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| May 3, 2010 | Meet Yoga 'Nazi': The meanest yoga teacher in Big Apple | |
New York: If you thought learning yoga was all about connecting with your inner calm, meet New York's meanest yoga teacher Otto Cedeno, also popular as the yoga Nazi. Owner of Bikram Yoga Union Square, Cedeno, 46, runs his class like a hard-nosed commander. "My friends call me the yoga Nazi. I laugh," the New York Post quoted Cedeno as
saying. Those, who happen to break one of his many rules, find themselves in yoga
detention. And his many pet peeves include - no water for about the first third
of the 90-minute class; wash off all makeup (it leaves streaks on rented towels);
no loose-hanging clothes; and hair must be pulled back. Cedeno often singles out
people in incorrect positions, to the extent that he bullies students lying on
their backs in the purposefully restful Corpse Pose. "As a beginner, I was scared
that he would single me out for not trying," said Park Slope resident Kim, 26.
The worst part for Erick Romero, 25, is Cedeño's kickboxer mentality. "He goes
around and kicks people's feet into alignment. He doesn't say anything and just
shoves his foot into your heel," said Romero. But Cedeno, who was a Broadway dancer
before capitalizing on the popularity of yoga, says he's not trying to be mean.
His practice appeals to "A-type personalities" who respond to a little abuse.
And towards people who raise a finger on whether he's even teaching yoga at all,
Cedeno is unrepentant. "I'm not in the business of being nice," he said.
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