Yoga in Norwegian Nature
The Creation of a New Pilgrimage Practice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33356/temenos.152147Keywords:
dark green religion, nature, New Age, pilgrimage, yogaAbstract
As modern yoga continues to be practised and spread all over the world, it is also changing and adapting to local beliefs, practices, and values. Yoga retreats in nature are now a phenomenon in Norway. This article is based on a document study of websites advertising yoga retreats in Norway, exploring how nature is described and presented. The analysis shows that nature is presented as sacred, healing, and valuable. Elements from Sámi spirituality and other religious traditions are drawn on, and nature is marketed as a necessary part of a spiritual package. This can be seen in connection with climate concerns and Bron Taylor’s formulation of the concept of dark green religion. Nature’s utilization in marketing material suggests a Norwegianization of yoga, where yoga is made more Norwegian by connecting it with Norwegian nature, Sámi spirituality, and local traditions. The article argues that we are seeing the emergence of a new pilgrimage practice in Norway as part of the Norwegianization of yoga. Yoga and wellness are paired here with nature experiences and nature spirituality in a local retreat setting.
References
Ammerman, Nancy Tatom. 2021. Studying Lived Religion: Contexts and Practices. New York University Press.
Asdal, Kristin and Hilde Reinertsen. 2020. Hvordan gjøre dokumentanalyse: En praksisorientert metode. Cappelen Damm Akademisk.
Bowers, Hana and Joseph M. Cheer. 2017. “Yoga Tourism: Commodification and Western Embracement of Eastern Spiritual Practice.” Tourism Management Perspectives 24: 208–216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2017.07.013.
Bøe, Marianne H., and Anne Kalvig. 2020. Mennesker, meninger, makter: En introduksjon til religionsvitenskap. Cappelen Damm Akademisk.
Clifton, Chas. S. 2016. Contemporary Paganism. In The Cambridge Handbook of Western Mysticism and Esotericism, edited by Glenn A. Magee. Cambridge University Press.
Clissold, Rachel, Ross Westoby, Karen E. McNamara, and Christopher Fleming. 2022. “Wellbeing Outcomes of Nature Tourism: Mt Barney Lodge.” Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights 3 (2): e100077. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annale.2022.100077.
Davie, Grace, and David Wyatt. 2022. “Document Analysis.” In The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods in the Study of Religion, edited by Steven Engler and Michael Stausberg. Routledge.
De Michelis, Elizabeth. 2005. A History of Modern Yoga: Patanjali and Western Esotericism. Continuum.
Eade, John. 2020. “The Invention of Sacred Places and Rituals: A Comparative Study of Pilgrimage.” Religions 11 (12): e649. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11120649.
Ferguson, Todd W., and Jeffrey A. Tamburello. 2015. “The Natural Environment as a Spiritual Resource: A Theory of Regional Variation in Religious Adherence.” Sociology of Religion 76 (3): 295–314. https://doi.org/10.1093/socrel/srv029.
Finnskogenretreat.no. 2024. Accessed 3 January 2024. https://www.finnskogenretreat.no/.
Fredrickson, Laura. M., and Dorothy H. Anderson. 1999. “A Qualitative Exploration of the Wilderness Experience as a Source of Spiritual Inspiration.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 19 (1): 21–39. https://doi.org/10.1006/jevp.1998.0110.
Gilhus, Ingvild S,. and Siv E. Kraft 2017. ”Introduction.” In New Age in Norway, edited by Ingvild S. Gilhus, Siv E. Kraft and James R. Lewis. Sheffield: Equinox Publishing.
Government document. 2023. Meld. St. 15 (2022-2023). Melding til Stortinget. Accessed 12 November 2024. https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/918eb71926fc44c8802fe3c2e0b9a75a/nn-no/pdfs/stm202220230015000dddpdfs.pdf
Gurholt, Kirsti. 2014. “Joy of Nature, Friluftsliv Education and Self: Combining Narrative and Cultural-Ecological Approaches to Environmental Sustainability.” Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning 14 (3): 233–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2014.948802.
Hammer, Olav. 2016. “The New Age.” In The Cambridge Handbook of Western Mysticism and Esotericism. Cambridge University Press.
Hanegraaff, Wouter J. 2013. Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed. Bloomsbury Academic.
Hervieu-Léger, Danièle. 2000. Religion as a Chain of Memory. Polity Press.
Hågvar, Sigmund. 2008. ”Hvorfor bør vi ta naturens mangfold med oss inn i fremtiden?” Nature 132 (5): 202–17. https://doi.org/10.18261/ISSN1504-3118-2008-05-01.
Irwin, Lee. 2016. Panpsychism. In The Cambridge Handbook of Western Mysticism and Esotericism, edited by Glenn A. Magee. Cambridge University Press.
Iversen, Ragnhild Laird, and Kari Krogstad. 2020. ”Julevandring og yogakurs: Hvem definerer religion i barnehagen?” Prismet 71 (2): 93–107. https://doi.org/10.5617/pri.8000.
Jacobsen, Knut A. 2003. Hinduismen. Pax Forlag.
Juicyful.no. 2024. Accessed 3 January 2024. https://www.juicyful.no/.
Kaikkonen, Konsta I. 2023. ”Åke Hultkrantz, religionsøkologi og studier av sjamanisme på 1960- og 1970-tallet.” DIN: Tidsskrift for religion og kultur 2 (2): 11–40. https://ojs.novus.no/index.php/DIN/article/view/2247.
Kato, Kumi, and Ricardo N. Progano. 2017. “Spiritual (Walking) Tourism as a Foundation for Sustainable Destination Development: Kumano-kodo Pilgrimage, Wakayama, Japan.” Tourism Management Perspectives 24: 243–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2017.07.017.
Kraft, Siv E. 2023. “Global Indigeneity on the Move: The World Drum – Afterlives, Drift Matter, and Object Agency.” Temenos – Nordic Journal for the Study of Religion 59 (1): 79–99. https://doi.org/10.33356/temenos.114884
Kujawa, Joanna. 2017. “Spiritual Tourism as a Quest.” Tourism Management Perspectives 24: 193–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2017.07.011.
Kvalvaag, Robert W. 2022. ”Skogen er min katedral: Spiritualitet og økologi hos Henry David Thoreau og Neil Young.” Kirke og Kultur 127 (2): 169–93. https://doi.org/10.18261/kok.127.2.7.
Lucia, Amanda. L. 2020. White Utopias: The Religious Exoticism of Transformational Festivals. University of California Press.
McGuire, Meredith B. 2008. Lived Religion: Faith and Practice in Everyday Life. Oxford University Press.
Meretesgarden.no. 2024. Accessed 9 January 2024. https://meretesgarden.no/.
Mountainyoga.no. 2025. Accessed 11 January 2025. https://www.mountainyoga.no/.
Næss, Arne. 1976. Økologi, samfunn og livsstil: Utkast til en økosofi. Universitetsforlaget.
Naess, Arne, and Bob Jickling. 2000. “Deep Ecology and Education: A Conversation with Arne Naess.” Canadian Journal of Environmental Education 5: 48–62. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ638001.pdf.
Naturretreat.no. 2024. Accessed 9 January 2024. https://naturretreat.no/.
NESH 2019. The Norwegian National Committee for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities. Accessed 12 January 2025. https://www.forskningsetikk.no/globalassets/dokumenter/4-publikasjoner-som-pdf/a-guide-to-internet-research-ethics.pdf.
Newcombe, Suzanne. 2020. “Yoga in Europe.” In Handbook of Hinduism in Europe, edited by Knut Jacobsen and Ferdinando Sardella. Brill.
Norwegiansage.com. 2024. Accessed 3 January 2024. https://www.norwegiansage.com/.
Nosenyoga.no. 2025. Accessed 11 January 2025. https://www.nosenyoga.no/en/home#welcome.
Repstad, Pål. 2020. Religiøse trender i Norge. Universitetsforlaget.
Rosenberg, Axel, Pip M. Lynch, and Aage Radmann. 2021. “Sustainability Comes to Life: Nature-Based Adventure Tourism in Norway.” Frontiers in Sports and Active Living 3: 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2021.686459
Selberg, Torunn. 2017. “Spiritual Tourism.” In New Age in Norway, edited by Ingvild S. Gilhus, Siv E. Kraft, and James R. Lewis. Equinox Publishing.
Singleton, Mark. 2010. Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice. Oxford University Press.
Sjobrisadventure.no. 2025. Accessed 12 January 2025. https://www.sjobrisadventure.no/yoga.
Taylor, Bron. 2010. Dark Green Religion: Nature Spirituality and the Planetary Future. University of California Press.
Taylor, Bron. 2016. ”The Greening of Religion Hypothesis (Part One): From Lynn White, Jr. and Claims that Religions Can Promote Environmentally Destructive Attitudes and Behaviors to Assertions They Are Becoming Environmentally Friendly.” Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture 10 (3): 268–305https://doi.org/10.1558/jsrnc.v10i3.29010
Thurfjell, David, and Atko Remmel. 2024. “The Forest is My Church: Christianity, Secularisation and Love of Nature in a Northern European Existential Field.” Religion 54 (2): 203–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/0048721X.2023.2234364.
Trevarefabrikken.no. 2024. Accessed 3 January 2024. https://www.trevarefabrikken.no/yoga-retreat/.
Tjora, Aksel. 2017. Kvalitative forskningsmetoder i Praksis. Gyldendal Akademisk.
Vana.no. 2024. Accessed 5 January 2024. https://www.vana.no/.
Venabu.no. 2024. Accessed 5 January 2024. https://venabu.no/yoga-og-mindfulness/.
Visitnorway.com. 2024. Accessed 2 January 2024. https://www.visitnorway.com/things-to-do/yoga/.
Von Stuckrad, Kocku. 2002. “Reenchanting Nature: Modern Western Shamanism and Nineteenth-century Thought.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 70 (4): 771–800. https://doi.org/10.1093/jaar/70.4.771.
Woodhead, Linda. 2016. “Intensified Religious Pluralism and De-differentiation: The British Example.” Society 53 (1): 41–6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-015-9984-1.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Marie Glasø Glein
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Author's Guarantee
- The Author acknowledges that the Work will be publicly accessible on the Internet and that such access will be free of charge for the readers.
- The Author guarantees that the Work is her/his original work that has not been published before and cannot be construed as copying or plagiarism. Furthermore, the Author confirms that the Work contains no statement that is unlawful, defamatory or abusive or in any way infringes the rights of others.
- The Author confirms that she/he has secured all written permissions needed for the reproduction in the Publication of any material created by a third party.
User Rights
Under the CC BY 4.0 license, the Author/s and users are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format,
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially,
- However, the Work must be attributed to the original Author and source of publication.
The license of the published metadata is Creative Commons CCO 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)
Author Rights
The Authors maintain the right to:
- copyright, and other proprietary rights relating to the Work,
- the right to use the substance of the Work in future own works,
- the right to self-archiving/parallel publishing (publisher's PDF allowed).
Rights of Publisher
- The Publisher reserves the right to make such editorial changes as may be necessary to make the Work suitable for publication in the publication, e.g. style of punctuation, spelling, headings and the like.
- The Publisher will publish the Work if the editorial process is successfully completed and reserves the right not to proceed with publication for whatever reason.
- The publication entitles the author to no royalties or other fees. This agreement will be governed by the laws of Finland.
