Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Mind Body Solutions for Stress and other Maladies

Statistics has never been my favorite subject. In college it was a required course for my psychology degree, but I was never a fan. Lately however I have been paying attention to a certain group of statistics: how many people  in America are taking prescribed medication. It's hard not to pay attention!

I quote: “Aside from the dramatic rise of medications to treat ADHD over the past decade, the use of antianxiety drugs soared between 2001 and 2010. In children up to age nineteen , the use of antianxiety medication increased 45 percent in females and 37 percent in males...In 2010, the most recent data indicated that more than one in five adults was on at least one medication, up 22 percent from 10 years earlier. More than a quarter of the adult female population is on these drugs …..Eleven percent of Americans over age twelve take antidepressants...the number of women in their forties and fifties who have been prescribed antidepressants is a whopping 23 percent.”  David Perlmutter,  MD in Grain Brain.

We are in a national crisis and it seems only some seem to notice!

So what can one do besides taking a pill to relieve stress, cure  insomnia, gain control over anxiety or   diabetes and combat depression? Well both Yoga and Judaism would look to a Mind-Body solution.

Both Kaballah and Yoga see the human being in a wholistic way, mind and body  connected, one affecting the other, so movements of the body effect the mind and  thoughts and beliefs of the mind affect the health of the body.

Judaism teaches that corresponding to 248 limbs of the body, are 248 positive actions that the body was created to do in the world. Each body part has been created to help the human fulfill his or her  purpose, for example the mouth was given  to articulate prayer and blessing, the ear to hear specific holy sounds etc.

Corresponding to the  365 arteries  and veins  in the human body are 365 negative commandments, instructions  we fulfill by not doing, i.e. holding back from an action. All of these negative commandments   correspond to something that might engage our passion or instinct…. we don’t commit adultery or we hold ourselves back from stealing….these desires correspond to the blood pathways or passions and instincts of a person.

So one form of investigation regarding out of control stress or anxiety is to look at one’s actions and try to ascertain if they are in keeping with one’s higher purpose…. are we not sleeping at night because we feel unfulfilled regarding our actions during the day…. are we stressed because we feel ambivalent about the value or morality of our actions ?

Another method of engaging the body to solve issues of the emotions or the psyche is YOGA and Yoga Therapy.

By engaging the body in conscious movement and in breath work,  we can relieve  stresses and tensions we may be experiencing even if we don’t fully understand the causes of them.

Some people have spent years in conventional therapy and are simply either tired of talking about their problems or are finding that talk therapy is no longer helpful or is just not addressing the issue at hand. Yoga therapy can be a very helpful alternative.

Many clinical trials have shown and proven that Yoga and Meditation can be even more effective in treating many of the conditions mentioned above than medication.
While exerting ourselves physically and taking our mind off our problems and getting connected to our breath and movement , we release the stress and tensions that have lodged themselves into our bodies

For me personally I feel Yoga has been my own “medication of choice”. In order to combat the stresses of everyday life, Yoga  always leaves me feeling more relaxed and less stressed than when I began.

For many,  a regular yoga class may be all that one needs to get the varied benefits of Yoga, however for some suffering from more complex issues, or those contemplating taking a medication for stress, anxiety or insomnia, (just to mention a few examples) , a yoga therapy session with a qualified and dedicated Yoga Therapist may be just the thing needed!

Call for a free consultation:
917 821-0694
Bracha Meshchaninov,
RYT 500 and Certified Yoga Therapist.
For a list of all classes check :TiferetMovement.com

Thursday, October 1, 2015

The Holy Hug




 Just because I felt I wanted to add some further musings on Sukkot:

After all the "work" of cleaning out our garbage on a soul level and coming to a place where we are ok with who we are and in relation to our inner selves, our souls and with G-d....Sukkot offers us an amazing opportunity.... to be in a truly Holy Time and while sitting in the sukkah, to be in Holy Space....

If we view Sukkot as an opportunity to live the way we always wish we could;
being positive
accepting ourselves;
seeing the good in all that happens to us;
loving ourselves and loving G-d( cos we fixed all the bumps in the relationship right..)
loving others as true "sistas" and brothers...because we see their Divine spark
etc, etc,....then Sukkot becomes a little idyllic  Garden of Eden, and for just a week we practice being and staying in this ideal state.

What does living in Gan Eden feel like? It is feeling our dependence on G-d, feeling our true essence and feeling what's it's like to be nurtured and constantly in the embrace of G-d!  The holiday offers us a little time capsule, in the romantic analogy, it's the Honeymoon week ( with G-d as our Partner)  where we are free from our normal obligations to be able to focus on the goodness of everything,  and our ability to be "in flow"  as part of that picture... and all that can only happen after all the work that came before! ( No Honeymoon without a Wedding!)

Kaballah teaches us that the greenery used as a covering on top of the Sukkah is a manifestation of all our prayers and hard work of Yom Kippur... and being in the Sukkah, entering into the Divine Hug that we spoke about, is the experience of where all that hard work brought us!

It's my favorite holiday, and one of my peak experiences of it, is the Women's gathering in my Sukkah, which I do every year as I love it so! It's our chance to share, sing and learn and be together!

All of us coming together in a spirit of unity is also part of the ideal vision of how it should be all year round. On Sukkot we get this special opportunity to really create a template that hopefully can serve as an inspiration and guide  for the whole year that follows.

Our teachers compared the high holiday season and the month of Tishrei to the experience of going to the market place and stocking one's basket with all the necessities of spiritual service we will need in the year to come...
Rosh Hashanah we gather the Subservience and Commitment that will serve us for the whole year, on Yom Kippur we acquire  the experience of  intimacy and feel the ONEness with our Creator and on Sukkot we stock up on joy.  The Sukkot holiday  allows us to experience the pleasure of living and feeling what it's like to be in a perfected relationship.On Sukkot we get to feel the closeness of having dropped our  baggage, resentment or blocks that we may have experienced before the work of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. On Sukkot because we have worked to be in touch with our real true selves, we can authentically  experience the intimacy of feeling surrounded and "Hugged" by Hashem. The  sukkah is also an experience of feeling  nurtured and taken care of by Hashem as it is a  recreation of the clouds with which G-d protected us on our 40 year hike through the desert (while we were wandering towards the land of Israel).

So, before it's over, I encourage you to stock up your baskets and backpacks and really soak it all up, because there are only a few more days left  of this holy opportunity. The Sukkah itself is the ideal place to experience all of the above, but the time is auspicious too, so where ever you happen to be, connect to the holy opportunity of the moment and feel the joy, feel the harmony, be in sync with your higher selves and with G-d and just enjoy that sublime pleasure!!

Sending love and of course hugs... 
With blessings,
Bracha.


Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Sfirot, Chakras, Anahatha and Tiferet




Sfirot, Chakras, Anahatha  and Tiferet!!


It was studying and attempting to teach the Kabbalistic concepts  of “The Sfirot” - The 10 Divine Energies - that brought me to train as a yoga teacher.


The Kabbalah speaks of 10 different energies, Sfirot, shared by us and G-d Himself, that lie at the root of all Creation. These energies exist primarily as a vehicle for G-d to imprint Himself into our world, but they are also to be found within each one of us, reminiscent of the Chakra system.

It says in the book of Job (Iyov) "And from my flesh I shall see G-d." (19:26.) Because we are created in the image of G-d,  we can study ourselves and our own nature and thereby come to know Him. So, if I posses capacities that can be identified with G-d, and I can become familiar with those capacities within myself, I have a point of departure from which to begin to understand and thereby relate to  G-d Himself.


There  are 10 sfirot, intellectual  and emotional manifestations, and each one corresponds to a part of the human body. By relating to how a particular body part works and how it fulfills its function, I can also gather information not just about myself but about G-d and His Creation as well.


I found that in teaching the theory of the sfirot, using the physical body as an example of how the sfirot were manifest was most helpful … and thus my desire to teach yoga was conceived.


The first sfirah is not always counted as one of the 10.


Keter
Crown
Above the  head
Seventh Chakra

The Intellectual Sfirot


Chochmah
Wisdom(Inspired insight)
Right Side of the Brain
Sixth Chakra
Bina
Developed Understanding
Left Side of the Brain
Sixth Chakra
Daat
Integrated Knowledge

Fifth Chakra


The Emotional Sfirot


Chesed
Expansive Kindness
Right Arm
Fourth Chakra
Gevurah
Contracting Boundary  Maker/Severity
Left Arm
Fourth Chakra
Tiferet
Compassion/Harmony/Beauty
Heart Center
Fourth /Heart Chakra
Netzach
Victory/Endurance/
Determination
Right Leg
Third Chakra
Hod
Acknowledgement/Splendor/
Surrender
Left Leg
Third Chakra
Yesod
Foundation
Genital Region
Second  Chakra
Malchut
Royalty/Mastery
Mouth/Base of Spine/Feet
First  Chakra


As we learn in all mind-body practice, by moving in a particular way we  influence the psyche and the soul as well as the body. Thus learning about the soul can help us understand our own body from a deeper perspective, and understanding how the body moves and works can help us access  our connection to our  soul and by extension to the  entire (spiritual ) world in general, which is itself created according to the principles of the Sfirot.   


And thus we come to how I came up with the name for my yoga studio: Tiferet Movement.



The Sfirah corresponding to the heart center  (which corresponds to the 4th Chakra, or “Anahatha”) is called Tiferet,  which is difficult to translate into English but means:
Beauty
Balance
Integration
Compassion and Adornment
all rolled into one!


Well, who wouldn’t want that??


The meanings that I most identify with are those that describe the beauty of Tiferet as coming about because of the balance and integration of the preceding two qualities of Chesed and Gevurah.
Unlike the chakra system with follows the energy up and down the central line of the person, the Sfirotic system, whose illustration is the logo for Tiferet Movement, is the constant  balancing and play of polar opposite energies.
Tiferet, being in the heart center of all the sfirot , balances all the different opposite energies….but most specifically, it balances the masculine and expansive giving of Chesed with the feminine and contractive focus of Gevurah. It is my understanding that the practice of yoga helps us bring our bodies and psyche into alignment through the physical moving of the left and right sides of the body, in very much the same way as the learning of Torah ( and the practice of its commandments)  with its principles based in Kabbalistic truths, bring the soul into a place of balance.


It is my hope and intention that the practice of Yoga at Tiferet Movement will be a practice that will bring its participants into a place of balance and integration, MInd, Body and Soul!


For comments or questions,give me a call (917- 821- 0694) or email me at brachame@gmail.com, check out our website  at  TiferetMovement.com.

We move to come into balance Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Please join us!


With blessings,

Bracha

A Mystical Approach to finding Balance

Printed in this months   Natural Awakenings Magazine in Rockland, on page 39
http://www.naturalawakeningsro.com/magazine/


A Mystical approach to Finding Balance (in Parenting)
by Bracha Meshchaninov

As a mother of 6, a lifelong student of Jewish Mysticism and a yoga teacher, I have found the concept of balance, or ‘Tiferet’ to be the most valuable goal to which to aspire. How as parents do we know when to say ‘yes’ and when to say ‘no’? How do we know how much love, allowance, digital time or extra mashed potatoes is too much or too little…..how much do we push ourselves as parents to go the extra mile or pull back for our own time to renew? Being able to find the balance, between the inclination to go outwards and give and to focus inwards and withhold giving, in whatever form, is a great art and a necessary component of mental, emotional and physical balance.

Sidebar:
In my own life, I was most aware of the challenges of staying in balance when I made two weddings and a Bar Mitzvah in a five week period. When asked how I was doing, I often answered with a metaphor, comparing myself to a surfer who was managing to stay dry and upright on her surfboard and was able to even enjoy the ride.. I believe it was my yoga practice combined with my understanding of Kabbalistic principles that enabled me to accomplish this.

Jewish Mysticism speaks of our nature and the nature of all existence in the context of constantly opposing forces that continually need to be brought into balance. The Tiferet Movement logo,shows the graphic representation of these forces or energies which are called “Sefirot”, often  identified as  the Tree of Life.


There are many similarities between how the Kabbalistic system of Sefirot and the Chakra system are represented in the physical human body. The chakras, however, follow the energy up and down the central line of the individual while the Sefirotic system is the constant balancing of polar opposite energies to the left and right of that central line.

The Sefirot are made up of 3 triads reflecting intellectual, emotional and active aspects, each containing two contrasting and polar opposite energies and then a point of reconciliation that balances and integrates these opposites.

Balancing Emotional Energy

In the center of this whole sefirotic construct, corresponding to the 4th or Heart chakra, is the sefirah of Tiferet, the point of resolution within the emotional triad. Tiferet resolves and balances the tension between ‘Chesed’ meaning kindness and ‘Gevurah’ simply translated as severity.

Chesed is characterized by expansive giving while Gevurah is about making boundaries and focusing energy in a way that at times can seem severe. Tiferet is revealed when there is an experience of the perfect balance between these two sefirot, such as when a child is told ‘no’ but within a spirit of expansive loving.

Parenting that reflects the qualities of Tiferet is balanced. When a child is punished without the balance of an attitude of love, it can be experienced as hurtful or alienating and the child could feel unloved. Similarly, giving in to a child unconditionally, without the restraining aspect of Gevurah, can result in the child becoming spoiled or pampered and therefore less capable. Sometimes it takes Gevurah for a parent to step back and let a child figure something out for his or herself or experience the emotion of need or want even if the parent could easily fulfill that need.

These principles can be applied to so many different situations. If we can balance action with rest, determination with surrender, impulsivity with careful contemplation, so much more can be accomplished. When we are not constantly struggling to get back on our surfboards, having lost our footing to a wave of overwhelm, we can stay surfing and release our power and potential in truly astonishing ways.

By understanding and implementing the concept of balance provided by the Sefirotic principles, we can truly find harmony and balance in mind, body and soul.

Bracha Meshchaninov is the founder of Tiferet Movement, a yoga studio with a Kabbalistic twist. She offers classes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 9:30 a.m. in New Hempstead.

She can be reached at 917-821-0694 or brachame@gmail.com or by visiting TiferetMovement.com.



Thursday, July 9, 2015

Finding Stillness

Last week in Grapevine, I noticed a small quotation by the cash register... it was a quote from Tehillim (46:11)that I had not really paid attention to before but was so excited to discover: The quote was in English and I loved the translation,'Be still and know that I am Hashem."
The Hebrew is:
הַרְפּוּ וּדְעוּ כִּי אָנֹכִי אֱלֹהִים
What a great quote for Tiferet Movement!
During class this past Thursday  we used this pasuk as a new  chant or "niggun" and as something upon which to contemplate and meditate... Rivkie  translated the first word as "let go"... which also works so wonderfully...
I remember reading in Erich Schiffman's book that Yoga is the art of Moving into stillness....

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

News Brief introducing Tiferet Movement to the general public

News Brief:

New Yoga Studio opens in New Hempstead
Tiferet Movement:
Yoga with a  Kabbalistic Twist!


When people think about yoga they often think about wonderful body strengthening stretches and poses and a spiritual tradition that involves chanting in Sanskrit and perhaps practicing in a studio with icons and smells of incense.

Bracha Meshchaninov a religiously observant Orthodox Jewish yogini wants to change that. Bracha has created a studio in the New Hempstead area where women can practice yoga in an environment that feels comfortable from both a physical, as well as a spiritual point of view. Classes are for women only, chants are in Hebrew and culled from the Jewish prayer liturgy and the spiritual insights shared are gleaned from a Kabbalistic rather than a Vedic source.

Bracha, who became observant as a teenager and has been practicing yoga since about the same time she made her commitment to Orthodox Judaism,  has both her 500 hr and Yoga Therapy certifications. Bracha offers both ongoing classes and 1:1 Yoga Therapy.

Before focusing on her Yoga training and teaching, Bracha’s  focus was mostly on teaching  Jewish Spirituality classes, based on the weekly Torah reading, (which she continues to teach) and hosting Rosh Chodesh events.

Bracha received her certifications from Gail Walsh of Yoga Mountain and has done additional training with Paula Heitzner of the Nyack Yoga Center.Bracha is tremendously grateful to the whole teaching staff at Yoga Mountain and to Paula.

For more info  check out www.tiferetmovement.com
or call: 917 821-0694

This was printed in the May/June edition of Natural Awakenings in the Rockland/Orange area, I hope you enjoy!


Yoga with a Kabbalistic Twist:
by Bracha Meshchaninov


Five Levels of Meditation or "Kosher Koshas!"


Serious students of yoga are familiar with the notion of the five koshas or the five states of being. Kabbalah speaks of the five levels of soul. The Hebrew word for soul is ‘neshomah’ and the Hebrew word for breath is ‘neshimah’. The two words share the same Hebrew letters: only their vowels are different. This hints at their common spiritual root.


It says in the Torah that when G-d created man, He breathed from within himself and exhaled man's soul into him. This link of breath and soul is a quintessential part of both Torah teachings and yoga. As we breathe, we can connect to our soul.


In Kabbalah, it is taught that our soul is comprised of five levels, each a more spiritual manifestation than the previous: Nefesh, Ruach, Neshomah, Chaya and Yechidah.


Nefesh is the part of the soul identified with and attached to the physical body. Nefesh is semantically related to the Hebrew word ‘nafash’, meaning rest. This aspect of the soul rests, so to speak, in the physical body.


The Hebrew word Ruach means wind or spirit and refers to the second layer of the soul that is connected to intuition, moments of deep insight, or revelations from the higher worlds. These revelations, when from a particularly high source, are referred to as ‘ruach ha kodesh’ or holy insights and can come from either holy teachers departed or from the Creator himself.


The third level of the soul, Neshomah, is connected to the breath, sharing the same root. When the neshomah is no longer found in the body, the body no longer has the capacity for life; the neshomah links the spiritual and physical aspects of the person together.


Chaya is related to the Hebrew word ‘chaim’, meaning life. From a Kabbalistic point of view, this level of soul is beyond the reach of the average person except on Sabbath and festivals; it connects to the transcendent aspect of life. Connecting to what lies above and beyond one’s finite self can inspire a transcendent life.


Finally, the fifth level of soul is the Yechidah. The word yechidah is connected to the Hebrew word ‘yachid’ which means  one. When one's connection with God reaches the highest level, there is a total unification of one's own essence with the essence of God himself. This is the level of yechidah, or total oneness. It is taught that on Yom Kippur, the Jewish holiday of atonement, the level of the yechidah is revealed to all connected to the holiness of the day.




A Framework for Meditation
Contemplating the five levels of soul offers a wonderful framework for a meditation.
Begin your meditation with an awareness of the physical body, the place where the nefesh is resting, and feel the physical sensations of the body.


After settling in and focusing on the Nefesh, take your attention to the level of Ruach, opening yourself to your imagination and the possibility of receiving messages or insights from the higher realms of your own intuition.


Continue higher to the level of Neshomah, feeling the connection between body and soul, noticing the pathway of the breath in and out of the nostrils. Continue to lift your consciousness to the level of Chaya, being aware of the larger picture, the aspect of soul bigger and beyond your own individuality.


Finally, connect to the level of Yechidah, uniting with the essence of all things.


Enjoy the sense of oneness and completeness for as long as you are able or comfortable, and then begin the return journey back to your finite individuality from Yechidah to Chaya, from Chaya to Neshomah, from Neshomah to Ruach and then finally, to rest one's consciousness fully in the physical body with Nefesh.


Remain in a relaxed position, coming slowly back into awareness of your current moment, place and conscious self.

Bracha Meshchaninov is the founder of Tiferet Movement, a yoga studio with a kabbalistic twist. She offers classes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 9:30 a.m. in New Hempstead.
She can be reached at 917-821-0694 or brachame@gmail.com or by visiting Tiferetmovement.com. She has dedicated this article to her late father, Yitzchak Ben Shimon.