Integrative Yoga Therapy vs. Kripalu Yoga
Though the style of yoga I am trained and certified in is called Integrative Yoga Therapy, my teachers Joseph LePage and Priti Robyn Ross were both trained in the Kripalu Yoga lineage. The styles share the same root, though IYT adds the additional focus of using yoga specifically to address various medical conditions, including chronic disease, injuries, and mental health concerns. Though both styles of yoga are inwardly directed and include deep sivasana experiences, IYT goes a bit deeper into guided imagery and yoga nidra techniques. IYT is now the "official" chosen format of yoga therapy taught at the Kripalu Insitute, along side of its own regular Kripalu Yoga teacher training program. Please read below to learn more deeply about the philosophy of awareness transformation these great practices share.
What Distinguishes Kripalu Yoga from other Yogic Traditions?
Although yoga traditions vary widely in their approaches, most teach the same basic yoga postures. Here are the attributes unique to Kripalu Yoga.
- Practice begins gently with an emphasis on being present in your body, sustaining a flowing breath, and warming up. The overall experience is one of learning to love and nurture your body, not whip it into shape.
- It allows you to choose the level of physical intensity right for your body. Instead of encouraging you to judge your performance today against yesterday, or compare your stretch with that of your classmates, Kripalu Yoga teaches you how to listen to your body and honor its needs. On some days this may lead you to challenge yourself physically to work the kinks out. On others you may move more gently to relax the body and soothe the mind.
- It recognizes that every body is different. The goal of Kripalu Yoga is not to perfect the external form of the postures. It views postures as tools to release chronic tension, stretch and strengthen the body, and increase self-awareness. Rather than forcing the body into the classic form of the posture prematurely, postures are modified to meet individual needs.
- It activates the life force of the body that yoga calls prana. Kripalu Yoga teaches that the body is animated by an energetic life force intimately tied to the breath. Rhythmic breathing charges the system with energy. A balanced sequence of yoga postures encourages it to flow freely and evenly to all parts of the body. As practice deepens, the life force becomes more active and can be felt as warmth, tingling, and currents of energy.
- It encourages you to create a lifestyle supportive of your health by listening to your own body. As you practice Kripalu Yoga, you become more sensitive to the needs of your body and are naturally drawn to make healthier choices about diet, exercise, and other lifestyle habits. Kripalu Yoga considers each person‘s body the ultimate authority on what promotes health and teaches you how to access this body wisdom to live with more vitality.
- It’s a yoga you can practice "off the mat.” Being alive is a richer experience when you are connected to your body and breath. Through Kripalu Yoga, you discover that the same principles that bring out the best in you on the yoga mat can be applied to daily life. You learn how to meet challenges with a sense of relaxation, self-acceptance, strength, courage. and openness to change.
- It offers practical tools to foster psychological and spiritual growth. By teaching you how to fully feel strong emotion and compassionately observe the activity of the mind, Kripalu Yoga fosters emotional healing and facilitates psychological growth. As a result, your ability to express yourself, listen to others, and be in relationship deepens. Kripalu Yoga also includes sensible spiritual teachings that demystify the process of spiritual awakening and make it accessible to contemporary people living active lives.
- It acknowledges that regular yoga practice is designed to initiate a process of personal transformation. By nurturing the body, opening the heart, and clearing the mind, Kripalu Yoga removes the obstacles that so often stifle and stunt the natural progression of human development. Regular practice stimulates an ongoing process of positive change that inspires you to realize your full potential.
- Practice begins gently with an emphasis on being present in your body, sustaining a flowing breath, and warming up. The overall experience is one of learning to love and nurture your body, not whip it into shape.
- It allows you to choose the level of physical intensity right for your body. Instead of encouraging you to judge your performance today against yesterday, or compare your stretch with that of your classmates, Kripalu Yoga teaches you how to listen to your body and honor its needs. On some days this may lead you to challenge yourself physically to work the kinks out. On others you may move more gently to relax the body and soothe the mind.
- It recognizes that every body is different. The goal of Kripalu Yoga is not to perfect the external form of the postures. It views postures as tools to release chronic tension, stretch and strengthen the body, and increase self-awareness. Rather than forcing the body into the classic form of the posture prematurely, postures are modified to meet individual needs.
- It activates the life force of the body that yoga calls prana. Kripalu Yoga teaches that the body is animated by an energetic life force intimately tied to the breath. Rhythmic breathing charges the system with energy. A balanced sequence of yoga postures encourages it to flow freely and evenly to all parts of the body. As practice deepens, the life force becomes more active and can be felt as warmth, tingling, and currents of energy.
- It encourages you to create a lifestyle supportive of your health by listening to your own body. As you practice Kripalu Yoga, you become more sensitive to the needs of your body and are naturally drawn to make healthier choices about diet, exercise, and other lifestyle habits. Kripalu Yoga considers each person‘s body the ultimate authority on what promotes health and teaches you how to access this body wisdom to live with more vitality.
- It’s a yoga you can practice "off the mat.” Being alive is a richer experience when you are connected to your body and breath. Through Kripalu Yoga, you discover that the same principles that bring out the best in you on the yoga mat can be applied to daily life. You learn how to meet challenges with a sense of relaxation, self-acceptance, strength, courage. and openness to change.
- It offers practical tools to foster psychological and spiritual growth. By teaching you how to fully feel strong emotion and compassionately observe the activity of the mind, Kripalu Yoga fosters emotional healing and facilitates psychological growth. As a result, your ability to express yourself, listen to others, and be in relationship deepens. Kripalu Yoga also includes sensible spiritual teachings that demystify the process of spiritual awakening and make it accessible to contemporary people living active lives.
- It acknowledges that regular yoga practice is designed to initiate a process of personal transformation. By nurturing the body, opening the heart, and clearing the mind, Kripalu Yoga removes the obstacles that so often stifle and stunt the natural progression of human development. Regular practice stimulates an ongoing process of positive change that inspires you to realize your full potential.
Stages of Kripalu Yoga
Kripalu Yoga is taught in three stages that help you safely start and progressively deepen your practice. An overview of the stages appears below.
Stage One: Body and Breath Awareness
In the first stage of Kripalu Yoga, you learn how to bring yourself fully present in your body and practice the classic yoga postures with a flowing breath, proper alignment, and a mental focus on sensation. The purpose of stage one practice is to stretch and strengthen your entire body, releasing the chronic muscle tension that inhibits relaxation and underlies many health problems. During the process of stretching and strengthening the body, it is common to encounter physical limitations and emotional blocks. An attitude of compassionate self-acceptance is stressed as an essential element of practice. Each session concludes with the rejuvenating experience of deep relaxation. Regular practice revitalizes the respiratory, nervous, endocrine, digestive, and other major systems of the body that support healthy functioning.
Stage Two: Focusing Inward
In the second stage of Kripalu Yoga, you learn how to encounter and release deep—seated emotional and mental tensions. The purpose of stage two practice is to open the heart and clear the mind. Postures are held for longer periods of time, and the mind is focused on the intensified flow of sensation, emotion, and thought that results. Holding a posture not only strengthens the physical body, it heightens self-awareness and naturally produces meditative states of introversion and introspection. Prolonged holding causes buried emotion and other unconscious material to surface, where it can be felt, seen, and let go. Regular practice restores emotional balance and mental clarity, increasing your capacities for learning and growth.
Stage Three: Meditation-in-Motion
A hallmark of Kripalu Yoga is an experience called Meditation in Motion. With the mind deeply relaxed, you allow the body to move spontaneously as guided from within. Entering this experience, you drop everything learned from external sources and respond directly to the urges and intuitive prompting of the body. Stage three is a form of moving meditation that reveals the essential mystical truth: Spirit dwells within you as the intelligent energy underlying body and mind. Kripalu Yoga‘s approach to meditation is unique, because it recognizes that the essence of meditation is a state of deep inner absorption that can occur in either the flow of yoga postures or in moments of physical stillness.
(excerpts are from Richard Fauld’s book, Kripalu Yoga: A Guide to Practice On & Off the Mat)
Stage One: Body and Breath Awareness
In the first stage of Kripalu Yoga, you learn how to bring yourself fully present in your body and practice the classic yoga postures with a flowing breath, proper alignment, and a mental focus on sensation. The purpose of stage one practice is to stretch and strengthen your entire body, releasing the chronic muscle tension that inhibits relaxation and underlies many health problems. During the process of stretching and strengthening the body, it is common to encounter physical limitations and emotional blocks. An attitude of compassionate self-acceptance is stressed as an essential element of practice. Each session concludes with the rejuvenating experience of deep relaxation. Regular practice revitalizes the respiratory, nervous, endocrine, digestive, and other major systems of the body that support healthy functioning.
Stage Two: Focusing Inward
In the second stage of Kripalu Yoga, you learn how to encounter and release deep—seated emotional and mental tensions. The purpose of stage two practice is to open the heart and clear the mind. Postures are held for longer periods of time, and the mind is focused on the intensified flow of sensation, emotion, and thought that results. Holding a posture not only strengthens the physical body, it heightens self-awareness and naturally produces meditative states of introversion and introspection. Prolonged holding causes buried emotion and other unconscious material to surface, where it can be felt, seen, and let go. Regular practice restores emotional balance and mental clarity, increasing your capacities for learning and growth.
Stage Three: Meditation-in-Motion
A hallmark of Kripalu Yoga is an experience called Meditation in Motion. With the mind deeply relaxed, you allow the body to move spontaneously as guided from within. Entering this experience, you drop everything learned from external sources and respond directly to the urges and intuitive prompting of the body. Stage three is a form of moving meditation that reveals the essential mystical truth: Spirit dwells within you as the intelligent energy underlying body and mind. Kripalu Yoga‘s approach to meditation is unique, because it recognizes that the essence of meditation is a state of deep inner absorption that can occur in either the flow of yoga postures or in moments of physical stillness.
(excerpts are from Richard Fauld’s book, Kripalu Yoga: A Guide to Practice On & Off the Mat)
