Kripalu Center
Encyclopedia
The Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health is a non-profit organization
that operates a health and yoga
retreat in Stockbridge
, Massachusetts
. Its 160000 ft2 facility is a former Jesuit novitiate
and juniorate seminary built in 1957. The center has described itself as North America
's largest residential facility for holistic health and education. It employed about 626 people as of 2008, and can accommodate more than 650 overnight guests.
using inner focus, meditation, standard yoga poses, breathwork, "development of a quiet mind", and relaxation. Kripalu emphasizes "following the flow" of prana
, or "life-force energy, compassionate self-acceptance, observing the activity of the mind without judgment, and taking what is learned into daily life."
founded the Yoga Society of Pennsylvania, later called Kripalu, to provide yoga classes as well as training for yoga teachers. Desai is a native of Halol
, India
, where he met guru Swami Kripalvananda
, for whom Kripalu is named. During the 1970s, Desai established yoga retreats (ashram
s) in Sumneytown and Summit Station
, Pennsylvania
.
Kripalu acquired its Stockbridge property in 1983. Soon thereafter, Kripalu legally became a religious order. Residents took vows of celibacy
and obedience to Desai. However, Desai's estimated annual compensation was $350,000 to $450,000, including housing and other benefits.
In 1994, Desai resigned after admitting to having sex with followers. Kripalu paid $2.5 million to settle a purported class action lawsuit brought by more than 100 former residents who had served as unpaid staff. Kripalu financed the payment partly by selling its adjacent Foxhollow property, which it had acquired to provide housing for its most senior members.
. Conservation easement
s on 225 of the acres were granted in 1997 using funds from the U.S. Forest Legacy Program
.
Kripalu's principal 160000 ft2 building was constructed by the Jesuits in 1957 to replace the Gilded Age
mansion "Shadowbrook Cottage," destroyed by fire in 1956. Jesuits acquired the former estate in 1922 as a novitiate, but moved away in 1970.
A $15 million, six-story housing annex with 80 guest rooms, completed in 2010 and designed by architect Peter Rose
incorporates sustainable design
elements and won a 2010 award for specialized housing from the American Institute of Architects
The institute commented on the building's interior natural lighting, and noted that the architectural design and climate control systems are integrated and consume 40 percent less energy than a conventional building. Rose also developed a master plan for increasing the center's capacity and developing it into "a model of environmental responsibility" through improvements to existing buildings, landscaping, and new construction.
The Kripalu Center formerly operated its own water supply
. Groundwater
from onsite wells was used for its water supply source, supplemented by water purchased from the Lenox
water department. There were regulatory agency concerns about the water supply's potential vulnerability to contamination
, and as of 2009 the center's water supply had been converted to rely solely on purchased water obtained from surface water
sources.
About 2,200 independent instructors using the trademarked term "Kripalu" pay training and certification fees. These affiliates obtain access to liability insurance and other business and marketing support.
under Internal Revenue Service
rule 501(c)(3).
At the time of Desai's 1994 resignation, Patton Sarley Jr., resigned as chief operating officer. Sarley was re-hired in 2004 as chief executive, holding that position until 2010. In October 2010 he was replaced by David Surrenda, who was previously (since 1987) director of an Oakland, California
, consulting firm called Leadership Edge.
In January 2009, Kripalu cut 35 full-time and 26 part-time positions, roughly 15 percent of its staff. Bonuses were eliminated and senior and executive pay was reduced by 5 to 15 percent. Kripalu's 2009 revenue fell about 7 percent to $25.51 million,while expenses declined about 7 percent to $24.35 million.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that operates a health and yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
retreat in Stockbridge
Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Its 160000 ft2 facility is a former Jesuit novitiate
Novitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
and juniorate seminary built in 1957. The center has described itself as North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
's largest residential facility for holistic health and education. It employed about 626 people as of 2008, and can accommodate more than 650 overnight guests.
Kripalu Yoga
Kripalu Yoga is a form of Hatha YogaHatha yoga
Hatha yoga , also called hatha vidya , is a system of yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a Hindu sage of 15th century India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika....
using inner focus, meditation, standard yoga poses, breathwork, "development of a quiet mind", and relaxation. Kripalu emphasizes "following the flow" of prana
Prana
Prana is the Sanskrit word for "vital life" .It is one of the five organs of vitality or sensation, viz. prana "breath", vac "speech", chakshus "sight", shrotra "hearing", and manas "thought" Prana is the Sanskrit word for "vital life" (from the root "to fill", cognate to Latin plenus...
, or "life-force energy, compassionate self-acceptance, observing the activity of the mind without judgment, and taking what is learned into daily life."
History
In 1965 Amrit DesaiAmrit Desai
Amrit Desai is a Yoga master who founded the Kripalu Center and currently oversees the Amrit Yoga Institute in Salt Springs, Florida, located in the Ocala National Forest.- Life and career :...
founded the Yoga Society of Pennsylvania, later called Kripalu, to provide yoga classes as well as training for yoga teachers. Desai is a native of Halol
Halol
Halol is a city and a municipality in Panchmahal district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Located in Western india, it has an average elevation of 499 metres .- Industry :...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, where he met guru Swami Kripalvananda
Kripalvananda
Kripalvananda , also known as Swami Kripalvanandji or Bapuji, was a renowned master of kundalini yoga and the namesake of the Kripalu Center and Kripalvananda Yoga Institute in the United States....
, for whom Kripalu is named. During the 1970s, Desai established yoga retreats (ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
s) in Sumneytown and Summit Station
Summit Station, Pennsylvania
Summit Station is a census-designated place in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 208 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Summit Station is located at ....
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Kripalu acquired its Stockbridge property in 1983. Soon thereafter, Kripalu legally became a religious order. Residents took vows of celibacy
Celibacy
Celibacy is a personal commitment to avoiding sexual relations, in particular a vow from marriage. Typically celibacy involves avoiding all romantic relationships of any kind. An individual may choose celibacy for religious reasons, such as is the case for priests in some religions, for reasons of...
and obedience to Desai. However, Desai's estimated annual compensation was $350,000 to $450,000, including housing and other benefits.
In 1994, Desai resigned after admitting to having sex with followers. Kripalu paid $2.5 million to settle a purported class action lawsuit brought by more than 100 former residents who had served as unpaid staff. Kripalu financed the payment partly by selling its adjacent Foxhollow property, which it had acquired to provide housing for its most senior members.
Facility
Kripalu's 350 acres (141.6 ha), include forests, lawns, gardens, and access to Lake Mahkeenac or the Stockbridge BowlStockbridge Bowl
Stockbridge Bowl is a artificially impounded body of water that is 4 km north of the village of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. A variant name is Lake Mahkeenac....
. Conservation easement
Conservation easement
In the United States, a conservation easement is an encumbrance — sometimes including a transfer of usage rights — which creates a legally enforceable land preservation agreement between a landowner and a government agency or a qualified land...
s on 225 of the acres were granted in 1997 using funds from the U.S. Forest Legacy Program
Forest Legacy Program
The Forest Legacy Program was established in the 1990 Farm Bill to protect environmentally important forest lands that are threatened by conversion to nonforest uses...
.
Kripalu's principal 160000 ft2 building was constructed by the Jesuits in 1957 to replace the Gilded Age
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
mansion "Shadowbrook Cottage," destroyed by fire in 1956. Jesuits acquired the former estate in 1922 as a novitiate, but moved away in 1970.
A $15 million, six-story housing annex with 80 guest rooms, completed in 2010 and designed by architect Peter Rose
Peter Rose (architect)
Peter Rose Peter Rose Peter Rose (b. Aug. 1, 1943, is an architect in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.Rose's best-known work to date is the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), which was designed by Rose with CCA founder Phyllis Lambert as consulting architect and Erol Argun as associate architect...
incorporates sustainable design
Sustainable design
Sustainable design is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability.-Intentions:The intention of sustainable design is to "eliminate negative environmental...
elements and won a 2010 award for specialized housing from the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
The institute commented on the building's interior natural lighting, and noted that the architectural design and climate control systems are integrated and consume 40 percent less energy than a conventional building. Rose also developed a master plan for increasing the center's capacity and developing it into "a model of environmental responsibility" through improvements to existing buildings, landscaping, and new construction.
The Kripalu Center formerly operated its own water supply
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
. Groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
from onsite wells was used for its water supply source, supplemented by water purchased from the Lenox
Lenox, Massachusetts
Lenox is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. Set in Western Massachusetts, it is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,077 at the 2000 census. Where the town has a border with Stockbridge is the site of Tanglewood, summer...
water department. There were regulatory agency concerns about the water supply's potential vulnerability to contamination
Water pollution
Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies . Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds....
, and as of 2009 the center's water supply had been converted to rely solely on purchased water obtained from surface water
Surface water
Surface water is water collecting on the ground or in a stream, river, lake, wetland, or ocean; it is related to water collecting as groundwater or atmospheric water....
sources.
Programs
As of 2008, Kripalu Center in Stockbridge said it offered more than 750 programs and spiritual retreats attended by about 25,000 people annually. Total annual visitation is reported to be about 30,000 people. Many workshops are conducted by outside presenters. Kripalu Center also offers a semester-long program for young adults; projects in music, weight loss and post-traumatic stress disorder.About 2,200 independent instructors using the trademarked term "Kripalu" pay training and certification fees. These affiliates obtain access to liability insurance and other business and marketing support.
Administration and finances
During 1999, Kripalu changed its legal status from a religious order to a tax-exempt non-profit organizationNon-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
under Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
rule 501(c)(3).
At the time of Desai's 1994 resignation, Patton Sarley Jr., resigned as chief operating officer. Sarley was re-hired in 2004 as chief executive, holding that position until 2010. In October 2010 he was replaced by David Surrenda, who was previously (since 1987) director of an Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, consulting firm called Leadership Edge.
In January 2009, Kripalu cut 35 full-time and 26 part-time positions, roughly 15 percent of its staff. Bonuses were eliminated and senior and executive pay was reduced by 5 to 15 percent. Kripalu's 2009 revenue fell about 7 percent to $25.51 million,while expenses declined about 7 percent to $24.35 million.
Further reading
- Richard Faulds (2005), Kripalu Yoga: A Guide to Practice On and Off the Mat, Bantam Books. ISBN 978-0-553-38097-2