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\nMimi Yoga, a studio with multiple locations in Miami offering yoga and pilates classes, announced on Aug. 31 that it was prohibiting its students from filming during its classesAcross social media, patrons and influencers reacted to the news \u2014 some criticizing the studio for unfairly closing an influencer\u2019s revenue stream, and others praising the decision to protect its students\u2019 privacy\u201cOur studio is a safe space where students can disconnect without worrying about being caught on camera in someone else\u2019s video,\u201d the studio wrote in its announcement<\/p>\n
A yoga studio is cracking down on patrons filming in their classes \u2014\u00a0and influencers have thoughts.\n<\/p>\n
Mimi Yoga, a studio with multiple locations in Miami offering yoga and pilates classes, announced on Instagram that filming in all of their classes was \u201cprohibited, effective immediately\u201d in an Aug. 31 post<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \u201cOur studio is a safe space where students can disconnect without worrying about being caught on camera in someone else\u2019s video,\u201d the studio wrote in its announcement. \u201cYour exercise time and time on your mat serve as an hour for you to disconnect and focus entirely on yourself.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Continued the studio: \u201cIf you cannot comply, you\u2019ll be asked to leave the class, and your class will not be refunded.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Over the last few years, videos<\/a> captured during classes at the studio have garnered millions of views from fitness and lifestyle influencers.\n<\/p>\n Speaking to the Miami New Times<\/a>, the studio\u2019s founder, Mimi Ghandour, said that Mimi Yoga had actually always had a no-filming policy, which was announced at the start of every class, but exceptions were often made for those in the back of the class who did not capture other students in their videos.<\/p>\n “Our instructors consistently announced these guidelines at the start of each class, but unfortunately, students weren’t adhering to the rules,” she told the outlet. “This led us to implement a complete filming ban during regularly scheduled classes to maintain the integrity of our space.”\n<\/p>\n Following the announcement, Miami-based creators took to social media to react to the policy update.\n<\/p>\n Mimi Yoga Studio.<\/p>\n Mimi Yoga Studio\/Instagram<\/p>\n \u201cSome people make a living on the internet. You could easily make $1,000 or more off a 60-second clip of you taking a yoga class,\u201d said TikToker Giselle<\/a>, who has over 160,000 followers on the platform. \u201cI don\u2019t necessarily think it\u2019s fair to ban filming in every class \u2014\u00a0because it\u2019s also exposure and marketing for the studio.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\n<\/p>\n