Swami Kripalu’s Yoga of Success and Self-Realization
Richard Faulds
Paperback
ISBN 9781958972700
$36.00 US
eBook available
April 15, 2025
Reviving the teachings and practices of Swami Kripalu
“Richard Faulds brings Swami Kripalu alive in a book that illumines the breadth and depth of yoga.” —Stephen Cope, author, Yoga and the Quest for the True Self
Like the Indian sages in whose footsteps he walked, Swami Kripalu taught yoga as a wisdom tradition in which disciples maintain a close personal relationship to their guru and demonstrate their fitness to receive each level of its esoteric curriculum through the intensity of their study, practice, and devotion. He adopted this approach for an important reason, as the single-minded dedication it required was meant to bring forth the best from his top students, preserving yoga’s spiritual depth and enabling them to pass on its transformative potency. Yet this approach also had a downside in that it failed to make the full scope of his teachings accessible to a multitude of seekers unable to join his circle of intimates.
Swami Kripalu’s Yoga of Success and Self-Realization presents Swami Kripalu’s teachings in a contemporary framework that any reader can understand and put into practice. John Mundahl calls it “a clear, engaging writing style infused with stories.” Supplementing the narrative are extensive quotations, excerpts, and teaching stories that remain as close as possible to Swami Kripalu’s words. Every effort has been made to retain his distinctive voice and subtlety of expression.
Richard Faulds, MA, JD, has practiced yoga and meditation for more than thirty years in close association with Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Lennox, MA. Along with being its legal counsel for two decades, he has served as Kripalu’s president, CEO, board chair, and a senior faculty member. Richard is also the author of Kripalu Yoga: A Guide to Practice On and Off the Mat and numerous other books on the Kripalu tradition including Sayings of Swami Kripalu; Swimming with Krishna: Teaching Stories from the Kripalu Yoga Tradition; and Dharma then Moksha, the Untold Story of Swami Kripalu.
“In this excellent book, Richard Faulds modernizes the teachings of Swami Kripalu, the namesake for the Kripalu Center in Massachusetts, the largest holistic health center in North America. Using thorough research, copious quotes from the teachings of Swami Kripalu, and a clear, engaging writing style infused with stories, Richard offers the reader a deeper look into the profound system of yoga as experienced and taught by Swami Kripalu, one of the greatest yogis of the twentieth century. 34 million people in the US practice yoga now, which is admirable. Yet, for the most part, yoga still remains just a system of postures. Richard invites all of us, both the curious and the serious practitioner, to examine this profound system of self-transformation more deeply and to apply what we can, given our busy lives.” —John Mundahl, editor of The Swami Kripalu Reader, and author of Soul to Soul: Poems, Prayers, and Stories to End a Yoga Class
“Richard Faulds brings Swami Kripalu alive in a book that illumines the breadth and depth of yoga.” —Stephen Cope, author, Yoga and the Quest for the True Self
“The Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health has played a pivotal role in the adaptation and assimilation of yoga in America. But the full depth and breadth of Swami Kripalu’s teachings, which inspired the center’s creation, have never been adequately presented. In this inspired book, Richard Faulds does a masterful job of filling that gap, and in the process provides practical wisdom for both yoga veterans and neophytes.” —Philip Goldberg, author of American Veda and (forthcoming) Karmic Relief
