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No chatting, ladies. Fitness instructors say it can be tough to get help people get their money's worth.
Every small business owner knows the mantra that the customer is always right. But when it’s your business to get people to exercise, many say that, frankly, the customers don’t always know what’s good for them.
The news last week that a yoga instructor was fired after glaring at a student who used her cell phone during class struck a nerve with fitness professionals who say it can be a constant – and complex – struggle to keep their customers happy, but also in line.
Alice Van Ness, who teaches yoga in Northern California, told The Associated Press she was dismissed from her job teaching yoga at Facebook’s Menlo Park, Calif., campus because she glared at a Facebook employee who sent a text during class.
“That’s ridiculous. It’s stupid. I would be shocked,” yoga instructor Joy Keller said after reading about the student’s attempt at multi-tasking.
Keller, who teaches yoga in San Diego, Calif., said her first thought was that student could have hurt herself, or someone nearby, while focused on the phone instead of the pose.
Then there’s the fact that texting isn’t exactly conducive to a good yoga session.
“Yoga is all about connecting your body with your mind, and it’s hard enough to do that without a cell phone with your hand,” Keller said.
Keller has never actually had someone take a call from the yoga mat, although she has seen students get up and go to the side of the classroom to answer their phone.
But even with phones tucked safely away, she said she has trouble keeping her students focused.
“I can’t even get people to breathe. I say breathe and they don’t do that. They’re thinking about a zillion things,” she said. “They’re probably thinking about who they’re going to text.”
Fitness instructor Linda Taix has seen people text during workouts, chat through instruction or even slip on headphones while she’s leading group activities.
“I’ll watch people on the treadmill and they’re talking on the phone,” said Taix, who is mystified at how someone can get a good workout if they are focused on their conversation rather than getting their heart rate up.
But Taix, who runs a fitness studio as well as a series of Extreme Boot Camp fitness classes in Southern California, said that as a business owner it can be tough to get people to follow the rules without alienating them.
In her Extreme Boot Camp classes, she said she can get a little tougher because people are paying you to be their fitness drill sergeant. The instructors might give students “rewards” such as extra pushups or laps if they slip up in their fitness or diet regime.
But still, she said there are limits.
“We want to be friendly about it because obviously they are civilians, and they do pay you,” she said.
Still, at the gym she said she does sometimes feels insulted by people’s behavior, especially if they are carting their cell phone around during a personal training session or chatting with friends instead of paying attention.
“I’ll say, ‘Hey ladies, I’m sorry, this isn’t a tea party,’” she said.
Taix isn’t aware of losing a student over such a reprimand, but she said that’s partly because she is sensitive that not everyone can take the criticism.
“You have to know their personalities,” she said.
Anthony Wall, director of professional education for the American Council on Exercise, said that for fitness instructors, working with people’s personalities can be just as hard as working on their bodies.
“It’s definitely an area where our trainers trip up,” he said. “The exercise side is relatively easy.”
He said a common complaint is the person who shows up for a group class and then proceeds to do their own exercises, often while standing in the middle of the class distracting people who are trying to follow the instructor.
Gym instructors can lay ground rules at the beginning of class, and even talk to the offenders individually. But sometimes, he said, you have to consider whether it’s worth losing the bad player in order to keep everyone else.
“There are times when you have to fire the participant,” he said.
Keller, the yoga instructor in San Diego, said she has learned over the years that despite her best efforts, not all her clients are going to do what’s best for themselves.
“I had to learn to let go. I can’t be co-dependent,” she said. “I tell them what I tell them. I try to guide them and give them the best instruction, but I have to let go at some point.”
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How can she be fired for glaring? Do we have the expression police now?
The people described in this article are idiots. I'd tell them flat out "no phone use during class", and anyone trying to do their own exercises gets booted.
We are way too permissive as a society - and that is what leads to people being so coddled that they complain when someone just "glares" at them for their bad behavior and the INSTRUCTOR is the one in trouble. Holy yoga batman.
Set a strict policy that states 3 strikes and you're out with no refund. Have them agree and sign it before they start the program.
I am with you guys, however, even if possible, I don't buy the teacher's excuse that it was because she thought someone could get hurt. I believe that is just a lie, and that probably came through while deciding to fire her.
I think she, like the rest of us, myself included, simply believes that it should be taken outside. There are certain times, when it is simply rude to use a cell phone, or to talk too loudly on it, and the student crossed the line.
Kevin - If I read it right, I don't think it was the fired teacher who said she was worried about safety. I think it was a another instructor who was interviewed for the article who said that her first thought was that it was not safe.
Yes, an employee deserves to be fired for "glaring" instead of engaging in a professional, direct conversation. Acknowledging that the student *may* be involved in a can't-wait discussion and asking them to please carry it on outside the class would be reasonable. Being unprofessional and passive-aggressive toward students is no more acceptable than a person loudly yammering on in close proximity to others.
Alan, in another article, it said that the instructor had already given verbal warnings to this student before.
Sally Lu, yes of course, you are correct. I read the entire article, and by the time I commented, I confused the players.
Thank you.
Alan - that's hypocritical. The student can be blatantly rude to everyone, but an instructor who's upset is visible on her face deserves firing? Glad you're not in my life - I'd throw you out.
:-\
I am glaring at you Alan...
If someone is waiting for an urgent, pressing phone call than perhaps he or she should pick a better time to go to yoga. That's called being an adult, instead of a selfish and petulant child.
Yoga is very unique in that it's ALL about disconnecting. Anyone who brings a cell phone into a yoga studio is clearly missing the point of the practice.
Hypocritical? Yes, I'm sure the Yoga instructor is the paragon of inner peace and harmony, what herself being easily distracted by a student's silent use of a cell phone. Give me a break.
Like I said, professionalism is something that is reasonable to expect from people you hire - not some junior-high drama. Asking her to leave is professional. Glaring at her is not. It's just silly. Yes, the student should be respectful, and yes having been warned, she should have left. But if someone else's SILENT behavior really throws your workout or meditation off, you kind of stink at working out and meditation. They're both wrong, but the employee was in a position to be fired for being wrong. (And the student was in a position to be tossed out for being wrong, which let me reiterate, is what should have happened).
The short version: two wrongs don't make a right. The instructor was still wrong.
Also, I was not there, but I have been in a position where an urgent business matter that other people depended upon suddenly came up. In that case, the right thing is to excuse yourself, not engage in a texting conversation. But you people saying that there should never be a cell phone around & instead you ought to just stay home or in the office are kind of being jerks. Work/life balance is never easy, and certainly I would expect this lady to leave if something like that comes up. But it's not being a petulant child to be responsible to one's work activities (which for many of us do not end when we leave the office) while also wanting to have a life.
For so many people who seem to be familiar with the concepts of inner peace and focus, there sure seem to be a lot of commenters obsessed outwardly with the behavior of others. Practice more?
A yoga class is one hour long. That's it. One hour.
I work in an intense field myself and I've never had to bring my phone to class, much less use it. The reality is that any good business person has a sense of their environment - and when it's important to have the phone attached at the hip, and when it isn't. If I have an important project going on, and I know that calls are going to come in, I opt to work out in a more private place or I take the day off the public gym. You cannot use the fact that you are professional trying to have a work/life balance as a reason to expect that everyone bends to you. That's selfish.
Surely, the unexpected happens in business, but that's why we have voicemail, email and colleagues that can also be reached in the case of an emergency. If you can't put it down for an hour, then there is something wrong with your business model. If you don't want to put it down for an hour, that's another issue entirely. Every day professionals get on planes and turn their phones off for an hour or more - and the world hasn't ended yet.
Yoga is quiet time. That's the point of the practice. In any class, there are different levels of experience. It doesn't matter who needs more practice and who doesn't. You can't expect a room to be inconvenienced for one self-important person.
I'm with you Alan!!!!! That's why we have a mouth- to speak up and simply SAY what needs to be said. People who are texting aren't looking at your EYES- but they can sure hear you say "please step outside". For many people (especially for those who MUST maintain 24/7 availability with patients/clients) it is a requirement to keep the cell phone on at all times - I work for a company that has this type of stipulation upon hire. But MORE IMPORTANTLY- I am A Parent. I keep my cell phone with me at ALL times & when I must make or take a call/text- I step out of the room. Now I MUST admit that sometimes my trainer texts on the phone during my workout- I don't like it much but what can I say......He's a great trainer that is killing MY FAT. & His phone distraction is welcomed when I need a little break (smile)-
How do you know she was being easily distracted? Inner peace and harmony has nothing to do with the expressions on your face. Anyone with inner peace and harmony can appear tired, sad, angry, hurt or blissful or whatever else they choose. Only someone else with inner peace can tell their state.
All you know is that she glared. You don't know her inner state.
It maybe a good idea to treat cell phone use like smoking. When in doubt go outside.
The amount of cell phone use nowadays means the cell phone reigns supreme. In my day we didn't have fancy smancy cell phones to distract us during our yoga classes, we wrote letters in the classes instead.
"Every small business owner knows the mantra that the customer is always right." REALLY??? Shows this person knows nothing about "small business owners" because the only people I know who say that garbage are thieves and people who make a living talking about business owners.
The majority of customers are good people who appreciate the service or goods but a growing number are liars, con artists and thieves. The customer is NOT always right and to spout that crap is stupid and harms real people in the real business of providing for customers while trying to remain viable with growing numbers trying to steal from them.
Dixie - Are you a small business owner? I would guess not because with that attitude towards customers will not get you very far.
The survey results indicate, thankfully, that the great majority of people remain respectful and civil acting, and we expect to realize full value for an exercise endeavor. This means we should NOT be expected to tolerate those who choose to indulge their phone addictions and/or perform their own exercise in a guided class where it is a distraction to others in the group, or to conduct themselves in that manner anywhere else in the club where others are exercising. How incredibly obnoxious, disrespectful, and unacceptable! It seems that in the growing culture of phone addicts and other idiots, clubs and instructors really need to ramp up the visibility and communication that the club is a phone free zone or designate a separate area of the club for addicts ( phoners/texters, no different than smokers...), far from members working out who do not wish to be subjected to distracted addicts who are unable to detach from their devices long enough to practice health and respect. That yoga class texter deserved a glare and the instructor should not have been fired. Whoever fired the instructor must be a phone addict.
When the cell phone starts to infringe on the other students there should be a policy stated up front, in writing, that you leave the class. It is rude and there are too many stupid people who abuse others with this kind of crap. Better, have the entire class pick up the offender and throw them out on their fat ass!
I totally agree that any group workout should be 100% phone free. Doesn't matter that the phone user isn't getting their best work out - that is on them. It is disruptive to the rest of the class who are also paying and may want the full benefit. The only thing in the article that I don't agree with is the one instructor who complained about the person who was using the phone on the treadmill. That is one of the most tedious exercises and really doesn't require much concentration to get up to a level that gets your heart rate up (however if you're really serious about your workout you'd be going at a level where talking is difficult). I usually listen to music on my cell phone, but some of the treadmills at my gym have TVs and I'd prefer to watch something to make the time go by faster. Seriously, anything to make that part of the workout go by faster!
But there's a difference between using your phone to listen to music, and carrying on a full conversation in a public gym. It's kind of like talking on the phone loudly on a train - it's rude and obnoxious. No one wants to hear the conversation.
Classes like this are going to have to be more proactive and have a set of rules that ban cellphones from the room entirely.
People that can't live without their phone for 30 to 60 minutes would get no benefit from a yoga class anyway. They have bigger problems.
Why NOT tell participants to leave their cell phones in their car or locker? Churches and movie theaters have NO PROBLEM telling their members & customers to turn off the cell phones! I would find it very distracting if I'm trying to listen to the instructor while someone next to me is yacking on their phone, or even texting. I pay for the class too, don't I have rights???
The thing I hate most about yoga is when the big fat sweaty guy next to me farts on his mat and it just reverberates throughout the dojo. Disgusting!
Seriously? ha Never been to a yoga class, does that really happen?
Had this happen in a martial arts class. The instructor told the guy passing gas to go to the bathroom but he (the farting guy) just acted like he didn't hear. It was so bad (smelled horrid) that I had to step out of the room to get fresh air as I thought I was actually going to vomit. Rude, rude, rude!
If the customer is not disturbing anyone else, who cares what they do? They're cheating themselves. No big deal.
They do disturb others. Everyone in the class get irritated with a person who demonstrates such poor manners, not to mention hubris.
A facebook employee, who makes a ton of money probably, gets a yoga instructor fired, who makes bare-minimum wage. Yet another reason why to hate facebook and all that it represents.
It's ridiculous that a rude affluent facebook employee complained about a hardworking yoga instructor who called her on her rudeness resulting in the instructor being fired. Is she proud of herself for costing someone her job in this economy? She didn't like being glared at? Boo hoo, no one else in the class liked her disrespect and selfishness. She owed the instructor an apology rather that a complaint. I would revoke my membership to the gym that fired the instructor.
Morons who don't understand common courtesy really gripe my ass---make me want to reach out and touch someone! Cretins who insist on using their idiot phones in the library are the worst. What are they doing in the library? They too damned ignorant to learn anything. I confess, I truly despise cell phone addicts!
I go to the gym 4 - 5 times a week and there is NOTHING more irritating than somebody beside you yakking it up on their cell phone, especially when there are several noticeable signs that say 'no cell phones'
Looking at postings thus far, it appears that a VAST MAJORITY of people really hate the intrusion of cell phones in a YOGA class or any kind of exercise class. Everyone pays the same fee. Therefore they all have the same right to demand satisfaction. Majority rules.
LEAVE THE DAMNED CELL PHONE IN YOUR PHUCKING LOCKER!!! I hate it when people bring cell phones into the gym!
Women are the worst offenders...
You were fine up until the last line. I am a librarian, so I am constantly battling the tide of inappropriate cell phone use.
Men and women are equal offenders. Men always complain about women gossiping while they exchange the latest news over a beer...
Holly, I thought we were talking about the intrusion and annoyance of cell phones. Not beer... I don't remember anyone mentioning gossiping.
It was a bit of an allegory, referring to the fact that many men constantly accuse women of talking too much, when they chat just as frequently.
Sorry for going over your head.
Holly,
With all due respect... I understand the meaning of allegory. I just don't get how you interpreted anything I said as suggesting women talk too much. I was specific and intentional when saying that I object to the intrusion of cell phones. My last sentence said that women are the worst offenders (intrusive use of cell phones). I did not suggest that women gossip more than men or talk too much.
As a librarian, I would expect that you would read with greater care.
32Maniac
I think you stepped on some toes.
it is called "gym etiquette" people. No one cares about your cell conversations or texts, but meanwhile you are hogging equipment from others narcissist. If you must chat, remove yourself from the equipment or out of the way of others......it is amazing that articles like this and comments like these even have to be made.....good news is, the gym monsters are not going to put up with it either, so be courteous or watch out......
For what I pay to go to my gym, you better believe I would not be a happy camper if I'm trying to do my class and the ever-so-more-important-than-everyone-else person is on their cell. People complain they don't have any down time anymore, and yet carry their phones everywhere, and I do mean everywhere if you get my drift. For Christ's sake! So...Unless you're negotiating peace in the Middle East, you're not all that so put the phone away for that one hour! And God bless the gym personnel who enforce the no-phone-in-class rule.
Alan, you were bullied weren't you????????
deserved?
Oh please, "they" are civilians??
Playing dress-up army sergeant for yoga classes makes you a combatant??
ANYONE who texts in any public forum has NO right to complain about someone else doing it.
Talk about the pot texting the kettle is black!!
The teacher was fired for giving someone a dirty look. Did she work for Al Quaida where the only punishment is death? Whatever happened to getting called into the office, a reprimand, a letter in your file, a warning or even temporary dismissal? Why was summary execution the only option? It's Yoga for Chrissake, not brain surgery.