As you probably know, avodah means prayer, but it also can be translated to service and work. These words fit together well in terms of yoga and Jewish spirituality.
If we think of prayer as avodat halev…service of the heart…we understand that to pray we must enter into a space deep within ourselves in order to truly connect with Shekhinnah…God’s indwelling presence. This is no easy task…it takes work…
Work in the context of focused attention and practice… In yoga we use attention to our breath and the physical sensations throughout our bodies as entryways into that heart space. Yoga is akin to Shacharit…the morning prayers that warm us up spiritually so that we can live lives of connection and gratitude toward each other and God throughout the rest of our day. Yoga does the same thing…it opens us to gratitude…an essential part of prayer…We slow down enough to notice the breath flowing in and out…we bring awareness to our shoulders, jaws and bellies and soften them a little bit…leaving the external world behind us briefly so that we can appreciate z’man hazeh…this moment that God has granted us.
Yoga could be described as avodah/prayer in motion…punctuated by stillness. As we begin to move our bodies we become attuned to chiyyut…life force flowing through us…this too cultivates gratitude…when we cease our intentional movement and embrace stillness our awareness of chiyyut grows…we recognize that even when we stop…life, breath, God’s Presence continues to flow…continues to flow right through us…we are part of something much greater than ourselves.
This is exactly the place…HaMakom…the heart-space that traditional prayer can carry us to. HaMakom, the place where we Know we are enveloped in the bosom of the Divine. Sukkat Shlomechah the house of peace and wholeness that our liturgy speaks of.
Maybe some of us have experienced that place many times in our lives…perhaps others have been there but not recognized it…and for others still the search for a pathway into prayer has yet to be discovered…
All I can tell you is that chanting our prayers in the traditional way works for me…sometimes, yoga works, meditation, singing and hikes in the mountains…hugging my daughters when they arrive home safely after time spent away at camp…all of these can be moments of authentic prayer for me.
I want to share a short yoga experience with all of you this evening…just a few steps down this particular pathway.
Before we begin I want to say that just as traditional prayer “looks different” depending on who’s davenen…a Chassidic man decked out in black…versus a woman at an egalitarian shule wrapped in a tallit…or teenagers ardently praying together at a USY convention…
Yoga “looks different” in different bodies...feels different in different bodies…we have varied ranges of motion and flexibility…
Yoga is not about being the strongest, thinnest, most flexible pretzel in the room…What I offer you tonight is a practice of gentle movement….accessible, I hope to everyone…no matter your age or state of health.
Lets begin…
If you wish, you may remove your shoes…remember in the Torah when God asks Moshe to remove his shoes because he is about to walk on holy ground? We are creating a holy space here for the next few minutes. For the same reason, I ask that you remain silent, even while taking off your shoes…setting an intention to be present to my voice and the fullness of whatever physical, emotional or spiritual experiences arise for you…
Begin by noticing how you are sitting in your chair…move forward so that your feet are firmly placed on the floor-take a moment to adjust your hips so that they are parallel to the edge of the chair. Place your hands on either side of your chair and grasp around both edges of the chair…pressing down slightly with the fleshy part of your hands…using them as leverage as you lengthen your spine upward…draw your shoulders up toward your ears then bring them toward the back of your body and allow your shoulder blades to slide down along your spine…so you are longer…taller in your chair now, but not stiff. Release your hands and rest them on your lap. Close your eyes.
If we think of prayer as avodat halev…service of the heart…we understand that to pray we must enter into a space deep within ourselves in order to truly connect with Shekhinnah…God’s indwelling presence. This is no easy task…it takes work…
Work in the context of focused attention and practice… In yoga we use attention to our breath and the physical sensations throughout our bodies as entryways into that heart space. Yoga is akin to Shacharit…the morning prayers that warm us up spiritually so that we can live lives of connection and gratitude toward each other and God throughout the rest of our day. Yoga does the same thing…it opens us to gratitude…an essential part of prayer…We slow down enough to notice the breath flowing in and out…we bring awareness to our shoulders, jaws and bellies and soften them a little bit…leaving the external world behind us briefly so that we can appreciate z’man hazeh…this moment that God has granted us.
Yoga could be described as avodah/prayer in motion…punctuated by stillness. As we begin to move our bodies we become attuned to chiyyut…life force flowing through us…this too cultivates gratitude…when we cease our intentional movement and embrace stillness our awareness of chiyyut grows…we recognize that even when we stop…life, breath, God’s Presence continues to flow…continues to flow right through us…we are part of something much greater than ourselves.
This is exactly the place…HaMakom…the heart-space that traditional prayer can carry us to. HaMakom, the place where we Know we are enveloped in the bosom of the Divine. Sukkat Shlomechah the house of peace and wholeness that our liturgy speaks of.
Maybe some of us have experienced that place many times in our lives…perhaps others have been there but not recognized it…and for others still the search for a pathway into prayer has yet to be discovered…
All I can tell you is that chanting our prayers in the traditional way works for me…sometimes, yoga works, meditation, singing and hikes in the mountains…hugging my daughters when they arrive home safely after time spent away at camp…all of these can be moments of authentic prayer for me.
I want to share a short yoga experience with all of you this evening…just a few steps down this particular pathway.
Before we begin I want to say that just as traditional prayer “looks different” depending on who’s davenen…a Chassidic man decked out in black…versus a woman at an egalitarian shule wrapped in a tallit…or teenagers ardently praying together at a USY convention…
Yoga “looks different” in different bodies...feels different in different bodies…we have varied ranges of motion and flexibility…
Yoga is not about being the strongest, thinnest, most flexible pretzel in the room…What I offer you tonight is a practice of gentle movement….accessible, I hope to everyone…no matter your age or state of health.
Lets begin…
If you wish, you may remove your shoes…remember in the Torah when God asks Moshe to remove his shoes because he is about to walk on holy ground? We are creating a holy space here for the next few minutes. For the same reason, I ask that you remain silent, even while taking off your shoes…setting an intention to be present to my voice and the fullness of whatever physical, emotional or spiritual experiences arise for you…
Begin by noticing how you are sitting in your chair…move forward so that your feet are firmly placed on the floor-take a moment to adjust your hips so that they are parallel to the edge of the chair. Place your hands on either side of your chair and grasp around both edges of the chair…pressing down slightly with the fleshy part of your hands…using them as leverage as you lengthen your spine upward…draw your shoulders up toward your ears then bring them toward the back of your body and allow your shoulder blades to slide down along your spine…so you are longer…taller in your chair now, but not stiff. Release your hands and rest them on your lap. Close your eyes.
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