Code of Conduct & School Policies

The following CODE OF CONDUCT and SCHOOL POLICY is applicable to students participating in courses and activities, as well as non-participating guests at Yoga Vidya Mandiram school. By booking your course or stay, you have implicitly acknowledge that you have read, agree and accept the following Code of Conduct and School Policy during your stay at our school. Please go through the below carefully and let us know if you have any questions.

Code of Conduct

The purpose of the Code of Conduct is to ensure a safe and nurturing environment in which students can learn and instructors can teach. It also to ensure the student can grow towards physical, psychological and spiritual well-being. Students are expected to honor and uphold the Code of Conduct during the duration of stay with Yoga Vidya Mandiram school.

While it is not possible for school to list all possible conducts, here are those most likely to happen. Moreover, students are expected to follow additional guidance and warnings from school management, if any. Please go through the following code of conduct applicable to students participating in courses and activities, as well as non-participating guests at Yoga Vidya Mandiram school.during non-class hours, no earlier than 6am and no later than 9pm at night.

No alcohol, drugs or any addictive substance are allowed during student’s stay at school. This applies no matter inside or outside of school premise, including during any extra nights before or after course date, if students are staying at our accommodation. Any alcohol/drug consumption will lead to being asked to leave without certification.
No smoking of any kind, including e-cigarettes, are allowed on premise. We promote physical and emotional purification during the training. If you have a strong habit for smoking, please try to keep it to a minimal and smoke only at a far distance outside of accommodation/resort premises. Please dispose of your cigarette buds in safe and appropriate disposal.
No consumption of non-vegetarian (i.e. meat, poultry, eggs, etc.), within accommodation or school/resort premise. We realize that not everyone interested in the course are pure vegetarian. However, by signing up and booking for this course, you have agreed to our disciplines and our diet requirements. Students are responsible for bringing dietary supplements that they required during the duration of the course. If you really need non-vegetarian from time to time, you may discreetly plan for your meals outside the school. Please do not request our staff to prepare non-vegetarian meals, including eggs.
No verbal or behavioral aggression, including passive aggression, towards classmates, school management team, teachers and resort staff at any time. This includes gossip, harassment, bullying, or any other behavior that is inappropriate or disruptive to the welfare of the program or to fellow students.
Students are required to attend 100% of the training hours. Tardiness to class cannot be counted as full class and one should not sign the daily attendance sheet as if for a full class participation. Please see “Attendance Policy” section under School Policy.
No using mobile phones for external communication or social media in class during an ongoing class. This is considered disrespectful to teachers and classmates who may require positive and focused class environment.
No late nights out. We kindly request students to be back to school and in your room by 9pm for your safety and to support student’s focus on the training that entails early morning routine and intensive schedule throughout the day. Students are not allowed to sleepover outside of school for the duration of their stay.
No party or any other entertainment gathering is allowed to be held by students on school premise.
No romantic relationship with teacher(s) for the duration of your course. Students are strongly advised not to go outside school with a teacher alone, even when student thinks it is not a romantic relationship. Teachers are also not permitted under School Policy to organize trips for students or take a student out for a meal on their own.
Students are required to sleep in your assigned room for the duration of your stay at school. Students are not allowed to sleepover in another student’s room for any reason.
No outsiders are allowed into student’s bedrooms unless discussed in advance of your program, the guest is checked-in and paid for their stay. Outsider may enter school premise only after requesting permission for each entry from school. He/she is limited to stay only during a certain hour of the day and required to be under supervision.
Music is permitted under the following specific conditions: at appropriate volume, only if roommate (if any) agrees, only if neighbors do not complain, only during non-class hours, no earlier than 6am and no later than 9pm at night.

School Policy

Our School Policy follow Yoga Alliance school policy requirements for all Registered Yoga School (RYS) as part of their most recent effort to maintain quality, integrity and system within yoga schools. Policy templates provided from Yoga Alliance were adjusted for use under the context of Yoga Vidya Mandiram school.

ENROLLMENT

Yoga Vidya Mandiram provides yoga teacher training courses, retreats, and events in India and Thailand. Course details, schedules, and fees are outlined on our website and may be subject to change without prior notice.

ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS

By registering for a course, workshop, retreat, or event with Yoga Vidya Mandiram, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to our Code of Conducts and School Policies. If you do not agree, please reconsider signing up for our yoga courses.

Yoga Vidya Mandiram yoga school reserves the right to refuse admission to yoga trainings, retreats or any other programs held at the school. Students arriving late may be admitted to trainings at the discretion of Yoga Vidya Mandiram yoga school.

ELIGIBILITY & PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBILITY

While the main eligibility and participant responsibilities are listed below, there may be other expectations not listed here. These are the key points to help create a positive and respectful learning environment:

Behavioral Expectations: Participants are expected to follow the school’s code of conduct and adhere to all policies during the course. This includes treating fellow students, instructors, and staff with respect and kindness, maintaining a peaceful and supportive learning environment, and upholding the integrity of the program. Disruptive behavior, dishonesty, or any form of discrimination will not be tolerated. All students should approach their practice with humility, respect, and a willingness to learn. Any violation of the school’s code of conduct may result in termination from the course.
Open-mindedness: Yoga is not just a physical practice but also a journey of personal growth. Participants must come with an open mind, ready to embrace new perspectives and teachings. This openness will allow you to explore and integrate the philosophy, practices, and principles of yoga into your life. We ask that students respect the teachings and the instructors, allowing space for self-reflection and growth throughout the course.
Cultural Sensitivity and Diversity: Yoga is deeply rooted in diverse cultural traditions and philosophies. As participants in an international environment, students are expected to demonstrate respect for different cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs. This includes honoring local traditions, practices, and customs during their time at the school. Cultural sensitivity is essential for fostering a harmonious and inclusive community, and we encourage all students to approach the experience with respect, openness, and a willingness to learn from each other’s diverse perspectives.
Commitment to the Course: By enrolling in our yoga program, participants commit to fully engaging with the course material and activities. This includes attending all classes, completing assignments, and participating in group discussions. We expect students to be dedicated to the learning process and to maintain focus throughout the course duration. Consistent attendance and active participation are critical to gaining the full benefits of the program, and we encourage all students to approach the course with seriousness and respect for the learning experience.
Health and Well-being: All applicants must be in good physical, mental, and emotional health to participate in the course. Yoga is a physically demanding practice that requires a certain level of fitness. If you have any pre-existing medical conditions or injuries, you must inform the school prior to enrollment to ensure the course is suitable for you. It is essential that participants take responsibility for their own health and seek medical clearance if necessary.
Basic English Proficiency: Our courses are taught primarily in English, and participants should have a basic understanding of the language to ensure they can follow instructions and engage with the materials. We recommend that applicants have sufficient proficiency to understand both written and spoken English, as this will greatly enhance the learning experience and ensure clear communication during classes and interactions with fellow students and instructors.
Travel Insurance: Participants should have a comprehensive travel, medical and cancellation insurance for the duration of their stay or travel.
Prenatal Precaution: Trainees who are pregnant, or fall pregnant during a Teacher Training Course are not permitted to partake in or continue on the training. No refund will be given under these circumstances. For this reason, if you suspect you may be pregnant it is highly recommended you visit a doctor for a pregnancy test before enrolling for the training.

PAYMENT POLICY

An non-refundable advance deposit is required to reserve a spot in your course. The advance deposit required varies by course and is based on the amount listed on our website or the platform where the booking is made. A confirmation email will be sent out to the applicant with details of remaining course fee.

The remaining course fee (if any) is due on arrival. The follow are available payment methods at school reception in Rishikesh, India centre. Methods may be different in other school locations.

- Credit Card: Payments made by credit card would be subjected to additional 4.3% transaction fee (powered by Stripe). Fee is subject to changes announced by the payment platform.
- Cash: We recommend you to pay the remaining balance in cash on arrival if you want to avoid complications with online payments. We recommend carrying the cash amount from your country. However, ATM for cash withdrawals is also available but with a limited amount per withdrawal or per day. Please plan your cash withdrawals accordingly.
- Direct Bank Transfer: If you want to avoid carrying cash or going to the ATM, online banking is possible. Please make sure you make a transfer before your arrival to ensure the amount arrives before the course starts and that you are able to deal with the bank if there is any issue with the transfer. Please note that any bank charges for the oversea transfer is your responsibility and should not be charged or deducted from the transferred amount.
- PayPal: Payment via PayPal is possible but you would be subjected to 6% additional transaction fee. Fee is subject to changes announced by the payment platform.

School reserves the right to terminate student’s participation in the program if a student fails to make payment of the remaining course fee on arrival.

Yoga Vidya Mandiram reserves the right to make changes to payment options and policy at any time.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

1. MISSING TRAINING HOURS

Graduation from our program requires the student’s attendance for 100% of training sessions. A maximum of 5 hours may be missed for acceptable reasons if arranged in advance and approved by the program director before your absence. We will provide make-up sessions totaling 5 hours excluded from the price of tuition. The student must schedule make-up sessions at a rate of US$15 per hour to graduate from the program.

Acceptable reasons to miss classes are temporary sickness (i.e. fever, cold, headache) or absolute emergency calls from home or work. No matter the reason, all absences must be informed and approved in advance by our program director before missing each class.

Leaving class before class ends also falls under Missing Training Hours section of Attendance Policy. If student has absolute emergency and need to leave an on-going class, please inform reasons to program director immediately.

In the case that a student missed training hours over maximum hours allowed by school, even though with acceptable reasons and advanced notices, school may decide that the student needs to retake the course to complete training hours as required by Yoga Alliance.

We do not accept unapproved absences and they may result in dismissal from the program without refund. In this case, graduation will be at the sole discretion of the program director.

2. TARDINESS

Any student who is late for class by more than 10 minutes will be docked an hour from their training hours and need to make up at the rate of US$15 per hour for every hour missed.

3. WITHDRAWAL POLICY

If a student wishes to withdraw from our program for any reason, they must first contact the program director to discuss their reasons for withdrawal. Fees paid are non-refundable when students decide to withdraw.

4. TERMINATION FROM PROGRAM

School may decide to terminate any student’s participation in the program if:

false or omission of information provided in the admission process that materially affects the program (i.e. omitted pre-medical conditions or other health conditions, false identity, etc.) ;
the student missed more than 10 hours of the training;
the student is absent for more than 2 consecutive classes without contacting the program director;
the student fails to make timely payments of tuition;
the student inform false excuses to miss classes such as feeling sick when it is not true;
a student who appears to have mental or emotional instability and has displayed disruptive behavior.

If the program decides to end the student’s participation in the program due to the stated reasons above, the student is not entitled to any prior payments or fees. All prior payments and fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.

5. TERMINATION FROM PROGRAM: BAD CONDUCT

No refunds will be given if school removes a student from the program for bad conduct. Bad conduct is violation of the School Policy, Student’s Code of Conduct, gossip, harassment, bullying, or any other behavior that is inappropriate or disruptive to the welfare of the program or to fellow students.

CERTIFICATION POLICY

Certification will be provided to students upon completion of the program, in accordance with the School Policy and Student’s Code of Conduct. In special cases of program incompletion, school holds the right to make final decision.

School holds the right to ask a student to leave the training without certification or decide not to give certificate to a student upon completion, if he or she violates any School Policy or Code of Conduct.

CANCELLATION POLICY

The advance deposit is strictly non-refundable upon cancellations but may be applied to rescheduling under the Postponement Policy, if applicable.

POSTPONEMENT POLICY

The postponement or rescheduling option is valid only if the applicant makes a request 7 days prior to the course commencement date for courses with duration of 3 days or less and 14 days prior to the course commencement date for courses with duration longer than 3 days.

Here are the terms and conditions involved:

Your deposit holding time is valid for a period of 1 year from the initial course date booked, after which your booking would expire. If you require further extension of your deposit holding time, please send us a request at least 1 month before the mentioned expiry date. Approval of your request to extend the deposit holding period is subject to the school’s discretion.
If there is an update in the course fee for the new course date selected to reschedule your booking, your booking will be subjected to the updated course fee applicable to that course date.
Your deposit is applicable only to a course of the same duration as the one you initially booked or to a course with a longer duration.

Rescheduling must be requested and confirmed at least 1 month in advance. Rescheduling is also subject to availability.

REFUND POLICY

1. GENERAL CASES

Advance deposit is strictly non-refundable upon cancellations. If a student has paid in full prior to the course date and decides to cancel before the course starts, the remaining fee after advance deposit amount will be refunded under the following conditions:

Refund amount will be sent back via Stripe if students paid by card option, or through overseas bank transfer if made by other online payment methods. School is not responsible for any loss on exchange rates and fees/charges that may incur from the refund transaction.
Any transfer fees applicable on the refund transaction will be deducted from the refund amount.
No refund will be made for amounts lost to tax, transfer fees (i.e. Stripe/PayPal fees, bank fees, etc.), loss on exchange rate, non-refundable agency commission fee or any other fees or charges applicable on your original payment transaction. Basically, school will refund the amount we actually received into our bank account (final rupee amount received). So we will send back the refund amount in Indian rupees (“Sender” amount) less amounts lost (i.e.tax, fees, etc. as mentioned earlier).

School will not make any refund after the training starts.

2. BAD CONDUCT

No refunds will be given if the program removes a student from the program for bad conduct. Bad conduct is violation of the Code of Conduct, harassment, violent or abusive language or actions, or any other behavior that is inappropriate or disruptive to the welfare of the program or to fellow students; and complete negligence to heed any specific request made by the staff to correct behaviors or to complete coursework within the allotted time frame.

3. SPECIAL CASES

In case a student needs to withdraw from the program due to illness, accident, death in the family, or other circumstances that make it impractical for the student to complete the course, the program may allow the student to return to retake the full course at a future date within a timeframe of 1 year after the original course date booked, only if agreed by school management team and only when agreed in advance of student’s departure. In special cases, proof of such circumstances will be requested by school. There will be additional charges based on student’s stay during the uncompleted course (considered as extra days).

PRIVACY POLICY

At Yoga Vidya Mandiram, we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your data when you use our website or enroll in our courses.

Upon arrival and check-in at school, all students and non-participating guests are required to provide passport and guest’s information required to be submitted by law to the Indian Government. Passport will be handed back after a photocopy is made.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal information:

Personal Details: Name, email, phone number, nationality, and registration details.
Payment Information: Processed securely via third-party payment providers (e.g., Stripe, PayPal).
Travel and Identification Details: Required for check-in and registration as per local government regulations.
Photos and Media: Images or videos taken during courses and events for promotional purposes.
Communications: Emails, messages, or other interactions with our staff.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information for the following purposes:

Processing student registrations and managing courses.
Handling payments and transactions securely.
Complying with legal and governmental requirements.
Informing past students about upcoming events and opportunities.
Promoting our courses through social media and marketing (with images/videos).

3. Information Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or distribute personal information to third parties. However, we may share it in the following cases:

With Our Staff & Teachers: For course administration and teaching.
With Legal Authorities: If required by law or government regulations.
With Social Media Platforms: We may share course-related photos or content on Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms for promotional purposes.

If you do not wish for your information to be used for marketing purposes, you can opt out by contacting us.

4. Security of Your Information

Yoga Vidya Mandiram is committed to protecting your personal data. We implement security measures to prevent unauthorized access, loss, or misuse of your information.

5. Your Rights & Choices

You have the right to:

Request access to your personal data.
Request corrections to inaccurate information.
Request the removal of photos or videos featuring you from our promotional materials.
Opt out of promotional communications at any time.

Please note: Due to legal and financial regulations, we may be required to retain certain personal information (e.g., registration details, payment records) and cannot delete these records upon request.

6. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page, and continued use of our services constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

LIABILITY DISCLAIMER

Yoga Vidya Mandiram and its instructors is not responsible for injuries, illnesses, or health-related issues that may occur in or out of class during or after the courses. Student will be responsible for such injuries and any medical costs that incurs in the duration of stay at our campus. Students participate at their own risk and should consult a doctor before engaging in physically demanding activities.

The school is not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged personal belongings.

CCTV POLICY

CCTV systems are installed (both internally and externally) in Yoga Vidya Mandiram premises for the purpose of enhancing security of the building and its associated equipment as well as creating a mindfulness among the occupants.

The images captured by the CCTV system operates 24 hours each day and will be retained for a maximum of 15 days, except where the image identifies an issue and is retained specifically in the context of an investigation/prosecution of that issue. The images/recordings will be stored in a secure environment with a log of access kept. Access will be restricted to authorized personnel. Footage will not be used in public for any commercial purposes.

In certain circumstances, the recordings may also be viewed in certain incidences of crime or anti-social behavior. Access will be limited to authorized individuals on a need-to-know basis.

TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIPS

Teachers are not permitted to organize a trip to bring student(s) outside of school on their own (not organized by school), either in group or individually. This includes taking students out for a meal or city exploration, even if the student is the party inviting the teacher out. Doing so may result in temporary break from teaching or permanent resignation from teacher position at Yoga Vidya Mandiram.

In the case that the student requires additional consultation out of class, time may be given to student within school premise only.

ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY

1. HARASSMENT AGAINST MEMBERS OF PROTECTED CLASS

We do not permit managers, employees, teachers, independent contractors, students, or others in the workplace to harass any other person because of age, gender (including pregnancy), race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, genetic information, or any other basis proscribed by law.

2. SEXUAL MISCONDUCT

We prohibit sexual misconduct in our school. Sexual misconduct is any unwelcome sexual advance including requests for sexual favors, sexual touching, and verbal, visual, or physical conduct that creates a sexually hostile environment at Yoga Vidya Mandiram. This include misconducts towards school staff, teachers and students. Violation within this section will be reported to concerned government authorities.

3. ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

Teachers shall not invite, respond to, or allow any sexual or romantic conduct with a student during the period of the teacher-student relationship. Sexual or romantic interactions that occur during the teacher-student relationship constitute sexual misconduct and are unethical. Sexual or romantic interactions detract from the goals of the teaching relationship, may exploit the vulnerability of the student, may obscure the teacher’s judgment concerning the student, may be detrimental to the student’s well-being and damage the reputation of the yoga community.

Yoga teachers must maintain professional boundaries in their relationships with students so that the best interests of the students are served. The interest of the teacher is not relevant: the art of teaching yoga is focused on serving the spiritual needs of the student. The teacher-student relationship involves an imbalance of power and any appearance that this imbalance has been exploited for the sexual purposes of the teacher is unethical. Even if the relationship is initiated by the student, it must still be avoided by the teacher.

If a teacher is becoming romantically involved with a student, the teacher will be replaced immediately. The teacher must ensure that any behavior in dealing with students is always professional and not open to misunderstanding or misinterpretation. If a relationship begins to develop, the teacher should seek the guidance of school management. Violation of any points mentioned in this section will result in deduction of or unpaid salary, and temporary time-out or permanent termination of employment contract of the teacher.

ANTI-RETALIATION POLICY

We will not retaliate against any person for having reported or threatened to report harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or violations of our Code of Conduct or polices, or for participating in an investigation into any of the foregoing. Anyone who retaliates against a person will be subjected to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

We encourage any person — including employees, non-employees, and students — who believe they have been subject to retaliation to inform a supervisor or manager.

We have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment or sexual misconduct. We encourage anyone who has been anyone who is subject to this behavior to report it to the human resources department or school management. We will do everything possible to ensure that you are not retaliated against by anyone because you have reported misconduct.

GRIEVANCE POLICY

1. REPORTING OF POLICY VIOLATIONS

We encourage anyone who has been the subject of sexual misconduct or any other action that violate our policies and Code of Conduct to report the incident to our Ethics Committee, Human Resources department, or school management (henceforth referred to as the “reviewing body”).

The report should contain the following information:

Your full name;
Your email and phone number;
The name of the person who the grievance is against;
A description of the alleged policy violation;
The date and location of the policy violation;
Names and contact information of any witnesses with first-hand knowledge of the situation; and,
Any other credible evidence that is available to support the grievance.

In the interest of fairness and privacy, all reports must be made by the person who has personally experienced the misconduct. We will not investigate a matter based upon a third-party report of misconduct. All reports must be made in good faith based on information the person reporting the incident reasonably believes to be accurate. We may request additional information from the person reporting the incident throughout the course of review of the report.

We will take appropriate action to ensure compliance with our policies. The reviewing body will impose any sanctions that it feels are fair, just, and reasonable under all circumstances. We will not allow anyone to retaliate against any person for making a report in good faith or providing information in connection with an investigation into an alleged violation. Any information provided during a grievance report review will be treated on a confidential basis. Similarly, any actions that the taken in response to the report will also be confidential.

2. SANCTIONS

We recognize the principle of “the punishment must fit the crime.” We do not sentence someone to life imprisonment for jaywalking. There must be a sense of fairness and moral proportion in judging these situations. All cases of abuse and misconduct, from inappropriate commentary to physical assault, will be judged objectively and the reviewing body will fashion a sanction that fairly and equitably addresses the situation, giving due considerations, to all the facts.

In many cases, it may be hard to uncover all the facts, there may be conflicting facts, there may be conflicts of interest, and there may be circumstances and facts that weigh on both sides of the scales of justice.

However, the reviewing body will use sound and careful judgment in deciding what type of sanctions to impose.

There are four options:

Do Nothing. The facts do not show that the person committed the policy violation.
A Warning. The facts show that the person’s actions were minor and that a warning is a fair sanction. The warning could be coupled with counseling.
Time Out. The facts show that the person’s actions were serious, and they warrant suspending the person from the studio or community for a decided amount of time. However, the actions were not so serious that they support termination of employment. For example, the person may be good hearted, but made a mistake in judgement. This may weigh toward leniency. The “Time Out” period may be one month up to one year, depending upon the circumstances. During the “Time Out” the person gets counseling, does spiritual work, contemplates their actions, etc. After the “Time Out” period expires, the person can approach the reviewing body to ask to re-commence their teaching activities or allow them to rejoin the community. This body will then determine whether the person has resolved their issues and that it is appropriate for them to return. When making this determination, we will consider whether there has been a sincere apology and contrition, appropriate reparation to the injured parties, rehabilitation, and heart-felt change before the person may return. This decision will entirely at the discretion of the reviewing body.
Dismissal. The facts show that the person’s actions were so serious that they warrant dismissing the person from the studio or community. The person is dismissed, and their employment or independent contractor agreement is terminated.

Any legal disputes shall be governed by the laws of India or Thailand, depending on the course location, and resolved in the applicable courts.

Book Your Seat

Enquire

Our Policies