Creepy man in yoga class

EmpressaurusWitchDoesntBurn · 27/03/2022 20:26

I go to a small local class that’s usually all women. No creepy blokes there so far, luckily. A quick Google shows there are websites telling men how to pick up women at yoga classes though

Original poster

Foreverinjeans · 27/03/2022 20:36

That's so disturbing Empress

OP posts:

EmpressaurusWitchDoesntBurn · 27/03/2022 20:54

Its grim, isn’t it? And I imagine the teacher would be reluctant to chuck a paying customer out. All I can really think of is the older women running interference for the younger ones, though you bloody well shouldn’t have to.

GotToNamechangeForThis123 · 27/03/2022 21:06

One of my male acquaintances became a yoga teacher recently. He's deffo a bit letchy when he wants to be! And so unbelievably self obsessed. Can't think of anyone I'd like less to be my yoga teacher! 🙈

Original poster

Foreverinjeans · 27/03/2022 22:36

The girl he asked for a drink.. she stayed very close to me and another 40 something. You're right empress. It shouldn't be this way

And bizarrely after starting this thread. A male acquaintance of mine, who is a letch and creepy has posted about his yoga journey. He will certainly be there for the lycra and perceived lack of competition. Yuck

OP posts:

EBearhug · 27/03/2022 23:12

There are 3 men who are regulars at my class. None of them seem creepy to me, but maybe that's just me. I don't chat that much with any of them, so perhaps I miss it.

EmpressaurusWitchDoesntBurn · 28/03/2022 16:27

@GotToNamechangeForThis123

One of my male acquaintances became a yoga teacher recently. He's deffo a bit letchy when he wants to be! And so unbelievably self obsessed. Can't think of anyone I'd like less to be my yoga teacher! 🙈

I only go to yoga classes with female teachers.

I’m sure most male teachers are absolutely fine. I just prefer to be taught by women.

balalake · 28/03/2022 16:46

I'm glad to read this was challenged. I think you ought to let the organiser know how you feel.

I don't know if yoga teachers talk regularly to other yoga teachers, but they should be aware, so someone like him is not accepted into another class. I know of a number of places where if a pub landlord/landladies bars you, other pub landlords/landladies are made aware. A similar approach should happen with yoga and indeed some other fitness classes.

CatrinVennastin · 28/03/2022 16:52

My sister is a yoga teacher and she has told various men to leave the class and not return. She takes a very dim view of men who use her class to try and pick up women.

I would definitely let the teacher know what has happened.

VeronicaBeccabunga · 28/03/2022 17:07

Not a pick-up guy, but a man joined my mostly female Pilates class, which has a woman instructor.
He wore very thin bright blue leggings, more like tights really, with nothing underneath and a fairly short t-shirt.
Our teacher mentioned this to the gym manager, who told him to dress appropriately or not attend.
He showed up again, in the same outfit.
The gym manager told him if he did it again he be banned from the premises.
In a world where women's feelings are so often disregarded I was impressed!

doeadeeer · 28/03/2022 17:12

Wow this is awful.

I do a lot of yoga and I've never experienced this.

I also run a studio and we do have a few men but we'd be appalled if this happened. The safety of our women is paramount.

Svadhyaya · 28/03/2022 17:13

This doesn't surprise me.

The yoga studio I used to go to allowed men to do classes topless with shorts that pretty much amounted to y-fronts. They packed people in (pre-covid) to maximise profits making it a haven for predatory men. Cue then the teacher announcing it was now time for 'partner work'. I actually complained to the studio about this. You'd have thought a yoga teacher would be more trauma-aware than to ask half-naked men to put their hands on women who don't know them.

2bazookas · 28/03/2022 17:15

You don't have to put up with this, you know. A group of you speak to the yoga instructor and tell them a man has been abusing the class by importuning other members. You are surprised teacher has not noticed and disappointed they haven't dealt with him. You are all going to leave the class unless the teacher does what's necessary.

Frogium · 28/03/2022 17:25

Doesn't surprise me. I was hit on at yoga just last week by a man who could be older than my father.

I think it's the by product of all "join groups and activities to meet people instead of online dating" and instead of acting normally, men bring their awful lecherous attitudes perfected from online dating to real life situations.

Wait till you join hiking/walking groups though!!

SeekingBalance · 28/03/2022 17:31

Luckily all the men in my classes have been totally respectful and a good laugh, however, they snored during the meditation part!

EmpressCixi · 28/03/2022 17:34

Yes, I know the type well. They usually set up behind their crush and pretend they don’t know how to do downward dog correctly because they’re too busy leering at her behind. 🤮 This type there is nothing wrong in getting them banned quick as possible.

That said, if a man joins our yoga class and is in the front row, these generally tend to be the non-pervy types indicating they’re there for some serious yoga and not to leer at women’s behinds. They also seem a bit like ducks out of water and usually are quick to say “my physio recommended yoga for my rugby injury” or similar.

MoonOnASpoon · 28/03/2022 17:37

Ugh I've encountered many dodgy men a) at yoga/pilates and b) who bang on about yoga or are really into it. I'm sure there are some nice ones but tbh for me it's become a red flag.

You'd have thought a yoga teacher would be more trauma-aware than to ask half-naked men to put their hands on women who don't know them.

Totally agree, I hate any kind of "partner work" at the best of times but when you get a creepy-seeming bloke, just I lasted 1 week at alexander technique (recommended by GP for my back) because of this.

toomanytwinkies · 28/03/2022 17:37

@Frogium

Doesn't surprise me. I was hit on at yoga just last week by a man who could be older than my father.

I think it's the by product of all "join groups and activities to meet people instead of online dating" and instead of acting normally, men bring their awful lecherous attitudes perfected from online dating to real life situations.

Wait till you join hiking/walking groups though!!

Wait till you join hiking/walking groups though!!

Please no, I was only wanting to join a group recently! Don’t say they’ve infiltrated walking groups too!

MoonOnASpoon · 28/03/2022 17:41

And even if they're not letchy, you also get the show-off types who have to be the best at things or hog the teacher's attention. I was once at pilates and couldn't do a particular thing (because of my crappy back!) so the instructor was helping me. Mr show-off pipes up from across the other side of the room, "Oh I find this is quite easy if you really practice it properly every day!!!" Oh FUCK OFF.

crosstalk · 28/03/2022 17:43

Ger them all to work out at the front of the class?

Lay down rules for what they can wear?

Asking for women only classes could be a minefield.

Svadhyaya · 28/03/2022 17:46

@crosstalk it's actually completely legal under The Equality Act to have female-only classes and there's thankfully not a fig men can do about it. Of course the sticky point is the 'transgender' women who can self-ID their way into a woman's safe space. Shockingly the law would be on their side and the teacher wouldn't be allowed to ask them to leave.

WellThatsATurnipForTheBooks · 28/03/2022 18:07

Asking for women only classes could be a minefield

There's a men-only yoga class near me so I can't imagine there's a problem with single sex classes amongst legitimate yoga goers.

BlusteryLake · 28/03/2022 18:17

I think legitimate male yoga go-ers would mostly prefer a men only class as well. We have one near me (it's called bro-ga!) and it's packed. The men that go often say they would be intimidated by the women and their greater flexibility 😁

Roselilly36 · 28/03/2022 18:23

I can identify with this, at my yoga group we only ever had two males that attended at separate times, both were perverts, and were told to leave.

Soffit · 28/03/2022 18:28

@Foreverinjeans

Hi. I wonder if anyone else has come across this?

And disclaimer. I'm not saying all men attending yoga classes are like this.

However I have been to a few yoga classes and have noticed that it can attract predatory men.
Example, one guy joined our predominantly female class a few weeks ago. He's in his early 40s.
He made one of the girls uncomfortable by standing too close and staring.
He asked another for a drink . She declined and told a few of us older and therefore not on his radar women that she and others, found him creepy and letchy and how he'd made strange comments about keeping his urges under control!!!

He disappeared. Probably as he realised he'd been uncovered.
The younger girls say there's always one man who is there, using yoga class as a pick-up opportunity. In my last class there was another, not quite as overt but who did make women uncomfortable.

yoga is ever more creasing in popularty and there are way more females that practice.
Have any other yogis found this?
Sometimes it feels like nothing is sacred.

Unfortunately, it is the norm and massively irritating. In the friendliest mixed yoga groups I have been in, everybody seemed to be shagging everyone else! Actually, there was one particular guy who had a baby with one member one year and was shagging another group member the following year. He started giving me 'the look' and I was thinking "Please FO" in my mind. It is the reason why I will stick to non group yoga in the future.