Do-Gooders are Duds at Guru Camp

The Darwinian marketplace reigns supreme at the otherwise tranquil Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, as programmers look to material ROI in determining which spiritual teachers to hire:

The course listings can seem almost like a collection of randomly combined buzzwords: “path,” “wellness,” “Rumi,” “goddess,” “awakening.” But deciding what goes into those catalogs is a process that leaves little to chance or flow. With one hand firmly on the bottom line and the other grasping for the spiritual firmament, the people who run Kripalu are engaged in a sort of permanent yoga stretch.

“We’re constantly re-examining,” said Kripalu’s president, Ila Sarley. “What are the needs? What are the needs of the market, and what are the needs of society?” In the end, everything comes down to what will bring bodies in the door. “What we’re looking at,” Ms. Sarley said, “is what will someone pay to take a vacation to do.”

The sure thing: celebrities.

Not so good a bet: do-goodery.

A program on “Conscious Kitchens” featuring the cookbook author and food activist Francis Moore Lappé was poorly attended. “Some of our more socially conscious programs tend not to draw as well,” Ms. Sarley said. “Probably we should have focused more on foodies and gourmet.”

It's an important lesson to keep in mind--far more people will say they'll buy a socially conscious product or service than will actually lay down the cash.