Safety and respect
Student Policy
Policy for the prevention of sexual harassment. We want our time together to be as beneficial as possible and safe for everyone. Please read this policy carefully; you will be asked to sign it at the end.
Welcome to Rishikesh YTTC
We are happy to welcome you to Rishikesh YTTC and look forward to sharing our knowledge with you. We would like to make our experience together as mutually beneficial as possible, and also safe for both sides. Please read our Policy for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment carefully and sign at the end.
The policy at a glance
- Your choice
- You decide whether teachers may physically adjust you. Tell us on the first day if you prefer no hands-on correction.
- Where touch may happen
- Only in class, only for instruction, and only on feet, knees, thighs, pelvis, shoulders, wrists, torso, back, arms and head.
- Never touched
- Buttocks, breasts, perineum and lips, and never under or beneath clothing. Straps and other tools are used where support is needed.
- If you are uncomfortable
- Tell the teacher at any time. Touch stops and we find another way to make the same correction.
- How to report
- Report to the founder or to our female officer, in person, by phone or by email. You can report anonymously.
- If a case is confirmed
- You may leave the school with a full refund, or stay and decline further adjustments without any consequence.
What we mean by sexual harassment
Physical sexual misconduct and harassment
Egregious physical sexual misconduct means any of the following:
- Sexual assault.
- Attempted rape.
- Unwanted fondling or unwanted sexual touching.
- Forcing a victim to perform sexual acts, such as oral sex or penetrating the perpetrator’s body.
- Penetration of the victim’s body, also known as rape.
Physical sexual misconduct and harassment also includes:
- Uninvited physical adjustment or other uninvited physical contact.
- Inappropriate touch or use of body parts during a physical adjustment.
Verbal or emotional sexual misconduct
For the purposes of this policy, verbal or emotional sexual misconduct means:
- Use of emotional coercion, psychological force or manipulation to coerce a victim into non-consensual sex.
- Pervasive use of sexually suggestive or explicit statements or words that create a hostile environment for trainees or participants.
In class: physical assistance
Some of the coursework, such as Ashtanga asana, Hatha asana, pranayama, meditation, Ayurveda, yoga anatomy, asana alignment and adjustment, Reiki and yoga therapy, includes physical assistance and corrections by the teacher. Corrections and assistance are given with tools (belts, straps, mats, blankets) and also with the teacher’s hands, legs, feet, head and back.
Where a teacher may touch, with your approval
Feet, knees, thighs, pelvis, shoulders, wrists, torso, back, arms and head. Touch is firm and deliberate, without caressing and without sexual or sensual massaging.
Where a teacher will not touch
Buttocks, breasts, perineum and lips. These areas can be touched only if a posture or assistance requires it, and then only with the help of special tools such as straps to perform the correct asana posture. You will never be touched in areas below or beneath clothing.
If you do not want a teacher’s assistance or correction, please tell us on the first day of the programme so that we can inform all relevant instructors. If you are uncomfortable with the level of physical contact a correction needs, we will find alternative ways of making the same correction.
Outside class
During out-of-class activities, such as outdoor activities, excursions, meals, self-study, resting, help with housekeeping and shopping in the market, staff members are not allowed to touch clients intentionally.
In an emergency, or to prevent evident danger, the client’s body will be touched only on the feet, knees, thighs, pelvis, shoulders, wrists, torso, back, arms, neck or head. Touch will be firm and deliberate, without caressing or sexual or sensual massaging, and never in areas below or beneath clothing.
Conduct and cultural respect
India is a very traditional country with strict behavioural norms and expectations. Rishikesh YTTC is an educational and spiritual place, and any kind of sexual misconduct towards other clients or Rishikesh YTTC staff is a violation of this policy.
To avoid misunderstanding, we ask all clients to respect the traditions and cultural norms of Indian society and to wear modest clothing in class, covering the buttocks, perineum, breasts and cleavage.
If any inappropriate behaviour is initiated by you during your stay, such as intentional sexual contact with a client against their will, emotional or physical abuse of another client, staff member or teacher, or provoking another person into a sexual relationship or sexual misconduct, our staff (Manager, Founder) have the right to dismiss you from the course immediately without refunding your course fee.
If sexual misconduct towards a teacher or staff member takes place in the classroom, the teacher has the right to stop the class, state that the action goes against the policy of the institute, and ask you to leave the classroom and speak to the Founder, Yogi Sanjeev Semwal, or the school director, Ankit Joshi Ji.
Our teachers and staff
They are instructed to maintain professional boundaries
- Avoid touching clients unless it is essential for instruction or urgent help. Staff use verbal cues and demonstrate on their own body in preference to touching the client. Physical touch is used appropriately during training, to correct alignment or to focus a client’s concentration on the targeted area.
- Explain the purpose of any request to touch, and find an alternative if the client objects.
- Stop touching at once if it appears to make the client uncomfortable, even if consent was given earlier.
- Touch is firm and deliberate.
- Never touch a client in areas below or beneath clothing.
- Strictly avoid and discourage any conversation or physical contact of a sexual nature.
- Behaviour of staff or clients that breaks these boundaries is documented and investigated.
Staff focus on the business and educational relationship, not on the client’s personal life, except where appropriate. If a staff member or teacher is unable to keep appropriate professional boundaries or to work within the legitimate agenda of the training relationship, whether because of their own attitudes and behaviour or those of the client, they will either end the relationship or refer the client to an appropriate professional, such as another trainer, a medical doctor or a mental health specialist.
Staff and teachers avoid sexually oriented banter and inappropriate physical contact. In all professional and business relationships they demonstrate honesty, integrity and trustworthiness, and they never discriminate on the basis of race, creed, colour, gender, age, physical disability or nationality. They are helpful and ready to support you in your education and with any necessary assistance outside class during your stay.
Our staff and teachers do not
- Give medical advice or physical therapy advice, or attempt to make a medical diagnosis. (A staff member or teacher with a medical degree or therapeutic education may do so without these limits.)
- Give body massage to clients, or any similar service that could be construed as inappropriate touch. Certified third-party professionals are invited to provide such services at Rishikesh YTTC.
- Act as a psychological counsellor to clients or become intimately involved in personal client relationships.
- Have a romantic or interpersonal relationship with a client.
- Push their own fitness preferences on clients who do not seek the same goals.
- Allow their credentials, liability insurance and other trainer business standards to lapse.
If you experience or witness a problem
A student who believes they are the victim of sexual harassment, has witnessed it, or suspects it, should report the alleged act immediately. You can do this confidentially and anonymously:
Call the Founder
+91 86301 45158. Confidential, and you may stay anonymous.
Write to us
RishikeshYTTC@gmail.com. An anonymous written complaint is accepted.
Speak to our female officer
Rani Bhatt: +91 88598 96527, ranibhatt534@gmail.com.
Please report inappropriate physical contact immediately, or after class, or within 24 hours of the incident. Rishikesh YTTC is not responsible for complaints received after the course end date.
A written complaint is preferred but not required. The person who receives the complaint will notify the appropriate officials. Please give enough information for Rishikesh YTTC to investigate and attempt to resolve the complaint.
In the case of an anonymous complaint, Rishikesh YTTC may be limited in its ability to respond fully, including taking disciplinary action against the alleged perpetrator. An anonymous complainant may name the alleged perpetrator and other potential witnesses and identify any relevant documents or other evidence. Rishikesh YTTC will respond promptly and effectively to complaints of harassment on the basis of sex, will promptly investigate every incident of alleged sexual harassment, and will take appropriate action. This may include disciplinary action against students or staff found to have violated this policy, or removing them from the institute.
Support for you
Whether or not you make a formal report, anyone who has experienced sexual misconduct is urged to seek appropriate help, which may include a medical evaluation and information, support and counselling, either at or away from Rishikesh YTTC. In addition to the resources available to you personally, you may use the resources listed in this policy to access the full range of services available:
- Medical treatment
- Medical-legal evidence collection
- Obtaining information, support and counselling
If a case is confirmed
If a case of sexual harassment is confirmed, the client has the option to leave the school and receive a full refund. If the client chooses to stay but feels uncomfortable with further posture assistance, the teacher or staff member, together with the Founder and the client, will agree alternative ways of making the same physical adjustments. The client also has the right to refuse further assistance for the rest of the course without any consequences.
Student acknowledgement
You will be asked to sign this form at the school. Please tick one option and sign:
- ☐ I agree to be corrected and assisted by the teacher, and assisted by the staff when necessary.
- ☐ I do not want to be assisted or corrected in class and will inform the teacher. I do not want any kind of assistance from the staff.
I have read the Policy for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment carefully and understood its meaning. I had the opportunity to ask questions and received full answers, and I have no more questions.
Name of client: ______________________________
Date and signature: ______________________________