddess Pose – The Audacious Life of Indra Devi, the Woman Who Helped Bring Yoga to the West
Unusual reading for me – a biography. Indra Devi died in 2002 at a ripe age of 103, and is known for her contribution to bringing Yoga out of India and into the West. Of course she wasn’t the only one doing this – think Swami Vivekananda and Paramahansa Yogananda – but where Devi differed was her being one of the first people to synthesise Yoga to Western culture and lifestyle, and thus setting into train one of the latest evolutions of Yoga as it has morphed into the practice we know in the UK today.
Its fair to say hers was a varied and slightly nomadic life, and it is interesting to see how this drew her to spiritual enquiry, and then to Yoga; in general , as a Yoga practitioner, learning a bit more about the human side of our fore-bearers and their journey.
As a biography rather than autobiography you miss the benefit of the subjects own insights, but probably gain some objectivity.
In all a useful book to help contextualise some of the history of our current Yoga practices, and how they have adapted and mutated from East to West.
The Goddess Pose can be bought on Amazon, and using this link earns Yinspire a small commission
