Ethics and Professionalism in Teaching Bikram Yoga
Navigating a Practice After Scandal: Guidelines for Teachers of the 26 and 2 Sequence
Teaching the twenty six posture hot yoga sequence presents unique ethical challenges that few other yoga styles confront. The practice itself, a ninety minute series of postures performed in rooms heated to one hundred five degrees Fahrenheit, has helped millions of practitioners worldwide improve their flexibility, strength, and wellbeing. Yet this same practice carries the burden of its association with Bikram Choudhury, the founder who fled the United States in 2016 after being ordered to pay over seven million dollars in damages following sexual harassment allegations from multiple women. For teachers who believe in the therapeutic value of the sequence but reject the behavior of its popularizer, the question becomes unavoidable: how does one teach this practice ethically, professionally, and with integrity? The answer requires grappling with the legacy of abuse, understanding modern standards of professional conduct, and committing to practices that prioritize student safety and autonomy above all else.
The Shadow Over the Practice
Any honest discussion of ethics in teaching this sequence must begin with acknowledgment of its troubled history. Bikram Choudhury, who developed the twenty six posture series and built a global empire of studios bearing his name, has been accused of sexual assault, harassment, and rape by multiple women, most of them his former students. Seven women filed civil lawsuits against him alleging sexual assault, harassment, creating a hostile work environment, wrongful termination, or rape. In 2016, a jury unanimously decided against Choudhury in a lawsuit brought by his former legal adviser Minakshi Jafa-Bodden, awarding her more than seven point four million dollars in damages. The jury found that Choudhury had sexually harassed her and wrongfully terminated her employment after she attempted to investigate rape and sexual assault allegations from students.
Rather than pay the judgment, Choudhury fled the country, continuing to conduct teacher trainings in India, Thailand, Mexico, and elsewhere, charging students upwards of ten thousand dollars for nine week certification programs. An arrest warrant was issued for him in California. The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office has not pursued criminal charges. The 2019 Netflix documentary Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator brought these allegations to mainstream attention, prompting renewed examination of power dynamics within yoga communities and accelerating the exodus of studios from the Bikram brand.
The lawsuits and testimony described a cult-like atmosphere in which members of Choudhury's inner circle helped him find young women to assault. Witnesses described environments where Choudhury's behavior toward women, homosexuals, African Americans, and other minorities was severe, ongoing, pervasive, and offensive. His teaching style was notoriously abrasive, including body shaming comments and verbal abuse directed at students. For teachers who learned this sequence under the old system, the recognition of what was enabled by uncritical devotion to a charismatic leader has forced a profound reckoning with questions of authority, consent, and the relationship between practice and practitioner.
Separating Practice from Practitioner
In the wake of the scandals, a remarkable transformation occurred within the hot yoga community. Over half of the studios that once bore the Bikram name either closed or rebranded, dropping the toxic association while retaining the sequence itself. Studios adopted names like Original Hot Yoga, the 26 and 2, Hot Yoga, and countless local variations. Organizations like the Original Hot Yoga Association emerged to provide ethical frameworks, teacher certification, and community standards independent of Choudhury's organization. The Bikram Yoga company itself filed for bankruptcy in 2017, though the sequence continues to be practiced worldwide.
This mass rebranding represented more than marketing strategy. It was a collective statement that the practice could be separated from its controversial popularizer. As one studio owner explained after changing her studio's name, the man is not the practice. These movements have been around for hundreds of years. He just put it in an order with a dialogue. Many teachers point out that Choudhury did not invent the individual postures, which derive from classical hatha yoga as systematized by Bishnu Charan Ghosh, but rather assembled existing poses into a particular sequence. The sequence itself, they argue, is neither good nor evil but simply a tool that can be taught ethically or abusively depending on the teacher.
Yet the rebranding alone does not resolve the ethical complexities. Teachers trained by Choudhury absorbed not only the sequence but also teaching methodologies that included aggressive verbal instruction, forced adjustments without consent, and an authoritarian classroom dynamic. Breaking from these patterns requires conscious effort and ongoing commitment. The question for ethical teachers becomes not merely what to call the practice but how to teach it in ways that honor student autonomy, ensure physical and emotional safety, and maintain professional boundaries that Choudhury notoriously violated.
Core Ethical Principles for Yoga Teachers
Professional organizations including Yoga Alliance, Yoga Alliance International, and the Yoga Research and Education Center have developed ethical guidelines that apply to all yoga teachers regardless of style. These frameworks draw from yoga's traditional ethical foundation in the yamas and niyamas while incorporating contemporary standards of professional conduct. Understanding these principles provides the foundation for ethical teaching of the hot yoga sequence.
The principle of ahimsa, or non harming, stands as the cornerstone of yoga ethics. For teachers, this translates into multiple practical commitments: creating physically safe practice environments, avoiding language that shames or demeans students, respecting individual limitations and contraindications, and never pushing students beyond their expressed boundaries. In a heated practice where students may be more physically vulnerable due to elevated heart rate and body temperature, the teacher's responsibility to prevent harm takes on additional weight.
The Yoga Alliance Code of Conduct requires members to do no harm, stating that teachers must take reasonable steps to not intentionally or negligently cause harm to students through any action or inaction. This includes prohibitions against teaching while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, discriminating against students based on protected characteristics, and engaging in harassment of any kind. Members must follow the organization's Anti-Harassment Policy and respect student teacher relationships, including obtaining explicit and informed consent before any physical contact.
Beyond prohibitions, ethical frameworks emphasize positive obligations. Teachers should maintain impeccable standards of professional competence and integrity, commit to ongoing education, make only realistic statements regarding yoga's benefits, and show sensitive regard for students' moral, social, and religious standards. The teacher student relationship involves a power imbalance that teachers must consciously work to mitigate rather than exploit. As one code of ethics states, it is the teacher's responsibility to maintain relationships with students that are appropriate and professional, recognizing the special nature of this dynamic and holding its purpose to be supporting the student's healing and personal development.
The Revolution in Consent and Physical Contact
Perhaps no aspect of yoga teaching has undergone more dramatic transformation than practices around physical touch. Traditional Bikram classes, like many yoga styles, assumed implied consent: by attending class, students were understood to have agreed to hands-on adjustments. Teachers walked the room pushing, pulling, and pressing students into what they considered correct alignment. Documentary footage of Choudhury shows him forcefully adjusting students without asking, and this practice was normalized throughout studios bearing his name.
The revelations of sexual abuse within yoga communities, combined with broader cultural shifts catalyzed by the MeToo movement, have fundamentally changed these norms. Yoga Alliance now requires that teachers obtain explicit and informed consent before physically adjusting students. This consent can be given verbally, in writing, by unambiguous gesture, or via consent indicators such as cards or chips placed on mats. Crucially, silence or lack of resistance does not demonstrate consent, and previous consent does not imply future permission.
Many studios have adopted consent card systems where students place cards on their mats indicating whether they welcome physical adjustments. One side might read adjust or assist yes please while the other says no thanks. This system allows students to indicate preferences without verbal confrontation and can be changed from class to class or even pose to pose. Other approaches include verbal check-ins at the start of class, asking permission individually before each adjustment, or teaching entirely without physical contact using verbal cues and demonstrations instead.
The shift toward verbal instruction has revealed that hands-on adjustments, once considered essential, are largely unnecessary and sometimes counterproductive. As one teacher trainer noted, a teacher should be able to language alignment cues so that touching students is rare. Verbal adjustments allow students to find poses by developing deeper awareness of their own bodies rather than being externally manipulated. When physical contact is offered, it should be for safety purposes when a student risks injury, not to force bodies into idealized shapes. Teachers must also recognize that even with consent, their touch carries weight that requires care and precision.
Trauma-Informed Teaching
Research and clinical experience have established that trauma affects a significant portion of any yoga class. Studies suggest that most people have experienced some level of trauma in their lives, and for survivors of physical or sexual abuse, the yoga classroom can present triggers that inadvertently retraumatize rather than heal. The intense physical sensations, heated environment, and traditional teacher authority structures of hot yoga classes make trauma-informed approaches particularly important.
Trauma-informed yoga teaching begins with understanding power dynamics. There is an inherent power imbalance between teacher and student, especially in traditional formats where teachers stand at the front giving instructions while students follow in vulnerable physical positions. For trauma survivors, this dynamic can replicate experiences of having their bodies controlled by others. Teachers can mitigate this by explicitly offering choices, using invitational rather than directive language, and emphasizing that everything offered is a suggestion that students can accept or decline based on their own body wisdom.
The Center for Trauma and Embodiment has developed Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga, now recognized on the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices, which offers specific protocols for working with trauma survivors. Key principles include giving students agency over their own experience, maintaining predictability in class structure while announcing any movements about the room, using language that invites sensation awareness rather than commanding specific actions, and ensuring teachers remain grounded in their own bodies rather than projecting anxiety or urgency.
For hot yoga teachers specifically, trauma-informed practice means abandoning the aggressive verbal style associated with traditional Bikram instruction. Commands like lock your knee or go deeper must be replaced with invitations like you might explore straightening your leg or notice what happens if you reach a little further. The traditional practice of teachers walking among students during savasana, the final relaxation, should be reconsidered, as having someone move around while practitioners lie vulnerable with closed eyes can trigger hypervigilance. Some trauma-informed teachers remain on their mat at the front of the room, announcing movements if they must adjust music or lights.
Maintaining Professional Boundaries
The abuses documented in Bikram yoga communities often began with blurred professional boundaries that gradually expanded until egregious violations seemed normalized. Teachers who wish to practice ethically must maintain clear separation between their professional roles and personal relationships. Professional codes consistently warn against dual relationships with students, including business partnerships, close personal friendships, and especially romantic or sexual involvement.
The Yoga Well Institute code of ethics states that teachers should avoid dual relationships with students because they can easily impair professional judgment, compromise the integrity of instruction, and become means for personal gain. All forms of sexual behavior with students are unethical, even when a student invites or consents to involvement. This includes not only physical contact but overt and covert seductive speech, gestures, and behaviors. The power imbalance between teacher and student makes genuine consent questionable even when explicitly given.
These guidelines extend beyond current students. Because the effects of the teacher-student power imbalance persist after the formal relationship ends, most ethical frameworks suggest waiting at least one year after the teaching relationship concludes before entering a personal relationship with a former student. Even then, extreme caution is advised. Teachers who find themselves romantically interested in current students should suggest the student find an alternate teacher, prioritizing the student's wellbeing and continued practice over personal desires.
Financial boundaries matter equally. Teachers should conduct fiscal affairs with recognized business practices, represent services truthfully, and avoid exploitative pricing or coercive sales tactics. The traditional Bikram teacher training model, which charged over ten thousand dollars for nine week intensive programs and created financial pressure through limited certification pathways, has been critiqued as part of the broader system of exploitation. Alternative training programs now offer more accessible pathways while maintaining educational rigor.
Creating Safe Practice Environments
Physical safety in heated yoga requires specific attention beyond general yoga teaching competence. Teachers must understand the physiological effects of exercising in elevated temperatures, including risks of dehydration, heat exhaustion, and exacerbation of certain medical conditions. Students with high blood pressure, heart conditions, pregnancy, or certain medications may face elevated risks. Ethical teachers screen for contraindications, provide clear guidance on hydration, and watch for signs of distress during class.
The physical environment itself communicates safety or threat. Studios should be clean, well-ventilated within the constraints of the heated format, and accessible to practitioners with varying abilities. Clear policies should be posted regarding what students can expect, including temperature ranges, class duration, and the teacher's approach to adjustments. Some studios now explicitly state their independence from Bikram Choudhury and their commitment to ethical teaching practices, helping students make informed choices about where to practice.
Emotional safety requires attention to language, atmosphere, and response to student needs. Teachers should avoid body shaming language, comparisons between students, or comments that could be experienced as demeaning. When students need to rest, leave the room, or modify poses, this should be normalized rather than discouraged. The traditional Bikram culture of pushing through discomfort at all costs has caused injuries and alienated students; ethical teaching honors the wisdom of backing off when the body signals distress.
Response protocols matter when problems arise. Studios should have clear procedures for handling medical emergencies, student complaints, and reports of inappropriate behavior by teachers or other students. Teachers should know their scope of practice and maintain referral lists of medical and mental health professionals for students who need support beyond what yoga can provide. Creating truly safe spaces requires ongoing vigilance, not one-time policy declarations.
The Commitment to Ongoing Education
Ethical teaching requires continuous learning. Understanding of anatomy, physiology, trauma, and best practices evolves; teachers who trained years or decades ago may be operating with outdated information or absorbed problematic methods they have not examined. Professional codes emphasize staying abreast of new developments through educational activity and study. This includes not only physical practice and teaching methodology but also ethics training, trauma-informed approaches, and awareness of issues facing the broader yoga community.
Training programs have evolved significantly since the Bikram scandal. Organizations like the Original Hot Yoga Association, Evolation Yoga, and YogaFX now offer certification in the twenty six posture sequence through Yoga Alliance-accredited programs that include ethics training, anatomy education, and professional development. These alternatives provide rigorous preparation without financial support flowing to Choudhury or his organization. Many require ongoing continuing education to maintain certification.
Self-reflection constitutes another form of ongoing education. Teachers should regularly examine their motivations, actions, and interactions with students. Are boundaries being maintained? Is language supportive rather than shaming? Are consent practices being consistently followed? Seeking feedback from students, colleagues, and mentors can reveal blind spots. The abuses in traditional Bikram culture persisted partly because questioning the guru was forbidden; ethical communities encourage rather than suppress critical examination.
Teaching with Integrity Today
For teachers committed to the therapeutic value of the twenty six posture sequence, the path forward requires both acknowledging the troubled history and actively building something better. This means being honest with students about the practice's origins when asked, while demonstrating through daily conduct that the sequence can be taught with respect, safety, and genuine care for student wellbeing. Many teachers now explicitly distance themselves from Choudhury while honoring the practice itself and the lineage of teachers like Bishnu Ghosh from which it ultimately derives.
Practical steps for ethical teaching include: obtaining informed consent before any physical contact and respecting refusals without question; using invitational language that offers choices rather than commands; maintaining appropriate professional boundaries with all students; creating physical environments that prioritize safety; continuing education in anatomy, trauma-informed approaches, and ethics; supporting students in developing their own body awareness rather than dependence on external correction; and fostering studio cultures where questions, feedback, and concerns are welcomed rather than suppressed.
The broader yoga community's response to the Bikram scandal offers both warning and hope. The warning is clear: charismatic authority, uncritical devotion, and inadequate accountability structures enable abuse. The hope lies in the thousands of teachers and practitioners who have chosen to preserve what is valuable in the practice while building new structures that prioritize ethics over personality, student safety over teacher authority, and genuine healing over mere compliance. The twenty six postures remain powerful tools for physical and mental wellbeing. How they are taught determines whether that power serves or harms the students who practice them.
A New Chapter
The transformation of hot yoga teaching from the Bikram era to the present represents one of the most significant ethical reckonings in modern yoga history. Studios that once proudly displayed the founder's name now advertise their independence from him. Teacher trainings that once required pilgrimage to his programs now offer ethical alternatives through accredited institutions. Consent practices that were unheard of are now industry standard. The question of whether the sequence can be ethically taught has been answered in the affirmative by thousands of teachers who demonstrate daily that rigorous physical practice is compatible with respect, safety, and genuine care.
Yet vigilance remains necessary. Power imbalances inherent in teaching relationships do not disappear because intentions are good. The physical vulnerability of practicing in extreme heat, combined with the psychological vulnerability of seeking healing through practice, creates conditions that require constant ethical attention. Teachers must resist the temptation to become the authorities their students may want them to be, instead empowering students to develop their own discernment, honor their own bodies, and trust their own wisdom.
The legacy of abuse in Bikram yoga cannot be erased, and its victims deserve acknowledgment and justice that the legal system has not fully provided. What ethical teachers can offer is a different model for the future: one where the profound benefits of disciplined physical practice are delivered with humility rather than domination, consent rather than coercion, and genuine service rather than self-aggrandizement. In this new chapter, the measure of a teacher's worth is not the obedience of students but their flourishing, not submission to authority but growth in autonomy. The heated room remains; what has changed is everything about how we inhabit it together.
References
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