Facebook Fires Yoga Teacher For Glaring At Student Using Phone In Class?
Scroll down to see what Facebook Yoga would like
07/10/2012 | 04:21 PM
It was a struggle between hoping to achieve a peace of mind and the impertaive to use a piece of technology - guess which won out?
The struggle occurred at the Facebook Fitness Center in Menlo Park, CA. Yoga teacher, Alice Van Ness was conducting a yoga class when she looked, well, more like, glared at a student who was checking her cell phone.
Alice Van Ness writes in The Elephant Journal:
"Halfway into class, right as I was starting a demo of ardha chandrasna (half moon pose), she decided to check her phone.
I stopped talking and looked at her.
I said nothing, but I’m sure my face said it all. “Really? Your email is more important than understanding your body?
It’s more important than taking time for you? It’s more important than everyone else here?”
Oh, and by the way, she was in the middle of the front row. She stepped out and rejoined class a few minutes later.
Apparently, she had gone to complain to management."
Two weeks later Van Ness says Facebook fired her. The San Francisco based yoga instructor admits that "Previously, I had been asked by management to just let the students do whatever they wanted."
Van Ness adds, however, that she did not actually speak to the student who was checking her cell phone, she merely, glared.
Apparently, glaring is fireable offense.
The controversy has sparked debate online as many have come to the support of yoga teacher, Alice Van Ness. For her part, Van Ness tweeted that she has received two job offers already and besides has no intention for working for Facebook again.
Van Ness in her article understandably raises the issue of the constant need for connectivity that technology and social utilities like Facebook demand vs Yoga's laudable goals of stillness and living in the moment.
Which points to this rather ridiculous stock photo to the left - Indeed, one suspects this would be how Facebook would like all of us to do Yoga.
The struggle occurred at the Facebook Fitness Center in Menlo Park, CA. Yoga teacher, Alice Van Ness was conducting a yoga class when she looked, well, more like, glared at a student who was checking her cell phone.
Alice Van Ness writes in The Elephant Journal:
"Halfway into class, right as I was starting a demo of ardha chandrasna (half moon pose), she decided to check her phone.
I stopped talking and looked at her.
I said nothing, but I’m sure my face said it all. “Really? Your email is more important than understanding your body?
It’s more important than taking time for you? It’s more important than everyone else here?”
Oh, and by the way, she was in the middle of the front row. She stepped out and rejoined class a few minutes later.
Apparently, she had gone to complain to management."
Two weeks later Van Ness says Facebook fired her. The San Francisco based yoga instructor admits that "Previously, I had been asked by management to just let the students do whatever they wanted."
Van Ness adds, however, that she did not actually speak to the student who was checking her cell phone, she merely, glared.
Apparently, glaring is fireable offense.
The controversy has sparked debate online as many have come to the support of yoga teacher, Alice Van Ness. For her part, Van Ness tweeted that she has received two job offers already and besides has no intention for working for Facebook again.
Van Ness in her article understandably raises the issue of the constant need for connectivity that technology and social utilities like Facebook demand vs Yoga's laudable goals of stillness and living in the moment.
Which points to this rather ridiculous stock photo to the left - Indeed, one suspects this would be how Facebook would like all of us to do Yoga.
