Queer and trans joy makes all of life more beautiful! We’re celebrating the last day of Pride Month with these reflections from Express Your Sparkle, our recent retreat for queer and transidentified folks led by an incredible line up of teachers: Visionary 2023 presenters Jacoby Ballard @jacobyballard and Susanna Barkataki @susannabarkataki, and the very inspiring David Kam @davidkamkw. It was a real honor to have these inspired yoga leaders teaching here— the beauty of this weekend is still resonating here. This retreat is truly an example of patiently and generously walking the path of love. Jacoby earned his 500 hour Yoga Training certificate here at Kripalu back in 2010. While Kripalu has hosted queer retreats since the 90’s, our dorms were all binary, lacking options for trans and gender nonconforming guests. A couple years after graduating, Jacoby proposed a Trans and Queer retreat at Kripalu. It took many years to realize, but finally, beautifully, this dream became a reality, and we now offer gender expansive dorms and restrooms. We have so much appreciation for Jacoby’s bravery and commitment to expanding the love, and helping Kripalu keep extending our welcome, ever more, to provide much needed healing and belonging for our LGBTQIA+ community. Thank you Jacoby, Susanna, David, and everyone who participated in the retreat for bringing your light and life to Kripalu. 🧡 Join Jacoby for a virtual conversation Tuesday July 25th with our CEO Robert Mulhall about how wellness can be inclusive of liberation, care, and belonging for all. Click the link in our bio to sign up. A shout out to those who captured this beautiful footage: David Kam, and @maaxii_94 and @pmoksha_rising from Kripalu’s guest services. And thank you to our Regenerative Community Manager @avantaylor for helping to weave this web of love. #kripalu #pride #QueerJoy #AQueerDharma #TransJoy #resilience #yoga #QueerYoga #Kripalu

The Yoga Retreat for Women of Color is coming! Enjoy this cozy chat over a cup of tea with Kiesha Battles, co-presenter of the Yoga Retreat for Women of Color, and Ava Taylor of our Regenerative Community Manager @avantaylor . This is the 25th year of the YRWOC at Kripalu! Join presenters Kiesha, Maya Breuer, Candace A. Jennings @empress.candacej , Cecilia Nugent @cecisyoga and Andrea Cole @honoryourpresence for a weekend of yoga, dance, poetry, sister circles, and more, in a sacred space where you can express yourself freely without social or familial expectations.  #kripalu #YogaRetreatForWomenOfColor #SelfCare #InTheBerkshires #Kripalu

A little tip for receiving the grace of your true nature. We’re delighted to share this bit of insight from renowned author and yoga instructor Rolf Gates. Join @rolf_gates_ at Kripalu for a Vinyasa Yoga and Meditation Retreat, July 30 - August 4, designed for integration. In this special retreat, all participants will spend two days in silence, with the option to spend all five days in silence for those who choose. Return home with a deeper understanding of meditation and yoga and a greater sense of self. Click the link in our bio to learn more and sign up for this transformative retreat. #kripalu #YogaRetreat #MeditationRetreat #meditation #grace #InnerWisdom #InnerPeace #SilentRetreat #InTheBerkshires #ItsAllYoga #Kripalu

A zesty new recipe from Jeremy Rock Smith! Recipe Tuesday: Delicious Grilled Ginger Tofu and Citrus Salsa. We just love every time a new recipe drops and this one has all the ingredients to be a summer hit. On those warm evenings when you want a little something light and refreshing, this yummy plant-based dish with savory tofu and fresh and invigorating citrus salsa could be just the thing. Thanks @jeremyrocksmith! ⁠ ⁠ For the citrus salsa⁠ 1 pink grapefruit⁠ 1 orange⁠ 1 blood orange⁠ 1 avocado peeled, pitted and medium diced⁠ 2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped⁠ ½ teaspoon jalapeno, seeded and minced⁠ ¼ cup flat leaf parsley or cilantro, chopped⁠ Zest and juice of one lime⁠ ⁠ For the ginger-marinated tofu⁠ 1 package organic non-GMO firm or extra-firm tofu, pressed⁠ Citrus juices collected from segmenting the citrus (from salsa recipe)⁠ 1 tablespoon tamari sauce⁠ 1 tablespoon mirin wine or rice wine vinegar⁠ 1 teaspoon maple syrup or agave (optional)⁠ 1-inch piece ginger, minced⁠ ⁠ Drain the tofu and place in a colander. Place a small bowl or plate on top of the tofu and place something in the bowl to press the tofu (canned tomatoes). Leave to drain for one hour. ⁠ ⁠ Zest all citrus into a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Remove peels from the citrus with a paring knife. Segment your citrus over a separate bowl, collecting the juices. Set the bowl with the juices aside. Chop the citrus segments into about 1/4-inch pieces and add to zest and juice. Combine with avocado, onion, jalapeno, cilantro or parsley, salt, and pepper. ⁠ ⁠ For tofu, add citrus juice, tamari, mirin, honey or agave (if using), and ginger to the bowl with citrus juice from segmenting. Remove tofu from the colander and slice widthwise into 4 one-inch pieces. Place the cutlets into a baking dish and pour the marinade over, turning tofu pieces to ensure they are evenly covered. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes or longer. Grill the tofu and serve topped with the citrus salsa. ⁠ ⁠ #kripalu #KripaluKitchen #TofuRecipe #GrilledTofu #CitrusSalsa #SalsaRecipe #HealthyRecipes #PlantBasedRecipes #TofuRecipes #HealthyCooking #VeganRecipes #EatHealthy #InTheBerkshires #ItsAllYoga #Kripalu

The magical skill of letting go. Here Sam Chase shares the letting go breath, a tool from our RISE resilience-building program. This summer, Sam leads a special RISE Facilitator training, to help spread these life-changing tools far and wide. Join Sam on campus July 21-28 and learn how to grow your group facilitation skills, expand your personal yoga and meditation practice, and deliver the RISE program to support well-being initiatives in your community. Open to anyone who has completed the RISE to Resilience program. Click the link in our bio to learn more. #kripalu #resilience #ResilienceTraining #SelfCare #clarity #mindfulness #calm #LettingGo #LettingGoBreath #meditation #InTheBerkshires #ItsAllYoga #Kripalu

Start small and keep on growing. This photo of the Kripalu Labyrinth was taken as it was being planted back in 2001. Photo two shows how far the Labyrinth has come in 22 years of sun, air, earth, water, and love. We strive to be a place of growth, for humans and for all that exists on this Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican land, which we are honored to steward, now and hopefully long into the future.⁠ ⁠ #kripalu #labyrinth #growth #love

Looking for a place to ponder the limitless sky? Our new hammock is here for you. Click the link in our bio to explore all that an R&R stay has to offer and thank you to our CEO @wicklowcelt for this daytime snapshot of the heavens as seen from Kripalu. #kripalu #SelfCareRetreat #WellnessRetreat #Heavens #hammocks #TheSky #yoga #meditation #WellnessRetreat #TheMysteryOfLife #Kripalu

🥬Kripalu Presenter Post🥬 Please join Ann and me at Kripalu @kripalucenter the weekend of July 28-30th for a “Be A Plant Based Woman Warrior” workshop!🥬🧘🦋 Through lecture, cooking demonstrations, and lots of fun, you will: Learn how to make delicious recipes from our new cookbook: “Be a Plant-Based Woman Warrior”, understand how plant-based nutrition protects you against lifestyle-related diseases, and gain actionable steps and tips for going forward as a plant-based warrior!💥💪🥬 For more info and registration please head to Kripalu.org or the link in my bio!➡️ We hope to see you there!🤩

🧡 Journal Prompt 🧡⁠ Jess Frey, Lead Kripalu faculty and committed journaler, offers us a little fodder to get the words flowing. What exists inside of you that might be blocking you from feeling like your spirit can emerge? What might these parts of you need in order to be able to open up and live out in the light?⁠ ⁠ There are many ways to practice with Jess— join her at Kripalu for the Kripalu Silent Retreat as well as the Essential Kripalu Retreat, both designed to help you gently open up your spirit, or for a journaling workshop offered as part of R&R. And join Jess for a monthly silent sangha in the Kripalu Online Studio. Little step by little step, we’re walking ourselves together towards greater freedom. Click the link in our bio to learn more about Jess’ liberating on campus retreats.⁠ ⁠ #kripalu #JournalPrompt #KripaluOnlineStudio #OnlineYoga #yoga #KripaluYoga #pranayama #meditation #sangha #ChineseAstrology #OnlineMeditation #ItsAllYoga #Kripalu

Happy Solstice! We orbit the sun in a circle, our spirits following the light. Today on the longest day of the year we open our hearts to the great powers that move us through this world, collectively and as individuals. How can we expand our spirits even wider, to let in a little more awareness? May this peak of prana bring us greater compassion, for ourselves and the magic that animates our path, as well as for those who orbit around us, growing our spirits through empathy and understanding, every day a little stronger and more open to the possibilities of love. #kripalu #solstice #

Beautiful, multifaceted fennel. Recipe Tuesday: Meal-enhancing Fennel Relish! Summer is like a festival of fresh produce as each new celebrity of the garden emerges into season. Next on stage is delicious and somewhat mysterious fennel, which is both a vegetable, an herb, and a spice (why be just one thing?). This recipe takes advantage of the mild and delicate flavor of the fennel bulb, making a lovely and refreshing side dish to zest up a summer meal.⁠ ⁠ 1 cup shaved fennel (from about 1 very small bulb) ⁠ 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice ⁠ ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest ⁠ 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil ⁠ ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt ⁠ Pinch of ground black pepper ⁠ ⁠ Combine everything in a small bowl. Let macerate at room temperature to blend the flavors, about 20 minutes. ⁠ ⁠ #kripalu #KripaluKitchen #FennelRelish #RelishLife #PlantBasedRecipes #FennelRecipes #HealthyRecipes #InTheBerkshires #ItsAllYoga #Kripalu

Today we celebrate Juneteenth— commemorating the date in 1865 when the message that all enslaved African Americans were free finally reached Texas, despite the Emancipation Proclamation being issues two years prior. We celebrate with this video montage from our recent retreat “Permission and Refuge,” a dream made real by @kripalucenter 2023 Visionary Reggie Hubbard of @activepeaceyoga and presented with Danny Fluker of @blackboysom. The retreat was created to provide a space of healing and liberation for African American men regardless of age, practice level or orientation. It was intentionally held during the week Remembrance for George Floyd, restoring dignity and freedom while throughly honoring George Floyd’s legacy. Permission and Refuge held the irony that in the land of the free, for many descendants of enslaved Americans, the experience of truly feeling free, safe, and able to thrive seems unattainable and intangible. Kripalu was honored to host this retreat, the beauty of which is still resounding on campus and beyond. We look forward to supporting the growth and evolution of “Permission & Refuge,” bringing the resources of space, love, and presence to our collective liberation. May we all work to make sure that all beings may be this free at all times — mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. Thank you to all the participants of this retreat for creating this space and to those pictured here: Najee Wilson @najeewilson_ playing the tongue drum and Chance York @chanceconnected leading the meditation. Also seen are: Matthew D. Lyons @matthewdlyons , Danny Angelo @_dannyangelo , Evan Starling-Davis @evanstarling , Compton Timberwolf @whoiscompton , Jared Hicks @jaredehicks , Gerod Hall @callbeable , Timothy Lewis @mindfulnesswithtimothy , Jeffrey Thomas @getjeffreyoga , Carlton Daniel @carltondanieljr , Kieran Smith, Bruce Dixon, Jamil Hoskins, Leshawn Williams, Patrick Giddings, and Leonard Reese Waters @reesewaters The soundtrack of this video is from a track by Najee Wilson, Cocoon III/Toward The Horizon, available on streaming services. Thank you to @najeewilson_ for sharing footage of the retreat. #kripalu #juneteenth