Spotlight On: Kripalu Yoga and Wellness Center
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| The main meeting space at Kripalu; site of healings, reiki, workshops, and of course yoga classes. |
Several people from Better Farm (two betterArts residents, a sustainability intern, and I) yesterday took a field trip to Adams Center, N.Y., to visit two very special places: the Kripalu Yoga and Wellness Center, and Woodhenge Self-Reliance Campus (blog post on the latter to follow!).
Our first stop was at the
Kripalu Yoga and Wellness Center, which was founded more than 30 years ago on the belief
that all humanity is one family and that the Divine swells
within each of us. The center is a non-profit organization
dedicated to promoting the integration of body, mind and
spirit. Its members support this philosophy through the teaching and
practice of yoga, health related programs, and services to
nurture personal growth and community.
The sprawling property includes a main meeting house for workshops, yoga classes, healings, reiki, and more; a nature trail, stone circle, artwork, and sculpture, and labyrinth.
The center offers the following:
- Yoga classes twice weekly (call 315 583-5061 for information or to register)
- Drumming circle the second Friday of every month
- Wellness Retreats
- Workshops and Healings
The centerpiece of the center (and highlight for us) is a 70-foot labyrinth installed more than a decade ago by board members and people in the community who volunteered their time and materials for the effort. The center's president, Nancy Pfeil, took time out of her day to show us
around and join us on a stroll through the labyrinth and short hike on
the property.
The Labyrinth
Nancy explained to us the history of labyrinths; that they're found in many cultures dating back
as much as 3,500 years, and that unlike mazes, labyrinths are unicursal, having a single path
leading to the center with no loops, cul-de-sacs or forks. They all share the basic
features of an entrance or mouth, a single circuitous path and a center or goal.
Here's Nancy showing us a finger labyrinth she made ages ago while traveling through the southwest with her husband (she made it out of yarn and nail polish atop a red rock!):
Many community organizations, churches and retreat centers are making
labyrinth walks available for public use for prayer, meditation, contemplation or personal
growth. The labyrinth walk is popular with a growing number of people
because of it simplicity and the ability to approach its paths on your own terms.
To walk a labyrinth (or run your finger over one) is a right-brain task. It involves
intuition, creativity, and imagery. With a maze many choices must be made and an active
mind is needed to solve the problem of finding the center. With a labyrinth there is only
one choice to be made. The choice is to enter or not. A more passive, receptive mindset is
needed. The choice is whether or not to walk a spiritual path.
At its most basic level, the labyrinth is a
metaphor for the journey to the center of your deepest self and back out into the world
with a broadened understanding of who you are. Labyrinths belong to the family of “Mandalas” (sanskrit for “circle that
contain the Essence”). Many people believe that labyrinths guard, activate & amplify the spiritual
energies of a place so that people who walk it can experience a feeling
of grace, peace or holiness in their heart, soul & spirit.
After the labyrinth, we joined Nancy on a nature walk around the property:
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| Stone circle |
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| Fire pit and chairs for drumming circles |
Many thanks to Nancy for welcoming us so warmly!
Board members of the center include: Nancy M. Pfeil, president; Steve Williams, vice president; Sonya Farmer, secretary/treasurer; B.J. Mosher, labyrinth facilitator; Kim Ward, marketing support; April Williams, Lisa Smith, Donna Smith, Adrienne Rule, and Sueanne Hunter. The Kripalu Yoga and Wellness Center is located at 14029 Route 11, Adams Center, N.Y. For more information, visit www.kripaluyogaandwellnesscenter.org.
