March 31, 2011 | 11:35 pm

Kosher Sutra: Pay It Forward (Tazria)

Posted by Marcus J Freed

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Urdhva Dhanurasana: Inverted Bow/Wheel/Backbend

Kosher Sutra: “when a woman gives birth to a male” (Lev 12:2)
Soul Solution: Heal the world, one step at a time.
Pose: Backbend (upright heart)
Body Benefit: Flexibility for back

As a child there was always something fascinating about the world-record-breaking domino contests where the flick of one domino would affect many thousands more. The film Pay It Forward tells of a similar effect with powerful results where every person has to do a huge favour that will help three other people, and those three ‘pay it forward’ to three more. We can take the butterfly effect into our own hands and raise the world on these wings.

“When a woman gives birth to a male” appears to speak to one half of the population until we analyse the Hebrew word _Tazria_ which means giving birth, but has the root of _Zarua_ meaning ‘planting’, and _Zera_ meaning seed. Rabbi Elimelech of Lizensk explained that when we plant sparks of inspiration in others, stimulating them to bring more light into the world through their actions, we ‘give birth’. He connects it to the psalm ‘a light is planted (zarua) for the righteous person, and gladness for the upright of heart’ (97:11). And so we lift others.

The space of the yoga mat is a private one, symbolising our own internal world, but the core of the philosophy is that there is no action without reaction. The Yoga Sutras are based around the principles of how our actions impact the world, such as _satya_ (truthfulness), _asteya_ (non-stealing), or _aparigraha_ (non-jealousy). When we meet teachers who truly embody these traits – which are a lot easier to talk about than they are to practice – we are inspired to embody these values within ourselves. There is nothing more powerful than a teacher who lives what they teach, and few things more disappointing than the mentors who fall short.

Next week we enter the spiritual month of Nissan, representing a time of freedom. We can be free to recreate ourselves, remodel our behaviours and get closer to our ideal self. Can you give birth to the true you inside, fulfilling the potential of who you know you can be? Free from the past, perhaps now is the time to start.

Shalom V’Ahava, Gut Shabbes-

Marcus

HOW TO DO A BACKBEND

i. Lie on your back with your feet in semi-supine (feet are hip-width apart and on the floor with your heels by your buttocks.
ii.Place your hands by the sides of your head, fingertips facing backwards.
iii. Inhale and lift your hips in the air so that you have moved into Bridge pose.
iv. Exhale and straighten your arms, pushing your sternum towards the back wall.
v. Push into the balls of your feet whilst keeping the heels on the floor and make sure your feet are in parallel position. Draw up the muscles on your thighs and raise your hips even higher.
vi. Keep breathing. Deeply.

Vote for Bibliyoga as the next Big Jewish Idea at http://www.thenextbigjewishidea.com/ideas/entry/bibliyoga-yoga-with-a-jewish-twist/

Marcus is the yogi-in-residence for Jewlicious Festivals and JConnectLA, and the President of the Jewish Yoga Network.

March 18, 2011 | 1:18 pm

Kosher Sutra: If you’ve got it, flaunt it! (Tsav)

Posted by Marcus J Freed

Marcus J Freed tries to see the world from a new perspective. Wishing you a happy Purim. Please remember to drink irresponsibly.

Kosher Sutra: “Place it on the altar” (Vayikra 6:3)
Pose: Headstand
Body Benefit: Turn things upside down, see the world from a new perspective
Soul Solution: Transform yourself to joy

There are plenty of reasons not to be joyful this week: floods in Japan, the earthquake aftermath in New Zealand, uprisings in the Middle East, and Mel Gibson has just released a new film. Today’s LA Jewish Journal had a Facebook spoof on the front cover: ‘Egypt has updated its relationship with Israel: It’s Complicated. (Iran clicked ‘like’).’

One proven source of achieving contented living is when we connect to something greater than ourselves, and rather than focusing on our own thoughts, we turn the spotlight on others. The ancient art of sacrifice was a visceral way to become connected with something greater, and when people brought sacrifices to the Temple in Jerusalem they had their eyes on something higher than themselves.

Rabbi Elimelech of Lizensk (1717-1787) understood sacrifice as the act of eliminating our negative traits. Just as the priest changed his garments during the ritual, he said that we should change the behaviours that cover our true potential. Even if we are stuck in a particular way of thinking or behaving, we ‘place it on the altar’, almost like a sacrifice, and start channelling the energy for a higher purpose. “If a person is easily angered or has other negative traits, one should break them and use them positively”, he wrote*. If we are thinking negative thoughts, we should use our mind for creating positive plans, and if we display self-destructive behaviours, we can use them for the good.

The yoga mat is an altar of sorts, a laboratory for changing behaviour and channelling energy. We use the pranayama breath to drive our movements, travelling back and forth through the choreography of vinyasa sun salutes. There is room for all kinds of negative energy at the start of a practice but if the yoga session is successful then the energy will be transformed. However chaotic the world outside, we aim to reach equanimity and peace. The Bhagavad Gita promised that ‘joy supreme comes to the Yogi whose heart is still, whose passions are peace…who is one with God’ (6:71).

We are all born pure and we all have huge potential, but the challenge is how we focus our energy on the greatest good. The Book of Esther tells of heroes who utilised their natural strengths, as Esther’s beauty led her to a position of influence in the King’s bedroom, while Mordechai’s strategic intelligence helped him save the day. How are you realising your potential today?

There is a yogic moment at the heart of Purim. As the list of Haman’s criminal sons is read, it’s traditional for them all to be said in one breath. Sometimes we need to purge negative feelings or thoughts, and what better way than in a huge exhale. The yoga mat also takes us to the essence of Purim. The only festival which doesn’t mention God but is all about oneness, the celebration which is about connecting to our inner selves and bringing them to the outside (albeit with the help of alcohol and wild costumes).

We all have at least one powerful personality trait and the challenge is to find the best way to express it for the greatest good. There is always a place for it in this world to help it serve a higher purpose. If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Use it to find inner peace and the deepest joy imaginable.

Happy Purim, Shabbat Shalom

Marcus

*p172, Mipeninei Noam Elimelech, trans. Tal Moshe Zwecker.

Marcus J Freed is the yogi-in-residence for JConnectLA & Jewlicious Festivals. The Freed Mansion/Bibliyoga Shala is located in Los Angeles.
Headstand

APPLYING THE KOSHER SUTRA: Take yourself into a headstand. Even if you can’t do the full posture, just do the opening steps. If that’s too much, try a forward bend, even resting your head on a chair. Or do the version where you’re in Downward Dog with your forearms and head on the floor. To really absorb the Kosher Sutra teaching, allow yourself to stay in the pose for a while and focus on the deeper meditation: Who am I? What’s my passion? How can I best apply my unique talents? Good luck!

HOW TO DO HEADSTAND
i. Kneel on the ground and place your forearms on the ground parallel to the front of the mat, one in front of the other.
ii. Keeping your elbows in their places, interlace your fingers in front of. Your forearms effectively create the top two sides of a triangle.
iii. Bring your feet up into the equivalent of Downwards Dog, hip-width apart.
iv. Place the crown of your head on the ground, cupped by your hands.
v. Walk your feet forwards, lifting your perenium as much as possible.
vi. Inhale, bending your knees and bringing your hips directly above your head.
vii. Raise your right leg first, followed by your left.
viii. Keep the legs straight and take 10 breaths.
ix. To exit the headstand, slowly lower your legs towards the ground so that you can hover them just above the floor if you wish.
x. Take Camel pose as a counter posture to release the neck and upper shoulders.

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March 4, 2011 | 2:46 pm

Kosher Sutra: Purpose (Pekudei)

Posted by Marcus J Freed

Kosher Sutra: “These are the accountings for the Temple” (Exodus 38:21)
Soul Solution: Retuning with our higher calling
Posture: Lotus/Seated meditation position
Body Benefit: Finding calm and stillness

We all have a purpose on earth. When we are in tune with it, everything comes into focus and we can achieve deep success. The challenge is that nobody can tell us what our calling is and we have to figure it out for ourselves.

Our Kosher Sutra lists the items that were needed in the Temple. There is a list of objects and the message is that every item counts when putting together the whole. This week’s accompanying reading of Shekalim demands that everyone donate an identical half-shekel coin to the Temple building project, which sends out the further message that every person counts. Finally, when we translate the Hebrew phrase L’Chaper Al Nafsho as an accounting for our breath, we can deduce the subtle message that every breath counts. How are you using this breath?

The royal path of yoga, Raja Yoga, leads us on the journey home to ourselves. Postures fine tune our musculature and prayanamic breathing leads us to a subtle inner calm through deep awareness of our inhalations and exhalations.

The word Tafkid, usually translated as ‘accounting’, can also be understood as purpose. Self-acceptance leads to happiness, and we come into fruition when we perform those tasks that we do best. Sunday is the first day of the month of Adar II, whose paradigm is joy, and ultimately it is only with deep joy that we can find and pursue our life’s purpose.

B’Shalom

Marcus

Marcus J Freed is the creator of Bibliyoga and yogi-in-residence for JConnectLA & Jewlicious Festivals. He’s also the President of the Jewish Yoga Network and Director of Yoga Mosaic USA.

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January 21, 2011 | 3:59 am

Kosher Sutra: You can’t always get what you want (Parshat Yitro)

Posted by Marcus J Freed

MOUNTAIN POSE - HOW TO DO IT
Feet together. Inner thighs roll backwards. Tummy tucked in. Fold in your ribs. Open your upper chest. Look straight ahead of you. Be enlightened. Experience freedom. Simple, huh?

There seems to be a flaw in the human design. We all become jealous at some point or other. This is natural. We see that other people have things that look nice, and we want it. Maybe ‘it’ is their car, their income, their house, their holiday home, their wife, their boyfriend, their blinging jewellery. The thing standing between us and ultimate happiness seems simple – if could change the ‘their’ into ‘ours’, then all of our problems would be solved.

Or would they?

The Kosher Sutra takes us up Mount Sinai, to the last of the 10 commandments. “Do not covet”, sayeth the speaker. Do not be jealous of your neighbour’s house. Don’t be jealous of his wife, his male servant, his au pair, his ox, his donkey, don’t be jealous of anything that belongs to him (Exodus 19: 14). Compared to the more simple commandments – ‘Do not kill’, this seems to be overkill. The verb ‘covet’ – ‘Tachmod’ is mentioned three times, and there are seven categories of things that we shouldn’t be jealous of. Enough, already; we get the point.

Or do we?

Everyone has to say something about jealousy. The Yoga Sutras referred to the ‘klesha’ (affliction) of ‘raga’ (attachment), which is one of the Top Five Mental Disturbances Of All Time. Elsewhere it refers to the need for ‘aparigraha’, or non-coveting. On the yoga mat we practice not being jealous of someone else’s posture, or body, or yoga clothes, or anything that is theirs, and we focus on our own practice.

Why does the Kosher Sutra introduce seven categories of items for non-jealousy? Possibly because we are human beings, 7 is the mystical number that represents the human world, and we all have big ambitions. We all have desires, and it is through ambition that we create great things, but we can be far more successful when we recognise that there is enough sustenance on earth to fulfill everybody’s needs.

We do not need the income of our neighbour but can earn our own.
We do not need the house of our friend but can build our own.
We do not need the partner who has just rejected us but can go and find new love.

Be free, be free, be free. Tap into the abundance around you and use your desires to become great.

Shalom V’Ahava.

Marcus

Marcus J Freed is the creator of Bibliyoga and yogi-in-residence for JConnectLA & Jewlicious Festivals. He’s also the President of the Jewish Yoga Network and Director of Yoga Mosaic USA. Next friday he’ll be teaching the Kosher Sutras in LIVE segments on Fox TV’s Good Morning Memphis. Tune in on Friday 28th January 2011

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January 14, 2011 | 12:15 pm

Kosher Sutra: Be the Tiger (Parsha Beshallach)

Posted by Marcus J Freed

Marcus teaches a weekly yoga class in Los Angeles - http://yogaandkabbalah.eventbrite.com

Kosher Sutra: “with the blast of your nostrils…you exhaled with your wind” (Ex 15: 8-10)

Soul Solution: Find strength in times of challenge

Posture: Bhastrika/Bellows Breathing

Body Benefit: Unleash energy and generate inner heat

Some times we all need to go to war. Once more unto the breach, dear friends. It may be an internal war ‘gainst our own emotions. It may be for good reasons, to prevent ourselves from doing something we’ll regret.

Our Kosher Sutra features the powerful exhalation from God’s ‘nostrils’. This anthropomorphism describes the sea waters piling up so that the Hebrew slaves can escape Egypt, and the Divine breath paves the way for freedom. In the 12th Century, Rashi confirmed the translation that this was indeed an exhalation while Ramban connected it with a verse from Isaiah (40:24); ‘Even if He were to blow on them, they would wither’. A powerful, connected breath achieves great things.

We can generate inner strength through this powerful breath, focused through the nostrils. Pranayama is the yogic science of energy control through the breath, and today’s focus is ‘Bhastrika’ breathing where you have a succession of quick exhales by ‘pumping’ the abdomen.

Before the classic Battle of Agincourt in Henry V, the king is rousing the English troops before they have the French enemy running to save their baguettes;

“In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour’d rage;
… **Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,
Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit
To his full height**. On, on, you noblest English.”
Henry V, Act III

Our mind and body can be controlled and rallied through the breath of our nostrils. The Hebrew word for exhalation is ‘Nashaf’ and these three letters N-Sh-F rearrange to form ‘Nefesh’, which is a Hebrew name for our soul.

Godspeed to you, be strong in body and soul.

B’Shalom

Marcus

          To practice Bhastrika/bellows breathing, take several sharp, explosive exhalations through your nostrils, ‘pumping’ abdomen. Just exhale in quick succession, and the eventual effect is to calm the mind’s movements and generate more energy. Try 15 quick exhalations, take a deep breath and hold it for as long as you can, before relaxing and repeating the process.

Marcus J Freed is the creator of Bibliyoga and yogi-in-residence for JConnectLA & Jewlicious Festivals. He also the President of the Jewish Yoga Network and Director of Yoga Mosaic USA. He teaches in Los Angeles every wednesday night - http://yogaandkabbalah.eventbrite.com/

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December 31, 2010 | 1:50 pm

Kosher Sutra: The Long Breath to Freedom (Parshat Vaera)

Posted by Marcus J Freed

Join Marcus for weekly classes on Wednesday nights in LA. Special offer: 4 classes for $20 expires next wednesday 5th Jan. http://yogaandkabbalah.eventbrite.com/

Kosher sutra: ‘they couldn’t hear Moses because of shortness of breath’ (Ex 6:9)

Soul solution: Internal Liberation

Posture: Pranayamic breathing (yogic nostril breath)

Body Benefit: Release stress.

We all do it sooner or later. We get into a panic. It is natural. It’s the way that the human system is wired. Our fight-or-flight system takes over, the sympathetic nervous system kicks into play and we are ready to run for our lives. Adrenaline floods our body and we are primed for war, or to make like a tree …and leaf. Worst of all, we forget to breathe.

Today’s Kosher Sutra; the children of Israel were ‘Kotzer Ruach’; short of breath. Some translate it as ‘impatient of spirit’. Either is good. The Kabbalah* locates the ‘ruach’ as the belly breath, the part of the breathing mechanism that is located around the abdomen. Again, it makes sense; these helpless slaves were taking short, panicked breaths that came as a result of exceedingly hard labour.

According to classic texts, yoga is the pursuit of inner freedom. The Sanskrit word for freedom is ‘moksha’, and here’s something that BKS Iyengar wrote around 12 years ago:

‘Moksha means freedom from the bondage of worldly pleasures….this liberation is only possible if one is free from afflictions such as sickness, languor, doubt, carelessness, physical laziness, illusiveness, despair, tremor of the body and gasping of the breath. It is also freedom from poverty, ignorance and pride. Emancipation sets in and divine beauty shines only when one is free from all afflictions. This is moksha’**.

The purpose of Bibliyoga is to find internal liberation through the combination of powerful physical yoga asanas (postures) and ancient Hebrew wisdom. Our Kosher Sutra reminds us of how people were unable to fulfill their potential when they were curtailing their breath through the pressures of slavery. Many teachers have reiterated how slavery is an internal process, and we are aiming to banish the internal ‘slavemaster’ which is an internal voice. By taking deep and guided breaths, using the yogic practice of pranayama, we can begin to find more balance and ultimate freedom.

Nachmanides*** commented that this shortness of breath was due to fear. Unsure of what was going to happen next, the Children of Israel went into a panic. The result of this panic was that they were not only experiencing restricted breathing, but they also couldn’t hear the words of an incredible teacher who was standing beside them. The world is a narrow bridge, as Rav Nachman said, and the most important thing is to move beyond fear.

Breathe deeply, release the pressure inside your mind and listen closely to the people around you; they might just help to set you free.

Shalom V’Ahava

Marcus

*Zohar.
**p104, Yoga Rahasya, Vol A, Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI)
***Ramban on Exodus 6:9.

Marcus J Freed is the creator of Bibliyoga and yogi-in-residence for JConnectLA & Jewlicious Festivals. He also the President of the Jewish Yoga Network and Director of Yoga Mosaic USA. He teaches in Los Angeles every wednesday night - book here for the January special offer of four classes for $20!

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December 24, 2010 | 12:09 pm

Kosher Sutra: Goodwill to all men (Exodus)

Posted by Marcus J Freed

Kosher Sutra: “And [Moses] struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand” (Ex 2:12)

Soul Solution: Freedom from emotional disturbances

Posture: Warrior One

Body Benefit: Strengthen legs and arms

As human beings who are full of passion, we can easily become overwhelmed with joy, filled with lust or provoked to anger. Today we begin the second movement of this year’s Kosher Sutras, centred around the theme of freedom. How do we experience ultimate freedom? Within our body and within our mind.

Our Kosher Sutra: Moses kills an Egyptian man and buries him in the sand. Very mafia. The commentaries describe how the Egyptian man was a slavemaster who was beating up a Jew, and he’d previously raped his victim’s wife earlier that day (Rashi). What’s interesting is that the text describes Moses’ actions very plainly and free from emotion – there is absolutely no indication that this was performed out of anger or as a spontaneous reaction*.

The practice of yoga is the pursuit of psychological freedom, which we achieve through physical application (asana). Patanjali named five afflictions (kleshas) that affect us; ignorance (avidya), egoism (asmita), attachment (raga), aversion (dvesha) and fear of death (abhinivesha)**. We practice the postures so that we can find internal stillness and inner calm, building our physical strength and psychological self-control so that we are not thrown into chaos by the chaotic world around us. Baron Baptiste stated it well in a recent Twitter feed: ‘do not wait for somebody else to set you free’.

So what should we do when somebody else deeply upsets us? When they catch us off-guard and do something which has the power to throw our world into utter disarray, messes up our plans and/or provokes a strong internal reaction?

We have to work harder. These are mental disturbances. Emotions over which we can become the master. The 2nd Century sage Ben Zoma asked ‘Who is strong? The one who is in control of their passions’ (Ethics of the Fathers 4:1). He was taking inspiration from the inspirational proverb that stated ‘the person who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and the one who controls their passion is more powerful than the conqueror of a city’ (Prov 16:32). Powerful words.

Moses eventually lost his temper at the end of his life, but he had self-control when faced with this current situation of watching an innocent victim under attack. Enlightenment doesn’t mean that we sit on a mountain and separate ourselves from the world, and in Moses’ case it was the right time for carrying out retributive justice.

Our opportunity is this; to use these transformational tools so that we can strengthen our body and mind through a conscious Bibliyoga practice. In doing so we can set ourselves free from the emotional disturbances that are part of life on earth.

Wishing you inner strength.

Shalom V’Ahava

Marcus

Marcus J Freed (c) 5771/2010

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*Moses is giving a thought-through response. The Hebrew verb is in the present tense, ie ‘hitting’ which implies that Egyptian taskmaster’s assault had been going on for some time, so presumably Moses was watching from the sidelines (Maskil LeDavid).
** These afflictions, or ‘kleshas’, are explored in the Yoga Sutras.

Marcus J Freed is teaches yoga with a Jewish twist with classes every wednesday - Click here for more information. Marcus is the President of the Jewish Yoga Network and Yoga Mosaic USA, for Jewish yoga teachers and practitioners. He’s also the artist-in-residence for Jewlicious Festivals and he tours internationally to communities, JCCs and Hillels teaching and performing his one-man Biblical comedies.

WARRIOR TWO - HOW TO DO IT

i. Begin in Downwards-facing dog. Place your left foot so that it is parallel to the back of the mat. Complete steps ii and iii on one inhale.

ii. Step your right foot towards the front of your mat, ensuring that your right knee is directly above your right ankle.

iii. Raise both hands above your head, pushing your palms together.

Iv. Come into Warrior 1 and open your arms so that they are parallel to your legs.

v. Turn your palms so that they are both facing downwards.

vi. Close the fingers on each hand so that the energy is focused and reach your hands in opposite directions to elongate your arms.

vii. Lower your pelvis slightly and check that your bent knee is directly above your ankle.

viii. Raise your hands slightly to ensure that there is a clear line of energy emanating from your body.

ix. Rotate your left hip so that it is facing forwards.

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December 17, 2010 | 4:14 am

Kosher Sutra: Toucha toucha touch me (Vayechi)

Posted by Marcus J Freed

Kosher Sutra: “place your hand under my thigh..with kindness and balance” (Gen 47:29)

Soul Solution: Get in touch with your eternal potential

Posture: Staff Pose (Dandasana)

Body Benefit: Strengthen thighs and improve posture.

On his 80th birthday, BKS Iyengar described how he started every day with a 30-minute handstand. He’s just turned 92 and is still going strong. This gives us something to look up to. Or rather to look down to. Or upside down at. But how does he do it? In an US lecture several years ago he explained how he taught his late wife how to adjust him in yoga postures. The key is to use your energy to help someone else, and the aim of every great teacher is to leave the pupil feeling more balanced and healed.

Jacob is in the last days of his life and gives Joseph an instruction: ‘Please, do me a favour. Place your hand under my thigh and do this to me with lovingkindness and truthfulness’ (Gen 47:29). Taken at face value, it is clear that Jacob is requesting the first-ever recorded hands-on yoga adjustment. On a deeper level he is asking Joseph to make an oath on the eternal covenant*, but let’s consider how he makes his request. The relationship must be based on ‘Hesed’, ie lovingkindness, but also Emet, which is truthfulness, balance or integrity.

The yoga teacher Baron Baptiste once told me that our bodies are often in pain when we are not acting with integrity. We use these postures to find truthfulness, to ask ourselves the question; ‘where in my life am I not being more honest to myself?’ ‘how can I act with more integrity in my key relationships?’ ‘what do I need to change?’. Above all, according to Jacob, we need to do it with lovingkindness and to answer these tough questions with a gentle attitude.

Maybe there’s something else going on here as well. Jacob’s thigh was the place of an old injury. Although he was completely healed by this point, memories of our old pains can sometimes blight us in the present and prevent us from fully moving to our future. If we treat our bodies with kindness and continually work on our integrity, then we can get one step closer to reaching our potential.

*ie the point of the Brit Milah, the circumcision which is in lieu of a holy item that signifies connection to God.

STAFF POSTURE
i. sit with your legs straight in front of you, toes pointed outwards and thighs drawn in towards the bones.
ii. place your hands by the sides of your hips with your fingers pointing forwards and your arms completely straight.
iii. Keep your back fully engaged.

Advanced: Activate your abdominal muscles, keep the legs straight and lift yourself upwards with both feet off the ground [photo].

Seated: Straighten both of your legs whilst sitting in a chair.

Benefits: Thighs, posture and back.

Marcus J Freed is teaches yoga with a Jewish twist with classes every wednesday - Click here for more information. Marcus is the President of the Jewish Yoga Network and Yoga Mosaic USA, for Jewish yoga teachers and practitioners. He’s also the artist-in-residence for Jewlicious Festivals and he tours internationally to communities, JCCs and Hillels teaching and performing his one-man Biblical comedies.

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