The exploration of becoming as a yoga practitioner and its impact on identity formation, health, and well-being

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to narrow the gap in understanding the health and well-being effects of becoming through occupation by exploring the concept of becoming through yoga practitioners’ perspectives. Four participants from the Southwest of England were recruited to engage in one-to-one semi-structured interviews concentrated on perspectives of transformation; that is, becoming, from their viewpoint as yoga practitioners. Qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis brought about rich, in-depth accounts of the lived experiences of becoming, revealing the nature of becoming for a yogi, how yoga impacted their identity formation, and tensions between the Western definitions of becoming and yoga. The findings uncovered three themes: mapping self through time and yoga practice, transformed health and well-being through doing yoga, and strengthened connections through being a yogi. The findings support the significance of yoga as an occupation that elicits becoming through personal transformations despite the potential for adverse effects, such as insecurity and Western conformity pressures. Yogis’ depictions of becoming differed from the Western occupational paradigm of becoming, as highlighted by participants’ concentration on self-acceptance versus active self-promotion. For yoga practitioners, becoming involved receptivity and reinforced inner resilience. Further research is warranted on how the effects of becoming manifest across different meaningful occupations and diverse cultural backgrounds.

Die Erforschung des Werdens (Becoming) als Yoga-Praktizierende und dessen Auswirkungen auf Identitätsbildung, Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden

Diese Studie zielte darauf ab, die Auswirkungen des Werdens (Becoming) durch Betätigung auf Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden besser zu verstehen, indem sie das Konzept des Werdens (Becoming) aus der Perspektive von Yoga-Praktizierenden untersuchte. Vier Teilnehmerinnen aus dem Südwesten Englands wurden für halbstrukturierte Einzelinterviews rekrutiert, die sich auf Transformationsperspektiven konzentrierten, d. h. auf Perspektiven des Werdens (Becoming), aus ihrer Sicht als Yoga-Praktizierende. Die qualitative, interpretative phänomenologische Analyse brachte reichhaltige, tiefgehende Berichte über die gelebten Erfahrungen des Werdens (Becoming) hervor, die das Wesen des Werdens (Becoming) für eine*n Yogi, den Einfluss von Yoga auf ihre Identitätsbildung und die Spannungen zwischen den westlichen Definitionen von Werden (Becoming) und Yoga aufzeigten. Die Ergebnisse brachten drei Themen zum Vorschein: Selbsterfassung durch Zeit und Yogapraxis, veränderte Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden durch Yoga und gestärkte Verbindungen durch das Yogi-Sein. Die Ergebnisse belegen die Bedeutung von Yoga als eine Betätigung, die trotz möglicher negativer Auswirkungen wie Unsicherheit und westlichem Konformitätsdruck ein Werden (Becoming) durch persönliche Veränderung hervorruft. Die Darstellungen der Yogis über das Werden (Becoming) unterschieden sich vom westlichen Paradigma des Werdens (Becoming) durch Betätigung, was durch die Konzentration der Teilnehmerinnen auf Selbstakzeptanz im Gegensatz zur aktiven Selbstinszenierung deutlich wurde. Für Yogapraktizierende bedeutete Werden (Becoming) Aufnahmebereitschaft und stärkte die innere Resilienz. Weitere Untersuchungen darüber, wie sich die Auswirkungen des Werdens (Becoming) in verschiedenen bedeutungsvollen Betätigungen und unterschiedlichen kulturellen Hintergründen manifestieren, sind erforderlich

L'exploration du devenir en tant que praticien de yoga et son impact sur la construction identitaire, la santé et le bien-être

Cette étude visait à combler les lacunes dans la compréhension des effets sur la santé et le bien-être du devenir par le biais de l'occupation en explorant le concept de devenir à travers les perspectives des praticiens de yoga. Quatre participants du sud-ouest de l'Angleterre ont été recrutés pour participer à des entretiens individuels semi-structurés axés sur les perspectives de transformation ; c'est-à-dire le devenir, de leur point de vue en tant que praticiens de yoga. L'analyse phénoménologique interprétative qualitative a permis d'obtenir des données riches et approfondies des expériences vécues du devenir, révélant la nature du devenir pour un yogi, l'impact du yoga sur la construction identitaire et les tensions entre les définitions occidentales du devenir et du yoga. Les résultats ont mis en évidence trois thèmes : le yoga a permis aux participants de se cartographier eux-mêmes à travers le temps et la pratique du yoga, de transformer leur santé et leur bien-être en faisant du yoga et de renforcer leurs liens en tant que yogi. Les résultats soutiennent l'importance du yoga en tant qu'occupation qui suscite le devenir par le biais de transformations personnelles, malgré les effets négatifs potentiels, tels que l'insécurité et les pressions du conformisme occidentale. La description du devenir par les yogis diffère du paradigme occupationnel occidental du devenir, comme le montre la centration des participants sur l'acceptation de soi par rapport à l'autopromotion active. Pour les pratiquants de yoga, le devenir implique la réceptivité et renforce la résilience intérieure. Des recherches supplémentaires sont nécessaires pour déterminer comment les effets du devenir se manifestent dans différentes occupations significatives et dans différents contextes culturels.

KEYWORDS:

• Occupational science
• Mindfulness
• Personal growth
• Occupation
• Transformation

SCHLÜSSELWÖRTER:

• Occupational Science
• Achtsamkeit
• Persönliches Wachstum
• Betätigung
• Transformation

MOTS CLÉS:

• Sciences de l’occupations
• pleine conscience
• croissance personnelle
• occupation
• transformation

Occupational science elaborates on the complexity of occupation: its form, meaning, and physical impact on human beings (van Niekerk, 2014); thus, requires real-life examples of how engaging in occupations affects everyday life. Wilcock (1999) conceptualised occupation through doing, being, becoming, and belonging in her occupational perspective of health. While theory about becoming exists in occupational science literature (Hitch, 2017; Suarez-Balcazar & Hammel, 2015), in a comprehensive review, Hitch et al. (2014a) argued that becoming was less developed than doing and being. More recently, Bratun and Zurc (2022) have supported the need for more research on becoming. Christiansen (1999) stated that meaningful occupations are often maintained secondary to their importance or subjective worth. Therefore, research on becoming can be useful for occupational scientists in building perspective on identity formation and sustaining certain occupations which may contribute to individuals’ health and well-being.

Wilcock and Hocking (2015) defined becoming as a motivational, inspiring force facilitating occupational engagement. Hitch and Pepin (2021) more recently theorised that social conditions influence becoming, acknowledging the interrelatedness of becoming and belonging. Becoming is defined as part of a continuously interacting series of experiences alongside doing, being, and belonging, occurring through occupation and manifesting on individual, group, and population levels (Taff et al., 2018; Wilcock & Hocking, 2015). Becoming is directly linked to doing, goals and aspirations; it acts as the medium for growth, development and change (Hitch et al., 2014a; Taff et al., 2018). The present study explored becoming through the perspectives of yoga practitioners, applying a Western understanding of becoming to an originally Eastern practice.

In this paper, an individual who practises yoga is called a ‘yoga practitioner’ or ‘yogi’ (Newcombe, 2009). Additionally, ‘transformation’ is defined as “a complete change in the appearance or character of something or someone, especially so that that thing or person is improved” (Cambridge University Press, n.d.c); ‘process’, as a “series of changes that happen naturally” (Cambridge University Press, n.d.b); and, lastly, ‘development’ as the “process in which someone or something grows or changes and becomes more advanced” (Cambridge University Press, n.d.a). As the occupational concept of becoming is associated with change and transformation (Wilcock & Hocking, 2015), we linked it to yoga, which involves process and development. This is not to say only certain occupations involve development; although we believe certain occupations, such as yoga, particularly emphasise transformation (Garrett et al., 2011).

Yoga Practice

Yoga refers to physical postures, meditation, and breathing exercises rooted in ancient Eastern philosophy that unites mind, body, and spirit, facilitating self-awareness (Pagis, 2009). There are many yoga variations, traditional or modernised; some more focused on precision of posture, others on concentration, meditation, and transformation of energy, which often complement each other (De Michelis, 2005). Various yoga forms focus on physical and psychological healing, purposed toward personal growth (Pagis, 2009). According to Iyengar (1966), this growth involves separating oneself from desire, not projecting body goals onto practice, such as “reduc[ing] body weight” (p. 85) or “size of abdomen” (p. 257), therein leaving commitments, plans, and preoccupations behind (De Michelis, 2005). Such a perspective diverges from current understandings of becoming, which derive from goal-focussed strategies directed towards attaining achievements (Hitch et al., 2014a), typically forged by widespread cultural expectations. These strategies are useful for structuring lives towards milestones; however, that leaves a gap where reflective, acceptance-oriented aspects of becoming can manifest. Yoga stereotypes have also emerged, contributing to practitioners practising in response to Western body image concerns (Miller, 2016). In modern Western contexts, yoga outcomes precipitate personal growth; however, projected body goals serve an alternative notion of becoming, matching popularised expectations as opposed to traditional yogic tenets. These result in detrimental changes, such as reduced self-esteem from insecurities regarding stereotypes about yoga bodies or anxieties that studios practice exclusivity based on skill level (Hinz et al., 2021).

Limited peer-reviewed academic yoga literature (in the English language and Western world) is linked to physical and identity-related transformation. Büssing et al. (2012) and Csala et al. (2021) identified that aspects of transformation need development, given that yoga is considered a valuable occupation done individually and in group settings to improve personal health and well-being (Butterfield et al., 2017; Fishman & Small, 2007). Linked to improved health outcomes, yoga has been increasingly adopted as a suitable medium for therapeutic and recreational purposes (Cartwright et al., 2020; Sohl et al., 2011), demonstrating its relevance to current Western cultural context. For example, yoga provides mood-enhancing properties and reduces stress and anxiety per changes in physiological parameters such as blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels (Pascoe & Bauer, 2015). A systematic review (Green et al., 2019) evidenced the yoga benefits for individuals with neuromuscular issues at risk of falls, such as improvements in individuals’ posture control and flexibility (Chugh-Gupta et al., 2013). While studies primarily centre on positive benefits, noted adverse effects of yoga, including injuries resulting from physically vigorous yoga modalities (Cramer et al., 2019), complexify the understanding of health-promoting occupations. Cramer et al. (2019) focused primarily on physical health effects, missing a vital aspect of yoga’s impact on individuals’ mental health. We sought to study becoming in relation to doing yoga to explore the transformative potential for individuals and their everyday lives.

Becoming

Researching becoming can expand understanding of how individuals make sense of themselves in the world, physically and introspectively, informing on identity formation (Hitch et al., 2014b). When people participate in meaningful occupations, they construct their identities (Kay & Taylor, 2015); this process is continuous and influenced by personal values (Yerxa et al., 1989). Christiansen (1999) posited that identities are influenced by the potential of whom a person might become through engaging in occupation. Self-competence in occupation influences individuals to maintain those occupations. Becoming ties into identity formation as one’s perceived possible self is formulated by motivated behaviour. This behaviour is often influenced by positive or negative social or internal feedback (Maersk, 2021).

Consequently, we inquired as to how being a yogi can impact this unending construction that is becoming. This inquiry offers another way to build occupational science knowledge, entertaining a bottom-up approach of first experiencing mindfulness in the body and mind and then exploring how that experience impacts mental self-awareness over time, as yoga practice encourages (Kabat-Zinn, 2013). When the physical self regularly experiences mindfulness, increased self-awareness ensues (Kabat-Zinn, 2013), informing how individuals manage life challenges over time. Such understanding is essential to widen the platform for discussing transformative opportunities in occupation.

Becoming can manifest through mutual interactions with others; that is, becoming through connectedness (Hitch et al., 2014b). Evans and Rodger (2008) highlighted that families could become through strengthening their communal ties and that family time strengthens bonds and builds a shared identity. Therefore, further research, such as the present study, may also enhance the understanding of becoming through connecting with others.

Intersection of Yoga and Becoming

In Eastern contexts, yoga has been considered a necessary measure towards enlightenment. Western yoga culture adopted and moulded Eastern yogic traditions of self-development to fit modern Western paradigms (Pagis, 2009). In connecting occupational science understandings of becoming to a Westernised yoga practice, we investigated how differing interpretations of becoming exist, constituting self-development.

Peer-reviewed yoga literature has primarily concentrated on empirical evidence of becoming healthier and less on yoga’s holistic effect on becoming as self-development. Articles in academic journals and published books were reviewed for their inclusion of both yoga and becoming. No studies were found explicitly pursuing this relationship. However, three studies were critically appraised for their contribution to becoming and yoga. A cross-sectional survey of over 500 yoga students and teachers in the United States described why individuals adopt and sustain yoga practice (Park et al., 2016). The authors hypothesised that the more time spent practising yoga, the higher potential for spiritual transformation. However, they did not assess how people make sense of their physical and mental improvements or transformation. The mainly female, Caucasian, well-educated participant demographics meant the findings were concentrated on a particular sector and may not be generalisable.

Similarly, an ethnography of prison inmates explored the potential for yoga to foster well-being and self-transformation (Griera, 2017). The research rendered rich, in-depth accounts of self-transformation, where yoga became a vehicle for survival and dealing with uncertainty. The large sample size of 52 multicultural men and women provided ample diversity of experience. However, while Griera (2017) justified using interviews to complement observational findings, the use of and lack of justification for a survey raises questions about appropriate use of methods and reduces study reliability.

Garrett et al. (2011) studied benefits of attending a 10-week yoga programme and empirically investigated the impact on individuals’ health. The health changes measured indicated transformation, given its definition, which is noteworthy for the current study’s aim. Procedurally, Garrett et al. (2011) used interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) (J. A. Smith et al., 2009) but their relationship to the study was not explicit, which may have affected the interpretation of participant interpretation, or double hermeneutic (Giddens, 1984). As such, their methods were arguably not sufficiently congruent with their research design because the nature of IPA is to explicitly illustrate the double hermeneutic process. Exposing the researchers’ critical examination of their role, bias, and influence on analysis in any study method improves credibility and validity (CASP, 2018).

Methods

We took a constructivist epistemological stance, acknowledging that knowledge does not derive from facts; humans create knowledge through their thoughts and interpretations (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). Given this viewpoint, a qualitative research approach was chosen to explore how being a yogi can impact identity formation and becoming. The primary author utilised IPA (J. A. Smith et al., 2009) to capture yoga practitioners’ lived experiences. The second author reviewed the data and findings. IPA recognises that producing an account of individuals’ experiences necessitates a process of interpretation (J. A. Smith & Osborn, 2015). Therefore, the researchers implemented the ‘double hermeneutic’ (Giddens, 1984), meaning they interpreted stories revealed by participants, who made sense of their own experiences as they spoke about their yoga occupation (J. A. Smith et al., 2009). The primary author chose this method to recognise the role of yoga in her life. It required her to acknowledge the data alongside subjective contexts, augmenting study rigour. This sense-making of the phenomenon of becoming as a yogi occurred among both researchers (Pietkiewicz & Smith, 2014; J. A. Smith et al., 2009).

An iterative sense-making process was required between researcher and participant experience of the phenomenon (Peat et al., 2019). The primary author used a reflexivity journal to self-critique and acknowledge what personal responses and reactions arose during interviews (Braun & Clarke, 2013), analysing how her situated context affected her interpretations. Despite limited experience applying occupational science terms to real-life phenomena, the author had some understanding of the transformative aspects of yoga as her practice positively impacted her wellness and inner growth. This interest may have influenced emphasising the connection between the occupational concept of becoming and yoga. The secondary author was not involved in yoga, which may mitigate against potential bias.

Sampling

In alignment with IPA, a homogenous sample; that is, a particular set of individuals who may experience a similar phenomenon, was sought (Noon, 2018); and was purposefully idiographic to explore an abstract topic (J. A. Smith & Osborn, 2015), such as becoming as a yogi. Using purposive sampling to recruit health-focused yoga practitioners in a city in Southwest England, leaflets and flyers were distributed at yoga studios, a local health food store, and a university campus. Prospective participants contacted the primary researcher, and the first four individuals who offered to participate over 3 months were selected. A smaller homogenous sample allowed for rich, in-depth exploration of the concept becoming. The researchers prioritised a deeper analysis, which is essential to IPA (Wilde et al., 2019).

The study received ethical approval from the University of Plymouth’s Faculty Ethics and Integrity Committee (19/20-524). Informed consent was obtained from all participants, a necessary measure for producing research with integrity (Alderson & Morrow, 2011). Participants were given the right to withdraw and offered links to support services to address risk of harm, such as emotional distress from recalling personal histories. Participants did not use these measures.

The inclusion criteria required participants to be at least 18 years. There was no upper-age limit as lived experiences were welcomed across the lifespan. Adolescents were excluded for ethical and practical reasons, like safeguarding and access barriers (Hiriscau et al., 2014) and as their sense of identity and thought articulation might differ from those of adults (Erikson, 1994; J. A. Smith et al., 2009).

Participants needed at least 6-months yoga experience to ensure they were sufficiently knowledgeable about their relationship with yoga to produce the in-depth responses requisite for IPA (Noon, 2018). Just one yoga class is evidenced to alter one’s emotional state and energy level (Park et al., 2020); thus, inquiring how these changes occur over a series of months arguably could elucidate a sense of becoming. Accordingly, there was no cap for duration of yoga involvement. The sample did not restrict yoga style because different facets of yoga are complementary, and practitioners often practise varying techniques (La Forge, 2005). The four participants were of similar race, female, mostly middle aged, and with higher education experience (Table 1).

Table 1. Participant demographic characteristics

Participant (pseudonym)	Gender	Age	Nationality / Ethnicity	Education	Years practicing yoga
Joy	Female	29	British / White	Higher Education	14
Fena	Female	58	British / White	Higher Education	6
Harriet	Female	52	Irish / White	Higher Education	10
Laura	Female	45	British / White	Higher Education	26

Data collection

Data were collected via one-to-one semi-structured interviews (Reid et al., 2005) in English, with a loose interview schedule (see Appendix 1) to elicit in-depth anecdotes of the lived experience of becoming in yoga practice. Questions centred on how yoga affected different areas of participants’ lives and identities, such as, “Can you describe how yoga has affected your sense of confidence or self-assuredness in everyday life?”. Questions also focussed on evoking feelings experienced when participants reflected on their transformations as yogis. The primary author formulated the interview schedule using her previous yoga experiences and literature on becoming, framing open-ended questioning using terminology such as ‘transformed’, ‘changed over time’, and ‘identity’. The interview schedule was fine-tuned following feedback from a certified yoga instructor on the impact, relevance, and coherence of questions for individuals regularly practising yoga.

Interviews lasted 50-70 minutes and were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim to gain a rich account of individual experience. The primary researcher took notes during interviews to record interpretations and necessary clarifications (King & Horrocks, 2010). Participants were given pseudonyms (Table 1) to ensure confidentiality.

As the research took place during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom (Brown et al., 2021), only two participants were interviewed face-to-face. The latter two participated via video conferencing to respect social distancing measures. The same methods for audio recording and transcription were maintained across interviews. Videoconference participants were advised to be in a private, quiet room to reduce distraction and facilitate immersion in the interview experience (Irani, 2019). This change in procedure was cleared with the ethics committee.

Data analysis

Theme-making was facilitated using the IPA visual text example provided by J. A. Smith et al. (2009). Transcripts were organised into three columns: ‘emergent themes’, ‘transcript’, and ‘exploratory comments’, to give a vetted structure to data analysis. The researchers prioritised an iterative and inductive approach so that exploratory comments generated broader themes (Patton, 2002).

Subsequently, emergent themes were assembled from each case, seeking patterns within transcripts to build super-ordinate themes. Thematic guidance from previous transcripts can facilitate forging connections between multiple transcripts; nevertheless, bracketing occurred to highlight transcript individuality (J. A. Smith et al., 2009) and bolster analysis validity. The researchers asked participants not to attempt modifying data to say the right thing when offering member checking after data collection (McConnell-Henry et al., 2011); however, no participants chose to return feedback which facilitated an idiographic and unadulterated participant perspective.

Findings

Three superordinate themes and seven sub-themes captured becoming through yogis’ perspectives in interviews (see Table 2).

Table 2. Superordinate themes and sub-themes

Superordinate themes	Sub-themes
Mapping Self through Time and Yoga Practice	Self-awareness through becoming Yogic values penetrating identity Self-acceptance
Transformed Health and Well-being through Doing Yoga	Embodying yogic values Increased resilience
Strengthened Connections through Being a Yogi	Becoming in relation to belonging A supportive network reinforces becoming

Mapping self through time and yoga practice

This theme describes how individuals tracked their own development, identity influences, and self-awareness with the help of yoga in their lives.

Self-awareness through becoming

Harriet, who lived with chronic fatigue syndrome for over 2-decades, commented: “Looking back now, I probably still saw myself as a sick person with an illness, whereas now … I think of myself as stronger than I’ve been for years”. Similarly, Laura described: “As I got older, you know so, so to begin with more of a warrior … go out there, and then as I think more … it’s more sort of reflexive”. Laura associated her past with higher energy compared to her present, more “reflexive” self that she became after having children. For both, continued yoga practice throughout different life stages, such as being ill, healthy, young, older, or a mother impacted their identities. This finding suggests one’s self-concept in yoga over time is mutable and continued practice manifests new identity aspects.

Concerning self-perceived transformation, participants acknowledged their becoming as unique and ungeneralisable. Fena grew up practising mindfulness in her Quaker community; Laura started yoga on a retreat to India in early adulthood, and Joy began yoga as an adolescent in reconnection with her mother. Harriet likened it to “a natural progression”, evoking an unstructured, fluid nature to her becoming, as opposed to purposefully steered growth. Laura suggested that becoming in yoga can be dynamic and variable: “I don’t see it as a linear, transformation as a linear thing, you know, there can be moments … you can have like mini-Samādhis” [Samādhi, a yogic term, refers to self-realisation or an altered state of consciousness (De Michelis, 2005)]. Joy noted how yoga affected her confidence:

I don’t know, it’s probably something that I don’t notice and is almost like ingrained in myself … called it poise and I don’t know if that’s something I’ve just always had or if that is something that has come from yoga, but I always think it’s from yoga.

Reflecting on how yoga impacted her cumulatively over time, Joy noted it was not measurable but present within her. However, a less optimistic side of becoming arose when Joy answered about yoga skill level: “Part of me feels worried about pushing my body too far, but also I don’t understand it, and maybe I feel like I’d never get to expert, I don’t know”. This statement reveals that an individual can also feel insecure in becoming, indicating adverse parts of becoming.

Further, participants actively noted becoming increasingly aware of taking care of their health. For instance, Fena noticed increased food consciousness: “Just far more aware of my needs”. Joy stated, “When I’m doing more yoga, then, I am … feeling better and I’m more able to do other things that are a form of self-care”. The routine inclusion of yoga fostered health consciousness in all participants. However, when practising for body image concerns, self-awareness became self-consciousness:

It was always really peaceful and um, quite slow … and since then I’ve sort of only ever found hour-long ones and, I think I do get swept up into the sort of um, the energetic side and thinking about your body and wanting to change your body. (Joy)

Joy addressed her class choices based on pressures to conform to yoga stereotypes. Aforesaid negative becoming diverges with the positive becoming as a yogi, illuminating potential societal impact on becoming.

Yogic values penetrating identity

In the face of Western societal norms and modern yoga stereotypes, all participants wished to project an authentic self-image that emphasised physical health and broadened self-awareness. Fena claimed: “Doing yoga and meditating together is actually quite a rebellious act against our society, which I’m sort of all for [bursts into laughter]”, indicating communal yoga fuelled her nonconformist self-identity. Unanimously, convergent themes of prioritising authentic yoga based on philosophy arose, elucidating how that impacted identity. On evolving her style of yoga practice, Joy said:

Ugh, (laughs) I don’t like it, like hearing myself talk about it, I’m like ‘Oh that’s such a shame’, getting drawn into like, I don’t know, like Western white ideals of bodies and, and how yoga can accomplish that and sculpting yourself through yoga … but it’s probably what I do get drawn into.

Joy highlighted fears related to Western thin body ideals. She was the sole participant to do so, suggesting her younger life phase may impact self-image.

Self-acceptance

Laura reflected that she accepted her current self and wished to avoid “egotistical manifestations” of a future desired self when asked about her wishes of being and becoming. In occupational terms, her sense of being is more self-accepting and her future projection of being is rejected. She noted: “What I’ve said today is where I am today … , and it can’t be any other way, can it really?”. She alluded that her becoming is based on her past, and visualising her future self is irrelevant to accepting herself today, a critical yogic value. Harriet expanded: “Having goals for yoga goes against what yoga is”. Both participants’ views of the future stressed that pre-constructed notions of self were asynchronous with becoming as a yoga practitioner. “I’m more open to what might present itself to me and opportunities … being receptive … to them and wanting to explore … see where it takes me [playful chuckle]” (Harriet).

Transformed health and well-being through doing yoga

This theme describes how individuals’ health and well-being were affected by regular yoga practice. It produced increased resilience and an embodied yogic presence that increased wellness and linked to deeper spirituality.

Embodying yogic values

Well, I think it’s quite a relief, and the realisation is that you can control yourself but not what’s going on outside [says listlessly], and that you can bring some calm with whatever storm you’re experiencing, um, but it is [assertive tone] the mindset that enables you to do that. (Harriet)

Fena contributed:

Every night I’ll have feet up the wall, favourite [yoga] pose, coz it is just, it just feels so good, um and I do, do meditation every day … but it has become much more ingrained into my day. I start and end my day with a meditation.

Embodying values from an occupation like yoga can influence one’s personal growth, or becoming, through seaming it into the fabric of their day. Joy noted, “It was a part of my identity, and it was almost like a confidence in it”. The confidence from embodying yoga can permeate everyday occupations, influencing participants’ becoming.

Participants suggested the physical environment could encourage and motivate deeper yoga embodiment and spirituality. Fena thoughtfully countered around embodying yoga: “It is really lovely to set the scene and be in a lovely calm … but the reality is … [pause] you need to be able to reach that space wherever you’re at”. Embodying yoga steered participants towards more profound spirituality but, as Fena remarked, yoga philosophy instructs individuals to find that space despite the external context. This converged with Harriet’s statement on bringing ‘calm’ to any ‘storm’ she experienced.

Joy used the term “go[ing] to” when describing the outcome of breathing exercises. Similarly, Harriet used “that world”, connoting a separation from the current world. A converged finding emerged where yoga became a means to go beyond the current world. Without anyone referencing personal religiosity, in between participants’ texts a candid reverence of yoga’s transcendent significance surfaced.

Increased resilience

Participants equipped themselves with strategies to overcome life obstacles through mindfulness. “I always find myself going back to … (exhales with relaxation) breathing techniques that I’ve learned through practising yoga” (Joy). All participants relayed new power gained through managing their thoughts with breathwork or meditation. Harriet noticed: “I feel a lot more flexible … will that make me more adaptive, not just physically but mentally?” Harriet embodied yoga philosophy by maintaining calm during challenging moments. She said she was “becoming more resilient again”. Practising yoga potentially contributed to increased adaptiveness and resilience to everyday stresses. For example, Joy answered about regularity.

I’d be in a state of turmoil … and as soon as I went to a class, like I’d just be grounded again and yeah there was something that just pulled back into myself, I think almost like showed me the way, so it’s something that I come back to, um, especially in times of stress.

Joy exemplifies how one’s motivation to sustain yoga reinforces resilience. Resilience relates to becoming in yoga as all participants developed increased flexibility toward distress over time. [open-strick]

Strengthened connections through being a yogi

This theme describes how individuals’ becoming was influenced by practising with others; findings included deeper yoga experiences leading to greater self-efficacy and yoga offering a way to maintain relationships.

Becoming in relation to belonging

For Laura, yoga practice provided “a feeling of community that there's a whole lot of us doing it together … yeah through a process of transformation”. Fena articulated: “You can bounce off of other people’s energies and I think Śavāsana is often much deeper, as a group practice … There seems to be a collective … [inhales] … expression” [Śavāsana, a yogic term, refers to surrendering the physical, emotional, and spiritual body (De Michelis, 2005)]. Certain individuals sustained group yoga involvement, and that belonging reinforced self-efficacy and yoga’s place in their identities. This suggests a link between becoming and belonging in a non-linear way, where either could enhance or incite the other. Joy described how she got into yoga:

My mum and dad got divorced when I was like 15, 16 … one of the ways I started to rebuild a relationship with her was through yoga … She invited me to go with her, … and I really, I just, I really loved it … yeah just a way to get back into touch with my mum again and … to build something with her.

Here, yoga held the potential for building a bond with her mother.

A supportive network reinforces becoming

All participants emphasised having the right teacher to facilitate the most meaningful yoga experiences, implying a supportive sphere reinforces becoming in yoga. Laura noted, in appreciation of her decades-long relationship with her teacher: “She’s the one that’s really, yeah taught me some of the most profound experiences and the whole sangha experience”. She added later: “I feel very grateful … especially in when these difficult situations come up that I have this tool of yoga and this support, this um, network”. Acknowledging others’ role in improving participants’ yoga experiences demonstrates that practising communally influenced participants’ transformation and becoming over time.

Discussion

Generalisations cannot be claimed from results; however, theoretical links can be made which may resonate (Mason, 2002) with yoga practitioners in Western contexts.

Mapping self in time and yoga

Findings highlight how participants experienced increased self-awareness through their becoming as yogis. To our knowledge, no other studies note how yoga practice elicits such self-awareness juxtaposed with becoming. Perceiving the occupations that evoke self-awareness is noteworthy for occupational scientists in exploring the dimension of occupation, becoming, which merits continued investigation.

Participants’ self-awareness spilt into their relationship with self-care, food, mindfulness, or responding to their needs. Occupational scientists can arguably discern this as a domino effect of self-care, where yoga amplifies the significance of self-care, precipitated by an increased self-awareness of its holistic benefits. This aligns with yoga philosophy around self-awareness increasing with practice.

Self-acceptance suggests a new understanding of becoming in that part of a yogi’s evolution results from letting identity develop in a fluid, not action-oriented way through sustained yoga practice. This challenges Hitch and Pepin’s (2021) thoughts on the link between becoming and goal setting, when compared against occupational therapy models. Arguably, becoming can be a receptive, flowing phenomenon that does not require active structuring to transpire.

Kang (2003) defined becoming as “volitionally directed growth of the self through active doing and consequent experience of flow” (p. 97). We argue against the solely volition-directed and active aspects of becoming, expanding its definition to a more receptive, unguided phenomenon accepted over time, given current study findings. Whilst this definition shift from active to receptive is important, we do not underestimate the need for active yoga practice to drive a yogi’s becoming. However, this becoming maintains its receptive nature. Present study findings extend this argument, where self-acceptance rejects a future projection of being, as noted by two participants. Thus, becoming targets present self rather than future hopes for self, which posits that becoming in yoga requires some surrendering of desire.

Uncharacteristic of Western contexts, releasing desire involves relinquishing self-promoting objectives, which is anticipated in yogic tradition (Andrews et al., 2020); consequently, curated becoming could be redundant for occupations such as yoga. Acknowledging cultural contexts behind occupations could deepen awareness of the varied ways becoming, be it carefully planned or embraced more passively, can be applied by occupational scientists for promoting health and well-being.

Research on yoga as an occupational therapy intervention highlighted that receptivity and self-acceptance encourage relevant progress, noting “that’s part of yoga … meeting them, and yourself … where you are that day” (Andrews et al., 2020, p. 244). Despite becoming having strong correlations to transformations in yoga, its occupational science definitions ostensibly convey Western idealisations. The doing, being, becoming, and belonging dimensions arguably function in a Western paradigm rooted in individual desire; applying the paradigm to non-Western contexts could be at odds with certain philosophies. For example, when examining the inner journey in yogic philosophy, a presupposition is that one dispenses with a desire to reveal their purest self (Godrej, 2017). This may suggest the way occupational dimensions work together cannot be applied across non-Western contexts.

Participants demonstrated anecdotal connections to yoga, which gradually integrated into their present identities. That yogis elected to embrace yogic spirituality and sustain yoga as an occupation suggests it shaped their identities, supporting claims by Polatajko et al. (2007) and Galvaan (2015) that continued engagement in occupation shapes identity. When confronted with Western conformist yoga ideals, embodying yogic philosophy can arguably focus one’s becoming, punctuated by sustained and repetitive engagement in supportive yoga environments, ultimately securing its position in individuals’ identities.

The endeavour for an ‘authentic’ yoga experience was shared among participants. This suggests it carries weight, encouraging confidence in participants’ yogic identity and cementing the role of authenticity in their journeys. Authenticity in yoga can be paralleled to meaning in occupation; namely, authenticity boosted morale in participants’ identities, comparable to how meaningful occupation promotes well-being. Beagan and Hattie (2015) pointed to authenticity as necessary for achieving fulfilment. Occupations that impact identity arguably require authenticity to boost meaning and pride to sustain it.

Regarding influences on identity, whilst yoga is known to reduce self-objectification (Head & Hammer, 2013), seeking popularised body ideals can counter this, exemplified by a participant who struggled to balance self-acceptance with Western appearance ideals. This tension illustrated maladaptive ideals contributing to identity dissonance, a concept not related to transformation and yoga before now. The participant still clung to authentic yogic philosophy and self-acceptance, but her identity shaping was not without distraction. Such dissonance can be avoided by aligning individuals’ physical selves/reactions and inner reflexive selves, for example, through self-reflexivity produced by yogic meditation. As Pagis (2009) claimed, yoga is a meaningful agent in overcoming the mind/body disconnect triggered by trauma; sustained practice consequently transitions an identity from unwell to improving.

Pagis (2009) denoted an individual’s becoming in yoga as driven by the alignment of mind and body. Here, sustained yoga practice produced synchronicity, suggesting positive impact on identity. Scalzo et al. (2016) underscored identity as challenged by role interruptions and occupational deprivation secondary to past trauma. In the present study, two participants overcame illnesses and consequent trauma, which interrupted their roles and occupational performance.

Transformed health and well-being

Results from a previous study (Ivtzan & Jegatheeswaran, 2014) reveal that spirituality strengthens with yoga practice over time and functions by producing higher psychological well-being. Present study participants gained but did not anticipate increased spirituality and resilience from their practice, having only joined yoga for its physical intentions. This suggests yoga practice with philosophically-rooted aspects can positively surprise the yoga practitioner, boosting overall wellness.

This study demonstrated that individuals experienced improvements in energy levels and physical health, building resilience reinforced by yogic philosophy (Liu et al., 2022; Tandon, 2012); this resilience establishes that becoming as a yogi involves a progression of inner strength building. Salmon et al. (2009) supported that physiological and psychological changes can ensue from practising both mindfulness and physical yoga. These findings replicate results from several studies linking yoga to health and well-being benefits (Chugh-Gupta et al., 2013; Fishman & Small, 2007; Greendale et al., 2002; Penman et al., 2012; Ross et al., 2013). While evidenced before, is relevant to reiterate in the context of its implications for an individual’s journey of becoming.

According to Bandura (1997), “the inability to influence events and social conditions that significantly affect one’s life can give rise to feelings of futility and despondency” (p. 153). Participants responded to these feelings by embodying yogic practice, demonstrating resilience to life challenges through acceptance. Other studies have noted that mindfulness was instrumental in managing transformation and providing coping mechanisms (Beddoe et al., 2009; Kuechler & Stedham, 2018; Urrila, 2022). The participants’ abilities to react to feelings of unease with yoga practices illustrates that their continued involvement with yoga introduced greater adaptiveness to their lives. This is a relevant finding to capture how becoming can manifest, particularly for a yoga practitioner.

Becoming has been likened to occupational adaptation (Hitch & Pepin, 2021) and is reinforced in the present study which demonstrates that yoga functions as an adaptive tool in an individual’s becoming. Current study participants experienced yoga as an anchor or protection against stress or chaos. Walder and Molineux (2017) theorised that occupational adaptation increases individuals’ confidence and motivation. In extension, we posit that habituated yoga practice produced confidence in yoga practitioners. Trent et al. (2019) theorised that yogis may have increased occupational adaptiveness based on the qualities yoga practice imbues on its practitioners. Bridging occupational adaptiveness and the occupational dimension of becoming can elucidate how becoming holds meaning across the doing, being, becoming, and belonging dimensions of occupation to build health and well-being over time. Mälstam et al. (2022) underscored this idea, stating that engaging occupations and literacy in healthful occupations facilitate healthy lifestyle habits.

Strengthened connections

Integrating yogic ideals into everyday lives contributed to greater self-efficacy and doing so in a communal sphere created shared support for building confidence. Present findings denote belonging and yoga reinforce self-efficacy and consequent motivation to continue practising communally, as supported in previous literature (Franzblau et al., 2006; Greysen et al., 2017; Kay & Taylor, 2015; Kwasky & Serowoky, 2017). However, no other studies have identified a link to regular collective yoga practice, self-efficacy, enduring transformation, and its composite outcomes.

Communal spaces were sometimes alienating, and one participant preferred non-group practice to counter insecurity. Collective yoga as alienating opposes claims (Kishida et al., 2018) that it consistently produces connectedness and brings up a noteworthy concept that communal yoga can raise negative emotions and insecurity throughout becoming. This could be attributed to the Western thin-lean expectations of yogis and their exclusivity, perpetuated by commercial agendas (Webb et al., 2017). Whilst group yoga spaces vouch for community, diversity, and health ideals (Hinz et al., 2021), present study evidence suggests this is not always true. This is discouraging for individuals who experience health issues or do not fit the thin yogi ideal and can impact a yogi’s becoming. We must recognise a plurality of belonging and becoming despite group participation entailing greater meaning (Hocking, 2021). Acknowledging belonging and becoming as capable of positive and negative outcomes could expand how occupational scientists apply occupational dimensions beyond current norms.

Furthermore, young women are more subject to the thin yogi stereotype than other individuals across gender and lifespan (Miller, 2016), as noted in Joy’s body image concerns. This validates other study findings (Middleton et al., 2017) and highlights a novel finding that lifespan or gender may impact how negative emotions coincide with a yogi’s becoming. Scholars have described this relationship, highlighting the influence of social experiences on individuals’ personal growth (Berger et al., 2022). When tensions around belonging intersect with becoming, it is notable that the well-being of yogis may be affected.

Inspiring yoga teachers solidified participants’ trust in communal yoga spaces, intensifying their participative spirit and desire to sustain practice. Griera (2017) found that yogis created joint meaning-making of their narrative with their teacher. Csala et al. (2021) and Park et al. (2020) noted that in Western culture, teacher friendliness and warmth elicited deeper personal transformations. In the present study, participants communicated how they sustained an enduring relationship with particular teachers, appreciating the reassurance and yoga networks that nourished and proliferated their becoming. Understandings of such growth align with Eastern conceptualisations of yogic transformation, which state the teacher-student relationship guides yogis’ journeys (Newcombe, 2014).

Limitations

It would have been thought-provoking to explore the dark side (Twinley, 2020) of becoming for yoga practitioners. Exploring compulsive exercise addiction, competitiveness, and racial exclusivity (Miller, 2016), or self-indulgent escapism (Krueger, 2018), could have integrated a more holistic perspective of becoming for yogis. An in-depth exploration of how becoming manifests in yoga practitioners in a maladaptive way would welcome a more critical discourse of occupation. Further, the study explored yoga generally, not differentiating experiences in schools of yoga such as Kundalini, Iyengar, or Hatha, which expect distinctive disciplinary habits (Feuerstein, 1998). Different conceptions of self-transformation may present among diverse schools of yoga.

Despite seeking idiographic data for a specific sample under the IPA method, only white, well-educated (with post-secondary educated) female participants were recruited. The homogeny of race and gender is a recruitment pattern noted in numerous academic yoga research. Different cultural, spiritual, and economic contexts may vary in interest, knowledge, and access to yoga practice and philosophy. Diversifying the sample could yield a richer, more balanced discussion of how context impacts becoming and how becoming impacts quality of life and identity.

Implications for Occupational Science

Study results suggest highlighting self-reflection and spirituality when exploring the impact of becoming as an occupational science concept; doing so could equip scientists with contemporary, culturally relevant interpretations of becoming to utilise in promoting health and well-being. Alongside self-reflection, the acceptance aspects of yogic philosophy merit exploration for their potential for building resilience and well-being. Emphasising acceptance and self-reflection in the dialogue around doing, being, becoming, and belonging could help shift expectations about the outcomes that might be achieved from interventions intended to promote individuals’ personal growth. Such an accommodation could displace the perspective of occupational concepts being intrinsically doing-focused (Hitch et al., 2014a), to make space for different means of encouraging health and well-being. The psychological benefits linked to heightened spirituality through sustained yoga practice suggest sustaining certain occupations for a consistent period to activate spirituality. Exploring what non-Western occupations produce around becoming may similarly engender notable findings. For example, V. Smith (2017) claimed the relationship between spirituality and goal attainment is inextricable in Māori tradition and facilitates well-being. Pursuing diverse approaches in research is necessary for deepening knowledge around spirituality and its relation to becoming.

The occupations individuals engage in may influence how their identities transform over time (Galvaan, 2015), particularly when sustained. Through this inquiry, occupational scientists can glean potential relational influences on health and well-being (Yerxa, 2002) and help inform how time practising a specific occupation impacts individuals’ ‘coming to be’ or becoming, thus informing their adaptivity in response to life challenges. Experiencing an occupation authentically also impacts individuals, producing positive morale in identity. Within occupational science, exploring how individuals react to occupations that feel authentic may be conducive to understanding different identity influences.

Conclusion

This research explored the lived experience of becoming through yoga to inform occupational science theories of becoming and identity formation. Becoming, for yogis, increased self-awareness, resilience, adaptivity, and spirituality. These qualities, produced in tandem as a product of becoming, impacted participants’ quality of life, values, and identity. As participants integrated yogic philosophy into their daily lives and identities, they became more self-accepting, confident, and invested in sustaining practice. Their growing resilience reinforced this integration. Simultaneously, negative aspects like emotional insecurity and internalisation of Western thin body ideals also constituted an individual’s becoming. Such tensions demonstrated how becoming conflicted with yogic philosophy in Western societal contexts and inform occupational science understandings of yogis experiencing personal growth across competing cultural circumstances.

The study provided insight into becoming, eliciting how it can manifest as a continuity of being versus active future development. Becoming mingled with identity, where sustained engagement in meaningful, authentic social occupation produced a confident self-image that united minds and bodies. Conversely, tensions around belonging and becoming displayed how social contexts may disrupt one’s becoming. Having the right teacher and sustaining engagement in welcoming yoga spaces enables a gradual shift in how one relates to oneself and the surrounding world, which can include improved relationships with others and self-acceptance, informing the understanding of personal growth whilst belonging in yoga. We recommend developing dialogues around relational influences of occupations on individuals’ becoming to expand awareness of how one’s transformations alongside certain occupations contribute to managing life challenges.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to all participants for actively engaging in this study and colleagues for feedback on drafts.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data Availability Statement

No data set is associated with this paper.

Appendix 1:

Interview Schedule

• How did you get into doing yoga?

• Why do you continue to do yoga, or do yoga regularly?

• How would you describe your physical engagement in yoga, in terms of skill level?

  • What kind of practice do you enjoy most?

• How has this changed over time?

  • How do you feel about that process of change?

• Can you describe how yoga has affected your sense of confidence or self-assuredness in everyday life?

  • PROBE: Quality of life?

• Does yoga impact your job, daily chores, other hobbies?

  • Have you adopted any additional practices due to your yoga practice?

  • Reading/meditating/other activities?

• What emotions arise when reflecting on this development?

• What is the experience of practicing individually versus practicing in a group?

• What feelings do you experience individually, versus in a group?

  • PROBE: What do you notice around you, within you? How has this changed over time?

• How is doing yoga or your identity as a yogi or yogini link to your history?

  • What emotions/feelings does reflecting on this bring up for you, if any?

• How does the aspect of place influence the meaning or experience you get out of doing yoga?

• Do you identify yourself more as a yogi in certain places, the studio, in nature, at home?

  • What feelings arise as you grow, develop?

  • How does sense of place influence those feelings?

• Could you describe any negative experiences within yoga, how has it inhibited you?

  • What feelings are provoked when you experience that?

• How has your experience of self-care arisen/changed/transformed in yoga?

• What positive/neutral or negative feelings arise when you experience this change?

• What mantra/object is most central to you or influential in your process of transformation as a yogi?

  • How do you feel when engaging in/with that object/mantra?

• What feelings are provoked when you engage in novel experiences in yoga?

  • What attitude do you take on?

• How do you experience transformation/development/change when engaging in a particular yoga pose, for example “downward dog”?

• In what direction is your transformation going?

  • Are you pushing it that way (internally) or does an external force fuel you?

  • What feelings are provoked when you experience that happening?

• Describe any goals you may have within your yoga practice.

  • What feelings do you get when thinking about those goals?

  • What emotions arise when you have completed a goal?

  • How often/Do you regularly modify or revise your goals and aspirations?

  • How does this affect your momentum of growth in yoga?

  • What feelings arise when you do so?

• What is the experience like of shifting your identity though your time being a yogi? (i.e., student to teacher/belonging to a group/feeling greater energy in yoga or in life)

• What emotions arise when acknowledging major/minor shifts in your yoga practice?

• What thoughts or questions have arisen in response to this interview and this self-reflection?