A local yoga studio is being criticized for posting on social media a picture of Toronto rampage suspect Alek Minassian with the caption, “Alek is our mirror.”

“What propels one of us to bring pain to our family but our own inability to recognize and process our own mental health,” stated a post on the Facebook page of Moksha Yoga Bloor West, located near Bloor St. west and south Kingsway.

“Who of us has not been there on some level, whether it’s a sarcastic comment or imagining death upon another? Acknowledging this reality is the practice of compassion, the practice helping to heal ourselves and our global family by connecting to truth.”

The post, which was removed by Facebook Tuesday after it received several complaints, came after a white van ran down pedestrians along Yonge St. between Finch and Sheppard Aves. Monday afternoon, killing 10 and leaving 14 injured.

Under the post was a picture circulating on social media of Minassian, 25, seen smiling. He has since been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder.

“The post is an attempt to encourage people to see the humanness behind the (alleged) perpetrator and the similarities we all share with people who feel the need to hurt others when they are pain,” said Don Christensen, the director of the studio, who took responsibility for the post.

“I put up a picture of a human being. I’m hitting an internal truth for some people that is really hard to swallow and anytime somebody speaks the truth there is a crisis.”

Several people commented on the post expressing their anger.

“This is an event that occurred less than 24 hours before the post was made and it is seemed poorly timed and in bad past,” Alysia Myette told the Star over the phone.

“Even at this point, all the names of the victims have not been released to the public. There are 10 people who are dead,” she said. “We should show compassion for their family and friends and compassion should be given to them and their healing process.”

Since the post appeared and was later removed, Christensen said teachers and staff at the studio have been threatened with harm through social media.

Even after the removal of the post, angry commenters flooded the page with negative reviews.

“A post like the one that capitalized on the yonge (sic) van attack really says a lot about a yoga studio’s ethics and values,” reads one review. “Certainly we all have freedom of speech. But we do not have freedom from consequences,” wrote another commenter.