Kripalu Yoga Center

[Guest guest]

I am trying to get some insight in to the Kripalu

yoga center in Lenox, MA. I've heard mixed reviews. My

Ashtanga teacher obtained her certification there and

speaks highly of the center. I've also heard that the

people in the town of Lenox aren't thrilled about the

center. It is considered by many to be a commune. I’ve

also heard something to the effect that the founder

had at one time enforced a strict policy of

abstinence amongst those who lived in the commune. When he

was found to be blatantly violating it, he was forced

to leave. Any truth to any of this? Also, is it

worth the trip or is everyone there a complete flake?

[Guest guest]

Hi smm, I may be able to help you out a little. I

participated in their SEVA volunteer program twice and found

the experience very rewarding. Their yoga and

holistic health retreats/programs are highly recommended

by people I've talked to while I was there, but

they're kind of expensive in my opinion. They offer some

ashtanga retreats once in a while with Richard Freeman and

David Swenson, and Tim Miller will be teaching in one

of their upcoming retreats. <br><br>The place used

to be a commune/monastary when it was headed by

Amrit Desai, who had a lot of devotees living there and

following his teachings. Then he got busted for sleeping

with his students and mishandling their money, so he

got kicked out. The people who decided to stay turned

the place into what it is now, which is basically

just a yoga retreat center. I can't speak for the

people of Lenox and tell you what they think about the

place. <br><br>I wouldn't say that everyone there is a

"complete flake," but there's a ubiquitous new-age vibe

that may or may not annoy you. I recommend one of

their volunteer programs to start with - it's worth it,

in my opinion.<br><br>They also have a web page that

you can check out:<br><a href=http://www.kripalu.org

target=new>http://www.kripalu.org</a>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info. I've been thinking about

doing their Renewal and Retreat program upon the

completion of some exams I have to take. My concern is that

they may not offer challenging yoga classes - I hate

the gentle relaxing stuff. I'm addicted to

Power/Ashtanga yoga. If I go, I'll post my experience - thanks

again.

[Guest guest]

Yeah, Amrit Desai, former Guru of Kripalu,

admitted to having sex with several of his female

devotees. To make a long story short, the ashramites were

most pissed off and kicked him out. <br><br>However,

the Kripal center itself may be worth a visit. I've

had a couple of friends who stayed there, years ago,

and spoke highly of it as a nice place to go for a

retreat.

[Guest guest]

I've never been there, but I have a friend who

was there for a while and now practices ashtanga. He

speaks highly of the place, and isn't a new age

flake.<br><br>Also worth a read is Stephen Copes "Yoga and the Quest

for the True Self" - the author was a resident at

Kripalu during the time of the Amrit Desai scandal, and

writes very honestly about that. It's also a generally

interesting bok about the psychoilogy of yoga.

[Guest guest]

I read Cope's book when it first came out and was

rather disappointed with it. It is not about truth.

Rather it is about his psychological experiences with

regards to his yoga practice. Did you ever notice that

books by true enlightened ones never have references to

themselves; there is a whole different quality to them

because the book is about Truth, not about the

personality of the author? Well, Cope's book is definitely

about the personality of the author. Which if that is

what you want, then go for it.

[Guest guest]

Cope's book sucks. Absolute garbage.

[Guest guest]

I wasn't going to comment on this but I have a

little time so I will. I was living in Lenox in the time

before, during and after Amrit Desai's scandal. Kripalu

was very cult-like and strange in the year before it

all happened. We used to go over there for the

jacuzzi's and the food during the day. They normally

charged a day fee, but everyone was so zipped out on the

guru thing that no one even noticed us. People were

walking around wearing white with glazed-over eyes and

phoney smiles on their faces and there was definitely a

strange tenor in the place. We would just walk right in

and go plop down in the jacuzzi's and sit down for

meals and no one would even bother with us. Then the

shit hit the fan and all of the huge pictures of Amrit

Desai that were up all over the place came down, the

white went away, a lot of people left. Since then they

have been rebuilding the place as a retreat center and

I have a bunch of friends that spend a lot of time

there just as a place to go for a getaway because it is

in a beautiful setting in the Berkshires. They now

have many different kinds of retreats ans it as not

all one-guru centered, although they still teach the

Kripalu-style yoga. But there are many other kind of yoga

taught there. It's a nice place. Amrit Desai has made a

slow re-appearance in Providence. He has followers

again and has a yoga center called Anahata Yoga Center.

They charge $16 per class!!! He gives workshop and

lectures again. One of Amrit's students who was actually

his personal chauffeur during the Kripalu days has

opened a yoga studio also in Providence called 'Eyes of

the World Yoga Center'. I went to a class there and

got a very 'personal' adjustment from this fellow

which was revolting and nearly earned him a knee in the

groin, except it was against my back so I couldn't get a

good shot. I can't promise what I will do, however, if

I see him on the street someday.<br><br>FBL

[Guest guest]

I was never at Lenox, but I remember the books

Kripalu put out about the scene there before the downfall

of Desai. From the pics, it seemed very much as you

described it -- the term "sweetness and light" doesn't do

justice to all the beaming and bhatki and white robes.

Then came the crash! <br><br>Baby baby, where did our

love go?

[Guest guest]

Yeah, it was intense. The first time I went there

I thought cool, a yoga ashram. Maybe I'll go there

as a participant, not knowing much about the place.

Friends brought me with them for the day spa crashing and

I remember being afraid, very afraid. The people

were really gleamy and trtipped out. I used to go to

the bookstore and there was one man in particular

that impressed me who was really glazed over. It

turned out later to have been Stephen Cope, Kripalu

bookstore manager, author of the very book of our

discussion. The squiggily yoga teacher in Providence I

referred to in my last monologue has somehow retained his

glazed over yoga stare. He is like a cult member at

large - Wandering about without a master and copping a

feel in his yoga classes. It is rather sad really.

Although I could just as easily have been one of those

white robed beamers.<br><br>FBL