I had the pleasure of working with Bettina Zumdick during a Macrobiotic (holistic health)…read moreconsultation. Just sitting in the presence of Bettina felt healing. Our session was informative and detailed. I left with lots of information on how to reverse a handful of health conditions and emotional issues. She also gave me great advice on energetic practices to incorporate as well. The special thing about Bettina is she looks at the whole person: from a physical, energetic, emotional and spiritual perspective. Her aim is to address all of these in the session. After our initial consultation I followed up with Bettina multiple times, with both questions and the need for encouragement. Each time, her words landed straight into my heart... its like she knew exactly what I needed to hear. She was never pushy with her advice, but full of love and compassion. She is a truly gifted practitioner and teacher. I'm 6 weeks into her recommendations and have felt huge shifts in my health, weight, and spiritually well being. If you're looking for a holistic approach to wellness and health, I cannot recommend Bettina highly enough.

From the owner: * Health, Diet and Wellness Consultations * Tarot Readings…read more* 9 Star Ki Astrology Readings * Macrobiotic Health Consultations

My friend and I have been to Kripalu about 5 times - mostly for R&R and once for a writing course…read more We prefer R&R so we have more unstructured time for all the daily activities. A Kripalu stay is like going to camp for us, but with fantastic buffet style food. We love having days of comfy clothes, flip flops and no need to make any important decisions or plan anything beyond what time we are meeting for our next meal. We love the guided hikes, kayaking, yoga dance and the variety of sessions that are informative, thought provoking and/or movement-based. I enjoy all of the relaxing after dinner yoga classes. The grounds and lake are beautiful. The teachers who lead the hikes and kayaking are lovely - positive and helpful. We always stay in a two twin bed room with a shared bath in Shadowbrook, the only option cheaper than the dormitory group rooms. We tend to go in the off season when there's a discount code so we pay about $550 total per person for three nights. Though the rooms are very tiny and modest, we are pretty much only in them to sleep. The community bathrooms are kept very clean. I love the reading room on the 4th floor, so relaxing and the couches are perfect for a nap. If you want to have fun, recharge, eat great food with tons of options at each meal and get lots of healthy activity, Kripalu is great. If you're looking for a luxury experience, that's not what this is.

I recently returned for another wonderful stay at Kripalu, in an R&R stay. My room as expected was…read moreclean and comfortable. I booked two services in the healing arts a Therapeutic Massage and a Chinese Astrology reading. My masseuse was wonderful at helping my begin the process of releasing all the tense muscles in my lower back and neck after a recent flare up of my chronic pain condition due to an existing spinal injury. They were careful and checked in with my along the way about pressure and comfort in the process. I felt very comfortable throughout and though I left sore (which I expect when working out the tense muscles after a flare) I felt more functional and saw a decrease in movement pain shortly after. I have had encounters with the astrologer on staff in my past visits to Kripalu once in leading a workshop on Chinese Astrology and another on a shamanic full moon ceremony. I felt that the reading and insight Beth provided was very accurate to what has framed me in my life where I've been and a bit of where I'm going. I would definitely recommend adding on a few things if time and budget allows. They truly made the experience better. As always, the food was exceptional and I found plenty of options in the schedule for movement practices, new learning opportunities as well as plenty of cozy corners and spaces to relax and do what feels best for you. They have plenty of options for books, games and puzzles to entertain you. I am also a huge fan of walking through their onsite store and left with a few new goodies to commemorate the trip. I am forever grateful for to Kripalu and their staff after every visit for always leaving feeling like I've been taken care of for a few days. I cannot wait for my next trip out.

The therapists and psychiatrists are very good at what they do, despite the fact that they all…read morestill cling to the marginalized theories of psychodynamics (derived from the theories of Freud, who is himself a marginalized figure). IMO, psychodynamic theory is great for diagnosis. But as for treatment, I'm not sure if CBT is superior or not. Sadly, the front office has decided to lie (by omission) to all new patients. They will tell you that the average person stays for 3 to 6 months (or something like that). But they fail to tell the truth, that the average length of stay for A PERSON STAYING AS LONG AS THEIR THEROPIST RECOMMENDS is more like a year or more. The 3 to 6 months figures include people who dropped out early (usually because they can't afford it). So, if you plan to go to Austen Riggs and stay as long as the therapists will recommend, plan to be there for about a year and plan to pay about HALF OF A MILLION DOLLARS. (that's approximately $500,000), assuming you're not lucky enough to get insurance to help out, or if you can get a financial need discount.

I spent 3 years of my life here. At the time, I could have given a laundry list if everything I…read morethought was wrong or unjust with the place. But in reality, this place gave me the opportunity to save MY OWN life. It was because I understood that after a long history at countless facilities throughout the US, no one, no pill, no magic method could do this for me. I had to want it. I wanted to be better, I just didn't know how to not want to die.But by the time I got to Riggs, I was ready to put in the time, ready to get uncomfortable, and ready to work my ass off. And it sucked. A lot. Most of the time. But I would absolutely do it over and over again. I have a life now that I don't want to end and a future I never thought I'd want. To me, that's worth every second. (I can only bring myself to give 4 stars because the mismanagement during lockdown and covid was extremely difficult and downright irresponsible, specifically to those patients such as myself, who were no longer living on site and were essentially an afterthought for several months. This highly impacted my psychiatric well being during that time.)

I'm writing this as a concerned parent after my daughter attended a 10-day Vipassana retreat at…read moreDhamma Dhara. Before attending, she was loving, connected, and in close contact with our family. After the retreat, there was an immediate and complete cutoff in communication with all of us--something entirely out of character and deeply painful. The staff were kind when I reached out, and I respect that many benefit from this practice. However, I don't believe there is enough awareness about how intense 10 days of silence and deep introspection can be, especially for someone already going through major life changes. When such a drastic shift happens so suddenly, it raises real concerns about vulnerability, influence, and lack of support during reintegration. Families should be aware and prepared for possible unexpected changes. If my daughter ever reads this: you are loved, missed, and always welcome back

I wish I knew about this 10 years ago even 20 it was intense, but so life-changing... So well…read moreorganized... The food was great even though I don't particularly like vegetarian vegan food. It was wonderful... And thankfully previous students had clean very well, and the place was spotless. I will go back and serve on a course... Try and get the time to go and do this. You will be thankful.

This Buddhist center is a wonderful place of learning, meditation and community. Unlike stated in…read morean earlier review it is not Zen. The center is Tendai, a Japanese Buddhist school that Zen developed from. Everybody is made welcome at the center. The sangha (community) has been a source of comfort and support to me in times of loss.​​

This is a really beautiful Zen center, with a very lovely evening meditation service (usually…read moreWednesday evenings) followed by a potluck dinner. They have special events, too. It is very low-key and welcoming, and the meditations are held in a beautiful converted old barn. Very nice atmosphere and beautiful Japanese-style ritual.

Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy with Johanna - A Rare and Beautiful Experience…read more I came to my session with Johanna feeling emotionally raw after a difficult stretch -- grieving and caretaking for loved ones. What she offered wasn't just a session -- it was presence, stillness, and deep care. Johanna held the space with such gentleness and clarity. Her presence was grounding, nonjudgmental, and intuitive. During the session, when she placed her hands on my feet, I wept. Not from sadness exactly -- but from the relief of experiencing true kindness. It had been a long time. That simple act of connection reminded me what safety and support can feel like in a body. Johanna didn't rush, didn't try to fix or analyze. She just stayed -- and in that stillness, I found something I hadn't realized I'd lost. If you are carrying grief, exhaustion, or simply longing to come back to yourself, I cannot recommend Johanna enough.

What a pleasure to work with Johanna and Danielle at Wise Body Healing! I booked a massage for…read moremyself and my friend as a joint birthday present and was delighted at how wonderful the experience was. They utilized hot stones to maximize the benefits as well as carrying out a fantastic massage, introducing some unique elements and checking in regularly to make sure that each of were comfortable with everything. I wholeheartedly recommend their services. Gail Grossman

It's difficult to find the words to describe AMI. A school? A philosophy? A community? The site is…read morea wonderful place where a philosophy is taught by the institute's founders within a community. There are classes in a variety of topics related to the study of yoga science and meditation, and opportunities for practicing it. All of this in the midst of the beauty of one of the founders' amazing artwork. The basic 6-week Learn to Meditate course is life-changing, though there is a shorter Saturday morning intro class, as well. Experience it yourself! Tonight I enjoyed one of the monthly Friday "Dinner & a Movie" evenings. A delicious catered vegetarian meal (this one Italian) and a film with discussion (this one "A Little Chaos," with Kate Winslet) with a nice group of people. Very enjoyable!!

American Meditation Institute is a wonderful place for learning meditation. I have been a student…read moreat the institute through distance learning and once a year conferences for the past three years. Learning to practice meditation using the teaching has transformed my life and lowered my stress levels significantly. I recommend that everyone at least take the beginning meditation course as a starting point. Meditation is good for everyone but it takes discipline and persistence. Being a part of the institute gives you support to keep learning and growing. Namaste!