Kausthub Desikachar, the grand son of Master Yogi/Teacher Sri T. Krishnamacharya, and the son of TKV Desikachar, has stepped down from the KYM (Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram) and the KHYF (Krishnamacharya Healing and Yoga Foundation) on allegations of sexual mental and emotional abuse.
I just read this from Yogadork who has published the letters sent by the institute in India, its subsidiary in North America and the office in the UK. Below is a portion of the letter that was sent from the Institute in the Americas:
I just read this from Yogadork who has published the letters sent by the institute in India, its subsidiary in North America and the office in the UK. Below is a portion of the letter that was sent from the Institute in the Americas:
Last Friday, four women from the European KHYF Yoga Therapist Training filed formal complaints with the police in Austria accusing Kausthub of sexual, mental and emotional abuse. The allegations include the misuse of his position as a yoga mentor by utilizing his knowledge of personal histories of sexual and emotional trauma in an attempt to initiate sexual relations.
This behavior has not only hurt those who trusted him, but has also betrayed the good will and confidence placed in him by the organization and all of his colleagues.
Kausthub is not denying these accusations and has cancelled his current teaching schedule in order to return to Chennai.
This is a very serious breech of trust and we are advocating that he immediately stop all teaching, step down from the KYM, KHYF and all other advisory positions he holds, and seek the qualified, long-term professional help that he needs. This has been communicated to Kausthub and we await his response.
Please remember that there is a tremendous difference between the teachings and the teacher, and we are committed to doing all we can to clarify this distinction.
Really feel sad that this incident happened with Kaustub /KYM .I have never met Kaustub nor was aware of any of these incidents before .KYM is just 2-3 km from my house and while Krishamacharya and Desikarchar are my greatest Yoga inspirations and I still derive inspirations by reading their books but I was never motivated to visit KYM to receive the teachings and I stuck to the Sivananda School of Yoga and now doing my own personal Sadhana integrating various Yoga techniques . In the past I heard of many senior teachers of KYM moving out or forced to Move out and the primary reason being pointed out was Kaustub's behavior and attitude towards the various senior teachers there . Anyway I do not want to talk ill of a man when he is down and will share my thoughts later about why these sort of incidents are happening regularly in the Yoga Arena .
ReplyDeleteKrishna, hi, good to hear from you. Yes it is sad especially for the women involved who need to recover now, it takes courage to come forward and it is a good thing they did so no further damage would continue. -
ReplyDeleteKausthub Desikachar ran the KHYF and KYM like a corporation; whomever did not agree with him or suggested instituting policies which might provide checks and balances was eliminated or castigated. He took credit for things which others fought fiercely to create. He is a product of three cultures: business school, the patriarchal society of South India and the lineage of his father. He is an intellectual genius and a deeply flawed individual who does not even believe in God, yet took on the continuation of a lineage as a means to fulfill his responsibilities and create an economic empire to give him the freedom he desired. He traded power for truth. Anyone who stood up to him was cast aside. This is why this happened. Everyone who knew; knew it was only a matter of time.
ReplyDeleteHello Truthsayer, I see, I did not know he had gone to business school. Knew very little about him other than what I read in a newsletter he sent me on the mail in which I was surprised by the way a student described his teachings which consisted mostly on what seemed like a humiliating technique of laughing at her limited knowledge...
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you say he "traded power for truth", this is a theme very common to our times I guess, one worth exploring.
It is unfortunatelly that all of this came to happen, many people have expressed that he (Kausthub) needs help, I hope he gets it, and also I hope the women involved can heal.
Appreciate you telling me what you think.
Yes. The process of his rise and "takeover" of the tradition was very painful for many. Although he continued to spread the teachings and share them in a new way, he also created a rigid hierarchical structure, which allowed him to systematically rid the organization of anyone who did not see eye to eye with him. Once his father stepped down from involvement, he was able to structure the entire organization around satisfying his own personal needs. The organization has done incredibly good work in the world, and hopefully will continue to do so. This is truly a moment where he could grow beyond the samskaras of denial and exclusion that have created this situation.
ReplyDeleteMay the light shine on his darkness and on all of those who chose power over love and integrity. May the truth prevail and may those who have been wronged find peace at last.
Without disrespect intended to the women who filed a complaint with the Austrian police, it is very easy to walk into a police station and file a complaint, even a serious one, and I suppose even easier if you have three other people with you. Since I was not there, I cannot comment on the situation, but I do know that time and again, in the history of yoga, western women have flocked to what they understand as an exotic remedy or escape from their sometimes mundane lives only to discover that India and yoga is perhaps more complex than they are able to perceive. I am not saying these women were not mistreated, but I am not surprised that so many uninformed people are ready to believe it is true, and to also have an opinion about it. And, by uninformed, I mean anyone who is not directly connected to the situation at hand, including the lineage in San Francisco.
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