BUCKTOWN — A yoga instructor was beaten by a student after walking off his job at CorePower Yoga in Bucktown, the man said in a Thursday Facebook post.
The instructor, who goes by the name "Yogi Danny B" said that he was assaulted twice by the same student this month, and he alleges that his employer did not support him during either of the incidents.
Late Thursday, CorePower's Bucktown studio manager, Mary Neigel, issued the following statement from the company's legal department: "CorePower Yoga is committed to the safety and welfare of its employees and students. Accordingly this matter is currently being investigated by the company's human resources department."
Yogi Danny B wrote on Facebook that he got into an argument with a student outside one of his classes on Oct. 14, after he tried to stop the student from reaching into an office drawer. The instructor said the student slapped his arm and threatened him.
Yogi Danny B said he requested help from his managers, who had witnessed the incident, but they were "unsupportive" and would not give him the student's last name when he asked for a statement to give to police. Managers told Yogi Danny B that the man "won't be practicing at CPY Bucktown anytime soon," according to his Facebook post.
A week later, Yogi Danny B wrote, he saw the student at the studio.
"Could not have felt more let down," he wrote.
Yogi Danny B then quit his position at CorePower, and as he went to leave, he wrote, the man followed him.
"A couple of male students hold him at the door as I walk away. A few seconds later he approaches me as I'm unlocking my bike and proceeds to beat me. Eventually, two male students and some guys on the street get him off of me," he wrote.
Shakespeare District Police said around 6 p.m. Wednesday that there was a call for service at CorePower Yoga at 1704 N. Milwaukee Ave. about a fight involving two men on the sidewalk outside the studio.
When the police arrived, one man was inside and the other had left the scene.
Officer Nicole Trainor, a spokeswoman for Chicago Police, confirmed that a report had been filed for a 44-year-old man who suffered minor injuries in an attack by a man in his 50s or early 60s. No arrests have been made.
Reached late Thursday, Yogi Danny B. said: “He was not in my class, but he should not have been [at the studio] anywhere. I don’t feel safe with him and will be done with CorePower," he said, adding that he had worked for the company for six years.
According to his website, he began practicing yoga in 1991 to settle his mind after serving in the Gulf War. He teaches at Zen Yoga Garage, 1845 N. Milwaukee Ave.
In the Facebook post, he encouraged yoga students to become conscious consumers and "support studios that support their teachers."
Denver-based CorePower Yoga opened in Bucktown in 2010, replacing a former Blockbuster video store.
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