Ida Pajunen

Supervisor:

Sondra Hausner

College:

St Antony’s College

Thesis Title:

Ascetic Femininity in Contemporary Constructions of the Indian Nation  

Research Interests:

Embodiment, gender, twentieth century history, India, nationalism, religious practice 

Biography:

Ida Jo Pajunen is a researcher, writer and artist. She completed her Master’s degree in Gender Studies from the University of Cambridge and another Master’s degree in traditions of yoga and meditation from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. She was awarded the title of Yoga Acharya by the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre. She is the co-author of several Ghosh Yoga Practice Manuals and has edited and published historic manuscripts about twentieth century yoga in Bengal. She travels all over the world to teach practical yoga, history and philosophy, and to perform music. She is a lifelong and award-winning violinist and vocalist.  

Educational Background:

MPhil, University of Cambridge - Gender Studies

MA, SOAS, University of London - Traditions of Yoga and Meditation

BA University of Wisconsin-Madison - Violin Performance  

Recent Publications:

Pajunen, Ida. Strong Woman Reba Rakshit (New Delhi: OM Books International, 2024).

Pajunen, Ida. “Yoga and Vyāyāma in New Bengali Sources”, in Journal of Yoga Studies v. 5, May 2024, pp. 3–38.