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AGAMA YOGA APRIL 2011 NEWSLETTER
“I used to love those things I thought beautiful. Now, I love and because I love, I see the beauty in all.”
- feedback from Hridaya – Revelation of the Spiritual Heart Retreat
Namaste aspirants!
The month is unfolding and brings plenty of new energy. to our schools around the world. We have some big announcements about our Teacher Training Courses (TTC), as well as many new international offerings.
Workshop and retreat schedule
We are continually offering more workshops here on Koh Phangan on a variety of topics to allow your knowledge of Yoga and related topics to expand. In coming months, we offer ‘Tantra 2’ from 24 to 28 April and building upon that base, our new ‘Introduction to Tantric Rituals’ from 9 to 11 June. Our next offering of the ‘Agama Yoga Teacher Training Course’ - commence on 23 May and will run for 3 months. Only a few spaces are left for this profoundly enriching teaching course, so please send your application to ttc@agamayoga.com if you intend to participate.
An opportunity to develop your masculine or feminine identity is available from 16 to 20 May, with ‘Vira Training’ (‘Spiritual hero’ - men only) and ‘Complete Femininity’ (females only) running concurrently. The ‘Art of Dying’ workshop will return from 13 to 17 June, which in the past has proven enormously beneficial in understanding and supporting that most intimate of acts, death. ‘Kashmiri Shaivism and Yogic Meditation’, an introduction into this esoteric tradition, is offered from 5 to 9 July. ‘Naturopathic and Yogic Healing’ headed by Dr. Mihaela Pentiuc will run from 11 to 15 July.
Winter Teacher Training Course concludes...
“Surrender”, “freedom”, “flabbergasting”, “love”, “holy days”, “Angel walk”, “growth”, “interiorisation”, “aspiration”, “superb”, “opening up”, “empowered”, “phantasmagoric”, “challenging”, “meditation”, “transformation”, “transfiguration”, “grace”, “illusion”, “self exploration”, “depth”, “initiation”........... “and that will do”….... 23 different flash backs, 23 different human beings forming one single group of the Winter 2011 TTC, and 23 personal ways to perceive and express the very essence of these past three months. For some of them, it’s been a discovery, for others a reunion; some felt it as a revelation, many as a confirmation. But for all of them, it’s been an intensive and fantastic journey, made of tears and sweats, laughters and fears, purifications and shiverings, break-throughs and break-downs, a long run with hungers and hugs, caring touches and nerves, frustrations and achievements.
It has been a life changing trip to the depth of their beings, where the inner soul resonates with the essence of the Universe. What is in, is what is out, what is out is what is in, and the main challenge is to know the path that links these two dimensions. It is precisely what these freshly empowered teachers have been learning and practicing during the past three months. They all express here their full gratitude to all the Agama staff, who made this beautiful journey possible. Their next step is now to go into the world to propagate this knowledge, as messengers of the divine grace. And the world is waiting for them… (submitted by graduate Serge)
Our wonderful Winter Teacher Training Course graduates ...
Hridaya – Revelation of the Spiritual Heart Retreat
Our beloved Sahajananda returned to the Island this month and led the first Hridaya – Revelation of the Spiritual Heart Retreat of the season. The retreat was the largest ever hosted by Agama, with 94 participants who retreated into silence, meditation and love for 10 days. These retreats will continue monthly, ending with a special ‘17-Day Silent Advanced Hridaya Retreat’ from 22 July to 7 August. Sahajananda is currently also leading the ‘Hridaya Teacher Training Course’ (HTTC) and participants are delving deeply into their hearts during these 3 months.
Yoga stops traffick
On March 12, over 50 Agama Yoga students and teachers participated in 'Yoga Stops Traffick', an international event aimed at raising awareness and money for the prevention of human trafficking . A total of 10,500 baht was raised, both in contributions from our students (5500 baht) and from our school, Agama Yoga (5000 baht). For nearly 3 hours, students sweated, smiled and stretched on their mats, determined to complete the auspicious number of 108 repetitions. Each set was led by one of our dedicated Yoga teachers who continuously provided inspiration and aspiration to the students. Reports of the day were universally enthusiastic, with participants thankful to offer their Yoga practice to help others. Even the sore muscles of the following days left enthusiasm undimmed!
Transfiguration
The act of transfiguration is to see another person, not just as the body and personality, but as containing all the power of the Divine, made manifest in that person; and perceived as such not only in the imagination but experienced in reality. Transfiguration allows us to see the inherent beauty in all and transcends what we physically are. Our recent monthly transfigurations here at Agama allow us to more directly understand the power of Shiva (consciousness) and of Shakti (energy) in relation to ourselves and the Divine. These beautiful, meditative events have allowed the women to tap into the elemental nature of Shakti and the men to access the focus and awareness of the Shiva aspect.
Meditating in preparation for transfiguration...
Agama Photo Contest
Agama Yoga is launching a photo contest and you are invited to participate! Please submit pictures with these themes: "Meditation" or "Asana/Hatha Yoga" as performed in the Agama style'. Each person can submit up to 3 photos in large format (minimum 1280x760) to contest@agamayoga.com before the 15th of April 2011. The 3 chosen photos will be announced at the April Final Ceremony. The prizes are: 1st - a free month of your course level (minimum level 2 and up), 2nd - a free retreat in 2011 and 3rd - an Agama Yoga T-Shirt. More information can be found here.
Weather update
It was raining heavily on Koh Phangan at the end of March. But now the rain has stopped and things have returned to normal. The most stormy days saw ferry services to and from the island stop, empty shelves at the local 7-11, electricity and phone networks off and some roads flooded. There seems to be no major damage on our side of the island, and our school continued as normal. Even during the storm very few classes were cancelled and our hardy students were donning raincoats to attend lectures, classes and workshops. We even had a full Tantra 1 workshop going on during the storm, with about 80 participants. The mainland was hit harder, so please send your blessings to those throughout Thailand affected by the recent rains and flooding.
Flooding between 7-11 and Bovy Resort
International Offerings
The International Department has a lot of exciting news to share this month! First of all, the 2012 Hridaya Teacher Training Course will be held as a first time project in Mexico, at our Mazunte Center! This move represents a project of expansion of Agama in association with our beloved Sahajananda, which will create one more strong teaching location for our school. Regular Agama course levels will be taught in Mexico, in addition to several Hridaya Retreats and the HTTC. The dates have been set as:
• Hridaya TTC: 20 February – 12 May (Agama Level 1 is prerequisite; two retreats included).
• Several Hridaya Retreats will be held in Mexico at dates that will be made available on the Agama sites. Sahajananda will also hold Hridaya retreats on Koh Phangan, in autumn of 2012 – the Agama events calendar is still being finalized.
Also Agama Yoga will oversee a five-week, 200-hour Agama Teacher Training Course (TTC-200), and Level 5 teacher Moses was given Swami’s blessing to hold this course in Europe! The 2011 TTC-200 will be held in a countryside resort setting on the seaside, in Estonia, where Bhairava Yoga (the Agama Yoga-Estonia branch) was established in 2009. This course, led by an advanced teaching team, is a full-day schedule course, and we hope that its residential nature (accommodation and food included) will help build the group energy and community.
Obviously, this TTC will give a much more limited teaching charter than our full version Agama TTC, yet our Estonian branch evaluates it as satisfactory for their local needs and has asked for this pilot project to be fulfilled; graduates will be able to later upgrade their training to reach the full teaching license of ATTC-500 graduates - the “Yoga Parichaya” degree as defined by the International Yoga Federation. This TTC-200 course will be held 25 July – 27 August, 2011, with limited spaces. Contact the Estonian branch for more details!
In course news around the world… Sophia is offering classes in Munich… Manu and Monika reopen Dharamsala, India in April… Angelus and Susan continue to offer classes in Rishikesh, India… Gabriella, Gabriel, and Lirit are teaching in Tel Aviv and several other Israeli cities… Harmony, Jimena, and Claudio continue teachings in Spain… Silvia is holding classes in Bristol, UK… Katharina and Fritz lead the teachings in Mexico… new teacher Scarlett and several colleagues will offer the full Level 1 course in Austria beginning 27 June and 15 September… Eva, Katalin, and Kata continue teachings in Budapest, Hungary… Ben is holding classes in Amsterdam…
On the Canadian scene, Darin and Wendy offer Agama classes at the new Shanti B&B and Yoga Center in Kingston, Ontario… Naomi and Krista are preparing to reboot the Vancouver center… Karen will continue expanded teachings in Chatham, Ontario… and Thomas is preparing in May to reopen his Agama teaching and retreat center for another season in Terrace, Northern British Columbia.
Last but not least, we are currently finalizing the 2011 international teaching engagements – otherwise known as “tours” – for Swami Vivekananda, Sahajananda (Claudiu Trandafir), and Dr. Mihaiela Pentiuc. Stay tuned for announcements!
.......After a month filled with new projects, new beginnings (and of course, a lot of rain!) we send this out to you, with love.....