This page contains the full Terms and Conditions for ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’, including the privacy policy. 
To go straight to the privacy policy, scroll to point ‘12.’ 

We ask you to agree to these Terms & Conditions whenever you purchase anything – whether an experience, or digital or physical product – from us at John and Gaia Ltd. (so that includes all the F**k It offerings too).   

Terms and Conditions 

Please take some time to read these Terms and Conditions. It’s important as it does include critical information about your booking or purchase. 

These Terms and Conditions apply to all activities of ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’. 

These activities include (but are not limited to) retreats, events and workshops in the U.K. and in other countries in Europe; for one-to-ones held either in person anywhere in the world or via a remote link, such as Skype or Zoom, between either Gaia R.M. Pollini or John C.R. Parkin and the person booking; for online courses; for online groups; for membership products; for the ‘training’ scheme; for books, either physical or digital; and for any and all physical or digital products offered by ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’, offered anywhere in the world. 

1. The Company‘John and Gaia Ltd.’

‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ is a registered U.K. limited company, with its head office at John and Gaia Ltd., 20 Guildford Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1SW, U.K.. 

2. Your relationship with‘John and Gaia Ltd.’and ‘The Venues’ (or ‘The Venue’) for retreats, events, workshops and talks 

‘The Venues’ refers to any of the venues in the U.K. and in other countries in Europe where retreats, events, workshops and talks, run by ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ are held. 

The course element (i.e. the teaching provided during sessions at ‘The Venues’) is provided by ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’. But all hotel / venue elements (and all hospitality elements for day venues) are provided by ‘The Venues’. 

You therefore have a direct relationship with ‘The Venues’ for all matters concerning the hotel (or venue structure, where applicable): e.g. accommodation, food, facilities, transfers, etc.. ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ is not responsible for any such elements. ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ has clearly researched ‘The Venues’ and has been in discussion with them, and is providing information on the ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ websites in good faith based on that research and discussion. It is not, however, responsible for inaccuracies in information regarding ‘The Venues’ or for any problems arising from ‘The Venues’’ provision of facilities or services. 

3. Exemption from liability in case of unforeseen events

‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ is not liable for adverse weather conditions, strikes, transport delays or technical problems or any other unpredictable or unforeseeable event or events which could prevent you from participating in the retreat, workshop or event or one-to-one, or online course, or any other ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ offering, whether in person or virtually. 

It is strongly recommended that you have adequate travel insurance to cover any possible problems that may occur during your retreat or event or in the lead-up to that retreat or event; particularly relating to emergencies that could involve a visit to hospital casualty, and admittance to hospital. 

4. Exemption from liability for health problems

‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ does not offer medical advice or opinions and cannot in any case substitute an appropriate assessment by your personal physician, whom ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ invite you to consult if you have any doubts about your ability to participate in holistic disciplines, whether in person or virtually, such as in a virtual one-to-one session. 

It is your responsibility to inform ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ of any health conditions which could prevent, limit or in any way affect your participation in any of the activities. 

If you have any issues that relate to the ‘hotel’ side provided by ‘The Venues’ (such as mobility or dietary requirements), then please contact ‘The Venues’ directly if you believe they require advance notice of such issues. 

The guest takes full and exclusive responsibility when doing any activities offered by ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’, whether on a retreat or event or virtually as part of a Skype or Zoom one-to-one session or on an online course. In no case, are ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ or their operators liable for any damage, direct or indirect, to your health. 

5. Terms and Conditions Relating Particularly to Online Courses and Digital Products

The ‘Course Participant’ 

In purchasing any online course or digital product offered by ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’, and agreeing to these terms and conditions, you become the ‘Course Participant’.  The purchase of an online course or digital product entitles the ‘Course Participant’, and no one else, to use the course materials. It is an offence to share the course materials with others in any way and an infringement of the copyright of the course and of this agreement. 

In the Event of Technical Problems 

The online course or digital product offered by ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ is offered entirely via online technologies.  In the event that, for whatever reason, any part of the technology providing the course, fails, or, for whatever reason, part of the course is not conveyed as planned, ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’, as the providers of the online course or digital product, will endeavour to remedy the problem as quickly as possible, and, in any event, endeavour to provide you with all the materials that are part of the course or product. 

If the problems arise in conveyance of course materials due to problems or limits of the technology of the ‘Course Participant’, ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ is not responsible for ensuring the materials are conveyed, though will offer general advice on maximizing the possibility of viewing or accessing such materials. 

6. Informed Consent for Participation

It is important to understand the nature of the holistic activities (retreat or event or one-to-one or online course or ‘apprenticeship’ scheme any other ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ offering) you are participating in prior to registration and booking / purchase. Information about the nature of the course and activities is contained in the description for that particular course or activity in the calendar programme (or elsewhere on the sites if referring to one-to-ones, online courses or other ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ offering). If you are unfamiliar with any of the references or concepts conveyed in these descriptions, then please research their background. If you are still in doubt, ask the organisers (‘John and Gaia Ltd.’) before registration. 

In general, you will be participating in holistic and therapeutic activities as part of your holistic course on your retreat or other events or one-to-one sessions or online course or other ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ offering. These activities may include (but are not limited to) the following: meditation, relaxation exercises, breathwork, mindfulness exercises, energy work (such as ‘Qigong’), sharing work (where you share your feelings with the group), gentle physical movement, voice dialogue, somatic experiencing exercises, reiki, therapeutic written exercises (such as diary entries to understand your state of mind), therapeutic partner exercises (such as sharing how you feel with a partner, or offering healing in the form of gentle physical touch), movement and expression exercises, healing sound exercises, and so on. 

You therefore participate in the holistic course, event or one-to-one, or online course of other ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ offering, fully aware of their therapeutic content. A simple exercise, like meditation, can be mentally activating, as well as calming. Simple physical movements can be physically activating, as well as calming. Holistic activities do create physical, mental and emotional effects. 

You participate in the holistic exercises aware that they may well be physically, emotionally and psychologically challenging. If, having informed yourself of the nature of these holistic activities, you think you may have a physical or psychological condition, or suspect you may have one, that may be exacerbated by the exercises, then do consult a medical doctor or psychiatrist before booking, and certainly before attending, the course or any activity offered by or organised by ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’. 

In any event, if you attend the course, event or one-to-one or online course or other ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ offering and thus participate in the holistic activities, it is incumbent on you to judge exercise by exercise whether you are comfortable with them, and capable of doing them. If you at any time feel uncomfortable, either physically or psychologically, with any exercise, then either refrain from doing it, or stop doing it if you have already started. If you feel uncomfortable with doing a partner exercise, that might involve verbal sharing or physical touch, then either refrain from doing it, or stop doing it if you have already started. 

The holistic activities are powerful. That is why people participate in these courses, events, one-to-ones, online courses and any other ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ offering: they are therapeutic. And it is important that you understand the potential power of these exercises before you register for participation. 

Your agreeing to these terms and conditions, and your subsequent participation in the courses, events, one-to-ones, online courses, or other ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ offering and their holistic activities, demonstrates your informed consent to these course and activities. 

7. Issues of confidentiality when participating in groups

When you participate in groups run by ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’, whether on retreats or workshop or events or online groups, or in any offering of ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’, it is likely that those in the group will share sensitive, personal and sometimes confidential information. 

We ask therefore that participants in any form of group respect the sensitivity of that information and those imparting the information by not sharing this information beyond the group, even if the person imparting the information does not specifically refer to its confidentiality.  

This is particularly important in a digital / social media age, when information can be passed on and disseminated so easily and rapidly even if this wasn’t the original intention. 

8. Theft and loss of property

‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ recommends that you do not bring jewellery or valuable items with you during your stay on a retreat or event. If you do, please do not wear jewellery or objects of value during the holistic activities. ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ is not liable for theft, or for any loss of your personal property, under any circumstances. 

9. Payments

For short events, workshops, one-to-ones, online courses, online groups, membership products, the ‘training’ scheme and any other ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ offering, the payment or payments made is / are non-refundable.   

For Retreats, payments are generally made in a series of instalments (if preferred, a single payment can be made to ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ and a single payment to ‘The Venue’, thus equating to two instalments in total).  All payments made are non-refundable.  

Full details of instalments on offer are given on booking (and the offer varies dependent on the time remaining before the retreat). 

One of the instalments will likely be required to be made directly to one of ‘The Venues’ and will thus also be termed the ‘venue instalment’. ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ will inform and remind the retreat participant(s) of the various deadlines and also make clear which is this ‘venue instalment’. Even though ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ reminds the participant(s) of the ‘venue instalment’ deadline, and provides the necessary details for making the ‘venue instalment’ payment, ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ will not check that that payment has been made and is not therefore responsible for any consequences of non-payment (eg. the withdrawal of the room booking). The ‘venue instalment’ is generally paid directly to ‘The Venues’ and reflects the direct relationship between the retreat participant and ‘The Venues’ in relation to the services that the ‘The Venues’ provide as outlined in point ‘2.’ of these terms and conditions.  In certain circumstances, the ‘venue instalment’ will be paid to ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’, who will the pass on the required monies to the venue. In such circumstances, it will still be clear that this is the ‘venue instalment’ and the relationship between the retreat participant and ‘The Venues’ in relation to the services that the ‘The Venues’ provide remains as outlined in point ‘2.’ 

If the participant finds they need to cancel the Retreat, and this sometimes happens, for example for medical reasons, then inform ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ immediately. If a cancellation for a specific retreat is made up to 2 months before that retreat, the participant will have the option to switch retreats, availability allowing, to another retreat within that calendar year. In any case, the participant can make a claim on insurance (with relevant evidence, eg. doctors’ confirmation notes), if appropriate. If a cancellation is made within the period 6 weeks before the retreat starts (and thus “The Venue” has been paid or is owed), then ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’  will discuss any refund terms with “The Venue” (for the ‘venue instalment’). Each venue has different specific terms on cancellations during that period, and partial refunds are sometimes possible depending on those terms and the exact time period before the retreat starts that the cancellation occurs. If, for whatever reason, the ‘venue payment’ has been delayed and a cancellation is made (within this last 6-week period) “The Venue” is still likely to request that full payment be made, just as with a cancellation with a regular pre-booked hotel. 

10. Transfers and other information

‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ provides information about transfers, etc. on its sites, but does not organise anything on behalf of the guest. ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ is not responsible for the accuracy of this information (e.g. train times and prices do change over time). This applies to any other information relating to ‘The Venues’ and the surrounding areas contained on the ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ website (or other materials). 

Guests either organise transfers, excursions, etc. themselves or directly with ‘The Venues’. 

11. Cancellation

In the unlikely event that your event, workshop, holiday, retreat, one-to-one, online course or other ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ offering with ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ at one of ‘The Venues’ (or virtually) should be cancelled, for whatever reason, ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ will endeavour to offer you an equivalent alternative. 

12. Privacy Policy

How we collect your information 
The primary way we collect your information is via forms on our website that you fill in with your details. For example, we use a form for you to take part in our ‘quiz’ that asks you for your first name and email. 

If you’re enquiring about a retreat, you will fill out another form with basic information. Then, if you book a retreat, we will ask you for more information, appropriate to the booking. 

So, whether you’re requesting something from us, or buying a product or service, we’ll ask you to fill in a form, and that information will go on our database. 

Also information is collected more broadly (and as happens on most sites and forms) via Google Analytics, via cookies, and via Google recaptcha. 
  

What we do with it 
If you’ve signed up to our list, we simply email you regularly about our offerings. We will only contact you in this way if you have given us your consent to do so. If you withdraw your consent (by, for example, ‘unsubscribing’), we will no longer contact you in this way. 
We use data on, for example, Google Analytics, and with cookies, to monitor behaviour on our website including details of how you clicked through to our site and how long you spend on each of our pages, so we can improve the performance and ease of use of our site. 
  

Whom we share it with 
We do not give your information to anyone else for marketing purposes. 
We do not give your information to any third parties, except in the case that you have booked a retreat, and we then supply your name and surname to a venue in relation to the booking of a room. Thus the information is only accessible to members of the John and Gaia Ltd. team (and that may include freelancers working with us), in order to supply you with information, products and services, and, where necessary, employees of ‘InfusionSoft’, or ‘Simplero’, the systems where your information is securely held.  
 

Where we keep it 

Your data will be stored confidentially, securely and processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (2018) principles. 
We use the following third party services to securely store your data: primarily ‘Simplero’, ‘InfusionSoft’ and Dropbox (and there is then IP information on Google Analytics). 
  

How long we keep it 

We store information only for the purposes for which it was collected.  The retention period for your information will depend on your behaviour in response to our marketing activity (so, for example, if you don’t open any emails over a set period, or your email address becomes inactive, we will cease to use your information and, in a separate action and dependent on the information status, delete that information). 

Overall, we follow the principles of GDPR (2018) to protect your data. 

You have the right to be informed about the data we hold on you and what we do with it (and you can do so by emailing us, theteam@johnandgaia.com.  If there are inaccuracies in this information, however they come to light, we will make the requested changes (eg. a change in email address).  If you request so, we will delete your information. 

13. Membershipprogrammes (such as the ‘Being Me University’) 

John and Gaia Ltd.  offer a variety of membership programmes (like ‘Being Me University’) that are paid for on a ‘subscription’ basis, month-by-month or year-by-year.  The subscription amounts and the basis on which they’re charged are clear on initial purchase, and will run until cancellation is requested by the participant. 

Such membership programmes open only occasionally.  There are waiting lists on the John and Gaia Ltd. sites to register for information. 

14. The Training Scheme (now called ‘Being Me Mastery)

The ‘training’ scheme, now called ‘Being Me Mastery’ with Gaia Pollini lasts three years. It is not a training in ‘F**k It’ and its principles. It allows the trainee, on successful completion of the three years, to use Gaia’s ‘Being Me Therapy’ within their own practice. The trainee, after successful completion of the three years’ scheme, will be given a certificate of participation in the training programme. The training is paid for on either a year-by-year basis, or a monthly basis, or a combination of the two. The prices and payments plans will be made clear and  agreed at the beginning of the three-year arrangement. Once a trainee has agreed to joining a year of the 3-year scheme, then that payment for the full year is due notwithstanding any payment plan agreed to with ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’.  
Trainees who practise with their own clients or members of the public do so independently and taking complete responsibility for their work and should ensure they have appropriate insurance for such work. ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ or its owners or directors or individuals employed by or related to ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’  have no responsibility or liability for any such work carried out with the trainee’s own clients or members of the public.  
On registering for enrolment on the three-year ‘Being Me Mastery’, there is a non-refundable deposit of £400 – which secures the place on the training – and which is returned to the trainee after completion of the full training, with an additional £100 added, so to a total of £500. 

15. Covid precautions

Given the ongoing situation with Covid-19, we ask that you are extra-vigilant in the lead-up to any retreat or in-person event run by ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ and that, during the retreat or in-person event, you follow relevant government advice and guidelines detailed by ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ and the venue in which the retreat or in-person event is being held. 

By attending the retreat / in-person event, you are confirming that you have complied with all relevant government advice in relation to local and national lockdowns for the four weeks leading up to the retreat / in-person event, and that you know of no Covid-19 related (or any other) reason why you should not attend the retreat / in-person event. 

16. Jurisdiction

For any dispute that could arise in relation to the interpretation, execution and/or cancellation of the booking contract, or in relation to any purchase of an offering by ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’, to which these conditions are applicable, and in which ‘John and Gaia Ltd.’ is legally involved, English law will be applied and English courts have exclusive jurisdiction. 

17. Consent

We need your consent. By giving your consent, you are also giving consent on behalf of anyone else you are booking for using any other of our forms (whether partner, friend/s or other/s). Therefore, whoever gives this consent must have been authorized to give it by the other participant / participants / purchaser / purchasers.