Swami Kripalu
Swami Kripalu (1913-1981) was a remarkable man, a bridge between the traditions of ancient India and contemporary Western society. A yoga master renowned in India for the intensity of his spiritual practice and the depth of his compassion, Swami Kripalu came to America in 1977 where he spent the last four years of his life in residence at the original Kripalu Center.
Maintaining his schedule of ten hours of Kundalini Yoga meditation per day, Swami Kripalu taught a small number of close disciples including Yogi Amrit Desai, the originator of Kripalu Yoga. He also made weekly public appearances that catalyzed the growth of the Kripalu Yoga community. In these ways, Swami Kripalu played an essential role in the transmission of a spiritually potent yoga tradition to a large community of Western practitioners.
An articulate speaker and talented musician, it was Swami Kripalu’s genuine love for people that set him apart. His singing stirred deep feelings of devotion within the hearts of listeners. Discourses were peppered with captivating stories, eliciting tears of sorrow and peals of uncontrollable laughter. A prolific writer, Swami Kripalu wrote books of practical spiritual guidance aimed at uplifting the lives of his many devotees.
Radiating a palpable energy of compassionate love and spiritual power, few came into Swami Kripalu’s presence without being touched, moved or changed in some way. Swami Kripalu returned to India in 1981 and died shortly thereafter. Held dear by a multitude of Indians and Westerners, Swami Kripalu’s death was honored as the passing of a humanitarian saint. His teachings on yoga practice and supportive lifestyle still form the basis of the Kripalu Yoga approach.
~Ila Sarley
Used with permission