Summer at Kripalu

Each term at Kripalu has a different feel, a different energy.

Fall has an active, energetic feel, moving into winter which has a really inward, contemplative focus, and on into spring which has an expansive, outward flowing energy. Summer though has a fun, relaxed style, and hence I've been doing some fun, relaxing things and my summer at Kripalu has been wonderful and also flown by.

I love going to the lake to swim or kayak or canoe...

or going into town to eat ice cream...

...going to cultural performances like Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival (hurray outside stage! - this picture sucks because you're not allowed to take pictures, so I had to be sly)

Tanglewood (summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and host to many other talented musicians) is so close to Kripalu that I can in fact often hear the music through my open dorm room window, but I've also had the opportunity to attend some performances. My roommate and I even did the "classic tanglewood experience" of a pre-show picnic before a classical show. We saw Joshua Bell who is one of my favorite musicians and he put on a wonderful show.

Summer is also the best time for friends to visit and so I had my friend Peach (Dave) come visit and we had a wonderful time doing yoga, writing, reading poetry, singing, and laying in the grandmother tree

One of my favorite things about the summer semester has been the yoga philosophy discussion group that my friend River (the other half of Team Bake) and I started. Every week we read a chapter or two in The Inner Tradition of Yoga by Michael Stone and discuss how it applies to our live and our practice. It's been one of the most meaningful and rewarding parts of my volunteer experience. It's allowed me to go a lot deeper into my own practice and also form deeper connections with other volunteers.

If you're looking for a book on yoga philosophy and psychology, I can't recommend this one highly enough; it's beautifully written, highly practical and well-researched. Thanks to my stepmom Sally for finding it for me!