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Kripalu yoga is a style of yoga taught at the famous Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health at Massachusetts. It was developed by Amrit Desai who came to the United States from India in 1960. The center is named after Swami Kripalvananda, Desai's guru and a Kundalini Yoga master.
What is Kripalu Yoga?
Kripalu yoga is a gentle hatha yoga practice that lays emphasis on compassion, meditation, physical healing and practical everyday spiritualism. It is therapeutic for the body and spiritually inclined. Methods include Pratyahara (which deals with inner focus) and Dhrana (which deals with meditation). Students are taught to contemplate over their level of development on a daily basis.
Similar to traditional styles, Kripalu yoga incorporates classic asanas (yoga postures) and breathing techniques. It aims at development of a pacific mind with the help of deep relaxation techniques. Unique to this style are practice of compassionate self-acceptance and developing witness consciousness, i.e. looking at the mind with a non-judgmental view.
Kripalu yoga employs a 3-stage approach:
First: learning the poses and doing them to the most of one's abilities
Second: holding the poses for longer periods of time, creating internal awareness, and building concentration.
Third: 'Meditation in motion' - surrendering the body's wisdom and allowing for spontaneous, unconscious motion.
Kripalu yoga is more than a spiritual practice; it is a holistic lifestyle. The principles of yoga are applied in everyday life. It helps students understand prana, the vital component of breath, as a connection between the body, mind and spirit. It helps awaken this prana. The inner nuances of yoga and meditation reveal themselves effortlessly when this happens.
All along the process, the students move at their own pace honoring their physical needs at every stage.
Kripalu center today
Kripalu center is America's largest and best known year-round facility. Although it had earned a bad name when Amrit Desai admitted to having illicit sexual relationships with some students, it has since reinvented itself after Desai left the center. Today the center holds more than 750 programs and retreats attended by more than 25,000 people a year.
A book named 'Kripalu yoga - a guide to practice on and off the mat' has been published in 2006 by Bantam Dell publishing. Authors of the book are Richards Faulds and senior teachers of Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health.
Kripalu center also holds professional teacher training through 3 schools: Kripalu Yoga Teacher Training, Kripalu School of Massage, and Kripalu School of Ayurveda.
Is Kripalu yoga for you?
This style of yoga appeals to people who like to look inwards and seek development on a spiritual level. Since the style is gentle and honors each one's capabilities, it suits everyone including seniors and the overweight.
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