Letter to the Press - Integrated Weight Loss Program

Dear Friend:

Kripalu Center’s Integrative Weight Loss program finally packages into one program the many tools we have successfully offered our guests for years to deal with weight loss issues by using the benefits of yoga and related eastern teachings.

"You do not have to lose weight to be happy; you can actually be happy and lose weight at the same time." "I no longer diet; I live a balanced life and therefore am carrying a lighter load, emotionally, physically and spiritually." These are just two of the comments shared by participants in the Integrative Weight Loss program at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, North America’s largest retreat center for yoga and holistic health (online at www.kripalu.org).

As American consumers, we hear so many media reports about the large percentage of frustrated "yo-yo" dieters. By contrast, Kripalu’s carefully crafted weight-loss program offers a sustainable lifestyle approach that supports the permanent lifestyle changes required for maintenance of weight loss over a lifetime.

The Kripalu philosophy integrates ancient and contemporary approaches to mind-body health, with a special focus on the age-old Indian life sciences of yoga and Ayurveda. These sister sciences offer an effective paradigm for learning to shift into a natural, balanced relationship with your body, yourself and your life. The Integrative Weight Loss program combines the yogic skills of awareness and acceptance with the Ayurvedic wisdom of living in natural rhythms into a self-guided combination of yoga classes, fitness experiences, skills-based workshops, and daily bodywork sessions all in a very nurturing setting.

Workshops are taught by a core faculty of senior health educators who guide participants in exploring different aspects of whole person nutrition such as "Conscious Eating," "Body Image-Developing Self-Compassion," "Ayurveda—Aligning with Natural Rhythms," "Stoking the Fires of Metabolism," and "Natural Cooking Step by Step with Chef Deb."

Participants of this program report that often the simple things they learn are the most helpful. Many feel that just getting away from daily stress and unwinding in a retreat environment gives them the space to cultivate new habits. Others discover that exercise can be more about enjoying nature and getting in touch with the body’s real needs, rather than counting calories, distance or speed. One participant observed that the big breakfast he thought he needed to give him energy for a morning hike in fact just weighed him down, and that when he experimented with eating a lighter breakfast he found he actually had more energy.

It has been said that the yogic approach to weight loss "is like taking the scenic route instead of the highway." (See enclosed Yoga Journal article, "Why Yoga Works When Diets Often Fail.")

While Kripalu’s ongoing weight-loss program is staffed by a core of expert faculty, we also host renowned workshop leaders who teach related programs. Hale Sophia Schatz, author of "If the Buddha Came to Dinner: How to Nourish Your Body to Awaken Your Spirit" explores the daily act of feeding ourselves as a catalyst for spiritual growth and inner connection in her "Three Day Spring Cleanse" program. "The Joy of Weight Loss" with Norris Chumley explores how losing weight can actually be enjoyable. Many of the participants in this intense program for those needing to lose considerable weight have lost more than 50 pounds.

The best way to write a story about the Integrative Weight Loss program is to visit Kripalu and participate firsthand. You would be able to sample the daily skills-based workshops, nature hikes, bodywork sessions, yoga instruction, sauna and whirlpool, delicious and healthy meals, and much more.

If you are unable to come to Kripalu, we can offer many tools to help you build a story, including arranging for you to speak with our many seasoned pros about the array of program topics. I am always happy to provide access to experts, sample recipes, suggested reading lists or photos as well as to brainstorm story ideas.

Please let me know if you have any questions and don’t hesitate to contact me if you need further information.

Sincerely,

Cathy H. Husid
Media Relations

For more information, contact:
Cathy H. Husid
Media Relations
Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health
Phone (617)916-5523
cathy@husidmedia.com