Dance Teacher's Life 'Destroyed' by Yoga Course Exercises
A British dance teacher has won her legal battle for compensation after suffering a severe emotional breakdown during a yoga teacher training course in India, which she says has left her unable to work or look after herself.
Melissa Revell, 35, from Richmond, London, attended the £2,250 course in Goa in September and October 2019, aiming to become a qualified Ashtanga yoga instructor. However, the course included unadvertised psychological exercises that she claims triggered a meltdown, causing her to be 'retraumatised' by memories related to her adoption.
The Triggering Incident in Goa
According to court documents, the incident occurred on 24 September 2019, when course instructor Dulce Aguilar led a 'somatic touch session'. Students were instructed to pair up and participate in an exercise exploring childhood memories and relationships with parents.
Barrister Marcus Grant, representing Ms Revell, described the exercise: 'Students were told to imagine the other person was their parent, massaging their shoulders, holding their hands and stroking their hair while saying words like 'I love you, you are my teacher, my carer, my nurturer and I forgive you'.'
Following the session, Ms Revell began shaking and feeling ill, experiencing 'overwhelming anxiety'. She approached course leader Jamie Clarke, 59, explaining that suppressed childhood memories were surfacing, but felt dismissed when he reportedly said he 'could not spend all his time with one student'.
Life-Changing Consequences
The consequences for Ms Revell have been devastating. Previously fit, active and working as a dance teacher, she now describes living an 'extremely reclusive, impoverished and dysfunctional life' with 'acute anxiety whenever she leaves the flat'.
She has been diagnosed with complex PTSD, depersonalisation/derealisation disorder, and functional neurological disorder. Her physical health has dramatically declined – she has gone from a UK size 6-8 to size 14-16, cannot exercise, and struggles with basic self-care including cooking, cleaning and washing.
Her long-term relationship ended as a result of her psychological illness, and she now lives alone, largely isolated.
Legal Battle and Outcome
Ms Revell sued TYP International Ltd, the company behind the course run by Clarke and Aguilar, for more than £200,000. The company initially denied liability, claiming there was no psychological element to the training and that emotional collapse wasn't a foreseeable risk.
However, at London's High Court, Clarke confirmed the company would no longer dispute liability, having run out of funds for its defence and ceased trading in July 2022. Judge Master John Dagnall noted that without a defence, the company's chances of success were 'remote'.
With judgment entered for Ms Revell on liability, the value of her claim will now be assessed in the next stage of proceedings, potentially securing her significant compensation for the life-altering injuries she sustained.
