UMass graciously offered us students a bunch of free trips, and I chose to go to Kripalu, a yoga and wellness retreat center at the edge of Massachusetts. I had never been on a retreat before, but I do love yoga, so I was really excited to go to Kripalu. One of my friends was also going on the trip, and we befriended another girl while we waited at the bus stop. I don’t think you need friends to go on a retreat. If anything, you may find it more beneficial to go alone. Regardless, this was my experience. We didn’t have to pay a fee and we only stayed for an afternoon, so this summary isn’t nearly as in-depth as other people’s experiences.
the center
The town of Stockbridge itself reminds me of Tuscany, Italy. I traveled there about a year ago, and the landscape paralleled Italy’s countryside. The exterior of the building isn’t the prettiest, but you can’t judge a book by its cover. The building’s interior is a blend of a church, a hotel, and a museum. The interior of Shadow Brook (one of their workout rooms) and the interior of the gift shop make you feel like you’re in two different worlds, even though they’re only about 50 feet apart. For context, Shadow Brook has a small stage and tall ceilings. It reminded me of a church, aside from the seats.
As for the gift shop, the items in there were very expensive. One yoga mat ranged between $102 and $156. Just get one on Amazon. The clothing style they sold was very flowy and targeted towards middle-aged and elderly women. Since Kripalu roots itself in Hinduism, sections of their store sell items rooted in various Asian cultures. They sold some padded tank tops, but the bra padding wasn’t very big. They may be good if you’re an A or a B cup, but nothing more than that.
Since this is a retreat yoga center, it wouldn’t be complete without a sauna. I had never been in a sauna before, and I honestly was a little underwhelmed by it. I think the point of using a sauna is to enter complete stillness, something I didn’t understand until I left. After the experience, I felt a strong connection to everyone I was with in the sauna. Everyone in the sauna was fairly quiet and in tune with themselves.
Yoga
The retreat center offers many types of yoga and activities, but only at select times. The only exercise class that was available at the time we went was Yoga. The class is perfect for getting in some light cardio.
The instructor was very passionate about her work and was very flexible. The duration of the class consisted of skipping and running in circles, pretending to be animals, rolling on the floor, and hugging each other. Unfortunately, I didn’t get as much out of the class as others did. I saw a couple of women crying, so it does touch some people out there; I just didn’t feel challenged (physically or emotionally) and realized I simply wasn’t the target audience.
About 10 minutes before leaving, my friend and I got hungry and kept thinking the yoga class was done. However, every time we tried leaving, there was a new activity instructed for the class, such as making a fabric vortex or singing “ayah” over and over.Â
If you come to Kripalu, I suggest trying something that’s intense (Vinyasa, hiking, Power Yoga), or something that is meant to be calming, such as their somatic breathwork classes or more basic yoga classes such as yin. I’m not entirely opposed to their offered dance class as I saw many people who visibly enjoyed themselves, I just wasn’t one of them.
Food
I was excited to try Kripalu’s food as I had gotten a preview from the menu they had online. The cafeteria consisted of entirely healthy food options. If you wanted “fun” food like coffee or cookies, then you had to run to the gift shop and buy it. I tried their chai as well as a cherry and chocolate cookie, and enjoyed both. However, one of my friends tried their lemon tea and didn’t like it.
The main meal they had that day was tofu and chicken with rice and yellow curry, which was delicious. Kripalu had a salad bar and a nice selection of bread to make sandwiches and wraps (but healthy).
Final thoughts
Kripalu is a program aimed at older women looking to recuperate. They have a wonderful facility and caring staff who will help guide you through your stay. The program is designed as a multi-night getaway, so extended time is 100% necessary.
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