From the Yoga Mat to the Social Realm: Yoga and Gender in Brazil
If in pre-modern times yoga was almost an exclusive masculine activity, in contemporary times, at least in the West, yoga is dominated by women. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a qualitative research on yoga and gender in Brazil. Female participants were interviewed online, an...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Springer International Publishing
2023
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| In: |
International journal of Latin American religions
Year: 2023, Volume: 7, Issue: 2, Pages: 663-680 |
| Further subjects: | B
Feminism
B social transformation B Yoga B Emancipation B Sexual Harassment |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | If in pre-modern times yoga was almost an exclusive masculine activity, in contemporary times, at least in the West, yoga is dominated by women. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a qualitative research on yoga and gender in Brazil. Female participants were interviewed online, and their narratives were then transcribed and analyzed according to thematic content analysis. Four thematic groups emerged from the analysis: (a) meanings of yoga; (b) body/mental changes; (c) Social class, ethnicity, and gender; and (d) feminisms and yoga. Yoga teachers in most Brazilian regions are mainly white women, with a low participation of black women or even members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Although the interviewees are not aware of the different historically defined feminist waves, they see yoga as an opportunity to seek self-empowerment, not necessarily through feminist values, but through the tenets of yogic philosophy. In addition, through yoga, they pursue the cultivation of well-being and a profession, corroborating the fact that yoga can serve as an emancipation tool for women. |
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| ISSN: | 2509-9965 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: International journal of Latin American religions
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1007/s41603-023-00210-z |