Ethical Literacy Is Missing in Yoga

Yoga spends a lot of time talking about intention, healing, and self-awareness, but very little time talking honestly about power.In this episode, Magnolia Zuniga explores why harm in yoga spaces doesn’t usually come from “bad people,” but from unexamined hierarchy, compromised consent, and a lack of ethical training. She explains why good intentions aren’t enough, why ethics is a skill rather than a personality trait, and why so many students and teachers are taught to doubt themselves instead of evaluate structures clearly.This is not an expose and it’s not a call out. It’s a conversation about ethical literacy, the ability to recognize power, consent, extraction, and exit safety in yoga education and teaching spaces.If you’ve ever felt that something was off in a yoga environment but couldn’t quite name it, this episode offers language, clarity, and discernment, without telling you what to think.Magnolia also briefly shares why she created her course Ethical Literacy for Yoga Teachers and Students for those who want to go deeper.https://magnolia-zuniga-s-school.teachable.com/purchase?product_id=6598367About Magnolia Zuniga:Magnolia Zuniga is a former Certified Ashtanga yoga teacher and one of only 20 women worldwide who were certified by the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute (KPJAYI) before publicly walking away from the lineage. After abuse allegations against Pattabhi Jois became public, she stopped teaching Ashtanga sequences and lost her certification—choosing survivor solidarity over professional advancement.She now teaches at ABQ Yoga Lab in Albuquerque, New Mexico, focusing on decolonizing yoga practice, recognizing cult dynamics in spiritual communities, and building accountability in yoga spaces. She speaks publicly about institutional abuse, guru culture, and what yoga becomes when you remove the harmful power structures.Find me at www.magnoliazuniga.com and https://www.youtube.com/@MagnoliaSezSo