Dear friends and yogis,

It is now the monsoon season in Thailand…. The brave souls on Koh Phangan have weathered weeks of constant rain (recently three weeks in a row with 8-12 hours of rain per day!). Even the entrance to Bovy Resort completely washed away! The team there made a temporary bridge, and don’t worry, we will rebuild the road. :-)

Despite the rain, we have had the largest group of low-season First Month Intensive students that we have ever had. In addition, Moses and his assistant teachers on the island recently held a Tantra 1 five-day course for nearly 20, mostly new, students. Claudiu, who has been overseeing the Koh Phangan center in Swami’s absence, leads the a Revelation of the Self Retreat in mid-November (18th-27th), as he has done several times this year already. These retreats are now a part of Agama’s monthly repertoire – please join us for these very special events if you have the opportunity.

At the other end of Thailand, up in the cosmopolitan northern city of Chiang Mai, Debora, Kristof, and their helpers are holding up the teachings at our new center there. They also report a large group of new students, and now teach the first, second, and third month levels simultaneously as is done on Koh Phangan. The team there will hold a Tantra Weekend 30 November-2 December: “How to Use Yoga to Channel Sexual Energy.” The workshop will consist of a synthesis of Tantra 1 teachings, on a slightly modified format emphasizing the practical aspects. See our Chiang Mai news page for details.

Around the world, there is much news. The biggest was Swami’s second North American tour, twice as smooth and successful as the first! Swami taught first in Toronto, to groups of 40 and 50; his Quantum Mechanics lecture was filmed by Television Ontario. He wasted no time hitting the city’s best book and DVD shops, and took in a visit to the thrilling, glass-floored CN Tower, the world’s tallest freestanding structure. Then he spent several weeks at Shanti Yoga Retreat in Picton, Ontario, with owners and Agama teachers Wendy and Darin Madore, where he again held three workshops. This time he taught Parapsychology 1, Introduction to Kashmir Shaivism, and Tantra 2, to groups of up to 36 that, as last year, overflowed the capacity of Shanti. A lovely energy prevailed in Picton, despite that guests were spread throughout the neighborhood, camping, accommodated by nearby farms, etc. Two in-house chefs kept the crowds well fed with gourmet dinners while, when outside, the attendees enjoyed perfect weather.

On a week in between, Swami gave lectures in cosmopolitan Montreal, where teacher Nancy organized events. Although the lectures were not so well attended, Swami and all the teachers and students accompanying him had a lot of fun there, soaking up the European atmosphere of la belle ville.

The next stop was Ottawa, where Agama teacher Maureen and her husband Andrew hosted Swami’s lectures at Ottawa University and a weekend Tantra Workshop with more than 40 participants. Everyone enjoyed the workshop, although – since the group included many seniors – they already requested that he teach them the Art of Dying next year! :-) Swami arrived here just as the autumn colors cascaded through the Canadian treetops.

Swami’s next big engagement was a two and a half-week teaching appointment at Prana Yoga College, Canada’s only accredited Yoga college. Prana’s Shakti Mhi, Daniel, and Mary graciously offered Swami every convenience during these very intense weeks, as he taught five workshops back-to-back as a curriculum presenter for Prana’s teacher training. However, the courses were also open to the public and, in the end, a great success; he has been invited back already for 2008. On top of this heavy-duty schedule, he gave three evening lectures to the public as well as interviews to several filmmakers and another television producer. These events served to kick off the new Agama – Vancouver center, led by Yoav and Rafale, whose initial meditation course offering has been met with much enthusiasm so far; see their website for more info.

Swami again spent a packed day with his longtime friend Dinu in Seattle. Mostly he shopped furiously for spiritual titles and antiquarian books, something he had resisted in Canada due to the strong Canadian dollar…..

Now in the home stretch, Swami spent a week in Monterrey, Mexico, as he did in 2006, giving four lectures, two daytime seminars, and a weekend Tantra Workshop to capacity audiences. He was hosted lavishly by organizer Elisabeth and her husband while he stayed in this gorgeous mountain city.

Last stop: Washington DC! He gave three last lectures and one final Tantra Workshop here at Yoga District, before two free days exploring the city. Also, he was invited to speak at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University, where he gave a lecture on Yoga and healing. Really, at this point he was ready to relax, but almost one day after he arrived home, he got on a plane to Istanbul….

This marks some other big news: Agama-Istanbul opened in September! Agama was invited to open a studio within OWO-Kun, an Osho-inspired spiritual center; we now offer five classes per week here based in the First Month Intensive, in addition to lectures and seminars as announced. Monika and Manu inaugurated the teachings in the beautiful Taksim district of this charming city; when they had to leave for prior engagements in Europe, Mihaiela took over, and when she too had to return home for her studies, Harry offered to stand in. So Agama has met the commitment of the OWO-Kun team step for step; our staffing meeting their generous sponsorship until the project fully supports itself. Swami Vivekananda teaches here twice annually, most recently 9-11 November, a weekend full of great energy that drew 28 participants. For more information about the center, see our Istanbul news page.

In other world news, Juan’s courses in Sogamoso and Bogota, Colombia, are gaining momentum while Amsterdam closes for winter. Dutch teacher Lilian will relocate the Agama teachings to Costa Rica during this time, to an eco-resort located in the virgin rainforests south of San Jose on the Caribbean Coast: Samasati. Classes continue in Ottawa with Maureen, in Rishikesh, India, with Justine and Khushru, in Tel Aviv with Rosie, and elsewhere at various studios with other Agama instructors.

All of us are now busy preparing for another extraordinary season! Swami will teach Introduction to Kashmir Shaivism 17-21 December to start off the new season, followed by the 10-day silent meditation New Year’s Retreat, as has become tradition. As you may have seen on our home page, our Winter 2008 Teacher Training Course is full (applications are still being taken for the waiting list), although plenty of spaces remain open for the Summer course. We are looking forward to welcoming more students than ever to our Yoga halls in upcoming months. We hope to see you too among the faces!

Love and light, Agama