Yoga, Molestation & Sexual Harassment
Posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2010
by Drunken Mystic
http://drunkenmystic.wordpress.com
Why did I think of writing this article? I have been contemplating on this topic for a long time, but couldn’t decide if I should write or not, but finally I have today. There is corruption in every profession, be it politics, business or academics, entertainment or the media. But we all know corruption exists everywhere. How many of us know corruption exists in Yoga too? Being a yogi myself, I am ashamed to state this fact, and remind you, that there are people out there to bring a bad image to all those teachers who are making an effort to serve people. There are some teachers who take undue advantage of their profession, and handle women in a perverted way.
I would like to start with the first question, which is, “How do you determine what is sexual harassment?" When learning yoga, teachers usually give adjustments to students, and most westerners prefer the teacher to give adjustments. This preference, allows the teacher to get more perverted and handle women in a sexual way. They think it’s their right, and the student may not notice if they move their hands around once in a while, probably over the breasts, or the buttocks, as they try to make it look as a part of the adjustment, which is not at all in any case. There is no need for a teacher to touch anywhere except the back, while giving pressure for the forward bending, holding the toes for a standing or balancing exercise, or just the sides of the waist. I have noticed teachers move their hands to the buttocks of women while adjusting them in a standing position or in a forward bending, especially if it has to do with balancing. This is absolutely gross perversion, and not yoga..
The second point is, teachers generally make comments on women students, if they are sexually inclined. For e.g. I heard one of the teachers comment on one lady referring her to another student who was wearing a sports bra and her waist was pretty much visible, “Why don’t you wear a dress like her? You have fat on your waist, look at her body, it’s so beautiful. Your waist must be as beautiful as hers." This was totally uncalled for, and clearly shows nothing but lust in his mind. In fact, this woman was properly dressed, covered enough for her own comfort, as she was in India , she didn’t prefer to dress the western way. All Indian women come fully covered, and he has never made a comment on them, but since he knows the western culture is more liberal, has taken advantage of this fact and made his advancement towards women in the most perverted and unimaginable gross methods. This is just one example.
There is a posture in yoga, where you have to sit and bend your knees and bring the palm of your feet together facing each other, hold them with your hands, and spread your thighs to the side, with knees touching the floor, which is a difficult practice and needs certain help. The master puts his knees on either sides of this woman’s thighs, and applies pressure on her back, and not just that, he slowly presses his abdomen on her, and literally pushes her forward, almost sleeping on her. The woman being innocent never realized that he was molesting her, or was just in the beginning stages of molestation which, was to come later. These teachers first try creating a confidence in the student, by giving adjustments, in an innocent way, and ask them everyday, “Is it fine if I touch here? Is it fine if I give you pressure? Are you comfortable with my adjustments?" The student responds in the affirmative, and the teacher just keeps changing his position of giving pressure day after day, as his touch seems to change with time and starts getting more sexual. Different teachers work in different ways, but we must be alert and wary where this man is exactly getting at. If we try looking into the gaps between the words, like what I have mentioned above we can surely know this guy is perverted.
What shocks me more is, the men watch these things happen in the class, and never support the women or console them, rather have a get together at lunch and laugh and make fun of the teacher.
After reading this article, people may say, not everybody is like that. I agree everybody is not like that, but still this article is for those women who go to learn from certain men, who take advantage of them and without their knowledge, happen to molest them, and harass them sexually, through words and touch. I can give a few more instances, where one of the teachers was just standing and watching a student bend forward in the standing position, he just ran up to her, held her waist, and stuck himself to her butt. She was surprised and stood up and turned around to look at him with a confused expression, and he was just smiling at her. She didn’t know what he was up to, but she was just sensing his energy was getting more and more sexual towards her. She was too slow to respond to this situation, and the next day, when she went for her regular classes, it was one of those postures again, where she was bending forward and he had to give pressure on her lower back. He just started moving his hands around, tapping with his fingers on the sides and slowly moved up and fondled her breasts from the sides. She was so disturbed, she couldn’t practice any further, and just lied down for a while, and the teacher also knew what he had done, and he couldn’t face his conscience anymore, and put on his shirt and left the place mid-way.
Unfortunately, the woman didn’t take any action against him, since he was an 82 year old man, and just left the place as soon as she could…. never to see him again. There are many teachers, who adjust women into difficult postures, where they can’t move their hands, and need help, they take advantage and fondle them around. This is too common a practice which is going on, and women must be aware and speak up or take action, whether this happens in India , or Thailand or America or anywhere in the world.
It’s the responsibility of women take action against such perpetrators, instead of just keeping quiet and repeatedly going to them even after having faced so much humiliation. These men still continue to teach yoga, and continue with their perverted activities.
I would just put another word of caution, especially for the western women who come to learn yoga in India . It’s agreed that western lifestyle is more liberal, but please don’t change your shirts in front of the class or the teacher. This gives them more ideas to their perversions. Some women just move to the corner of the studio and rip their shirts off in front of the class, with their backs facing them, but this is not an Indian culture, and Indians are too conservative. Women don’t change clothes in front of everybody.
Another advice is, please research on the characters of these teachers before you join them. Try doing a Google or Yahoo search before you decide to join any of these teachers of yoga, and find out if they have been involved in any such activities before. We can’t change the people who won’t stop their sense perversions, but at least we can stop ourselves from facing unwanted and unforeseen situations. Women must stand up for themselves, and the ones who have faced it, must warn others and help others stand up too.
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Excellent article and very informative upon the evil that resides within the hearts of the men.True.... and it's disheartening about the yoga gurus.
Great article DM.I am just beginning to learn yoga at home using a CD and a CD player. This is a very informative and well-written piece. Thank you for sharing and for the warning.Thank you so much for joining my fan club. I am honored and delighted.All the very best to you and yours,~Nenita~Thanks Nenita. It's great to know you are learning on your own. Hope you are enjoying. All the best.DM
Good heavens, how very strange some men are. I was going to learn Kundalini. Are women teachers safe or should I stick to the DVD?I haven't heard anything strange about women teachers so far.
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