Read more about our offerings

Sunday, December 11
1 pm ET (10 am PT)

Join the entire faculty and our hosts, Rabbinic Pastor/Cantor Lisa Levine and Marcis Freed, for an overview of the week and a short Kirtan concert with Rabbi Andrew Hahn (the Kirtan Rabbi!)

Monday, December 12
11 am ET (8 am PT)

Yoga Shalom: Freedom Flow is a one hour embodiment of prayer harnessing the power of the Sefirot energy centers for balancing mind body and spirit. Through pranayama breath practice, Asana yoga poses, sacred chant and kavanna intentions we will allow the light of Shechinah to cleanse our nervous systems and create a holy space for expanding light and peace in ourselves and in the world. 

Rabbinic Pastor/Cantor Lisa Levine RYT500 (she/her), is a well known cantor, composer, poet, author, chaplain and recording artist. Her catalogue includes 10 CDs and as many songbooks and her compositions are widely recorded and chorale series published by Transcontinental Music. Lisa received Ordination from HUC-JIR DFSSM in NYC. She is the author of “Yoga Shalom” a popular Jewish Yoga book and is the prayer voice of “Hebrew In Harmony” published by Behrman House.  Her recent recordings include “Jospel Jam” Jewish Gospel originals and “Sound of Your Soul” composed for Yoga practice, healing and sacred chant.  Lisa is ordained as Rabbinic Pastor through ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. Lisa shares Yoga Shalom classes via zoom as well as worship healing and chaplaincy in zoom rooms around the world.  Her first collection of poetry “Heart of Light” is available on Amazon.  Reb Lisa serves as Cantor & Spiritual leader of Temple Beth Israel in York PA.

Monday, December 12
3 pm ET (12 pm PT)

Chanukah Yoga and Festival Tips for Teachers and Practitioners will guide leaders on how to share Torah ideas for Jewish Festivals through Yoga.

Marcus is an actor, author and teacher who wrote a series of books connecting Jewish wisdom with yoga, to help people experience embodied spirituality. “The Kosher Sutras” is a Torah commentary through yoga, “The Kabbalah Sutras” connects the sefirot with physical and meditative practices, and “The Festive Sutras” includes a mini-book called “The Yogi’s Hagaddah”! Marcus also co-founded The Jewish Yoga Network (www.jewishyoganetwork.org), has taught and performed in 18 countries, broadcast on BBC national radio, and appeared on US breakfast shows. As a filmmaker, his recent music videos included “Livin’ La Vida Kosher” and “The Hebrew Hamilton”, and the forthcoming romantic comedy “Love & Consent”. In 2023 Marcus will be launching The Jewish Filmmaking Network, designed for independent filmmakers who are looking to promote positive-Jewish and pro-Israel themes in their movies. And finally, you can read his regular “Satirical Semite” column in the Los Angeles Jewish Journal. There’s more to discover on his personal website at www.marcusjfreed.com, his boutique marketing agency www.freedthinking.com, and on social media @marcusjfreed.

Tuesday, December 13
9 am ET (6 am PT)

Gad Levy Golan will teach the Trinity of Heaven, Human and Earth, which is a  sacred practice about building connections between heaven and earth through our body. We will simply relax and allow the flow of gravity to penetrate through our organs. The outcome is a great return of ground energy along with tranquility and equanimity.

Gad Levy Golan (he/him) is the author of the “Key to Qi” a book about healing energy and how it can be harnessed towards wellbeing, longevity and success. Gad practices and has been teaching Tai Chi and Medical Chi Kung for over 40 years. He is the principal and founder of LIFE IN MOTION, an Academy for graduating instructors in the Bio Energetics and Medical Chi kung system that he had created. It is an exercise program based on an amalgamation of Kabbalah-Tai Chi, Medical Qigong, Mindfulness, Meditation and Guided Healing. He graduated the Australian Sports Authority as an Instructor, and served as the New South Wales state representative at the Tai Chi Association of Australia. In Sydney, Gad created a program of Kabbalah Tai chi for Jewish Renewal, which is a sacred practice based on chanting from Psalms and Prayers in Motion.

Tuesday, December 13
1 pm ET (10 am PT)

Cultivate a moment- to-moment sensing awareness of the bodily systems and structures that support and sustain us in this gentle & active Iyengar-based yoga practice infused with teachings about Bitachon  /בטחון  (Trust) for the month of Kislev.

Julie Emden, E-RYT-500, Halprin Practitioner, (she/her) infuses her work with exploration, spirit and joy. She is passionate about awakening the body as a gateway to deep inner knowing and guides others in somatic explorations of Jewish wisdom teachings as a resource for living in balance and wholeness. A graduate of five fellowship and teaching certification programs related to her work as a Jewish educator, Iyengar-based yoga instructor and movement/expressive artist, Julie has over two decades of experience guiding others in exploring Jewish wisdom, text and practices via the body in a variety of settings. Julie offers classes, workshops, on-line learning, retreats, teacher trainings, individual coaching, and strategic consultation and guidance for Jewish Wellness Initiatives throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Tuesday, December 13
7 pm ET (4 pm PT)

Enjoy this hour of meditation for evening rest, healing and renewal. 

Rabbi Shachar Orenstein (he/him) was born in Ramat Gan, Israel, and raised in Winnipeg, Canada. He has served as a congregational rabbi for many years in both Vancouver and Montreal. In 2008, he co-founded Teva Quebec, Quebec’s first Jewish Environmental Organization. A certified yin yoga instructor, he enjoys accompanying his classes with his guitar. His music album, “Bonjour Mes Amis: Chansons juives pour le jeunes” has made hundreds of Jewish children happy.

Wednesday, December 14
9 am ET (6 am PT)

We are taught that a tiny bit of light can dispel a great darkness. We are each capable of so much when we shine our light forward. This is an invitation into chanting and meditation focused on growing and spreading light.

Rabbi Elyssa Austerklein (she/her) is an artist, yogi, musician, and Founding Director of Ivrim Jews Without Borders. She is a graduate of Brandeis University, BU School of Theology, and the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College. Rabbi Elyssa has published in The Forward, eJewish Philanthropy, the journal Kerem, has contributed several times to the “Ask the Rabbis” section in Moment Magazine, and has a poem published in the volume When We Turned Within: Reflections on COVID-19. She is a trained mikveh guide, has led Hallel with Women of the Wall in Jerusalem, and was a “rabbi on the road” for the Institute of Southern Jewish Life. Rabbi Elyssa is a Rabbis Without Borders Fellow, and was named one of America’s 33 most inspiring rabbis of 2015 by The Forward. She has held pulpits in Conservative and Reform congregations in Florida, Ohio, Maryland and Alaska. She is a devoted wife and mother.

Wednesday, December 14
1 pm ET (10 am PT)

Soulstir: A form of movement that awakens the soul. Based on the sefirot, Soulstir allows us to get out of our heads and into our bodies, bringing to life loving kindness, strength, harmony, leadership, humility, foundation and community.

Shelly Dembe (she/her) inspires others toward optimum physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Her book, Wrestling with Yoga, Journey of a Jewish Soul, helps others navigate the controversial elements of yoga while maintaining a physical practice that is safe for the Jewish soul. With over 35 years of life and professional experience as a Registered Nurse and health coach, Dembe inspires and entertains with her honest story of a journey out of ashrams and into life as an evolving Jew. Shelly travels worldwide to communities as the founder and facilitator of Soulstir, a form of movement that awakens the soul. Based on the Kabbalistic sefirot, this dance form welcomes all women into the circle of dance, creating community, joy, and well-being.

Wednesday, December 14
7 pm ET (4 pm PT)

Join the Kirtan Rabbi for a unique and energizing slow movement practice perfect for taking a step back from the stresses of the Holiday Season. 

Rabbi Andrew Hahn (Reb Drew) (he/him) combines a variety of tools to introduce Jewish Wisdom to an increasingly global, religious village. He holds a Ph.D. in Jewish Thought from the Jewish Theological Seminary (Conservative) and received rabbinic ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (Reform). He has also studied at the feet of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, founder of the Jewish Renewal Movement. Dubbed “a Shlomo Carlebach for the twenty-first century,” he weaves traditional Jewish liturgy and musical modes into the increasingly popular call-and-response chant technology from India, known as Kirtan.

Thursday, December 15
9 am ET (6 am PT)

Shal(om) Yoga is a one hour yoga class steeped in Jewish teaching that guides us into the Promised Land- the present moment. The direct translation of the month of Kislev is “heart pocket.” We become present to the darkness so available at this time of year, and witness the heart’s opening.

Alice Frank (she/her) created Shal(om) Yoga over 20 years ago. She is a Spiritual Guide and Life-Coach specializing in love and awakening. A poet and speaker about G-d, she was named one of the Top 100 Creatives Creating Change by ORIGIN Magazine. Her poetry is lauded by Eckhart Tolle, Daniel Ladinsky, and others. She has established Grateful Already, a healing immersion center in Quebec. She has been a student of Kabbalah for 25 years and is ordained a very alternative Rabbi. If you need any support please find her at Uniamory.com

Thursday, December 15
12 pm ET (9 am PT)

The Chassidic Rebbe Sfat Emet teaches: “There is a life giving point hidden in every person of Israel, but it is hidden….We can discover it by searching with a candle.” With the candle flames of Torah study and yoga practice we will discover the hidden point of life within.

Diane Bloomfield (she/her) is the creator of Torah Yoga and author of the book Torah Yoga: Experiencing Jewish Wisdom through Classic Postures. She is currently working on her new book, Playing with Fire: Secret Torah Doorways to the Inner Self. She lives in Jerusalem where she teaches Torah and Torah Yoga classes live and on the web. She is currently planning Torah Yoga 10 day trips to Israel. Diane also teaches Torah Yoga retreats and workshops in the United States at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center and synagogues throughout the United States and Canada. 

Saturday, December 17
11 am ET (8 am PT)

Join these two notable worship leaders for a spiritual hour of meaningful and mindful healing chant and prayer.

Rabbi Hanna Tiferet Siegel (she/her) is a poet and mystic through whom song and inspiration flow. She weaves together prayerful melodies and thoughtful teachings in a web of spirit and celebration. Through new music, liturgical innovation, and attunement to the Divine Feminine, Hanna plants seeds of Jewish Renewal wherever she goes. Since the late 1960’s, she has designed prayer experiences that include meditation, yoga, dance, original prayers, and midrashim. Her devotion and loving commitment prepared the ground for the egalitarian participation of women in Jewish spiritual leadership.

Sunday, December 18
9 am ET (6 am PT)

Description coming soon.

Gad Levy Golan (he/him) is the author of the “Key to Qi” a book about healing energy and how it can be harnessed towards wellbeing, longevity and success. Gad practices and has been teaching Tai Chi and Medical Chi Kung for over 40 years. He is the principal and founder of LIFE IN MOTION, an Academy for graduating instructors in the Bio Energetics and Medical Chi kung system that he had created. It is an exercise program based on an amalgamation of Kabbalah-Tai Chi, Medical Qigong, Mindfulness, Meditation and Guided Healing. He graduated the Australian Sports Authority as an Instructor, and served as the New South Wales state representative at the Tai Chi Association of Australia. In Sydney, Gad created a program of Kabbalah Tai chi for Jewish Renewal, which is a sacred practice based on chanting from Psalms and Prayers in Motion.

Sunday, December 18
1 pm ET (10 am PT)

Join our faculty and special guests for the first night of Chanukah lighting and songs for the season. Bring your Chanukah Menorah and join our healing circle of light to bring our week of learning to a close.