Detailed terms and conditions – Yoga and Ayurveda course in India

These rules are the result of 20 years of experience associated with Indian culture and environment. We hope that these guidelines will be understood not only as rules, but also as an intelligent framework for having beautiful experiences in India.

1. Hygiene and health

One of the main rules of the course is strict hygiene measures regarding food and water. It is important to realize that water mixed with food can be a source of life-threatening diseases, diarrhea, dehydration, etc. Therefore, during the course, it is strictly forbidden to buy and consume any drinks and cold food, including fruit. Even though such dishes may look tempting, they can endanger the health and life of the consumer and at the same time negatively affect the progress of the course for other participants. If any member of the group does not follow these rules, they will cause problems for themselves and others.

2. Indian culture and monks

Our goal is primarily to meet monks who live far from society – true, non-commercial saints. These people stay far away not only from Indian society, but also often avoid contact with people from the West. There are even a few ashrams where the accommodation of Westerners is strictly prohibited. However, our teacher Sri Veda Chaitanya (Ajay Bobade) is highly respected among these monks, and it is only because of him that the doors of these ashrams are exceptionally open for our course as well. And because we have this rare privilege, it puts a great responsibility on the course participants in terms of good behavior and compliance with ashram regimes and respect for local culture.

The practices of the monks, their behavior and manners may be new to our participants. Their thinking may be different from what we are used to. In such a case, one must be understanding and respectful, and refrain from any comments. They didn’t invite us, we come to them to learn from them, and we have no right to judge them.

Although it is warm in India, exposing legs and shoulders while traveling or in an ashram is considered disrespectful. So respect needs to be prioritized over personal comfort, even if, for example, long pants are uncomfortable.

3. Yoga and Ayurveda

In the Western world, yoga is often seen as exercise and Ayurveda as the use of herbs and procedures. This is unfortunately very far from how yoga and Ayurveda are understood in ancient Indian culture. It is a deep philosophical system connected with health, happiness and life as such. And it is firmly integrated into the life of monks and local residents.

Therefore, our course has two study components – one is to observe the local people and monks and the other component is to understand this integration from an Indian perspective. The monks share their life concepts and studies in their dreams and these discussions are translated into Czech by Mr. Ajay so that everyone can understand well. At ashrams, we practice yoga in this way every day, but we also hold regular lectures related to these experiences.

4. Planning

Mountain environments are highly unpredictable due to many factors, including weather, local legislation and regulations, government authorities and local events. Mountain weather can change from hour to hour and we take no risks for safety. Therefore, the plan of all activities in the mountains is preliminary. So you have to be patient for slight changes in plans, adapt and trust the decisions of our mountain guides.

5. Medical care in India

Especially in remote areas such as high mountains, medical care is not comparable to what you know from the Czech Republic. It is often unavailable, remote and in some cases of very poor quality. Therefore, it is important that course participants do not wander freely around the city and do not stray from the designated routes. Indian forests and mountains are not empty like Czech forests, but are full of dangerous animals, poisonous plants and insects. Indian forests are not a tourist area but are home to diverse wildlife. Dealing with any health issue can be very difficult and can mean a long journey through the mountains that can take several hours. Whoever does not comply with this threatens not only his own life, but also the life and health of others and creates enormous complications for the entire group. All course participants must be able to listen and follow the rules.

Conclusion

Although these rules are clearly explained to all participants at the outset and listed on our website, there are still people who choose not to follow them. While most people follow these guidelines without a problem, there are always those for whom their ego is more important than reason. Then, despite sufficiently frequent warnings, complications and conflict situations arise. If the participants repeatedly do not follow the rules even after several reminders, and with their behavior or provocation they endanger their lives and the lives of others and spoil the unique experience of other participants, we have no other option but to exclude these people from the course.

If these people, by mutual agreement, decide to leave peacefully, we will be happy to provide them with joint transport and an allowance for accommodation and food during the following days in India. However, if they disturb the peace in the ashram due to their ego, show disrespect to the monks and to the organizers of the course, they will be expelled from the course without any compensation according to its rules.

These decisions to exclude people and the options they will be given are not made by Mr. Ajay alone, but are the result of a discussion between the students involved, the Indian organizers and the monks who are in that ashram or place. These decisions are final and our responsibility for that participant ends.