Yoga and Guided Hikes at Kripalu

What a great day! I want to start by thanking Kripalu for their generosity. Not only did they share ten day passes for GayOutdoors, but they left free books by Eckhart Tolle for us at the registration desk to choose from when we checked in. I plan on starting mine tonight. Secondly, I want to thank the guys who joined me for this wonderful day, many of whom drove for hours and found local lodging. It was a wonderful crew, and our paths crossed throughout the day as clusters of us tried different activities, coming together at meals to share stories. For six of us, the event actually started on Saturday night with a great meal at the 51 Park Restaurant in Lee. The food and service were excellent, and it was wonderful to see old friends and meet new ones. Despite losing an hour of sleep because of the start of daylight saving time, a few of us made it to Kripalu for one of the 6:30am yoga sessions. Listening to the Beatles’ While My Guitar Gently Weeps while in half moon pose with dawn breaking outside is a pretty great way to start your day, for the record. Most of us met up at 8am and went over for a silent breakfast after introductions. The food throughout the day was incredible. Kripalu is committed to wholesome and delicious meals, made with organic and often locally sourced ingredients. Some highlights for me were ginger scones and sweet upma with breakfast, an incredible salad bar for lunch, and gochujang veggie soup with dinner. Activities throughout the day included various types of yoga, a Qigong workshop, guided (though slightly icy) hikes, a session on walking meditation, YogaDance, an outdoor labyrinth, and a gender-expansive men's sauna, which many of us made repeated visits to throughout the day. With all of this, there was still quiet time for curling up with a book or even a quick siesta. (You know who you are.) :) We finished dinner around 5:30pm and all headed home around that time. Thank you again to everyone who showed up with a great attitude and stepped outside of their comfort zone. For those on the waiting list, I'm hoping we can offer this again soon. Namaste.

Join GayOutdoors for a day at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health.  Located in the Berkshires, Kripalu is North America's largest yoga retreat center.  They have generously offered GO members 10 Retreat & Renewal passes on Sunday, March 9th.  These are $150 when purchased directly, so this is a generous offer on their part.  Treat yourself to a day of stretching, guided hikes, and ridiculously delicious food!

If you are interested in joining us, you MUST sign up on GayOutdoors by Sunday, February 2nd.  I have to provide a list of names and emails to Kripalu so they can register us for the day.

Below is an outline of the schedule for the day.  Healing Arts services, such as massage, acupuncture, sound healing, and bodywork, can be added at an additional cost (not covered by our free passes).  I will be staying locally the night before and will be there from morning yoga through dinner.  You are welcome to arrive later in the morning if that works better for you.  

Itinerary for Sunday, March 9th

• 6:30–7:45 am: Gentle, Moderate, or Vinyasa Yoga
• 7:30–9:00 am: Silent Breakfast
• 8:00-8:30 am: Morning Meditation
• 9:30–11:00 am: Guided Hike (Preregistration Required), or Integration Workshop: Taking Kripalu Home | Joy
• 11:30–1:30 pm: Lunch
• 2:30–4:30 pm: Afternoon Guided Hike
• 4:45–5:45 pm: Gentle, Moderate, or Vinyasa Yoga
• 5:30-7:00 pm: Dinner
• 7:30-8:30 pm: Relax and Unwind Yoga

Information about Kripalu: https://kripalu.org/content/about-us

If your New Year’s resolution is to get into shape and take better care of yourself, this is a great way to work towards that goal. I hope you can join us!