Kripalu Yoga was founded in 1966 by Indian Yogi Amrit Desai of the Yoga Society of Pennsylvania. Desai studied with Swami Kripalvananda in India and named his form of hatha yoga for his guru. This form of yoga has an emphasis on physical healing and spiritual growth, as well as the physical practice of yoga.
The focus in Kripalu yoga is on the proper alignment when performing the asanas and the breath, as well as the spiritual aspects of yoga. The movements are gentle with emphasis on performing the asanas correctly and breathing with the movements.
In this form of yoga, the student is taught to honor the body and perform at their own pace, with an understanding of their own level of flexibility without pushing beyond their limits. There are three stages in this form of yoga that are progressive. The first is concerned with learning the poses and perfecting alignment and breath in the poses.
The second stage focuses on building an inner awareness of the body, while continuing to improve and build upon the individual practice. In this stage, the same asanas are used, but are held for longer periods of time. In the third stage of the practice, there is additional focus on meditation throughout the practice.
The student is taught to use their body awareness to find the level of practice that works best for them. For this reason, Kripalu yoga is good for people of all levels of flexibility on any particular day. This form of yoga is a good choice for seniors interested in trying yoga and people recovering from injury, due to the individualized nature of the practice and gentle movements.
Over the years, the Kripalu center has offered teacher workshops and training in this form of yoga, as well as massage and ayurvedic training. This form of yoga has grown and continues to grow in popularity. Studios offering Kripalu classes can now be found in cities around the country.