Yoga's First Female Gurus: How Sita Devi, Indra Devi Bent The Rules

While yoga's ancient roots trace back to male sages and monks, its modern journey wouldn't be complete without recognising the extraordinary women who gave it a new voice. Among them, Sita Devi Yogendra and Indra Devi stand tall, not just as practitioners but as revolutionaries who reshaped yoga to be more inclusive, healing, and global.

Sita Devi Yogendra: Pioneering Women's Yoga in India 

Born in 1912, Sita Devi Yogendra is widely regarded as the first female yoga guru. She became part of India's first family of modern yoga when she married Shri Yogendra, the founder of The Yoga Institute in Mumbai. Her marriage wasn't just personal, it was the beginning of a lifelong dedication to yogic study and teaching.

In 1934, she authored "Yoga: Physical Education for Women," one of the first comprehensive guides tailored to the needs of female bodies and minds. At a time when Indian women were discouraged from physical movement and expression, this was radical.

Vision for Holistic Health 

Sita Devi believed yoga should not only build physical strength but also improve emotional and psychological well-being. Through her work, she empowered thousands of women and helped build one of the first certified yoga teacher training programs in the country. Her calm, firm presence helped create a safe space for women to reclaim their bodies and breath.

She focused on teaching women breathing techniques, postures for menstruation and pregnancy, and stress management long before these were mainstream.

Indra Devi: The 'Mother of Yoga' 

Indra Devi, born Eugenie Peterson in Latvia in 1899, had an unconventional path. Drawn to India in her youth, she immersed herself in Indian philosophy and eventually became the first Western woman accepted into the inner circle of Krishnamacharya, India's most influential modern yogi.

Considered one of the first women to take yoga global, Indra Devi came to be known as the 'Mother of Yoga' by many.

After leaving India, she opened a yoga studio in California in the 1940s. There, she taught celebrities and elites in Hollywood. But she didn't teach yoga as exercise, she shared it as a healing ritual for the heart and soul. Her classes were known for their calm energy, restorative techniques, and emotional depth.

Indra Devi wasn't just a teacher, she was a diplomat for yoga. Fluent in multiple languages and cultures, she carried yoga across continents, from America to China to Latin America. She helped dissolve the perception that yoga was a rigid, ascetic practice by making it gentle, joyful, and accessible.

Her books, like "Forever Young, Forever Healthy" and "Yoga for Americans", introduced yoga to a generation that had never heard of it.

Shared Vision, Different Paths 

Though they came from different worlds, Sita Devi from a traditional Indian background, and Indra Devi from cosmopolitan Europe, both believed in the transformative power of yoga. They opened doors that had long been closed.