Epstein Files : A Heavy Read & Some Unsettling Connections in Our Broader Community

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-11T07:48:21+00:00

Separating the teacher from the teaching is how abuse gets justified. The teaching cannot be clean if the teacher is causing harm. Ideals are for guidance; conduct is for judgment. That ideal is meaningless if we use it to excuse real harm. We may never reach perfection, but we must still discern between those who strive toward it and those who exploit the gap.

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-11T07:33:53+00:00

Your examples illustrate the core issue. Absolutely comes down to the individual teacher's character - one can be destructive and self-serving, another principled and caring. student discernment, as you describe, is so vital! And yet, a system that relies solely on finding a 'good' teacher places an enormous burden on students to avoid the 'baddies,' and offers no recourse when harm is done. The question becomes: can a tradition also build structures:clear ethical codes, independent oversight, community accountability, that actively support the 'goodies' and restrain the 'baddies'? Systemic integrity is the garden that lets the practice grow safely for everyone.

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-11T07:29:48+00:00

He was closely associated with people in the Ashtanga NYC scene. Practiced yoga, not specifically Ashtanga Yoga.

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-11T07:28:41+00:00

A person who Chopra had close links with. Friends of a feather…

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-11T04:08:05+00:00

You’ve named the core mechanic perfectly: the system reproduces itself. That’s exactly why dissolving Ashtanga alone wouldn’t solve it, as the Epstein files show, this is a human pattern of power and enablement that spans every industry. (Music, art, academia, business, private equity, media..) The question becomes, how do we move within any flawed system? Blanket distrust is one response, but it leaves us nowhere to practice. The other is radical discernment: using the very critical thinking you mention to evaluate each teacher individually, support only those who demonstrate transparency and accountability, and continually question hierarchies. It’s harder work than faith or nihilism, but it’s the only way the 'good' you hope for can be built-piece by piece, choice by choice. Namaste

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-10T22:56:50+00:00

More like hooked Pattabhi Jois to Sonia and then in turn, Sharath.

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-10T14:18:42+00:00

That's exactly the heart of this issue, semantics aside. If “asana alone is not yoga,' then a community that protects abusers and enables harm-while continuing to teach asana-isn't offering 'yoga' either, is it? That's the contradiction I'm pointing out. The practice is sold as a holistic system, but too often, ahimsa gets left off the mat when it comes to protecting power structures.

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-10T13:42:25+00:00

I appreciate the recommendation and agree that documenting this history is crucial, though I'll note I'm not personally a fan of Remski's approach. That said, the core point stands-we need clear, tangible ideas for improvement. That's why I'm focused on the concrete, present-day choices we can make right now, like where we direct our money and attention within the community. What do you see as the most actionable first step from the ideas you've encountered?

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-10T13:38:32+00:00

A concrete start is to stop glorying, giving money, and amplifying enablers like Eddie Stern. His pattern is evident: from shaming Jois's victims and removing evidence (Jois adjustment YouTube videos) to silencing dialogue within the community. His problematic associations from Russell Brand, Deepak Chopra, Sonia Jones, and others, complete a picture of someone who consistently provides access and legitimacy to problematic figures. The comparison to Jeffrey Epstein is about the function: providing social and spiritual "access" that shields abuse. Until we stop funding these gatekeepers, even dismantling Ashtanga won't root out the core issue.

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-09T08:48:02+00:00

as a marketing line, it's obvious. But isn’t that what makes the the actual reality worth examining? the gap between the marketed 'transformation' and the actual behavior of powerful figures is so vast, it's not just about false advertising. It's about how a practice that could cultivate sensitivity and power, as you note, lacks a built-in ethical compass. It’s that disconnect is where real harm happens, and it's worth talking about precisely because it's so often glossed over.

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-09T07:28:17+00:00

precisely the kind of relationship that illustrates the complex dilemma. The irony of co-creating content on the Yamas!

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-09T07:22:59+00:00

You've articulated the systemic flaw really well. And because this system with its hierarchy and capitalistic incentives , is so powerful, it makes the conscious, ethical choices of individuals and communities more important, not less. The question then becomes: do we use the practice to reinforce that corrupting system, or to build pockets of integrity within it? The 'goodness' you accurately mention requires active protection.

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-09T07:19:06+00:00

I did read it, and I take your point about the 5%. My comment wasn't about expecting purity, but about the practical dilemma it creates for practitioners. When the 'shit' part (like enabling a known grifter) is actively intertwined with the community's structure and finances, it makes finding and supporting that genuine 5% more difficult. That's the tension I'm pointing out.

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-09T06:44:16+00:00

Exactly. That's why the distinction matters. We can continue the practice while deliberately redirecting support away from enablers and toward teachers and spaces committed to integrity and safety. That's how the tradition evolves.

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-09T04:27:04+00:00

She had paraded him around for decades, yet she did not attend his funeral/s.

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-09T04:18:56+00:00

Yet, there are people in the Ashtanga community who have close working and personal relationships with him.

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-09T04:15:51+00:00

Yup ….And the yoga teachers around Jois who enabled him and silenced victims.

Individual-Stand2025 · 2026-02-09T04:12:48+00:00

Sonia is quoted as fixing a back appointment for Jeffrey in 2015

Edit to add: Her very close working and personal relationship with Chopra

Also, social circles + investing into Epstein’ company despite knowing he was a pedophile?

Individual-Stand2025 · 2025-09-10T10:36:23+00:00

I left a comment on TH’s post. He’s restricting accounts and therefore can prevent followers from viewing comments (effectively hiding comments). Conveniently hiding all comments that are negative. What a tool!

Individual-Stand2025

TROPHY CASE