Performing yoga postures in an environmental education course: The potential of creating pedagogical places of contemplation for the empowerment of ecological consciousness

Abstract

The present study attempts to answer if yoga practice belongs to environmental education and how it can contribute to the development of ecological consciousness in the framework of a holistic pedagogical paradigm. Twenty-three post-graduate students participated in an environmental education activity based on performing yoga postures inspired by nonhuman creatures and entities. The participants reflected on their experiences by recording their ideas and feelings. The results of the survey revealed that the participants experienced embodied environmental learning, highlighted a healing dimension of the educational process, and experienced a connection with creatures and entities of nonhuman nature at different levels. Yoga philosophy and practice as a contemplative learning method deserve to be explored more widely in the field of environmental education, and especially regarding the development of ecological consciousness.

Keywords:

• Environmental education
• contemplative pedagogy
• yoga
• meditation
• holistic education
• mindfulness
• embodied learning
• more-than-human
• ecological consciousness

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the participants of the educational process. Their dedication and insights were inspirational and encouraging. I am grateful. I would also like to thank the anonymous referees and the editor who inspired me to reflect on my research towards its improvement through their insightful comments and suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).