Poetry, Presence, and Practice
This weekend is devoted to praise, attention, and the living practice of gratitude with the poet Mary Oliver’s official biographer, Lindsay Whalen, and integrative therapist and yoga teacher Shawn Parell.
Mary Oliver understood praise not as abstraction, but as a disciplined, embodied way of seeing. Through her work, we will explore how attention itself becomes a form of devotion—and how gratitude can be practiced even in the presence of loss, change, and uncertainty.
in-person workshop
Together, we will:
- Read and reflect on selected works that illuminate Oliver’s poetics of praise, with contextual insights from Lindsay Whalen’s biographical work.
- Engage in accessible yoga practices designed for embodied integration.
- Practice attentional and writing exercises designed to deepen gratitude as a lived, moment-to-moment experience.
- Explore the inner and outer landscapes of Thanksgiving through guided reflection and optional group sharing.
What the weekend holds
This program welcomes all levels of experience in yoga, meditation, and writing
and is open to both devoted readers of Mary Oliver and those encountering her work for the first time. Participants are invited to enjoy Kripalu’s nourishing meals, peaceful grounds, and daily offerings throughout the weekend.
come as you are
Recommended Reading + Listening
- Lindsay Whalen: How Mary Oliver's Biographer Finally Met the Legendary Poet
- The Guest House Podcast: The Poet of Dawn is the Poet of Darkness: A Talk with Mary Oliver Biographer Lindsay Whalen
Lindsay Whalen is writing the first biography of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver, to be published by Penguin Press. She is the recipient of the CUNY Graduate Center's Leon Levy Center for Biography Fellowship and has taught and presented on Mary Oliver's life and work for the Academy of American Poets, the 92nd Street Y, and elsewhere. She was a consultant and featured expert for the forthcoming PBS American Masters documentary, "Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World." Lindsay began her career in publishing and continues to work with authors as an independent editor. She lives in New Haven, CT.
Shawn Parell is a licensed therapist, yoga and meditation teacher, and writer whose work invites people into deeper relationship with themselves and the living world. With more than two decades of experience leading retreats and educational immersions, Shawn maintains a holistic psychotherapy practice in Santa Fe, NM, and connects with a global readership through The Guest House, her Substack publication featuring essays, conversations, and practices exploring the complexities and creative potential of being human in an era of radical change. Shawn holds an M.A. in Eastern Classics and Sanskrit from St. John’s College and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Southwestern College.
About your guides
Shawn parell
Lindsay Whalen
3-day Workshop
Close readings and discussions of Mary oliver poetry
Biographical context provided by oliver's official biographer
Writing prompts for personal reflection
integrative, gentle Yoga & meditation practices
3 nutritious meals a day
Access to the Kripalu Grounds & onsite offerings (100+ acres of forest, fields, lakefront, and sacred stillness)
