A neighborhood yoga teacher was accused of sexually assaulting three males throughout water therapeutic massage classes between 2010 and 2019, a lawsuit alleges.
Kevin Hauber, founding father of Abundant Health Yoga and Wellness, has been educating yoga since 2005 based on his web site, and in addition practices “aquatic bodywork together with watsu, water dance, and aquatic integration along with various different modalities.”
Watsu is a type of water remedy that entails massaging, stretching and acupressure whereas the consumer floats in water.
It’s the remedy Hauber provided three males earlier than he allegedly assaulted them.
In response to the December lawsuit, Hauber was administering watsu or yoga massages to 3 totally different males on three separate events the place he groped the boys’s groin areas with out consent.
The three males should not named within the lawsuit.
In an electronic mail to The Tribune in February, Hauber declined all allegations towards him and alleged his accusers have been making an attempt to “defame” him.
Hauber filed his response in court docket in April, formally denying all of the allegations towards him.
“Our shoppers trusted Hauber to alleviate them from their ache and he took benefit of that belief,” Rebecca Coll, one of many males’s attorneys, advised The Tribune. “He must be held accountable.”
One of many alleged victims advised The Tribune he reported his assault to the San Luis Obispo Police Division however has but to listen to again from the company.
Yoga teacher groped man’s genitals, lawsuit says
In response to the lawsuit, the primary assault occurred in 2010.
A 33-year-old man had been taking yoga courses from Hauber at a San Luis Obispo yoga studio. The person mentioned Hauber would strategy him after class asking if he had any questions or needed to work on something particularly, based on the lawsuit, and the person advised Hauber he had decrease again ache.
Hauber shared private particulars of his life and continued to interact with the person after class, the lawsuit mentioned, “paying additional consideration” to the person in comparison with different college students.
Hauber advised the person his “root chakra” was in all probability blocked, which was inflicting his again ache, and steered the person take watsu from Hauber.
The person lastly agreed to strive the therapy with Hauber “after quite a few invites,” the lawsuit mentioned. It’s unclear precisely when the watsu session occurred.
The watsu session was at a non-public pool in San Luis Obispo.
Hauber advised the person that watsu is “very intimate” and “it may really feel uncomfortable to be helped by one other man,” the lawsuit mentioned. Hauber advised the person to not fear, keep relaxed and that watsu “was like being nurtured, to be held safely, like a child.”
The person would profit from watsu if he would permit his thoughts to chill out, Hauber advised the person, based on the lawsuit.
Hauber held the person so shut that the person may odor Hauber’s breath, the lawsuit mentioned, and stored telling the person all the things was OK and to chill out.
That’s when Hauber started to swirl the person by way of the water and brushed his palms throughout the person’s interior thigh, the lawsuit mentioned, making the person uncomfortable.
The person continued to attend Hauber’s yoga courses and Hauber advised the person after class that there was a strategy to launch the block within the man’s root chakra, which the person agreed to strive as he was “determined for reduction from his ache.”
The person met Hauber at a non-public residence, and Hauber advised the person to lie of his again in order that Hauber may therapeutic massage the world of his root middle.
The basis chakra’s middle is located at the base of the spine.
Hauber massaged the person’s abdomen earlier than transferring beneath the person’s belt line towards his genitals, the lawsuit mentioned, then Hauber advised the person to take away his pants “to correctly therapeutic massage the foundation power middle.”
In response to the lawsuit, the person trusted Hauber and needed to be taught the “yogic means.” The person believed Hauber’s assertions that he solely wanted to chill out, so the person eliminated his pants, the lawsuit mentioned.
Hauber then massaged the person’s interior thigh and buttocks and advised the person he wanted to stay nonetheless and chill out though the person “was clearly uncomfortable and commenced to squirm,” the lawsuit mentioned.
Hauber then started to the touch the person’s genitals, the lawsuit mentioned, and advised the person it was “a part of the method.”
That’s when the person abruptly obtained up, put his pants on and advised Hauber to depart, the lawsuit mentioned.
The assault left the person with “appreciable trauma” with emotions of disgrace and deep violation, the lawsuit mentioned.
Yoga teacher ‘groomed’ sufferer into water therapeutic massage, lawsuit says
The subsequent assault named within the lawsuit occurred in 2012 to a 24-year-old man. Hauber was in his 50s at the moment, the lawsuit mentioned.
The person was taking yoga courses from Hauber, in search of reduction from ache he was experiencing in his arm from a previous damage.
The person trusted Hauber to assist relieve him from this ache, the lawsuit mentioned.
“After a protracted interval of grooming,” the lawsuit mentioned, the person agreed to attend a watsu session with Hauber at a non-public pool.
Hauber was holding the person “like a child” within the pool, the lawsuit mentioned, which restricted his actions.
Then, “with out permission,” Hauber moved his hand beneath the person’s bathing go well with to his pubic space, the lawsuit mentioned.
The person tried to squirm away and claimed it tickled to attempt to cease Hauber earlier than he reached the person’s genitals, the lawsuit mentioned. The person ended the session “feeling frozen and traumatized.”
The lawsuit mentioned Hauber then tried to “manipulate” the person to return to the pool or go to Hauber’s house to make use of Hauber’s inversion desk — one other “restrained atmosphere.”
The person had an emotional breakdown and nonetheless suffers with the emotional affect of the assault, the lawsuit mentioned. He misplaced belief in medical suppliers and male authority figures, is hyper-vigilant and has nervousness.
The third assault reported within the lawsuit occurred in 2019, involving a person who was affected by a “debilitating situation” in his forearms that induced weak point and tingling in his fingers on each palms.
The difficulty prevented the person from performing in his career, so he was making an attempt alleviate the ache, together with bodily remedy and hand remedy. He ultimately sought assist from Hauber, who advised the person watsu may assist with the ache.
The person attended seven to 10 watsu classes with Hauber between January 2019 and July or August 2019, the lawsuit mentioned. Throughout these classes, the lawsuit mentioned, the person observed Hauber gave the impression to be placing a big emphasis on touching the person’s hips and groin space and spent little time on his palms, arms or shoulders.
Even throughout classes the place the person advised Hauber prior that he needed to deal with his higher again, palms or arms, Hauber would spend extra time on the person’s groin space.
However the man trusted Hauber, the lawsuit mentioned, and believed this should be what watsu was.
The person started to suspect Hauber could also be touching him in delicate areas for sexual causes, the lawsuit mentioned, and on a number of events Hauber touched the person’s genitals with the again of his hand whereas massaging the groin space.
“Hauber’s undesirable touching made (the person) really feel very uncomfortable, however he was in a really susceptible way of thinking and doubted himself.”
The person ultimately turned so uncomfortable with Hauber’s conduct he stopped attending classes, the lawsuit mentioned, regardless of “being determined for reduction from his signs.”
The person suffered emotional stress due to Hauber’s “manipulative conduct and sexual assaults,” the lawsuit mentioned, which induced the person “a substantial quantity of confusion and to query his potential to correct understand the fact of individuals’s intentions.”
The subsequent listening to within the case is scheduled for Sept. 9.
