Trust Yoga, a yoga studio in Singapore, was hit by allegations in early August that one of its instructors had molested a student.
In the weeks following the initial allegation, a number of other individuals have stepped forward to share their alleged experiences of sexual assault at Trust Yoga.
In response to these recent revelations, the studio has shared that it had updated its security systems and standard operating procedures based on feedback and requests from students.
Original allegation
In a Twitter thread on Jul. 31, a woman — whose Twitter account has since been made private — detailed what had allegedly happened to her in a class at Trust Yoga on Jul. 11.
That day, the instructor had allegedly smacked her left butt cheek and stroked her bottom and crotch for around three seconds.
This allegedly occurred while she was in an inversion, which is a type of yoga pose where the heart is elevated higher than the head.
Allegedly not the first time
According to the tweets, after the woman told a staff member what happened, he allegedly informed her that it was not the instructor's first time doing this.
The woman claimed that she and her father subsequently went back to Trust Yoga on Jul. 12 to speak with the owners of the establishment.
However, the owners said that this was the first time this has happened, and that they would take "strict action".
Instructor was still listed on class schedule
However, on Aug. 2, the woman shared an Instagram story showing that the instructor was still listed on Trust Yoga's class schedule for the week of Aug. 3 to 9.
In a statement shared on Facebook on Aug. 3, Trust Yoga wrote that it was aware of the allegations of sexual assault, and that the instructor had "agreed to take a leave of absence" pending internal investigations.
Mothership understands that the woman has filed a police report regarding her encounter.
Additional measures implemented by Trust Yoga
In a Facebook post on Aug. 22, Trust Yoga shared a video of security cameras being installed within its premises.
"We understand current social media is abuzz with allegations of Trust Yoga Management neglecting members feedbacks [sic]," the studio wrote, adding that it acknowledged that there is room for improvement and that it values members' feedback.
Trust Yoga said that, in response to members' feedback, it had installed more closed circuit television cameras inside the studios.
More measures to be taken
In the early afternoon of Aug. 25, Mothership.sg reached out to Trust Yoga regarding any updates on the investigation into their instructor or the situation in general.
Around 10pm on Aug. 25, Trust Yoga posted another update on Facebook about additional measures it had implemented in the studios.
Trust Yoga highlighted the installation of more security cameras in order to "provide a wider coverage and field of sight".
It also stated that it had refined the procedure for "Reporting" and "Complaint Resolution", as well as guidance on "Class Teaching" and "New member/guest introduction".
But Trust Yoga did not specify what the changes entail.
The statement also said that Trust Yoga has attempted to retrieve older CCTV footage to offer to the police, and that it is "working closely with the authorities to ensure that all investigations [can] be resolved as swiftly as possible".
Seeking legal recourse
In its statement on Aug. 25, Trust Yoga stated that it was aware that some of the staff members and students who spoke up for the studio had "faced criticisms and were traumatized by the harassment they had received online".
It added that there was alleged "intentional circulation of malicious falsehoods" about the studio's other staff members.
Trust Yoga then clarified that its staff members were all professional:
"[W]e would like to highlight that our team members had, at all material times, been professional in their correspondence with affected parties."
The statement added that "affected team members" had "sought legal recourse in their own capacity and would be proceeding with the necessary applications in Court".
Other allegations arise
In the weeks following the initial allegations, a number of individuals have shared their stories anonymously on Instagram.
One woman — Xinran Chen — took to Facebook on Aug. 26 to share her story.
She said that she began attending Trust Yoga in November 2019.
She alleged that during her first month of membership, she was in an off-peak class on a weekday morning with only a few people when the instructor accused in the original allegations hit her butt after adjusting her in a yoga pose.
"When I recovered from [the pose], I felt a smack on my butt and as I whipped my head around to look at him behind me, he had already started moving on nonchalantly to another student."
Chen named the instructor in her posting.
Felt something amiss but doubted herself
She wrote that while she was shocked and angry in the moment and thought about raising the incident to the studio's staff, she began to doubt herself.
She wondered whether it might have been an accident, and told herself that if it happened again, she would take action.
Over the following nine months, she said, it never happened again, so she assumed it was an unintentional, one-off occurrence.
However, Chen wrote, after coming across the other woman's story on Instagram in early August of being allegedly molested by the same instructor, she "realised it was no accident".
Chen said that she subsequently filed a police report online and booked an appointment to make a statement.
Asked to sign form when terminating package
She also detailed in her post what happened when she approached one of Trust Yoga's owners to terminate her package and receive a refund.
She alleged that she was asked to sign a termination form that included the line: "She requests to terminate the membership after an allegation on one of our instructors was reported by other member."
Photo via Facebook / Xinran Chen.
Chen wrote that she felt that this sentence was "clearly inserted to coerce me to sign away [her] truth", and that the studio ignored her when she confronted them about the document.
Alleged poor handling of situation by management
In her Facebook post, Chen voiced her unhappiness with the studio management's way of handling the allegations:
"How is it that multiple cases brought to the attention of Trust Yoga management have been buried for so long? How is this den of narcissists and liars still allowed to operate given their appalling treatment of victims past and present?"
She also alleged that the management team did not issue an apology to the alleged victims, and instead told them, "You're too pretty that's why", and "I can't see anything on the CCTV".
In a statement to Mothership.sg on Aug. 26 and in response to earlier queries, Trust Yoga said:
"None of Trust team members had ever communicated to any student that they were touched inappropriately because they are 'pretty'."
Mothership.sg understands from the woman who shared the original allegations that at least four police reports have been filed.
She also claimed that Trust Yoga has blocked her online.
Other members, as well as individuals in the yoga industry who have spoken about this situation, have also been allegedly blocked.
You can read Chen's full post here:
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Top photo via Facebook / Xinran Chen and Trust Yoga.