The real title for this article is How to Respect Your Yoga Teacher, Astrologer and Other People Who Live Their Truth and Have the Courage to Present Themselves to the World and Try to Earn a Living Doing What They Love, Most Especially Men Who Do This.

But because that title is too long, I had to cut it short.

As a male yoga instructor, I’ve had some particular challenges being in front of a class. It is rare to find men who enjoy yoga—and even more rare to find instructors who put themselves out there to earn a living with yoga.

I’ve read numerous articles from female yoga instructors that tell male students to not check out the women in class, and that the female yoga instructor in front of the classroom is off-limits—but I can’t tell you how many women are just as misguided when it comes to how they relate to men that are in front of the classroom.

If I shared some of the comments, come-ons and insinuations that women have said to me, your hair would stand on end in amazement.

In short, the raunchiest come-ons in my entire life have been expressed by women in my yoga classes.

It is sexual harassment and totally inappropriate.

I mean…really ?! If women came onto a massage therapist in these ways, they’d get kicked out of the club—and they wouldn’t ever hit on a minister, swami or rabbi so blatently—so why is a male yoga instructor ‘fair game?’

Hitting on your yoga teacher is the height of disrespectful, reprehensible and immature behavior. And I know that this isn’t just a problem that male instructors face in yoga; it is an issue that men who are spiritually inclined face in any type of spiritual, artistic or field that involves sensitivity.

I’d say that any field that is predominantly participated in by women and where men are rare, this can be a real issue.

To to clarify for all who attend yoga and who may have a male yoga instructor: all of these points are valid for other spiritual and creative industries, but I will use the word yoga. Please interchange it as you wish for other industries.

This also applies in the other direction for men who hit on their female instructors.

Some women look for strong men, who have sensitivity, are self-empowered and leaders and that man who is front of class may or may not be all that. It doesn’t make him a target for your attraction or sexual predations.

If anything, it is a chance to see your own disconnects in regards to sexuality and how you relate to men. I have found most people don’t have the understanding of spiritual practices to do this, and instead disrespect the instructor and violate the student-teacher trust.

Once a come-on happens or attraction is expressed, it puts the teacher in a vulnerable position. It is my opinion that such a student needs to be asked to leave and never return to class because the trust has been violated. They’ve demonstrated that they are not interested in yoga, but in materialism, pleasure and lust.

I teach yoga because my experiences with it cause me to value it, authentically.

At a time in my life when everything was in question and chaos, I discovered yoga as a path for me to discover and live my inner most truth. It has helped me become authentic, true, and powerful. At a spiritual level, I value these practices because they work. I am not religious, though I believe in God, Christ and the validity of spiritual teachings and practices from a multitude of schools. I embraced yoga because I find the same core ethics, morals and spirit in can be found in all prominent spiritual paths ; except that yoga took ideals and concepts and gave me a practical, scientific approach.

This means that I put those ethics and morals first; I couldn’t care less about anything my students bring to class except for their intention to learn. A spiritual focus is all that matters. I don’t want to have an emotional relationship with my students—I am not a counselor; I am not even a friend.