In the beginning, I was very pleased with my yoga sessions. The instructors were, and remain, a true asset of the studio.
The management, however, has been another story.
On October 15, 2019, I showed up to a 630p yoga class at its Nostrand studio. Myself, along with five other yoga practitioners showed up and soon we learned that the instructor was late. Because this had happened before, I knew to call the number listed on the website for manager Donald Edwards. He explained that the instructor would not be showing up and that the class would be cancelled. I soon learned that this had happened to other yogis as well, and that they had experienced other issues with management, including hidden credit card charges, no response to email inquiries, and last minute cancellations. There were mentions of the fact that customers were penalized heavily for not showing up or late cancellations ($25) while the studio itself routinely cancels classes last minute.
I drafted a group email and was about to send it off to the manager Donald, when I received a phone call from him. He said that he had called to tell me that theirs is a "family run business," and that because yoga is a "peace practice" I mustn't complain.
I told him that I had written an email on behalf of the group and that I would be sending it and that he could respond to it directly so that everyone would be kept in the loop.
After sending the group email, I received a response from Donald who said he would not tolerate "accusations of intimidation or disrespect," and "venting at or the airing of personal frustrations in a group email forum."
He sent a separate email directed to me kicking me out of the studio and telling me I was not allowed to email other members of the studio.
I am pasting the email in full below so you can read for yourself:
"It's unfortunate that we could not meet your expectations.
Any accusation of intimidation is actually unjust and quite disingenuous. You called us to alert a situation but also decided to alienate us by being belligerent and venting frustrations, and any attempts to offer clarity and peace were met with discontent and an air of privilege. We create a safe place for everyone including ourselves and any negativity around that is something we will not tolerate. We actually felt very threatened by your tone and aggressive demeanor over the phone. Everyone has a right to feel safe as well. We don't condone that type of behavior and condemn any slander that arises out of it.
As a yogini, you do have the option to practice anywhere and we appreciate that choice. We've built a member-focused studio where our members support us financially and energetically. We also gladly offer yoga to individuals like yourself who have not supported us financially or energetically, but somehow feel a sense of entitlement with our studio and this community when things don't go their way. We also have a commitment to our existing members to create a peaceful third-place free from any personal agendas and unnecessary drama. Hopefully, you can honor everyone's choice and freedom. With that said, we feel that your practice can be benefitted elsewhere, the free yoga promotion you signed up for has been canceled.
Please honor others and do not email or cc our members about any personal or studio issues. We have a way to address these issues with peaceful clear solution-based communication. A positive environment has been created where like-minded individuals can share and practice. It's ok if you don't agree with our policies or are even upset about issues regarding the studio management but there is a way to properly get needs addressed with also honoring everyone's peace of mind."
Tl;dr: Anything And Yoga management disagrees with is considered "abusive" and "negative," thereby foreclosing on any chance or space at a dialogue.
If you organize amongst yourself and speak up, you will be accused of bringing in "bad energy" to the place, and will be told it will be bad for your karma.
Like Donald said, there are many yoga studios in Brooklyn. Go to any one of them instead! read more