Smt. Sitadevi Yogendra, 96, passed away peacefully in her sleep, on April 10 2008, at 4. 30 a.m. in her residence at The Yoga Institute. Mother, as she was affectionately called by all her students, was peaceful and serene till the very end. Confined to the bed in her last days, her sense of humour and her indefatigable spirit remained a source of strength and inspiration to everyone.

Mother Sitadevi learnt Yoga in her teens in the early 1930s, went on to teach Yoga for 75 years, authored the first ever book on Yoga for women, and with her husband Shri Yogendra founded The Yoga Institute, the oldest organised yoga centre in the world. She served as its secretary for 65 years and was a guiding light to countless sadhakas at the Institute.

A prayer meeting was held in her memory at The Yoga Institute, on Saturday, April 12 in the evening from 5.00 to 7.00.