Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health

On an October Tuesday at Kripalu, the first yoga classes begin at 6:30 in the morning, one gentle and one moderate. By 7:30 the dining hall is open for breakfast, which is eaten in silence. The site calls silent breakfast a beloved tradition, and it keeps other spaces outside the dining hall open for those who want conversation.

Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health stands at 57 Interlaken Road in Stockbridge, in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. For more than 50 years it has been a leader in yoga and mindfulness-based education. It is a nonprofit, and its stated purpose is to ignite personal and societal transformation through the wisdom and power of yoga. The campus covers 100+ acres, with walking paths, hiking trails and a private lakefront.

Guests sleep in the historic Shadowbrook building or in the Annex, a newer, eco-friendly building connected to it. Rooms are intentionally minimal, from private rooms with en-suite baths to private rooms with shared hall baths. Indoors there are a sauna, a fitness center, meditation rooms, a cafe and workspaces. Meals are rooted in yoga and Ayurveda.

Most visitors come through Retreat & Renewal, a self-guided stay offered overnight or as a day pass. It includes 10+ daily yoga, dance and meditation classes, workshops and guided hikes. Kripalu Experience Programs are led by the center's own faculty and are built within its lineage. They range from the Kripalu Silent Retreat to Mindful Archery and Winter Forest Bathing. Four schools train teachers: Yoga, Ayurveda, Mindful Outdoor Leadership and Integrative Yoga Therapy. Healing Arts treatments, such as Kripalu Meditative Massage, are available at additional cost.