IY Centers/Institutes Guidelines & Policies

Statement of Purpose, Guidelines and Policies
For Integral Yoga® Institutes and Centers

Since its early beginnings in 1966, Integral Yoga® has established centers all over the globe, providing spiritual guidance, training, and support for sincere aspirants wishing to realize the Supreme Universal Truth. People from all walks of life have come to our centers seeking better health, peace of mind, and spiritual awakening. It is with great joy that we welcome your request to become an Integral Yoga Center.

Please read the following Goal of Integral Yoga® and keep it in mind as you go through the process of application and development of your center.

The Goal of Integral Yoga, and the birthright of every individual, is to realize the spiritual unity behind all the diversities in the entire creation and to live harmoniously as members of one universal family. This goal is achieved by maintaining our natural condition of a body of optimum health and strength; senses under total control; a mind well-disciplined, clear and calm; an intellect as sharp as a razor; a will as strong and pliable as steel; a heart full of unconditional love and compassion; an ego as pure as crystal; and a life filled with Supreme Peace and Joy.

Integral Yoga® Centers range in size from the director teaching one class a week in his or her home or local recreation center to a rented Integral Yoga® Center location with multiple classes per day taught by a group of Integral Yoga teachers. Some Integral Yoga® Centers also have open meditation, kirtans, satsangs, Raja Yoga classes, etc. Integral Yoga Centers are usually, but not necessarily, for-profit centers.

Integral Yoga® Institutes differ from Integral Yoga® Centers primarily in scope of operation. Institutes hold more classes and activities on a regular basis; they often have residents who wish to study, practice, and live the teachings in the supportive environment of an Integral Yoga Institute; and they are required to have a standard IYI altar. Integral Yoga Institutes are usually, but not necessarily, non-profit centers linked in their charter to Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville.

Functions of an Integral Yoga® Center

1. To make the teachings of Integral Yoga available to the local community.
2. To be available to the public to answer questions about Integral Yoga or to refer them to the proper person or place where their questions can be answered.
3. To serve as a link between Satchidananda Ashram—Yogaville and the greater Integral Yoga® community, facilitating the outflow of information and teachings, as well as to give feedback to the ashram about the needs and interests of students.
4. Additionally (when and if feasible):
   1. To have an altar. This can vary anywhere from a simple candle, to a full Integral Yoga altar with a Yantra and photos of Sri Gurudev and Master Sivananda. You should not have other spiritual teachers on the altar.
   2. Disseminate information on Integral Yoga.
   3. Conduct spiritual gatherings and activities (such as kirtans, videos of Sri Gurudev, group meditations, pot-luck meals, and satsangs).
   4. Offer workshops, retreats, and other Yoga services.
   5. Offer spiritual support.

Requirements to become an Integral Yoga® Center

As an Integral Yoga Center, you will be representing the teachings of Sri Gurudev and Integral Yoga in your community. It is important that you have a strong personal connection to Sri Gurudev and an understanding of His teachings. The following are requirements for directors of IYC’s.

• Basic Hatha Yoga TT
• Intermeditate Hatha TT
• Mantra Initiation

If you don’t meet the requirements, but feel you have equivalent experience, knowledge, or devotion, please contact the Integral Yoga Teachers Association, 434-969-3121 x159 or [email protected].

Privileges

1. Recognition as representing the internationally known and highly respected system of Integral Yoga.
2. Permission to use the Integral Yoga name, the Yantra and the All-Faiths Logo (all of which are registered trademarks of Satchidananda Ashram—Yogaville) on your official center stationery, brochures and newsletters, providing that the following conditions are met:
   1. You must name your center “Integral Yoga® Center”. This name may not be altered in any way, except you may add the name of your city. For example, you may be named Integral Yoga® Center of Pittsburg. However, you may not be named Integral Yoga® Studio of Pittsburg.
   2. You may use the name Integral Yoga® to describe a class, seminar, or workshop that you are personally going to teach or lead at another location, as long as the class follows the guidelines of Integral Yoga.
   3. You may not use the name Integral Yoga in the title or subtitle when naming a product, such as a book, audiotape, or videotape. Using the name in the title creates the impression that the product was produced by Integral Yoga. You, may, however, refer to yourself as being certified by Integral Yoga.
      For example, if the title of his videotape is The Heart of Yoga with Hari. Hari may then refer to himself as a certified Integral Yoga instructor and Director of the Integral Yoga Center of Pittsburg. Hari should NOT title his tape The Heart of Integral Yoga or The Heart of Yoga, Integral Yoga with Hari.
   4. When using the name Integral Yoga, you must include the registered designation, ®, after the name. There is no space between the last letter in the word Yoga and the ®. The ® is superscripted.
   5. For a display advertisement, you should insert the line, Integral Yoga® is a registered Service Mark of Satchidananda Ashram—Yogaville. This would normally be inserted at the bottom of the ad in smaller print.
   6. When referring to Integral Yoga in an article, you must include the registered designation, ®, after the name, the first few times you refer to Integral Yoga. If the number of repetitions of Integral Yoga is great, you do not have to use the ® designation every time, but it should be very clear to the reader that the name is a registered service mark. When in doubt, use the ® designation.
   7. If in doubt, ask. Not all situations are as clear as the ones stated in the examples above. If you have any questions about the use of the name “Integral Yoga”, please contact the Integral Yoga Teachers Association (IYTA) at 434-969-3121 x177 or [email protected].
3. Enrollment in the Integral Yoga Teachers Association.

General Conditions

Your entitlement to the above privileges is contingent on the following:

1. Any classes or programs offered are in harmony with the spirit and teachings of Integral Yoga.
2. The teachers and any officers or directors of the center strive to abide by the following lifestyle guidelines:
   1. Vegetarian Diet
   2. No consumption of alcoholic beverages
   3. No smoking of tobacco
   4. No use of illegal drugs
3. Inform the IYTA promptly if there is a change in address, phone number, email address, or key personnel.

Application and Yearly Recommitment

There is a $108 application fee. If your application is denied, $54 will be returned.

You will be contacted by a member of the IYTA about your application and kept abreast of the confirmation process.

Centers are required to renew their commitment to Integral Yoga yearly. A letter with the following statement of recommitment will be sent to you yearly to sign and return.

I fully understand the purposes and functions of the Integral Yoga® Centers, as well as the policies and guidelines by which they are run. Having been granted the privilege of establishing an Integral Yoga Center, I will try my best to live a life in accordance with those principles. I will include all possible Yoga practices in my daily life as I strive toward perfection in the precepts of Integral Yoga, such as truth, non-violence, spirit of dedication and universal brotherhood.

I will offer my services to further the growth of the center, providing instruction in the teachings of Integral Yoga according to the methods and standards of Integral Yoga® International.

Centers are required to tithe 3–10% of their profits yearly.

• Profits are defined as gross income minus operating expenses (before any donations, contributions, payroll, etc.). Some examples of expenses are: rent, utilities, and IYC stationary.
• The minimum yearly tithe is $108, which covers your IYTA membership, mailings, and other ashram expenses associated with overseeing Integral Yoga Centers.

A tithing and recommitment letter will be mailed in January of each year. Your tithings and recommitment statements will be sent to the IYTA.

To apply to become an Integral Yoga® Center, send the following to the Integral Yoga Teachers Association:

• Completed Center Application Form
• A recent photo of the Center Director, either digital (200-px resolution minimum) or passport-sized
• Payment of the $108 application processing fee by check or credit card.

Integral Yoga Teachers Association
Satchidananda Ashram – Yogaville
108 Yogaville Way, Buckingham, Virginia 23921
434-969-3121, ext 177
[email protected]