Radha: Diary of a Woman's Search

by Sivananda Radha

In 1955, a recent immigrant to Canada embarked on a journey to India that would ultimately revolutionize the interpretation of yoga in he West. Her pilgrimage is vividly captured in Radha: Diary of a Woman's Search, an account of Swami Sivananda Radha's journey of personal transformation.

This book intelligently and intimately illustrates the challenges and victories of taking the first steps on the spiritual path. From the banks of the Ganges and the streets of Rishikesh, this engaging pilgrimage will take you inside the heart and mind of one of the foremost yoginis of our time.

Genres: Spirituality

211 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1981

About the author

Swami Sivananda Radha, born Sylvia Hellman was a German yogini who emigrated to Canada and founded Yasodhara Ashram in British Columbia. She established a Western-based lineage in the Sivananda tradition and published books on several branches of Yoga.

Reviews

[Cherie]

Fascinating memoir of a Western woman who becomes attracted to Sivananda, comes over to India to study with him, finds they were connected previously in a prior life of hers, being a devotee and living in India comes very naturally to her. Her story is fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed this deep dive into her transition of her life. Beautiful.

[Debra Howell]

Swami Radha is such an inspiration to us souls searching for truth! She shares so vulnerable and transparently her fabulous journey to India and meeting Swami Sivananda Saraswati and all that she encountered; her fears, challenges and deepest thoughts. I re-read this book often as it is close to my heart.

[Wind Dreaming Yoga]

Imagine at her age and in her era, leaving everything behind to go to India to meet a guru that had appeared in a vision. Risky! But worth it, she went on to establish the first Ashram in Canada and is perhaps the finest in North America.

[Claire Johnston]

A book that I have reread and enjoyed over the years. Swami Radha was an extraordinary woman, a courageous spiritual seeker and is worthy of becoming better known. And she is amazingly honest about herself and her search in this book. I wish I had gotten to meet her. I've used her experiences in her book as an inspiration for mine: The Practical Seeker: A Down-to-Earth Guide for Finding Your Spiritual Home

[Diana]

This is an amazing book which is the diary of Swami Radha during her time in India. She was the founder of Yasodhara Ashram.

The book is full of excitement, insight and unexpected twists and turns from beginning to end. It's an important glimpse into the experience that resulted in the ashram here in the Kootenays.

I found her candour and honest reflection completely engaging.

[Orsi Kovács-Palkó]

This book was so much more, than what I've expected.
I recommend it to anyone, who is open-minded and is interested in Yoga, in indian philosophies or in the life of ascended gurus.

[Pilar Montero Molina EIRL]

MARAVILLOSO!

Un libro sencillo para conocer a través de Radha a Gurudev (Shivananda).

Un libro inspirador. Te permite imaginarte en Rishikesh y conocer a Sivananda y Chidananda.,

[Rahul Pande]

Knowing Swami Sivananda Radha

Very nice book. I recommend this book to Mani Naman. Thankful to Marco Pino for having told to read the book

[Mahalie]

This book is mostly simple, matter-of-fact journal entries that follows a woman on a spiritual path (as titled) from aspirant to, if not fully attained certainly over the threshold of seeker to monk to servant. I can see how someone expecting entertainment or specific instruction on yogic techniques or more extreme stories might be disappointed, but I very much liked the straight-forward and matter of fact account beautifully authentic and transportational. It's very down to earth and real, and that was the biggest lesson for me. The speech Sivananda gave at the end is one of my favorite inspirational passages ever, to be kept close for frequent rereading.

[Elynor]

One of the books I read for my yoga teacher training. I really enjoyed it. Through diary entries, it tells of her initiation from a Western dance teacher to a hatha yogi (being trained under Sivananda in India). I loved reading about her learning of classical Indian dance.

[Carol Neilson]

Required reading for Yoga teacher training. It didn't hold my attention..

[C]

Fascinating and extremely readable. The author has a clear, direct and conversational voice.

[Natalia]

Easy read but way too simple for me. I've expected more in depth details.

[Josiane Gagnon]

This book helps me very much to contact my inner peace.