Category: <span>Kripalu</span>

Towards the end of my first 200 hr of IYT at Kripalu Center, 2000)  we were asked to choose a topic that we wanted to study using the techniques and practices we were learning.   I struggled to find a topic. Specialization was contrary to my personal philosophy of Yoga.  I  wanted to be skilled in ways to help everyone.  But choose I did and I narrowed it down to stress management & women’s health, looking for the lowest common denominator that would cover most people.  As a divorced, 50year old, real estate broker, (20+ years )  I understood stress.  As a mother of a tween & a teen, I was already suffering from the flashes that reminded me menopause was on it’s way.  I wasn’t getting younger.  I continued to study stress and was fascinated by where it led and what I learned.    My early classes were mostly women experiencing mental/emotional and hormonal balance/imbalance.   Integrative Yoga Therapy covers all of it.

Psychology was my first major course of study in college (1967)  After watching the professionals deal with mental/emotional difficulties for decades, I am convinced that the holistic nature of yoga provides better healing for what ails us.  Whether that be: abuse, trauma, addiction, estrangement, or just plain ole daily living.

Years and years of assisting the senior faculty at Kripalu Center honed my skills and satisfied my heart,  I learned about healing from: abuse, trauma, disappointment, and basic life stressors.  The issues are in the tissues, so says Swami Kripalu.  For 20+ years  I was part of the Inner Quest Intensive Facilitation Team, an experience of divine intervention in my life.

On December 14, 2012, the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT occured.  I was in my car on the way to the grocery store when the news came thru on WNYC radio.  I immediately slowed down as I took in the news.  My first born grandson was 6 at the time so I felt an immediate connection to the story and stayed riveted for weeks to come.

Early in 2013 I was contacted by another of the facilitators from Kripalu.  She was a gifted psychotherapist from CT. working with Sandy Hook Promise, the non-profit organization formed to help the community, the survivors, and anyone else affected by the tragedy.  She was currently treating about 6-7 people directly connected to the event and thought an IQI-type retreat/intensive might be really helpful.  Would I help her? After much discussion in Sept. 2013 we rented a vacation home in the Catskills for 4 days and brought in a group  from Newtown, CT to participate in a  healing retreat.  I will tell a more complete story later, but the point now is how that experience changed me. From that moment forward I got to see how the work I was doing privately in my studio at home and at Kripalu could impact the world.

Sadly, events like this have only multiplied and escalated over the years.  Treating trauma has mostly been one to one., if at all.  But today, due to the state of the world and some earth-shaking astrology, we need more of this.   We are all wounded healers of sorts.

Meanwhile,  aside from gun massacres, wars, pandemics and climate events, abuse, addiction, psychological/emotional/mental afflictions and other dis-eases continue,  all rampant in our society. Everywhere across all lines,

Yoga, however you choose to practice is necessary in today’s world.  It’s not exercise.  It’s not woo-woo.  It’s not religious, or political, or anything that would encourage people to be anything less than peaceful towards themselves and each other.  If everyone practiced, alone and together, we would have a better world and calmer communities.

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I knew it was coming.  It was inevitable.  Today the announcement was made in the Berkshire Eagle.  It’s too much to process right now.  It’s a big deal for me, and many, many others.  There will be many stories in the days to come.  Mine will be one of them.

My first visit to Kripalu Ashram was right after Gurudev Amrit Desai, the Guru, had left.  That was 1993?  Over the next couple decades I commuted to Lenox frequently to assist/teach/train/volunteer/retreat and then some.  The Kripalu Community spans the globe and when I did volunteer work at the Amrit Institute in Florida a few years ago,  I discovered even more how the teachings of Swami Kripalu are available in other places as well.  Nevertheless, the feng shui and energy of this property will live on.  I hope I get to go there again.

I’ve written a lot here about Kripalu.  If you’re interested type Kripalu into the search bar.

more to come.

 

 

Holistic Health Kripalu Meditation Yoga Yoga Therapy

I  can’t even tell you how excited I am to be presenting this program at Kripalu Center in October.  It is literally a dream come true!
My history with Kripalu goes back many decades….so far in fact that it certainly does seem as though destiny has had a hand in everything.  I received their very first catalog in the mail sometime in the late 80’s. But it wasn’t until circa 1992 that I walked thru the door.  I was a full-time, frustrated, stressed out Real Estate Broker & Trainer then. It was August and I was taking The Mystical Path of Yoga with Yoganand. on the recommendation of my local yoga teacher. Nearly everyone but me in the program was a working yoga teacher.  It was an unexpected life-changing experience .   My real interest in going was to meet the guru, Amrit Desai, but, that wouldn’t happen until 2017,.  Still, yoga became an integral part of my life from that point forward.
When I arrived, the receptionist asked me about my employment  and I declared at that moment I was an astrologer.  It wasn’t a lie.  I had a small, side gig going on offering Feng Shui & Astrological Consults.   My expertise in Feng Shui made being in the RE industry tolerable and provided many unusual opportunities to teach, consult, and do research on the art/science.   My avocation was preferable to my vocation.
Over the next 25+ years I returned to Kripalu Center so often I probably should have moved there!   My Karma Yoga included many different jobs, ie. yoga teacher, facilitator, a/v assistant, musician.  I took over 1000 hrs of YTT and worked as a faculty assistant to the many different Yoga presenters that taught at Kripalu .
All said, it was my work within the Inner Quest Intensive under the direction of Aruni Nan Futuronsky that has informed my own teaching of yoga & yoga therapy.   Through my experiences facilitating that program I became particularly interested in yoga (therapy) for mental health, recovery, and spiritual development.  I’ve written a lot of short stories detailing many of my experiences along this Sun/Jupiter line and I look forward to more to tell.
So now, I get to present my own program, which literally took a saturn cycle to imagine, create, and now finally deliver.   I hope you’ll check it out and share the news with like-minded friends.
It’s a program for everyone and you don’t need to know much of anything about astrology or yoga to take it.
The topics we cover are universal; birth/death/loss/fate/change/relationships/health/spirituality.  Life, as it is.  All that is needed is curiosity and a desire to know yourself better.
Possibilities for healing, personal growth, expanded consciousness, spiritual development are inherent in the work.
At the very least you’ll come home with a new plan for time management and stress relief.
 
 

Astrology Kripalu Yoga Yoga Therapy

Where were­­ you in the Fall of 1982?  What was going on in your personal life?  What was going on in the world?  How old were you?

In November of that year Pluto and Saturn made a conjunction at 27 Libra.  Where is 27 Libra in your natal chart?  Is anything in your natal chart at 27 degrees?  Look at the cusps and angles too.

This is a good place to begin our self-discovery lessons in Saturn and Pluto.  We need some data for: discussion, transforming, healing, fixing, and most importantly, understanding and seeing a big picture view.  Answering those questions will help as we approach another Pluto/Saturn conjunction/cycle in January, 2020.  It’s a big deal and we astrologers have been holding our breath as we watch the state of the world change (again) before our eyes.  That’s where yoga helps this astrologer.  B R F W A, in Kripalu talk.  Breathe. Relax. Feel. Watch. Allow.         All is well.

There are lots of articles floating around the internet speaking of this culture-changing time and I encourage you to read them.  Every astrologer has their own specialty.  The mundane astrologers are doing a great job tracking the economic/political/geographical/cultural shifts that are going on.  I can recommend some good ones to read if you’re interested in the mundane.

As for me, I want to know how to live thru these cycles, with peace, serenity and reaping the best possible outcome.   It isn’t easy and it’s not always fun,  but the rewards are sure and deep.  Bringing your chart to life and seeing the symbolism play out in your everyday life is a great way to stay connected to something that is much greater than me.

 

Yoga teaches us how to be present in the moment.  Through practice and study we notice that how we think/feel/act in the world is always connected to some deeper cellular/tissue/muscle memory on the inside.   By choosing yoga practices that reflect the symbolism of current transits we get to release, in the moment, any tensions building up unconsciously.  In addition, we experience thru yoga nidra, breathwork, and meditation the release of old tensions held in the body from past lives., which is a whole different conversation having  to do with spiritual beliefs.

But  first, there’s more astrology to look at .

During the ’82 cycle Pluto & Saturn were alone in Libra.  In 2020  the south node of the moon, Ketu in the Vedic system, is tracking with them both in Capricorn, adding an entirely different dimension to our experience of this cycle.  Anytime the Lunar Nodes are involved in an aspect it increases the likelihood that an individuals karma is activated during this period.  I am in my Ketu MahaDasa in  the Vedic system and it’s a fascinating time to engage in self-study.  More reason to use yoga for processing.

In our dharma/karma workshops we investigate our natal placement of the lunar nodes and try to discern how they show up in our lives and more importantly how to learn from them, isn’t that what it’s *all* about, anyway, to learn, grow, evolve?  Otherwise what’s the point of anything?  So we investigate how south node holds the information from our past lives and encourages us to take the easy way out of most situations.  It feels wickedly ‘comfortable’ ,just like your old slippers.

There is no growth without conscious effort and we will be stuck in our old patterns doomed to repeat the wheel of karma without any progress, until we come to understand how the North Node leads us forward.

Inquire Within – Registration is open for weekend intensive & 5-day immersion.

 

 

 

 

Astrology Kripalu Pluto Saturn Yoga Yoga Therapy

FullSizeRenderTwo important announcements regarding my yoga community were made recently.  The first is that the International Association of Yoga Therapists, after years of work, have defined and developed a curriculum with which  to certify someone as a Yoga Therapist.  This new designation will read as C-IAYT.   This achievement comes on the heels of the Yoga Alliance announcing that they will not recognize the term yoga therapy within their certification requirements.  Their primary interest is in making sure that anyone who calls themselves a yoga teacher/instructor knows how to keep people safe while guiding asana practice.  Using yoga, therapeutically or in any kind of a ‘healing’ way is not what the Yoga Alliance is focused on.  Whereas, the IAYT which was founded in 1989 has been solely focused on using yoga therapeutically and they have dedicated all their resources towards that end.   Just as my yoga ‘career’ got started (1999) the dialogue on what is yoga therapy began.  Over the next few years they discussed just what were the most important aspects of a yoga (therapy) program and should we establish a required curriculum?  Much of this discussion occurred before the current explosion of  yoga ‘teachers’ hit the scene.   My feelings at the time were in line with others who asserted that yoga could not be strictly coded for anything since it’s very foundation was based in energy, spirit, and whatever overriding belief system was operating at any given time.   IMHO Yoga can not be quantified…and my personal practice of yoga therapy emphasizes that, which does not mean that I ignore the body during practice.  Quite the contrary.  But, a holistic practice should cover the whole as understood by the early yogi’s.

Today, all the debating is complete and the organizations have chosen their paths forward and it’s exactly what I feared would happen.  They’ve narrowed down yoga therapy to mostly asana & pranayama, and turned  the subtle & causal energy-bodies over to Ayurveda….which isn’t awful, just disappointing, for me, personally.  But, I have my karma to work thru just like everyone else.

All that said it seems that I do qualify to be grandfathered (or more appropriately) grandmothered in for their official certification of yoga therapy, I guess age does have some rewards. But first I have the daunting task of documenting 15 years of client contact.  Nevertheless, those that are wanting to call themselves yoga therapists are faced with a curriculum that would never have appealed to me, or anyone who understands that healing, well-being, and self-fulfillment is more than the body, more than the sum of the parts, more than anything that can be studied, measured, or quantified.

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Another piece of yoga news was the announcement that Integrative Yoga Therapy will become a part of the Kripalu Yoga curriculum, officially.  This is not a big surprise to me as Joseph LaPage was part of the early Kripalu ashram, but it’s so wonderful to have them together in this form.  All of my teacher-trainings have been within this lineage of teachers and I feel so much gratitude to be a part of the community.

I never expected to be a pioneer of anything, but it seems as though I have been blazing a path for sure.  Just the fact that I’m posting this to all of you is evidence of that.  My studio is 14 years old  and continues to be a safe and sacred space for those who seek healing, inspiration, and enlightenment thru yoga.  Om Shanti.

 

Holistic Health Kripalu Yoga Yoga Therapy

Well, I’m back and it was an over-the-top fabulous week and worth the wait.   As usual, my well gets filled at Kripalu.  I am grateful.

Kripalu is a different place these days and I miss the community feeling that was created by the ashram lifestyle.   Volunteers vs Employees creates a totally different environment.  Thus, to me, today, it feels like any other 5-star holistic center….ie Omega, Esalen, The Open Center, etc. Many of the best senior teachers are gone, a serious failing since that’s when the wisdom of the yoga practice can really express itself.  The emphasis  no longer includes any of the off-the-mat practices of Kripalu Yoga.  Too bad.  It’s so needed as a counterpoint to the body-based exercises that pass for yoga today.

That said, I still love it there.  You just can’t not absorb the incredible magical, metaphysical, and spiritual energy that permeates the entire landscape.  The mountains, the lake, the fertile land, the trees and the prana in the air all conspire to create feng shui perfection.

The program, Sharing Your Life Story with Ann Randolph was over-the-top amazing and I highly recommend you see her performances or take her workshops.  I am so inspired to continue my creative non-fiction projects and hope to post some Kripalu stories here in the near future.

……more later.

 

Blogging Kripalu

swami kripalu….where I do volunteer work at least three times a year.  This trip I worked as a facilitator and hatha yoga teacher.  The program was called the Inner Quest Intensive and I have been a part of this amazing ‘production’ since ’99.  Here’s a post I wrote after another such trip about 5 years ago.

The world really needs this program.  Those of us who facilitate transformation and healing for others know this.   I am completely filled with love, gratitude, and kindness once again as I continue to live and teach yoga.

This time I came home inspired to develop and deliver an experiential program with transformational possibilities of my own.  My plan is to use the natal chart as a launchpad.  We’ll address all the planets of our solar system with the intention of  expanding our self-awareness and self-knowledge. Interested ?  Contact me at idafae@gmail.com.

Buddhism consciousness journal entry Kripalu Meditation Yoga

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The Sanctuary
Asbury Park, NJ
732.531.9013

Ancient Wisdom Asbury Park Astrology Buddhism Kripalu lunar phases Meditation philosophy Yoga yoga nidra Yoga Therapy

What happens when you integrate astrology into the yogic practice of self-observation without judgement?

Self-inquiry is a spiritual practice that directs our energy and our attention inward. It’s a particular form of self-discovery that encourages one to first recognize and then drop the social mask (also known as the persona, personality, or ascendant) and practice authenticity in every moment. (rather than productivity or some other external goal). In, The Path with Heart by Jack Kornfield, he describes a Buddhist practice of sitting quietly and repeatedly path with heartasking yourself, “Who am I”, over and over until you reach a point where something in the body/mind relaxes (?) and a subtle shift in consciousness happens. It’s one of those things that you have to experience for yourself and hard to describe.

Svadhyaya is one of the niyamas (from Patanjali’s 8 Limbs of Yoga) that encourages us to look at ourselves, clearly, without prejudice. It’s a challenging task and requires constant practice. Kripalu Yoga is the methodology that i practice. It brings the physical and energetic bodies into the mix by developing a heightened sense of awareness to sensations, breath, thought patterns, and spontaneous emotional expression.

man-astrologyAstrology attempts to find meaning in the natural order of the cosmos. Everything has it’s own time, it’s own season, and every minute that passes is unique. Astrologers observe both long term & short term trends and relate that information to the present moment. In addition, astrology also adds mythological, archetypal, & psychological dimensions that are extremely personal and relevant.

Natal Astrology looks at an individual (or oneself) thru a lens that has no prejudice. The natal horoscope does not see: gender, race, religion, economic status, socio/cultural differences, sexual orientation, political affiliation or any of the ways in which we categorize ourselves. What the natal chart does describe is our ‘energetic’ makeup and the timing of unfoldment. The ‘how’ is up to us. There are many ways to manifest the potential of our horoscope. It’s the energy pattern and the timing that are pre-determined. All else is free will. When approached with equanimity and non-judgement the natal horoscope becomes an impartial map of possibility with a built-in clock to help one connect to the present moment more intimately.

Yoga & Astrology have co-existed harmoniously in various cultures for eons.yantra cropped Each discipline recognizes the value & contribution of the other. Across the centuries, astrologers have continued to relate the movement of what is above to the movement of what lies below. Whereas, at the same time the yogi’s were discovering what lies without, also exists within. They both agree that here & now is important.

Yoga provides us with the tools to help us be with that moment in peaceful co-existence. Astrology helps us to understand the characteristics of the our particular ego-state and the nature of the obstacles that impede our path towards a higher consciousness. Yoga helps us to smooth out the obstacles, minimize the ego drives and approach life’s challenges in peace. Astrology provides us with the nature of the ever-changing present moment. Yoga practices train us to respond to the ever-changing moment with acceptance. Astrology, when properly understood, can advance us towards spiritual awakening. Yoga does the same.

As a Professional Kripalu Yoga Teacher & Astrologer it’s taken me most of my life to bring these two paths together in a way that goes beyond the mental field or intellect. After 30+ years of study and practice I have now reached a point where I can no longer keep them separate. My personal practice and the programs I offer always include the cosmic point of view in an attempt to teach the hermetic principal, As Above, So Below. For those who are ready for the practice of self-inquiry and seek to approach life multi-dimensionally, astrology & yoga together can be quite enlightening.

Om shanti, shanti, shantihi.

Astrology Buddhism consciousness Dharma Karma Kripalu Meditation philosophy Teachers Yoga Yoga Therapy

 

back to the Hill House

Have you noticed how the outside really does reflect the inside? All the time.

I’ve just returned from Kripalu Center where I was able to take on the role of musician in the Saptah ‘event’ and then facilitator and yoga leader in the IQI.

A lot happened. Nothing happened. The stillpoint that becomes present when I find my center was exquisitly healing for me personally & professionally.

And, just to remind me that the universe supports inward journeying I’ve arrived home during the balsamic phase of the moon; another opportunity to develop relationship with the more causal levels of existence.

I’ll be facilitating another yoga nidra this thursday.

The astrology is perfect.

I feel like I’m doing my part to bring peace to the planet.

I couldn’t do this work without practicing peace for myself.

May we live in peace, no matter what we’re given.

Om nama shivaya.

sleeping

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