Soulfit Anti-Harassment Policy

Please find below details of our Anti-Harassment Policy.

On Signing our Training Agreement, you are confirming your acceptance of these terms.

Harassment Against Members of Protected Class

We do not permit managers, employees, teachers, independent contractors, students, or others in the workplace to harass any other person because of age, gender (including pregnancy), race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, genetic information, or any other basis proscribed by law.

Harassment is unwelcome verbal or non-verbal conduct, based upon a person’s protected characteristic, that (i) denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward the person because of the characteristic and which affects their employment opportunities or benefits; (ii) has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with their work performance; (iii) enduring the offensive conduct becomes a condition of continued employment; or (iv) has the purpose or effect of creating a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive.

Harassment includes epithets, slurs, name calling, negative stereotyping, insults, intimidation, ridicule, threatening, intimidating or hostile acts, denigrating jokes, and display in the workplace of written or graphic material that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or group based on their protected characteristic. Petty slights, annoyances, and isolated minor incidents may not rise to the level of harassment.

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

We do not tolerate sexual harassment in our studio. Sexual harassment refers to any unwelcome sexual attention, sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, and other verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

(a) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment;

(b) submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual;

(d) such conduct has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment.

Examples of sexual harassment include unwanted and unnecessary physical contact; offensive remarks (including unwelcome comments about appearance); obscene jokes or other inappropriate use of sexually offensive language; the display in the studio of sexually suggestive objects or pictures; and unwelcome sexual advances by teachers, students, customers, clients, or other visitors to a studio. Non-physical gesture, behaviour, unnecessary physical contact, verbal suggestion, or innuendo may constitute sexual harassment.

Sexual Misconduct

We prohibit sexual misconduct in our studio. Sexual misconduct is any unsolicited and unwelcome sexual advance including requests for sexual favours, sexual touching, and verbal, visual, or physical conduct that creates a sexually hostile environment in a yoga class or studio. Teachers may not use sexually suggestive language (including sexual jokes and degrading comments), gestures, movements, or images in their classes, in their studios, on their websites, or in their social media platform. Teachers should avoid making comments on their students’ appearance that could be perceived as sexually oriented or suggesting an attraction. Teachers should avoid making comments that idealize or assume a specific body type or image. If a student tells a teacher that any behaviour is unwelcome and the teacher repeats the behaviour, it may be considered harassment.

Sexual misconduct also arises if a teacher engages in conduct that has the purpose or result of requiring a student to submit to such conduct to obtain any benefit or privilege relating to the study or teaching of yoga. While it is not possible to list all the circumstances that may constitute sexual misconduct, the following are examples of misconduct:

Sexual advances whether they involve physical touching or not;
Sexual epithets, jokes, written or verbal references to sexual conduct, gossip regarding one’s sex life, comments on an individual’s body, sexual activity, deficiencies, or prowess;
Displaying sexually suggestive objects, pictures, cartoons;
Unwelcome leering, whistling, brushing against the body, sexual gestures, suggestive or insulting comments;
Comments or conjecture about a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity;
Inquiries into one’s sexual activities;
Sexually oriented asana adjustments or touch; and
Discussion of one’s sexual activities.

Verbal Harassment

Unwanted sexual teasing, stories, jokes, remarks, or questions
Sexual comments, stories or innuendo
Turning work discussions to sexual topics
Asking about sexual fantasies, preferences, or history
Asking personal questions about social or sexual life
Sexual comments about a person’s clothing, anatomy, or looks
Telling lies or spreading rumours about a person’s personal sex life.
Referring to an individual as a doll, babe, sweetheart, honey, or similar term
Repeatedly asking a person out on dates who is not interested
Unwanted letters, telephone calls, or sending materials of a sexual nature
Stalking on social media
Unwanted pressure for sexual favours

Non-Verbal Harassment

Blocking a person’s path or following
Giving unwelcome personal gifts
Displaying sexually suggestive materials
Making sexual gestures with hands or through body movements
Unwanted sexual looks or gestures

Physical Harassment

Hugging, kissing, patting, or stroking
Touching or rubbing oneself sexually around another person
Unwanted deliberate touching, leaning over, cornering, or pinching
Giving an un-wanted massage
Sexually oriented asana adjustments or touch
Promising enlightenment or special teachings or status in exchange for sexual favours
Actual or attempted rape or sexual assault

Romantic Relationships Between Teachers and Students

Teachers shall avoid getting into personal or sexual relationships with students that may result in the impairment of their professional judgment or that may compromise the integrity of their teaching. If a relationship begins to develop, the teacher should bring it to school management.

Yoga teachers are committed to maintaining impeccable standards of professional integrity and to promoting the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of their students. Teachers recognize the inherent imbalance of power in the teacher-student relationship and recognize that romantic relationships with students have the potential of exploiting the trust of students, creating dependent relationships, and compromising the integrity of the teacher.

Teachers should avoid acting on, responding to, or allowing sexual contact or romantic attraction with a student even if the student initiates the relationship. Teachers should ensure that their relationships with students are always professional, and not open to misunderstanding or misinterpretation.

However, if a romantic attraction does begin to develop with a student, teachers should seek guidance from school management before acting on the attraction. The school management will then decide how it wishes to handle the relationship. For example, it may bless the relationship, but establish boundaries to prevent conflicts of interest and other problems. It may also decide that either the teacher or student should leave the school.

If a teacher has a pre-existing relationship with a student that did not arise from the teacher-student relationship, it should be brought to the attention of the school’s management so that it can guide the couple in maintaining high ethical standards.