Where do we place our focus?
Every day we are relentlessly bombarded with negativity and divisiveness. This onslaught of manufactured messaging distorts our perspective, distracting us from foundational, anchoring constants which are so close that they are easy to overlook. For example:
The world is filled with wonder.
The human heart is oriented towards goodness.
Each one of us, by virtue of our existence, is a miracle
God is everywhere.
We can, and perhaps should, minimize what is slung at us by limiting our news intake and deleting unproductive apps from our screens. But Jewish tradition and most other faiths urge us to actively open ourselves to the innumerable blessings surrounding and filling us.
Monday Morning Mindfulness – February 3, 2025
Monday Morning Mindfulness is a virtual gathering opportunity to move ourselves towards that which nourishes us. We will spend less than 30 minutes in a practice designed to awaken the spirit and settle the soul through melody, meaning, and meditation.
Each session will begin with music. Usually I will lead us in a niggun, a wordless melody. This nearly effortless exercise of uniting breath with body became a core form of prayer in the early years of the Chasidic movement, and remains so with Jews around the world, today. Sometimes I will offer a song with familiar or simple lyrics. I am also leaving open the possibility of occasionally sharing recorded music if I find something that seems like a good fit for the moment.
We will move from music to meaning, lifting up a nugget of wisdom to help open our perspective and reframe our vision. It could be a prayer, poem or sacred text, drawn from religious or secular sources.
We will close with meditation. Using imagery and brief prompts, I will gently guide us to our breath, in order to release tension, free our minds from mental clutter, and step into the quiet space we always carry but rarely enter.
This is not a class where we engage in conversation and share ideas. We will provide companionship for one another through the simple and profound power of our presence, creating a judgement-free zone where everyone belongs. It is impossible to do this wrong. Every session will be a different experience from the one before, a small spark to carry with us as we walk through the week.
Baruch ha-Ba! May you come and find blessing.
