I was lucky enough to visit the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health (www.kripalu.org) in Stockbridge, Massachusetts this month for five days by myself. I attended a brilliant three-day workshop, led by James S. Gordon, M.D., the founder of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (www.cmbm.org). It was called Transforming Trauma. We learned about the psychological and neurological impacts of stress on the body, and then five different ways of mitigating it, from guided imagery and soft-belly breathing to drawing, plus shaking/dancing to Kundalini music (so liberating). Gordon is the author of an inspiring and transformational book called Unstuck and has run trauma relief workshops across the world in places such as Gaza and Kosovo.
After, I attended yoga classes and seminars like Intro to The Foundations of Ayurvedic Medicine, participated in a yoga dance to the music of eight drummers, soaked up some Healing Arts like crania-sacral therapy, and ate gorgeous healthy food.
The grounds surrounding the Kripalu are equally as beautiful and offer some great day hiking. Here are some pics from my solo trek on the trails of Tanglewood one sunny afternoon, in the Berkshires north of the Center, on Old Baldhead Road to Monk’s Pond, and on the Burbank Trail.
TREDSUP 