Begin Again: Return to Your True Nature

Begin Again: Return to Your True Nature is a spring yoga retreat at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, led by Jillian Pransky. It is a weekend for anyone who feels weighed down by the heaviness of winter and wants to meet the season with more ease, through restorative yoga, yoga nidra, chakra-based slow flow and meditation. All experience levels are welcome, and live music from composer Garth Stevenson accompanies the Saturday session.

What to Expect

The retreat is built around the idea of spring as a time of new beginnings. Just as a seed needs strong energy to push through cold, hardened soil, the program invites you to till your inner ground, release layers of winter sludge, and open toward summer. Jillian weaves teachings and practices together with an emphasis on grounding and on flowing with change, so that paradox, ambiguity and contradiction become easier to hold, and hope, love, beauty and joy have room to arrive.

Over the weekend you will work with practices meant to:

- release blocked energy and melt deeply held tension
- expand through uplifting yoga and meditation
- reconnect with yourself through yoga nidra and restorative yoga
- balance groundedness and openness, so you can be with life's challenges
- strengthen your ability to choose how you meet the present moment

The days follow a steady rhythm. On the opening day, check-in begins at 2:00 pm, followed by a Kripalu Yoga class from 4:45 to 6:00, dinner, and an evening program session from 7:30 to 9:00. Full days begin with Kripalu Yoga at 6:30 am, then a silent breakfast, a morning program session from 9:00 to 11:30, lunch, an afternoon session from 1:30 to 4:00, another yoga class at 4:45, and dinner. On the closing day there is yoga, silent breakfast and a final session from 9:00 to 11:00, then lunch and departure. Times may shift, and the schedule given at check-in has the details and room locations.

About Jillian Pransky

Jillian Pransky leads this retreat and shapes its teachings and practices around seasonal renewal, restorative yoga and the capacity to thrive amid life's contradictions.

About Garth Stevenson

Garth Stevenson is a composer and double bassist whose work sits where acoustic performance meets wilderness recording. Raised in the mountains of Western Canada, he carries his double bass into remote places, including forests, beaches, deserts and polar regions, and records solo compositions shaped by the acoustics of each site. He performs in place, letting wind, water and natural reverb inform his improvisation, and his albums, which range from coastal British Columbia to the Antarctic Peninsula, typically feature unaccompanied bass with minimal processing. He plays live for the group on Saturday.

The Setting

Kripalu's accommodations are intentionally simple, meant to help you unplug and feel grounded. You can choose a private room for solitude or a shared dormitory with community-style living. Rooms are ready by 4:00 pm, and a luggage room is available if you arrive earlier. Three nutritious meals are served each day, with breakfasts taken in silence. On the day of departure, room check-out is at 10:00 am, and you may stay on campus and take part in workshops until 2:00 pm.

Before You Go

The retreat welcomes all levels. Classes range from gentle restorative to more active flow, so you can engage at your own pace. It is offered in English. Your stay includes accommodation, three meals a day, more than ten daily yoga and movement classes, all program sessions with Jillian Pransky, Garth Stevenson's live performance, and access to the Kripalu grounds. Healing Arts sessions, items from the Kripalu Shop and Cafe, and travel to and from Kripalu are not included. Online booking is available for one or two guests.