Connect, Aim, and Awaken in the Berkshire Hills

The woods, fields, and streams of the Kripalu campus offer more than a beautiful setting—they are an invitation to slow down, listen deeply, and reconnect with the rhythms of the natural world. Join Kripalu faculty for a mindful outdoor experience that blends meditative hiking, forest-based nature connection, all-levels yoga, and the contemplative practice of intuitive archery. You will explore how movement and stillness, focus and release, community and solitude can support a deeper sense of belonging.

Learn to draw the bow with breath and awareness. Archery becomes more than a skill in this retreat: it becomes a meditation. Instinctive archery invites you to aim with your attention, allowing your whole being to become absorbed in the process. Hiking and yoga help prepare the body, settle the mind, and open the senses so that each step, breath, and arrow becomes part of one integrated practice.

In this program, you will:

• Enjoy hiking, yoga, and archery activities in a compassionate group setting.
• Engage with Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Experience practices that combine ancient  
• wisdom with modern perspectives.
• Explore mindfulness as a doorway to deeper connection with the natural world.
• Learn the fundamentals of safe, instinctive archery, including basic bow-and-arrow anatomy and mindful shooting form.
• Return home refreshed, restored, and with simple tools for integrating nature connection into daily life.

NOTE: This is not a vigorous hiking program, and most sessions will be outdoors. Kripalu will provide bow and arrow equipment for the archery portions of the program. Please plan to dress in layers and bring a hat, waterproof shell, sturdy hiking shoes, a day pack, water bottle, and journal.