Trans and nonbinary in/visibility in Finnish yoga

This presentation looks at contemporary yoga and its gender politics from the perspective of transgender practitioners. Over the last decade, questions of gender have gained increasing visibility in the context of yoga. Yoga classes that are oriented to women (eg. Womb yoga) or men (eg. Broga) and/or that emphasise femininity or masculinity have become increasingly popular. While these in their own way challenge gendered norms and patterns within yoga, they also uphold stereotypical and binary notions of gender. Indeed, queer and trans activists and teachers within the yoga field have criticised the ways in which these binary understandings of gender render trans bodies and experiences invisible (Ballard 2021; Diamond-Lenow 2023). These activists have also created queer and trans yoga classes to resist the cisnormativity of mainstream yoga. Furthermore, while studies suggest that yoga practitioners tend to be politically left leaning, also conservatism, far right thinking and anti-gender attitudes have recently gained visibility within the field of yoga and holistic spirituality more generally. This raises even more concerns regarding the trans friendliness and inclusivity of yoga. However, there is little research on transgender experiences of yoga. In addition, the discussions around gender politics and trans issues within western yoga are heavily centred in the US. In this presentation, I will look at how transgender practitioners experience yoga in the context of Finland, a welfare state with relatively progressive LGBTQ rights. I will examine the visibility and invisibility of trans bodies and LGBTQ+ issues within Finnish yoga by looking at interviews with trans and nonbinary yoga practitioners as well as ethnographic observation on a queer yoga class. I will suggest that while the Finnish yoga scene is often “well meaning” and tries to be LGBTQ friendly, there is a lack of knowledge and practical efforts.