Is there such a thing as consensual sex between a yoga teacher and student? Like everything else in life, it depends. But determining the answer can be next to impossible. Just because an adult is of an age of consent does not mean they are of a mind to consent. And if the teacher desires to have sex with the student, then the teacher is not objective, and therefore cannot make the determination as to the student’s state of mind.
What I’m really talking about here is the profession of yoga teaching and therapy and whether there is a place for sex in the relationship between teacher and student. The answer is no. It is not professional and is even illegal in other helping professions. The time has come to take a stand and demand professionalism from yoga teachers/therapists and set some standards for conduct.
The need for this restriction stems from the power differential that exists between teacher and student. To understand the therapeutic and educational relationship between student and teacher, it is imperative to consider carefully the dynamics of power in this relationship.
There are natural power differentials in many (but not all) relationships, including those between parent and child, teacher and student, employer and employee, health care practitioner and client, AND between yoga teacher/therapist and student. Parents, employers, health care practitioners, and yoga teachers/therapists have the more powerful position. They are the authority figures whose actions, by virtue of their roles, directly affect the well-being of the other. In Ayurveda, our sister science, the relationship is likened to that of parent and child. How many yoga teachers would condone sex between a parent and child?
The child, employee, client, and student are in the more vulnerable position. In theory and ethical practice, the power differential exists for the purpose of bringing benefit to these more vulnerable individuals; that is, the child should thrive under a parent’s care, the employee should benefit from the employer’s management, and the yoga student’s well-being should be enhanced by the yoga teacher’s teachings. In many cases, the student puts the teacher on a pedestal even beyond the power differential and feels indebted to that teacher. This is called transference, in ethical terms, and dismisses the student’s ability for consent.
Often in the context of yoga teaching and therapy, the power differential is amplified by the physical aspects of practice. The student takes a pose and allows the teacher/therapist access to his or her body. The teacher/therapist often enters the student’s physical space. Further the student may share very personal aspects of their life with the teacher/therapist in order to receive the most appropriate care.
In the context of this power differential, the teacher/therapist has influence over the student due to the student’s vulnerability and desire for the help that the teacher/therapist offers. They are not of a mind to freely consent to sex with the teacher without the teacher’s influence playing a role in that decision.
For those teachers that would argue that there is nothing wrong with having sex with students, I would ask, “What is the harm in refraining?” Further, the more important question is if the teacher has misjudged the student’s ability to consent to sex, then what harm may come to the student if you proceed and have sex with them?
The effects of refraining, at most, could be a missed opportunity for sexual release, where as the effects of proceeding can have far-reaching emotional consequences to the student in both how they view themselves and how they view future relationships.