Lessons from Meditation - A Moment of Freedom

During the week, Rabbi Yechiel Hoffman made a simple suggestion, "I will co-lead Meditation Plus with you this week if you like." Of course, with all that is going on in my life and in my head, I paused and then replied, "I'll let you know tomorrow." And gratefully, I agreed.  What I was reminded today was how much strength and refueling I get from Meditation Plus.  Below is the meditation guidance I offered.

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We began with a chant.

Ozi v'Zimrat Yah Vayahi li lishuah

Happy Passover

Like our ancestors, we are on a journey.

Each of us trying to find our freedom, identifying our own personal enslavements. 

As we begin to focus on our breathing, I invite you to pay attention to each breath as a journey itself. 

Sometimes our breath is deep and long and other times it is short and quick. 

Let’s pay attention to our breath and try to reach deep. 

And as you take each breath, can you feel it somewhere else in your body?  As you breathe in, does your chest fill up, does your abdomen fill up?  Do you feel it in your esophagus?

As you release your breath, do you feel your shoulders relax, does your chin lift up, do your fingers stretch?

Each breath is a moment, a step, a movement to the next. As you make this movement physically, can you feel it spiritually?  Where do you go?  Do you have a private image that guides your spiritual journey, fire, water, sunlight, mountains, sky, or a particular person?

Like our ancestors left Egypt, we find ourselves leaving our personal Egypt today.  Some moments we are wandering in our enslavements and some moments are focused and guided to get us to freedom.

The image I want to focus on this morning is the parting of the Red Sea and the journey we took to cross it. 

We stood there at the edge. With faith we stepped in.  Imagine a time that faith allowed you to step in. 

With faith we crossed with sea.  Crossing to the other side. We are strong, we are scared, we are curious, and we are together.

We continue our journey, we search for freedom and still remain enslaved in modern times. During Passover, we think about what enslaves us.  As we cross the sea together, our only thoughts are of freedom.  What makes us feel free, alive, safe, and at peace?  We search for love, comfort, friendship and community.

(I then read the meditation Leaving Mitzrayim by Rabbi Yael Levy, the link is below).

Leaving Mitzrayim - Rabbi Yael Levy

After the poem, we sat in silence for 10 minutes.

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And then we had an incredible teaching by Rabbi Yechiel Hoffman.  I wish I can retell all that Yechiel taught and all the rich discussion we had, but instead I can share that when I left, I felt freer today than I have in a month.  For today I am not enslaved.  For the moment, I am superwoman, I am skinny, I feel emotionally lighter and I feel reconnected to a deeper sense of my spirituality.  I was given a gift today.  

As we begin counting the Omer tonight, I will commit to holding onto this feeling for as long as I can.  

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Yechiel, and to all the women who showed up today and made my morning so much richer.  Chag Pesach!