Most yoga gurus are trustworthy and ethical. A few are sexual predators

You go to a yoga class or a massage session only to find that you have become a victim of sexual abuse from a guru you trust. What should you do?

A recent heated discussion on the lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu (Red) posed that question after more than 30 women claimed that they had been sexually exploited by a yoga teacher and masseur in Shanghai.

The women said they had trusted the guru as someone who was "spiritually wise, understanding, empathetic and knowledgeable." They said that talking to him felt like talking to a good friend.

That trust, however, proved fleeting.

Shanghai Daily talked with several of the "victims" but was unsuccessful in contacting their alleged abuser. All his social media accounts had been shut down, his mobile goes to voicemail and his WeChat account no longer accepts new friend requests. He is no longer operating out of the original site of his yoga classes.

However, in his online work group, the guru denied the allegations. He said he had been summoned for questioning by police several months ago but no charges were laid because of a lack of evidence. Contacted by Shanghai Daily, police had no comment.

The substance of the victims' allegations may remain unproven, but their story does tell us that women should be alert when something in spiritual activities, yoga or cult groups doesn't seem right.

Reported cases of sexual misconduct in these settings are not all that uncommon in China or elsewhere in the world.

In 2023, a man named Deng Haipeng from Xiamen in Fujian Province was sentenced to 17 years in prison for swindle and rape perpetrated in the name of "spiritual practice and soul forging."

Deng founded a training school in Xiamen and later expanded around China. With over 3,600 victims, he confessed to exploiting many female trainees, having sex with them.

A year ago, French authorities arrested fugitive Romanian guru Gregorian Bivolaru, 71, the leader of a multinational tantric yoga organization on charges of indoctrinating women for sexual exploitation.

The founder of the Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute was charged with "alleged rape, human trafficking and a kidnapping scheme."

Wikipedia even has a page especially devoted to "sexual abuse by yoga gurus."

In one of the more celebrated cases, Bikram Choudhury, an Indian-American yoga guru and founder of Bikram Yoga, was the subject of civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault. Though never criminally charged, he fled to India but has since continued to train yoga teachers outside of the United States despite concerns raised in the countries where he operates.

The question arises: How do "spiritual leaders" manage to exercise such control over followers?

Psychologists point to the unequal relationship between them and their trainees. Oscar Wilde once reportedly said, "Everything in the world is about sex except sex. Sex is about power," implying that sexual acts can go beyond physical intimacy and become a means of control or dominance.

It is often true.

"There are only two types of relationships between people," said Xu Peng, a Shanghai-based therapist and author. "One is an existential connection, where people are completely equal and authentic; the other is power-based, where one is the teacher and the other is the student, or one is the master or coach, and the other is the trainee."

Xu explained, "And in these latter cases, young women are often in a subordinate position in a power-based relationship. The spiritual practice community or any mind-body-spirit circle is the same. Those in superior positions may exploit those in inferior positions, especially in cases such as yoga and massage where physical contact is unavoidable. The mysterious aura of such activities just makes the exploitation easier. When the gurus tell trainees that sexual behavior is 'part of the training,' the trainees tend to trust them."

Sexual assault often occurs in places surveillance cameras don't cover. Relying solely on a victim's testimony makes it difficult to form a complete chain of evidence."

Zhu Xiahua, lawyer with the Shanghai Walson Law Firm

It is often difficult to get evidence of this kind of sexual exploitation because it happens in private settings and women may be reluctant to call police out of a sense of shame.

"Sexual assault often occurs in places surveillance cameras don't cover," said Zhu Xiahua, a lawyer with the Shanghai Walson Law Firm. "Relying solely on a victim's testimony makes it difficult to form a complete chain of evidence."

She added, "Successful prosecution requires multiple types of evidence, usually including a victim's statement, a suspect confession, witness testimony, surveillance footage from the scene, communication records between the parties, and physical evidence containing DNA left by the suspect if sexual intercourse occurred."

Legal procedures involved in sexual assault cases are complex and time-consuming, Zhu explained. If a case involves a number of victims, the investigation may take months. During the process, victims may be questioned repeatedly and forced to recall their ordeal over and over, which can be mentally disturbing for them.

"We often call for professional psychological counseling and support to be provided to victims to help them overcome feelings of shame and fear," she noted. "We need clearer guidance on the reporting procedures for sexual assault cases while ensuring that victims can more easily obtain legal assistance and protection."

Meanwhile, Xu encourages women to be more self-confident and trust their "intuition" when it comes to trusting gurus.

"Trust your intuition. When you feel uncomfortable or when the other person ignores your will and your requests, then there must be something wrong," he said. "It means he doesn't respect you and he will not listen to your pleas to stop. Such people are treating you as a tool for their own desires. So at that point, you need to be resolute, get up and leave, and call the police immediately. There should be no hesitation about it."

Back to the question: What should you do?

Victims of sexual assaults are advised to promptly collect DNA evidence and avoid contaminating it, then immediately contact police for professional evidence collection. Delay in reporting can reduce the integrity of the evidence. If the sexual assault occurs between acquaintances, chat records can also be crucial evidence, especially when communications induce conversation about the abusive act and link a suspect to it.

China has a national practice specification for healthcare conditioning massage technique, but there are no specific norms on preventing sexual abuse. As for yoga, there is currently no unified qualification certificate. Lawyer Zhu advises learning from practices in similar industries abroad for preventing sexual abuse. For example, the Royal Academy of Dance in the United Kingdom requires that "dance teachers must ask for and obtain students' consent before touching their bodies, regardless of gender."

Go with your intuition and be aware of your surroundings – for peace of body and mind – these seem like sensible things to do when choosing such services.