Privacy Policy — Rishikesh Yog Nirvana

Prepared by Techpullers Technology Solutions — for client review and legal sign-off. Not legal advice. Grievance Officer details in Section 14 must be completed before go-live. Have this reviewed by a legal advisor.

Effective date: 10 April 2025
Last reviewed: 10 April 2025

This Privacy Policy explains how Rishikesh Yog Nirvana (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal information when you visit our website at rishikeshyognirvana.com or enquire about or enrol in our yoga teacher training programmes.

We serve students from India and from countries around the world, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and the Gulf Cooperation Council region. This policy is written to comply with:

  • The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (India — DPDP Act)
  • The General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR — Regulation 2016/679)
  • The UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018
  • The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as applicable
  • Australia’s Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Privacy Principles

By using our website or submitting an enquiry form, you acknowledge that you have read this policy and understand how your data is used.

1. Who We Are

School name: Rishikesh Yog Nirvana
Registered address: Balaknath Rd, Upper Tapovan, Tapovan, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249192, India
Email for privacy queries: rishikeshyognirvana@gmail.com
WhatsApp / Phone: +91 82732 09207
Website: rishikeshyognirvana.com

We are the data controller for personal information collected through this website.

2. What Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information we genuinely need to run our school and serve our students. The categories of data we may collect are:

2.1 Information you give us directly

  • Full name
  • Email address
  • Phone number / WhatsApp number
  • Country of residence / nationality
  • Your yoga experience and background (shared voluntarily via enquiry forms)
  • Dietary requirements or medical conditions relevant to participation — only if you share them voluntarily in your application
  • Payment-related information (processed securely via our payment gateway — we do not store card numbers)

2.2 Information we collect automatically

  • IP address
  • Browser type and version
  • Device type (desktop / mobile / tablet)
  • Pages visited and time spent on the site
  • Referring URL (how you arrived at our site)
  • Cookie data (see Section 7)

2.3 Information from third parties

  • If you contact us via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or Instagram DM, we receive the information you share in that message
  • If you leave a review on Google, TripAdvisor, or Yoga Alliance, that review is publicly visible and not under our control

We do not collect sensitive personal data — such as race, religion, political opinions, or biometric data — unless you voluntarily share something relevant to your health or yoga practice in your application. Any health information you share is treated with the highest level of care and is not shared with third parties.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data only for the purposes for which it was collected, and only where we have a lawful basis to do so. The table below sets out our main uses:

PurposeLawful Basis
Responding to your enquiry or applicationLegitimate interest / Pre-contractual steps
Processing your enrolment and confirming your bookingContract performance
Sending you course information, packing lists, and pre-arrival guidanceContract performance
Processing payments and issuing receiptsContract performance / Legal obligation
Sending marketing emails about future courses or retreatsConsent (you can unsubscribe at any time)
Improving our website and understanding how visitors use itLegitimate interest
Legal compliance — tax records, invoice retentionLegal obligation
Responding to queries after your training (alumni support)Legitimate interest / Consent

EU/UK users: “Legitimate interest” means we have a genuine business reason that does not override your rights. You can object to processing based on legitimate interest at any time by contacting us.

4. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell your personal data. We do not share it with advertising networks or data brokers. We share your data only in the following limited circumstances:

4.1 Service providers (data processors)

We work with third-party providers who process data on our behalf and under our instruction:

  • Email platform (e.g. Gmail / Mailchimp / [YOUR TOOL]) — for sending booking confirmations and newsletters
  • Payment gateway (e.g. Razorpay / PayPal / Stripe / [YOUR GATEWAY]) — for secure payment processing
  • WhatsApp Business — for direct enquiry communication
  • Google Analytics / [analytics tool] — for anonymised website traffic analysis
  • Google Workspace / Drive — for internal document management
  • Website hosting provider — [HOSTING COMPANY NAME]

All service providers are contractually required to protect your data and may not use it for their own purposes.

4.2 Yoga Alliance

If you enrol in a Yoga Alliance certified programme, we share your name and email address with Yoga Alliance USA for the purpose of course registration and certification. Yoga Alliance’s own privacy policy applies to data they hold. You can review it at yogaalliance.org.

4.3 Legal requirements

We may disclose your data if required to do so by law, court order, or government authority — for example, for tax filings or in response to a lawful request from Indian authorities.

4.4 Business transfers

If the school is sold, merged, or its assets are transferred, your data may be transferred to the acquiring entity under the same protections as this policy.

5. International Data Transfers

Our school is based in India. When you contact us from the EU, UK, USA, Australia, or GCC, your data is transferred to India.

For EU/UK users: India does not currently have an EU adequacy decision. We rely on Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or your explicit consent for the transfer of your data to India, as applicable. If you would like a copy of the safeguards in place, contact us at rishikeshyognirvana@gmail.com.

We also use third-party services (such as Google and WhatsApp) that may store data on servers outside India. These providers maintain their own international transfer mechanisms compliant with GDPR.

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

Data TypeRetention Period
Enquiry / contact form submissions (no booking)12 months from last contact
Student enrolment records7 years from course completion (legal / tax requirement)
Payment and invoice records7 years (Indian tax / GST compliance)
Email marketing consent recordsUntil consent is withdrawn + 3 years
Website analytics data (anonymised)26 months (Google Analytics default)
Video testimonials (if submitted)Indefinitely, or until you request removal
Written reviews shared on our websiteIndefinitely, or until you request removal

When data is no longer needed, we delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to you.

7. Cookies and Tracking

Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to improve your experience and understand how visitors use the site.

Types of cookies we use

TypePurposeCan you opt out?
Essential / Strictly necessaryRequired for the website to function (e.g., session cookies, form security)No — these are necessary for the site to work
AnalyticsGoogle Analytics — tracks pages visited, session duration, device type (anonymised)Yes — via our cookie banner or your browser settings
Marketing / retargetingFacebook Pixel / Google Ads — if enabled, tracks conversions from ads (only if you have run paid campaigns)Yes — via our cookie banner
Embedded contentYouTube embeds (testimonial videos) — YouTube may set its own cookies when videos are playedManage via your browser or YouTube settings

You can manage or disable cookies at any time through your browser settings. Note that disabling essential cookies may affect how the website functions.

Developer note: A cookie consent banner is required for EU/UK visitors under the UK GDPR and ePrivacy Directive. Ensure a cookie consent plugin (e.g., CookieYes, Complianz, or GDPR Cookie Consent by WebToffee) is installed and properly configured before the site is live.

8. Your Rights

Depending on where you are located, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

8.1 Rights for all users

  • Right to be informed — you have the right to know what data we hold about you and how we use it (this policy fulfils that obligation)
  • Right to access — you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
  • Right to rectification — if any data we hold is inaccurate or incomplete, you can ask us to correct it
  • Right to erasure (‘right to be forgotten’) — you can ask us to delete your data, subject to our legal retention obligations
  • Right to withdraw consent — if we process your data based on consent (e.g. marketing emails), you can withdraw consent at any time

8.2 Additional rights for EU / UK users (GDPR)

  • Right to restrict processing — you can ask us to pause processing of your data in certain circumstances
  • Right to data portability — you can request your data in a machine-readable format
  • Right to object — you can object to processing based on legitimate interests
  • Rights in relation to automated decision-making — we do not use automated decision-making or profiling
  • Right to lodge a complaint with your supervisory authority — EU users can contact their national data protection authority; UK users can contact the ICO (ico.org.uk)

8.3 Rights for Indian users (DPDP Act 2023)

  • Right to access information about personal data processed
  • Right to correction and erasure of personal data
  • Right to grievance redressal — you may raise a grievance with us within [30] days; if unresolved, you may approach the Data Protection Board of India
  • Right to nominate — you may nominate another person to exercise your rights in the event of your death or incapacity

8.4 Rights for California residents (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information is collected, the right to delete personal information, the right to opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information), and the right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights.

How to exercise your rights
Email us at rishikeshyognirvana@gmail.com with the subject line “Privacy Rights Request”. Include your name and the email address you used to contact us. We will respond within 30 days (EU/UK: 1 month). We may ask you to verify your identity before processing your request.

9. Children’s Privacy

Our yoga teacher training programmes are open to adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under the age of 18.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has submitted personal data to us, please contact us immediately at rishikeshyognirvana@gmail.com and we will delete it without delay.

10. Marketing Communications

If you opt in to receive newsletters, course updates, or promotional content from us, we will send you emails about upcoming batches, retreats, and yoga-related content. We use [MAILCHIMP / GMAIL / YOUR TOOL] to manage these communications.

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by:

  • Clicking the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any marketing email
  • Emailing us at rishikeshyognirvana@gmail.com with the subject “Unsubscribe”
  • Contacting us via WhatsApp at +91 82732 09207

Unsubscribing from marketing does not affect transactional emails — we may still contact you about an existing booking or enquiry.

11. How We Protect Your Data

We take data security seriously and have implemented the following measures to protect your information:

  • SSL/TLS encryption on all pages of the website (HTTPS)
  • Secure, password-protected admin access to our website and email systems
  • Payment processing handled by PCI DSS-compliant payment gateways — we never store card numbers
  • Access to student records limited to authorised staff only
  • Regular review of third-party tools and data processors

No system is completely immune to security risks. In the unlikely event of a data breach that affects your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the relevant supervisory authority as required by law.

12. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external websites — including Yoga Alliance, TripAdvisor, Google, and YouTube. Once you leave our site, this privacy policy no longer applies. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites and recommend you review their policies separately.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time — for example, if we introduce new tools, change how we process data, or in response to legal developments. The “Last Updated” date at the top of this page will always reflect the current version.

If we make significant changes that affect how we use your personal data, we will notify you by email (if you are a student or subscriber) or by placing a clear notice on the website.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the website after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Grievance Officer (India — DPDP Act 2023 Requirement)

In accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (India), we have designated the following Grievance Officer for data-related complaints:

Name: [FILL IN: School owner / director name]
Designation: [FILL IN: Director / Manager]
Email: rishikeshyognirvana@gmail.com
Address: Balaknath Rd, Upper Tapovan, Tapovan, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249192, India
Response time: We will acknowledge your complaint within 48 hours and resolve it within 30 days.

If your grievance is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may escalate it to the Data Protection Board of India once it is operational.

15. Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions, data access requests, or complaints, please contact us:

Email: rishikeshyognirvana@gmail.com
WhatsApp: +91 82732 09207
Postal address: Rishikesh Yog Nirvana, Balaknath Rd, Upper Tapovan, Tapovan, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand 249192, India

We will respond to all privacy queries within 30 days.

Privacy Policy — Rishikesh Yog Nirvana — 10 April 2025 | Prepared by Techpullers Technology Solutions