Menuchat Ha-Lev
Rest for the Heart
A Jewish mindfulness meditation community guided by Laura Hegfield.
Click here, or from phone number (646) 558-8656, the Zoom app, or Zoom.us: enter meeting ID 881 1083 0621 and passcode: 183672
Did you know? Our meditation group has been ongoing since 2012! All are welcome! No previous meditation practice/experience required.
Join us monthly, on Shabbat mornings* via Zoom from 9:00 – 9:30 am online, to explore wisdom found in the weekly Torah portion, spiritual poetry, our liturgy and/or other Jewish texts, to engage our bodies, minds, hearts and souls.
Jewish rituals and Torah offer us a map for practicing mindfulness every day. Living mindfully assists us in cultivating patience, holy listening, peace and wholeness as we learn to see the truth of each moment just as it is. By observing the inner workings and habits of our hearts and minds, we are able to see more clearly and make wiser choices that impact all of our relationships; with ourselves, with other people, the Earth, and the Holy Blessed One dwelling with and within us.
A typical session starts with a chant, followed by a d’var, some gentle guidance into our practice of sitting in mindful awareness, and sealed with a reprise of the chant and a blessing. We purposefully end by 9:30 am so that people who live locally can physically come to the Temple for services or attend via this zoom link to the main sanctuary if they wish.
*Session dates will be posted on the TBA calendar each month, and in the Kulanu Newsletter. If you would like to receive personal invitations and other inspirational writing from time to time, send Laura a note, and she will add you to the Menuchat Ha-Lev mailing list. Also of note, while you do not need to be a Temple Abraham Member to participate in these offerings, if you are not already on the mailing list, a message to Laura in advance would be appreciated.
Laura Hegfield has served Temple Beth Abraham in Nashua, NH as an educator since 2001. She grounds her teaching in Torah, compassion, and wisdom, often informed by living her life with Multiple Sclerosis, weaving her various interests and skills together in a unique way. She attended the Jazz Vocal program at Temple University, is a graduate of Philadelphia College of Textiles and Sciences, the Institute for Jewish Spirituality Teen Educators cohort, and she is a certified Yoga & Jewish Spirituality Teacher. Laura is also an IJS certified Jewish Mindfulness Meditation Teacher and Reiki Master Practitioner. Along with meditation, she leads Healing Services for TBA, throughout the year. As a poet and singer-songwriter, Laura incorporates original liturgical compositions and sometimes poetry into her various offerings, lifting her voice in prayer, song, and love, whenever possible. She studies Torah twice weekly with her two longtime chevruta/study partners and continues to be an active member of IJS Hevraya and offers her leadership as a founding member of the Embodied Jewish Learning/Wisdom Network.