kripalu Yoga Blog

Open Day May 9^th

We were delighted with Open day. We saw so many new faces we were truly blessed with the number, of not only individuals, but entire families who turned up.

The demonstrations were well received - everyone joining in and having fun. I have to say seeing men belly dancing was quite an experience!! Unfortunately, belly dancing is not for men, it was created by women, for women – how sad!!

Carina teaches Belly Dance fusion which takes its influence from all over the world. She teaches styles of dance such as flamenco, Indian, tribal, American tribal style, gothic and street dance. However the main emphasis is always on traditional belly dance.

Carina teaches every Friday from 7:00 – 8:30pm.

Pilates is very strong at Kripalu. Helen has taught here for over 7 years. The demonstration led by Helen and several of her students gave people an insight into how Pilates works on ‘the core’, strengthening core muscles improving posture and flexibility. Helen is also a fully qualified Physiotherapist.

Helen teaches on Monday from 12:15 – 2:30 pm and Friday from 1:30 – 3:30 pm.

Estelle Earnshaw and Sue Saxby – Smith, our two counsellors were also in attendance and able to give information and help to people who were interested in finding out more of their work.

Estelle and Susan are here Monday through Thursday and can be contacted through the studio.

The meditation demonstration was led by Patricia, the newest of our Kripalu team. Patricia studied Ascension Meditation with the Ishaya Monks, transcendental meditation, visualisation and meditation using mantras and chanting. Meditation brings so much happiness and peace. Patricia also leads workshops on ‘Gong Yoga’ and ‘Laughter Yoga’ here at Kripalu.

Patricia teaches Meditation every Sunday from 11:00 – 12:00 pm.

The Yoga demonstration was led by Suzie Jennings, Director of Kripalu Yoga. Suzie has taught yoga at Kripalu for 10 years and has over forty years experience in Yoga.

For yoga classes please go back to Home page and view our timetable.

Pregnant women at Kripalu attend our regular classes, with special care given to their specific needs. However, if you prefer to have a specialist ‘pregnancy class’ we recommend Cherry Phillips whose email address is Cherry Phillips@tiscali.co.uk

Kripalu Yoga is very proud of its lineage and continues to maintain its truth in Yoga. Kripalu is not a commercial business. Kripalu takes its name from our Swami. Swami Kripalvananda (Bapuji) taught that Yoga without compassion is not true yoga. Yoga is not about competition. We are here to serve.

We are pleased to say we are now having talks with a Tai Chi Teacher who has the same values as Kripalu. Watch this space.

ABOUT DANA MOORE

Dana Moore holds a Masters of Arts degree in religion awarded by Yale University Divinity School as well as a Masters of Arts degree. Dana studied counseling psychology at Boston College and received his yoga teacher training at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health and completed the advanced level of training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Healthcare and Society founded by John Kabat-Zinn. He utilizes Kripalu Yoga, mindful living, and counseling to help individuals and groups who have experienced childhood maltreatment and highly stressful events as adults.

Dana first began doing psychotherapy at the Boston Veterans Center in Boston, Massachusetts where he used a mindfulness-based psychotherapy approach to treat combat veterans with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

 He is a founding member of the Trauma Center Yoga Program, where he continues to serve as staff member, and is a faculty member of the Trauma Center Professional Training Institute at the Justice Research Institute in Brookline, Massachusetts. Along with his ongoing classes he facilitates workshops at Kripalu USA imparting to others the great gift of the work he is developing. This is Dana’s first visit to the UK, what a privilege it is for us at Kripalu UK to welcome him.

Dana is a Benedictine oblate of Our Lady of Guadalupe Abbey, a Catholic monastery.

To read more about the tremendous work of the Justice Research Institute visit the website: www.traumacenter.org.

We are in for a wonderful experience.

We are incredibly honoured to have Dana Moore, Kripalu teacher from the United States, and Heather Mason, a yoga therapist and Buddhist scholar, joining us for a weekend workshop. The workshop, entitled Pathways of Healing Through Yoga, will be held on March 21st and March 22nd and the fee is £100. 

Heather and Dana will offer both practical steps towards healing and insights into groundbreaking theory around yoga and trauma. The Boston Trauma Center is the first place in the world to conduct comprehensive research on the neurobiology of trauma and profound impact of yoga in the lives of those who have suffered traumatic events, as adults or children. Dana is a staff member at the Boston Trauma Center and Heather is the only person in the UK to have trained with them.

If you have been hurt or wounded and can no longer, “Just get on with it” think about joining us, think about taking time to truly care for yourself and begin the much-needed and longed for process of healing. Or, if you are someone who works caring for those who have been harmed emotional, mentally or physically, come learn new tools to help free them from the bondage of the pain and intense suffering they are locked in. 

Namaste