Spirituality: A Significant Factor in Yoga Access for People with Marginalised Identities?

Yoga originated in the Indian subcontinent 2.500 to 5,000 years ago (Mallinson & Singleton, 2017; Newcombe, 2009a). Increasingly popular in high-income countries, yoga offers multiple health and wellbeing benefits. However, yoga students and teachers in the United Kingdom (UK) are 91% white, 87% female and 71% university educated (Cartwright et al, 2020). The literature indicates that marginalised groups experience spirituality as a barrier to yoga access. However, a new, qualitative study of northern UK cities – the first to look at a broad, intersectional range of marginalised identities – identifies spirituality as an access enabler for these groups.

https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004686250