ERIC Number: ED548675
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 311
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-1-2673-3619-4
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Body, Mind, Spirit: Twelve Juicy Stories of Transformation from Yoga Practice in Higher Education
Dolan, Maureen A.
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, California Institute of Integral Studies
The subject of this inquiry is to explore university students' stories of transformation from the practice of integral yoga in an undergraduate course exploring human biology, health, and spirituality. The stories of participants give evidence for successful educational performance when yoga and meditation are combined with academic learning in higher education. The legitimacy of introducing mindful yoga as an integral part of higher education is further enhanced by the connections to transformative adult learning theories, scientific studies on the impact of yoga and meditation, and systems knowledge. This inquiry examines the integration of the body/mind/spirit complex for adult learning in the "Body, Mind, Spirit: Yoga and Meditation" course in the School for New Learning at DePaul University in Chicago. During the course, students examine the interconnections of biology, spirituality, social change, and community/individual health. The inquiry includes narratives from 12 adult undergraduate students who took the course and who practiced yoga and meditation as ways to cultivate ethical principles, deepen peace, enhance performance, promote partnership, connect with academic learning, expand freedom, and become healthier in body, mind, and spirit. The inquiry question centers on how yoga and meditation impacted the lives of students who took the course by documenting and interpreting their stories. Stories and themes emerge regarding the transformations from 12 students who stand as exemplars of the nearly 600 students who took the course from 2005 to 2011. The narrative method in this project is intrinsically linked to the meaning-making and reflexivity basic to transformative adult education. Stories illuminate the experiences that change people, highlight moments of epiphany, and demonstrate how people construct their realities. Like yoga postures, stories invite interpretation. Stories from diverse participants who share a particular experience can show multicultural complexities based on gender, ethnicity, faith tradition, age, color, and abilities. This transdisciplinary inquiry illustrates important trends in transformative education, contemplative studies, peace studies, systems thinking, and scientific findings of yoga's impact on health. Educators, medical practitioners, systems thinkers, narrative researchers, yoga enthusiasts, and the general public constitute the audience. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Metacognition, Physical Activities, Mental Health, Relaxation Training, Religious Factors, Undergraduate Study, Undergraduate Students, Health Education, Biology, Social Change, Personal Narratives, Public Health, Reflection, Adult Education, Cultural Pluralism, Interdisciplinary Approach, Transformative Learning
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Illinois
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A