Happenings

* Friday, November 7 - Sunday, November 9, 2025 *

Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Lenox, MA

“It is so stunningly humbling and awe-inspiring to be alive every day that I cannot help but think that having the opportunity to age and grow older is a privilege worth celebrating.” ~ Kristi Nelson

Description: In our youth-obsessed society – with what defines youthful getting younger by the year – it’s hard not to feel like getting older somehow relegates us to the margins. Yet, if we are lucky, we will get to spend many, many more years as “elders” than we will spend fitting into youth’s narrow confines.

Aging is not a problem that needs to be defied or denied. Growing older offers us the chance to actually grow into our more intentional and authentic selves as we age. Buying into messages that keep us quarreling with getting older reduces our ability to be present and actively engaged in the precious, unpromised, passing moments that we are actually alive. While grieving our inevitable losses is important, doing so exclusively keeps us from the sense of aliveness that comes from noticing and celebrating all the wonders of our lives, exactly as they are.

Let’s age more gratefully.

• How could we befriend getting older to notice the opportunities available to us in life, exactly as it is?

• How might we cultivate perspective and practices to help us treat the miracle of our aging selves with the unconditional appreciation and regard we so often crave from others?

• How can we celebrate what is actually true, possible, and even enhanced as we grow older every day?

• How can we feel more at peace as we age, even — and especially — in the face of all that is, and always will be, unknown and beyond our control?

Join me for a spirited yet practical weekend exploration of aging that will help you engage with life more fully and gratefully. This experiential offering will make use of short meditation, poetry, video, reflective writing exercises, dyads, dialogue, and a variety of practices to enrich your learning journey. Together, let’s come to experience aging as the opportunity and privilege that it is.

Logistics: The workshop begins Friday evening at 7 pm and ends at Noon on Sunday. The schedule has 8.5 hours of formal time for us to be together as a group throughout the weekend, and informal practice times and an optional discussion session will be made available as well. Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health hosts the workshop and is dedicated to supporting individual and societal transformation. The campus is located in one of the most beautiful parts of New England and early November often delivers gorgeous autumnal vistas and temps. The food is plentiful and phenomenally nourishing, optional yoga and movement classes are offered throughout your stay, and you can sign up for healing treatments if you’d like. Many participants have enjoyed attending with a friend or family member. If you are 65 years of age or older, you can receive a 10% discount on tuition and housing, meals, etc. Call the registration line at 413.448.3500 to be eligible.

Email me at grateful@kristinelson.net if you have any questions. Thanks for your interest, and I hope to see you there!