Community Code of Conduct

Statement of Purpose

M3 Yoga and Hot Pilates was founded with accessibility and inclusion at its core. We celebrate our differences and believe our lived experiences contribute to strong community culture.  It is vital that our staff and students feel safe and included in our spaces. M3 benefits from including individuals with differences in age, skin tone, race, ability, body size, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, political affiliation, religion, education level, immigration status, and lived experience.

We commit to continued and ongoing work that celebrates the differences within our community. We strive to uphold diversity, equity and inclusion in our community.

Ethical Foundations

We honor and cultivate diversity, equity, and inclusion through: clear expectations, honest non-violent communication, and holding each other accountable. We do so in all M3 Yoga and Hot Pilates spaces, including its studios, online platforms, written communications, event locations, and in relationship with studio partners and vendors.

Our Foundational Principles: 

• The liberation of any individual is bound up with the liberation of all other people. 
• We show respect and reverence for all people, animals and the planet. 
• We respect each individual’s bodily autonomy: one’s right to choose what does and does not happen to their own body. 
• We acknowledge the multidimensionality of privilege in order to mitigate its harmful effects on others and the ways it limits perspective.
• We center impact over intention and we realize that good intentions do not always result in inclusive behavior.
• We seek to anticipate our unconscious biases and assume we always have the capability to become more inclusive.

General Guidelines

• No member of the M3 community should face discrimination on the basis of age, skin tone, race, ability, body size, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, political affiliation, religion, education level, immigration status, or lived experience.
• M3 prohibits harassment, unsolicited physical contact, unwanted sexual advances, threats of violence, intimidation, or offensive remarks and/or behaviors towards anyone.
• Our community prioritizes the inclusion, safety, and comfort of everyone. Because we practice in close quarters together, appropriate attire is an important part of the shared experience. Wear clothing that allows you to move freely and provides appropriate coverage in all postures.
• We aim to welcome all students to our space, and we therefore invite questions, feedback, and open communication between students and all M3 Teachers & Staff. Students are invited to communicate their concerns regarding safety, accessibility, and inclusivity practices in and around the studio.
• We commit to adopt practices that promote the health, safety, and wellbeing of our community in regards to disease, natural disasters, and public crises.
• M3 Teachers & Staff and students are encouraged to report violations of this COC. Even if a situation feels trivial, we want to ensure the M3 Community has support. Please use this link to report to the DEI Committee.
•  The DEI Committee will acknowledge receipt of COC Feedback Forms within 24 hours. The DEI Committee will then meet internally and with M3 Leadership to uncover the details of the situation and provide a suggested resolution, which could include communication with the reporter/impacted individuals.

M3 Teacher & Staff Expectations

The M3 community follows the guidelines listed below in order to foster a space in which all can show up to the studio in a way that feels authentic for them and is relevant to their personal practice and goals.

• The M3 community believes in the powerful exchange that is possible between students and teachers. In respecting this dynamic, we encourage students and teachers to consider avoiding dual relationships with one another (e.g., student and teacher as romantic partners), in order to avoid exploitation of the trust and power difference inherent in student-teacher relationships. 
• Teachers will honor the bodily autonomy and lived experiences of all students at all times, and through their interactions demonstrate this respect. For example:
  • Teachers will ask for consent before touching or manually assisting students.
  • Teachers will consider how students’ lived experience might impact their needs in a given pose or class, and will offer options where appropriate and within the teacher’s scope and knowledge. 
  • Teachers will consider how calling out individual students (even with the intent of praise) may cause undesired effects, such as anxiety or distraction.
• M3 Teachers & Staff will be responsive to student needs. When necessary, teachers will refer students to internal or outside resources that may better serve their needs. 
• M3 Teachers & Staff will not make assumptions regarding a students’ practice or goals based on body size, age, or other features of external appearance. 
• M3 Teachers & Staff will realistically represent their knowledge and the potential benefits/limitations of a movement practice. 
• Teachers will begin and end classes on time and will facilitate a class experience that adheres to the description and level of the advertised class. 
• M3 Teachers & Staff will strive to recognize how aspects of their own identity may facilitate or inhibit their understanding of the lived experience of their students, and with that knowledge, will grow and learn more about experiences different from their own. 

• We celebrate each staff member’s unique contributions to M3 and strive to cultivate a diverse staff. We seek to challenge each other to better serve M3’s purpose of inclusion and accessibility.
• M3 Teachers & Staff recognize that each staff-member’s lived experience influences the way that they think and behave, as well as how they are habitually treated by others.
• M3 Teachers & Staff are expected to interrupt and correct language and behavior that is oppressive or otherwise in violation of this COC.
• M3 Teachers & Staff are encouraged to foster a constructive peer-to-peer feedback culture. M3 Teachers & Staff give constructive feedback and evaluate performance in a way that considers each employee’s goals and identity, asking for context when necessary. We understand that while giving feedback we are speaking from one inherently limited perspective. 
• M3 Teachers & Staff will avoid maligning other individuals, studios, or organizations in our profession.
• We will reach out across our differences and include each other in conversations and company considerations. 
• We will try new things, acknowledge mistakes, apologize if anyone was hurt, and grow from the experience.

Importantly, we expect that unless we reflect on our individual, limited perspectives, and educate ourselves on needs/experiences other than our own, we will unconsciously exclude individuals from this community.

Student Expectations

One of M3’s Core Values is “Community”. We strive to hold a space where students feel supported by their teachers and their fellow community members. As such, we ask our students to adhere to the following principles:

• Students will respect and honor all people in M3 spaces, refraining from behaviors or language that violate the foundational principles of this community code of conduct. 
• Students will respect the bodily autonomy of all individuals in the M3 space. This respect includes refraining from touching others without their consent. 
• Students will avoid oppressive language or behavior (gendered language, stereotypical beliefs, etc.) and will be sensitive to and respectful of differences in the M3 community. 
• Students will strive to honor and be aware of the needs of their own body and how a movement practice serves or hinders their goals. Teachers will make space for students to honor their own bodies and goals, while also taking into consideration the parameters of the class, student safety, and respect for the class experience of all attendees. 
• Students will respect others’ class experiences and will avoid taking away from other students’ practices wherever possible. 
• M3 classes are rich and varied. Our class styles can be playful, exploratory, fun, reverent, peaceful, meditative, and more. As such, new students could be unsure of the behavioral conventions for any given class. Am I allowed to talk? May I ask questions? What should I wear? M3 Teachers & Staff wholeheartedly invites all students to ask a staff member any questions they have. We particularly welcome questions before or after class. Questions during class are typically reserved for safety and clarification of the practice. 
• We aim to create a welcoming environment and to facilitate the experiences of students who may be new to our studio, new to yoga, or new to a movement practice. 
• We encourage each student to choose classes and teachers based on their goals. Students are invited to clearly communicate their goals and needs with M3 Teachers & Staff. 
• We invite students to give feedback to their teachers and to studio leadership. Feedback may be offered via:
  • FitGrid – This feedback is anonymous to the teacher, but studio leadership receives identifying information of the student offering feedback in case further follow up is needed. 
  • MarianaTek – This feedback is public to anyone viewing the site or mobile app.  
  • Email – Messages sent to team@m3yoga.com will be read and addressed by studio leadership. 
  • Reports to the M3 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee – Feedback to the M3 Community Code of Conduct may be reported using the button at the top of this page. 
    • If you have experienced or witnessed: racism, discrimination, harassment, or any other form of oppression/violation of the M3 Code of Conduct, please report this here.These reports will be reviewed and addressed by the DEI committee.
    • Emails to the M3 DEI Committee – If you have general comments about diversity, equity, and inclusion or regarding the code of conduct, please contact us at dei@m3yoga.com  

Collaborations, Outreach & Vendors

M3 strongly believes in practicing our foundational principles outside of the studio in our relationships with the wider community. It is part of our mission to make yoga accessible to under-represented communities.

• M3 looks for opportunities to learn and grow with our community, vendors and collaborators. If there is a resource or community need we are unable to provide for, we are committed to looking to outside collaborators for help. 
• The expectation is set that whomever enters M3 Yoga & Hot Pilates facilities, including vendors and collaborators, will adhere to our community code of conduct. In turn, M3 Teacher & Staff, students, and other community members are expected to interact with vendors and collaborators in alignment with our conduct policies. 
• M3 actively seeks out partnerships with those who are actively involved in the work of antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion. We continually recruit and partner with a diverse array of vendors and collaborators that bring new insights and intersectionality to our community.  

As members of the M3 community, vendors and collaborators are also subject to the code of conduct feedback response process. M3 treats this process as an opportunity to learn and grow in mindfulness around who we invite into our community.

Professional Practices

• M3 makes hiring decisions based on community need, each individual’s qualifications, reliability, availability, and how a potential new hire reflects M3’s Core Values and the Foundational Principles of this Code of Conduct. We are willing to train those who bring a new perspective to our community. 
• M3’s hiring practices do not discriminate on the basis of age, skin tone, race, ability, body size, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, political affiliation, religion, education level, immigration status, or lived experience.
• Hiring decisions are made by the leadership team in conjunction with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and adhere to the standards of the M3 Community Code of Conduct. 
• M3 is committed to safeguarding the personal information of our community. As stated in the employee handbook, we will not misuse personal information and will take care to protect it.
• M3 information technology is to be used ethically and will not be used to access personal information of M3 Teachers & Staff or community members unless for specific M3 Yoga & Hot Pilates business purposes. 
• We commit to continually educate ourselves on the history of yoga and Pilates, colonialism, white-supremacy, cultural-appropriation, and current developments relative to our field.
• We refrain from promoting any particular way of eating. We acknowledge that body size is not an indicator of health nor is health an indicator of value. 
• M3 Teachers & Staff are encouraged to reflect on how language/practices may be unintentionally biased. To combat this:
  • We use non-gendered language when referring to groups or to those whose pronouns haven’t been explicitly stated.
  • We familiarize ourselves with lived experiences of other groups and how those experiences may impact a movement practice. 
• M3 Teachers & Staff commit to leading by example in cultivating an ethical environment. Leadership will collaborate with staff members and address concerns, reporting up the chain of command if necessary. 
• M3 Teachers & Staff are aware that community members have their own unique and valid lived experiences. We commit to taking all confidences, reports, and concerns seriously.
• M3 is committed to appreciating the South Asian origin of yoga in part by making mindful, conscientious choices. We strive to avoid the erasure of yoga’s roots, we commit to promote South Asian and BIPOC voices, and we commit to seeking education from and entering into partnerships with South Asian and BIPOC colleagues. 
• M3 Teachers & Staff strive to stay informed in the global yoga and Pilates community in order to learn and grow in compassion.
• We acknowledge our position as role models in the community. We practice what we teach, both inside and outside of the studio.