Advanced 500hr Tantric Yoga teacher training in beautiful Thailand
Location: Thailand
Style: Tantra & Esoteric Yoga
Series: Advanced 500hr
Yoga Alliance: Yes
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. In 2011 we are offering our seventh season of intensive, 12-week ATTC courses, designed and taught by Agama founder and director Swami Vivekananda Saraswati 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. Note that during the period of August to December, this process may take slightly longer – up to four weeks.
The Agama Yoga Teacher Training Course provides:
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 teacher, will help build your confidence and competence as a teacher.
Finally, Agama 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.
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 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 (24,750 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 course levels 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.”
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”
We encourage ATTC participants, upon graduation, to go out and teach this Yoga system. However, noncompliance with the Spiritual Code of Agama may be grounds for revocation of certification.
PAYMENT AND REFUND INFORMATION
Tuition
The current Agama Yoga Teacher Training Course (ATTC) fee, including deposit, is 99,000 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.,
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.
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. For 2013, the balance of tuition after deposit (91,000 Baht, or 87,000 Baht for those who previously attended the First Level Intensive Course) is due according to the following deadlines:
Please note: The ATTC full tuition payment deadline is set at 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 using the link below:
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 Visa 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, from 15:00-17:00 at Ananda Resort. All ATTC registration sessions are followed by a Welcome Reception at Ananda, 17:00-19:00. 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 May 2012 ATTC, the deadline is 28 March, 2012. 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 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 60,660 Baht). No refunds will be given after this point in the program.
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 (therefore, at a rate of 49,500 Baht).
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.
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.
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.
“The TTC gave me a broad spectrum of information and Yogic techniques. It helped me to kindle my aspiration and to become much more precise and aware of my spiritual path. Agama provides a very efficient approach towards evolution, very concrete, practical, and structured. The community of Agama helped me to open up, ask new questions, and grow intensively. I am looking forward to continuing on this path!”
–Maria Kraler, Austria (2011)
“Agama Yoga is a LIFE-CHANGING, holistic system of knowledge and practice. In the TTC, you receive the essence of it in the best possible structure and form. When you finish this fantastic intensive program, you are equipped to begin a life-long journey, since the knowledge you receive here has infinite applications in every practical field of your existence, with a dynamic of permanent evolution. So, just go for it!”
–Serge Noyer, Switzerland (2011)
“The TTC was a beautiful, life-changing experience for me…This TTC made me a better person. I am so grateful that Agama provided me with these great tools for life…This school and these teachings have helped me so much on my spiritual path…The overall feeling in Agama is amazing. You feel a lot of support and love. I am very grateful that I can be part of the Agama community!”
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