Meditation

A person reaches in three directions
   inward, to oneself
   up, to God
   out, to others.

The miracle of life is that
   in truly reaching
   in any one direction
   one embraces all three.

        —Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav

what is meditation?

Sylvia Boorstein, an internationally known teacher of Mindfulness Meditation, writes that when someone asks her why she meditates, she answers as follows:

• to clear the mind
• to open the heart
• to befriend myself
• and to connect with the Divine

I love this clear and direct response as it succinctly captures what I know to be true of meditation.

Through meditation practice, we learn the skills to settle the mind, pay attention with intention, cultivate compassion, increase concentration and develop greater equanimity so we can better meet whatever life brings us. As we gain greater clarity and understanding of the true nature of our lives, we develop a greater ability to choose how to respond to “what is” rather than react in habitual and unskillful ways to the people and situations life brings us.

what is jewish meditation?

All religious traditions, including Judaism, have meditative paths that offer ways to directly experience the true nature of life and the divine mystery. Each tradition also brings it's own unique emphasis and character to its practices. Hebrew prayer, niggunim (wordless melodies) and chants, contemplation on words and symbols and Kabbalistic teachings are all part of Jewish meditative practices.

individual and group instruction

Please contact me for a schedule of meditation classes and workshops.