By Karen Shreefter
As our diverse group of fifty-five assembled at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Massachusetts, little did we realize that the date, Friday the 13th, would prove an auspicious beginning. Workshop leader Richard Faulds and his wife, Danna, a poet, were about to launch a new workshop, “Kripalu Yoga: A Guide to Practice On and Off the Mat,” based on Faulds’ new book of the same name. The workshop was about experiencing Kripalu yoga and how it makes you more conscious of your body and thoughts, thus improving your daily life and general well-being.
As Faulds sat cross-legged facing our semicircle in the towering main chapel, Danna opened with her poem, “Here, right here, right now, bring your mind to this place and time…” Our weekend moved from meditations to discussions to Kripalu yoga and back again. Our group included a retired gentleman angered by financial betrayal, eager Kripalu yoga teachers, and a self-confessed good person who sparked a chuckle when she said, “I work hard and am nice to people, so why I can’t have the things I want?” As we worked with one another and ourselves, we answered such questions with “It’s all part of the journey.”
Having practiced yoga and meditation in close association with Kripalu for more than twenty-five years, Faulds was instrumental in Kripalu’s transition from the traditional guru-disciple paradigm into a nonsectarian, yoga community that welcomes other approaches. When the need for a book describing Kripalu yoga’s “pathless path” arose, Faulds became the reluctant author.
The essence of Kripalu yoga is not a posture, a breathing exercise, or even a meditation technique. Such facets are just tools to learn how to be fully present, an experience that affected a woman with whom I was paired in a sharing session. She recounted how at workshops often one person holds back or leaves, and her resultant feelings of sympathy and superiority. She continued, “Today, I was that person. My isolation overwhelmed me. I almost left.” Eventually, she remembered Faulds’ words, “Ride the wave” and “Witness without judgment who and where you are,” and her feelings of connection returned. I acknowledged my judgment issues too and jokingly told of my morning self-chastisement for an inferior Warrior posture.
For our final activity, we formed a circle, descended into meditation, and Faulds whispered, “What words do you need to hear?” Next, filled with our insights, Faulds divided the group in half. One group remained in meditation; the other visited each seated person sharing words such as “breath” and “It’s okay to cry.” The groups exchanged roles and then returned to the circle. We opened our eyes and looked admiringly at our fellow teachers. We were filled with new answers and questions, the retired gentleman’s anger had dissipated, and I resolved to alter my yoga practice by noticing and accepting more “on and off the mat.”
For more information call (800) 741-7353 or visit www.kripalu.org
May/June 2006
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