Week 8, Thursday 12 March 2.00-3.00, OCHS Library
Dr Janne Kontala
Yoga’s long journey from ancient South Asia to global studios and fitness centers has transformed its meanings in remarkable ways. Rooted in the religious traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism—especially the rich theistic currents within Hinduism—yoga today often appears as a secular, even commercial, pursuit. Many practitioners describe it as “spiritual but not religious,” yet traces of devotion and religious belief surface in both commercial presentations and polemical discussion.
This lecture explores how theistic worldviews live on within contemporary yoga. As part of a four-year research project Yoga in Finland (YOFI), funded by the Research Council of Finland and Polin Institute, I draw on over 500 responses from practitioners in Finland and India. I combine surveys, Q-methodology, and interviews to examine how beliefs, practices, and identities intertwine. The findings suggest that existing typologies of modern yoga overlook the fluid, lived realities of practitioners. Instead of fixed categories, I propose thinking of yoga through dimensions—practice, identity, belonging, and belief—revealing a far more complex and human picture of what it means to do yoga today.
Janne Kontala received his PhD at Åbo Akademi University, Finland, in 2016. He is currently employed as a researcher within the project Yoga in Finland (YOFI), funded by the Research Council of Finland and Polin Institute, where his research focuses on worldviews and values in contemporary yoga. As a teacher, Janne is currently also in charge of a yoga studies minor program in humanities.
