Brawling Buddha SCAM yoga teacher training! WILL TAKE ALL YOUR MONEY! Miami Florida

I know who you are but I will not humiliate you by saying your name (my problem is not with you). My problem, yet again, was not with Hayley but with her untruthful business practice. I was led to believe that with my training I would receive a certificate, something HAYLEY CLAIMS NOW SHE CANNOT PROVIDE. So tell me, anonymous “yoga student”, how did you get certified if she cannot certify you – ACCORDING TO HER OWN WORDS??? Once again, another inconsistency (like the accusation Hayley made about me asking her for a letter of recommendation, something UNTRUE and if you’d like to see the proof, please check out the attached picture showing a print screen of the Facebook message I sent her). So apparently some get certified while other get told she “isn’t able to provide them with a certificate” even if you have complied with the aforesaid program.

And to repeat myself, I did not do this as a tantrum, but as a response to Hayley denying me what I PAID FOR. And please, dear “yoga student”, can you explain how I can voice my opinions to someone who will avoid me when I express doubts and concerns? How am I supposed to talk to somebody who will not answer? And if she ever did provide me with any answers, they were hardly helpful, such as telling me that I will not NEED a certificate, so to not worry about it. During the final month of my training, I tried voicing my opinions to Hayley several times only to find myself chasing after someone who does not want to hear my concerns - leading to me finally quitting.

Yet again I am getting accused of being late and cancelling classes, which is something that happened during my final architecture presentation in school. It lasted for about a week, maybe a week and a half and I had mentioned it to Hayley that that week was very hard for me and that I’d probably miss a few classes. It’s also interesting that you “yoga student” are bashing me for this, considering there were many classes you missed, including the yoga training because of your other activities as well. To the point I had to give up one of my paid private classes for Hayley to assist you. I hardly find your accusation fair.

 It’s great that you are happy with your training but I would not be happy spending about a year and $3,000 worth to NOT receive an OFFICIAL CERTIFICATION, only the knowledge needed to TEACH IN HER STUDIO. And if you are certified to teach like you claim, could you explain to me why HAYLEY IS CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR ANOTHER YOGA INSTRUCTOR as opposed to hiring you? Hey, why aren’t you enough, who has trained with her since the studio opened, apparently has just received her teaching certificate and is finally “ready to teach”?

And to repeat myself even more, I have ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM continuing training after becoming a teacher – yoga is a never ending discipline, so continued studying is expected. However, if I AM DENIED MY CERTIFICATION (something I was told I would receive when I first called Hayley) AFTER HAVING COMPLIED WITH THE AFORESAID PROGRAM, WHY SHOULD I CONTINUE TO PAY? Yes, studying in the studio is greatly helpful, but are you telling me that after I officially become an employee I have to CONTINUE PAYING FOR TRAINING AS MUCH MONEY AS ANY OTHER STUDENT DOES TO TAKE CLASSES? Is it fair to CHARGE TO ME WORK?! In ANY business, employers invest in their employees, but instead I found myself investing my money to help increase my employer’s business – HARDLY SEEMS LIKE ETHICAL BUISNESS PRACTICE.

Oh and then there’s the other option, something Hayley offered me sometime around November or December, which was to CONTINUE TEACHING WITHOUT GETTING PAID FOR IT. Apparently, it’s fair to CHARGE PEOPLE TO WORK FOR YOU or the option to CONTINUE WORKING WITHOUT GETTING PAID. Once again, hardly seems like ethical business practice.

There are so many inconsistencies here. You may be okay with these inconsistencies “yoga student”, but I am not.

If I am told one thing by my employer, I expect just that. Not for them to continue to extend my payment to their benefit. I DO NOT WANT ANOTHER YOGA STUDENT TO GO IN AS HOPEFUL AS I DID ONLY TO FIND THEMSELVES MISSING ABOUT $1000 AND DENIED RECOGNITION OF THEIR TRAINING.

SO ONCE AGAIN, HAYLEY MILKS’ TEACHER TRAINING IS A SCAM.

The first thing I want to say is " how dare you?!"  After the opportunity they gave you. If you had an issue with them all you had to do was talk to them. Why would you go behind their backs and do something like this? Like Hailey put it, what do you expect from a child. You're behaving like a child. If you felt like they took your money be an adult and ask for it back? But wait you can't, you don't have a leg to stand on. This is what I mean: how many times did you show up late? How many times did you cancell class? How many time did you cancel class after it had started? How many people did you bring to the studio? Any teacher be it yoga,martial arts or whatever they'll tell you that you need sales skills to run and grow a program. You expect them to give you students when they just opened? Again only a child would think handouts are expected. As far as you hours, from what I remember you stopped showing up to class after they allowed you to start teaching. We are always learning at the studio, just because you start teaching doesn't mean you don't have to take class anymore. Hold up, you came in late and missed your regular classes also. 

So- where are you teaching now? Have you found a studio that meets your needs and you theirs?

the only place I see thou teaching is in yor friends house or la fitness where they get all the clients for you and pay you crap for an hour. Good luck trying to find something like you had here. 

Ive been traning here since the opened and I'm very happy here. I finally got my instructor certification wand I feel like I'm ready to teach Thanx to Hayley Milks. 

Here are a few things I'd like to say in response to Hayley Milks accusations:

A) I was never warned that HAYLEY MILKS was not actually able to certify me. Had I been, I would have never agreed to spending the amount of money I did.

B) My friend DID attend the classes for the demonstration that Hayley set up for her. In response to the silly "she just brought her friends" comment, she didn't. Yes, she advertised the event on facebook and some people went, friends and acquaintances that were interested in yoga and whose location of the event was convinient for them. And I showed up to show my support, as my friend has been working VERY hard at expanding and this is the ONE AND ONLY chance Hayley ever gave her, which she ended up taking and giving the class to another student anyways.

C) Refering to my not practicing yoga, I have been practicing yoga CONSISTENTLY for 4 years now. I just did not practice with Hayley. She wouldn't have known this because we did not keep in contact during all that time.

D) I DID comply with the three months of consecutive training. She did NOT mention it would take 6 months, she said it would take 3.

E) The initial job offer was for NOT for me to build my own yoga class, but to HELP HER with her existing students. Once again, I would not have taken the job had I known it depended on the amount of clientele I brought - I am a college student not a source of advertising, where do I find people willing to pay $35 an hour of training with me when I am a new yoga teacher?

F) The two months of teaching yoga without a studio cut that she promised me was yet another promise that she did not keep as she decided to cancel my class after 1 month.

G) I did not EXPECT to get paid without any experience after I completed my yoga teacher training, I WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD BE. If she brings me into the studio with these expectations, how does she really think I won't disagree when she changed the rules midway?

H) In my three to four months of training, I was only late to the classes during a week long period because I had my final architecture presentation, something HAYLEY was aware of.

H) That message I sent Hayley via facebook was not me asking for a reccomendation but for a CERTIFICATE OR FORMAL DOCUMENT stating all the training I went under with her. You can see for yourself in the attached picture that I also mention I WOULD BE at a loss applying to places without this document, not that I "can't get a job anywhere".

Lastly, I did not file these report to attack Hayley as a person or a yoga teacher, I wrote this because I felt that her BUSINESS PRACTICE was not truthful. I also am not expecting to "GET MY WAY" at 22, however I am not afraid to voice my opinion the second I feel cheated.

After all this happened, I was never unappreciative of the training I recieved, I was simply UNHAPPY AT HOW SHE HANDLED OUR AGREEMENT and of the constant changing of rules and payment extention. I wrote all of this only after she was UNWILLING TO GIVE ME A FORMAL DOCUMENT stating the training  I did with her, LIMITING my chances at becoming a yoga teacher elsewhere after I complied with the aforementioned program.

THIS IS NOT AN ATTACK ON THE BUSINESS OWNER OR STUDENTS, BUT ON THE TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM THAT I FOLLOWED. I DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO ANYBODY ELSE.

To begin with, the only reason why I contacted her was because I wanted to do TEACHER TRAINING. This is already enough information to suggest that yes I had no official teaching experience when I called. Why would I want to teacher train if I already got my teacher training? You don't ask for any teacher teacher training if you already have  the teacher training certificate!!!

When I called I left her a voicemail and she called me back while I was at work. Yes I work. I'm 22 and have maintained consistent jobs since I was 17 years old so no I'm not simply a "lazy 22 year old living with her parents". Her voicemail essentially said 'Yes I can teacher train you and I have a recently openend up my own yoga studio' (something I didn't know when I called her) and she claimed to NEED A LOT OF HELP because she had many clients and very little time, offering me a job at the studio once my teacher training was complete. I said that yes I'd love to teacher train under her to eventually teach. 

I visited the studio to take a yoga class so she could see how advanced I was. After class, we discussed my training and she said that with 3 months of training I would be ready to teach. I kept a journal all along and ended up totalling my training to 112 hours, not including some of the private classes we had. The private classes were to focus on more advanced poses and to ask any questions and solve any doubts I had. This time was precious to me, as the beginners class (part of the unlimited package), though they helped with my resistance, did not teach me about the TEACHING side of yoga. I was paying $140 for the UNLIMITED classes she had, which I would make about 4 times a week, every Sat morning, as well as tues and thurs after my school (again, I'm currently getting my Masters, not sitting at home being taken care of) as well as Friday afternoons before my private time with her. So that pans out to about 5 hours of training weekly, NOT 2, WHILE I WAS GETTING MY MASTERS DEGREE IN ARCHITECTURE FULL-TIME AND MAINTAINED A PART-TIME JOB!!

The private classes cost me $25 EACH once a week, on top of the $140, so that meant $240 a month. The privates were really my time to focus on my teachings as the unlimited package was THE SAME AS ANY OTHER STUDENT would get in the studio, so essentially they were open classes where I did not learn about TEACHING. With our privates, I asked all the questions I had, worked on my weaknesses and etc. However I was finding that my time was starting to be sacrificed as another girl (a third girl who has also been teacher training there - mind you to my knowledge still does not teach there after training there much longer than I have) shared my hour. One time she came to my class for a mock class where I would teach and this girl would be the student. It was great because she helped me by putting herself in a beginner students place and made me realized whenever I did not make anything clear and such. That class was totally fine, however next week I had to do the same thing for her but during MY TIME! Essentially, in my time for teacher training I had to take yet another beginners class to help her out. Of course I do not mind helping her out as I understood she had scheduling issues, but I did not like having to PAY FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO TRAIN. After class I voiced my concern to HAYLEY MILKS and of course, she made it appear as though I was being selfish and she did not understand that ANY paying customer would not want their money going towards someone else's training. Mind you, this also happened ONLY ONCE. So this whole "I started to complain cause my time was being shared" refers to the one time I voiced my opinion on this matter, something HAYLEY MILKS was simply not having.

As you know my training began on August, and around October I got to teach my first class. However, the time was assigned by HAYLEY MILKS herself, and it was around 8pm, after her class at 7pm. She knew most students could comfortably make the 7pm class so my class ended up being rather empty. I taught for less that a month when she said she was going to cancel my class becuase 'I WASN'T BRINGING IN ENOUGH CLIENTELE'. BUT DID I NOT GET THE JOB BECAUSE SHE NEEDED HELP WITH HER CURRENT STUDENTS??? However, there was a board in the studio with the class schedules on the wall, which my class was NEVER ADDED ON, so many students may not have known about it. Also, the calendar online DID NOT HAVE MY CLASS ON THE SCHEDULE. So if my class was not being advertised, how are the students in the studio going to know about the addition of a class??? Her claim that she needed HELP BECAUSE SHE HAD SO MANY STUDENTS appeared to be a LIE. She did not need help, instead she wanted me to come to the studio because she knew I had already been teaching some close friends yoga classes in the park, and wanted me to bring in more clients when I started working there. Essentially, IT SEEMS LIKE SHE USED ME TO BRING IN MY CLIENTELE. I did manage to bring in one friend to class who, upon hearing the cost and demanding AUTOMATIC CREDIT CARD CHARGE, did not agree with it and thought it was a ripoff (AS THE UNLIMITED PACKAGE ONLY INCLUDED A MAX OF 6 CLASSES A WEEK BECUASE THEY ONLY TEACH ONE OPEN CLASS A DAY). When this happened, other friends of mine were not interested in becoming affiliated with an istitution where you have to pay up front, regardless of your situation.

Towards November, I started noticing HAYLEY MILKS promising for teacher training to be done at a certian point and then extending the time as well as the money me and the other girls invested in it. At this point my teacher training time was suppose to be done, and I complied with the necessary training needed to teach. She gave me a class (which she eventually took away and only got paid for for 4 days because the class was only once a week) so why would I need to continue teacher training? Yes I understand coming to the studio to work out together and such, but after I had completed all the necessary training, SHE STILL WANTED ME TO PAY THE $240 A MONTH PAYMENT (AND SHOWED NO SIGN OF ENDING)!!!

I also NEVER RECIEVED A CERTIFICATE FOR MY TEACHER TRAINING, something ALL OTHER STUDIO DO PROVIDE, and I doubt if she was ever actually ABLE to certify me (meaning if she has the proper knowledge or certificate)t. According to my time spent training, I had completed the forelayed requirements around Novemeber to NEVER RECIEVE A CERTIFICATE. When I would ask for it, she would constantly change the subject, claim that I don't need it, and brush it off. So I finally quit.

OF COURSE I NEED A CERTIFICATE. AND IF I NEVER GOT ONE FROM HER, HOW ARE OTHER STUDIOS TO KNOW OF THE TIME I SPENT TRAINING IF I DON'T HAVE ANY CERTIFICATE TO SHOW FOR IT?

If you complete your teacher training in any other studio, it will usually take you about 3 months of equal consistent training. And when you graduate, you will recieve a certificate. This was not the case here.

I did not ask her for a reccomendation as she claims, as she is not the type of yoga teacher I would like to be affiliated with. I already have plently of references from current students that are happy to vouch for my traning skills. Also, this is not a college application - you do not need reccomendations but references and proof of your training.  I simply wanted WHAT I PAID FOR - A YOGA TEACHER TRAINING TITLE. Which I never got, Suggesting the whole thing was either a scam or that HAYLEY MILKS is simply negligent to provide what she claimed I would recieve back in November.

ULTIMATELY, WHEN IS IT OKAY TO PAY A STUDIO TO TEACH THERE? As a buisness, you NEVER charge your employees, so why would this change at a yoga studio? And if I was not a employee, why did she bring me there under the belief that I would become one?

So once again, DO NOT TEACHER TRAIN UNDER HAYLEY MILKS.

VANESSA SALCEDO contacted me via phone back in August, 2012, when she said she was interested in teaching yoga. My partner and I had just opened our yoga studio and told VANESSA SALCEDO that she was more than welcome to come in and TAKE yoga CLASSES, considering she had NO yoga teaching experience whatsoever and had not practiced yoga for more than 2 years at that time. I also explained to VANESSA SALCEDO that she could begin teaching yoga at our location within 3-6 months of CONSECUTIVE training, and that VANESSA SALCEDO would need to pay for private sessions and/or open yoga classes. We are not in the business of giving anything out for free, but that is a hard concept to understand when you live with your parents at 22 years old and they pay for every one of your expenses. VANESSA SALCEDO agreed that she would pay for one yoga private a week at a mere $25 and UNLIMITED open class, meaning she could come into classes everyday. By October, just 3 MONTHS later, we gave VANESSA SALCEDO a key to our yoga studio and told her that she could build up her OWN classes, even though my partner was very hesistant;  she had only been coming in 1-2 times a week because of her other activities. We sat down in our office with VANESSA SALCEDO and gave her ideas on how to build her OWN yoga classes and that she could charge whatever she wanted and POCKET the money! We told VANESSA SALCEDO that we WOULD NOT TAKE HER MONEY that she made from her classes for the first 2 months! We gave VANESSA SALCEDO every opportunity to build her OWN yoga classes and encouraged her to do so. VANESSA SALCEDO would complain about having to share her private session with another student, her "friend" she refers to in her complaint as a "new mother" because her "friend" wasn't as advanced as VANESSA SALCEDO and it was slowing her down. I explained to VANESSA SALCEDO that since she was constantly rescheduling her private yoga sessions, I had to double her up with her "friend" who's a "new mother".

Once VANESSA SALCEDO began to see that her class was not filling up, VANESSA SALCEDO expected MY current students to want to take her yoga class instead of the one they were currently taking which was mine. VANESSA SALCEDO did not understand the concept of having to build her yoga student base, but instead, wanted it to be built for her. A month after VANESSA SALCEDO was set to teach the 7:30 pm class, VANESSA SALCEDO told me this wasn't working out for her. I never promised VANESSA SALCEDO a certification from our studio, as I am NOT authorized to issue out a certificate. What I did tell VANESSA SALCEDO was that she would be certified to teach yoga at our location and under us in other locations, meaning we even PAID FOR HER INSURANCE.

VANESSA SALCEDO is a bit confused. 112 hours of yoga teacher training is highly unlikely, considering she came in 2-3 times a week initially and then sporadically after that and it only added up to 3 months total. The simple reason why she was told to pay for her classes is because VANESSA SALCEDO was 21 years old with NO TEACHING EXPERIENCE. How does a child expect to come in to a yoga studio and be granted classes with no experience and then have the owners pay her?!

The only way VANESSA SALCEDO "lost money" teaching yoga with us is because she was too inconsistent, immature, and lazy to want to build her clientele, short of us having to do it for her. VANESSA SALCEDO is used to getting what she wants, clearly, and decided she would write this initial report as "anonymous" for the following reason: VANESSA SALCEDO contacted me- AGAIN- via Facebook about 4 weeks ago asking me to write a letter of recommendation for her because she apparently could not get a job teaching yoga. When I didn't respond, VANESSA SALCEDO got upset and decided to throw a tantrum. The reason I did not feel I should write a letter of recommendation was because A) VANESSA SALCEDO would show up late to yoga class which is not exactly professional if you are wishing to teach; B) VANESSA SALCEDO holds a sense of entitlement about her "teaching skills" and expects instructors to hand students over to her. On top of everything mentioned above, I did not feel a letter of recommendation would be appropriate considering the outright spoiled brattiness I witnessed upon VANESSA SALCEDO not getting what she wanted.

As far as VANESSA SALCEDO'S "friend" is concerned, she began yoga class in late August and continued yoga throughout her pregnancy. I actually confided in my business partner what my yoga students said and what mirrored my own thoughts: They liked her "friend" better than VANESSA SALCEDO and found that VANESSA SALCEDO was not as good of an instreuctor as the "friend". I had so much promise for this young girl; I raved about her to everyone I came across and threw her name out there for ALL of our intended yoga programs. I wanted her to teach yoga with us because she was going to be such a talented and open-minded yoga instructor. She had potential. While she was out the last two months of her pregnancy, I set up TWO OUTSIDE YOGA PROGRAMS FOR HER to begin teaching. All she had to do was SHOW UP. VANESSA SALCEDO used her bitterness in not getting what she wanted to taint her "friend" who is a "new mother"'s perception of what we were offering her. These little girls are unbelievable. I set up a program and the "friend" went to teach yoga and brought all of her "friends" including VANESSA SALCEDO, to attend the DEMO CLASS THAT WE SET UP. Professional of VANESSA SALCEDO? I think not. Trying to sabotage her "friend's" opportunity? I think so.  Fortunately, the yoga program that we set up and the "new mother" almost sabotaged by bringing her crew to attend the FREE yoga class is still going strong and we have a yoga instructor teaching there who DOES NOT feel the way VANESSA SALCEDO feels.

VANESSA SALCEDO thinks that her love of yoga should entitle her to owners of yoga studios knocking down her- her parents- door and begging her to come work for them. VANESSA SALCEDO seems to think that she is gift to the yoga comunity and that she should be treated as such. Must be nice to have such a rose-colored view of the real world. Yet VANESSA SALCEDO will not hesitate in trashing someone else and their livelihood just because at 22 years old, she finally did not always get what she wanted. Here's your letter of recommendation.

We at Brawling Buddha DO NOT run a scam in offering yoga students that come to us wanting to teach, the opportunity to do so. We offer them a chance to become yoga students FIRST and then if THEY express the wish to teach, they can do so under our company.