Have you ever found yourself standing at an intersection in your life, standing in a moment, looking around? Perhaps you feel dread, or maybe you feel nothing. Perhaps you face a decision. Perhaps you are immobile, or maybe you are doing way too much. Perhaps you face a challenge, or celebrating a victory. But here you stand, waiting, wanting something different, something helpful to emerge. 

And then, something intervened, something said—turn here. Do this. Lean in this direction. Maybe you didn’t know it was happening in those moments, but with hindsight, you saw the impact. 

This happened to me in 1989, in a program called the Inner Quest Intensive (IQI), which opened the door to my Kripalu life for these almost-thirty years. It happened to a lot of people in that program, which ran at Kripalu from the early 1970’s until 2015. Thousands of people have taken this program. Thousands of people could write their 250 words on what the program offered them. 

This program creates the circumstances in which we practice Living Yoga. The teaching segments are short and sweet, lovely lineage wisdom from Swami Kripalu about compassionate presence. Experiential activities for body, mind, and heart are woven into the day, allowing us to notice our habitual responses to life, and giving us the opportunity, through radical compassion, to respond differently. This is the gift of the IQI, the potential of changing our brains, bodies, and behavior. You leave with a plan for practice, simple and sustainable strategies to live this program at home. 

I was blessed to be the director of this program from 1995 to 2015, leading it three times yearly year. One of the greatest gifts of my life, was to witness the coming together of groups of people for different purposes under one intention: to connect; connecting with self, with others, and with all changes everything. Transformation happens ease-fully. 

The IQI has changed over the years, its structure morphing to meet the needs of the everchanging organization. Initially, as Kripalu’s flagship program, it focused on a single dyad question, “Who am I now?” The structure of the program was austere and rigorous. Social silence was maintained, clocks were covered to insure the timeless zone, and the food offered was light. Since then, the curriculum has evolved as we understand the growing needs of you, our guests, and the structure has changed to support the needs of the organization 

The return of the IQI is a joyous celebration for those who have known and loved the program over the years. The format will be different. We no longer mandate share housing; you can register for whatever housing option you’d like. Meals will be held together in the program room, but you’ll eat whatever you choose. The clocks will not be covered in the building since we will create our container of safety without these external structures. But even with these changes, the curriculum remains the same. We will claim ourselves, lean toward our authentic selves, connect with others, and leave with a steady and specific plan of living

Come and practice radical compassion for yourself. 
Come and identify the obstacles that block you from becoming your more authentic self. 
Come and offer those obstacles judgment-free awareness. 
Come and be with yourself. 
Come and effortlessly be part of a community of healing. 
Come and give yourself the gift of this Kripalu core program. 
Come and practice Living Yoga. 
Come to the Inner Quest Intensive. 

All Blessings, 

Aruni Nan Futuronksy