Complaint of Misconduct against Yoga Teacher in the USA

9th October 2018

 

 

 

 

Complaint of Misconduct against Yoga Teacher in the USA

You may have heard that there has recently been a serious complaint of sexual misconduct made against a senior Iyengar teacher in the USA, and that the Iyengar National Association of the US (IYNAUS) is dealing with this. We are not currently dealing with any such complaints in the UK and Ireland, but this is not an issue that we should be complacent about; IY (UK) must have a zero-tolerance attitude to all forms of discrimination, bullying, harassment and abuse. Sexual harassment and abuse need to be challenged wherever they occur.

 

Manual adjustments have always been an element of the Iyengar method; If you do not wish to be physically adjusted by your teacher for any reason, please tell them. If you feel that you have any cause for complaint against your teacher, we would encourage you to follow this up. We are currently looking at our complaints procedures to see if they need updating. Challenging the teacher yourself is one way of trying to deal with it but that may not be appropriate.  If you would like to complain about your teacher, or you have any questions, then the first step is to contact Jill Johnson(chair@iyengaryoga.org.uk) or Gerry Chambers (yogagerry@gmail.com) Chair of Ethics, or email us at complaints@iyengaryoga.org.uk. We will respect your confidentiality and will not take any further steps without your approval. If you are concerned that any illegal actions may have taken place we suggest that you contact your local police for advice, and also inform us.