Paramahansa Yogananda settled permanently in the United States in 1920, becoming the first major Hindu spiritual teacher to build a lasting American movement through the Self-Realization Fellowship. His influence reached the White House in 1927, when President Calvin Coolidge invited him for a personal visit. With the publication of Autobiography of a Yogi in 1946, Yogananda introduced generations of Americans to meditation and Kriya Yoga. The book became one of the most influential works on Eastern spirituality in the United States, inspiring readers from Steve Jobs to countless spiritual seekers.
