Indra Devi. De vrouw die yoga naar het Westen bracht. Een biografie

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Born in Russia in 1899, the woman who would become Indra Devi entered a world where yoga was largely unknown outside India. By her death in 2002, yoga had become a global phenomenon. In this captivating narrative, Michelle Goldberg chronicles the extraordinary life of the woman who introduced yoga to the West, while also reflecting on the sweeping changes of the twentieth century. Devi, originally Eugenia Peterson, grew up amidst significant turmoil, fleeing the Russian Revolution as a teenager. She joined a renowned Berlin cabaret troupe and immersed herself in the prewar spiritualist movement. Defying conventions, she traveled alone to India to follow Theosophical leader Jiddu Krishnamurti. In India, she not only acted in silent films but also mingled with independence leaders. Her most significant achievement was persuading a master yogi to teach her his art. Devi shared her knowledge globally, teaching in Shanghai during World War II and later in Hollywood, where her students included notable figures like Gloria Swanson and Greta Garbo. She operated a yoga school in Mexico during the counterculture era, advised a colonel in Panama, and moved to Buenos Aires in her eighties. Throughout her life, Indra Devi championed yoga, sparking a lasting global craze. This vivid account brings her remarkable journey as an actress, yogi, and adventurer to life.