It’s supposed to be a spiritual and meditative journey involving body and mind. But one Christian-based yoga retreat resulted in allegations of sexual harassment by a leader within the popular Holy Yoga organization.

A federal lawsuit by Danette Galvis, a former Dallas-based Holy Yoga instructor, says she was forced out of the organization when she reported being harassed by Dianne Suozzo, of Holy Yoga’s Northeast region, during the Arizona retreat.

During the class, Suozzo gave Galvis an “adjustment hug” from behind that lasted too long, the lawsuit says, and then she whispered into her ear: “You are so beautiful,” and “I mean, if I wasn’t married ...”

Holy Yoga’s website says it has more than 1,700 yoga instructors worldwide. The organization has five regional directors in the U.S. and a global regional director. Their events are known to draw hundreds from across the country and even internationally.

Danette Galvis (Louis DeLuca / Staff Photographer)

The alleged sexual advances occurred in front of several hundred students while Galvis was attending a yoga class in which Suozzo was an instruction assistant, according to the lawsuit.

Holy Yoga's website says it "embraces the essential elements of yoga: breath work, meditation and physical postures."

The company’s Facebook page says it combines “world class yoga with a Christ honoring experience that offers an opportunity to believers and non-believers alike to authentically connect with God.” Holy Yoga does this by combining prayer, worship and the “physical practice of yoga to contemporary and Christian music.”

The #MeToo movement has affected numerous industries and has also shaken the yoga world with allegations of sexual harassment. A number of yoga instructors have recently shared on social media their personal stories of abuse.

Holy Yoga issued a statement Friday saying, “While we have not yet been served the complaint, Holy Yoga has a policy against retaliation, discrimination, and harassment based on sex or any other protected category.

“As an organization, we are committed to providing our employees with a work environment that is free from discrimination and do not tolerate any wrongdoing against our employees. We are also committed to providing an environment for yoga to be practiced in a spiritual way to promote healing and restoration. We stand in steadfast solidarity with ensuring a safe place for the practice of yoga and fervently deny allegations of any wrongdoing against Ms. Galvis.”

Suozzo, who is based in New Jersey, could not be reached for comment.

Galvis, 44, of Dallas, names the Holy Yoga Foundation, an Arizona nonprofit, and a company called Holy Yoga Global LLC as defendants in the lawsuit, filed on Aug. 9 in federal court in Dallas. The lawsuit alleges Holy Yoga violated federal law by committing sex discrimination, retaliation and defamation. The suit does not ask for a specific dollar amount.

Promotion

Galvis says in her lawsuit that she became a volunteer instructor for Holy Yoga in the spring of 2010 about two months after earning her yoga instructor certificate.

Galvis, who was raised in Fort Worth and is married with a daughter, told The Dallas Morning News that she decided to "search out a faith-based yoga" program. At the time, such programs weren't well-known or very popular, she said. Previously, she sold real estate and worked in advertising.

Galvis helped the yoga company’s growth in the Dallas area and started Holy Yoga’s first classes in several Dallas locations, the lawsuit said.

Because of her success, Holy Yoga hired her in April 2016 on a part-time basis as their Southwest regional director, she says in the lawsuit. In May 2017, she was promoted to retreat and event director.

As such, she was in charge of planning Holy Yoga’s national yoga workshops, called “immersion retreats.” She organized a six-day retreat in Arizona in October 2017 for about 300 students, including some who flew in from other countries, the lawsuit said.

Galvis says in the lawsuit that she decided to take part in one of the classes. She says such “self care” is encouraged to relieve stress. Suozzo was assigned to help the instructor by observing students and physically making adjustments to help them maintain the poses, the lawsuit said.

“Ms. Suozzo came up behind Ms. Galvis during the class and hugged Ms. Galvis from behind, in a yoga pose that had Ms. Suozzo pressing the front of her body, with her chest, against Ms. Galvis’ back and buttocks,” the lawsuit said.

Galvis, who was at the front and near the stage, says in the lawsuit that she thought nothing of it initially.

“However, Ms. Suozzo’s adjustment ‘hug’ continued through a series of three poses and took a completely abnormal turn" when she whispered into Galvis’ ear "in an intimate manner,” the lawsuit said.

When Galvis asked her to stop, Suozzo whispered “shhhhhh,” the lawsuit said.

Galvis says in the lawsuit that she was shocked that Suozzo was “making sexual advances towards her in class, in front of several hundred people, at a Christian-based retreat.”

The lawsuit said Galvis was aware of Suozzo’s “own admissions of being sexually attracted to women, despite the fact that Ms. Suozzo is married to a man who is a minister and a board member of Holy Yoga.”

Demotion

But what happened after Galvis reported the incident to her supervisors led to her filing the lawsuit.

She said she reported it within two hours.

The reaction: Holy Yoga cut her pay from $30,000 to $18,000 in November 2017, according to the lawsuit. That same month, Brooke Boon, Holy Yoga’s founder and CEO, publicly told Galvis during a leadership conference that she was being demoted, the lawsuit says.

Dianne Suozzo (Facebook)

“That demotion constituted Holy Yoga’s second wrongful and retaliatory conduct against Ms. Galvis for reporting Ms. Suozzo’s unwelcome sexual harassment during the Arizona retreat,” the lawsuit said.

Galvis says in the lawsuit she resigned due to the company’s inaction toward her complaint and retaliation. Holy Yoga then used social media to “disparage Ms. Galvis’ reputation," according to the lawsuit.

Specifically, Holy Yoga made it seem like Galvis “engaged in some corporate malfeasance prior to her departure,” the lawsuit said.

The Arizona company has continued to make untruthful public statements “meant to smear her public reputation and image,” the lawsuit said.

Galvis said in an interview that it’s important for yoga programs to provide people with a safe place where they can feel comfortable.

“It can be uncomfortable,” she said. “You’re coming into my space.”

Galvis' attorney, Sonja McGill, specializes in employment law. She said practitioners expect care and help during a yoga class.

“You’re literally at your most vulnerable in this particular scenario,” she said.