Yoga Folks discussion

Anybody here do or teach Bikram yoga? Any thoughts on this, the latest (in a long line) of sex scandals involving yoga teachers/gurus?

Nope. I know it's very popular in Europe and North America, but here in Southern India Bikram yoga is received with head shakes and occasionally mocking. First, since no one runs AC or fans here, and it's in the tropics, all yoga is hot yoga, and the idea that that is something novel or particularly beneficial is chided. Secondly, the idea that you could copyright a sequence of yogasana,all of which predate you, seems a little offensive to the sensibilities of many. Finally, as with Osho, many people outside his community find the idea of a guru with a serious addiction to materialism dismaying. I didn't really know about the sex scandals, but given his approach to everything else, I can't say that it surprises me.

Of course, sex scandals are nothing new to yoga teachers in the US. I remember reading The Subtle Body, a history of yoga (wonderful book, BTW, which I summarized in a blog for Huffington Post) and there were scandals going back to yoga's earliest days here.

Bernie, I love your observation that all yoga in India is hot yoga.

Found my Huff Post summary of Stefanie Syman's great book, The Subtle Body.

She details a scandal dating back to 1910, when an American-born guru named Pierre Bernard (who'd changed his name from Perry Baker to sound more exotic), spent several months in jail. Not sure of the exact charge, but he'd been accused by two women of leading them into a ménage a trois during Tantric ceremonial sex rites—at a time when premarital sex was a serious scourge to a woman’s reputation.

Charges against Bikram are different, but the notion of powerful gurus allegedly taking advantage of female students has a long
Jhistory.

Two books to refer you to on sex scandals involving yogis. Yog and the Quest for the True Self by Stephen Cope is a GREAT book on the transformation possible thru yoga -- and Cope is one of the heavies at Kripalu in MA. He was there for the fall of the guru, Amrit Desai, in the 90's due to a sexual scandal. Which he writes about briefly -- not the point of the book but covered.

Also I happen to be reading a book about gurus right now called Feet of Clay by Anthony Storr. Covers Rashneesh and his community in the 80's. THis is out of print but I found it used on Amazon. Really interesting -- hope this helps.

Suzanne

Yoga teachers and gurus are just people. Everyone has their own journey and they shouldn't be judged. Bikram admits to being the "Hollywood Yogi". His 26 postures are amazing and his contribution to the details of each asana have contributed greatly to to my practice. In general, the greed, corruption and narcissism behind yoga has always made headlines. It's news when something good goes bad. For an honest look at Bikram, read Hell-Bent: Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga