Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are & Operating Identity

Santulya Yog is an authentic yoga teaching sanctuary founded by teacher Shreya, offering live virtual group classes, one-on-one private sessions, and mindful wellness guidance.

2. Personal Information We Collect

We adhere strictly to the principle of data minimisation: we only collect information necessary to facilitate your yoga practice, manage class access, and fulfill statutory accounting obligations.

3. Zero Third-Party Tracking & Cookie Policy

Unlike many commercial websites, Santulya Yog does not track your online movements, profile your behavior, or monetize your attention.

Essential Session Cookies Only

The public pages of our website operate entirely without tracking cookies. When administrative operators log into secure studio dashboards (such as admin-login.php), our server issues a strictly necessary session cookie (PHPSESSID) to verify authentication. This cookie expires when the browser session ends.

Because we do not use third-party analytics or marketing cookies, our website does not display intrusive cookie consent banners. You may control or delete session cookies at any time via your browser settings.

4. How We Use Your Information & Legal Grounds

We process your personal information strictly for legitimate, transparent purposes under established lawful grounds:

• Performance of Service (Contractual): To register you for classes, deliver live Google Meet video sessions, coordinate schedules, and issue invoices.
• Statutory & Legal Obligations: To generate compliant accounting receipts, maintain tax transaction ledgers, and satisfy Indian financial regulations.
• Student Safety & Well-Being (Explicit Consent): To provide posture modifications, safe prop adjustments, and alternative asanas during practice based on voluntary disclosures.
• Studio Communications: To send schedule changes, Google Meet access links, and urgent updates regarding classes.
• Platform Security (Legitimate Interests): To protect our servers against fraud, spam, automated abuse, and unauthorized access.

5. Voluntary Health Information & Physical Safety

Yoga is an intimate physical practice. To ensure your physical safety and offer appropriate modifications, teacher Shreya invites students to share relevant physical considerations prior to practicing.

For detailed information regarding physical risk assumption, medical clearance, and pregnancy considerations, please consult our dedicated Health, Safety & Medical Disclaimer.

6. Payment Security & Financial Information

We facilitate payments for classes, memberships, and private sessions through recognized, licensed payment processors:

We also accept direct bank transfers (wire transfers) for select memberships and international students upon request.

During checkout, your financial credentials are encrypted and transmitted directly to the payment gateway's secure servers. Santulya Yog retains only transactional metadata (payment ID, order reference, amount, currency, and date) for accounting verification.

7. Third-Party Infrastructure & Sub-Processors

We partner with trusted cloud infrastructure providers to operate our website, database, and live classes:

All international sub-processors operate under stringent Data Processing Addendums (DPAs) and Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) to ensure equivalent data protection standards.

8. Communications & Messaging Channels

We communicate with students through direct, transparent channels:

• Official Email (contact@thesantulya.com): Primary channel for student onboarding, scheduling, private session coordination, and formal requests.
• Accounting Email (payments@thesantulya.com): Inquiries related to billing, invoice verification, and payment receipts.
• Direct WhatsApp (+91 88088 22777): Quick scheduling questions, urgent updates, and Google Meet link distribution. Chats are end-to-end encrypted by WhatsApp.
• Instagram (@thesantulya): Public social interactions and direct inquiries.

We do not engage in unsolicited promotional phone calls, SMS marketing, or third-party email blasts. Transactional billing emails delivered via Resend contain mandatory accounting notices and cannot be opted out of while maintaining an active membership.

9. Data Retention Schedules

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to satisfy the purpose for which it was collected or to comply with statutory legal mandates:

• General Inquiries: Retained in our inbox for up to 12 months, after which they are periodically cleared.
• Billing, Invoices & Tax Ledgers: Retained for up to 7 years in our encrypted database to satisfy statutory Indian Income Tax and commercial accounting rules.
• Voluntary Health Disclosures: Retained for the duration of your active practice plus up to 3 years to maintain practice context, after which records are deleted upon request.
• Student Accounts: Retained while your account remains active. Inactive accounts may be archived or deleted upon request.
• Approved Testimonials: Retained on our website until you withdraw consent or the testimonial becomes outdated.
• Server Access Logs: Automatically rotated and purged on 30 to 90 day cycles by our web hosting provider.

10. Your Privacy Rights & Choices

Regardless of where you reside, you have full ownership of your personal data. You are entitled to exercise the following rights free of charge:

To exercise any of these rights, simply email our data steward at contact@thesantulya.com. We will verify your identity and respond within 30 days.

11. Technical & Organizational Security

We implement reasonable, appropriate technical and administrative safeguards to protect your personal information:

• Encryption in Transit: Full site-wide HTTPS/TLS encryption enforced across all web pages and API communication.
• Database Protection: Neon PostgreSQL connections require encrypted SSL mode (sslmode=require) with strict firewall boundaries.
• Credential Security: Administrative passwords are protected using industry-standard bcrypt hashing with salted tokens.
• Access Control: Administrative access to student data is restricted strictly to authorized studio operators.

While we apply rigorous safeguards, no method of electronic storage or transmission over the internet can be guaranteed 100% impenetrable. We encourage students to keep their email accounts and personal devices secure.

12. Children's Privacy (Adults 18+ Only)

Santulya Yog classes are designed exclusively for mature practitioners aged 18 years and older. We do not knowingly offer classes to or collect personal information from individuals under the age of 18.

If we learn that personal data of a minor has been collected without verified legal guardian authorization, we will promptly delete that information from our systems. If you believe a minor has registered with us, please notify us immediately at contact@thesantulya.com.

13. Policy Updates & Governing Law

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practice or legal regulations. When changes are made, the revised date at the top of this document will be updated. Continued participation in our classes following an update signifies your acceptance of the revised terms.

Any disputes or grievances relating to data privacy shall be resolved in good faith through direct consultation, governed by the laws of India, within the jurisdiction of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.