Amplify Voices
Amplifying Voices is one of the three pillars of Kripalu’s impact work, along with Access for All and Serving Those Who Serve Others. We aspire to center and uplift the lived experiences of diverse, historically marginalized, and appropriated communities who haven’t been adequately supported in our field.
One way we do this is by sharing our platform, gathering in affinity groups, forming and nurturing cohorts and councils, conducting listening tours, and providing bespoke training and grant monies to support their work. We amplify voices, we listen, and we learn.
Amplify Voices of the Global Majority
Our current free series is focused on centering South Asian voices in exploring the profound evolution of yoga in the West. The carefully curated lineup of presenters ensures a diverse range of perspectives, providing a platform for underrepresented voices to share their wisdom and experiences. Throughout each series, we’ve partnered with some of the most powerful voices of our time such as Adrienne Marie Brown, Leah Penninmen, Susanna Barkataki, and more. These fiercely authentic, live online conversations uplift varied perspectives, life experiences, and identities within the wellness community.
BROWSE SERIES VIDEOS
Affinity Circles
At Kripalu, we draw strength by gathering people who have similar identities, circumstances, common interests, and goals to share in a brave and supportive space. We host affinity circles for Global Majority/BIPOC, Queer/LGBTQIA+, Kripalu Schools Alumni, and grief. It’s an opportunity to connect, to be seen, heard, and held in your fullness. Structured to support growth and healing, these circles are a combination of exploring emotions through thoughtful questions/reflection, compassionate listening, and grounding practices.
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Yoga Teacher Training for the Global Majority
Kripalu now offers affinity-based Yoga Teacher Training—a 200-hour certification led by and created for members of the Global Majority. Participants learn technical skills and Kripalu’s empathic, intuitive approach to teaching through this Yoga Alliance Certified Training.
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Visionaries Cohort
Compassionate community framework weaves conscious leadership with conscious fellowship, intentionally expanding the voices we center. By realizing regenerative principles such as working in right relationship, empowered partnership, and innovative, adaptive responsiveness, we move towards Kripalu’s vision of a world united in service, well-being, justice, and peace. Over the last 24 months, we’ve welcomed 10 changemakers who are bringing us their inspired practices of seeing, feeling, and healing to strengthen and repair the web of love that ties us all together. Join us for transformative online and on campus programs.
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Deep Listening Tours
At Kripalu, we aim to listen to everyone impacted by our organization to understand both what is needed to ensure greater equity, and what stands in the way of that goal. As part of our ongoing equity work, we conduct an annual deep listening tour with an affinity group that is part of our beloved community. Our goal is to listen, learn, and gather feedback which allows us to identify opportunities to strengthen our relationships via diverse initiatives across the organization.
Schwartz Service Practicum
Originated from Kripalu’s longstanding Teaching for Diversity grant program, this practicum supports Kripalu alumni in developing a Community Impact Project through the Kripalu School of Yoga. Participants receive mentoring and training to develop projects that serve diverse or underserved audiences, and receive financial resources to launch their project in the form of a grant.
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Communities Served
In endeavoring to create a Kripalu where anyone who walks through our doors feels a sense of belonging and feels seen in their fullness, these are the groups Kripalu strives to take into consideration by acknowledging the unequal starting places and imbalances that they face in the wellness community: Global Majority, BIPOC , South Asian, AAPI, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, Frontline Workers, Educators, Human Resources, Healthcare, Veterans, Homeless, Incarcerated, Addiction Services, Immigrant and Refugee Populations, Elderly, Youth (Highschool; Elementary; Kindergarten), Disabled: Neurodivergent and ADA.
All of the initiatives above are driven and supported by generous donors. Charitable gifts to Kripalu help underwrite the direct and indirect costs of our service to the world.The programs described here are part of Kripalu’s ongoing commitment to making our work and offerings more accessible and equitable. In the spirit of Swami Kripalu, we seek to make Kripalu a place of belonging for all. To fulfill this commitment, we rely on community. Your engagement is more than welcome—it’s essential.