A wellbeing skill: moving attentively in hospital yoga practice.
Anthropology & medicine September 1, 2021 Krzysztof Bierski
Yoga can be understood as both a medical therapy and a process-oriented contemplative practice. Drawing on participant observation at two hospitals—one in Pondicherry, India, and one in Fukui, Japan—this article examines how patients and their families are invited to move without anticipating an outcome and to cultivate attitudes such as contentment and non-violence. Viewing yoga as a skill, practitioners adapt techniques to their personal abilities and needs. The analysis suggests that, in these contexts, wellbeing is pursued not as an individual therapeutic goal but as mutual explorative learning.