IMPACT Summer 2018

IMPACT

Kripalu Donor Newsletter SUMMER 2018

Thanks to you, Kripalu’s in bloom...

and those who need it most have a place on the mat.

Look inside for more.

The gift of Kripalu starts with you.

Kripalu is a charitable organization. Some mistake us for a resort, but you know as well as I that the benefits of a Kripalu retreat touch your life in a way that no resort could ever match.

You take home the benefits of new insight and renewed spirit ... and, at the same time, you leave with us a gift of energy and love. Your generosity makes a difference at the retreat center and outside it, changing lives here and beyond. I am profoundly grateful to you.

Every day at Kripalu, hundreds of people—guests, faculty, and staff—commit themselves anew to a vital mission: creating a more compassionate world through the transformative wisdom and practice of yoga.

Your registration fees give Kripalu a solid base. We try to keep fees as low as possible; therefore, we rely on your charitable generosity to drive improvements and develop new curriculum at the retreat center. Your support for a stronger Kripalu deepens your retreat experience, and makes it possible for us to extend the gift of yogic wisdom to others, through scholarships and off-site programs.

As a Kripalu guest and donor, you are a source of compassion and healing for yourself, for your loved ones, and for the world.

Thank you!

Barbara Vacarr, CEO

MISSION DRIVEN, DONOR SUPPORTED Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization whose mission is to empower people and communities to realize their full potential through the transformative wisdom and practice of yoga. To find out more about Kripalu’s mission, please visit kripalu.org.

kripalu.org/makeagift

Open Spaces, Open Hearts Your love made visible.

Your contributions to Kripalu most often create transformation that “shows” itself invisibly, in the ways that people live. There’s one big exception to the invisibility rule, though, and that is the impact that your donations have on the retreat center itself.

Most spectacular come summer are the blooming wildflower meadows, lovingly tended

by Kevin “Moose” Foran and his team. Your gifts make it possible for Moose’s crew to invest the extra effort. Along with the splashes of color, you bring birds, butterflies, and other crucial pollinators to the Kripalu grounds. Mother Nature appreciates your help as much as we do. Thank you!

Other improvements we envision for the center will rely even more heavily on you.

There are times of day when we know you’d like the guest rooms to be darker. Common spaces can grow congested at peak times. Meditators deserve sustained silence. We judge every investment by how it strengthens your practice at the retreat center ... and by how that strength, in turn, ripples out into a world sorely in need of the compassion fostered by yogic practice.

Transformation takes time, and love. Your support for Kripalu makes space for that time and love, not just for yourself, but for families, communities, and society. We’ll think of you, with gratitude, when the meadows bloom.

Want kinder, calmer schools?

Help Kripalu give yogic wisdom to educators.

RISE is Kripalu’s evidence-based yoga and meditation training program aimed at helping workers reduce stress, combat burnout, and improve job performance. With the support of Kripalu donors, RISE training is currently being delivered to frontline providers serving society’s most critical needs: educators, firefighters, police officers, and healthcare workers. The following was written by Joshua Laub, a director of youth development in the New York City schools: I never thought about the impact stress is having on my ability to solve problems, engage in inquiry, and be creative. This is a game changer.

I arrived at Kripalu with serious back pain that has plagued me for several years. After three days, my back felt better than it has in 10 years. This fact alone would have won me over, but so much of what was presented had repercussions for the way I respond to my wife and children, what I do after a particularly stressful day, and what years of ignoring these stressors has caused.

The extent to which my colleagues and I engaged in courageous conversations was inspiring. I think the RISE program might be the place where we explore issues of race and racism and its implications for equity in the NYC Department of Education.

This work is critical to making our schools more supportive of our most vulnerable children and families. I am grateful to have had this experience and I am eager to learn more!

Joshua Laub says RISE might help the NYC schools address issues of race and equity.

Your support for RISE gives the gift of Kripalu to people who need it most. Many would never have the opportunity without you. They may not know your name, but they—along with the people they serve—will be forever grateful.

PO Box 309 Stockbridge, MA 01262-0309

kripalu.org