For a person who is in love with and dedicated to her yoga practice, both in body and mind, my yoga history is horrific. I witnessed the corruption of a sacred practice for financial gain, elevated social status, and the abuse of students as a result of it. And I am not alone. In the recent years, especially with the rise of social media and focus on “mindfulness,” the iniquities and manipulation in the yoga are hidden in plain sight.
When my mom owned her studio, her then business partner did not teach and practice to be a benevolent and self-effacing healer. He had a habit of using his “profound” knowledge of the Kriya and Hatha yoga teachings, as well as his apparent enlightened spirit as a justification to ridicule or, as he would say “teach” others. Disagreeing with him automatically labelled you as irrational or not “in tune” with your mind. His manipulation of students’ minds was a testament to how easily people submit to the facade of omniscience. Pupils bow often down out of fear that they won’t experience or obtain the same apparent enlightenment their teacher has achieved because, naturally, the man with the beads and a book has the answer to all life’s questions and the cure to all infirmities.
His need to control anything connected to his business, including his student’s practice, and obsession with a “guru” image damaged not just his students’ spirits and bodies but tainted the series’ reputation and purpose as well. While in class, this man would demand that we demonstrate postures not conventionally taught in the 26 and 2 beginners series or contortion acts if you will. We were his shiny new toys and were exploited as a way to fuel his ego. Having a magnifying glass placed upon your practice makes you compare your self-worth to other students around you, disconnecting you from the whole purpose of the yoga practice. Quickly, this detachment and abuse makes you forget that the practice is your own. Despite being in a room of twenty or so other people, the series is an intimate experience between it and the student where the student experiences their own healing journey. Perversely, teachers like this take that away, destroying not just the student but the practice as a whole.
He is not an exception. Many teachers in the yoga community place monetary gain and social perception above helping others and being honest in a profession defined by well-being, health and selflessness. In the 1970s, Bikram Choudry brought the traditional Hatha yoga series to the Western World where it quickly gained traction, helping propel the yoga scene and fever to where it is now. Many place him on a pedestal of near god-like status because the series has literally made crippled people walk, so it makes sense he has such a dedicated following. Unfortunately, this is a front. Bikram has assaulted women, demeaned students, body shamed them and has emotionally manipulated students and teachers alike. Additionally, he is known to teach aggressively by using profanity and yelling at students. Maybe at one point he was a real healer but plagued by power, he capitalized on a sacred practice and peoples’ need for inner peace.
Social media is in part to blame the toxic, yoga-style, FOMO and unhealthy dedication. It generates a mirage of a perfect yoga profession and way of life. We see these incredible poses, the idyllic photos of meditating on a canyon, catchy products with catchy “Namaste” quotes on them, or the inspirational phrases of finding yourself by doing Triangle pose. Except rarely do we read, publish or research the posts, articles, books and transcripts of what those concepts really mean because many aren’t interested in, willing or able to carry out and explore the underlying reason or message behind the yoga practices. So, instead, we buy into the image of them without educating ourselves on the real import because we believe it will alleviate our inner suffering, which helps feed the greedy and manipulative like my mother’s business partner and Bikram.
Characters like Bikram and my mother’s business partner also influence the conversation of ethics within yoga. Bikram yoga, in particular, has a track record of being a stricter practice regarding teaching manners. Often students express that the instructors can be emotionally cold or aggressive, even going as far as shaming students for leaving the 105-degree room, like Bikram himself. Even though establishing self-discipline is important to any practice, series’ like Bikram Yoga makes one ask, “Is the label of a ‘guru’ or teacher, especially a male, in the hot-room a way for teachers to hide their abusive tendencies and mistreat students?”
Rarely are complaints brought up against female teachers, the emotional and physical abuse allegations are primarily against males and each story shares similar characteristics. An initially soft spoken or well-articulated man seemingly educated on various spiritual teachings quickly using them to abuse their students’ willingness to learn and their happiness. Their manipulation can escalate as they claim their students’ success as their own, verbally shame them or their practice, or even sexually assault them. Each time, the idea of enlightenment is misemployed, forcing students to submit to a malicious power. This is not to say harmful female teachers don’t exist. But, it is important to be aware of the patterns of abuse so students can protect themselves, no matter the identity or qualifications of their instructor.
Achieving Self-Actualization or inner peace has nearly always interested people, especially after Abraham Maslow introduced his Hierarchy of Needs. However, the definition of it constantly changes and is subjective. Not everyone’s version can be defined or fulfilled by a simple word uttered, a gesture made at the end of every class mindlessly or by a set of specific life goals. In order to not be tricked by flashy posts or masquerading machiavellian “gurus,” it’s important to discover and connect with your form of inner peace and an ideal yoga practice. Social media or your yoga teacher cannot define that for you. And, being mistreated by someone or a faith that is supposed to benefit you mentally and physically only makes your discovery harder.
It has taken me years to pick up my practice again and I had to start from scratch. Once I found teachers who genuinely cared about their students and being healers, I understood that a healer does not beguile or use their patients and their pain. The supportive environments I found helped me convalesce and let go in the postures without thinking about how others or my teacher perceived me and discover my personal connection with yoga and enlightenment, which is what a genuine practice and yoga environment should do.