Yoga Studio Placed Instructor on Leave of Absence After Allegations of Sexual Assault

It may seem like cases of sexual assault have dramatically increased in the past decade, but victims will assure you that this is not the case.

Sexual misconduct has always been rampant, it’s just that more people are reporting it now.

The #metoo movement has given victims of sexual assault the courage to come forward with their harrowing stories so their tormentors can be brought to justice.

One of the problems in the past is that victims often weren’t taken seriously. This has improved somewhat, but we still have a long way to go.

Yoga Studio Placed Instructor on Leave of Absence After Allegations of Sexual Assault

Trust Yoga has placed one of its instructors on a leave of absence after a former student accused him of sexual assault.

According to Yahoo News, the woman detailed her assault in an Instagram story on 11 July.

She said the instructor had molested her while he was adjusting her position in a yoga pose during a class at the studio.

She claimed that he then “acted as if nothing untoward had happened and just continued teaching the class” after molesting her.

The incident left her shocked.

The woman returned to the studio the next day with her father to talk to Trust’s owners about the incident.

She was allegedly told that this was not the first time someone had accused the instructor of molestation.

Even though Trust’s owners said they would take “strict action”, the woman claimed that the teacher was still conducting classes afterwards.

According to the woman, the studio explained that they allowed the instructor to continue teaching because they were understaffed.

So, she filed a police report.

“Takes Allegations of Sexual Assault Very Seriously”

On Monday (3 Aug), Trust released a statement on Facebook in response to the incident, saying they take allegations of sexual assault “very seriously”.

“We were made aware of a former student’s allegations that she had been sexually assaulted by an instructor at Trust Yoga”.

“As a yoga studio, we strive to provide a safe learning environment for all students,” it read.

The studio said the accused instructor has agreed to take a leave of absence pending the studio’s internal investigations. The authorities have also been notified of the matter.

“We have also extended our full cooperation in assisting the authorities with their investigations”, the studio said.

They added that students who do not wish to be adjusted during classes may use a “no adjustment” card placed at the entrance of the class.

“As additional safeguards, there are also CCTVs in place at our studio. We will further strengthen internal reporting mechanisms to ensure an optimal learning environment for our students.”

Wasn’t Just an Adjustment

One netizen who commented on Trust’s statement said that the instructor is usually very “professional” and implied that the sexual assault may have just been an adjustment.

But based on what the victim said, this isn’t the case.

According to Connected to India, the woman, who is a registered yoga teacher herself, said she has been practising yoga for around two years and is “very comfortable” with receiving adjustments in general.

But she claims that when her instructor made adjustments that day, he:

• “smacked my left butt cheek when I was in a forward fold”
• “stroked from my left butt cheek, my crotch, to my right cheek when I was in an inversion called pincha mayurasana”

She says that the stroke was deliberate and lasted three seconds.

The woman also shared another student’s review of the studio, where she says that male instructors should refrain from touching women in certain areas.

In her posts on social media, she wrote:

“Yoga is my sanctuary while I grapple with my mental health. For such a violation to occur in such a setting feels like an extraordinarily deep betrayal. I am speaking up as I hope other (ex/current) members of Trust Yoga who have been treated this way by R*j would do so as well, knowing that he is still doing this to other people.”

According to Yahoo News, the victim is now seeking legal advice.