Kavanat Halev Jewish Mindfulness

29/10/2024

It is this Thursday! Take a deep breath and join in.

14/10/2024

THE CHALLENGES OF BREATHWORK PRACTICE
When I teach men the practice of mindfulness and breathwork, I encourage them to make it a daily practice. Even if it is only five minutes a day, the effort is worth it and one can see the immediate benefits of inner calm and increased ability to focus and be present. But the objections I often hear are: “I don’t have the time”, or “The practice is boring” or “I am no good at mindfulness. My mind is all over the place”.
My answer to the first objection is that we make time for what is important to us. If reading the daily news is important to us, we will make time for it. If calling a friend is important to us, we will make time for it. So, it is not so much a matter of having the time, it is making the time. When my children were young and it was hard to find a quiet time to meditate, I woke up a half hour earlier when the house was still quiet and did my practice then.
The second objection is the boredom or restlessness that can accompany mindfulness practice. Objectively speaking we are not doing anything when we practice mindfulness or breathwork. We are not creating anything, we are not learning anything, and we are not being entertained. So, it can feel really boring to sit with oneself without an agenda or goal. Our bias is that only doing is valuable, being is not. But if you can change your attitude and recognize the value in “Being” then you will be more willing to sit thru the boredom and restlessness until you come to the place of inner peace.
The third objection is that “my mind is all over the place” and “I can’t stay focused”. There is an assumption that it should be easy to concentrate on one thing, for example the breath. But if we change our assumption to be that the nature of the mind is to think and to think constantly, then we won’t be surprised by our busy mind. And we won’t be disappointed that we can’t stay focused for more than a few seconds before our thoughts take us far away. The truth is that the practice of mindfulness is “noticing” when our mind wanders and then “bringing it back” to being mindful of the object of our practice, whether it is the breath or an image or a sound. Every time we bring our attention back to the here and now, our attention “muscle” gets stronger.
Commitment to the practice and persistence even when it is challenging will bring the gift of presence and connection to our deeper selves. Like many things in life, the reward is in proportion to the effort involved in achieving it. Daily practice brings the rewards of inner calm and deep connection to ourselves and others. There is never an end to our practice but there is a progression towards deeper and deeper awareness that this moment is the only time we can be in and the place where we are is the only place we can live.

13/10/2024

THE PLUS AND MINUS OF BREATHING
Ours is a world of duality. Almost everything you see has a two-sided nature. There is light and there is dark. There is summer and there is winter. Trees blossom and grow in the spring and their leaves fall and they go dormant in the autumn. The list goes on: male and female, right side - left side, up - down, inside - outside. In electricity, there is positive polarity and negative polarity.
In breathwork we also see duality: the inhale and the exhale. During the inhale, we take air into our lungs, convert the oxygen from a gas into a liquid, and then send it via the blood vessels to the heart where it is pumped to every cell in the body. It is literally a life-giving life process. During the exhale, the waste material from the blood in the form of carbon dioxide is converted from a liquid to a gas and then breathed out of the body. This action happens every time we breathe. It is one of the wonders of human biology.
We can use the act of breathing as a metaphor for our spiritual work. In our daily life, we want to take the positive into our body and mind: Healthy food and constructive speech thru our mouth, inspiring images thru our eyes, words of wisdom and inspiring music thru our ears. In our mind we can consciously choose positive thoughts when we think about people, places and things. This positive outlook will affect us both emotionally and energetically so that we feel the vitality of love, compassion, courage, and forgiveness in ourselves and in our relations with others.
At the same time, we can let go of everything that doesn’t serve us: unhealthy junk food, and hateful speech from our mouth, lustful or violent images thru our eyes, and violent music and critical words from our ears. And we can release negative attitudes and thoughts from our mind. This release of the negative brings relaxation and peace to our spirit.
Breathing is a constant activity. We breathe whether we are sitting, standing, walking, running or even sleeping. If we want to progress on our spiritual path, we must bring awareness and vigilance to the positive and negative influences in our life and then make the choice to take in the positive and let go of the negative. This will serve to move us forward on the path of personal growth and inner peace.

08/10/2024

Would you like to go deep into your soul and find out who you really are? Would you like to grow closer to your Creator and feel His Presence in your life.? Contact me for a free coaching session .

16/09/2024

If your child or someone you know is suffering from ADHD and the medication is not working or the negative side effects outweigh the benefits, I invite you to consider mindfulness practice. It is simple to learn and is proven to be as effective as medication.

11/09/2024

https://youtu.be/QLX6UwYL-j0

As Jews, we desire to grow closer to G-d, our fellow men, and the Torah. Through this process, you can dive into your inner world using the power of your im...

11/09/2024

27/08/2024

CULTIVATING JOY
For those of us on the path of healing and personal/spiritual growth, so much of our time is spent focusing on what is wrong in our lives. It may be a job that we hate, a difficult spouse or abusive parents. Then we turn the focus inwards on our own character defects: where we were we selfish, self-centered, judgmental, or mean? Why do we feel so depressed, angry, or anxious? Much of talk therapy is focused on the “problem” and digging into the past to see where it came from. Childhood trauma is a major cause. ADHD is another. We can easily fall into the trap of worshiping the wound instead of moving beyond it. We hold onto our pain because it has become part of our identity.
It is important to acknowledge our pain and tell the story of its origin. There is no spiritual bypass that denies that abuse has happened. But instead of fighting with the darkness, let’s try bringing in more light. Inner peace and spontaneous joy are part of our birthright. No one is born traumatized.
How do we tap into our innate bliss?
Our breath is the key. When we breathe in, we are literally breathing in life. By deepening the breath, we bring in more life, more joy and more happiness. When we breath out, we let go of what no longer serves us. As we let go of carbon dioxide, we can also let go of the stories we tell ourselves about how we were abused and how our inner child was wounded. We can choose today to see the good in ourselves and in others. Instead of judgment, we can choose compassion. Instead of self-pity, we can choose gratitude. Instead of anger, we can choose forgiveness.
Another tool that I have found helpful is accompanying deep breathing with music. Music has been called the quill of the soul and when used wisely, can assist us in accessing our spiritual self and tapping into our inner joy. Breathwork music is a new genre that utilizes music as a part of a healing modality.
This process is not an intellectual exercise. It is a shift in our energy and our breath is the vehicle for that shift. By conscious deep breathing, we take responsibility for our mental health, and spiritual growth. By doing so we uncover the “healthy self” that lies buried underneath the trauma and become a beacon of light in the world.

07/07/2024

FIVE BENEFITS OF MEDITATION FOR STUDENTS
1. Increased Focus
Although it is not understood why, studies have shown that meditation increases the ability to focus for longer sustained periods. This benefits students in many ways, including being able to pay attention in class longer, thus improving the chances of material retention. In addition, meditating students have a higher success rate in taking quizzes and exams.
2. Improved Memory
A study in the Harvard Gazette reports that after an 8-week meditation study in which participants meditated for 27 minutes each day, MRIs (Magnetic Resonance Images) showed an increase in grey matter in the hippocampus region of the brain that is responsible for learning and memory. An enhanced memory allows students to retain more information, which of course, lends itself to better test scores. A good memory means an increased ability to juggle many different ideas and thoughts at once.
3. Reduced Anxiety and Stress
According to an article from the National Institute of Mental Health, stress can cause digestive issues, headaches, insomnia, depression, and anger, among other symptoms. Under chronic stress, people may suffer from more viral infections like the flu. Tragedies, traumatic events, and even minor failures can cause an onset of stress that seems never-ending. This is especially true in teenagers and college or yeshiva students, who go through emotional rollercoasters due to hormonal changes.
4. Reduced Fatigue
A Wake Forest University School of Medicine study showed that brief meditation sessions (within 4 days) reduced fatigue and increased attention. Meditation can help reduce the fatigue felt by the significant life event of going away to school and being bombarded with incredible workloads.
5. Immunity Boost
Unfortunately, with the lifestyles that many students have, illness is difficult to avoid. Exercise, a healthy diet, and a regular sleeping schedule are all important to sustain a healthy way of life. Additionally, research from the National Library of Health shows that even a short-term meditation training program can provide significant measurable changes in participants' immune systems.

30/06/2024

Your breath is the gateway to your inner self. Join me on this incredible journey of self-discovery.

24/06/2024

WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR?
When you woke up today, did you ask yourself “What am I grateful for today?”. If the answer is no, then have you ever asked yourself, “Why not?”.
The answer is the DMN, the Default Mode Network – the part of the brain that goes into action when we are at rest, when we are not working and/or engaged in an activity that demands thinking or action. In the prefrontal cortex of the brain, we ruminate about the past or the imagined future, and obsess about the parts of our lives that are not to our liking.
When our DMN is active, we tend to find fault with ourselves and with everyone around us. We overthink and our thoughts seem to take on a life of their own. And the most heartbreaking thing is that we believe the thoughts in our head are true. The belief in the truth of our thoughts often trigger feelings of fear, anxiety, anger, and/or depression. If we are feeling these disturbing emotions, we may want to escape them by engaging in some addictive behavior like eating, drinking, taking drugs, or reacting with rage to the small frustrations in our life.
What can we do about it? Research has proven that mindfulness meditation and deep, slow breathing can slow down the activity of the DMN. Not only that but any activity that engages our brain and body, even for a short time, can significantly reduce DMN activity. Things like painting a picture, listening to calm, meditative music, going for a walk in nature, reading an engaging book, and/or aerobic exercise can also help. The idea is to be proactive when faced with the seemingly relentless onslaught of negative thoughts.
When we change our minds to a more positive state, it is easier to be grateful for the many blessings we have in our lives. And that creates the positive emotions of joy, happiness, and serenity that we long to feel.

13/06/2024

Are you looking for a new way to heal yourself?

04/06/2024

PREPARE FOR SHAVUOUT IN A UNIQUE WAY WITH BREATHWORK!

28/05/2024

WHAT DOES THE MEDITATIVE STATE FEEL LIKE?
Many people try meditation or as it called today, mindfulness. They do so to feel calm, relaxed, and free from anxiety. And when they don’t feel it right away, they give it up. But those of us that stick with it, find a peace and a joy that is priceless. What is this feeling and what does one need to do to get there?
There are a lot of misunderstandings about what mindfulness is. Simply put, it is “the awareness that arises when we pay attention in a particular way on purpose in the present moment and without judgement”. (Dr. Jon Kabbat Zinn). When we do this, many thoughts arise – some about the past: happy or sad memories; some about the future: plans, fears, or fantasies. Sometimes we judge ourselves and others: negatively or positively. All of these thoughts take us out of the present moment.
The practice of mindfulness is to return our attention to the present moment. That often means focusing on an anchor like the breath, a sound, or an image. We may have body sensations like an itch on the nose or pain in the knee and we want to move our body to scratch that itch. We might also feel restless and bored with the practice. We may feel anger or sadness, or fear and we want to distract ourselves not to feel it.
If we continue the practice and commit to completing a certain amount of time each day, we start to notice something extraordinary happening - a new awareness. It is difficult to describe but I will try. First of all, the change in mind usually happens after a formal session of meditation. During the practice, I often feel like I am in a small boat at sea being pushed around by the wind and waves trying to hold on until I reach solid ground. But after I get up, I feel a change has taken place. My mind feels clear and the constant chatter that often accompanies me is gone. My body feels light and happiness fills my being for no reason at all. If I go outside, I look at the sky and the trees and the birds with new eyes. Everything seems radiant and full of life.
The most profound feeling that settles on me is an awareness of Presence. Many people call that awareness G-d or the Shechina (Divine Presence). It is a feeling that there is a Power greater than me that is all around me holding me and loving me. It feels extremely personal and at the same time Infinite. It is a feeling that whatever challenges I am going through in my life, this G-d Force is there for me and everything will be all right. I just need to trust.
I spent many years feeling depressed and anxious, especially when I was around people. Medication didn’t work for me because there were too many unpleasant side effects. When I discovered meditation and the relief it gave me, I was overjoyed. The benefits of mindfulness practice are great, but it takes discipline and commitment for it to work. Therapy is beneficial because we enlist another to help us in our quest for mental health. Mindfulness is something that we can do for ourselves and that is empowering.

12/05/2024

SEEING THROUGH THE FIVE LAYERS OF THE SOUL

These practices can help you to grow spiritually and become more aware of G-d in yourself and in the world.

1. Seeing Through Nefesh (Life force of the body)
The nefesh is the container of the soul in a way similar to the way the Hebrew letters are the container for the spiritual light that shines into them from above. At the same time, they are the life force that creates material reality. Focus on one letter and hold your attention on it. See is as a container for spiritual light.
2. Seeing Through Ruach (Spirit)
When you see an event, look to see how this event can inspire you to serve Hashem better. If a person sees death, he can take the lesson that every person’s life comes to an end and use his time to the fullest. If he sees someone win the lottery, he can realize that true wealth is internal, not external.
3. Seeing Through Neshama (Soul)
When a person sees a thing in creation, he sees the glory of Hashem in that thing. That is the neshama of the thing. This is rooted in the Kisai Hakavod – the Throne of Glory.
4. Seeing Through Chaya (Life source)
Every moment the world is coming into being, and the next moment it is going back to nothing. This process is constantly repeating itself.
Exercise: As you breathe in feel that you are breathing in life force from the source of Chayus. As you exhale feel that this chayus is leaving you like death and you are returning to your Source. - Rav Abulafia
5. Seeing Throught Yechidah (Oneness of G-d)
Imagine the infinite light shining inside of you, in the center of your heart. Then see it expand until it fills your chest, then your whole body, around your body, fills up the room, surrounds the house, the neighbourhood, the city, the country, the continent, the world, the solar system, the galaxy, until it keeps expanding infinitely….then reverse the process.

16/04/2024

THE PLUS AND MINUS OF BREATHING
Ours is a world of duality. Almost everything you see has a two-sided nature. There is light and there is dark. There is summer and there is winter. Trees blossom and grow in the spring and their leaves fall and they go dormant in the autumn. The list goes on: male and female, right side - left side, up - down, inside - outside. In electricity, there is positive polarity and negative polarity.
In breathwork we also see duality: the inhale and the exhale. During the inhale, we take air into our lungs, convert the oxygen from a gas into a liquid, and then sent via the blood vessels to the heart where it is pumped to every cell in the body. It is literally a life-giving life process. During the exhale, the waste material from the blood in the form of carbon dioxide is converted from a liquid to a gas and then breathed out of the body. This action happens every time we breathe. It is one of the wonders of human biology.
We can use the act of breathing as a metaphor for our spiritual work. In our daily life, we want to take the positive into our body and mind: Healthy food and constructive speech thru our mouth, inspiring images thru our eyes, words of wisdom and inspiring music thru our ears. In our mind we can consciously choose positive thoughts when we think about people, places and things. This positive outlook will affect us both emotionally and energetically so that we feel the vitality of love, compassion, courage, and forgiveness in ourselves and in our relations with others.
At the same time, we can let go of everything that doesn’t serve us: unhealthy junk food, and hateful speech from our mouth, lustful or violent images thru our eyes, and violent music and critical words from our ears. And we can release negative attitudes and thoughts from our mind. This release of the negative brings relaxation and peace to our spirit.
Breathing is a constant activity. We breathe whether we are sitting, standing, walking, running or even sleeping. If we want to progress on our spiritual path, we must bring awareness and vigilance to the positive and negative influences in our life and then make the choice to take in the positive and let go of the negative. This will serve to move us forward on the path of personal growth and inner peace.

08/04/2024

Take a mental health break. I am offering a six-hour mindfulness workshop this Friday, April 12th in Jerusalem. This is an opportunity to disconnect from the stresses we are under as individuals and as a nation and connect to your authentic self - your soul. This practice will bring peace to your spirit and contribute to the awareness of G-d in Israel and the rest of the world.
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