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Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2911-4573
Date Available
5-15-2026
Year of Publication
2025
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College
Education
Department/School/Program
Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology
Faculty
Candice Hargons, PhD
Faculty
Laurie McCubbin, PhD
Abstract
Black womxn (i.e., individuals whose experiences align with Black girlhood/womanhood or whose bodies are perceived as Black, female, womanly, femme, or a combination) experience significant health and well-being challenges that may hinder their embodiment. Yoga is a complementary therapy that may help Black womxn improve their embodiment. This dissertation qualitatively explores the processes Black womxn yoga practitioners (BWYPs) engage in to cultivate positive embodiment. Participants were N=30 Black womxn who were short- (≤ five years; n=11), medium- (five–10 years; n=10), and long-term (>11 years; n=9) yoga practitioners. Participants completed individual interviews as part of the Embodied Sexual Health Study – a Black feminist dissertation examining embodiment, sexual health, and yoga among Black womxn yoga practitioners in the United States. Data were transcribed and analyzed using critical-constructivist grounded theory informed by the principles of Black feminist qualitative inquiry. The research team and participants co-constructed a theory of embodiment consisting of two categories: “Ever evolving”: Nature of Embodiment and “Finding flow in my body”: Dimensions of Embodiment. The Nature of Embodiment outlined the four properties of embodiment for participants: awareness, access and aspiration, engagement, and evolution and refinement. Dimensions of Embodiment identified five interconnected aspects of embodiment: Wholistic Communion, Body Harmony, Body Comfort and Safety, Body Attunement, and Body Responsiveness. We conclude with implications for research and practice.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2025.137
Funding Information
This dissertation was partially supported by the Turner Thacker Endowment Fund and the Kentucky Psychological Foundation.
Recommended Citation
Malone, Natalie, "“IT’S AN HONOR TO BE IN THIS BODY”: A BLACK FEMINIST GROUNDED THEORY OF EMBODIMENT AMONG BLACK WOMXN YOGA PRACTITIONERS (BWYPS)" (2025). Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology. 125.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/edp_etds/125
Included in
Counseling Psychology Commons, Multicultural Psychology Commons, Somatic Psychology Commons
