Celebration of Swami Kripalu, the Path of Love, & the Ashram Years

Celebration of Swami Kripalu, the Path of Love, & the Ashram Years 

Featuring Niti Martin and Megha Nancy Buttenheim 

An evening to gather as a Sangha (community) on the Path of Love. 

In the traditions of Kripalu Yoga and I AM Yoga (Integrative Amrit Yoga), we honor the life and teachings of Swami Kripalu. Kripalu told us that he was a Pilgrim of Love on the Path of Love and his Teachings have inspired SO MANY yoga teachers and practitioners! 

This year, we have a unique opportunity to hear from teachers who were part of the Kripalu Ashram years. We invite anyone who is interested to join us in this beautiful chance to connect with a wider global sangha of people who resonate with this energy that we call the Lineage of Light. We especially hope that the many generations of Ashrams may be able to come together to honor all they have discovered for themselves and shared with all of us – through the practices of Yoga, Meditation, Let Your Yoga Dance, Pranayama, and more. 

The evening will include: 

• How Swami Kripalu’s teachings have inspired us. 

• A meditation given to us by Swami Kripalu as his “gift to the West.” 

• Hearing about the Ashram Years and how the communities & practices from those times have helped to deepen our practices. 

Usually, Santosha Yoga honors Mahasamadhi, around the time of Swami Kripalu’s birth (January 13, 1913) or passing (December 29, 1981). This year, we’re doing something a little bit different – we’re gathering in February and focusing on this path of Unconditional Love. 

Friends and fellow Siblings on the Path from both Near and Far will share Swami Kripalu’s teachings, meditation, and community connection.

Swami Kripalu (January 13, 1913 - December 29, 1981) was a renowned yoga master who lived primarily in the Gujarat region of India. At Santosha and in I AM Yoga (Integrated Amrit Method of Yoga), we call him “Bapuji,” an affectionate nickname meaning “beloved father.” Among Swami Kripalu’s dedicated disciples was Yogi Amrit Desai, who we call “Gurudev” meaning “beloved teacher.” Kripalu encouraged Yogi Desai to bring yoga to the US in 1959. Gurudev began teaching around 1961, creating first Kripalu Yoga and then Amrit Yoga (now called I AM Yoga) to convey the power of these teachings to Americans and other Westerners.

In 1977, despite the rigorous demands of his yoga practice (Sadhana), Bapuji stunned his followers in India by accepting an invitation to visit America. Bapuji arrived in May of 1977, expecting to stay only a few months, but he extended his visit to over four years, living at the original Kripalu Yoga Ashram in Sumneytown, Pennsylvania in a small cottage named Muktidham or “Abode of Liberation.” Here in Muktidham, Bapuji did his ten-hour a day yoga practice and reached the highest stages of yoga. He was supported by Amrit Desai’s wife, Urmilla Desai, who was also a disciple of Bapuji and is known as “Mataji” or “beloved mother.” In 1981, Bapuji’s health began to deteriorate, and he wished to return to India. He peacefully left his body (Maha Samadhi) on December 29, 1981.

Supporting the space that Swami Kripalu practiced in while he lived in the U.S.

Each year, Santosha gathers donations to help support Muktidham - the space that Swami Kripalu practiced in while he lived in the United States. To help support that space, you are invited to make an additional donation to Kripalvananda Yoga Institute (KYI). KYI is a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation established to preserve and maintain Muktidham, the personal residence of Swami Kripalvananda while he resided in the United States. Shambhu is a long-time friend of Santosha Yoga and Board Historian for KYI.

Santosha will donate half of anything paid for this event to Muktidham. 

Featuring:

Patricia "Niti" Martin

Patricia "Niti" Martin, B.A. UMass health psychology, certified teacher of  Kripalu Yoga, Integrative Yoga Therapy, Let Your Yoga Dance®. 

Niti is a stress-reduction specialist leading yoga-based health presentations and personal trainings. Her yoga studies with Swami Kripalu began in 1977 upon his arrival at the Sumneytown Kripalu Ashram. Niti lived in residence at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health for 9 years, and led yoga programs as a faculty member 1984–1993. 1994–2020 she was a presenter of mind-body yoga in the fitness department of Canyon Ranch Health Resort. Kripalu Center and our growing yoga community continue to be a home base for her practice, learning and teaching.  https://www.doingwellyoga.com

Megha Nancy Buttenheim

Megha Nancy Buttenheim, M.A., E-RYT 1000, is CJO (Chief JOY Officer) and Founding Director of Let Your Yoga Dance® LLC, and author of Expanding Joy: Let Your Yoga Dance, Embodying Positive Psychology. 

Megha is a lifelong singer, dancer, and actor. Her signature movement creation, Let Your Yoga Dance, Where Joy and Fun Meet Deep and Sacred, is the result of a lifetime of dancing and acting, plus 37 years of teaching yoga and Let Your Yoga Dance at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Megha is a Legacy faculty member at Kripalu. Since 1985, she has trained hundreds of people in yoga, holistic health, embodied Positive Psychology, and two thousand people in Let Your Yoga Dance. 

Hosted by: Janie Ganga

Cost: 

Free - Santosha Members & Staff and anyone with limited finances

$13 - to support your own attendance

$26 - suggested, if you are able to support both your own attendance and 1 more