Kripalu Yoga teacher Alex Singer was thinking about moving to Thailand to immerse herself in yoga and Eastern culture when she heard about the nonprofit organization She WinS (Sports Helping to Empower Women in South Africa), founded by Cindy Burns. Burns was recruiting young women to serve as role models in an after-school program in [...]
Outside Our Walls
Discover Kripalu affiliates’ wide-ranging experiences all over the world.
Healing Trauma with Yoga
On Monday, December 16, 2012—exactly two days after the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary—I stood outside the doors of Pittsfield High School (PHS) in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. As I waited for the receptionist to buzz me in, I wondered what to expect in my high school yoga class that morning. I was still reeling. My niece [...]
Posted on March 13th, 2013 by Jonathan Ambar in Outside Our Walls
A World Traveler Finds Adventure on the Path of Yoga
Kripalu Yoga teacher Katie Hagel recently discovered that her first American ancestor was born on the Mayflower and was named Peregrine, from the Latin for “pilgrim” or “wanderer.” It’s no surprise, then, that travel and adventure are in her blood. While working as a travel guide in China, Katie discovered yoga. She was usually the [...]
Posted on January 8th, 2013 by Thrive in Outside Our Walls
Making an Impact: Kripalu Helps One Young Yoga Teacher Find Her Calling
Ashley Winseck, guest blogger When Nyacko Perry first heard about the Kripalu Semester Intensive program during a presentation at her college in 2008, she didn’t quite understand what Kripalu was all about. But she was incredibly interested in finding out. “I didn’t know what it was, because it was such a new program, but I [...]
Yoga for the Visually Impaired
When she was growing up, Lauren-Victoria (Tori) Hellrung’s family raised guide dogs in their home, so Tori has always been sensitive to the needs of people with visual impairments. After completing her yoga teacher training at Kripalu in 2009, Tori went home to Montreal and immediately started a class for legally blind adults at the MAB–Mackay Rehabilitation Centre (at the MAB site, formerly known as the Montreal Association for the Blind).
“When I started, I didn’t realize the impact this program would have on their lives,” Tori says. “As I began to learn about the community, it became clear that beyond the gym and aquafitness, my students had no other physical outlets, since most sports are not accessible to blind people. They had no other way of exploring their bodies’ potential, and none as mindful as yoga. I have not heard of a program other than my own in the Montreal area that provides this kind of opportunity for students to be in their bodies in a safe, spiritual, and physical way.”
Posted on November 21st, 2012 by Thrive in Outside Our Walls
A Soldier Gives Herself Permission to Be Human
Audra Jamai White, guest blogger
I spent three years on active duty with the U.S. Army, including one year in Iraq, and now I’m in the Massachusetts National Guard. I’ve always strived to be a “super soldier”—perfectionism and being in control were what fueled me. Towards the end of my deployment, I started experiencing depression and anxiety. I’d spend 12 hours on duty and then I’d spend 12 hours in my room, crying. When I went to see the medics for a sports injury they reached out to me and helped, through providing medication and therapy.
Posted on October 24th, 2012 by Thrive in Outside Our Walls
Outside Our Walls: A Mother’s Journey from Trauma to a Path of Healing
Lorraine Cannatta, guest blogger
My decision to study Ayurveda evolved out of a family trauma. My son, Jacob, and his wife and daughter were visiting me and my husband, Peter, in the summer of 2005 when Jacob became severely ill. He was hospitalized and put on life support. The doctors were unable to determine a diagnosis, which made treatment difficult. For several days, we were unsure whether he would speak again, or even awaken. One or more family members were with him around the clock.
After 11 days in the critical-care unit, Jacob came home and began his recovery with us. Today, we are blessed to have him well. Though we were never able to get definitive evidence, we believe inhaling mold while renovating his newly purchased home caused what is called a “whiteout” of the lungs—when the alveoli constrict so tightly there’s no longer any space for air to pass.
The High School Brain on Yoga
Iona Smith, guest blogger
Like most of us, I would not want to relive my teenage years—unless I could do so knowing what I know now. Even so, I’ve been drawn to working with teenagers in my adult life. As a high school biology teacher back in my twenties and in my current role as a yoga educator in high schools, I’ve been able to pursue my passion for providing teenagers with tools for coping—tools I wish I’d had at their age.
Four years ago, I helped the Kripalu Institute for Extraordinary Living (IEL) launch a pilot research study on how yoga affects teenagers. To date, we’ve found that our Yoga in the Schools program does indeed have beneficial effects on students’ resilience and ability to manage anger. As I head into my fifth year teaching yoga in a high school setting, I’m confident that I’m providing students with the wisdom and tools to help them navigate their teenage years in healthier, more skillful ways.
Yoga Everywhere: Building Community in a Circle of Chairs
Terri Young, guest blogger
One morning each month, from October through May, about 10 students arrive at Poland Spring Yoga, the small yoga studio in Poland Spring, Maine, that I own with my husband, Steve. Their ages range from 65 to 85 years old. During the next hour, we sit in chairs in a circle and explore cultivating awareness through stillness, poetry reading, breathing techniques, and a range of gentle movements and stretches. After class, we move to the living room for chatting, laughter, and fellowship.
This is my favorite class to teach. The openness, joy, and deep sense of community that we all receive from this experience are nothing short of miraculous.
“I never realized yoga was for me—I always thought it was for the younger generation,” one student told me after the first class. Another student confided, with complete amazement, “I never knew I could feel this way!”
Gregg Day Makes Yoga All About Community, and Vice Versa
Ashley Winseck, guest blogger For Kripalu Yoga teacher Gregg Day, community involvement is a big deal. “It makes sense to me to be well connected to where you are,” he says. “I’m always looking for the opportunity to do something local—wherever that may be.” And for Gregg, “local” is in the heart of the Berkshires. [...]
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