On Pattabhi Jois
#metoo movement 2017
As someone who practices and shares Ashtanga Yoga, I feel compelled to address the events of 2017, with all victims of sexual abuse declarations.
I will stand in solidarity with those harmed and for the healing of all Ashtanga yoga practitioners.
By acknowledging the victims, we shine more light on their message and bring awareness to the yoga room.
To paraphrase the pledge initiated by Karen Rain in 2019:
Now is the time to listen to and learn from the survivors of sexual assault.
Practitioners of Ashtanga Yoga believe that their method demands they uphold values like non-violence, truth-telling, and surrender.
They also know that the postures they practice are meant to be "seats" (asanas) for silent contemplation.
It's time for Ashtanga teachers to raise the voices of survivors and take a silent seat in honour of non-violence, truth-telling, and surrender.
Links to victims' declarations
How I sit.
Since 2017 and the declarations of sexual abuse perpetrated by Pattabhi Jois, I have been questioning the approach of a teacher as an idealized figure. I have been working on being truthful to my principles and values, supporting the healing process of those who need it and promoting growth from this situation.
I am resourcing myself with love and compassion to grow from this new truth. The American Buddhist Nun Pema Chödrön defines compasion:
"When we practice generating compassion, we can expect to experience our fear of pain. Compassion practice is daring. It involves learning to relax and allow ourselves to move gently toward what scares us….In cultivating compassion we draw from the wholeness of our experience—our suffering, our empathy, and our cruelty and terror. It has to be this way. Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity."
As I never met Pattabhi Jois personally, I have so little to say, but I still feel the need to state it here in order to be respectful of myself and others.
I have learned and practiced under the guidance of Saraswati and Sharath R. Jois and from other excellent senior yoga teachers. As an Ashtanga yoga practitioner still involved with the community and the institution, I feel responsible for what happened and is happening. For this reason, I will stand in solidarity with those harmed and for the healing of all Ashtanga yoga practitioners. While belonging to this community, we must support each other to grow.
Brené Brown says in her book Raising Strong, "The death of the idealized versions of our parents, teachers, and mentors—a stage in the hero's journey—is always scary because it means we're now responsible for our learning and growth. That death is also beautiful because it makes room for new relationships—more honest connections between authentic adults who are doing their best. Of course, these new connections require emotional and physical safety. We can't be vulnerable and open with people who are hurting us."
The Ashtanga yoga practice has been my allay and my tool for personal healing. It has shown me a healthier lifestyle. It helps me find my center and be a better person. That is why I will continue practicing and sharing it now, with new eyes and a broader perspective. My contribution aims to empower students in the room to question everything and ask if they need support. When in the position of a teacher, I act as a holder of a safe space, allowing time for trust to build and encourage the self-knowledge and awareness everyone has.
I am still not at peace with how the institution has handled the declarations of sexual abuse, but I see how it is slowly transforming into bringing awareness, apologizing and aiming to grow from it.
It is essential for me to continue to feel that I belong to this community and that we share the same principles and values.
I commit/believe in:
I am sharing the Ashtanga Yoga practice with love and respect.
Acknowledging and promoting this yoga system as a listening practice that will teach us more about ourselves.
I am being present and holding space as needed at that time.
I honour a horizontal relationship with students, where we build trust and learn from each other.
I honour our cyclical nature and practice.
I offer respectful and consensual hands-on adjustments, asking the students beforehand to allow each individual to decide what they need.
I am sharing this practice as healing and therapeutic.
Promoting discipline, devotion, and repetition is always done with self-awareness.
I want to learn and grow from all that happened. I want to keep sharing Ashtanga yoga in an honourable way.