go figure Aspen

that case will be dismissed probably

I have to keep reminding myself that there are Douche Bags EVERYWHERE. Some of them are the "Victims" and some of them are the "Perps".

There's all sorts of things in an Iyengar class with a Male instructor which could be construed as "Sexual".

*** Example: Gabriel Halpern (AWESOME Master Iyengar Teacher with a Great Big Heart) leaning over me and various other women in Halasana, lifting our hips to take the pressure off our Cervical Spine and to teach us how this Asana 'should' feel. Now this puts him at a very interesting angle to us. Our heinies are up in the air and he's straddling our legs (which are behind our heads, toes on the floor) to achieve the adjustment. Sometimes he'll adjust from the front and sometimes from the back in this position. Just depends. Now all we're seeing is his junk straddling right over our heads. Is it a bit Sexual, Yeah... Is that any sort of focus? NO. Anyone with issues being touched shouldn't be in an Iyengar class to begin with. It's a very hands on practice. He never pushed anyone into a position but to adjust us properly, sometimes required an awkward angle for us. There we're so many times I had a secret third grader moment, trying not to crack a smile while watching this man adjust men and women alike. The screen shots were funny. But the point was always to learn. And he did make a joke of it often which made it light hearted and not so strange.

I think when anyone's taking their practice to that next level they really need to be comfortable w/ their physical selves. Lots and LOTS of people aren't comfortable being touched at all. And if they're ignorant to what type of practice they're walking into (after taking the "6 week intro to Yoga YMCA Course) they're in for a monumental surprise.

Just like in Reiki, the healer or teacher should always request permission to touch the student in order to instruct.

I recently took a yoga class in another city while visiting family members.

I made sure to look at the bio of the teacher online. I think it's important to get a good understanding of the style and demeanor of the teacher you're going to before hand. Even if a person doesn't have a firm grasp on the style, a lot can be gained from just reading about the teacher. Of course when you're first starting out, that may not be in your awareness to do, but over the years I've found that when I just research a little, I avoid teachers who don't jive with me.

In his bio, it mentioned he was a Thai Yoga Practitioner. The style basically allows the person being worked on to relax while the pracitioner uses the energy meridians and pressure points of the body to assist in opening. Towards the end of the class we were on our backs in a hip opener, drawing the knee and leg back towards the head, sort of like a happy-baby laying down. In any case, he came over to me and assisted me in a way that I haven't ever been touched in a yoga class. If I remember correctly he had a palm on each thigh, pulling apart while manipulating me and doing some movements, it was definitely close to the crotch but definitely NOT sexual. I had enough awareness of my body and the way people touch to know it was not that. However, had I not read his bio, I could have definitely seen myself thinking, "This may be innapropriate."... I've been to Thailand, had Thai Yoga before, know what that feels like, and it still took me a minute to realize that he was in fact doing thai yoga to help me open. So, it was part of my own insecurities mixed with what was going on. I think that's natural. It was absolutely wonderful how he blended it and it was the best assisted opening I've had in a class. It was sensual, but I don't know if Thai yoga can be classified as anything other than sensual. And that was OK. He asked permission and confirmed what he was doing was OK for my body.

A lot of times in yoga, sensuality can be misconstrued as sexuality OR vice versa. That's not to say that either are appropriate but in some styles, sensuality is more naturally apparent due to hand and "junk" placement...haha I love that word, "junk" lol.... That sense is going to be felt by the student. It's a delicate balancing act to adjust and it's not only the teacher's responsiblity to know what they're doing, it's also up to the student to tell a teacher they don't want to be touched. I have no idea about this specific incident in the YJ article but it makes you wonder what the dynamics were that allowed for that to happen. Or if anyone told anyone to STOP. It's really a shame, no matter who's "fault" it is.