This post is about academic research asking yoga teachers in Britain to take part 
There has been lots of research on the benefits of yoga or the true meaning of yoga in texts, but we want to know what yoga means to you.
Nick Lawler, a Ph.D. researcher from Lancaster University, is calling the yoga teachers of Britain to let him know.
Introducing the researcher
Hello! My name is Nick Lawler, and I am a postgraduate researcher and associate lecturer at Lancaster University (teaching Indian philosophy). I trained as a yoga teacher a few years ago but as you can tell, my interests took me down a slightly different path into academia. My research is in the beliefs held by British yoga practitioners that can be summed up in one question; “What does Yoga mean to you?”
Email: n.lawler@lancaster.ac.uk
How can this research help yoga teachers?
This research will help us understand, not how yoga is defined in books, but what it actually means in people’s lives here and now in Britain. While this, in and of itself, is fascinating it is also a useful business tool; yoga teachers could use the data to help develop more targeted marketing and teaching content. Nick will be happy to share the results throughout his three-year research program. In fact, he thinks of it as a collaboration and will stay in touch with all the yoga teacher partners.
Another useful tool he has available is a survey that explores what your yoga students think in more detail. Just let him know and he will happily send you a link to the student survey.
What does yoga mean to you?
The answers to this survey of teachers will help describe the contribution yoga makes to contemporary British culture. It also helps identify the difference between yoga and other aspects of British culture. What makes it different from other forms of exercise for some people? And, for those teachers for whom yoga is a spiritual practice, what makes it different from religion?
For the academics among us
In academic terms, this research explores the growth of yoga in Britain, largely from the 1960’s onwards. It relates to the philosophy of religion and the philosophy of knowledge: Why do we believe what we believe? How do we know what we know? How much of these beliefs and knowledge comes from what we experience in our bodies, versus things we are taught to believe by others, science, and society? How much does yoga affect our sense of self and our social identity? And how much does our identity affect the decisions we make and the things we pay attention to “off the mat”?
His eventual thesis builds on the responses to surveys, focus groups, interviews, and fieldwork to tell the story of why yoga has become so popular in Britain.
Take part in the survey
To take part in the survey click here. Or click here to find out more about Nick and his research. Thank you so much for your help. Nick looks forward to reading your survey answers and can’t wait to show you some of the things he has discovered.
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This post is about Ph.D. research, titled: What does yoga mean to you?
