Religious, Spiritual, and Secular Identities of Modern Postural Yoga in the Ozarks
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BearWorks MSU Graduate Theses Fall 2015 Bodies Bending Boundaries: Religious, Spiritual, and Secular Identities of Modern Postural Yoga in the Ozarks Kimberley J. Pingatore As with any intellectual project, the content and views expressed in this thesis may be considered objectionable by some readers. However, this student-scholar’s work has been judged to have academic value by the student’s thesis committee members trained in the discipline. The content and views expressed in this thesis are those of the student-scholar and are not endorsed by Missouri State University, its Graduate College, or its employees. Follow this and additional works at: https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Pingatore, Kimberley J., "Bodies Bending Boundaries: Religious, Spiritual, and Secular Identities of Modern Postural Yoga in the Ozarks" (2015). MSU Graduate Theses. 3010. https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/3010 This article or document was made available through BearWorks, the institutional repository of Missouri State University. The work contained in it may be protected by copyright and require permission of the copyright holder for reuse or redistribution. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BODIES BENDING BOUNDARIES: RELIGIOUS, SPIRITUAL, AND SECULAR IDENTITIES OF MODERN POSTURAL YOGA IN THE OZARKS A Masters Thesis Presented to The Graduate College of Missouri State University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts, Religious Studies By Kimberley J. Pingatore December 2015 Copyright 2015 by Kimberley Jaqueline Pingatore ii BODIES BENDING BOUNDARIES: RELIGIOUS, SPIRITUAL, AND SECULAR IDENTITIES OF MODERN POSTURAL YOGA IN THE OZARKS Religious Studies Missouri State University, December 2015 Master of Arts Kimberley J. Pingatore ABSTRACT Modern postural yoga is an amalgamation of practices that continues to defy traditional explanatory models that understand religious, spiritual, and secular to be mutually exclusive categories. In this project, I conduct in-depth interviews with yoga instructors in the Ozarks. In these interviews, I asked my informants to explain how they understand religious, spiritual, and secular. I then asked if and how they would use those words to describe yoga. These interviews revealed that religious, spiritual, and secular are not mutually exclusive, but are instead related, blended, and connected, especially when used to describe yoga. These findings inform my proposed explanatory model which reflects how my interviewees talk about yoga with respect to these categories. KEYWORDS: yoga, modern postural yoga, religious, spiritual, secular, bodies, practice This abstract is approved as to form and content ____________________________________ John A. Schmalzbauer, Ph.D. Chairperson, Advisory Committee Missouri State University iii BODIES BENDING BOUNDARIES: RELIGIOUS, SPIRITUAL, AND SECULAR IDENTITIES OF MODERN POSTURAL YOGA IN THE OZARKS By Kimberley J. Pingatore A Masters Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College Of Missouri State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts, Religious Studies December 2015 Approved: _______________________________________ John A. Schmalzbauer, Ph.D. _______________________________________ Martha L. Finch, Ph.D. _______________________________________ J.E. Llewellyn, Ph.D. _______________________________________ Julie Masterson, Ph.D.: Dean, Graduate College iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am profoundly grateful to many individuals for their support, questions, comments, conversations, and assistance. First I thank my family, Frank, Noel, Francis, and Joe, who have always been and continue to be gracious conversation partners and tireless cheerleaders. I thank my husband Nick whose relentless reassurance and confidence inspired me when I needed it most. I am grateful to my professors at Michigan State University, Dr. Gene Burns, Dr. Amy DeRogatis, and Dr. Arthur Versluis, who coached me through the arduous process of applying to graduate school and encouraged my academic curiosities. I thank my professors at Missouri State University who inspire excellence and provide unwavering support to all of their students: Dr. John Schmalzbauer, Dr. J.E. Llewellyn, Dr. Martha Finch, Dr. Stephen Berkwitz, and Dr. Victor Matthews. I am grateful to my fellow students and the graduate assistants who challenged me and helped create a gracious and supportive academic cohort. I thank my first and most inspiring yoga teacher, Allie Brawley, whose wisdom and kindness continue to motivate and influence my practice. Finally, I am grateful to my informants who indulged my curiosities with tremendous sincerity and grace. Namaste. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ..........................................................................................................................1 Finding Yoga ...........................................................................................................1 Ancient Roots, Modern Practice ..............................................................................6 Yoga Scholarship: Religious? Spiritual? Secular? ................................................12 Chapter 1: Yoga as Religious ............................................................................................26 Yoga as Religious: “It isn’t [a religion] but it is mine.” ........................................28 Yoga as Religious: “It’s the way I reconnect with our Lord.” ...............................35 Concluding Reflections ..........................................................................................45 Chapter 2: Yoga as Secular ................................................................................................49 Secular Yoga in the Ozarks ....................................................................................54 Yoga: Come for the Physical, Stay for the Spiritual ..............................................61 For Sale: Special Yoga ...........................................................................................64 Concluding Reflections ..........................................................................................68 Chapter 3: Yoga as Spiritual ..............................................................................................70 Scholars on Spirituality, Yoga, and Yoga as a Spiritual Practice ..........................71 What is Spiritual: Individual, Flexible, Connective ...............................................73 Using the Spiritual to Talk About Yoga ................................................................79 Toward a Yoga Habitus .........................................................................................83 Concluding Reflections ..........................................................................................85 Chapter 4: Bending Bodies: Categories Conflate on the Mat ............................................88 Kinetic Spirituality: Yoga, Bodies, and Gender ....................................................95 Bodies in Yoga Manuals ......................................................................................101 Concluding Reflections ........................................................................................110 Works Cited ....................................................................................................................113 Appendices .......................................................................................................................118 Appendix 1 ...........................................................................................................118 Appendix 2 ...........................................................................................................119 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Largest Religious Groups in the Springfield Metro Area. .....................................3 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Model for understanding yoga ............................................................................93 Figure 2. Iyengar in Sirsasana .........................................................................................102 Figure 3. Kellie Schrader in Padangusthasana ...............................................................104 Figure 4. Kino MacGregor in Padmasana .......................................................................105 viii INTRODUCTION Finding Yoga Inhale as you bring your palms together. Exhale as you place them at your heart. Bring your hands to your third eye as a reminder of right thought. Bring your hands to your lips as a reminder of right speech. Bring your hands to your heart as a reminder of right intention. Thank you all for sharing your practice with me today. Namaste. — Yoga Class Closing Salutation Surprised and intrigued, I thought briefly about the parting words that came from my yoga teacher’s lips. I collected my props, rolled up my mat, and strolled to the prop room where the rest of the class was also returning their practice aids. I moved slowly, so as to let the crowd disperse before I inquired with my teacher about these words. A student of religious studies and a future graduate student, I respectfully probed. After inquiring about the Buddhist nature of the words that concluded our practice that evening, I learned that this was not the first time a student had made the same connection. I was not offended or worried that I had just been initiated into some cult without