With #MeToo consuming the entire Yoga community, Abhijata Iyengar, the grand daughter of legendary Yoga guru, BKS Iyengar addressed this issue during her opening speech at the IYNAUS convention 2019 by being candid and provided .

She introspects by questioning whether the Iyengar community should now start teaching without touch?  

She answers the question by explaining a pose vrichikasana which guruji taught her. 

In this pose Guruji eyes are firmly looking at the ensuring that the pose is correct. (14:30) Guruji is adjusting the thighs with his elbows, the knees are holding the rib cage to center her. (17:00) Light on Yoga says, the Head which is the seat of knowledge and power is also the seat of pride, anger, hatred, jealousy, intolerance and malice. These emotions are more deadly than the poison which the scorpion carries in its sting. The Yogi by stamping on his head with his feet attempts to eradicate these self destroying emotions and passion. By kicking his head, he seeks to develop humility, calmness and tolerance and thus to be free of ego, the subjugation of ego leads to harmony and happiness.

(18:09)  How else can a guru make a student do vrischikasan?  Did he stand on the side? Did he read out instructions from Light on yoga? Did he teach from a distance? Can he stand on the side? He was never an armchair philosopher. If touch is removed from Iyengar yoga, it will be such a pity. Unfortunately each one of us is now contemplating that, abolishing this touch and I do not agree with this (19:25).  By casting aside the power of touch we will lose its great ability to heal , to comfort, to diagnose, to communicate. AI cannot substitute for a mother’s love. A 1000 point notebook on Ardha chandrasan cannot substitute the support a teacher gives by holding on to the shoulder and leg and spine. (24:20)

Can a gynaecologist do his or her job without dealing with the area which has to be dealt with? (18:55) Can a doctor heal without touching

The knife is the same. What matters is who is holding the knife? A murderer or a surgeon. You cant ban the knife. It is the intent which has to be checked. (19:15 )

Your heart will always discriminate and tell you what is right and what is wrong. If a girl is drowning, will you ask for permission to help her? My only intention is that I should save her from drowning.  I love Iyengar Yoga too much to see it decay because of this apprehension. I love my grandfather too much to see this potential of Iyengar Yoga to touch life disappear. (30:50)”

Key Highlights of her speech

“She spoke about her own experiences when as a teenager she was inappropriately groped at a temple.”

“She categorized touch in 2 parts Groping and Healing”

“Touch of groping is Himsa and touch of healing, help, touch with Maitri is Yogic”

“Bad touch breaks you, healing touch saves you”

“Expression of hurt and disturbed and sadness (5:00 )”

“As a community we are contemplating teaching and studying Iyengar Yoga without touch for safety of both parties (6:00)”

“Fear of not touching with purity while teaching would be so unfortunate (6:30)”

  “Had it not been for BKS Iyengar, I would have definitely underestimated the value and the healing power of touch (9:10)”

“We are in a time where we seek an appointment to ask for help. And we ask for permission to Help (9:40)”

 “Should we now adopt teaching Iyengar Yoga without touch (11:20)”

Abhijata’s stance – “I am a daughter, I am a wife, I am a mother, a friend, a practitioner, a teacher. All these relationships have touched me, physically and emotionally. A bad touch is a bad touch, it is unacceptable but touch also transmits. The beauty of iyengar yoga is that it transmits an experience. (12:00)”

“Any act has 3 substances to it. Hetu, Phala and Ashreya

Hetu – Intention

Phala – Fruit

Ashreya – Support that the act takes (13:40 ) “

The intent of any act is vital (18:45)

Can a gynaecologist do his or her job without dealing with the area which has to be dealt with? (18:55) Can a doctor heal without touching

The knife is the same. What matters is who is holding the knife? A murderer or a surgeon. You cant ban the knife. It is the intent which has to be checked. (19:15 )

“If touch is removed from Iyengar yoga, it will be such a pity. Unfortunately each one of us is now contemplating that, abolishing this touch and I do not agree with this (19:25)”

Iyengar yoga is not for someone who touches with impure intent

This problem exists not just in iyengar yoga but in any occupation, any career, any place. (20:05)

 By casting aside the power of touch we will lose its great ability to heal , to comfort, to diagnose, to communicate. AI cannot substitute for a mother’s love. A 1000 point notebook on Ardha chandrasan cannot substitute the support a teacher gives by holding on to the shoulder and leg and spine. (24:20)

“What are we going to do? – Do I have an answer, I don’t know. For the system, I don’t. But as an individual, I do. I promise myself that in anytime I touch a student, it will have only one intention that I may be able to help him or her. (25:15) “

“Purity and dissemination should be the substrate from which anything that you do has to emanate. Your actions your reactions, your words your teachings, your responses, your thoughts, your touch. No rule can enforce this. No ethical guidelines can do this for our system or any system. No letter from RIMYI pune can guarantee this. It has to be the decision of each one of us here and everywhere else. It has to be that purity in every single time of touching or helping a person. (28:00)”

Your heart will always discriminate and tell you what is right and what is wrong. If a girl is drowning, will you ask for permission to help her? My only intention is that I should save her from drowning.

Oddly enough, anything that is labelled as inhuman behavior as a matter of fact is only seen in the human species. (30:00)

“I love Iyengar Yoga too much to see it decay because of this apprehension. I love my grandfather too much to see this potential of Iyengar Yoga to touch life disappear. (30:50)”

In a related development, IYNAUS Executive Council for the first time apologized directly to the women who gave their testimonies to the independent investigation into Manouso Manos acts of sex abuse in his classes between 2005 and the present src: Matthew Remski’s blog

Manouso Mano’s letter denying all allegations

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