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                Jewish Meditation, Mindfulness And Kabbalah  provides instruction in mindfulness meditation and in Jewish spiritual meditation based in the tradition of the Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism).  Along with an experiential component students will explore texts from traditional Jewish sources, Kaballah and Hasidic masters. This is an interactive program.  You will derive the maximum benefit when you devote at least twenty to thirty minutes a day to doing the meditations and exercises described in the program.

                 The course is divided into three units. Unit 1 is the prerequisite for units 2 and 3.

             1 .  Introduction to Mindfulness and Jewish Meditation. 

This five-week unit teaches the basic skills of mindfulness meditation, a kabbalistic framework for understanding spirituality,  a variety of imagery and meditation techniques for cultivating God consciousness, and techniques for learning to deal with difficulties and distractions

        2.  Tikkun HaNefesh - Repairing the Soul.

The Kabbalistic Tree of Life provides a model for refining personal attributes of the soul (Hebrew - middot): compassion and love, strength and justice, healing and forgiveness, living with energy and zeal, empathy and commitment, creative connection and service, and life with optimal Spiritual Intelligence.®  Students continue to practice mediation on a regular basis and set the own goals for the development of various middot.

              3.  Prayer and Meditation. 

This unit uses the Kabbalistic Four Worlds Model to understand the structure and function of Jewish prayer as a means to developing expanded God consciousness. Meditation using the various aspects of the liturgy will be stressed.

       Program methodology

                 Jewish Meditation, Mindfulness And Kabbalah combines an experiential learning approach with traditional text learning. Jewish texts related to  meditation are selected from Tanach, Midrash, Talmud, Zohar and a variety of Hasidic sources. You will first experience and learn specific meditative practices, reflect on your experiences, and then contrast your experiences with those described in class texts. You will be asked to complete various meditations and spiritual practices on a daily basis, keep a practice record and journal, and read related course material.  

        Program Outline

Module  1.  Introduction to Mindfulness and Jewish Meditation.

Session 1.1:    Introduction to mindfulness: attitudinal foundations. Awareness and Blessing;  Berachah and Mindfulness as two approaches to awareness.   Practice:  Eating meditation, Body Scan Meditation

Session 1.2:     Breath, soul and spirit: Introduction to breath and levels of the soul, 4 worlds.  Practice:  Mindful sitting - BREATH meditation; Embodying of the Divine Name.

Session 1.3:    Body awareness and awareness of HaShem “Through the body you see God. Practice: Sitting Meditation on breath and body, 3-minute breathing space, M’maleh Kol Almin (Filling All Worlds) meditation.

Session 1.4:     Thoughts, Impulses and Imagination – teachings on imagination (Yetzer) and equanimity (hishtavut).      Practice: Meditation on thoughts and feelings. Meditations on Light, shiviti.

Session 1.5:     Dealing with difficulties and distractions in Prayer and Meditation. Overview of sefirot, virtues and vices.

            Practice: Sitting meditation: Choiceless Awareness; Dealing with distractions in prayer using Ba’al Shem model.