Jenni Rotter Rabago
October 20, 2017 11:37
All the instructors I've met so far were amazing except for Annick's Hatha flow class. I'm not a beginner but not advanced either. I stepped into this class without warning. She used body shaming to get the class to laugh when I had trouble with some intensive workout routines. Then made jokes about how the door was already locked that the following thought was so very funny. Then Challenged me to return, that was the real test! Then when asked to pair up I had to walk through another guy's sweat who didn't bother to wipe up, I found someone to do crunches with (all of these things more of an intensive gym workout than any hatha flow class I'd been to before ) I asked my partner for help with the pose/crunches and she called Annick over. I wasn't saying I can't do it, but wanted help doing it correctly and she repeatedly outloud asked if I was pregnant or had had surgery. (Both very sensitive issues) but outloud to my new partner when i said no, she loudly said that there was "No excuse" and laughed together. So horrified I went home confused and upset, but I told the front desk later on how uncomfortable I was and that maybe it's not for newcomers who are beginning or early intermediate. They said they were sorry and gave me a class card, which doesn't do much for me since I pay for an unlimited membership. So if you don't want to be chastised, shamed, treated with unwanted attention and love a sweaty good gym "yoga" workout in a beautiful studio by all means take her class, but I would never want to treat any of my students that way and walked away with the lesson- how not to treat people in my class. There are ways to modify for students having trouble and if there were prior surgeries or issues, there are ways to privately communicate with students that doesn't involve shouting out or repeatedly asking about pregnancy when your student is there for their positive health.