Be Yoga Burien — Attraction in Burien

Buyer beware, teacher trainings might not be for you if you are looking for a professional, Buddha-based training focussing on empowering you as a teacher and as a person without judgement or harm.

I was a student for three years at BYB. Within that time, I took a yoga teacher training, completed it, then began another...

We heard repeatedly that the leaders of the training were just figuring it out as they went along, "We're all learning together" was the excuse for their inexperience and it only got worse from there.

Following their instructions, both verbally and in our handbook, I offered feedback. I brought to their attention that some of their tactics "skirted the edge of bullying". I was told to "sit up straight" on a hard wood floor for six hours, I'd brought the same soft mat I'd used in the first teacher training that suddenly wasn't sufficient, and was told to "make it short" whenever I spoke. This became the theme for a few of us, not all, but a select few. It needed to be addressed, so I did.

Essentially, the "all are welcome" motto only applies to certain personalities. Stronger people are stifled. I offered the suggestion that rather than cut women down, they could try empowering the quieter people. "Don't cut off the heads of some to make others seem taller", is a borrowed quote I thought should have been recognized by people claiming to be teachers of teachers in the world of yoga.

Among the arbitrary rules with which I was presented, MANDATORY Zoom call was one. The mandate was never mentioned before I signed up for the training. I'd never heard of Zoom call. Although I tried, I couldn't load the app, quite simply, but rather than speaking to me in person to work out any issue they had with my feedback, they demanded I Zoom meet or face expulsion. They gave me no choice. They kicked me out and promised a full refund. That promise was not honored and I emailed about the last $500. She demanded that it was non-refundable and the other refund was a "courtesy" and that she actually didn't owe me anything at all.

So I sued Nina. And I won. This took a year of my time, effort and emotion. I've waited this long to write a review because I wanted to hear the court's ruling as well as gain some perspective as to what had just happened. I had never been given a reason for expulsion beyond my inability to Zoom meet and was called "not coachable"... which is easily disproven by my completeion of three trainings since.

Nina said things about me in court that she'd never shared with me in person despite promises in the handbook to handle sutuaitons with respect and compassion. She attacked my character where I did no such thing to her and she lied, blatantly. She claims I never contacted her about the last $500, that I was just erratically suing her with no warning. She also had the bad taste to mention my issues with anxiety, placing blame on me for her actions.

Know too that this review is somewhat risky according to many of her former colleagues and students. As I reached out to former students and teachers a recurring statement rang with alarm, they were afraid to offer support because they "fear retaliation". I myself do not. Nor was another ex-student she'd threatened with legal action for taking a JOB at a competing studio. I am within my legal rights to share my story and feel obligated to do so.

And really, a human-to-human conversation was all the situaiton called for... it could have been handled peacefully and...

I took the original hot yoga with Ayanna today & can say with total confidence this is the safest i have felt in a yoga class ever.

It was my first time back to doing yoga since college (over 7 years without practice) & it felt extremely approachable. Even when I was in college, I never regularly attended classes. I was a once a monther. But when my partner & I moved out to Burien, I wanted to start taking my health (both physical & mental) more seriously. I found Be Yoga on an evening walk with my partner & it took me about a month after learning of its existence to actually take the plunge & go to a class.

I was able to walk to the class (it's about a 20-minute walk from our home) & im happy that it's downtown, so there are lots of restaurants to check out nearby before/after class. Upon entering the studio, i was greeted by both the front desk person & Ayanne. They were happy to help with any questions i had. I'm a bit on the heavier side & it's very important to me to start moving my body without the intention of losing weight. I've struggled with an ED for most of my life & am trying to find a balance. I really feel like I can do that here. Not only that, but it feels like a very safe space to me as a trans/nonbinary person. During the class, there was another trans person there & it instantly made me feel at ease. Ayanne led the class through each pose with helpful reminders on how to do each one. I found the exercises to challenge me as someone who hasn't done yoga for a long time, but not to a point of discomfort. I also felt comfortable sitting out on exercises that pushed me too hard and weren't accessible to me due to injury. There were bodies of all shapes & sizes & that made me feel more comfortable too. I left feeling more grounded & at ease.

I also want to say a special thank you to whoever put the "reminders" highlight on Be Yogas Instagram page. Im neurodivergent & struggle with new places & and I am always unsure what the proper etiquette is, but they all had it listed very clearly what is expected of students. It is a very helpful read if you yourself are nervous/neurodivergent as well.

Overall, I had a fantastic experience & I will most definitely be incorporating their classes into my weekly routine. Thank you, Be Yoga. & thank you, Ayanna, for being such a...

My sisters and I are visiting from out of town and decided to sign ourselves and our mom up for a Saturday morning class thinking it would be the perfect way to introduce our mom to the practice of hot yoga. It took us longer than anticipated to get out the door (I had 4 kiddos to get situated before leaving) which got us to the studio right on time, 9:28am for a 9:30am class. Walking in the door we were already feeling bad about cutting it so close to class time but were surprised when we were CHASTISED for being late. The gal, Lisa, at the reception counter yelled at us telling us they were closed and ‘you better have signed in for this class already, you’re so late!’ As my 2 sisters proceeded to rent a couple mats, my mom and I started taking off our slippers to head into the studio to which Lisa told us to leave our bags and phones and for some reason felt the need to repeat herself multiple times even as we were placing our phones down on the provided cubby. Lisa continued on about how ‘people pay lots of money to utilize the studio!’-well, surprise, we are paying customers as well 🤷🏻‍♀️

As one can imagine, this initial ‘welcome’ was VERY off putting and completely wrecked our headspace for what is intended to be a tranquil, mindful experience.

The instruction was great and I wish I could say the same for the experience as a whole. My mom, who is an avid sauna lover has a new found love for hot yoga, but between the 4 of us, I don’t believe we will be back to Be Yoga in Burien which is a shame because my mom lives so close to...