Who am I?
Mindset, Research, Meditation/MovementGuide
I am a guide, professor, yoga teacher, phenomenologist, researcher, and football coach. I started my professional career, in the mid-90s, as a K-12 teacher, school administrator, and coach. I first encountered phenomenology (the philosophical study of experience and how we perceive the world) during the first year (2002) of my PhD program at the University of Minnesota. From the start, I knew I had found my home as a scholar. And although the yoga and mindset-guide work came 20 years later, those familiar with yoga/mindfulness sensed a yogic presence, patience, and inviting energy in my writing, teaching, mentoring, and leading. I am thrilled to now integrate these facets of my work to provide mindset, research, and meditation & movement guidance to you!
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Mindset Guidance w/Mark
In 2022, I founded PIP Consulting, LLC, where I use my 5 Principles for Mindset Guidance to help people gain more confidence and clarity about issues they face in their professional and/or personal lives. Through workshops, small group facilitation, and one-on-one interactions I have guided, using mind-body-meditative techniques, more than 1000 leaders (in higher education and across many nonprofit and for-profit industries and fields), scholars, future and practicing K-12 teachers, teacher educators, youth, and yoga practitioners in this process; post about this process on social media (IG: @Markthemindsetguide; LinkedIn: @markvagle; TikTok: @markvagle); and will publish my first popular press book (PhilosoPhocking with Mark: Where the Things that Really Matter are that Deep) on this work in late 2026.
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Research Guidance w/Mark
As a scholar, I have written and presented over 100 publications and presentations (which have been cited 4432 times [Google Scholar, 1/10/25] by scholars across the globe) on phenomenological and qualitative research in journals such as The Journal of Curriculum Studies; Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education, Qualitative Inquiry, Teaching Education, The International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, and Cultural Studies—Critical Methodologies, and regularly teach university courses, lead professional workshops, and am invited to lecture nationally and internationally on the subject. Building off the success of my award-winning first edition, my second (2018) and third (2025) editions of Crafting Phenomenological Research (Routledge) continue to be the leading resource for those interested in a concise introduction to phenomenological research in the social sciences. I am currently working on my next academic press book, Post-Intentional Phenomenology (PIP): A Guidebook (anticipated release, early 2026).
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Meditating and Moving w/Mark
In late 2021, I completed my E-RYT 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training and in early 2022 started teaching yoga for CorePower Yoga, privately, and for high school athletic teams. I have since taught more than 1000 classes including high intensity yoga sculpt with weights; intermediate to advanced vinyasa flow; restorative/meditative yin yoga; and high intensity interval training. I am currently pursuing certification as a yoga therapist and will complete the Foundations of Yoga Therapy program in late 2025.
One of my signature practices as a yoga teacher is to guide students out of savasana (a restorative pose to calm the body and mind) with a meditative body scan. I am currently recording this, and other meditations–and in Summer 2025 will start offering one-on-one, small group, and large group yoga classes online.
Upon completion of the Foundations of Yoga Therapy program, I will provide yoga therapy services to clients for both physical and mental health related challenges.