my trip to kripalu

Where do I even begin? Kripalu is lovely. It's beautiful. It's perfect. I love everything about it. If you haven't been and you've ever entertained the thought of going: go. Go now. It will change you.

I'll admit--I was way more nervous about this weekend retreat than even I realized. I didn't know what to expect and I only knew a handful of people from my local yoga studio. This was way outside of my comfort zone.

But usually moving outside of your everyday sphere is a good thing. In this case, it was an extraordinary thing.

I arrived Friday afternoon to gorgeous views and 70 degree weather.



I literally had to try hard all weekend not to grin too ridiculously everywhere I went. The view of the Stockbridge Bowl took my breath away every time I glanced at it. I had lovely roommates from all over the country (even one from southern CA--ahem Carmella) who I wished could have been my roommates in college. The food was my kind of food--the Kripalu kitchen is just as amazing as I'd heard. (And breakfast is silent--SILENT! What a glorious way to start the day.) I don't think I wore a stitch of underwear all weekend (shh don't tell!). I left my hair loose and wild and free and I can count on one hand the amount of times I looked in a mirror. In the hallways, the other retreat participants actually look at you and smile. I felt that I could be myself around them, knowing they too were there for the same thing. Everyone gives each other space to be exactly as you feel.



The environment was exactly what I needed to discover a spring of clarity and support that made my every decision and action so intuitive and easy. Saturday morning, instead of waking up early for 6:30am yoga, I fell back to sleep in my little top-bunk bed-nest under the cloudy gray sky and woke up feeling alive and refreshed, glad to have listened to my body. As much as I loved my workshop presenter (she reminded me of Diane Keaton!), the workshop itself wasn't as informative as I thought it'd be, so I decided to skip my Saturday afternoon session. Instead, I walked the labyrinth (my new favorite activity), visited the meditation garden, journaled in The Sunroom, and practiced yoga. I drank endless amounts of tea from the dining hall, danced to an amazing concert Saturday night, stood outside forever staring at the Super Moon (we may have even howled at it...), and furiously copied down the quotes plastered in the stairwells. I spent hours in the shop, browsing books and trying on jewelry and coming away with mala beads and colorful stones and prayer flags and Deepak Chopra books. I even discovered my soul color (it's purple, of course).



Kripalu was perfect. I had to drag myself away Sunday afternoon. It fed my soul. It allowed me to exist. Peacefully. That was all I wanted.

Namaste!


(Last chance to enter the giveaway! I'll select a winner tomorrow :)