From serious leisure to devotee work: an exploratory study of yoga

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study aims to explore the serious leisure to devotee work (SL-DW) transformation trajectory in the case of yoga. An in-depth semistructured interview was conducted with 15 serious yoga practitioners to examine career change and the relationships between leisure and work. The findings of the research outline the passage from stepping into casual yoga leisure, moving from casual to serious yoga leisure, aspiring to succeed on the professional level, becoming an occupational devotee and finally a possible return to the serious-leisure state. A grounded theoretic model emerges explaining the blurred relationships between leisure and work, and the intertwined, dynamic and interactive nature serving as both the antecedent to and consequence of each other. This study theoretically contributes to deepening serious leisure career, the leisure-work relationships and the Serious Leisure Perspective. Meanwhile, it has practical implications for understanding and policy making for other emerging, leisure-oriented kinds of work in the new era.