From UK Chaos to Sacred Yoga: My Journey to Teach in Thailand Took an Unexpected Turn

WELCOMING her first yoga class to a stunning rooftop in Thailand, bathed in glorious sunshine, Maria Sky was living the dream.

But just minutes later, the peace was shattered as burly cops stormed the class and arrested her in front of her terrified students.

Maria had travelled to Thailand for a new lifeCredit: Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress Police arrested Maria in the midst of her classCredit: Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress The Brit had just started her first class on the rooftopCredit: Tourist Police

The shaken Brit was accused of teaching ‘sex yoga’ and was warned she would spend months in jail if found guilty of the charges, which included making ‘risqué social media posts.’

But in her first interview, she insists her yoga session on the rooftop of Ethos restaurant on the hippy island of Koh Phangan was completely innocent and did not involve touching or nudity.

Maria, 40, said “I have never even heard of sex yoga so to be accused of practising that was ridiculous to me.

“My class included lectures and meditation, there was no nudity or touching involved.

“But going to court was terrifying because before the hearing started, I was warned I was facing a few months in jail.

“I was in a foreign country, I didn’t know what to expect and it was scary.”

The Koh Samui court heard that Maria – who moved to Thailand 15 months ago – had been operating without the correct work permit, which she insists was the result of a bureaucratic mix-up.

She was fined the equivalent of £118 and became so stressed after the hearing that she was taken to hospital, where she was diagnosed with vertigo, a false sense of spinning often caused by inner ear issues, but which can also be unleashed by brain problems including a tumour or .

Maria added: “After the judge gave his verdict, the translator told me, ‘Normally it would be a couple of months in , but today you just pay a 5,000-baht fee.’

“It was a relief, but it had been 48 hours of non-stop stress.

“I was taken to hospital for checks afterwards and I’m still recovering. I haven’t been able to work since so this has been a very tough time for me.”

Maria reveals she embraced spirituality – and studied tantric yoga – after breaking up with a wealthy fiancé and walking out on a champagne lifestyle in .

Party life

Speaking from a spiritual retreat in , where she has gone to recover, she said of her former life: “I was a 20-something party girl, drinking and taking , with a fiancé who worked in finance.

“I thought I was in love, but it wasn’t a healthy relationship, it was empty and soulless.

“I was always shopping for Channel, Bottega Veneta, all the fancy brands – I had bags worth £3,500.

“Then I went to and spent five days at a tantric festival and it changed my life. After that, I never touched drugs again and I gave all my designer clothes away.”

The yoga teacher – who was born Maria Shchetinina and raised in , before settling in the UK and becoming a British citizen – saw the move to Thailand as a fresh start.

After paying for a £1,500 work permit, she set about building her yoga business.

But her arrest on November 4 last year made headlines around the world after a video was released of Maria having her possessions confiscated in front of her stunned students before she was led off by uniformed tourist police officers.

She believes the raid followed a backlash against erotic massage classes, which have become popular with hippies and backpackers on Koh Phangan where the notorious Full Moon party is held.

Maria moved to the hippy hotspot Koh PhanganCredit: Supplied The island is famous for the colourful Full Moon partyCredit: Alamy The festival attracts 40,000 revellersCredit: Louis Wood – The Sun

‘Sex cult’ hangover

In 2018, yoga guru Narcis Tarcau — a.k.a. Swami Vivekananda Saraswati – was accused of sexually assaulting 14 women at nearby Agama Yoga school.

He fled after 31 former students spoke out about a culture of misogyny and grooming in his classes, which they likened to a “.”

Women invited to his private bungalow for confidential advice were expected to be intimate with Tarcau, who claimed he could unlock “sexual blockages,” according to the allegations.

Tarcau has not faced any charges, but experts say that tantric sex workshops have become commonplace on Koh Phangan, leading it to be dubbed ‘Tantra Island.’

Sex expert Mangala Holland previously said: “Thai people called it ‘sexy yoga’. They knew there was something iffy about it. I think that’s why this has caused such a fuss.”

Police were alerted to Maria’s class after she posted adverts on social media, promising a ‘sacred sexuality’ lesson for 400 baht, the equivalent of just over £9.

However, while male students were taught how to control ejaculation, and women were given lessons on “the difference between explosive and implosive orgasm,” no physical intimacy was involved, according to Maria.

She said: “I did call the workshop ‘Sacred sexuality’ and now I realise how naïve I was in choosing the title.

“I didn’t realise that in Thailand that is a provocative name and the police were attracted by the title, I guess.

“That was my mistake.

“My intentions were totally innocent, but they didn’t understand that part of meditation is working with sexual energy.

“Hatha yoga includes brahmacharya which is a yogic practice of sublimating your sexuality with breaths and bandhas.

“I wasn’t providing tantric massages to the students.

“I think the police assumed I was as I used to give online massage courses to couples, which I haven’t done for a long time, but it’s hanging up there in my profile.

“Everyone attending the class wore clothes.

“There was a clear description in my advert saying there was going to be a gentle exercise meditation and lectures with 10 different topics covered and it would be oral transmission with no nudity or touching involved.

“I know other classes on Koh Phangan involve that and I have been tarnished by that reputation and been affected by it, but that’s not what was happening in mine.”

The yoga teacher was left with medical issues through stressCredit: Supplied Maria had enough of designer handbags and champagneCredit: Supplied Tantric yoga guru Narcis Tarcau was accused of sexual abuseCredit: Somananda Youtube/ Tantra School

Paperwork hell

Maria was certain she had permission to teach tantric yoga as she had paid for the work permit.

However, the police informed her the document – which was printed in Thai – only allowed her to take a job as a customer relations manager.

Maria said: “The ironic thing is it was my first ever yoga class in Thailand.

“I had six clients – three men and three women, most of them young Israeli backpackers – and everything was going well.

“It was a beautiful day and I was in the middle of a meditation halfway through the class when the police arrived.

One post said I was ‘serving’ clients at the back of the restaurant for £9, which made it sound so cheap

Maria Sky

“They asked to see my work permit and I was confident I hadn’t done anything wrong.

“But I didn’t have the permit on me so we had to go back to my house so I could show it to them. I was convinced that when we got there, they would read it and let me go.

“But they said, ‘No, it’s not the correct title, call your lawyer.’

“I was taken to the police station and I spent five hours there – it was a lot of paperwork – and I had to post bail, 10,000 Thai baht.

“The police seized all my lecture notes and being detained was a strange and surreal experience and all the students demanded their money back.

“Afterwards, the police told me, ‘Don’t worry nothing is going to be published.’ But the next day it was all over the internet and everything was so twisted.

“One post said I was ‘serving’ clients at the back of the restaurant for £9, which made it sound so cheap.

“I was accused of practicing sex yoga and language was used that was so unfair because that wasn’t what I was doing.

“I’ve been advised not to teach tantra as it’s not supported by Thai law, but for me there is no separation between tantra and yoga.

“I hope to get the correct permit so I can return to Thailand to continue teaching something I am so passionate about, although next time I won’t use the same title.”