Also in honor of the full moon, and in synchronicity to follow our Yang Spiral on Koh Phangan, we will hold a supported meditation from 22:00-23:00 Thailand time (16:00-17:00 GMT), 28 August - which is also Swami Vivekananda's birthday. Happy Birthday, Swami! The next Shivaratri supported meditation will be held 23:00-24:00 Thailand time (17:00-18:00 GMT) on 10 September.

There is quite a lot of news to share! In the last few weeks, Agama opened a new center in Chiang Mai, north Thailand! We have long hoped to open a branch in this cosmopolitan city, situated in a beautiful mountainous area home to various hill tribes. The course - spearheaded by teachers Debora, Kristof, Elly, and Tomer, and running a program in parallel with Koh Phangan - has started small but successfully. Would-be students even volunteered themselves as karma yogis in the days leading up to the opening of the center!

Also, with great thanks to teacher Julien who has worked night and day for months to complete this project, Agama finally unveils a fantastic promotional DVD this month, featuring new interviews with Swami, recent workshop footage, colorful excerpts from students, and beautiful clips from the shores of Koh Phangan and our three Yoga halls there. New interview clips from Swami can be seen on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/agamayoga, and on our website, at: http://www.agamayoga.com/videos/. The DVD is also offered for sale on our website (http://www.agamayoga.com/videos/) for those who would like to own a video memento of the school or to help support Agama!

Koh Phangan currently has quite a few students, even in what we used to call "the low season." For the second year now, we offer daily classes on our island, and the community is growing accordingly. Teachers Moses, Gabriella, Ania, Harry, and Silvia are presenting now the First Month Intensive, plus course levels 2, 3, 4/6, and 12.... Early next month, the center will host as a Guest Presenter international dance performer and teacher Salwa (http://www.agamayoga.com/workshops/salwa.htm) for two workshops: Oriental Dance and Sufi Twirling; see our online Calendar for dates and details. Also Agama's monthly meditation retreats will begin with a Revelation of the Self Retreat, which was enormously successful in May, to be held 18-27 September. This retreat focuses on non-dualistic teachings and deep meditation practice. Claudiu Trandafir, a longtime colleague of Swami Vivekananda and the retreat leader, is a master of this method and the path of Self-realization through the Heart; he will return to Agama-Koh Phangan shortly to lead the retreat.

In the next few weeks, a new First Month Intensive Course will open in Israel (3 September - see http://www.agamayoga.com/centers/israel/tel_aviv/), a new school will officially open with teacher , and teachers Monika and Manu will open Agama-Istanbul! So the school is expanding slowly but surely. Lilian continues to teach in Amsterdam (see www.agamayoga.nl for details) and Maureen is teaching classes in Ottawa, Canada - including the first Agama class for seniors! Contact agamacanada@hotmail.com.

Swami just wrapped up a week of lectures and one of the largest Tantra workshops ever outside of Thailand, in Bristol, England, as he warms up for his eight-week North American invitational tour (which begins next week, on 4 September, in Toronto, Ontario - see http://www.agamayoga.com/tours/2007.htm for full tour schedule). According to teacher James who opened the Bristol center and organized the week's events, Swami was "on fire"! See James' daily journal blogs of the events at http://www.uk.agamayoga.com/. Mihaiela also traveled to England to give a one-day Complete Femininity seminar to 14 enthusiastic shaktis.

Please keep in touch with us and visit whenever and wherever you can. We hope to support you fundamentally in your spiritual practice, and to see you in person soon!

Wishing you abundant blessings, deep joy, and the attainment of great spiritual heights in your practice.

Love,
Lori for Swami Vivekananda and Agama Yoga