Banyan Tree Teacher Training Course YA200hrs Documentation
Banyan Tree Trainings Aims and Candidate Prerequisites

• Code of Conduct
• Course Liability Waiver
• Policy on Complaints
• Refund Policy
• Reading List
• Receipt

Banyan Tree Code of Conduct

Ethical Guidelines for Yoga Teachers and Trainee Yoga Teachers  

As exponents of Yoga we are the public face of this great practice.  Our personal lives and conduct to others will reflect (positively or negatively) on the public perception of Yoga and Yoga teachers.

Traditionally Yoga includes moral standards (traditionally called “virtues”) that any reasonable human being would find nourishing to the human spirit, irrespective of culture, society, religion, race or creed. Some of these standards, known in Sanskrit as yamas or “disciplines,” are encoded in the first limb of Patanjali’s eightfold path. 

According to Patanjali’s Yoga-Sûtra, this practice category is composed of the following 

• nonharming (ahimsâ )
• truthfulness (satya)
• nonstealing (asteya)
• chastity (brahmacarya)
• greedlessness (aparigraha).

Thus, it seems appropriate for contemporary Yoga teachers to endeavor to conduct their lives in consonance with Yoga’s moral principles, particularly because teachers have a great responsibility toward their students and should be expected to reflect the high moral standards espoused in Yoga. At the same time, we must acknowledge the complexities of our contemporary society, which make it necessary to appropriately adapt the moral standards originally designed for the conditions of ancient India.

The following guidelines are put forward as a reasonable adaptation for our modern situation, which also takes proper cognizance of the wisdom contained in the heritage of Yoga. 

1. Yoga teachers understand and appreciate that teaching Yoga is a noble and ennobling endeavor that aligns them with a long line of honorable teachers.
2. Yoga teachers are committed to practicing Yoga as a way of life.
3. Yoga teachers are committed to maintaining impeccable standards of professional competence and integrity.
4. Yoga teachers dedicate themselves to a thorough and continuing study and practice of Yoga, in particular the theoretical and practical aspects of the branch of Yoga that they teach – “every teacher must be first and foremost a student”!
5. Yoga teachers are committed to avoiding substance abuse, and if for some reason they succumb to chemical dependency agree to stop teaching until they are free again from drug and/or alcohol abuse. 
6. Yoga teachers especially embrace the ideal of truthfulness in dealing with students and others, including accurately representing their training and experience relevant to their teaching of Yoga.
7. Yoga teachers are committed to promoting the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellbeing of their students.
8. Yoga teachers, especially those teaching Hatha-Yoga, will abstain from giving medical advice or advice that could be construed as such, unless they have the necessary medical qualifications.

9. Yoga teachers are open to instructing all students regardless of race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, and social or financial status.
10. Yoga teachers are willing to accept students with physical disabilities, providing they have the skill to teach those students properly.
11. Yoga teachers agree to treat their students with respect.
12. Yoga teachers will never force their own opinions on students but rather will appreciate the fact that every individual is entitled to his or her worldview, ideas, and beliefs. At the same time, Yoga teachers must communicate to their students that Yoga seeks to achieve a deep-level transformation of the human personality, including attitudes and ideas. If a student is not open to change, or if a student’s opinions seriously impede the process of communicating yogic teachings to him or her, then Yoga teachers are free to decline to work with that individual and, if possible, find an amicable way of dissolving the teaching relationship.
13. Yoga teachers agree to avoid any form of sexual harassment of students.
14. Yoga teachers wishing to enter a consensual sexual relationship with a present or former student should seek the immediate counsel of their peers before taking any action. This is to ensure that the teacher in question is sufficiently clear about his or her motives. 
15. Yoga teachers will make every effort to avoid exploiting the trust of students and their potential dependency, and instead encourage students to find greater inner freedom.
16. Yoga teachers acknowledge the importance of the proper context for teaching and agree to avoid teaching in a casual manner, which includes observing proper decorum inside and outside of the classroom.

Yoga teachers strive to practice tolerance toward other Yoga teachers, schools, and traditions. When criticism has to be brought, this should be done with fairness and with focus on facts, never opinions or beliefs.

Banyan Tree – Policy on Complaints

Aim

The aim of this policy is to ensure that all complaints about training run by Banyan Tree (whether given verbally, in writing or electronically) is dealt with speedily, openly and fairly.

Complaints Procedure

Oral Complaints

• All oral complaints, no matter how seemingly unimportant, should be taken seriously. There is nothing to be gained by staff adopting a defensive or aggressive attitude.

• Staff who receives an oral complaint should seek to solve the problem immediately if possible.

• If staff cannot solve the problem immediately they should offer to get the Course Director to deal with the problem.

• All contact with the complainant should be polite, courteous and sympathetic.

• At all times staff should remain calm and respectful.

• Staff should not accept blame, make excuses or blame other staff.

• If the complaint is being made on behalf of another learner by an advocate it must first be verified that the person has permission to speak for the learner, especially if confidential information is involved. If in doubt it should be assumed that the learner’s explicit permission is needed prior to discussing the complaint with the advocate.

• After talking the problem through, each staff member dealing with the complaint should suggest a course of action to resolve the complaint. If this course of action is acceptable then the member of staff should clarify the agreement with the complainant and agree a way in which the results of the complaint will be communicated to the complainant (ie through another meeting or by letter).

• If the suggested plan of action is not acceptable to the complainant then having spoken to the Director of Learning, should ask the complainant to put their complaint in writing to the Yoga Alliance Professionals at –

10/2 Beaverhall Road, Edinburgh, EH7 4JE, Scotland, UK

Or email at – https://www.yogaallianceprofessionals.org/about/contact

Written Complaints

• When a complaint is received in writing it should be passed on to the Director of Learning who should record it in the complaints book and send an acknowledgment letter within two working days.

• If necessary, further details should be obtained from the complainant. If the complaint is not made by learner but on their behalf, then consent of the learner, preferably in writing, must be obtained from the complainant.

• If the complainant is not prepared to have the investigation conducted by the establishment he or she should be advised to contact the Yoga Alliance (address above).

• Immediately on receipt of the complaint Banyan Tree should launch an investigation and within 28 days should be in a position to provide a full explanation to the complainant, either in writing or by arranging a meeting with the individuals concerned.

• If the issues are too complex to complete the investigation within 28 days, the complainant should be informed of any delays.

• If a meeting is arranged the complainant should be advised that they may, if they wish, bring a friend or relative or a representative such as an advocate.

• At the meeting a detailed explanation of the results of the investigation should be given.

• The outcomes of the investigation and the meeting should be recorded on appropriate documentation and any shortcomings in Banyan Tree Yoga’s procedures should be identified and acted upon.