Embodiment in the Workplace: Bringing Kundalini Yoga Practices to Business Professionals

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the impact of bringing embodiment to business professionals. The intention of this work was to produce a phenomenological description, through a somatic depth psychological lens, of business professionals’ experiences relating to embodiment and individuation while practicing Kundalini Yoga. This was done through workday yogic practices and after-work Kundalini Yoga classes conducted at the study participants’ workplace. Hermeneutical phenomenology was the method used to tend to the inquiry question: What is the experience, as it relates to embodiment and individuation, among business professionals practicing Kundalini Yoga? The study elements included pre- and post-study questionnaires, yoga experience questionnaires, multiple interviews, and participant observations. The research concluded that infusing the mind-body techniques of Kundalini Yoga with somatic awareness questioning into business professionals’ lives helped them develop their self-awareness and ability to live and work in a more present and embodied manner. This embodied awareness supports their ability to tend their needs in healthy ways, process their experiences more clearly, reduce their anxiety-induced reactions, and work more confidently and intentionally. All of which can contribute to their emotional intelligence and individuation process. The benefit of this research to the field of somatic depth psychology is that it adds to the collective knowledge regarding methods to increase business professionals’ sense of embodiment, agency, and conscious contributions to the world.