Kripalu Yoga


Book Description

“Over an extraordinary thirty year history, Kripalu Center has been a pioneer in combining authentic yoga with a contemporary Western lifestyle.” —John Abbott, President, Yoga Journal From the senior teachers of the world-renowned Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health–the largest yoga and retreat center in North America–comes this comprehensive guide to the unique and influential Kripalu method, which emphasizes individual growth over outward perfection of form, making it accessible to people of all ages, fitness levels, and body types. KRIPALU YOGA A Guide to Practice On and Off the Mat Beginning with step-by-step “experiences” that teach essential body and breath awareness, Kripalu Yoga features fully illustrated routines for beginners and intermediate students , including Kripalu’s easy-to-follow “press point” instructions. For advanced students, there is a broad menu of additional poses to increase strength, flexibility, and challenge. Far more than an exercise program, Kripalu Yoga also teaches the lifestyle practices and energy techniques that make yoga a powerful catalyst for physical healing, psychological growth, and spiritual awakening.




The Great Work of Your Life


Book Description

An inspiring guide to finding your life’s purpose—what spiritual teachers call dharma—through mindfulness and self-exploration. Stephen Cope says that in order to have a fulfilling life you must discover the deep purpose hidden at the very core of your self. The secret to unlocking this mystery, he asserts, can be found in the pages of a two-thousand-year-old spiritual classic called the Bhagavad Gita—an ancient allegory about the path to dharma, told through a timeless dialogue between the fabled archer, Arjuna, and his divine mentor, Krishna. Cope takes readers on a step-by-step tour of this revered tale and highlights well-known Western lives that embody its central principles—including such luminaries as Jane Goodall, Walt Whitman, Susan B. Anthony, John Keats, and Harriet Tubman, along with stories of ordinary people as well. If you’re feeling lost in your own life’s journey, The Great Work of Your Life may help you to find and to embrace your true calling. Praise for The Great Work of Your Life “Keep a pen and paper handy as you read this remarkable book: It’s like an owner’s manual for the soul.”—Dani Shapiro, author of Devotion “A masterwork . . . You’ll find inspiration in these pages. You’ll gain a better appreciation of divine guidance and perhaps even understand how you might better hear it in your own life.”—Yoga Journal “I am moved and inspired by this book, the clarity and beauty of the lives lived in it, and the timeless dharma it teaches.”—Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart “A rich source of contemplation and inspiration [that] encourages readers . . . to discover and fully pursue their inner self’s calling.”—Publishers Weekly “Fabulous . . . If you have ever wondered what your purpose is, this book is a great guide to help you on your path.”—YogaHara




Rewilding


Book Description

Reconnect with your wild essence as you awaken your innate bond with the natural world “Rewilding is a return to our essential nature. It is an attempt to reclaim something of what we were before we used words like ‘civilized’ to define ourselves.” —Micah Mortali In his long-awaited book Rewilding, Kripalu director Micah Mortali brings together yoga, mindfulness, wilderness training, and ancestral skills to create a unique guide for reigniting your primal energy—your undomesticated true self—and deepening your connection with the living earth. For hundreds of thousands of years, humans lived intimately with the earth. We were in the wild and of the wild. Today, we live mostly urban lives—and our vital wildness has gone dormant. As a result, we’re more isolated, unhealthy, anxious, and depressed than ever, and our planet has suffered alongside us. With Rewilding, Mortali invites us to shed the effects of over-civilization and explore an inner wisdom that is primal, ancient, and profound. Whether you live in the middle of a city or alongside the woods, the insights and practices on these pages will bring you home to your wild, wise, and alive self. Highlights include: Practice-rich content—mindfulness exercises, guided meditations, yoga and pranayama, inward sensing, forest bathing, and much moreThe “life-force deficit”—explore how our separation from nature affects us physiologically and spirituallyAncestral skills—such as tracking, foraging, building fires, and finding shelterDevelop a sense of calm, clarity, connection, and confidence in both your daily life and the great outdoorsWhat you can learn from nature’s teachers—lessons from mountains, rivers, trees, and our animal kinRewild in the wild—guidelines around safety, preparedness, appropriate gear, and packing listsA mindful rewilding flow—put everything together in an immersive, step-by-step rewilding experienceAwaken your authentic spiritual connection with the natural world as you come home to your true selfUnderstand the relationship between our health and the health of our planet—and how we can begin to heal both Part celebration of the natural world, part spiritual memoir, and part how-to guide, Rewilding is a must-read for anyone who wants to embrace their wild nature and essential place in the living earth.




The Hidden School


Book Description

The Hidden School reveals a book within a book, a quest within a quest and a bridge between worlds. Dan Millman takes readers on an epic spiritual quest across the world as he searches for the link between everyday life and transcendent possibility. Continuing his journey from Way of the Peaceful Warrior, Dan moves from Honolulu to the Mojave Desert, and from a bustling Asian city to a secluded forest, until he uncovers the mystery of The Hidden School. While traversing continents, he uncovers lessons of life hidden in plain sight - insights pointing the way to an inspired life in the eternal present. Along the way, you'll encounter remarkable characters and brushes with mortality as you explore the nature of reality, the self, death and, finally, a secret as ancient as the roots of this world. Awaken to the hidden powers of paradox, humour and change. Discover a vision that may forever change your pe­rspectives about life's promise and potential.




An American Yoga


Book Description

In 1960, Amrit Desai traveled from India to the United States to study art at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. A decade later, he reunited with his family, founded the Yoga Society of Pennsylvania, and established a spiritual community (Ashram) and Yoga Retreat. The "Yoga Journal" called the Kripalu Center, "The standard bearer for integrity and professionalism in programs and services." In 1994, under a cloud of controversy, Desai was asked to resign as the center's spiritual director.




Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi


Book Description

As a college freshman business major suffering from a variety of anxiety-related maladies, Leaf stumbled into an elective: yoga. It was 1989. All his classmates were female. But yoga soothed and calmed Leaf as nothing else had. As his tale shows, Leaf embarked on a quest for health and happiness, visiting yoga studios around the country and consulting Ayurvedic physicians, swamis, and even (accidentally) a prostitute.




Deep Listening


Book Description

World-renowned restorative yoga teacher Jillian Pransky came to the practice of yoga to heal herself. For much of her life, she subscribed to a relentless work hard/play hard mentality, burying parts of herself beneath the pursuit of busy-ness and accomplishment. It wasn’t until a devastating personal loss and health crisis thrust her into suffocating anxiety that she stopped racing around. As she began to pause and examine her actions and emotions, she found herself able to unlock deeply seated tension in her mind and body. Since then, Pransky has been devoted to studying and teaching mindfulness practices, deep relaxation, and compassionate listening. In Deep Listening, Pransky presents her signature Calm Body, Clear Mind, Open Heart program―a 10-step journey of self-exploration that she’s taught around the world. Derived from the techniques that healed her, the practice of Deep Listening invites you to pay close attention to your body, mind, and heart. You’re taught how to tune inward and relax into a state of openness, ease, and clarity. This is the new frontier in integrative wellness—mindfulness designed for healing. Pransky doesn’t ask you to “be your best self,” or “do more!” She asks you to “be here” and “do less.” She guides you gently through the stages of Deep Listening, from being present and noticing your tension to welcoming what you discover with softness and compassion. She integrates tools like guided meditations, journaling prompts, and restorative yoga poses to help you regard yourself with kindness and curiosity. Immersing yourself in the practice of Deep Listening will allow you to nurture your own well-being.




The Kripalu Kitchen


Book Description

A lavishly illustrated cookbook featuring 125 delicious, easy-to-prepare, revitalizing, and detoxifying recipes from the executive chef at North America’s largest yoga-based healing and education center NAMED ONE OF THE “NEW COOKBOOKS TO BUY THIS SPRING” BY EPICURIOUS • “An eminently useful resource for those looking to expand their repertoire of healthy dishes.”—Publishers Weekly The Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, nestled in the Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts, attracts more than fifty thousand people a year. Guests flock there not only to deepen their yoga practice but also to experience the healing power of its famously delicious food. Now you can bring Kripalu’s most popular dishes to your own table. Kripalu’s longtime and popular executive chef, Jeremy Rock Smith, embraces a mindful approach to eating and a seasonal approach to cooking. In The Kripalu Kitchen, he offers 125 easy-to-follow mouthwatering recipes, dozens of variations, and countless smart eating strategies designed for a variety of dietary preferences—from vegan and vegetarian to gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free. The 5-ingredient and 30-minute recipes ensure that even the busiest of us can enjoy this phenomenal food. Inside you’ll discover • Bountiful breakfasts: from Coconut French Toast with Thai Ginger Maple Syrup to Vegan Ginger Scones • Restorative preparations: from Kripalu’s famed Morning Broth to the traditional south Indian porridge Upma • Satisfying suppers: from Linguine with Pumpkin Sage “Alfredo” and Kale Pesto to Mushroom Cheesesteaks • Decadent desserts: from Gluten-Free Salted Double Chocolate Chip Cookies to Gluten-Free Whole-Grain Vegan Brownies to Gluten-Free Vegan Swami Kripalu Birthday Cake Honoring the wisdom of Ayurvedic healing practices, The Kripalu Kitchen also includes a simple test to determine your personal nutrition profile, or dosha, and every recipe is marked to guide you toward the optimal diet for your type. More than just a healthy cookbook, The Kripalu Kitchen will revitalize your body and nourish your soul.




RECOVERY 2.0


Book Description

"The feeling was electric-energy humming through my body. I felt like blood was pouring into areas of my tissues that it had not been able to reach for some time. It was relieving and healing, subtler than the feeling from getting off on drugs, but it was detectable and lovely, and of course, there was no hangover, just a feeling of more ease than I could remember. I felt a warmth come over me similar to what I felt when I had done heroin, but far from the darkness of that insanity, this was pure light-a way through." - Tommy Rosen, on his first yoga experience Most of us deal with addiction in some form. While you may not be a fall-down drunk, anorexic, or a gambling addict, you likely struggle with addiction in other ways. Workaholism, overeating, and compulsively engaging with technology like video games, texting, and Facebook are also highly common examples. And if you don't suffer from addiction, chances are you know someone who does. Through more than 20 years of recovery and in working professionally with others, Tommy Rosen has uncovered core elements of recovery and healing, what he refers to as Recovery 2.0. In the book, he shares his own past struggles with addiction, and powerful, tested tools for breaking free from the obstacles that stand in the way of a holistic and lasting recovery. Building off the key tenets of the 12-Step program, he has developed an innovative approach that includes • Looking at the roots of addiction; your family history and "Addiction Story" • Daily breathing practices, meditation, yoga, and body awareness • A healthy, alkaline-based diet to aid with detox, boost immunity, increase vitality, support your entire recovery, and help prevent relapse • Discovering your mission, living on purpose, and being of service to others Recovery 2.0 will help readers not only release their addictions, but thrive in their recovery.




The Wisdom of Yoga


Book Description

For modern spiritual seekers and yoga students alike, here is an irreverent yet profound guide to the most sophisticated teachings of the yoga wisdom tradition–now brought to contemporary life by a celebrated author, psychotherapist, and leading American yoga instructor. While many Westerners still think of yoga as an invigorating series of postures and breathing exercises, these physical practices are only part of a vast and ancient spiritual science. For more than three millennia, yoga sages systematically explored the essential questions of our human existence: What are the root causes of suffering, and how can we achieve freedom and happiness? What would it be like to function at the maximum potential of our minds, bodies, and spirits? What is an optimal human life? Nowhere have their discoveries been more brilliantly distilled than in a short–but famously difficult–treatise called the Yogasutra. This revered text lays out the entire path of inner development in remarkable detail–ranging from practices that build character and mental power to the highest reaches of spiritual realization. Now Stephen Cope unlocks the teachings of the Yogasutra by showing them at work in the lives of a group of friends and fellow yoga students who are confronting the full modern catastrophe of careers, relationships, and dysfunctional family dynamics. Interweaving their daily dilemmas with insights from modern psychology, neuroscience, religion, and philosophy, he shows the astonishing relevance and practicality of this timeless psychology of awakening. Leavened with wit and passion, The Wisdom of Yoga is a superb companion and guide for anyone seeking enhanced creativity, better relationships, and a more ethical and graceful way of living in the world.