Rules, Procedures, and Guidelines

The SCNM: Thai Yoga Center, located at NAIC Sanctuary, is a religious and volunteer organization operated by the Priory of Saving Grace and the Native American Indigenous Church Inc. (NAIC). All work, including the teaching classes and programs and house/dorm-related activities, is done by volunteers and students. The RPGs are to help you to understand what your responsibilities are as a student and guest at the TYC. Every student is responsible for reading and being generally familiar with what is expected of them for their training and stay.

Personal responsibility:

Attitude and general fitness: You are always responsible for your health, happiness, and welfare. The staff at SCNM: TYC is here to assist you in having the best educational experience possible. However, they are volunteers and cannot be attentive to your needs moment-by-moment. We want to encourage all participants to work at the highest level to co-create and facilitate a harmonious environment to practice in. If you are unhappy, take charge, handle it well, or seek counseling or assistance from the staff or other volunteers. We feel that all work is, in essence, work on one’s self. SCNM: TYC is dedicated to helping you learn and progress in virtually every area of life, but we need your participation to be effective in this. Additionally, please see our Code of Ethics for NAIC Thai Practitioners…

Karma Yoga/ Householder:

General Areas:

• 1. Clean up after yourself. Leave all areas clean or cleaner than you found them.
• 2. Return all items (books, magazines, drinking cups, etc.) in a clean condition to where they belong after each use.
• 3. Keep all personal and study items in your sleeping area when not in use.
• 4. Smoking is permitted outside of buildings only. (Smokers MUST clean up after themselves! No Butts!)
• 5. When possible, leave shoes outside on the porches.
• 6. Park only allowed in designated areas. If you are not sure… ask, please. Please follow staff directions for student parking. Improperly parked vehicles will be removed from the property.

Dorm or Sleeping Area:

• 1. Keep your area neat and orderly.
• 2. Make the bed, put away clothing, and remove trash before class each day.
• 3. Sweep/vacuum your room when needed.
• 4. Extra clean towels are in the student dorm closet. Remove soiled towels from the laundry room.
• 5. No open food containers or eating is permitted in dorm/bunkhouse areas. Use the dining room or porches for snacking.
• 6. If sleeping in the dorm annex, personal items and the sleeping area must be cleaned up an hour before scheduled class time.
• 7. Respect the privacy of other students by knocking on closed doors and giving each additional space to change clothes, etc.
• 8. Dorms are gender specific… please be considerate and do not intrude on opposite-gender dorms.

Bathrooms:

• 1. Do not leave personal items and towels in the bathroom.
• 2. We are “Water Protectors,” Please conserve our water!
• 2. Leave Clean! Rinse the sink and tub/ shower after use.
• 3. Considering others, keep bathroom time to a minimum and showers as short as possible, no more than 15 minutes.
• 4. Hang wet items up to dry on the hooks provided.
• 5. There are open showers in the outdoor bathhouse, and nudity is allowed. Be respectful!

Classroom:

• 1. Set up is always one-half hour before the scheduled class time.
• 2. No open containers or food.
• 3. Please remove your shoes.
• 4. Keep all personal items (notebooks, pens, water bottles, etc..) off to the side and out of the way. Put away all items not needed for class. (That also means only items being used should be in the classroom. If not sure, ask.)

Kitchen and Meals:

• 1. All TYC guests must help with meal preparation and clean-up. (See the householder task list for the cleaning procedure.)
• 2. Mealtime is considered complete when the dining area and kitchens are clean and restored to proper order.
• 3. Due to dietary restrictions, personal items may not be stored in the TYC refrigerator without special prior arrangements.

Quiet Time:

• 1. Lights out at 11 pm. This includes the outdoor kitchen!
• 2. Any other quiet time activity (i.e., meditation, reading) is permissible in the main areas until noon.
• 3. No overhead lights in sleeping areas during the quiet time- use a flashlight (that means to be sure to bring one!)
• 4. In public areas, TV or radios must be turned to low and talking is minimal.

Additional Student Amenities:

Phone and Internet usage: We know that it is sometimes necessary to communicate with the outside world while at SCNM: TYC. TYC is a professional facility, and phone lines are dedicated to this purpose. Please either avoid tying up the phone lines or keep personal calls and internet usage to a minimum. No cell phones are allowed in the classroom. Please be courteous when making calls in the main areas! No cell phones will be used in sleeping quarters after the lights are out. the

Long Distance Calls: Students must have a calling card to make long-distance calls from the school. There is a 20-minute time limit on all personal calls from the house phone.

Internet Usage: Bring your laptop. A usage fee to access the local wireless network is $70.00 per month per person, payable in advance. Each person using our wireless connection will owe the payment individually. This is not a multi-user agreement. Internet is unavailable during scheduled class times or after 10 pm without permission. Internet usage is restricted to designated areas only and is prohibited at all times in classrooms, dorms, and other sleeping quarters. Misuse or violation of this policy will terminate access without recourse or refund—no refunds for unused tickets. Please notify the school if you have a personal WIFI connection that you will be using. By allowing other students to use your computer/ phone/ etc., you assume all responsibility for any damages that may result.

Personal Laundry: The school provides it at a modest fee for student laundry access. If this is insufficient for your needs or schedule, a commercial laundry with washing machines and dryers is near the school.

General Classroom: Students are responsible for ensuring the classroom is ready and in order before and after each class. Vacuum each morning before setting up mats or before the morning documentary. Clean-up after class includes neatly folding and storing rugs, sheets, pillows, and other materials. Practice is permissible until 10 pm unless otherwise noted. However, the room must be restored after training.

Property Related:

No littering! SCNM: TYC believes in and enforces nature conservancy, and we support restoring the land to its pristine and natural state. When walking on or off campus, please collect any trash you may encounter on the way! Please park in designated areas only. No cars allowed in camping areas!

Karma Yoga/ Community Service/ Class Requirements:

Our educational programs are both traditional and apprentice based. This means that we require effort to support the class, facilities, and ground maintenance as a vital part of every class.

“Chop wood, carry water” is not just a metaphor! At the SCNM: TYC, we require that everyone participate in helping to maintain the school. Community service and karma yoga are requirements for the completion of all programs. Karma yoga is a requirement of every traditional yoga school! It must be completed like any other class assignment and may not be missed or excused without prior permission of the instructor. Karma yoga is not the work you want but the work and sweat equity necessary to build and make a living community efficient. Our effort is a real investment and acknowledgment of the privilege of learning and training in anything of real value. The money your pay for classes/housing etc., is for “overhead,” which is different from the effort of karma yoga. Your sweat and your effort are the coin for spirit and energy-based exchange. Your uncomfortable-ness is a form of voluntary suffering that generates particular types of energy and emotional states which support real work. Karma yoga is about balancing the machine and all of our centers…not just the parts of us who want truth served on a silver platter!

Please note: The essential requirement is a minimum of 1 hour of Karma yoga/ service per each full class day, or as indicated in the curriculum for that particular program. There are no exceptions unless arranged in writing previous to participation. The penalty for a missed or unexcused incomplete is 4 CEU credit hours per missed hour (4/1). Each class has a minimum amount of hours necessary for graduation. If the student falls below this minimum, the hours must be completed before any certificate will be given. Participating in Karma yoga makes it possible to run, build and maintain a school while keeping the cost of programs and housing reasonable and affordable. Karma yoga is also how we can provide you with free or partial scholarships!

Please note: All who receive seminary tuition scholarship reductions or discounts must participate in Karma Yoga as part of daily class and life at TYC. If you do not wish to join us in this critical daily practice, you agree to pay 100% of the total tuition before receiving any certification from TYC. The participant further agrees that no certificates, certifications, or diplomas will be issued until all requirements, including coursework, homework, financial, and Karma yoga work, are completed. Understanding and acceptance of this policy is a precondition to being allowed to participate in any of our programs.

The only exceptions to the above will be proper medical conditions. Alternative requirements will be assigned.

Regarding nudity, partial nudity, and sex at TYC:

Our Yoga, Ayurveda, and Natural Medicine curriculum is a science of balancing the whole person, mind, body, and spirit. We foster an appreciation of the entire body and practice body awareness and acceptance in a wholesome and blessed way. All programs are for students 18 and over and are suitable for healthy adults. Some activities and coursework like Ayurveda Panchakarma use oils, water, and herbs that are applied directly to the skin and involve various levels of dress and undress. Nudity is NOT required in any NAIC: SCNM program, but if you are uncomfortable with the human body/ nudity, you may not be comfortable with some crucial aspects of our program and may want to reconsider your enrollment.
Additionally, during clinical, medical, and counseling courses, human sexuality, male and female anatomy, intimacy, sexual function, and dysfunction may be discussed and covered in great detail regarding yoga practice, mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical health, and well-being. Our curriculum also includes coursework on breath, Chakras, Prana, Kundalini, and energy development ideas, and techniques. We strive to foster an atmosphere of open and safe exploration of all issues relating to intimacy, personal well-being, and sexual identity because all these things affect our mental, emotional, and physical health.

By registering or participating in any of our programs, you certify that you are over 18 and agree to receive education and information on potentially sensitive issues, including human sexuality. The student further agrees to hold blameless all staff at NAIC/ SCNM: TYC from all injuries, either real or imagined resulting from participation in these programs and related activities, whether formally part of the program or not.

Please note! Better than good behavior is expected at all times. Any violent, abusive, or improper conduct may result in immediate dismissal without recourse or refund. This is a zero-tolerance issue, and no warnings will be given. Acceptance of the non-violent, no-abuse behavior policy is a precondition to training at the SCNM: Thai Yoga Center. Acceptance of the Student Agreement and Consent form, all current RPGs, and NAIC APM Membership is a precondition to training in our programs.

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