Power and Abuse

Trigger warning: these pages contain information on abuse in yoga Power and abuse Regarded author and teacher, had no firm agenda, other than to get a sense of how he sees the book positioned within the overarching issue of Matthew Remski, renowned for his abuse; and more importantly, to try and get something of a handle on the intangible issue that has been lurking at the work on highlighting physical and back of my mind. That issue is one of power; and of the emotional injury in yoga, talks to various dynamics that are in play where issues of power are brought to the table. Or in this case, to the yoga mat. Gillian Osborne I am no scholar, but I am also no stranger to an academic I pre-ordered Practice and All is Coming. Not from text book and I have spent enough time in study to some morbid fascination with the sordid details recognise considered, informed opinion and original of other people’s experiences, but from an almost thought. Conversing with Matthew was both illuminating and fearful yet compelling desire to look into the heart of inspiring. And comfortable! Much of his conversation flowed one of the significant practice traditions and to see from an apparent and deep knowledge of these issues and what else lay there, alongside yoga, intertwined with any attempts to better his eloquent phraseology would it. The stories are shocking but entirely believable, most likely fail in spectacular fashion so I have quoted him presented rationally by the author whose meticulous directly where attempts to paraphrase seemed inadequate. research coupled with a piercing depth of I am grateful to him for sparing me the time, and I hope in perception shook me into the reluctant acceptance this short piece I am able to convey some useful wisdom that it is only the experience of yoga that is pure. and thus do the conversation justice. Everything else is human and subject to fallibility. Abuses run throughout all sectors of society but this group Fast forward some time down the line and I’m writing this of articles in Spectrum is focused on abuse within the yoga article, so I contact Matthew Remski and ask to speak with community and to examine that we often begin by him directly, because the impact of his book has been considering “survivor” stories. Therein lies the first transformative in my understanding and acceptance of misconception; because most survivor stories are told by the yoga world; my yoga world. I’m not somebody who is females yet abuse within the yoga world, as Matthew says used to interviewing anybody, so my conversation with him “crosses the gender line all the time”. He goes on to tell me Trigger warning: these pages contain information on abuse in yoga The British Wheel of Yoga spectrum magazine 25 Trigger warning: these pages contain information on abuse in yoga of a man with whom he is in contact in the USA, who shouting, slapping or intimidating are less likely to be currently has an ongoing complaint against a male teacher reported or believed, we can begin to see how such for sexual abuse. This man declined to speak to me, even dysfunction is able to perpetuate unchecked. though it would have been entirely anonymous, and I do not blame him. The reporting threshold for abuse claims To return to my introduction and that lurking idea about from men, against men or women is exceptionally high, and power; it begins to become clear that the charismatic so most remain in the shadows. It is beyond the scope of leader has a substantial amount of power, and the this article and the function of the BWY to provide any form organisation which he/she is leading may have a number of of therapeutic support or investigation into why this is the cult characteristics. According to Matthew “when one looks case. But perhaps by simply recognising that male victims at abuse in the yoga world through the lens of cultic of physical and sexual violence do exist in yoga dynamics it’s really about power”. … and silencing, and communities we acknowledge and hold space for them, who’s able to speak and who’s not able to speak, and who and therefore go some way towards giving some small is ideologically pure and who is not ideologically pure, and measure of support. so on.” I am inclined to agree with him; abuse primarily appears to be concerned with power and not with the form At the same time lets also consider another largely the abuse takes. overlooked group of victims: those who have sufered abuse at the hands of a female teacher. Matthew tells me It is worth mentioning at this point that the BWY teacher he speaks with numerous people who have complaints of training courses do address issues of power and integrity physical or emotional abuse in these circumstances, yet and shine a light on the teacher student dynamic. There they have no clear context in which to frame their story or are critically important issues of ethics to consider when bring their complaint. Frequently their stories lack the one is in a position of authority. Any instructive relationship, shock element of sexual abuse and so fail to gain traction, teaching or supportive organisation must ensure that it but a huge obstacle is the “belief threshold” that must be does not itself become a wolf in sheep’s clothing. overcome, since the idea of the female teacher as aggressor does not fit the archetype. The combination Which brings me back to Practice and All is Coming. regularly serves, whether intentionally or not, to prevent Matthew tells me he wanted to do two things with the book; these stories from coming into the light. first “to describe how … violence …was.. prepped or groomed by some basic assumptions within the yoga The more one begins to look beneath the surface the more rooms of the mid to late 20th century” and second to complex the issue becomes. According to Matthew “one of explore how the qualities present in those rooms “make the unexamined roots of modern postural Yoga is yoga populations more vulnerable to high demand groups”. homosocial violence [which] has … continued to the present To explain the dynamics of the latter he coined the phrase day”. Too regularly he finds himself unable to document “Somatic Dominance” which puts the power relationship abuse because victims are not willing to go on record. between charismatic teachers and their students into a Stories of male yoga teachers being abused by both male framework that is non gender specific and addresses the and female teachers simply cannot surmount the incredibly expression of power between bodies generally. For high barriers to reporting. It is undoubtedly a subject that example: warrants research and investigation but will inevitably “Within a Somatic Dominance space the teacher assumes require a good deal of sensitivity. definitive and intrusive knowledge over the student’s body [as] a fundamental premise. [On walking] into the room … To begin to unpack these issues it is helpful to understand that’s the assumption that is made. All sorts of power something of the nature of a socially organised structure in exchanges that are felt before they’re said, flow from that which abuse is enabled to exist. To do that it is instructive assumption.” to consider the concept of “Charismatic Authority” developed by Max Weber (German sociologist 1864-1920). According to his theory, in any situation where Somatic This model of authority is one that hinges upon the Dominance is in play the range of outcomes may vary, but a charisma of the leader and one of the drawbacks of this loss of autonomy will be experienced to one degree or type of leadership is the lack of any natural successor, and another. This might be anything from a vague sense of a potential inability to transfer authority. The transfer of interference with personal agency or compromised inner leadership therefore depends upon what Weber describes guidance, through an increasing spectrum of harm as a process of routinisation, in which behaviour and including physical or sexual assault. It logically follows that patterns of relating become normalised, internalised and maintaining somatic autonomy in yoga is therefore the stabilised into ongoing authority structures over time. essential key to a healthy student teacher relationship. Along with other materials we are making information on Thus in the context of some yoga traditions an original Somatic Dominance available in our resources and of patriarchal violent pedagogy can eventually cross course it can be found in detail in Matthew’s book Practice generational, cultural and gender boundaries, becoming and All is Coming. “routinised” so that we see complaints of verbal, emotional, physical and sexual abuse through generations and across Paradoxically, it is often when we are at our most vulnerable genders. Complicated by the fact that stories of women that we find yoga. Within the overarching endeavour of giving intrusive adjustments, applying body weight, maintaining personal safety, integrity and wholeness in the Trigger warning: these pages contain information on abuse in yoga 26 The British Wheel of Yoga spectrum magazine Trigger warning: these pages contain information on abuse in yoga yoga world then; to whom do we turn? I think we probably BWY and you need to look within, follow sensible guidance and seek the Please remember that if you feel threatened or are in any wisdom of a trusted teacher. But therein lies the rub… doubt over your personal safety, or the safety of anyone in There was much for me to consider and reflect upon your BWY yoga class, please contact the BWY safeguarding following our conversation, but by far the most sobering and ofcer Rebecca Morris E: [email protected].

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