Synopses & Reviews
The incredible story of the woman — actress, dancer, yogi, globetrotter — who brought yoga to America and to much of the rest of the western world.
Born Eugenia Peterson in early 20th century Russia, Indra Devi was a rebel from earliest childhood. In the 1930s she fled to Berlin, and then — driven by her passion for yoga and a fascination with yogic philosophy (and Theosophy) — she journeyed to India, at a time when unaccompanied young European women were unheard of. In India she performed perhaps her greatest feat — convincing even the most recalcitrant yogis, from Krishnamurti to Krishnamacharya, to reveal to her the secrets of their art. She would go on to share what she learned with men and women around the world — teaching Gloria Swanson and Greta Garbo in Hollywood, then moving to Mexico and later to Buenos Aires — helping to usher in the craze for yoga that continues unabated in the U.S. and throughout the world today. Written with vivid clarity, and describing the extraordinary spread and popularization of a philosophical movement, The Goddess Posebrings Indra Devi's little known but wholly remarkable story to life.
Review
"An elegant and richly drawn biography....With a jeweler's eye for detail, Goldberg presents a singular woman. A quasi feminist ahead of her time....The Goddess Pose canters through landmark events from India's independence to the American invasion of Panama....There is much to enjoy in Goldberg's cleareyed view of Devi's life, and there is also a lesson: While (for some) yoga as a discipline may be infallible, the gurus who teach it never are." The New York Times Book Review
Review
"[A] groundbreaking biography....Goldberg's impressive research is...far-reaching....Her clear prose illuminates the forces of war and social change and reveals the complex roots of our country's yoga boom....The Goddess Pose builds to a thrilling conclusion, exposing the power struggles and sex scandals within Sai Baba's inner circle, a tale reminiscent of recent bad behavior by other male gurus." San Francisco Chronicle
Review
"Goldberg fluidly explores the extraordinary life of Indra Devi (1899-2002), the woman who helped transform the ancient Indian discipline of yoga into a worldwide phenomenon....[Her] book, which uses material she uncovered about Devi on four continents, is not only thoroughly researched; it also offers insights into a magnificently elusive figure, the culture she loved, and the yogic practice she bequeathed to the West. Fascinating reading about an intriguing woman." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Investigative journalist Goldberg, by dint of ardent research, adept synthesis, and narrative pizzazz, tracks her chimerical subject around the world to chronicle Devi's intrepidly improvised, nomadic, and seemingly charmed life with awe and skepticism....Throughout this whirlwind biography, Goldberg provides fresh and enlightening insights into the evolution of modern yoga while Devi, who lived to be 102, forever at the 'spinning center of thing,' shimmers provocatively in her 'almost supernatural' charisma, ambition, contrariness, and resilience." Booklist (starred)
Review
"The story of how Devi came to embrace yoga and spread its gospel in America is as fascinating as it is unlikely....A remarkably coherent, fascinating narrative....Goldberg refuses to moralize — her goal in writing The Goddess Pose seems to have been not just chronicling the life of one of the world's great iconoclasts, but also providing a history for how hatha yoga went from an Indian spiritual tradition to an everyday part of western lives. She succeeds admirably on both counts, writing with understanding and a healthy sense of skepticism." The Guardian
Review
"Goldberg's book is lots of fun, running through the Russian Revolution, the Weimar Berlin nightlife, Indian independence, 1950s Hollywood and 1960s counterculture....Even if you don't care enough about yoga to hold a pigeon pose for the length of time it takes to say [the] title, Indra Devi, born Eugenia Peterson in 1899 in Riga, Latvia, remains no less a fascinating character: Constantly searching as she moves from Eastern Europe to India to Shanghai and the United States, she changes names, marries twice, acts and dances — finally making it big about halfway through her century-long life as a yoga teacher, author and lecturer." Richmond Times-Dispatch
Review
"It's hard to believe that the life of Indra Devi, the Zelig who helped turn yoga into the plaything of midcentury Hollywood, Noriega's Panama, and the rest of the world, hasn't been made into a blockbuster film, never mind a fascinating work of nonfiction. Without idolizing or condemning her, Goldberg evokes Devi's complicated nature as deftly as she does the Russian Empire, Weimar Berlin, occupied Shanghai, and so many of the other places where Devi worked, loved, and proselytized before her life ended at 103, not long after the century she helped define." New York Magazine
Review
"Goldberg's account of Devi takes the reader through three chronicled, influential centuries of the yogi, actress, and fearless voyager's life which will leave you with a better understanding of how westernized Yoga differs from its roots — plus a deep respect for the iconic Devi's ruthless dedication, and a major dose of inspiration to get you on the way to your next blissed-out savasana." Nylon
Review
"[A] terrific new biography....As Michelle Goldberg capably illustrates in The Goddess Pose: The Audacious Life of Indra Devi, the Woman Who Helped Bring Yoga to the West, yoga has always been a bizarre blend of Eastern and Western tradition, particularly in the U.S....As spectacular a figure as Devi obviously was, Goldberg wisely devotes a lot of her book to yoga itself: the development and popularization of not simply a physical activity, but also a philosophy. For anyone interested in the practice, The Goddess Pose offers an irresistible story of yoga's unlikely and, yes, even audacious origins." BookPage
Review
"Fascinating and groundbreaking....Inspired by her interest in yoga, journalist and author Goldberg gives us a highly readable biography of the so-called 'first lady of yoga,' an eccentric personality who has also been called a female Forrest Gump because of the wide-ranging nature of her experiences. Born Eugenia Peterson in czarist Russia, the self-proclaimed Indra Devi (1899-2002) reinvented herself many times over as she traveled throughout Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the United States over the course of her century-long life....This painstakingly researched book is more than mere biography, however. It helps readers to understand where yoga, as we practice it in the West, came from and how it differs from its roots....Highly recommended for general readers and cultural historians alike." Library Journal (starred)
Review
"Curious about the roots of yoga, journalist/author Goldberg began digging for clues to the connections between the yoga of India and its Americanized version. She came across the obituary of 102-year-old Indra Devi (née Eugenia Peterson), often called the First Lady of Yoga. This fascinating biography delves deeply into Devi's life...while chronicling a wider history: Devi, a Zelig-like figure who was a student of the legendary sage Krishnamacharya, seemed to show up wherever the action was....Though the text will be of particular interest to practitioners and teachers of yoga, this sparkling tale of a remarkable trailblazer should enlighten and inspire every reader." Publishers Weekly
About the Author
MICHELLE GOLDBERG is an investigative journalist and the author of Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, a New York Times best seller, which was a finalist for the New York Public Library's Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism; and The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, and the Future of the World. A former senior writer at Newsweek/The Daily Beast and Salon.com, her work has also appeared in Glamour, The New Republic, Rolling Stone, The Guardian and many other publications, and she has taught at NYU's graduate school of journalism. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son. www.michellegoldberg.net
Exclusive Essay
Read an exclusive essays by Michelle Goldberg from 2009 and 2015