Agama Yoga

Welcome to Agama Yoga!
Thailand, Canada, Estonia, India, Israel, Hungary, Mexico, Netherlands, UK

Agama is a unique international school offering its students the secret spiritual path of true Integral Yoga in a modern form. Based in the authentic, esoteric lineages of Indian and Tibetan Tantra Yoga, Agama provides an updated and upgraded self-development system whose theory includes comprehensive university-level teachings, combined with those of other sacred traditions from East and West (such as Taoism, Gnostic Christianity, Tibetan Buddhism, and Sufism). At the core of our teachings is the practice of an exceptional system of Kundalini-based Hatha Yoga and Laya Yoga, two of the most powerful elements of this age-old tradition.

This is an approach nearly lost today which relies on energy awareness during Yoga practice to produce a highly accurate self-understanding of body, mind, and spirit. We focus also on meditation, healing through detox cleanses and purification, exploration of special topics in-depth through immersion workshop courses, teacher training and meditation retreats in Thailand and elsewhere around the world.

Agama wishes to promote Yoga that resembles neither cheapened Hindu mysticism nor fitness-oriented gymnastics. We are interested in a third option: the pure and genuine Yoga discipline. Agama founder Swami Vivekananda Saraswati is one of few Yoga masters today trying to save this path from extinction. Under his leadership we have developed an extensive, five-year curriculum that is both thoroughly spiritual and yet adapted to the Western modern, rational mentality.

Join us for Yoga in Thailand along the beautiful Western shores of our home island, Koh Phangan, where we are reminded of the garden of the original paradise. Here we teach our First Level Intensive Course, advanced course levels, workshops, retreats, and an annual certified Teacher Training Course. Agama marks stages in the coursework with competency exams, and exclusively issues degrees upon their successful completion. Our courses are flexibly structured to allow each student to progress through the curriculum at his or her own pace, enabling a complete integration in the individual's daily life.

Our purpose is to offer support and clear, inspiring guidance to today's spiritual aspirants who wish to reach the highest metaphysical goal of Yoga and spirituality: Enlightenment.

OVERVIEW – Teacher Training Course - 500 hours

TTC

Dear aspiring Yoga teacher,

For years, pupils of Agama Yoga have asked for instruction in the subtleties of teaching our unique style of esoteric Yoga. These requests inspired our development of the current Agama Teacher Training Course (ATTC), created to help Agama share these genuine teachings in Tantric Yoga with a broader audience. We are offering an intensive, 12-week ATTC course, designed by Agama Yoga founder and director Swami Vivekananda Saraswati and taught with assistance from his senior teachers. Upon successful completion of this full-time program, graduates will not only be formally certified but also spiritually empowered to transmit these teachings in the lineage of Agama to students around the world.

Interest in the Agama TTC has grown tremendously over the past few years. To preserve the quality of the teachings, we now strictly limit each ATTC to 24 students. Hopeful ATTC participants should read through all sections of the ATTC overview as it contains answers to many frequently asked questions as well as important information about the course guidelines. The application must be submitted for approval by email, alongside a program deposit and digital photo, in order to be considered. The approval process may take up to three weeks, so please plan accordingly.

Our goal through this intense and remarkable three-month course is to help our students become Yoga teachers with the aspiration and competence to bring these teachings to an ever widening scope of spiritual seekers worldwide. Please read through the following details of the course content before completing the Application for Admission. TTC Administration will contact a student with notification of receipt of his or her application materials and deposit within one week, and will inform the student of his or her acceptance to the course within three weeks of application submission.

Thank you for your interest in Agama Yoga!

The Agama Yoga Teacher Training Course provides:

• 500++ hours of course instruction and practicum training, including all the necessary components to qualify under international Yoga teaching standards (Yoga Alliance, International Yoga Federation certification)
• Instruction in asanas, pranayama, mudras, and bandhas according to the classical Yogic texts
• A 30+ hour program of anatomy and physiology, with a Yogic emphasis
• Pedagogical theory (an eight-part series) specifically pertaining to the art of teaching Yoga
• Exceptional teachings regarding the development of subtle energies and psychic protection, the importance and power of consecration, and tons of other advanced esoteric information that you most likely won’t get anywhere else.

The course also includes a series of extraordinary commentary by Swami Vivekananda on the essence of Karma Yoga and teaching as revealed in the Bhagavad Gita, in addition to other exclusive lectures. You will also meet and learn from a network of experienced teachers, who will convey their teaching expertise to you through personal interviews as well as daily guided Hatha Yoga classes. Daily teaching workshops (weeks 5-12 of the program), critiqued by your peers and facilitated by a senior Agama Yoga teacher, will help build your confidence and competence as a teacher.

Finally, Agama Yoga is a registered member of Yoga Alliance and the International Yoga Federation (IYF) and our certificates are extended under this authority. With your Agama Teacher Training Course certification comes not only the ability to teach one of the most profound Yoga systems in the world, but also the support of international recognition as you join the global teaching community.

To apply for the next ATTC:

• Please carefully read the Criteria for Certification, Terms of Agreement, and Payment and Refund Information pages in this section before completing the Application for Admission. By checking the signature box on the application form, an applicant implies that he or she has read these sections and has agreed to abide by the course guidelines. Participants will have to sign these forms in person upon arrival.
• Although Agama does not require previous experience with Yoga, an applicant must be in good physical and psychological shape in order to participate fully in the Hatha Yoga sessions and to absorb the considerable amount of information presented. The completion of our First Level Intensive Yoga Course is recommended!
• You must be able to read, speak, and comprehend English with a satisfactory degree of fluency. Agama is an international school with students from all over the world, and English is the language of instruction. Fluency means the ability to competently prepare a 30-minute lecture in English and to absorb university-level instruction adequately enough to prepare for theoretical exams.
• Please complete the application form and return it with a photo (maximum 100K) by email attachment to: . An application must be accompanied by a PayPal deposit to Agama Yoga in the amount of 8,000 Baht to be accepted for consideration. An applicant may make this deposit on our website. Choose either the January ATTC or May ATTC deposit pay button. Applications submitted without deposits will not be considered.
• Following approval, full payment for the balance of tuition will be required in advance, by one month prior to each ATTC course start date. For our January 2013 course, the payment deadline is: 3 December, 2012 (start date 7 January). Full tuition payment will constitute reconfirmation of a participant's place in the course. If the full tuition balance has not been paid by these payment deadlines, a participant's position will be considered forfeited. Please pay special attention to these deadlines; reminders will not be sent out to accepted applicants. Forfeited places will be opened up to individuals on the waiting list.

Upcoming Teacher Training Courses:

January 2013 ATTC: 7 January - 33 March, 2013

May 2013 ATTC: 27 May - 17 August, 2013

We are currently accepting applications for our 2013 ATTC programs. Please fill out the online application here in either Adobe or Word format and along with a photo (maximum 100K) to be considered. In addition, applicants must make a deposit (8,000 Baht) alongside their application before Agama will begin the approvals process.

Note: The deadline to pay tuition is one month prior to the course start date.

Note: ATTC course tuition is 111,000 Baht. A 4,000 Baht discount applies for all those who have previously completed the First Level Yoga Intensive with Agama Yoga.

We look forward to hearing from you and, ultimately, meeting you in our upcoming courses! Please feel welcome to contact us at the email address below with any questions that help you clarify issues, make your decisions, or plan your course arrangements.

Many blessings to you and continued grace on the Yogic path

For more information:

Web: www.agamayoga.com
Email: 
Tel: (from outside Thailand): +66 892 330 217 
Tel: (inside Thailand) 0892 330 217

CRITERIA FOR CERTIFICATION

Criteria for Certification

The following Criteria for Certification must be met by all students wishing to become Agama Yoga teachers. If during the Teacher Training Course any staff member becomes aware of any breach of these criteria, TTC Administration will be notified, and will investigate and address the matter promptly, in a case-appropriate manner. We reserve the right to deny certification to any student who does not fulfill course obligations or who does not meet Agama Yoga standards, detailed below. In the event that certification is withheld, it will be at the sole and final discretion of Swami Vivekananda to grant permission to retake the course.

Attendance

With the exception of emergencies, Agama expects full attendance of all ATTC sessions in order to earn the certificate issued at the end of the course, pending the successful outcome of a student’s exams. A student will be granted a small margin of excused absenteeism from class sessions (5 percent or less) to account for illness, visa runs, or emergencies. Attendance is defined as participation in all facets of each scheduled session: theoretical presentation, asana practice, meditation, interviews, teaching workshops, etc. A student who does not meet the attendance minimum will not receive his or her teaching certificate. If a student’s excessive absence is due to a legitimate reason, such as an illness or other health emergency, he or she may join a future ATTC, at a cost of 25 percent of the course (27,750 Baht), and must successfully attend all classes and pass all exams (with the same margin of absenteeism noted above, for the same acceptable bases) in order to earn the course certificate. Otherwise, should certification be withheld due to unexcused absences, the student may – upon reapplication to the program and reapproval – reattend the ATTC at a future date for the full program fee in order to receive certification.

It will be the student’s responsibility to make up any missed course material for excused absences.

Students may not study any other Agama Yoga course levels, workshops or retreats, concurrently while enrolled in the Teacher Training Course.

Exams

Four exams mark a student’s progress throughout the course. The first two contain written questions taken from lecture theory and supplemental course materials. Two final exams, in conjunction with a final evaluation of the student, must be completed successfully. One is a written exam covering teachings and theory specific to the ATTC; the other is a practical exam which contains both theoretical and practical components, and in which students will be asked to demonstrate asanas, pranayama, and other techniques with satisfactory competency. Participants must complete the course with a cumulative passing exam average, in addition to attendance verification, in order to receive their teaching certification.

Practicum Workshop Training

Successful completion of all practicum teaching assignments is a requirement for certification. Presentations must demonstrate a student’s ability to teach using the Agama Yoga methodology, including a good command of the scripted mnemonics that participants will receive in the course, as well as theoretical absorption of the material itself demonstrated by a proper understanding of the course material, correct answers to questions when student-teaching, etc.

Professional and Ethical Behavior

After certification, an Agama Yoga teacher is expected to adhere to certain standards, which will be described fully in the Spiritual Code that you will be required to sign at the end of the course. If there is found to be a professional or ethical complaint against an Agama teacher, an inquiry will be made. If a legitimate basis for the complaint is found, it could result in revocation of certification, or other limitations placed on the teacher’s use of the name “Agama Yoga.”

Annual Empowerment

Agama Yoga teachers teach under the permission and spiritual protection of the founder and spiritual leader of the school, Swami Vivekananda Saraswati. At the end of each ATTC, graduates receive an empowerment to teach directly from Swami Vivekananda. In order to continue teaching under the Agama name and with the protection of Swami Vivekananda, you must receive an empowerment each year. This brief meditation is arranged at least twice annually, scheduled a minimum of three weeks in advance. Teachers worldwide are asked to synchronize their schedules with this announced meditation and to participate in order to renew their empowerment.

Use of the Name “Agama Yoga”

We encourage ATTC participants, upon graduation, to go out and teach this Yoga system. However, noncompliance with the Spiritual Code of Agama Yoga may be grounds for revocation of certification.

PAYMENT AND REFUND INFORMATION

Tuition

The current Agama Yoga Teacher Training Course (ATTC) fee, including deposit, is 111,000 Baht. Previous completion of Agama's First Level Intensive Course entitles an ATTC participant to a 4,000 Baht discount.

The tuition fee does not include meals or accommodation, but these can be arranged easily upon arrival. For more information about accommodation (including resort recommendations), travel tips, visa information and details, information about food and local attractions, etc., please refer to our website:

/faq/

Program Acceptance and Deposit to Hold Reservation

Every ATTC applicant must submit a deposit in the amount of 8,000 Baht alongside his or her application, in order to be considered for acceptance to the program. This deposit must be made on Agama's website using PayPal. Please carefully designate the course of your choice, either January 2013 or May 2013:

/register/index.php

If Agama does not accept a student for participation, the full ATTC deposit amount (8,000 Baht) will be redeposited to the applicant's PayPal account.

If Agama accepts a student for participation in the course requested, the deposit will be held in reserve upon approval notification to the student. ATTC participants will need to pay the balance of tuition fees by one month prior to the course start date.

Payment for the remainder of tuition fees is made on the same website page as that where the deposit is made. Please choose the correct course payment button:

/register/

Full tuition payment will constitute reconfirmation of a participant's place in the course. If the full tuition balance has not been paid by these payment deadlines, a participant's position will be considered forfeited.

Agama will not be held responsible for participants' payment errors or inabilities to use the PayPal system, personal problems with their Credit Card account or credit limit, power outages or Internet inaccessibility, bank holidays, etc. These guidelines are given well in advance of these deadlines to give participants the opportunity to verify all of these factors and not to be surprised at the last moment. Please take advantage of this advance notice to investigate your account maximums, account functionality, etc. We advise you to handle your payment issues in advance of these tuition payment deadlines as we will not be able to extend exceptions at such a late date to those who find themselves unprepared to pay for the course.

Registration for all Agama TTCs takes place on Sunday, the day before the course begins, details will be given to you once your application is approved. All ATTC registration sessions are followed by a Welcome Reception at Soma restaurant. Times will be reconfirmed with participants by ATTC Administration prior to these dates.

Withdrawal after Acceptance to the Program

A student who has been accepted to the Agama Yoga TTC may withdraw himself or herself by email notification at least two (2) months prior to the start of the course, to: .

For the January 2013 ATTC, the withdrawal deadline is 5 November, 2012. For the May 2013 ATTC, the deadline is 22 March, 2013. A student who notifies us of his or her intention to withdraw by these deadlines will receive half the deposit returned, i.e., 4,000 Baht, by PayPal transfer.

Students withdrawing after these deadlines will not receive any refund of their deposits.

Note that students who reach only the waiting list and have not yet been accepted to the Agama TTC may request a full refund of their course deposit at any point if they choose to withdraw from the waiting list. Once accepted to the ATTC, however, the guidelines outlined above governing deposit refunds apply.

Selections and Refund Policy

Agama holds very high standards for its teaching staff. There is a selection process that applies to each level of the course. Students are expected to pass five exams in total during the course, plus to earn a positive final teaching evaluation.

The first month of the ATTC serves as a semi-trial period, during which all ATTC participants will be evaluated with emphasis given to their levels of enthusiasm, dedication, and aspiration. At the end of this period, individual meetings will be held between each ATTC student and Swami Vivekananda. A decision will be made at this point as to whether or not students have demonstrated the necessary qualities to successfully complete the ATTC. A detailed account of Agama's expectations for students is found in the Criteria for Certification and Terms of Agreement. An evaluation will be made such that if Agama Yoga decides after the first month that a student is not fit to become a teacher in this tradition, ATTC Administration will refund two-thirds of the tuition fees (for a total of 74,000 Baht). No refunds will be given after this point in the program.

If a student withdraws from the ATTC after the tuition payment deadline has passed, there will be no refund, but the applicant has the possibility to defer the tuition to the next following ATTC.

If a student does not pass the final exam, he or she may retake the test, and, in the case of a second failure, may participate in a future ATTC at a reduced cost of 50 percent of the course fee.

If a student was extended a course discount based on past participation in the First Level Intensive Course, these refund amounts will be adjusted accordingly to reflect the percentage of fees actually paid.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

In considering whether or not to enroll for the Agama Teacher Training Course, let it be emphasized that there is an extensive quantity of advanced Yogic material condensed into a 12-week, 500++ hour training course. Please do not underestimate the mental and physical demands which will be placed on participants. We ask that you seriously evaluate your levels of physical, psychological, and spiritual maturity before enrolling in this course.

Please read the following statements. By checking the signature box on the application form, an applicant signifies that he or she has read, understood, and agreed to accept the terms set forth.

• The Agama TTC is structured with the best intentions toward helping me become a successful Yoga teacher, and extensive consideration has been put into the schedule and methodology presented. I commit to do my best to participate according to the course structure. If I have specific personal needs, Yogic or otherwise, I will discuss them with a TTC administrator.
• By virtue of being an intensive program, the Agama TTC may raise personal issues or shortcomings. The program is meant to encourage personal growth and, therefore, may impel considerable changes in attitude. For these reasons, the TTC can be challenging and demanding. I accept responsibility for all aspects of my behavior during this program.
• Adherence to punctuality is one of the primary factors in the success of the TTC. I accept responsibility for being on time to all program sessions.
• There will be many opportunities for practice, study, and other activities at the school. I accept responsibility for managing my time, diet, and personal relationships in ways which support my full participation and attendance in the TTC.
• According to the Agama system, it is necessary to maintain a level of cleanliness and purity in combination with Yoga practice in order to ensure the safety and effectiveness of Yogic practices, especially within a Kundalini-based program. I agree to accept that, for the duration of the TTC, any and all use of tobacco, alcohol, and other illicit substances is expressly forbidden and can prove to be grounds for expulsion from the course.
• Agama students come from a variety of countries and backgrounds. In order to create a supportive environment, I assume responsibility for maintaining an attitude of respect toward my colleagues in the course. If any interpersonal difficulties or conflicts arise, I pledge to seek the advice of the TTC teachers and administrators.
• Agama offers spiritual teachings, outside the parameters of any one specific religion. The TTC raises issues that are metaphysical in nature, concepts and theories that may challenge my personal belief system. I agree to keep an open mind, and to exercise common sense, discernment, and a balanced attitude in order to fully appreciate the teachings offered.
• Agama is a Tantric school. In the TTC, there will be teachings that address the Tantric view of sexuality, along with other esoteric and mystical issues. However, there is no explicit sexual instruction or practice offered as part of the TTC. Any personal interest in this subject may be pursued through Agama’s regular courses of study and workshops at a later date. I assume responsibility for my own mature attitude toward this aspect of Agama’s teachings and pledge to be respectful toward my colleagues at Agama.

APPLICATION

Please make sure you have read the information concerning -

Criteria for Certification
Payment and Refund Information
Terms of Agreement

Please download and fill-out this Application Form.

Please write in a different color or highlight your answers with a different color

Return it along with a recent photo (max 100kb) to and TTC deposit (8,000 Baht, paid simultaneously using PayPal, to PayPal account ). An applicant will be contacted within one week of application submission with notification that Agama has received his or her application and deposit successfully. Students will be notified of acceptance to the program within three weeks of receipt of their application.

Reserve your space now!

CREDENTIALS

The Agama Yoga Teacher Training Course is a member organization of two of the top Yoga registries in the world.

Agama is, first of all, registered with US-based Yoga Alliance, an organization with origins dating to 1982, officially created out of a merger of two groups in 1999. From its inception, Yoga Alliance sought to establish minimum standards for Yoga teachers worldwide and to embrace diversity, professionalism, and ethics in Yoga. The group holds very high standards among members, who must meet the following standards for their 500-hour level teacher training programs:

Subject

Total hours / contact hours

Techniques / practice                             150 / 100

Teaching methodology                           30 / 20

Anatomy and physiology                        35 / 20

Yoga philosophy, lifestyle, & ethics        60 / 45

Practicum                                               40 / 20

Remaining hours, distributed according to school’s chosen emphasis            185

Contact hours, to be distributed among the five subject categories               245

Total hours                                                                                                      500 / 450

Agama’s program exceeds all of these levels.

Our YA registration, which began in January 2008, applied retroactively to all graduates of the program from 2005 onward. We have met all upgrade requirements that were introduced in 2008.

Additionally, Agama is registered with South America-based International Yoga Federation, a nonprofit founded in 1987, whose members come from nearly every nation. IYF emphasizes the cultural traditions of Yoga, scholarship, and networking, aiming to lead the global Yoga community and provide resources to its members. Agama founder and director Swami Vivekananda often speaks at the IYF annual conference.

Upon completion of the course, all Agama Yoga TTC graduates are further entitled to individually join the Yoga Alliance and IYF registries following 100 hours of teaching.