Student Conduct and Policies
For the purpose of this agreement, "student," "client" or "life athlete" are used interchangeably. These terms refer to someone who has enrolled in a Yoga Philosophy Institute course or product, or a Philosophit course or product. Philosophit is a subsidiary of the Yoga Philosophy Institute.
By enrolling in a Yoga Philosophy Institute Course, students agree to the following.
Student agrees that all material is copyrighted by The Yoga Philosophy Institute (yogaphilosophy.com YogaPhilosophy.Com, philosophit.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, or Phintness in the case of Philosophit, and to be against what undermines this commitment (such as harmful behavior). Gentle and polite communication tends to fulfill both requirements. The Yoga Philosophy Institute 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 The Yoga Philosophy Institute.
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 The Yoga Philosophy Institute 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 The Yoga Philosophy Institute will be de-enrolled from The Yoga Philosophy Institute courses with no refund, and may be banned from further The Yoga Philosophy Institute courses. Students agree that the terms can be revised by The Yoga Philosophy Institute, and that their engagement with The Yoga Philosophy Institute is subject to the most recent versions of the terms of use.
Billing and Refunds
Digital Products, which are downloads, such as PDFs, or MP3s (sold via the Yoga Philosophy Institute and Philosophit)
All sales for digital products are final.
Courses/Programs with Virtual, Recorded or Live Instruction
Refund policies differ slightly between Yoga Philosophy Institute courses and Philosophit programs.
Yoga Philosophy Institute Refund Policy for courses.
Students decide to join a Yoga Philosophy Institute 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 or bundle courses, all Yoga Philosophy Institute 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: The Level 1 and Level 2 100 Hour Certifications come with a 30 Day Money Back Promise. Full refunds will be provided if requested within the first 30 Days, provided that students also cancel their subscription. If students do not cancel their subscription, they are responsible for the renewal. Students may similarly request a full refund for 6 month, Philosophit coaching progrms, within the first 30 days.
Students may request a full refund before the end of the first 7 days of access to all other courses. A course is a regular event at the Yoga Philosophy Institute. It does not include Mini-Retreats, or Special Workshops. For subscription courses, students must cancel their subscription first before requesting a refund.
To request a refund, students must write to The Yoga Philosophy Institute within the refund window. Emails can be sent to: [email protected].
If students fail to cancel their subscription and yet receive a one time time refund, there will be no refund for any further renewal.
Cancelation of course subscriptions is the responsibility of the student, not the Yoga Philosophy Institute.
All subscriptions can be cancelled any time by the student themselves in their dashboard. No refunds are provided once a subscription renews.
Sales for Mini-Retreats and Special Workshops are final. If the Yoga Philosophy Institute cannot mount a Mini-Retreat or Special Workshop, students are entitled to a full refund. As with other courses, the Yoga Philosophy Institute reserves the right to substitute teachers and guests in the event of emergencies, or in the unlikely event that a guest participant for a Mini-Retreat or Special Event cancels.
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 The Yoga Philosophy Institute cancels a course before the start date, students will receive a full refund. If The Yoga Philosophy Institute can only deliver part of a promised course, students will receive a prorated refund. The Yoga Philosophy Institute 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 The Yoga Philosophy Institute 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 The Yoga Philosophy Institute 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 The Yoga Philosophy Institute, for nonrefundable banking fees. Resources are also thereby dedicated to the student and charged to The Yoga Philosophy Institute.
Philosophit Refund Policy for Course Programs.
Unless otherwise stipulated, enrollment in a Philosophit program is nonrefundable, unless in the event that the program is cancelled. Some programs may come with a special moneyback guarantee. Those are specific to the course and will be advertised with the course.
What is considered making use of the Philosophit or Yoga Philosophy Institute Product
Yoga Philosophy Institute courses and Philosophit Offerings are not mere digital offerings. They involve time commitments from Dr. Shyam Ranganathan and other teachers. Students acknowledge that their lack of engagement with Yoga Philosophy Institute or Philosophit products is not indicative of its quality and does not indicate any defect with the product. Students acknowledge that whether they attend and make use of Yoga Philosophy Institute or Philosophit instruction or not, human resources, including time in the instructor’s schedule, are put on call and prioritized for enrolled students. Students acknowledge, by joining a Yoga Philosophy Institute course or a Philosophit program that not making use of the product is not grounds for a refund or a reversal of charge on the student’s method of payment, such as credit card. By buying a Yoga Philosophy Institute product, or a Philosophit product, students agree not to request a credit card or payment platform reversal of charge for any reason, including, and not limited to, the failure of the student to make use of the product.
As The Yoga Philosophy Institute courses and Philosophit programs are delivered via the internet, and as the functioning of the internet depends upon various factors outside of the control of The Yoga Philosophy Institute, students acknowledge that The Yoga Philosophy Institute 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 Institute courses or Philosophit porgrams 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. The Yoga Philosophy Institute 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 Institute courses is transient and these archived courses may continue to be accessible to future students in the same or different courses.
By participating in Yoga Philosophy Institute courses, or Philosophit programs, students agree to have their interactions via Zoom and other networking platforms archived and sharable with other students. Students agree that the Yoga Philosophy Institute solely owns the copyright and title to such recorded interactions.
Whether a course is free or paid, students consent to being added to The Yoga Philosophy Institute and or Philosophit 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 Institute or Philosophit mailing list or a teacher's personal list, their access to their The Yoga Philosophy Institute course will terminate regardless of the amount of time remaining on a subscription. This is because subscription to The Yoga Philosophy Institute or Philosophit emails is an essential part of successful participation. Students who decide to unsubscribe from The Yoga Philosophy Institute or Philosophit emails decide to end their participation in Yoga Philosophy Institute courses or Philosophit programs.
Risk and Liability
The Yoga Philosophy Institute and Philosophit are education platforms, and are not a substitute or a replacement for medical, legal or other expert advice. The Yoga Philosophy Institute and Philosophit are 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 the Yoga Philosophy Institute and Philosophit, or who enroll in the Yoga Philosophy Institute and Philosophit courses, agree to hold the Yoga Philosophy Institute and Philosophit and their teachers blameless for any direct or indirect problems (including damages) that arise from participating in or using a Yoga Philosophy Institute and Philosophit educational product.
Essential to the practice of yoga and Phitness is a commitment to one's own self-mastery, and no instruction from the Yoga Philosophy Institute and Philosophit is meant to replace the responsibility each one of us has for choosing our own values (svādhyāya) or challenging ourselves in a healthy manner (tapas). Yoga and Phitness are not meant to replace one's own executive role in one's own life, and Yoga Philosophy Institute and Philosophit instruction (whether live, recorded, or printed, including and not limited to, literature that may be shared) is not meant to replace students' own prudence or responsibility to act in a safe and self-responsible manner.
Yoga and Phitness provide guidance on therapeutic action and many Yoga Philosophy Institute and Philosophit courses teach the theory and practice of such actions. However, no course or educational product provided by the Yoga Philosophy Institute and Philosophit constitutes a definitive cure to any problem one might have, and hence the Yoga Philosophy Institute and Philosophit do not expressly nor implicitly promise a cure for any ailment students may have. Students of the Yoga Philosophy Institute and Philosophit hold the Yoga Philosophy Institute and Philosophit and their teachers blameless for any problem they have, especially those that motivate learning from the Yoga Philosophy Institute and Philosophit. All therapeutic instruction is to be used at the student's own risk and enrolled students agree to hold the Yoga Philosophy Institute and Philosophit blameless for such risk or the consequences of employing its therapeutic suggestions.
Language
The Yoga Philosophy Institute is a yoga and philosophy education business operating in the Cloud. Unless otherwise specified, the language of instruction is English. In light of Quebec's Bill 96, Yoga Philosophy Institute products are not marketed or aimed at residents of Quebec.