瑜伽馆突然关门，学员和老师怎么办：从 Y7 到 Triyoga 的倒闭启示

Published October 29, 2026 11:39AM

On September 9, Y7 yoga teacher Aanch Khaneja showed up at the Silver Lake studio in Los Angeles to teach class and encountered a locked gate. Y7 Teachers in New York, Los Angeles, and Austin similarly showed up to class and found the studios closed.

That afternoon, after longtime Y7 member Andrew Johnston received an email stating the studio was “now closed,” he showed up at the Silver Lake location anyway for the 5:30 p.m. class. He encountered Khaneja “on her phone finding out that it had unceremoniously shuttered.”

Two weeks later, on September 23, a similar situation was unfolding across the Atlantic at London’s Triyoga, a fixture of the city’s yoga scene for the last 25 years. “There was a note on the door simply saying the center was closed,” says student Katie Puckrik, an American broadcaster and writer based in London. She had shown up for class after being unable to book class online or reach anyone at the studio by phone.

As she paused and processed the situation, another student arrived at Triyoga after receiving an email notification that the studio was “closed until further notice.” Puckrik explains that the other student was a new member and had just bought a year’s membership.

And the month before, the YUJ chain of yoga and wellness studios in Paris surprised longtime students and teachers by closing its doors following its liquidation on August 13. Teachers were reportedly informed via WhatsApp and the studio’s home page was updated to read, “Merci et au revoir.” Beneath that message, there is a letter from founder Hélène Duval expressing appreciation for 12 years and regret for those who had purchased memberships or class packages, which she says were now questions for the court-appointed liquidator.

In each instance, teachers from each studio remain unpaid for their final weeks and, in some instances, months of work. That includes more than 200 Y7 staff, per a Substack written by Y7 founder Sarah Larson Levey, approximately 100 Triyoga teachers, according to an article in The Guardian, and some 50 YUJ teachers, per Le Parisien.

Students who had paid upfront for class packages or unlimited class memberships that remain unused have also received little, if any, clarity as to whether there will be reimbursement.

Many affected by the shutdowns took to Instagram to express their shock, frustration, and concerns. Some Y7 students and teachers left comments on the studio’s recent Instagram posts, with dozens expressing dismay over the abrupt shutdown. Many criticized the company for not responding to refund requests from students and shared suggestions on how to attempt to secure compensation for unused classes. Others expressed frustration about missing paychecks. Some teachers took it upon themselves to leave comments apologizing for the lack of communication by the company.

Everyone was left not knowing what happens now regarding prepaid memberships and unpaid wages.

What to Do If a Yoga Studio Abruptly Shuts Down

“A sudden closure isn’t, in and of itself, necessarily an illegal act,” says Jennifer Mohamed, a New Jersey-based yoga teacher and business attorney who drafts membership and employment agreements, among other services. “It just feels icky.”

Mohamed explains that the specific circumstances of each closure determine the legal options for teachers and students seeking back pay or refunds.

Mohamed says that if bankruptcy is declared in the U.S., secured lenders are prioritized, followed by employees’ outstanding wages, and, to a lesser extent, customers’ prepaid deposits. Without bankruptcy, there is no formal court process to sort out who gets paid first, according to Mohamed.

Lacking bankruptcy, any potential recourse following a studio shutdown depends on the specific circumstances of each situation. In London and Paris, laws regarding the closures of businesses vary from those in the U.S., yet in general, employees receive more protection than independent contractors when a business shuts down. Yet it can be unclear regarding how compensation works for students who prepaid for classes.

Vincent Miceli of VM Fitness, which had taken over operations of the Y7 heated vinyasa brand seven weeks earlier, did not respond to a request for a comment. The website and email for the fitness group Common Bond, which operated Triyoga, appear to no longer be functioning.

Abrupt closures are the worst-case scenario. But a yoga studio can make a graceful exit. When Kelly Elle Kenworthy decided to shut the doors of the independently operated Little Yoga Studio in Boulder, Colorado, in 2025, she informed everyone in an email a little less than two weeks in advance, encouraging students to avail themselves of the studio until its last class. In her farewell, she conveyed there would be no refunds but that unused credits would be “received as a donation toward the studio’s closing costs,” which included teachers’ final paychecks.

When unexpected shutdowns happen, there are ways to minimize potential loss for those who take and teach classes, explains Mohamed, who is not representing any parties connected with the recent studio closures. The following information is based primarily on  U.S-specific law and is not intended as legal advice. Regulations vary by state and country as well as specific situations.

What Yoga Students Can Do

1. Pay for your membership by credit card rather than debit 

If a yoga studio closes and doesn’t respond to a query or issue a refund, you can request that your credit card issuer reverse the charge for services you never received. However, credit card disputes have deadlines, so file as soon as you know the studio isn’t reopening. Debit cards and payment apps offer far less protection.

Johnston, who held a monthly membership with Y7, disputed his final charge with his credit card company, a tactic many commenters on Y7’s Instagram page suggested. He received a reinstatement of his funds.

Derek Chisamore had prepaid for an annual Y7 membership with two months remaining at the time of the company’s closure. Despite receiving an email from Miceli assuring him that students would be refunded, Chisamore has yet to receive anything. He eventually reached out to his credit card company and received “a prorated charge back for the time missed.”

2. Save a copy of your membership agreement

Prepaying for yoga classes that go unused because a studio closes may fall under a breach-of-contract claim. “If you’ve purchased services that then cannot be fulfilled, the law is gonna say, ‘Well, there’s a breach of contract here because you didn’t get what you bargained for,’” says Mohamed. In that instance, it might be possible to seek compensation for what is owed.

In order to prove breach of contract, you need the agreement. When you electronically sign your membership, the studio typically sends a copy of it to your email. Mohamed recommends keeping it somewhere safe, whether you download it right away or file it in a saved email folder. If you signed your agreement months ago and can not find it, check the studio’s app for a copy or request it from the front desk. A closed studio can’t send you a copy of your contract.

Check if the agreement terms regarding refunds might be listed in your policy. Also, look to see if the studio lists a specific timeframe for answering refund requests and if there is an arbitration clause, which can bar you from suing in court or joining other members in a class action.

3. Check state law

Some states in the U.S. have health club laws that protect members’ prepaid fees, but yoga studios often fall outside them, explains Mohamed.

For example, New York’s Health Club Services Act is written broadly and covers businesses offering instruction in “physical fitness” or “well-being,” so it could arguably apply to yoga studios, Mohamed says. In practice, though, no yoga studios are registered with the New York Department of State, which suggests the state hasn’t required them to comply.

With more studios moving to memberships, Mohamed says, “This may be an area where we see change in the future.” You can research whether your state has a health club law and whether it covers single-discipline studios.

What Yoga Teachers Can Do

For teachers who did not receive paychecks for work following a studio shutdown, much depends on the status as either employee or independent contractor, according to Mohamed.

1. Know and understand your employment status

Receiving a W-2 tends as an employee to offer teachers more protections than a form 1099 as an independent contractor.

Yoga teachers who are classified as independent contractors are not guaranteed coverage of lost wages in the U.S., although they may be able to sue for breach of contract. Although the laws vary by country, more than 100 Triyoga teachers have sought support in recovering wages via the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) Yoga Teachers Union, according to the International Business Times.

Employees may be able to file a wage claim with their state labor department, apply for unemployment, and join class-action lawsuits when a studio shuts down and fails to compensate them for work delivered, says Mohamed.

Some teachers from Y7 in Los Angeles have been filing individual wage claims with the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, according to Khaneja. Successful unpaid-wage claims could bring penalties that double or even triple what’s owed, depending on the state in which they are filed. In an August 20 email to staff, Miceli acknowledged that “applicable penalties” under state wage laws would apply to late pay.

2. Review the fine print of your contract 

Check your contract to confirm when you get paid and what notice or payment you’re owed if classes are canceled or the studio closes. Ideally, read this carefully before you sign.

Look for non-compete clauses, too. Depending on your state, they can limit where you teach next. California and a handful of other states ban them outright, while others enforce them only if they’re reasonable in time and distance.

3. Keep up-to-date records of hours and expenses

Don’t rely on the studio’s scheduling app or payroll system for verification of your teaching hours. Keep your own record of every class you teach. If the company suddenly shuts down, you might lose access to these systems and the listing of classes for which you were—and were not—paid.

Also, independently track any expenses the studio owes you, such as costs related to a workshop or training that you led.

4. Watch for warning signs & diversify

There were signals that something was off at the studios in the weeks leading up to the abrupt closures, according to several teachers.

Starting in July, payroll at Y7 was delayed multiple times. “They kept emailing saying, ‘You will get paid on Friday.’ And then on Friday they were like, ‘You will get paid on Monday.’ And then on Monday they were like, ‘You will get paid next Friday,’” says Khaneja. “They just kept pushing it off again and again.” The evening Y7 studios closed, teachers received an email from Miceli notifying them of the closure.

Similarly, Triyoga teachers say their pay was delayed again and again. “They would never guarantee the payment was coming, and they were never willing to say anything,” says Adam Husler, a longtime Triyoga senior teacher. He decided to quit two weeks prior to the studio’s shutdown because the company couldn’t guarantee funding for a yoga teacher training that he was about to co-lead.

Late pay doesn’t always mean a studio is about to close, but it does caution you to pay attention. Many teachers diversify their income streams with other types of work so they have fallback plans in case of studio closures.

Moving On From Yoga Studio Closures

There’s another kind of loss that accompanies the abrupt closure of a yoga studio beyond financial. There’s the loss of one’s practice and favored teachers. The loss of community and connection from no longer moving and breathing with the same crowd week after week. And there’s an emotional loss.

“Triyoga was where I went to release and recharge,” says Puckrik. “The staff became friends, and the lobby became a home away from home.”

In Los Angeles, Chisamore is also grieving. “I know it is crazy to say, but it feels like someone died,” he says. “I lost the routine that I had for years without a sense of closure. I did not even get to say goodbye. Not only do I miss them, but I feel badly that they still have not been paid for their hard work and talents.” He has since connected with a few teachers on social media and hopes to practice with them again soon.

Yet as students and teachers start to recreate their practice elsewhere, the larger yoga community has stepped in to support those left stranded without a home studio.

In London, Home Wellness, founded by Triyoga’s original founder, Jonathan Sattin, and Mission, started by a former Triyoga yoga director, Genny Wilkinson, are honoring the remaining memberships of students, according to Puckrik. Down To Earth Yoga turned its Instagram into a kind of “bulletin board” for displaced Triyoga teachers and the students searching for them. It’s also offering several free classes to students with the message, “No membership, no commitment—just somewhere to land while you work out what comes next.”

In Paris, the former YUJ location at the Hôtel HoY reopened under different management. It invites those with unfulfilled YUJ memberships to reach out and inquire about transferring their missing classes, with decisions made on a case-by-case basis.

Former Y7 student Johnston now practices at Indigo Fitness in Los Angeles, where he is not only rebuilding his yoga practice but, hopefully, his community. An instructor at the studio recently asked him for recommendations as to which Y7 teachers the studio should hire. “So hopefully I’ll see some of them again very soon,” he says.

Support for Y7 teachers has also come from an unexpected place. Anne Mahlum, founder of the boutique fitness chain Solidcore, has reportedly offered to pay outstanding wages totalling close to $123,000 through individual GoFundMe pages set up by individual teachers.

Some teachers left without a home studio are instead going grassroots. Literally. Khaneja and several other former Y7 teachers quickly formed the Sunset Movement Collective and currently teach yoga and sculpt outdoors in a park every week.

“A lot of the students are still showing up,” she says. “We’re just trying to take something from what was taken from us.”