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As we collectively begin to dismantle the patriarchy—and finally name the long-standing misuse of power by men in positions of authority, from spiritual gurus to celebrity teachers to the chilling revelations connected to Jeffrey Epstein—it’s worth asking an uncomfortable but necessary question:
Is traditional yoga asana—the physical posture practice—also due for revision?
Let me be clear from the start.
I am not speaking about the Upanishads or the Yoga Sutras, which continue to offer profound wisdom when approached with humility and discernment. Nor am I dismissing the philosophical heart of yoga. In fact, one of the most beautiful expressions of yogic philosophy I’ve encountered is The Secret Power of Yoga by Nischala Joy Devi—a feminine, relational, and deeply embodied interpretation of the Yoga Sutras that I absolutely adore.
What I am questioning is the way asana has been taught, transmitted, and prioritized.
I’ve been a student of yoga for over 30 years.
I began with Iyengar Yoga, under the lineage of B. K. S. Iyengar—precise, rigorous, alignment-based, and deeply formative. I moved into classical Hatha Yoga, and later into Anusara, which for a time felt like a beautiful bridge: the structural intelligence of Iyengar infused with the poetic, feminine language of Tantra.
And then—like so many others—I watched that community unravel when the misuse of power by its founder devastated students and teachers alike.
From there, I dove deeply into Ashtanga, practiced alongside the expansive, devotional movement of Shiva Rea, and continued my studies while my own yoga therapy practice was taking root, guided by my teacher Jnani Chapman.
Attending advanced asana trainings while simultaneously practicing yoga therapy was eye-opening.
What I began to see—clearly and consistently—was this:
Many yoga teacher trainings are designed to create beautiful practitioners and offer a powerful personal transformation. They are not designed to train skillful, responsive, trauma-aware teachers.
That realization is what led me to found Pranayoga Institute in 2009.
Today, yoga is more accessible than ever. Online platforms have opened doors for people who might never have entered a studio. This democratization has value. It matters.
And yet, without the essential layer of seeing the human being in front of you, I find myself asking:
Will yoga become a dying healing art?
When posture becomes performance, when speed replaces sensation, when discipline overrides discernment, something vital is lost.
This is where yoga therapy steps in—not as a rejection of tradition, but as its necessary evolution.
I’ve always been drawn to teachers who honored the feminine—not as gender, but as quality.
Teachers like Angela Farmer, who invited organic movement and intuitive intelligence.
My beloved teacher Shiva Rea, who wove rhythm, devotion, and embodiment into practice.
And teachers like Nikki Myers and Marsha Pappas, who consistently spoke about teaching to the person in front of you, not to an idealized form.
Yoga therapy embraces this feminine intelligence.
Our nervous systems are asking for it.
We are craving:
>> Agency in our movement
>> Sensation that feels good rather than impressive
>> Slower pacing that makes room for curves, scars, fear, grief, and insecurity
>> Practices that acknowledge trauma, illness, aging, and change
>> And yes—radical rest
This is not weakness.
This is wisdom.
So How Do We Honor the Roots Without Repeating the Harm?
This is the real question.
How do we honor the teachers who came before us without perpetuating outdated power structures?
How do we surrender enough to learn—without surrendering our discernment?
How do we keep discipline without domination?
The answer, for me, lives in sattva.
Sattva is clarity without rigidity.
Tradition without blind obedience.
Structure that serves life—not ego.
Sattva allows us to:
>> Bow to the roots of yoga and update its expression
>> Respect lineage and center lived experience
>> Train teachers who can perceive, adapt, and respond
>> Hold reverence and responsibility at the same time
Yoga does not need to be preserved in amber.
It needs to be alive.
When asana becomes relational rather than hierarchical, when teaching becomes responsive rather than performative, when the nervous system—not the posture—is the organizing principle, yoga returns to its original purpose:
Liberation.
Not through force.
But through presence.
~
Dani McGuire | Contribution: 3,510
Dani McGuire AKA Vani (meaning Saraswati) has practiced yoga since 1995, having studied Integral, Tantra, Ayurveda, Yoga Therapy, Prana Vinyasa, and Ashtanga. Her teaching is … Read full bio
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