As an enlightened being, he is thought to be beyond the judgment of ordinary mortals, their laws and morality. A system that rewards a particular behavior or person and then arbitrarily ignores or punishes that same behavior or person can quickly lead even healthy individuals to develop profound anxiety and uncertainty-the antithesis of self-confidence. Carolyn had sought a consultation with Pandit Rajmani, who told her that Megan was either lying because she was "on an ego trip," or fantasizing a sexual encounter that had never taken place. Of all the Institute's swamis and teachers, Pandit Arya is by far the most scholarly. Pandit Rajmani says he did not feel any responsibility, as spiritual counselor to the women who had approached him for help, to investigate their complaints or question his guru. Swami Rama is held by his disciples to be a kind of god: He makes up the rules of the game, he can change them at will, and he cannot be judged by them. But one by one, Trescelli says, the women backed down and decided not to pursue legal action. When she questioned him, Megan says, he became angry and dismissed the women's suffering, saying that a little poison ivy could be good for them. Become more involved with the projects of the ashram-seminars, residents, the patient program-in time she would be in charge of the whole thing. At the Himalayan Yoga Institute we believe in providing you with a broad yogic education to empower you to make the best possible choices for your students and create a modern yoga class that respects yoga's traditions and foundation while taking into account the unique personal needs of your students. Carolyn says she spent years blaming herself and trying to rationalize away what she now regards as sexual abuse. In the mid-1970s, she and her husband George,* both students of Swami Rama, traveled to India and stayed at the guru's ashram in Rishikesh. "Even if I found out-how can I find out? He told her to lie to the residential program director and say that she planned to visit a relative, and he gave her $100 to cover the cost of the trip. At about the same time, Carolyn was accepted into the residential program at East West Books Chicago, the Institute's downtown branch. Whether youre retracing the footsteps of sages through pilgrimage in the Himalayas, or immersing yourself in the most incredible spaces the US has to offer, you will experience the life-changing power of yoga in action. According to the story Terry and Brian say Rose later told them, late one night Swami Rama tapped at the door of her room and then walked in on her. Brian says he refused to tell Rose's story in such an atmosphere. Because that's my whole life& My relationship with [Swami Rama] is purely divine and spiritual-there cannot be impurity in it, and there is no room for such thoughts. Carolyn and others say Megan caused a scandal in the Honesdale ashram by breaking the silence surrounding Swami Rama's sexual behavior. Relax, restore, and nourish yourself with a wellness retreat. India Himalayan Institute India Our program model in India has been designed to focus on three initiatives: providing educational programs for children to help them rise above poverty level, preserving ancient culture and wisdom, and providing support for villagers dealing with natural disasters. Rajmani explains the basic goals of the Institute's tradition of yoga: "The most important part of the practice is nonattachment." Is it not better to follow someone who has charted the path?". Our new online platform for community, courses, and content. The Institute also offers instruction to counselors and psychotherapists in the application of yoga and meditation techniques to therapy. According to ex-members, Swami Rama often acts in ways his disciples find humiliating, but they tell each other he is humbling their stubborn egos to help them reach enlightenment faster. There's no need for finding out, if I know it is completely wrong.". He is also head of the Institute's Holistic Studies (formerly Eastern Studies) program and has written a number of scholarly books on yoga philosophy. Ayurvedic treatments, massage therapy, chiropractic care, and integrative health services at PureRejuv Wellness Center. Go to Top. He would take her to the Orient-Japan and India. At the same time as he dismissed her, Swami Rama also gave her a Sanskrit name. where I lived for almost 8 years studying and teaching yoga and holistic health. That one gesture unleashed a storm of long-suppressed emotions. What Ballentine does not mention is that a second jury judged Nuernberger guilty of unprofessional conduct in his treatment of Nancy E. Williams, another former client, on February 17, 1981. A short time later, Swami Rama let her go as his secretary-because, she says he told her, she didn't really want the job. Dr. Elmer Green says that he and his wife have heard from a number of women who said they were sexually exploited by Swami Rama. Numerous former students say they left the Institute because they were sexually exploited by Swami Rama or knew someone who was. But during the next three weeks, she says, she saw the Swami mistreating his disciples, especially the women, on a daily basis-yelling at them, ridiculing them, ordering them around, and occasionally kicking a woman in the buttocks when she was on her hands and knees weeding. Tall and imposing, he had the sleek look of a successful man in his late 50s, at the peak of his power. Megan remembers asking him why he was trying all this on her. Some were afraid of Institute retaliation; most were afraid of hurting their families, who in some cases do not know about the abuses the women suffered; still others were worried that their professional reputations would be harmed. At some point, we ran into Swami Rama in a hallway. A guru has the wisdom of experience and the ancient teachings, so he can provide guidance, Dr. Ballantine says, but students should "judge every [practice] on the basis of your own experience." In many ways, the Institute's austere structure is designed to appeal to the personality that yearns for what psychiatrist Robert J. Lifton calls a "totalist" environment, where virtually every aspect of one's life is subject to external control. A world leader in the field of yoga, meditation, spirituality, and holistic health, the Himalayan Institute is a non-profit international organization dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian programs. I told her what I'd heard, and that I wasn't sure the rumor was true-as a beginning student of yoga and meditation at the Institute's East West Books in New York City, I was reluctant to believe it myself. His actions are rarely questioned by his followers, because his every deed is thought to flow from his union with godhead. In today's Academic Minute, the University of Houston's Christopher Burnett determines how bad the damage can be. Enrich your practice through the wisdom of the Himalayan Tradition, found in our online community and digital library, with new content added every week. In the presence of others, we spoke only of positive or spiritual matters, in the deliberately modulated tones all the residents used. Rose, they explain, was not a disciple of Swami Rama, but had been invited by family members in the Institute's administration to come to Honesdale for medical treatment. Only recently has she acknowledged her anger at Swami Rama. I like to believe that somewhere inside of him, he is the good person I believed him to be. But within the Institute, she says, everyone else seemed to accept the guru's sexually suggestive behavior and humiliation of women. Carolyn was raised Catholic, and during high school she explored Transcendental Meditation, Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, and the "Jesus freak" movement. Sexual abuse by yoga gurus is the exploitation of the position of trust occupied by a master of any branch of yoga for personal sexual pleasure. Carolyn walked up to the cabin, she says, where after a brief minute spent leafing through her work, the guru asked her in a low voice for a meeting later that night. And there is a statement, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.'" But their encounters were exactly the same as before, she says-emotionally impersonal and sexually mechanical. Residents are expected to donate a large portion of their labor, and they must sacrifice personal freedoms and privacy. One evening in early June, Carolyn remembers, Swami Rama's housekeeper phoned the women's dorm and asked her to bring the manuscript she was preparing over to Swami Rama's new cabin. A world leader in yoga, meditation, and holistic health, we are dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian programs. For a time, she says, she considered getting a pistol to carry to work. Our Honesdale campus continues to be home to a service-driven community of yogis, volunteers, and faculty-in-residence. She listened calmly as I admitted that I'd worried she might be a victim. His disciples generally agree that the only reason his soul still inhabits a physical body is because he wants to help others achieve liberation from maya, the realm of illusion. Fortified by their mutual discovery, Karen says, the two couples undertook to inform their fellow students back home in Minneapolis. Instead they deny the experience of the "unenlightened" women who are the guru's victims. He says he spends most evenings with the guru until midnight or 2 a.m., and that he knows better than anyone who is with Swami Rama late at night and who isn't. "By their fruits you shall know them," he says, paraphrasing the Bible. I ask him. The program seemed to provide the ideal family she'd never had, where everyone shared her values and spiritual goals. Our humanitarian projects serve impoverished communities through rural empowerment and environmental regeneration. She opted to forego pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology because the Institute's program allowed her to earn a degree in a related field while studying Eastern philosophy and meditation with Pandit Rajmani, who had initiated her in Chicago. State licensing boards may take away a professional's license to practice if he (or she) is found guilty of "inappropriate sexual contact," which may include everything from verbal sexual innuendos to a long-term sexual liaison with a client or patient. A world leader in yoga, meditation, and holistic health, the Himalayan Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian programs. This seemingly whimsical application of standards demoralized many of the ex-members I spoke with and led many to resent the members of Swami Rama's inner circle. What she now regards as sexual abuse nonattachment. of others, we ran into Swami Rama or someone... Modulated tones all the Institute because they were sexually exploited by Swami Rama sexual! Teachers, Pandit Arya is by far the most important part of the `` unenlightened '' women who the. Better to follow someone who was she says, the women backed down and decided to. 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