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AGAMA YOGA'S OCTOBER NEWSLETTER
Greetings, all yogis and yoginis!
It is sunny and warm as usual in the tropical paradise of Thailand. Koh Phangan is blessed with abundant beauty for those who want to feel the energy of Shakti on their way to Shiva consciousness. There is so much news to share with you all that there just isn’t the space to include it all…. So far, 2009 presented us with an amazing season filled with the continued growth and development of the school, our new land, and our community. Our apologies for the relative silence on news lately. We promise to stay in better touch!
What is YOUR Agama story?
We all have our own Agama story – how Agama has affected us through our personal evolution and on our spiritual journey. Are you willing to share your experience of Agama Yoga with other aspirants worldwide? We are asking for you to contribute “your story.”
Some ideas to get you started: your personal Agama experience… the impact of the teachings and practice on your own development... your most profound experience during a meditation, retreat, or workshop... your experience of Agama and Koh Phangan as a Yoga paradise....
For the three stories chosen as most exemplary Agama is offering: (1st) one free workshop in 2010; (2nd) one free meditation retreat in 2010; and (3rd) one Agama T-shirt. The deadline is 1 December, 2009; please email your story to advertising@agamayoga.com.
Workshops and Retreats in 2010
Our workshop schedule has never been so full or so varied! To allow you to better plan and time your visit to Koh Phangan, our 2010 workshop schedule is already available and online. Highlights include two new retreats, four brand new workshops, plus two workshops not presented in several years.
Additionally, Agama workshops and retreats will travel to the far corners of the globe during the autumn! See our international schedule for workshops and retreats in Canada, Israel, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Hungary, Estonia, Hawaii, Romania, UK, and India. In addition, Swami Vivekananda’s 2009 North American tour is now underway as well as Claudiu Trandafir’s first international tour, which also takes the Hridaya Retreat across the Atlantic. Tell your friends!
Selected Highlights from Our 2010 Workshop Schedule
JANUARY - NEW! 25-29 January: Parapsychology 3 with Eugen Birgaoanu and Swami Vivekananda, assisting. FEBRUARY - NEW! 5-14 February: Third Eye Retreat with Moses Maimon. 22-26 February: Invoking Angels with Swami Vivekananda and Moses Maimon. MAY - NEW! 10-14 May: Naturopathic and Yogic Healing Workshop with Mihaiela Pentiuc NEW! 17-21 May: Metaphysical Workshop with Swami Vivekananda. JUNE - NEW! 7-13 June: Advanced Hridaya Retreat (prerequisite: attendance of one prior Hridaya Retreat) with Claudiu Trandafir. 14-18 June: Yogic Chiropractic with Swami Vivekananda.
2010 Course and Teaching Schedule
Also, so that you can plan your Agama Thailand visit for 2010... the teaching schedule for the entire year is online! Beginning in January, Agama offers course levels: 1,2,3,4,8,11,15,18, and 21.
We are pleased to announce that Agama Yoga’s course fees will remain the same in 2010. Workshop fees remain the same for the seventh year in a row: €150 (or current conversion, now approximately 7,000 Baht). In addition, reattendance fees have been reduced to 2,000 Baht. For active teachers, a special and further-reduced reattendance fee of 1,000 Baht is introduced in 2010. Students may take a 20 percent discount for the second and all subsequent workshops attended in one calendar year. Retreat fees remain 3,000 Baht; a participant’s second and all subsequent retreats in one calendar year are discounted 500 Baht.
Agama Teacher Training Course, Summer 2009
As the weather on the island of Koh Phangan began to cool down heading toward low season, the summer Teacher Training Course (TTC) students moved onward and upward in their own practice and in their teaching skills. While the course is very demanding, many students lamented its completion…. At least four or five newly graduated teachers are currently staffing the new Oaxaca center in Mazunte, Mexico. Several others are presenting the teachings in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Our next TTC will begin 4 January, 2010. Only a few places remain in this life-changing course - apply now!
To make it easier to experience Agama, we have teamed up with Ananda Wellness Resort to offer an amazing Yoga Holiday Package for new students. Only 9,500 Baht (approximately €210) will get you the First Level Intensive Course of Yoga (24 days) as well as 28 days of accommodation at Ananda (double occupancy; single supplement available for an extra fee). This offer is only available until December and places are very limited, so make sure to spread the word and book soon!
Agama is also thrilled to announce the imminent completion of first-phase construction on our newly long-term leased property adjacent to the Sritanu Monastery. We have struggled with space constraints for our ever-expanding course curriculum for the last two seasons, and we are delighted to have room for all of our courses in modern facilities. The official opening of the halls will take place at the beginning of the 2010 season. You can see more photos on our Facebook site.
One hall will be used for workshops and the other for meditation retreats (the Shakti Hall and Shiva Hall, respectively, according to Swami’s vision). Further construction is planned for 2010 to make this the new home of Agama, including community space there for our students to meet outside of Yoga classes and a new restaurant. We are also ideally planning to tile the floors (which will cost an additional 200,000 Baht per hall – or approximately €4,500 - but we simply ran out of money for this season). The construction costs have been very high and a donation of any amount is deeply appreciated. Donations are accepted via PayPal or contact Lori for bank transfers.
The Agama Healing Center, located opposite the Bovy Resort entrance, expanded considerably this year and has even greater plans for 2010. Many, many yogis offered their services as Karma Yoga this season and the center was able to provide an amazing range of treatments and therapies including homeopathy, medical consultations, chiropractic, pranic healing, Reiki, Ayurvedic Panchakarma, cranio-sacral therapy, and more. We deeply appreciate the time and energy lovingly offered by the Karma Yoga healers and hope that you will also come discover and enjoy our Healing Center next season.
Recent Events Roundup
Currently, we have moved into the low season, but it has been an intense year of courses, workshops, retreats, events, and community activities. In May, we held a Seva Day, attended by many of our students and staff to help clean and prepare the site of the new halls. Yogis listened to a lecture by Swami on Karma Yoga and then happily rolled up their sleeves to help with removal of rubbish and debris and more.
Also in May, Complete Femininity and Vira workshops saw the polarity of the sexes explored and deepened. Messages between the workshops were exchanged at the end with many beautiful insights and opinions shared between Shaktis and Shivas. The last of the Hridaya (Revelation of the Spiritual Heart) Retreats on Koh Phangan was held in July, with participants from all five retreats describing the experience as “blissful,” “inspirational,” and “spiritual.” Next year will see the introduction of a Hridaya Advanced Retreat for participants who have been to one retreat previously and who wish to further deepen their progress on the path of the spiritual heart. In addition, the Hridaya Retreat is being offered for the first time in North America and Israel this year! See Tours for schedule.
We will hold monthly Awakening the Crown Chakra 10-day meditation retreats all autumn long to introduce and deepen the understanding of this level of consciousness. Studies of the transcendent Kashmiri Shaivism and Yogic Meditation will return in December, and the year will conclude beautifully with our annual New Year’s Retreat, led by Swami Vivekananda, which culminates in an all-night meditation vigil on New Year’s Eve ushering in the new year throughout all time zones of the world.
Introducing… Rainer, the New General Manager (GM)
As most of you know by now, I took over the position of the General Manager on 1 March, 2009. The job is very challenging and gives me plenty of opportunities to practice in reality what I have learned with Agama in past years. My main goal is to bring structure into all aspects of the Agama Yoga School. I had a great team to help me with this season (Lori as Finance Manager, Lirit as Teaching Department Manager, Kathleen as Internal Operations Manager, Burkhard as IT and Marketing Manager, and Yogesh as Projects and Land Development Manager), and we have already accomplished goals such as:
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we built two Yoga halls!
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we managed to publish Swami’s first book… the first of many
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we implemented administrative functions to make the school run more smoothly, such as putting together a complete set of policies of the school, reorganizing the financial structure, and purchasing a database to systematize our student records
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we started to get the Agama community more involved by having two “all-student” meetings with the administration each month.
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students of course levels 4 and up now receive a booklet for the whole level instead of course notes at every class
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and many, many other things still in development at Agama….
Of course, this is only the beginning and Agama Yoga School will continue to grow and mature in many ways. It is our hope that all of these changes will benefit the students and that you will feel spiritually at home with Agama the next time you come to visit.
Changes to the Agama Structure
There have been changes also to the general structure of the School. Agama Yoga School (officially) became an independent, not-for-profit organization. Swami Vivekananda, Claudiu Trandafir, and Mihaiela Pentiuc created a Foundation, whose goal is to spread the teachings of Agama to a worldwide audience. The Foundation has great plans for the future regarding the long-held dreams of our Healing Center; the publishing of Swami’s books and creating an expanded shop for yogi products from the mundane to amazing. And last but not least, we will develop our International Department to its full potential in the near future.
International Study Opportunities
Speaking of International, Agama Yoga is offered in centers around the world and many study opportunities are available in various countries worldwide. As you may know, Swami's dream is that Agama Yoga will become accessible to as many people as possible throughout the world. To help him realize this, many teachers have started classes or full courses in various countries, some endeavors small and others large, but all appreciated and supported. International developments include new class offerings in London and the first-ever Agama-owned property anywhere in the world – our new center in Oaxaca, Mexico! See our course centers roundup for an overview of additional teachings ongoing in Canada, the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, Israel, Colombia, Hungary, India, and elsewhere. Here in Thailand, we have reopened our regional teaching up north in Chiang Mai with new six- and 12-day introductory First Level Intensive programs. Please check our website for details.
For more information about international study options, or to request teachings, contact Rafale, our International Coordinator.
The first of nine books currently in production - a translation and commentary of the ancient Damaru Tantra, detailing the benefits of urine therapy - was released in April and designated as first in order to support our Healing Center efforts. Books are available through the Agama Yoga shops located at Ananda Wellness Resort and at Blue Hall, Bovy Resort. You can also purchase online via PayPal - the cost is €10, postage paid. More books will come in the next year on topics including Jesus through the Eyes of Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, and Metaphysics.... Keep your eyes peeled for updates.
And finally…
We hope that you can join us this year somewhere! If you aren’t able to meet us at one of our Agama teaching centers, join our community on Facebook. We encourage you to share your experiences, exchange information, and offer support to others on the spiritual path. To find us, just search for Agama Yoga, Thailand.
We enfold you as part of our Agama family. May you be blessed by Divine Grace to stay strongly on the path toward Self-realization. Know that we are thinking of you and wishing you aspiration and progress in your spiritual evolution.
Much love and many blessings,
Agama Yoga