A few weeks ago I watched Larry King interview Mary Kay Letourneau, the former schoolteacher who spent more than seven years in prison in the ’90s for seducing her 13-year-old student. The student, now in his twenties, sat by her side as they discussed their marriage, the children they have together, and their future. Eww! Maybe it’s my cultural bias, but this relationship seems really wrong.

I know there are exceptions to every rule, but, likewise, it seems especially heinous for a yoga teacher to become romantically involved with a student. You may ask: “What’s the big deal if both the parties are consenting adults?”

Because it’s a spiritual as well as physical practice, students may become intimately attached to their yoga practice and, as a result, to their teachers. This puts them in a vulnerable position, even if they’re not minors. It’s the teacher’s responsibility, then, to keep the relationship professional—just as Mary Kay Letourneau should have done years ago.

This week in my training, we talked about teacher ethics and the importance of acting like professionals—for the good of our students and for the yoga community as a whole.

I understand that people wear form-fitting clothing and that touching is a big part of teaching, but it’s really hard for me to imagine yoga leading anyone to place where they can emotionally harm another being, especially a student who looks up to them. It’s inexcusable.

I’ve been taking yoga classes for four or five years now, and I don’t think one of my teachers has ever done anything to make me even feel uncomfortable, much less threatened. Yoga class has been a safe haven for me—somewhere I can go to feel unconditionally accepted no matter what. That’s how it should be, and anything that could jeopardize that trust is a breach of ethics in my mind.

Entering into a relationship with a student isn’t the only unethical behavior a yoga teacher could engage in. Making a misleading claim about the benefits of yoga, not honoring your word, and exaggerating your training or skill level are equally unethical.

For more about the ethics of teaching, read the California Yoga Teachers Association’s guidelines. And Darren advised us that any time we’re faced with a potential grey area to ask a trusted yoga colleague for advice. Personally, I plan to use my intuition and put myself in my students’ shoes (or on their sticky mat) in an effort to keep my yoga space, wherever it might be, a sacred place for everyone involved.