In 1955, when it was unheard of for women to travel alone to India, Sylvia Hellman courageously followed the call of her heart and made an extraordinary trip to the foothills of the Himalayas—and to the depths of her soul—where she met with her Guru. At the end of her journey a transformation occurred—Sylvia Hellman had become Swami Sivananda Radha, a remarkable woman whose pioneering work would help lay the foundation for yoga in the West. In 1963, Swami Radha founded Yasodhara Ashram on
KootenayLake in B.C., a yogic practice centre flourishing today.

Swami Radha waited some 25 years before publishing this extraordinary account of the relationship between herself and her guru, Swami Sivananda of
Rishikesh, India. This is an incredible autobiographical story of the first Western woman to take the vow of Sanyas and become a Swami. In this book we are witness to her moment-by-moment observations, reflections, and changing perceptions of her guru and of herself.

As a westerner and a woman, Swami Radha overcame incredible physical and emotional challenges to discover her truth. Her courageous search for depth and meaning inspires readers to reflect on their own personal quest.

In her introduction to this new edition (which contains many lovely photographs of the author, Swami Sivananda, and
India), Swami Radhananda writes:

In following the instructions of her guru to return to the West, Swami Radha was able to bridge East and West. To Swami Radha, yoga was selfless service. Nothing was taken for granted and everything that came to her was offered back to the Divine. In her ability to tune into the truth of her own experience, Swami Radha became like a magnet to the Divine forces. Although her life is an inspiration, she encouraged everyone not to just accept what she said, but to “Find out for yourself.” And in this way, the teachings remain alive.

Among Swami Radha’s other books are Hatha Yoga: The Hidden Language and Kundalini Yoga for the West.