Kripalu Center

Kripalu is a health and yoga center located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Origins

The Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health had its beginnings in 1966 when Yogi Amrit Desai founded the Yoga Society of Pennsylvania, a nonprofit organization providing yoga classes and training for yoga teachers. The name of the Society was later changed to Kripalu Yoga Fellowship ("Kripalu"), the nonprofit and charitable organization that still operates Kripalu Center. The Fellowship and Center are not related to Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj [http://www.jkp.org] , founder of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat.

Founder

Founder Yogi Desai, who was often called Gurudev ("beloved teacher") by his disciples, came from the small village of Halol in India. There, from the age of 15, he enjoyed a close personal relationship with his guru Swami Kripalvananda, for whom Kripalu Center is named.

Swami Kripalvananda is more commonly referred to as Bapuji, or "beloved grandfather." He was a highly renowned master of kundalini yoga as well as a speaker, prolific writer, and musician. Bapuji spent four years in America (1977-1981) where he taught and practiced intense yoga and meditation. His teachings still serve as the foundation of Kripalu's approach to yoga and spiritual life.

Pennsylvania outpost

In 1972 the first Kripalu Yoga Ashram was established in Sumneytown, Pennsylvania and expanded to nearby Summit Station in 1975. Ashram is the traditional Indian name for a yoga center. Kripalu was run by a growing number of ashram residents. These residents were individuals of all ages and nationalities who shared a dedication to yoga practice and lived a simple communal life in service to Kripalu and its program guests. At Summit Station, Kripalu expanded its offering of educational programs related to yoga and became a pioneer in the field of holistic health.

The facility that now houses Kripalu Center in Stockbridge was originally built as a Jesuit seminary in 1957. Kripalu purchased the property in 1983 reopened it as spiritual and yoga retreat center on December 1, 1983.

Growth and expansion

The 1980s were a time of growth and expansion for Kripalu. The number of full-time residents increased to 275. Over 10,000 guests visited Kripalu each year. In 1988 Kripalu formalized its legal status as a spiritual and volunteer organization modeled after the Hindu yoga ashram.

Resignation of Yogi Desai

In 1994 Yogi Desai resigned as spiritual director of Kripalu amid a scandal surrounding accusations made by women followers alleging improper conduct by Desai. After first denying the allegations, Desai admitted to having had sexual relations with several women students, apologized, and stepped down. The organization restructured itself to be led by a management team, doing away with the traditional guru-disciple dynamic, and has become a popular retreat center in the Berkshires, offering various trainings - including certification to teach the style of yoga established by Amrit Desai. [ [http://www.kripalu.org/about/491/ "History of Kripalu Center"] ]

For a long time following his resignation, Kripalu Center would not mention Desai in its literature. Eventually, the center acknowledged its former guru and the scandal in their literature. On their website, the incident is described as a "profoundly painful chapter in Kripalu’s history." [ [http://www.kripalu.org/about/491/ "History of Kripalu Center"] ]

Desai resumed teaching after a period of introspection, now calling his methodology "Amrit Yoga," and has devoted followers around the world, who still call him Gurudev. He has established a spiritual and educational center in Salt Springs, Florida. [ [http://www.amrityoga.org/index2.htm "Amrit Yoga Institute] ]

Kripalu Yoga

Kripalu Yoga is a form of Hatha Yoga that was developed through the teachings of Amrit Desai, and his teacher, Swami Kripalu, who spent four years teaching at Kripalu ashram. It is a therapeutic, gentle and spiritually focused yoga with clear alignment and a three stage approach incorporating Pratyahara (inner focus) and Dhrana (meditation) within the yoga poses. Like other approaches, Kripalu Yoga uses classic asanas, pranayama (breathwork), development of a quiet mind, and the practice of relaxation.

What defines Kripalu Yoga is its emphasis: following the flow of prana (life-force energy), practicing compassionate self-acceptance, developing witness consciousness (observing the activity of the mind without judgment), and taking what is learned “off the mat” into daily life. [ [http://kripalu.org/article/375 The Kripalu Approach: Yoga for Everybody] article originally published Yoga Therapy Ireland magazine, Autumn 2006—Issue No. 27]

Yoga Journal's Kripalu Yoga teachers to know are: Stephen Cope, Todd Norian, Ann Greene, Sudhir Jonathan Faust, and Shobhan Richard Faulds. [* [http://www.yogajournal.com/basics/1370 Yoga Journal: Spotlight on Kripalu Yoga] accessed 1/29/08 ]

According to Arthur Frommer, founder of the Frommer's travel guides, the Kripalu Center is America's largest year-round yoga facility and one of its best known. [ [http://www.frommers.com/blog/2007/08/yoga-vacation-at-kripalu-in-berkshires.html Frommer's: Arthur Frommer Online, Aug 1, 2007] ] In its Spa Awards 2000, SELF magazine recognized Kripalu as the best yoga spa. [ [http://spas.about.com/library/weekly/aa111800.htm SELF's Spa Awards 2000] ]

A book "Kripalu Yoga--a guide to practice on and off the mat" was published in 2006 by Bantam Dell publishing. The authors were credited as Richard Faulds and Senior Teachers of Kripalu Center for Yoga and Helath.

Kripalu Center Today

As of 2008, Kripalu offers a curriculum of more than 750 educational programs and spiritual retreats attended by over 25,000 individuals each year. [ [http://www.kripalu.org/about/435/ About Kripalu] ] In addition, Kripalu provides professional teacher training through 3 schools: Kripalu Yoga Teacher Training, Kripalu School of Massage, and Kripalu School of Ayurveda.

Kripalu also includes several institutes. The Institute for Integrated Leadership offers a semester-long intensive program for college-age individuals. The Institute for Extraordinary Living has projects in the area of sports, music performance and work attention. The Institute for Integrated Healing serves as a demonstration clinic with a research component, with the long-term aim to change the way how doctors think about health and how medicine is practiced.

Kripalu's mission is stated: "teach the art and science of yoga to produce thriving and health in individuals and society". [ [http://www.kripalu.org/about/435/ Kripalu's Mission] ] In their view it is a "nondenominational yoga", which incorporates aspects of a number of religions and spiritual traditions, knowledge gained from modern science, psychology, and healing techniques drawn from mainstream, scientific medicine, and complementary and alternative medicine. [ [http://www.kripalu.org/about/435/ Kripalu's Mission] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.kripalu.org/ Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health]
* [http://ga.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagadguru_Kripaluji_Maharaj Jagadguru Kripaluji Maharaj Information]
* [http://amrityoga.org/ Amrit Yoga Institute]
* [http://www.advocateweb.org/HOPE/soulbetrayal.asp Soul Betrayal by Anne A. Simkinson]
* [http://www.strippingthegurus.com/stgsamplechapters/desai.asp Stripping the Gurus by Geoffrey D. Falk]