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Adaptations Of Yoga: Christian Interpretations, Eleanor Freyhan Odenheimer

Doctoral Dissertations

The yogic phenomenon in the West is multi-dimensional and threads through areas of history (DeMichelis, 2008), market trends, fitness and exercise, medicine (Guarracino, Lazo, Savino, & Edelstein, 2006); religion and spirituality (DeMichelis, 2008); and health and wellness (Iyengar, 1989). Coakley (2004) called for “more information about the connections among various religious beliefs around the world, ideas of the body, and participation in physical activities and sports” (p. 543). A dearth of literature exists concerning the connections between how Christian beliefs, the dominant religion in the United States (Pew Research Center, 2008), related to the body and physical activity participation inform …