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In this edition:
Dear yogis near and far, We hope this letter finds you full of aspiration and devotion, happy and spiritually fulfilled through your Yoga practice! Although the high season is winding down, we give great thanks for all that has gone so well this season. It really has been very beautiful. And … we have some great news to share for 2011!
2011 workshop and retreat schedule After much consideration, we have announced the 2011 workshop and retreat schedule. Workshop highlights include:
For retreats:
See the complete program here.
The teaching program begins in January with Levels 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 11, 15, and 18. Visit our website for the whole course schedule through January 2012 in either list view or pdf. Please note that some courses require a minimum number of students attending and preregistration with our Registration Office: registration@agamayoga.com. Levels 7 and 10 will be offered in December if 4 students minimum preregister by 15 August, 2010. In addition, Level 22 will also be held in January if a minimum of 4 students preregister by 15 August.
2010-2011 revised Administrative Policies The management team spent many hours discussing the Administrative Policies and amending them as necessary during our month-long review. The most notable changes are a revised vending section and a few modest fee increases which go into effect 1 January, 2011:
Once we had refined the Administrative Policies to the satisfaction of the managers and the Agama Foundation, the entire management team met with all interested students and teachers in an open forum and community meeting to introduce all changes for 2011 and take feedback. Based on the feedback we received from students, Agama amended the Policies further to introduce free hall use for nonprofit teaching and sharing initiatives in 2011. We were very happy to accommodate this one small wish of students based on smart observations and beneficial motivations. See the Policies for complete guidelines.
   A new name for Claudiu Trandafir In July, Foundation member and senior Agama teacher Claudiu Trandafir made the decision to take a spiritual name – signifying his commitment to a spiritual life – and to leave behind his given name. Toward this purpose, which was also encouraged and supported by Swami Vivekananda, his lifelong friend and colleague, he traveled to Bangkok and met with a Hindu priest in the Shri Devi Mandir Community there. This priest held a beautiful ceremony, attended by several Agama teachers, and on the other side of the temple ceremony emerged … Sahajananda….. This name means “bliss of the natural state” and Sahaja (as he is already affectionately known here on Koh Phangan) is very happy with his new moniker. Please help us support his spiritual decision by trying our best to transfigure him (verbally) with his new name!
NEW! Hridaya Meditation and Hatha Yoga TTC Alongside the Agama Yoga TTC and in response to requests from students of his retreats, Sahajananda (Claudiu Trandafir) decided to introduce a Hridaya TTC in 2011! This 12-week, 500-hour course is actually already full although we are still accepting waiting list applications. Preliminary syllabus details are available online, and we look forward to the full unveiling of this course, which will feature teachings from the masters of Advaita Vedanta, complete methodology in meditation instruction (several types), introduction to Hridaya Hatha Yoga and its techniques, practicum training, and much more. We are in the process now of acquiring Yoga Alliance and IYF credentials for this course, which will resemble the Agama TTC in its intensity. Sahajananda will forego his autumn tours this year to concentrate on HTTC preparations. We are very excited to help present the HTTC!
 Our beloved Monika Nataraj debuts an extraordinary new TTC course in January as well! This five-week, 200-hour teacher training program (24 January-26 February) will include topics such as: ample choreography and methodology instruction, live performance opportunities, Tantric theory, ritual preparation, women’s group facilitation and leadership training, planning and structuring classes and workshops, and exploration of many dance styles and techniques: from traditional Egyptian cabaret to fusion belly dance styles, polarity dances, trance and blessing dance, modern and classical temple dance, Sufi whirling, goddess invocation dance, and more…. Application and overview are available online. Or contact me at mysticaldance@agamayoga.com for more information. In addition, Monika will be teaching at the prestigious Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, in September! At Omega, which also hosts the likes of David Deida and Caroline Myss this fall, she will be bringing a “Tantra for Women: Mystical Dance” weekend workshop to women seeking to reveal their Divine Femininity through sacred dance expression. This is a great opportunity to introduce Monika’s teachings to your mom, sister, or a cherished friend who never quite made it to Asia….   
- Sadly, one of our workers, a Burmese man named Yay, had a scooter accident requiring hospitalization. Agama led the fundraising of donations for his medical expenses, donating 15,000 Baht, which was matched by Agama students, who also donated 14,410 Baht.
The low season actually promises to be pretty elevated! We kick off low season with Tantra 1, taught by Swami Vivekananda, Khushru Mistry, and Justine Baruch, 15-19 August. Immediately afterward, Mihaiela Pentiuc will lead the Awakening the Crown Chakra Retreat: 20-29 August. Join us for this journey into the exclusive and profound domain of sahasrara, the highest plane of consciousness…. Note! Tantra 2 – originally planned for mid-September – will now be held 31 August-4 September, due to staffing requirements. We are excited to share with you that we are planning further construction in the low season on our Srithanu property! First plans are already drawn for two smaller Yoga halls (addressing the needs of small groups and classes). So, Shiva willing, there will be even more to greet you the next time you can join us on our paradise island! Don’t let the name “low season” fool you – the period from mid-August to the end of December is some people’s favorite time of year. On Koh Phangan, a very warm atmosphere develops, especially among the teachers and students, who become more like family with the reduced teaching program (Levels 1-3 monthly; see program for other select courses offered if enrollment minimums are met). Also don’t forget the amazing Yoga Holidays promotion, underway in conjunction with Ananda Wellness Resort during the low season only: €240 Euros for four weeks of Yoga bliss and seaside accommodation! We think this is the best Yoga Holidays offer in the world….
  Two new Agama branches opened in the last month: Leh, Ladakh (Northern India) and Tallinn, Estonia! Our resident dreadlocked Shiva, Angelus Trandafir, and co-teaching shakti Tamar Meir opened the Leh branch, which is offering three- and seven-day Agama Yoga introductory workshops. Currently these are the only Agama teachings in India, so point yourself toward the Himalayas and enjoy these courses! Email leh@agamayoga.com for details or more information. Also Moses Maimon, a Level 5 teacher who presents “mobile branch” teachings year-round, just opened a teaching center offering Levels 1-3 in Tallinn and Tartu, Estonia, home to a hardy and vivacious bunch. If you find yourself in the Baltic Republics, this is a great opportunity to get to know Agama! Visit www.bhairavayoga.com for details. Stay tuned for a new reorganized International section on our website detailing all teachers and teachings in all corners of the globe…. Currently, Agama teachers are teaching everywhere from Uruguay (Virginia) to Basel, Switzerland (Katharina), and from a new retreat center in Thousand Islands, Ontario (Wendy and Darin) to Tel Aviv, Israel (Gabriella and Itay)….
Inspiration from Karma Yoga and seva  As promised, we would like to conclude with some beautiful inspiration from some of the great yogis of our time on the subject of Karma Yoga and seva. Seva is a Sanskrit word meaning “selfless service,” often the traditional service of a spiritual practitioner within his or her community or ashram. It is a practice of action and purification. We also know Karma Yoga – the Yoga of consecrated, detached action – from our beginners’ Yoga intensive. The following is excerpted from Seva: The Path of Purification, teachings by Swami Sivananda Saraswati and Swami Satyananda Saraswati “ What is the object of seva or selfless service? Serving others … is the most effective method or sadhana for cleansing the mind and purifying the heart. Selfless service breaks the veil [of separation from others] and causes expansion of the heart. … A good deed is never lost. It purifies the heart . Work for the welfare of the whole world. Do all the good you can in all the ways you can, to all the people you can, in every place you can, at all the times you can, with all the strength, love and heart and interest you can, as long as ever you can…. Work unselfishly with a disinterested spirit. … A selfish person is far from God. One who expects samadhi and darshan of God by practicing asanas and kumbhaka and a little japa, but has an unsympathetic hard heart, cheats himself. Have a large heart. Only then can you develop universal love. … To stop the breath… to twirl the beads… to sit in samadhi for 40 days… – all these are of no avail unless one combines burning love for God in all beings and a fiery spirit of service in serving Him in all beings. Many aspirants today are sadly lacking in these two indispensable qualifications. For this reason they do not make any headway at all in their meditation in solitude. They have not prepared the ground, the heart and mind, by protracted practice of love and seva in the beginning. … How can they hope for God-realization when they do not have the eyes to see God in all beings and the spirit of seva to serve Him in all these forms? … Wherever there is suffering, give. If you give, the whole wealth of the world is yours. See God everywhere. Share with all. Give the best portion to others. Your heart will expand. …You will be firmly rooted in the spiritual path. … Real spiritual progress begins with seva. … This body is meant for service.” “Action free of desire, with a total detachment from its fruits, is superior to knowledge combined with practice.” – Ramana Maharshi  “ Meditation and studying the scriptures are like two sides of a coin. The engraving on that coin is selfless service, and that is what gives it its real value. Our compassion and acts of selflessness take us to the deeper truths. Through selfless action we can eradicate the ego that conceals the Self. Detached, selfless action leads to liberation. Such action is not just work; it is Karma Yoga." – Ammachi, the Hugging Saint May you find joy through Karma Yoga! And may the universal Yoga sangha uplift you …. We welcome your letters and offer you all the support we can. We hope to see you sometime soon on Koh Phangan…. With love from us, Lori for everyone at Agama Yoga |
