March is Women's History Month, and I don't want to miss an opportunity to honor some of the women in yoga's history. When we learn about yoga, we often hear the names of male teachers and gurus, but women have played a powerful and often unrecognized role in shaping the yoga we practice today.
One of those women is Indra Devi, sometimes called the “First Lady of Yoga.” At a time when yoga was taught by men and largely reserved for men, she stepped into spaces where women weren’t always welcomed. In the 1930’s, she studied in India with Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, one of the most influential teachers of modern yoga, and went on to bring yoga to a global audience—teaching in places like Hollywood and making the practice more accessible, especially to women.
Megha Nancy Buttenheim, a long-time Kripalu yoga teacher and creator of Let Your Yoga Dance, was one of the original creators of the Chandra Namaskar (Moon Salutations) flow that we practice often in our classes. In the late 1980’s, a small group of female Kripalu teachers created this more feminine flow sequence, as a complementary practice to Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations), so that yoga felt more accessible to women.
Lilias Folan, who died just last week, at the age of 90, brought yoga to people in their living rooms long before social media and the internet made it a common practice. Her PBS show, “Lilias, Yoga and You” ran on PBS from 1970-1985. It was cancelled because they felt yoga was not going to be popular in the 80’s. (How funny. We showed them!) She was back with another show, “Lilias!,” from 1987-1993.
Judith Lasater was a co-founder of Yoga Journal magazine, The California Yoga Teachers Association, and the Iyengar Yoga Institute in San Francisco. She is considered a pioneer of restorative yoga in America, helping shift the culture from a constant state of “doing” to also valuing rest and nervous system regulation. She still teaches today at 79 and is considered one of the leading teachers in this country.
These are just four examples. There are so many women—named and unnamed—who have carried this practice forward quietly, steadily, and with deep care.
So as we move through practice this week, let’s hold the awareness that this practice has been shaped not just by discipline and structure, but by intuition, resilience, and quiet strength.
One of those women is Indra Devi, sometimes called the “First Lady of Yoga.” At a time when yoga was taught by men and largely reserved for men, she stepped into spaces where women weren’t always welcomed. In the 1930’s, she studied in India with Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, one of the most influential teachers of modern yoga, and went on to bring yoga to a global audience—teaching in places like Hollywood and making the practice more accessible, especially to women.
Megha Nancy Buttenheim, a long-time Kripalu yoga teacher and creator of Let Your Yoga Dance, was one of the original creators of the Chandra Namaskar (Moon Salutations) flow that we practice often in our classes. In the late 1980’s, a small group of female Kripalu teachers created this more feminine flow sequence, as a complementary practice to Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations), so that yoga felt more accessible to women.
Lilias Folan, who died just last week, at the age of 90, brought yoga to people in their living rooms long before social media and the internet made it a common practice. Her PBS show, “Lilias, Yoga and You” ran on PBS from 1970-1985. It was cancelled because they felt yoga was not going to be popular in the 80’s. (How funny. We showed them!) She was back with another show, “Lilias!,” from 1987-1993.
Judith Lasater was a co-founder of Yoga Journal magazine, The California Yoga Teachers Association, and the Iyengar Yoga Institute in San Francisco. She is considered a pioneer of restorative yoga in America, helping shift the culture from a constant state of “doing” to also valuing rest and nervous system regulation. She still teaches today at 79 and is considered one of the leading teachers in this country.
These are just four examples. There are so many women—named and unnamed—who have carried this practice forward quietly, steadily, and with deep care.
So as we move through practice this week, let’s hold the awareness that this practice has been shaped not just by discipline and structure, but by intuition, resilience, and quiet strength.
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