WARNING ABOUT AJ FRYE

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To all Ashtanga Yoga students and teachers in Tucson,

 

I am writing this open letter to express my disappointment and concern about my experiences while working with AJ Frye as an Ashtanga Yoga teacher here in Tucson.

 

I was a dedicated student of AJ Frye from November 2021 to September 2022. I attended every Mysore class and only missed some LED practices on Monday due to work scheduling. During this time, AJ Frye and I also ran a yoga studio together. I taught classes on Saturdays, and he was invited to run the morning Mysore program.

 

It became clear to me that AJ Frye did not have much experience with assisting people in asanas. He claimed to have taught in in Oregon, but it seems that he had no formal training. With Ashtanga Yoga, it's important for a teacher to not only show the student how to do the asanas but also how to assist. AJ Frye was missing the latter. He would often get mad at students for not doing the asanas his way.

 

Despite this, we continued to work with AJ Frye and he did improve. However, it wasn't until after the studio closed that I received multiple complaints from students about how AJ Frye had hurt them with adjustments. He also refused to give monthly dues back if a student left and did not want to work with him.

 

Furthermore, during his time at our studio, AJ Frye went to India to practice with Sharath Jois where he earned authorization. (This authorization means that he demonstrated his ability to practice the series; it does not include teacher training or any evaluation of ability to teach.) AJ contacted the studio teachers and asked for money to help pay for the authorization, and we did send him money. Upon returning home, he was posting on Instagram that he was staying in a nice hotel resort as a "reward" for getting authorized with the money from his fellow teachers and students.

 

I strongly urge all teachers and students to reconsider before working with AJ Frye. He has caused a lot of harm here in Tucson by splitting the small Ashtanga community we have here and by being aggressive, giving poor adjustments, and craving money without caring about the student.

 

I was his dedicated student and was hurt the most by his actions.

 

Please be cautious before working with this individual.

 

Sincerely,

JASON WOLF