Indra’s legacy

Everyone loves a good origin story. Here’s one, about the first non-Indian yoga teacher in America.

It’s all her fault, that there’s a yoga studio on every corner, that yoga pants are a thing, and she did it all in high heels and cheetah print. You might not know who Indra Devi is; but neither do most people. I’m going to fill you in on how this woman brought yoga, to the West. (And, China!)

Eugenie Peterson was born in what is now Latvia, her early years spent in the tumult of the Russian Revolution. She had gone to drama school in Moscow, and when she and her mother escaped to Poland, and then Berlin – she found her career in acting, and dancing. At the age of 15, she had come across a book about yoga, and it piqued her interest in esoteric types of spiritual practice.

She happened upon a meeting of the Theosophical Society, in a bookshop in Berlin – the Theosophists were a fun group of usually occultists performing seances, psychic readings, and such – but this night, an Indian sage, Krishnamurti was speaking and chanting Indian mantras. This moved her, as if she were hearing ‘a forgotten call, familiar, but distant.’ The girl from Latvia sold all her belongings, and put all her efforts into finding her way to India.

What does a girl do in the late 1920’s do in India? Make connections. Through the Theosophical Society there, she danced, partied and met the players in theater and film, landing her a starring role in the movie Arabian Nights. Her screen name became Indra Devi, and she suddenly was a dazzling socialite alongside movie celebrities, foreign diplomats, and Indian royals.

Indra Devi’s interest in yoga persisted – but yoga remained an elusive subject reserved for the brahmin, for men, and certainly not for foreigners. She was turned away by many notable yoga teachers, including Krishnamacharya (It’s all HIS fault too, but that’s for another post.) Having connections, she asked for a hall pass from the Maharaja of Mysore himself, and Krishnamacharya couldn’t say no.

Ms. Devi did have to adhere to all the monastic requirements/abstinences in order to participate, which was an abrupt shift from her extravagant lifestyle! A spartan vegetartian diet, no alcohol, extended solitary time in meditation, diligent physical asana practice, and lights out at 9pm. Against most people’s expecations… she succeeded.

Indra Devi made a shortlist of teachers ordained by Krishnamacharya to continue teaching yoga, ended up marrying a diplomat, and moving to… China. The very first yoga classes in China were taught by the now Mrs. Devi, in the home of the nationalist leader Chiang Kai-Shek. These were the first classes, taught outside of India, where Madame Chiang Kai-Shek was the first student/yoga enthusiast.

Fast forward to the 1940’s, when America was beginning to have a philosophical revolution of its own with the influx of thinkers like Aldous Huxley, and Krishnamurti; and Indra Devi again found herself being quite the socialite in… America’s glamorous Hollywood scene. Indra Devi presented yoga as an exclusive health tonic/beauty routine for the elite – Eva Gabor, Greta Garbo, Yul Brenner, and more took her classes and gave her influence. She was dubbed ‘The First Lady Of Yoga’, and was described as being ‘able to charm the pants off of men.’ She was a vibrant personality, gliding along the streets of Los Angeles wearing a sari, the alluring postergirl of California style yoga.

Her classes were modified to fit her audience – slow, restful pose sequences and relaxing breathing practices. She left the spirituality part out, and took a more secular view of it – because, ‘Americans want to change… but just not that much.’ Aiming to bring yoga to the mainstream, she opened the very first commercial yoga studio in America on Sunset Boulevard in 1948. One of her students, a famous bodybuilder Walt Baptiste, opened the second yoga studio in San Fransisco in 1952 – and when Walt had a son, Baron, Indra Devi was his godmother.

Baron Baptiste went on to become a well-known yoga teacher in Boston. I read his book, ‘Journey Into Power’ and was inspired enough to work at a Baptiste affiliate studio. Eventually, I found myself being a DJ at his workshops, before the days of Ipods and phones with music! He partnered with a teacher I really love, Rolf Gates. (he’s another blog post coming up.)

We’re all about six degrees of separation from all that we admire; and when I read more about Indra Devi and realized we had the connection through Baron – it blew my mind.

I bet if we all looked at who we admire, or the sports/crafts/literature etc. that we love… or even just the people standing next to us… it might not take that much research to find unexpected connections. One of my teachers, I found out, was also my friend’s wedding officiant. The person drawing my yoga studio plans, used to coach soccer with my husband. My downstairs neighbor’s daughter… was in my daughter’s kindergarten class. Once, small talking with an old lady in the rain in Charlotte, North Carolina… I found out that the priest who took her wedding photographs, had given me my First Communion – in Brooklyn, New York. These connections, coincidences, or whatever you’d like to call them are simply ubiquitous.

One of our greatest illusions, is that we are alone.

Really, we are more connected in this net of humanity, than we can even fathom. The exciting origin stories we read about, are also part of OUR stories – where we are the heroes and protagonists, too. The story of Indra Devi, makes me feel like I can embrace all the different sides of myself – and modify things I’ve learned, to be useful in the present. She was like a shapeshifting diamond, and her light still reflects in all of us modern-day yoga practitioners. Light, and possibly cheetah print. 🙂