PRACTICING YOGA, DEVOTED SOCIETY: SOCIAL AND COLLECTIVE DIMENSIONS OF YOGA IN OUR DAILY LIFE

Abstract

Yoga, transcending its tradition as a spiritual and bodily exercise, has become an ever more prevalent societal influence moulding social cohesion, identity formation, and social relations. This article investigates the sociological aspects of mundane yoga practices, namely how these contribute to solidarity, collective belonging and the building of social support networks. The research, based on participant observation, interviews and secondary literature analysis, is applied in eclecticism with qualitative methods and illustrates the relation between personal spiritual practices and general aspects of social life. The results indicate that yoga enhances the individual's well-being as well as can be used as an instrument for maintaining or reinforcing social solidarity and community involvement in urban contexts.