Ready, Set, Reset

Several years ago, I went on vacation and suffered a horrible bout of food poisoning that left me with a relentless and debilitating intestinal problem. I was lethargic, I gained weight, and I had to go to the bathroom constantly. I went from doctor to doctor looking for a solution, to no avail. I tried removing foods from my diet, then adding foods. Nothing made a difference.

A girlfriend of mine suggested I visit Kripalu. Living in the Berkshires, I had driven by the center countless times, but had never stopped in. Finally, I decided to give it a shot, and booked an Ayurveda-based program with John Douillard about detox and weight loss.

I turned off my phone, said goodbye to my family, and freed myself of all the daily things I’d become accustomed to doing. As soon as I walked in the door, a warm, cozy feeling came over me.

Taking a step back from normal life gave me an opportunity to clearly assess how I was feeling. My daughter was 3 years old and I was in a constant frenetic state. I felt like I needed to do 20 things at once. I was eating breakfast in the car, listening to the news on TV while checking my phone, eating takeout, staying up late, running to and from social events. I was never fully in the moment.

The program taught me to approach these kinds of routine tasks differently, especially eating. I learned how to eat mindfully and to completely relax before enjoying a meal. I became educated about eating with the seasons, a concept that made total sense to me. The medical information I learned about how the body processes food left me confident in my ability to make meaningful changes to my diet. Most of all, I learned how to truly listen to my body.

About a month after the program, I did a week-long cleanse under John’s direction. I thought I was going to be irritable—not even coffee! But it was the opposite. I was incredibly mellow. I slept like a rock.

I am amazed to say it, but ever since, my intestinal problems are gone. It completely changed how I feel. I had been plagued for years, and suddenly, my body felt better. It’s like I was reset and my energy came roaring back.

I recommend Kripalu to everyone I know. Go and see how much better you can feel. Reset your body. You owe it to yourself.


—Lauren Z., Pittsfield, Massachusetts