Ashtanga Yoga After Pattabhi Jois: Magnolia Zuniga on Consent, Adjustment, and Real Healing (Part 2)

In Part 2 of our conversation, Magnolia Zuniga goes deeper into how the Ashtanga world responded—or failed to respond—to decades of sexual abuse by Pattabhi Jois and what that reveals about belonging, power, and performative “accountability” in yoga culture. She describes discovering that early Western students had deliberately suppressed photographic evidence of his assaults, how senior teachers minimized or rebranded what happened as “adjustments,” and why Me Too exposed not just one predator but a whole ecosystem of victim‑blaming, choice‑feminism rhetoric, and leaders more invested in their status and income than in telling the truth.Magnolia also talks about closing her own Mysore school, losing her coveted certification after speaking out, and building a new, Ayurveda‑informed way of teaching that centers individualized practice, honest power literacy, and doing yoga without funding or protecting abusive lineages—even when that means giving up enormous social and financial capital. For more context, check out The Walrus’s article on the topic.Follow Magnolia Zuniga on her YouTube channel, Facebook, or on Instagram @magnoliasezso.Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of sexual assault and molestation, victim‑blaming, mention of elite child abuse networks, and trauma.Also…let it be known that:The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business, individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.**PRE-ORDER Sarah and Nippy's newest book hereCheck out our amazing sponsorsJoin A Little Bit Culty on PatreonGet poppin’ fresh ALBC SwagSupport the pod and smash this linkCheck out our cult awareness and recovery resourcesWatch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, ScarredCREDITS:Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony AmesProduction Partner: Citizens of SoundCo-Creator: Jess TardyAudio production: Will RetherfordProduction Coordinator: Lesli DinsmoreWriter: Sandra NomotoSocial media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke KeaneTheme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel AsselinSUPPORT OUR SPONSOR:If you’re ready to start searching safely online, go to surfshark.com/culty or use code CULTY at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.