Kripalu to Lay Off 450 Employees: My Wife Included

Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, located in Stockbridge, will be letting go of 450 of their 489 employees as of June 17. This announcement is personally devastating. My wife Amber has been employed full-time at the center for the past 14 years. She was the Manager of the Kripalu Schools which offered trainings for those interested in becoming yoga teachers, Ayurvedic Health Counselors, Integrative Yoga therapists, and mindful outdoor guides.

Her years working at Kripalu have marked so many major life milestones for us; getting engaged, getting married, buying a home together, receiving a kidney transplant, and welcoming our first child into the world. This news signifies the end of a chapter in our lives as well as an uncertain financial future ahead. We'll do our best to manage. Amber will be go on unemployment, joining so many others in the Berkshires and nationwide.

This isn't a big shock to us. We have seen this coming for a while, even back in the early stages of the pandemic. People come from all walks of life and from all over the world to share life-changing experiences at Kripalu, thus the recent decision to remain closed until 2021 to ensure the safety of the staff and guests.

In a recent Berkshire Eagle article, State Rep and WSBS Talk Show Host Smitty Pignatelli had this to say about the situation at Kripalu:

It's another body blow to the Berkshires. Tanglewood was a big shock. This is the next one. ... A lot of places are in trouble, but this is [difficult] for the 400-plus people who work there, several of whom I know. I'm stunned. I can't say I'm surprised, but I'm heartbroken nonetheless.

The best thing to come out of this for us is that we, particularly Amber, will be able to spend more quality time with our little one, and you cannot put a price tag on those precious moments.