Teachers and Students Behaving Badly

On September 22, 2025, I received an email from Shruthi (Sharath's widow), and Shraddha and Sambhava Jois (Sharath's adult children), who are now in charge of the Sharath Yoga Centre in Mysore, India. This email is also posted on our bulletin board at Kentucky Street along with a copy of the Ashtanga Teacher Code of Conduct which Sharath created several years ago and required all approved teachers who are on the Teacher List to agree to it. 

Here is the email:

It has recently come to our attention that there has been a breach of the Code of Conduct by one of our approved teachers.
We would like to take this moment to remind everyone that Sharath Guruji's vision has always been centered on the upliftment and well-being of both teachers and students. This was the very reason he so generously shared his knowledge — to create a respectful, safe, and supportive learning environment for all.
As clearly outlined in our Code of Conduct #7, every approved teacher is expected to maintain a safe and professional environment that is free from harassment or discrimination of any kind — including, but not limited to, those based on gender, ethnicity, nationality, or sexual orientation. It is essential that the rights, personal integrity, dignity, and privacy of each student are respected at all times.
Please note: Any teacher found in violation of this Code of Conduct will be subject to immediate removal from the directory of approved teachers.
Let us all continue to uphold the values Guruji instilled in us and ensure a positive and respectful space for everyone.

Before receiving this email, Karen Cairns told that she had been contacted by a group of concerned Ashtanga teachers wanting to have a group chat to discuss allegations made against some Ashtanga teachers.  Karen forwarded one of the chats to me. Over the next several days the group drafted a statement regarding the behavior and Ashtanga teachers were given the opportunity to sign the statement.  I did not sign the statement for several reasons:

The original Code of Conduct applies to the recent conduct.  The email from the Jois family is clear.  I did not want to agree to another statement that is not from The Sharath Yoga Centre.

From a legal standpoint, the allegations were vague, there was no information about how the allegations came to light, who had brought the allegations, and whether there had been an investigation.

The accused teachers were removed from the list of approved teachers. These teachers have no connection to Yoga East, and I do not know them.  I met one of the teachers in 2019 because she was assisting at the shala and happened to assist me a couple of times. In 2020 I was a recipient of a group email sent "to the Ashtanga Community" from a former student of one of the other teachers. This disturbing email made serious allegations against that teacher.  I brought this email to the attention of one of our students who had attended several workshops with the teacher in question, but I was told that it was probably from a student who had been accused of stalking the teacher, and to ignore it.  It probably should not have been ignored.  

In any organization of human beings, there is always going to be some behavior that requires some kind of unpleasant action. At Yoga East, we have had to ban students and teachers for theft or for extremely disruptive behavior.  Sometimes poor behavior is due to neuro-diverse conditions such as ADHD, autism spectrum conditions, bi-polar disorders, ASPD (anti social personality disorder), substance abuse, depression, anxiety - conditions for which yoga can be helpful.  If possible, we try to accommodate such students, but Yoga East is a yoga school, not a mental health facility, and we are not mental health professionals. 

If the accused teachers were students here, they would still be welcome to attend classes as students, but probably not to teach, at least not until the behavior that caused disruption has been addressed in a positive way for all concerned.  If students or teachers experience questionable behavior here or elsewhere, always bring it to someone's attention. 

--Laura Spaulding