Health and Safety Policy - Divine Circle

This policy sets out Divine Circle’s commitment to maintaining a safe, ethical, and professionally managed environment for all participants in our training programs, regular classes, and healing sessions. It applies to all activities conducted at our Tapovan, Rishikesh premises and to any off-site events organized by Divine Circle.

Document Owner	Shiva (Rajiv Bhall), Founder & Lead Facilitator – Divine Circle
Location	Tapovan, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
Website	divinecircle.org
Effective Date	July 2026
Review Cycle	Annually, or immediately following any significant incident
Applies To	All students, participants, guests, and staff at Divine Circle premises and events

Please read carefully

1. Our Commitment

Divine Circle is committed to:

Providing a physically safe, emotionally supported, and professionally managed space for all participants
Ensuring that every session — breathwork, sound healing, yoga, or meditation — is facilitated by a qualified, experienced practitioner who understands the physiological and psychological risks involved
Screening all participants for contraindications before any intensive somatic work begins
Maintaining clear emergency protocols and ensuring all teaching staff know how to execute them
Treating every participant with dignity, confidentiality, and professional care
Reviewing and improving our safety standards on an ongoing basis

2. Responsibilities

2.1 Lead Facilitator — Shiva (Rajiv Bhall)

Overall responsibility for health and safety across all Divine Circle programs and events
Ensuring all tutors and assistants understand and follow this policy
Conducting or overseeing the pre-participation health screening for all intensive program students
Being the first point of contact for any incident, emergency, or complaint
Maintaining and updating this policy annually

2.2 Sound Healing Lead — Maha (Yasmin Tabassum)

Responsibility for health and safety during all Sound Healing Certification sessions
Conducting contraindication screening for sound healing participants
Escalating any safety concern or incident to Shiva immediately

2.3 All Teaching Staff and Assistants

Familiarize themselves with this policy before leading or assisting any session
Never facilitate a session if they are unwell, emotionally dysregulated, or otherwise not in a fit state to hold space safely
Report any incident, near-miss, or safety concern to Shiva within 24 hours

2.4 Participants

Complete the Divine Circle Health and Safety Questionnaire honestly and in full before their first session
Inform the facilitator of any change in their health status between enrollment and the start of the program
Follow all facilitator instructions during sessions, particularly during active breathwork or sound healing
Respect the safety and wellbeing of other participants at all times

3. Pre-Participation Health Screening

All students enrolling in a Divine Circle certification program, and all participants attending intensive sessions, complete a mandatory Health and Safety Questionnaire before their first session. This questionnaire covers:

Cardiovascular health — history of heart attack, stroke, uncontrolled hypertension, arrhythmia, blood clotting disorders
Neurological conditions — epilepsy, seizure history, severe migraines, head injury
Ocular pressure — glaucoma (specific CCB risk due to temporary intraocular pressure increase during rapid breathing)
Respiratory conditions — severe asthma requiring daily medication, COPD, recent chest surgery
Psychiatric history — active psychosis, severe Bipolar I mania, recent psychiatric hospitalization, schizophrenia
Pregnancy — absolute contraindication for intensive CCB; modified protocols available for gentle breathwork after first trimester with medical clearance
Current medications with CNS, cardiovascular, or respiratory implications
Sound-specific factors — pacemakers, cochlear implants, metal surgical implants, tinnitus

Completed questionnaires are stored securely. Any participant disclosing a flagged condition is individually assessed by Shiva or Maha. Where there is any doubt, we err on the side of caution and either require written medical clearance or decline participation in the intensive modality.

4. Contraindications — Summary Table

Conscious Connected Breathwork — Absolute Contraindications

The following conditions require declining participation without specific written medical clearance from a specialist:

Recent heart attack or stroke (within 12 months)	Risk of cardiovascular incident under physiological stress
Active cardiovascular disease or serious arrhythmia	CCB significantly alters heart rate and blood pressure
Epilepsy or history of seizures	Hyperventilation-induced changes in blood CO2 can lower seizure threshold
Unmanaged glaucoma	Rapid breathing temporarily raises intraocular pressure
Severe active psychosis or acute mania	Risk of psychological destabilisation or break from reality
First-trimester pregnancy (all breathwork)	Risk to foetal development from physiological changes
Any pregnancy for intensive CCB	Not recommended regardless of trimester without specialist clearance
Active detox from alcohol or benzodiazepines	Risk of seizure during withdrawal period
Aneurysm or history of aneurysm	Pressure changes during CCB contraindicated

Sound Healing (On-Body Placement) — Absolute Contraindications

Pacemaker or implanted cardiac device	Vibration from bowls placed near the device contraindicated
Cochlear implant	Direct vibration to the head area contraindicated
Metal surgical implants at placement sites	Direct bowl contact over implant contraindicated
First-trimester pregnancy	Direct abdominal placement contraindicated
Active epilepsy	Volume and instrument proximity must be managed carefully

5. Physical Safety of the Premises

The teaching space is inspected before each session for trip hazards, uneven surfaces, loose equipment, and adequate ventilation
Mats, bolsters, blankets, and props are arranged to allow the facilitator unobstructed access to every participant during active sessions
A minimum corridor of 80cm is maintained between participant mats in group sessions
The room temperature is maintained between 23–26°C during sessions — warm enough for participants lying still, not so warm as to create dizziness or discomfort
Drinking water is available at all times and participants are encouraged to hydrate before and after sessions
The location of the nearest medical facility is known to all teaching staff: AIIMS Rishikesh (All India Institute of Medical Sciences), approximately 30 minutes from Tapovan
A basic first aid kit is maintained on the premises and checked monthly
Emergency exit routes are clearly identified and kept free of obstruction at all times

6. Emergency Protocols

6.1 Medical Emergency During a Session

If a participant becomes unresponsive, loses consciousness, has a seizure, or shows signs of cardiac distress:

Stop the session immediately and instruct all other participants to remain calm and seated
Check responsiveness — speak to the participant and apply gentle grounding touch to their shoulder
If unresponsive: call emergency services immediately — India national emergency: 112
Place the participant in the recovery position if breathing but unconscious
Do not leave the participant alone until emergency services arrive
Assign a designated person to meet emergency services at the entrance
Contact the participant’s emergency contact person as soon as possible
Document the incident in full within 24 hours

6.2 Psychological Emergency During a Session

If a participant enters acute distress, dissociation, panic, or discloses active suicidal ideation:

Slow or stop the active breathing or sound immediately
Move close to the participant — calm, quiet, grounded presence
For dissociation: use sensory grounding — name five things they can see, firm hand on their shoulder, ask them to press their feet into the floor
For panic or hyperarousal: guide slow nasal breathing — in for 4, out for 6 — do not instruct fast breathing
For suicidal ideation: do not leave the person alone, contact emergency mental health services or iCall India (9152987821), notify Shiva immediately
After the crisis has stabilized, offer water, a blanket, and quiet time — do not rush the participant back into the group
Arrange appropriate follow-up support and document the incident

6.3 Fire or Evacuation

Instruct all participants to stop and move calmly to the designated assembly point
Check that all participants have exited before leaving the premises
Call emergency services: 112
Do not re-enter the premises until cleared by emergency services

7. Consent and Boundaries

All forms of physical contact during sessions — grounding touch, comforting touch, activating touch — require explicit verbal or clearly demonstrated non-verbal consent before being applied
Participants are informed at the start of every intensive program that touch may be offered, what types of touch are used, and that they can decline or withdraw consent at any time
No participant will ever be touched in a manner that is sexual, inappropriate, or outside the therapeutic scope taught in this program
Any allegation of inappropriate contact will be treated with complete seriousness, investigated promptly, and reported to the relevant authorities if required
Students in the training program are taught the full consent framework as a core curriculum component before they practice facilitation with others

8. Safeguarding

Divine Circle does not run programs specifically aimed at children or vulnerable adults. Where a participant under the age of 18 attends with written parental or guardian consent, additional safeguarding measures apply — the participant must be accompanied by a responsible adult for the duration of any intensive program, and sessions involving emotional release work will be adapted accordingly.

Any disclosure of abuse, exploitation, or harm — whether to a participant or by a participant — will be handled with confidentiality and care, and reported to the appropriate Indian statutory authorities where legally required.

9. Incident Recording and Reporting

Every incident — including near-misses, participant reactions requiring intervention, and any complaint relating to safety — is documented within 24 hours using the Divine Circle Incident Record. The record captures:

Date, time, and location of the incident
Name of participant involved (held confidentially)
Description of what occurred and the facilitator’s response
Any medical or emergency services involved
Follow-up action taken
Signature of the responsible facilitator

Incident records are held securely by Shiva and reviewed at each annual policy review. Patterns in incidents inform ongoing improvements to our safety protocols and course content.

10. Facilitator Self-Care and Fitness to Practice

Holding space for intense somatic and emotional work requires the facilitator to be in a regulated, grounded state. Divine Circle requires that:

All teaching staff maintain a regular personal practice in their modality
No facilitator leads a session while unwell, significantly sleep-deprived, emotionally overwhelmed, or under the influence of any substance
Facilitators take appropriate rest between intensive batches
Shiva conducts regular supervision with peers or mentors to maintain his own professional wellbeing

Divine Circle is planning to hold a public liability insurance covering teaching and facilitation activities on our Rishikesh premises. Proof of insurance is submitted to IPHM within 14 days of our provider listing becoming active.

11. Policy Review

This policy is reviewed annually by Shiva and updated where necessary to reflect changes in practice, new evidence, regulatory requirements, or learning from incidents.

Policy Owner: Shiva (Rajiv Bhall) | Effective: July 2026 | Next Review: July 2027

Divine Circle | Tapovan, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India | divinecircle.org