Kripalu Yoga
Kripalu Yoga was founded by Amrit Desai and named for his teacher Kripalvananda.
The Kripalu Yoga Center in Lenox, Massachusetts is the largest year-round yoga-learning
center in the country and passes on the teachings of Kripalu Yoga.
Kripalu Yoga places great emphasis on honoring the individual. It is a system of
Hatha Yoga that encourages a student to work within the limits of their body to
reach a place of self-acceptance and spiritual growth. Students are given the freedom
to trust their own inner knowing and to reasonably assess the rightness of the teachings
for themselves.
Kripalu Yoga uses the classical Hatha Yoga asana system, but does not have a set
sequence or series of poses. Instead it involves an emphasis on pranayama, meditation
and relaxation. Classes emphasize compassion towards the self and neutral observance
of the thoughts that go through your own mind without judgment.
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Kripalu Yoga is easily adaptable for people of all ages, fitness levels, and body
types. It promises to make you spiritually present and physically relaxed.
Kripalu Yoga is practiced in three stages. Stage one is suitable for the beginner.
Students focus on learning the classical Hatha yoga asana and uniting body and breath.
The mind is focused and poses are held for short periods of time, to release muscle
tension. Stage two classes focus on inner sensation and thoughts that arise as poses
are held for longer periods of time. Something called “witness consciousness” is
developed, which is an awareness of thoughts rather than a participation in them.
This stage strengthens muscles and develops concentration. Stage three is a more
advanced practice of Kripalu Yoga that is intensely personal. As the practitioner
engages in their practice, they are spontaneously guided by prana or life force.
Meditations in motion and in stillness are practiced. Regardless of the stage, practitioners
are encouraged to go at their own pace and listen to their own body about what it
needs in the present moment.
At the end of class, Kripalu Yoga students say “Jai bhagawan” instead of “Namaste”,
as in most Hatha classes. It means essentially the same thing, but Jai bhagawan
is Hindi, while Namaste is Sanskrit. (Sat nam, from the Kundalini Yoga tradition,
is Gurmukhi).
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