This next section only applies to participants enrolled in our 200-hour certification program.

YOGA BELLY RYT200 GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Trainer must receive all documentation to receive a graduation certificate.

__________ 100% attendance of live sessions (Missed class time must be made up. Make sure you arrange for make-up time if necessary.)

__________ Take required yoga classes to observe, to elevate your practice, and to develop your teaching style

__________ Complete all practice teaching hours

__________ Submit required videos and recordings of your teaching progress

__________ Co-teach a live 60-minute community class

__________ Journal: Students are required to keep a journal of yoga journey during the course

__________ Writing Assignment Paper #1: Summary of your experience so far from the first half of the course (due mid-term; 1 page; single-spaced)

__________ Writing Assignment Paper #2: Summary of 2nd half of course including community class experience (due course end; 1 page; single-spaced)

__________ Writing Assignment Paper #3: Eight Limbs of Yoga. Pick one Yama and one Niyama that you would incorporate in your daily life and explain why and how you will practice these (due end of course; 1 page; single-spaced)

For reference, here are our credentials with Yoga Alliance.

Yoga Belly, registered school: https://www.yogaalliance.org/SchoolPublicProfile?sid=5457&lid=6710

William Cristobal, ERYT500: https://www.yogaalliance.org/TeacherPublicProfile/tid/89431

Aaron Goodnow, ERYT200: https://www.yogaalliance.org/TeacherPublicProfile/tid/314324

Elevated RYS 200 Standards: https://www.yogaalliance.org/Our_Standards/Elevated_RYS_200_Standards

Code of Conduct

We are committed to holding high ethical standards for our yoga teachers. We believe that it is the responsibility of a teacher to ensure a safe environment in which our students can grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. Students are looking for guidance from teachers with authenticity, experience, and wisdom. Our Code of Conduct was developed to protect our students in this potentially vulnerable relationship with their teachers and to uphold the highest professional standards.

Financial Practices

Teachers will discuss all fees and financial arrangements in a straightforward professional manner. Teachers will manage their business affairs according to recognized standard business and accounting practices. Teachers are encouraged to render services to individual or groups in need without regard to financial remuneration. Teachers will neither receive nor pay a commission for referral of a student.

Professional Growth/Continuing Education

Teachers shall maintain the integrity, competency, and high standards of the yoga profession by continuously striving to improve their skills through keeping current in new developments in yoga practice and by participating in continuing educational programs.

Teacher-Student Relationships

Teachers shall demonstrate high regard for the moral, social, and religious standards of their students. Teachers shall avoid imposing their personal beliefs on their students, although they may express them when appropriate in the class and in a sensitive and careful manner.

Teachers recognize the trust placed in them by students and the unique power of the student-teacher relationship. Teachers shall avoid exploiting the trust and dependency of students. Teachers shall avoid dual relationships with students (e.g. business, close personal or sexual relationships) that may impair their judgment, compromise the integrity of the teachings and/or use the relationship for their personal gain. Teachers shall not engage in harassment, abusive words or actions, or exploit students.

Teachers recognize that the teacher-student relationship involves a power imbalance and shall exercise caution if the teacher chooses to get into a personal relationship with a student.

Integrity

Teachers shall uphold the highest of moral standards. Teachers shall strive to ensure that their intentions, actions, and speech are based on honesty, compassion, selflessness, trustworthiness, and transparency.

Teachers recognize that the process of learning is never complete, and they shall avoid portraying themselves as “enlightened” or “spiritually advanced.” Teachers recognize that they are walking on the spiritual path along with their fellow teachers and students. Teachers shall cultivate an attitude of humanity in their teaching and dedicate their work to something greater than themselves.

Scope of Practice

Teachers shall not abandon or neglect their students. If teachers are unable (or unwilling for appropriate reasons) to provide professional help or continue a professional relationship, they should make every reasonable effort to arrange for instruction for that student with another teacher. Teachers should avoid giving any personal advice concerning a student’s personal life.

Teachers shall not give medical advice. Teachers shall not prescribe a treatment or suggest rejecting a physician’s advice. Teachers shall refer their students to medical doctors or complimentary licensed professionals when appropriate.

Confidential Information

Teachers shall keep all personal information disclosed by their students or clients strictly confidential. A teacher who receives personal information from a student or client may not disclose such information unless it obtains the written consent of the student or client. All discussions among teachers concerning students or clients shall be conducted in secure, non-public environments.

Advertising and Public Communications

A teacher shall accurately represent his or her professional qualifications and certifications along with his or her affiliations with any organization(s). Announcements and brochures promoting classes or workshops shall describe them with accuracy and grace. These principles are designed to uphold the quality of our teachings and shall be in compliance with legal guidelines for appropriate representation of our services.

Yoga Equity

Teachers shall welcome all students regardless of age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and perceived gender expression), sexual orientation, color, race, national origin, marital status, parental status, veteran’s status, religion, or physical or mental disability, provided that the teacher has appropriate expertise.

Grievance Policy

Reporting of Policy Violations

We encourage anyone who has been the subject of sexual misconduct or any other action that violates 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 “review-ing body”).

The report must 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.

Due Process and Procedure

We recognize that our school has an obligation to give a person accused of misconduct a reasonable level of due process. Because the person may lose his or her job and their reputation may be tarnished, the decision-making process must be fair and objective. Due process in this context does not mean that the reviewing body will conduct a mini trial, but it will gather all of the relevant facts surrounding the matter and make a fair and objective decision based on the facts. The reviewing body may need to interview the person who reported the situation, the person who perpetrated the misconduct, and any other people who have direct knowledge about the situation. We will examine all other credible and objective evidence about the situation.

After the reviewing body gathers the facts, we will determine if the allegations are credible. If it is determined that is the case, the reviewing body will decide on the sanctions to impose and then communicate its decision to those involved.

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:

1. Do Nothing. The facts do not show that the person committed the policy violation.
2. 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.
3. 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 is usually one year but it may be shorter 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.

4. 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.

Refund Policy

Upon receiving an acceptance email, the applicant will be charged a minimum deposit of $500 on their credit card unless participant agrees to pay in full. For any pending balance, final invoices will be emailed 2 weeks before the start date of training. The deadline to pay in full is 1 week prior to the start date of training.

If applicant withdraws from the program after acceptance, but before the program starts, $250 from applicant’s deposit amount will be retained by the program. However, such amount can be applied towards a future training program.

The program will not give any refunds or credits after the training starts. The program reserves the right to cancel any training before it begins. In that case any payments applicants have made will be refunded in full.

If applicants want to take advantage of early bird discounting payment must be made in full by the expiration date of the early bird discount.