154: Meet the Grandmother of Yoga, Indra Devi - a podcast by Lucas Rockwood

Yoga teaching was dominated by men until Russian-born, Indra Devi, came to Los Angeles in 1947 and quietly changed the direction of modern yoga forever. Devi was not only the first woman to break through the gender barrier, she was also the first western woman to study and teach in India with Krishnamacharya, a modern master whose students spread yoga throughout the world.

On this week’s Yoga Talk Show, writer and researcher, Michelle Goldberg, shares highlights from her newest book all about the exceptional life of Indra Devi who is affectionately referred to as the grandmother of modern yoga. 

Michelle Goldberg is an author and senior contributing writer for The Nation and her work has appeared in Salon.com, The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, Glamour, Rolling Stone,  New York, The Guardian (UK) and The New Republic.

 Her books include: Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power and the Future of the World, and her newest title, The Goddess Pose: The Audacious Life of Indra Devi, the Woman Who Helped Bring Yoga to the West

 

In this Show, You'll learn:

• How a Russian-born woman became a leading voice for yoga in the West during a time when Indian men were considered the authorities on yoga


• The peculiar India-Los Angeles connection in most modern yoga


• What it meant to be a yoga teacher over 50 years ago


• Why modern yoga is much “younger” than most people believe

 

Links & References from the Show:

www.MichelleGoldberg.net  

 

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabody.com

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