Community Articles

Humans are typically very willing to give away their power if they think a person can help them. This dynamic creates an imbalance of power within the relationship. This imbalance is magnified in a relationship with a yoga teacher, therapist, or spiritual leader because of the greater degree of trust involved and the accompanying desires to both please and to not displease the teacher or leader. A yoga teacher is not inherently more powerful than others. Rather, the students’ trust and their desire for a perceived benefit – their vulnerability – give the teacher more power and influence in the relationship. There is nothing wrong with…

Students may naturally have a desire to please or to not displease their yoga teachers. This desire contributes to the “power imbalance” that is inherent in all student-teacher relationships. The vast majority of yoga teachers are respectful of the ethics around such imbalance and maintain professional relationships with their students. This article is about how, in a student-teacher relationship, it is imperative for yoga students to understand their rights, the ethical boundaries Kundalini Yoga teachers are required to uphold, and what to do or where to go if you have a question, concern, or want to report a teacher’s misconduct. Consider that…