Namaste Friends:

We are now into the first month of the Hebrew calendar, Nissan, which announces the major Jewish festival of Passover. As an agriculural people our culture revolved around the seasons and Nissan heralds a new start, a fresh perspective and a time of rebirth. I see the bulbs in my garden popping and there are even greens in my raised beds that have weathered the snow and are ready for eating! Additionally, over the next few weeks we prepare for the searching of the chametz as we clean our homes and cupboards from anything not allowed for the holiday. It's time to 'polish the silver' and switch out the dishes! Metaphorically, it is also time to clean our spirits up and brush away the crumbs of indifference, sorrow, regret, procastination and trauma. Unpeeling the layers of earth from our souls, we reveal fertile ground for seeds to grow, ideas to sprout and action to flourish. From Song of Songs we read: "For lo the winter has past and the time of singing has come." May we all prepare for the season of our freedom with a song in our hearts as we mindfully whisk way crumbs and find a new path for inner change and outer peace.

Our exploration of the Middot of Mussar continues this week with a gentle chair flow dedicated to balancing our inner lives for the journey to freedom ahead. Then we will finish out our series on the Yamas and Niyamas and Mussar with a restorative practice allowing space for renewal and peace. Don't forget to register for the Tree of Life Weekend at Yogaville!

Together we will be a shelter from every storm,

Reb Lisa.

Crumbs by Reb Cantor Lisa Levine

In every corner and under the sofa

the nooks and crannies hiding 

little bits and long forgotten remnants

of leftover resentment and pain

I sweep, vacuum and seek a way

to find it all and brush it from my heart

this new season of slavery to freedom

shows me a window to a new start

a fresh paradigm where all the fragments

of regret and 'what if’s' are revealed

and completely transformed 

no longer dust and dirt

but more likely the proof of life

so fragile and fleeting.

I better get cleaning 

and make sure that all those crumbs

find their way into the bin.

I know they will return and remind me

that experience cannot be undone

nor the memories eliminated

at least for now,

I’ll give myself a reprieve and 

open my heart to a clean slate. 

In Case You Missed It:

Niyama and Mussar Self Care Mat Flow

In Case You Missed It:

Mussar Kabbalah Chair practice

In Case You Missed It:

Four Worlds Kabbalah Flow

In Case You Missed It:

Breath and Stretch The Spirit of the Soul

Get your copy of the new Shireinu Volume II! The most comprehensive collection of Jewish music on the planet!

Lisa's included!

Yoga Shalom at Home

www.cantorlisalevine.com

Reb Cantor Lisa Levine

500 hr. RYT Yoga Alliance