This 2007 doctoral study by Julie Lynn Hodges from the University of Newcastle, Australia, entitled "The Practice of Iyengar Yoga by Mid-aged Women: An Ancient Tradition in a Modern Life," focuses on a select group of 35 women living in New South Wales, Australia, to determine whether a process of self-transformation arises from their yoga practice.
As the author's abstract points out, "the thesis explores the evolving interplay between ‘being’ and ‘becoming’ that ensues from experiences of Iyengar yoga, and explains how and why these processes of self-transformation impact on the lives of the women interviewed." The methodology used in the study is detailed and comprehensive. The study examines the women’s experiences to consider why they were practicing yoga; discusses how ideals from the West and the East have come together in the modern practice of yoga; compares the women’s experiences with Giddens’ ‘reflexive project of the self’ (a process of self-actualisation) as well as the broader principles of classical yoga (a process of self-realisation).
Moreover, the study provides an excellent narrative of the evolution of yoga practice and its feminization in the West during the late 20th century. And finally, this 265 page dissertation includes a lengthy bibliography that would be of value to anyone doing research on Iyengar yoga and, in general, on the reception of yoga in the West. Abstract and downloadable PDF copy at: Nova: University of Newscastle Research Online.
