Embracing Life's Changes

Embracing Life's Changes is a creative workshop and weekend retreat at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, led by Laura Dickstein Thompson. It is made for people standing at a crossroads: those facing burnout, retirement, an empty nest, a shift in a relationship, or grief. Through yoga, mindfulness, and expressive art, it asks what comes next once you have reached your goals or done everything you thought you could.

What to Expect

The retreat blends yoga, mindfulness, and hands-on creative work such as writing, painting, and collaging. No artistic skill is assumed. The art is a way of listening to yourself, and the community discussions and exercises circle one question: "What comes next after you've achieved your goals or done everything you think you can?"

Alongside the creative practice, Kripalu faculty guide you through the four aims of life in Hindu philosophy, the purusharthas:

- Dharma: duty, righteousness, and moral values
- Artha: prosperity and economic values
- Kama: pleasure, love, and psychological well-being
- Moksha: liberation, spiritual growth, and self-realization

These become a framework for looking at your own direction, with dharma, your personal path, at the center.

The days follow the usual Kripalu rhythm. On opening day, check-in begins at 2:00 pm, followed by a Kripalu Yoga class from 4:45 to 6:00, dinner, and a first program session from 7:30 to 9:00 in the evening. Full days begin with Kripalu Yoga from 6:30 to 7:45 am and a silent breakfast. Program sessions run from 9:00 to 11:30 am and again from 1:30 to 4:00 pm, with lunch between them, then another yoga class and dinner. On the closing morning there is yoga, silent breakfast, a final session from 9:00 to 11:30, and lunch before departure. The aim is that you go home with renewed energy and a clearer sense of your next chapter.

About Laura Dickstein Thompson

Laura Dickstein Thompson leads this program as a presenter in the Kripalu Experience Program series, within its Creativity & Expression offerings. She also teaches Reclaim Your Creativity at Kripalu.

The Setting

Kripalu is a yoga and health center in Stockbridge, in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. Accommodations are intentionally simple, meant to help you unplug and feel grounded. You can choose a private room for solitude, a shared room, or community-style dormitory housing. Rooms are ready by 4:00 pm, and a luggage room is available if you arrive earlier. Three meals are served each day, and breakfast is taken in silence.

Before You Go

All levels are welcome. No prior yoga, meditation, or art experience is needed, only an interest in creative exploration and self-reflection during a time of change. The program is taught in English.

Your stay includes three meals a day, more than ten daily yoga and movement classes, access to the Kripalu grounds and facilities, and your accommodation, with the room type chosen separately. Healing Arts sessions and purchases from the Kripalu Shop and Cafe cost extra.

On departure day, room check-out is at 10:00 am, and you may stay on campus and take part in workshops until 2:00 pm. Times can shift slightly, so check the schedule you receive at check-in. If the program is full, a waitlist is available.