| This dissertation documents a collaborative inquiry examining the relationship between Yoga and ecology. The research took place among a group of six Kripalu Yoga teachers beginning in May 2003 and ending in May 2004. The primary question motivating the research was: How can the ecological roots of Yoga be brought into the present? The methodology integrated aspects of both collaborative and organic inquiry; collaborative action-reflection cycles were at its core, while data collection and interpretation were based in organic procedures.; I served both as primary researcher and as a peer member of the group. Collaboration included two retreats separated by a year, and conscious action and reflection over the intervening year. Data sources included transcriptions of initial, mid-year, and concluding interviews; participant journal entries; written notes and tape recordings of both retreats; and transcriptions of phone conferences.; The group evolved from a collaborative learning group into a spiritual sangha, or spiritual community, and produced an Ecological Values Statement that has gained acceptance in the Yoga community, with over 80 co-signers prominent in the Yoga community to date. Also of importance, the Green Yoga Association, with over 400 members and volunteers to date, was formed from the seed of this inquiry, and produced a conference on the topics of this dissertation in September 2005.; Following standard organic inquiry procedures, the dissertation tells the integrated story of the research from my perspective as lead researcher. It also synthesizes our learning to present findings in five key areas: (1) Motivation for engaging in Green Yoga; (2) Means of integrating ecological awareness into personal Yoga practice; (3) Means of integrating ecological awareness into Yoga teaching; (4) Means of fostering ecological consciousness in the wider Yoga community; and (5) Collaborative learning as a tool for ecological transformation and learning.; The dissertation concludes by presenting an integrated model of eight paths of Green Yoga, and offers recommendations for future action. Thus in total this research led to practical, personal, relational, methodological, institutional and theoretical outcomes. |
