typically arises to share these practices and perspectives. “These practices all lead to a sense of union, relatedness and sameness with others,” he says, “and this burgeoning consciousness of sameness compels us to share what we’ve learned.” In Rhinebeck, New York, the
The unexamined life is not worth living for a human being.
~ Plato
Psychotherapist and yoga teacher Stephen Cope, founder and director of the Kripalu Institute for Extraordi- nary Living, the Center’s yoga research department, notes that many guests first come to Kripalu “… as a result of some form of suffering. Then they engage in a period of self-exploration—perhaps learning some form of contemplative practice to help them manage them- selves more effectively. Almost always there is a turn outward, back toward the world, and a longing to bring the heal- ing power of contemplative practice into their own domain.”
Once someone has experienced the benefits of contemplative practices such as yoga, meditation, breathing and other healthy lifestyle routines, notes Cope, a powerful aspiration
Omega Institute for Holistic Stud- ies offers similar self-empowering and reflective opportunities. Dr. Stephan Rechtschaffen and Elizabeth Lesser founded Omega in 1977 as a “university of life.” Through working with prominent Zen masters, rabbis, Christian monks, psychologists, scientists and others, Lesser has found, “By combining a vari- ety of religious, psychological and heal- ing traditions, each of us has the unique ability to satisfy our spiritual hunger.” Based since 1981 in a former camp on a lake with more than 100 buildings on 200-plus acres, Omega hosts more than 23,000 guests in up to 500 programs between mid-April and October, plus special programs in Costa Rica and New York City. Director of Rhinebeck Programs Carol Donahoe notes the rising interest in workshops on dietary cleansing, detox and juicing, such as “Reboot with Joe Cross: A Jump Start to Health and Weight Loss,” led by the filmmaker of Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. Personal transformation and mindfulness programs led by teachers like Jon Kabat-Zinn, Saki Santorelli, Florence Meleo-Meyer, Byron Katie and Pema Chödrön are perennial favorites.
“As humans, we continue to be
fascinated by the big questions in life,” observes Donahoe, “like, ‘Where do we go when we die? Who are we if we are not our thoughts?’ People seem particularly drawn to hearing about it from those that have always lived their lives in a left-brain, logical way, and then come to believe the unexplainable through an extraordinary life experi- ence, and now view the world through a completely different lens.” As examples, she cites neuro-
surgeon Dr. Eben Alexander, who recounts his near-death experience in his bestselling book, Proof of Heaven, and neuroanatomist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, author of the bestselling memoir My Stroke of Insight. Taylor’s 2008 TED talk was ranked the nonprofit’s second most-watched for the past two years. Both of these cutting-edge think-
ers have given presentations at Omega, which, like at Esalen and Kripalu, helps bring ideas and practices that
natural awakenings
November 2013
37
Courtesy of Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health
Courtesy of Omega Institute for Holistic Studies
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