Student Conduct and Policies
For the purpose of this agreement, "student" and "client" are used interchangeably.
Student agrees that all material is copyrighted by Yoga Philosophy (yogaphilosophy.com, YogaPhilosophy.Com, Dr. Shyam Ranganathan), and that they have only personal use of the material for the duration stated in the specific course offering they enroll in. Students agree not to share their personal password for courses with others.
Students agree to act at all times in accordance with the Yama and Niyamas. The Yamas ask us to prioritize non-harm, and to accept only those facts that respect other people's personal boundaries and personal property, and our own health. The Niyamas ask us to be content with our commitment to yoga, and to be against nonyogic things (such as harmful behavior). Gentle and polite communication tends to fulfill both requirements. Yoga Philosophy reserves the right to revise course procedure and Terms of Use in keeping with the interests of the Yamas and Niyamas, if need arises. Whether changes conform to the Yamas and Niyamas will be determined by Yoga Philosophy.
Students agree to abide by ahiṃsā (nonharm) as a method of interaction with others. Failure to abide by ahiṃsā may result in them being removed from their course, and associated discussion forums. If controversy arises surrounding the interpretation of the parameter's of the course, students agree to defer to Dr. Shyam Ranganathan, or the Yoga Philosophy instructor (with Dr. Ranganathan taking priority), to resolve the controversy. Dr. Ranganathan will employ explication to resolve all such controversies.
Students found violating the Yamas by Dr. Ranganathan will be de-enrolled from Yoga Philosophy courses with no refund, and may be banned from further Yoga Philosophy courses. Students agree that the terms can be revised by Yoga Philosophy, and that their engagement with Yoga Philosophy is subject to the most recent versions of the terms of use.
Billing and Refunds
Students decide to join a Yoga Philosophy course or program having been informed of the billing details by examining what is explicitly stated on the Course Signup Page, Landing Page, or checkout cart. Students will note whether the course they are purchasing is a subscription course (in which case, the enrollment price will auto renew periodically --- unless a student cancels their subscription) or a one time billing, which may or may not offer life access to digital content (as specified on the course landing page prior to purchase). Subscription courses are clearly indicated at point of purchase with descriptions like "Subscription renews every 2 months." The exact term of the subscription is specified at the point of purchase. Aside from Free courses, 4 week intensives, and special live courses, all Yoga Philosophy courses are subscription courses. Students will also note the details of the Certification Program: purchase of enrollment in the Level 1 and Level 2 Certification programs is separate from the purchase of the courses that comprise the requisite 100 hours. Details of the course are specified on the course landing page as well, prior to purchase. To avoid renewals, subscriptions must be cancelled prior to renewal dates.
Students are responsible for managing their own billing details as they stay enrolled in the course---details that they can manage from the Thinkific Dashboard they access post enrollment.
No risk subscription policy: If a student has a change of heart about their enrollment in a subscription course (excluding Level 1 and Level 2 Certifications enrollment), they may ask for a full refund within the first 7 days. No refunds are provided after this period. To request a refund, students must cancel their subscription and then write to Yoga Philosophy within the first week requesting a refund. Emails can be sent to: [email protected].
All subscriptions can be cancelled any time by the student themselves in their dashboard. No refunds are provided once a subscription renews.
Other Courses: all sales are final for Level 1 and Level 2 enrollment subscription, 4 week intensives, and special live courses.
Consultations: Clients who do not attend a scheduled consultation are not entitled to a refund. If clients need to reschedule a consultation, Dr. Ranganathan will make a good faith effort to reschedule within 2 months of the consultation date. If no alternative date suits the client, they are eligible for a 50% refund. Otherwise, all sales are final. If Yoga Philosophy cancels a course before the start date, students will receive a full refund. If Yoga Philosophy can only deliver part of a promised course, students will receive a prorated refund. Yoga Philosophy reserves the right to make changes to courses, with respect to timing, teachers, and content, to ensure the smooth delivery of the learning experience---including changes to featured and lead teachers. Students are not eligible for refunds on such grounds. Donations to support free enrollment for deserving but marginalized students are not refundable, and do not count as a "course" for the purposes of the Terms of Use, though the donation portal is called a "course" by Thinkific. Students who enroll in Yoga Philosophy certification and fail are not eligible for a refund. Dr. Ranganathan reserves the right to revoke certification if students are demonstrably violating the Yamas of the Niyamas. Students who undergo certification acknowledge that a list of certified students will be public.
As Yoga Philosophy cannot decide for a student how long they wish to remain in the course, students are responsible for managing their subscription to their course(s) via Thinkific (My Account -- Billing). https://support.thinkific.com/hc/en-us/articles/360030357654-How-can-students-manage-their-billing- Once an autorenewal occurs, the student is charged, and so is Yoga Philosophy, for nonrefundable banking fees. Resources are also thereby dedicated to the student and charged to Yoga Philosophy.
Students acknowledge that their lack of engagement with Yoga Philosophy products is not indicative of its quality and does not indicate any defect with the product.
Students acknowledge that Yoga Philosophy courses are not essentially digital products. They are curated learning environments that are supported by the time, energy and commitment of a Yoga Philosophy teacher who is available for ongoing learning support. The time commitment of your Yoga Philosophy teacher to the student is generated by the student enrolling in the course, and remains constant whether or not a student makes full utilization of the support. No request for fees to be voided sent to Yoga Philosophy or one's Credit Card can be made on the grounds of nonargument with the course.
As Yoga Philosophy courses are delivered via the internet, and as the functioning of the internet depends upon various factors outside of the control of Yoga Philosophy, students acknowledge that Yoga Philosophy is not responsible for student difficulties in accessing its courses.
Special combination offers on subscription courses may require students to auto-enroll (for no further cost) into the courses they purchased. Students who purchase a bundle must make use of the discount by enrolling in these courses within 15 days. After this time, the bundled courses may no longer be available. Any consideration with respect to refund will take the date of the bundle purchase as the start date.
Access to Material
All content in Yoga Philosophy courses are only available to students during their enrollment in the courses. To accommodate student schedules, some live sessions may be recorded and archived for view-only in the course. Yoga Philosophy retains the copyright to these archived lessons, and students agree to renounce financial or intellectual property right claims over such archived content that they may have participated in. Students acknowledge that their involvement in Yoga Philosophy courses is transient and these archived courses may continue to be accessible to future students in the same or different courses.
Whether a course is free or paid, students consent to being added to the Yoga Philosophy mailing list and the list of guest teachers facilitating the course, and agree to remaining on these lists. If a student unsubscribes from the Yoga Philosophy mailing list or a teacher's personal list, their access to their Yoga Philosophy course will terminate regardless of the amount of time remaining on a subscription. This is because subscription to Yoga Philosophy and teacher emails is an essential part of successful participation in Yoga Philosophy courses. Students who decide to unsubscribe from Yoga Philosophy emails decide to end their participation in Yoga Philosophy courses.
Risk and Liability
Yoga Philosophy is an education platform, and is not a substitute or a replacement for medical, legal or other expert advice. Yoga Philosophy is in favor of academic research, and hence science, and following all relevant public safety recommendations from relevant medical experts, including evidence based guidance concerning vaccines and masking. Students who purchase educational products from Yoga Philosophy or who enroll in Yoga Philosophy courses, agree to hold Yoga Philosophy and its teachers blameless for any direct or indirect problems (including damages) that arise from participating in or using a Yoga Philosophy educational product. Essential to the practice of yoga is a commitment to one's own self-mastery, and no instruction from Yoga Philosophy is meant to replace the responsibility each one of us has for choosing our own values (svadhyaya) or challenging ourselves in a healthy manner (tapas). Yoga is not meant to replace one's own executive role in one's own life, and Yoga Philosophy instruction is not meant to replace students' own prudence or responsibility to act in a safe and self-responsible manner. Yoga provides guidance on therapeutic action and many Yoga Philosophy courses teach the theory and practice of such actions. However, no course or educational product provided by Yoga Philosophy constitutes a definitive cure to any problem one might have, and hence Yoga Philosophy does not expressly nor implicitly promise a cure for any ailment students of Yoga Philosophy may have. Students of Yoga Philosophy hold Yoga Philosophy and its teachers blameless for any problem they have, especially those that motivate learning from Yoga Philosophy. All therapeutic instruction is to be used at the student's own risk and enrolled students agree to hold Yoga Philosophy blameless for such risk or the consequences of employing its therapeutic suggestions.
Language
Yoga Philosophy is a yoga and philosophy education business operating in the Cloud, but based in Toronto Canada. Unless otherwise specified, the language of instruction is English. In light of Quebec's Bill 96, Yoga Philosophy products are not marketed or aimed at residents of Quebec.