This Southern California woman is in the running for world's worst yoga instructor

A Southern California yoga instructor who allegedly charged practitioners hundreds of dollars each before abruptly closing her studio has left her former clients — as well as Bikram Yoga International — steaming mad.

Beatrice Samson shut down Bikram Yoga Thousand Oaks at the end of February, and did not offer her clients any refunds, NBC Los Angeles reports. "It's the last place you would expect someone to do this," says Tania Stappard, who forked over $800 cash for a year's worth of classes. "The night before she shut down the studio, she was still selling packages. She not only pushed people to buy just one deal, she kept pushing to buy this deal over and over again." Upon further investigation, NBC Los Angeles also found that Samson was not actually affiliated with or licensed by Bikram Yoga International. For her part, Samson refused to comment, except to say the studio was "stolen" from her.

To avoid situations like this, the Better Business Bureau recommends that people use credit cards when purchasing goods and services, not debit cards, cash, or checks. There is some good news for the angry yogis: Bikram Yoga Thousand Oaks has been replaced with a new studio, whose owner said he is willing to "balance that wrong with something right" and is offering to honor those prepaid packages for three months. Stappard appreciates his gesture, but has no kind words for Samson. “I hope this woman never says 'namaste' again," she said.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up