Yoga Teacher Training Forum

Namaskar Bakernick,

1. This sounds like a legal matter. Harrassment is a violation of the law. Misconduct or harrassment of the kind you mention above is illegal in the United States. If you know of an actual case, it should be reported to local authorities. You could go to the management of the facility, but if you have a genuine harrassment case, nothing like this should be "swept under the rug."

Harassment of any kind is a form of discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Unwelcome advances, requests for favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of this nature constitute harassment.

2. If a case is proven, a Yoga teacher's license to teach will be removed, if they teach with one of our diplomas. We have a detailed ethics agreement, which is signed by our Yoga teacher graduates. Most Yoga teacher training facilities have similar ethics agreements. Yoga Alliance also has an ethics agreement that many schools use. You should call them to find out what their exact course of action would be.

3. The reason why no one talks about the misconduct you mentioned, and there is very little information available, is because it rarely happens. Believe me, if Yoga teachers were doing anything unethical it would be all over the news. This does not mean it has never happened. When you get people together, there is always potential for attraction, romance, or unethical relationships.

I sincerely hope this helps.

All the best.

OM Shanti,

Paul