It's taken me a year to write this. I wanted it to come from the right place in my heart. I've…read moresince realized my experience wasn't unique, and I want other students to have a clearer picture before they invest their time and money.
I came to this studio two years ago on a travel assignment and loved the area enough to stay. I was already partway through a certified teacher training back home but wasn't returning. When I met the owner, I shared my dream of starting a nonprofit teaching yoga to underserved children. She told me she supported the vision and that I could eventually use her space.
I enrolled in her teacher training and began preparing to assist at a retreat in Mexico. In the weeks before we left, I noticed things that gave me pause. I watched her dismiss a student who volunteered to help at a booth, body-shame one student, mock another student's eating, and make a point of excluding people she didn't like. I also saw her heavily intoxicated at the studio's anniversary party. I told myself everyone has difficult seasons.
The retreat changed my perspective. The price didn't match the accommodations. We raised concerns about the conditions, including maggots and barely any running water in my room, and were essentially told that this was to be expected "in the jungle." I've traveled to genuinely under-resourced places before. My concern wasn't rustic conditions. It was the gap between what we paid for and what was delivered.
The moment that stayed with me most happened privately after we'd all parted ways for the evening. I had briefly stopped to speak with an elderly maintenance worker because I needed a lighter for a candle. She saw me, pulled me aside, and became visibly upset. She told me my behavior was embarrassing, that she wasn't sure she could trust me to lead retreats one day, and repeatedly called me "weird." I apologized and tried to leave the conversation, but it continued. I eventually asked her to stop because I felt I was being unfairly attacked. I returned to my room and cried, not because I believed the criticism was fair, but because I realized the person I had trusted with my dream wasn't who I thought she was.
On another occasion, in front of other members, she referred to me as "an alien." Looking back at who she tended to single out, it often felt like confidence or simply being comfortable with yourself was treated as something to be corrected rather than encouraged.
I lead a large healthcare team professionally. Being told I lacked the judgment to lead people was disorienting, and in retrospect I believe it reflected more about her than it did about me.
I completed the program because I didn't want to risk losing the time and money I'd already invested, and I convinced myself it had simply been one bad night. Looking back, though, I'd already seen similar patterns directed toward other students. Since graduating, I've heard from multiple former students who described similar experiences. Favoritism toward some students, harsh treatment of others, and little accountability when concerns were raised. Some people quietly disappeared from the program, and I never asked why. I understand that much more clearly now.
One of the hardest parts to reconcile is that I was one of the favorites until I wasn't. Being on the receiving end of encouragement made it difficult to recognize the unhealthy dynamics. It wasn't until my standing changed that I experienced the same criticism, exclusion, and dismissiveness that I had watched happen to others.
Future students should also know that much of our course material appeared to be straight ChatGPT output, including errors. We were told corrected versions would come later, but we would have to pay extra because "paper and ink are expensive." That meant paying again for revised materials.
A practical note for anyone considering the teacher training. I didn't discover until after graduating that the program is not Yoga Alliance certified, despite costing as much as, or more than, many certified programs. Altogether, I spent about $10,000 at Anahata. If you teach there afterward, you're paid roughly $25 a class while also paying your full membership. It's worth doing that math before committing. Because the certification isn't Yoga Alliance recognized, your opportunities to teach elsewhere may be more limited than you expect. I encourage prospective students to verify the program's certification status for themselves before enrolling.
I fell out of love with yoga after this experience. I put my nonprofit on hold and eventually joined an existing one so I could continue serving the community in a different way. I never received an apology, and I no longer expect one. I'm writing this because people considering this studio deserve enough information to make an informed decision. In the end, this program taught me more about unhealthy group dynamics, boundaries, and my own naivety than it did about yoga.
