What is Post-Lineage Yoga (and Why I Use It to Describe the Yoga I Teach)
Content Warning: Discussion of sexual assault and abuse in yoga lineages.
Post-lineage yoga—a term so succinct, yet so expansive in meaning.
I first encountered it in 2015 when I met my teacher, Dr. Uma Dinsmore-Tuli. Hearing it for the first time felt strange, yet deeply familiar, as though it had always been waiting for me to discover it. It marked the beginning of a profound friendship—one that would change the way I understood and practised yoga.
Before meeting Uma, I was a fervent yogini, constantly searching for the next spiritual teacher who could guide me out of whatever personal struggles I was facing. I’ve practised yoga for 14 years now, and in my early years, I explored every major lineage—Iyengar, Sivananda, Ashtanga Vinyasa. I delved even deeper into offshoots like Jivamukti, Dharma, Forrest, Anusara, and even Bikram. At one point, I felt like a complete failure for not being able to stick with a single style for more than two years. It wasn’t a lack of discipline; something about lineage-based yoga didn’t sit well with me.
Then there were the abuses—the sexual assault and misconduct I experienced from teachers within these lineages. Back then, I lacked the language to articulate my discomfort, but meeting Uma and learning about Dr. Theo Wildcroft, who coined and popularized the term post-lineage yoga, gave me the words I needed.
Understanding Post-Lineage Yoga
Post-lineage yoga describes a shift many yoga practitioners and teachers experience. Initially, they may train exclusively within a lineage, never questioning their teacher’s authority. But over time, they seek knowledge beyond that structure—reading books from different traditions, integrating modern neuroscience, sharing practices with peers, or attending workshops outside their original lineage.
In traditional lineage yoga, there is a rigid hierarchy, with a guru or senior teacher at the top. Each lineage has its own philosophy, often prescribing set sequences or principles. Some introduce new poses while renaming older ones; others prohibit certain postures altogether. In some styles, a specific pose may be the ultimate goal, while in others, it’s entirely absent from the practice.
Post-lineage yoga emerged as these hierarchies faced a crisis of authority. The founding figures of many major lineages were exposed as profit-driven misogynists, sexual predators—or both. And it wasn’t just them; senior teachers within these systems were complicit as well. The #MeToo movement in yoga brought these abuses to light, with survivors like Karen Rain speaking out and resources like Yoni Shakti compiling accounts of misconduct. Podcasts such as Yoga Is Dead and the documentary on Bikram Choudury. further revealed the systemic issues. Yet, when I opened Terra Luna Yoga - a trauma-aware and women-focused space in 2019, I was shocked by how many people were still unaware of these histories.
The Lingering Effects of Lineage-Based Yoga
Even though I left lineage-based yoga long ago, its ghosts still haunt me. When I practise in community spaces outside my own teaching environment, anxiety compels me to arrive 20 minutes early so I can find a spot near the door or against a wall—anywhere that prevents people from walking behind me and allows for a quiet exit if needed. It may seem excessive, but as a survivor of sexual assault within the yoga world, prioritizing my mental and physical safety is anything but trivial.
I still hear the voices of my past teachers—the Ashtanga instructor who threatened to expel me for drinking water during class or, worse, for exhaling through my mouth. And then there are the devout followers of these lineages who urge me to “separate the teacher from the teachings.” But how can one do that when the lineage itself is built on the guru’s name and philosophy? How can you separate the predator from the practice?
These issues are not confined to the Global North. Instances of unwanted touch and sexual assault in yoga and fitness settings are increasingly reported locally. And these stories—heartbreaking as they are—are just the tip of the iceberg.
The Evolution of Post-Lineage Yoga
With the passing of B.K.S. Iyengar, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, and Swami Satyananda, the post-lineage movement gained traction. More teachers began acknowledging the wrongs of their gurus and sought new ways to evolve the practice. Some distanced themselves from their lineages entirely. Wildcroft describes how integrating diverse practices fosters creativity, innovation, and accessibility, allowing yoga to be practised without rigid adherence to tradition.
But stepping away from tradition requires a commitment to community, inclusivity, and collective experience—moving away from the hierarchical structures that dominate much of today’s world. In an era that prioritizes social influence and online followings (hello, Meta), truly embodying post-lineage yoga is no easy feat.
My Commitment to Post-Lineage Yoga
Still, I persist. Post-lineage yoga allows me to practice in a way that honours my difficult past while embracing the evolving landscape of yoga, especially within decolonisation and liberation movements. I hope that through my practice and teaching, I can contribute to the vision of post-lineage yoga.
More than anything, I hope that if you, like me, have ever felt afraid to leave an abusive teacher or system, you find the courage to trust your inner wisdom. That, dear one, brings you closer to yoga—not further away from it.
