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may/june 2018yogajournal.com.auAS NEWS OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT rolls
out on a seemingly continuous basis—
including reports of wrongdoing in the
yoga world—yogis everywhere have
been disheartened, if not surprised.
We’ve known, after all, that the yoga
world is not immune to horrible abuses
of power—from inappropriate assists
from Ashtanga Yoga founder Sri K.
Pattabhi Jois to rape accusations against
Bikram Choudhury. “A simple web
search will reveal that almost every
major tradition in modern yoga has at
least some experience with alleged
sexual misconduct,” says David Lipsius,
the recently appointed president and
CEO of Yoga Alliance.
But the volume of stories and
allegations exploded late last year when
yoga teacher and entrepreneur Rachel
Brathen (aka @yoga_girl) shared her
own non-yoga–related #metoo story—
and then started hearing from yogis
around the world about sexual abuse,
harassment, and assault they had
experienced during classes, at their
neighbourhood studios, and at yoga
festivals and other events. Within a
week of speaking out, Brathen had
collected stories from more than 300
yogis, many angry and confused about
what had happened to them. “I was
fielding questions like, ‘Are you
supposed to have your breasts adjusted
in Savasana (Corpse Pose)?’” says
Brathen.
Overwhelmed by the outpouring—
and committed to doing somethingabout it—Brathen selected 31 excerpts
(with consent) to share on her blog,
stripping out the names of the victims
and the accused. The accounts of
misconduct varied—from out-of-line
adjustments and being propositioned for
sex to being aggressively or violently
assaulted. Yet almost all these stories
shared a common thread: the victims
were shocked to be violated by members
of the yoga community, in what they
thought was a sacred, protected place.
“There’s an extra level of betrayal in
having someone treat you in a
disrespectful and unsafe way in what
should be a safe space,” says Peg
Shippert, MA, LPC, a licensed
professional counsellor who specialises
in working with victims of sexual
misconduct.
Judith Hanson Lasater, PhD, who
has taught yoga since 1971, agrees: “In
the context of a yoga class, I was
dumbstruck that [sexual misconduct]
would happen, and it totally
immobilised me. I thought of a yoga
class almost like going to church, and
the thought of that happening was not
something I had ever even conceived of.”
Dacher Keltner, PhD, a professor of
psychology at the University of
California at Berkeley, yogi, and author
of The Power Paradox: How We Gain and
Lose Influence, adds that unfortunately,
there has been a long history of abuse of
power in spiritual communities in
general. “Think of the women who
killed for Charles Manson, the abuse of“We’re still
figuring out
the best way to
respond, but
the more we
share, the
more helpful it
will be in how
we proceed.”
Elizabeth Jeglic, PhD, professor of psychology
at New York City’s John Jay CollegeAdvice from the experts
on how to navigate
turbulent waters.