Some feel it’s time for yoga teachers in America to abide by a single code of ethics. But can the yoga community agree on one?
PICTURE THIS: You’ve traveled far from home to attend the class of a renowned yogi. A few poses into the session, you notice that he seems distracted by a female student. Passionate, knowing glances between the two intensify as the class progresses. Suddenly, after the teacher has guided everyone into Bridge Pose against the wall, he disappears from the room with the student. To your astonishment—not to mention physical discomfort—the happy couple reappears 10 minutes later, flushed and giggling, rejoining the students now struggling to hold the pose.
You might later see some humor in the absurdity of the situation, or you might never move past outrage. Either way, you’d probably agree that the teacher’s actions fall squarely in the category of Unyogalike Behavior. As in any other community, there has been an occasional lack of good judgment among yogis, as seen in this real-life example. But the recent rise in popularity of yoga practice has come with an increasing number of ethical breaches—and not just in the realm of sexual impropriety. True stories of physical negligence, fraud, embezzlement, and ruthless business practices have joined sex with students in the Yoga Hall of Shame.
Ref: Stuart Bradford
