The journey of self-transformation

Yoga is a practice brought to the United States (US) in the late1800s and that has evolved over time into what is currently known there as modem yoga. Historical accounts of yoga in India identify yoga as a practice that has been used to guide individuals through a transformative process that brings them closer to states of self-realization. The purpose of this study was to explore how, from the perspective of self-transformative experience, yoga teachers in the US have experienced yoga in their own lives. Using a generic qualitative method, 8 participants from a group of self-selected yoga teachers in the US were interviewed to explore how yoga has transformed their lives and the ways in which they live them. Based on the data gathered, potential doorways to the subjective transformative aspect of Self were revealed within the context of modem yoga in the US. Information gathered from study participants was compared to the transformative path described in Patanjali's 8-part path taught within classical yoga