Steadiness and Joy: Yoga for Your Entire Life

Steadiness and Joy: Yoga for Your Entire Life is a weekend yoga retreat at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, led by Natasha Rizopoulos. It is designed for anyone who wants to build or deepen a relationship with yoga, whether you are a newer student looking for a strong foundation or a seasoned practitioner ready to take your practice further. The emphasis is on yoga that lasts: the physical practice, and how to carry it into daily life.

What to Expect

The retreat pairs deep dives into asana with an introduction to the quieter layers of yoga. Natasha Rizopoulos teaches with precise instruction and offers props, modifications and variations throughout, so each class can be adapted to your level of experience.

Over the weekend you will learn:

- Foundational yoga poses
- Fundamental actions and intentions that bring integrity and balance to the practice
- A simple series of poses designed to build and maintain strength and flexibility
- An introduction to meditation and philosophy, so the many layers of yoga can be woven into life back home

Mornings are given to asana, with expansive practices that include ways to modify and adapt. Afternoon and evening sessions combine gentle and restorative yoga with practical applications of philosophy and meditation, looking at how the quieter practices can expand our understanding of who we are and how we operate in the world. The benefits explored range from posture, mobility and strength to a deeper understanding of our relationship to our thoughts, ourselves and others.

The days follow a steady rhythm. On the opening day, check-in begins at 2:00 pm, with a Kripalu Yoga class from 4:45 to 6:00, dinner from 5:30 to 7:30, and a program session from 7:30 to 9:00 in the evening. Each full day starts with Kripalu Yoga from 6:30 to 7:45 am, followed by silent breakfast from 7:30 to 9:00 and a program session from 9:00 to 11:30. Lunch runs from 11:30 to 1:30, with another program session from 1:30 to 4:00, then evening Kripalu Yoga and dinner. On the closing day, the morning class, silent breakfast and a program session (9:00 to 11:00) lead into lunch and departure. Actual times may vary, and the schedule given at check-in has the details and room locations.

About Natasha Rizopoulos

Natasha Rizopoulos is the presenter of this retreat, known for her precise instruction and her generous use of props, modifications and variations. Her methodology is built to give students at every stage the tools to move their practice forward. She also teaches the online workshop Finding Steadiness and Joy in Your Vinyasa.

The Setting

The retreat takes place on the Kripalu campus in Stockbridge, in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. Accommodations are intentionally simple, meant to help you unplug and feel grounded. Options include private single-occupancy rooms for solitude and community-style dorms for connection with other guests. Rooms are ready by 4:00 pm, and a luggage room is available if you arrive earlier. Check-out on the last day is at 10:00 am, though you may stay on campus and take part in workshops until 2:00 pm.

Three meals a day are included, with breakfast served in silence.

Before You Go

All levels of experience are welcome, and no prior knowledge of yoga philosophy or meditation is needed. The program is taught in English and rooted in the Kripalu Yoga tradition.

Your stay includes more than ten yoga classes over the weekend, three nutritious meals a day, accommodation on the grounds, program instruction and materials, and access to Kripalu's facilities and grounds. Healing Arts sessions and items from the Kripalu Shop and Cafe are available for purchase separately. Online reservations cover one or two guests. If the program is full, a waitlist is available and guests are contacted in the order they joined.