By Bluth and Jenna Zadaka

We invite you into this month’s yoga practice, as a way to slowly connect with the themes of this month, and to bring the energy of the month into the body as practice. This meditative, slow, 30-minute yoga video focuses on setting intentions for the New Year.

Tishrei, this new month, contains the letters, “Reishit”, beginning – of which the root letters spell Rosh, head. The name of the month gives us a clue into its essence. Tishrei is the head, or the start of the year. There is a notion that on Rosh Hashannah we become a “Briah Chadasha Mamash”, literally, a new creation! This rebirth is the gift of Rosh Hashannah. It’s the new year, celebrating the birthday of humanity, and offering us a moment for our own personal and collective rebirth and renewal.

Where does your life need renewal? And how do you begin with small attainable steps to get there?

Rosh Hashannah is about embodiment of renewal – however small and subtle. It plants a seed for this year to come. The Shofar is the key practice of Rosh Hashanah. The breath channeled through the ram’s horn as a wake up call, a primal cry, a prayer. Just as humanity was created through Divine breath, and just as the breath is what keeps our aliveness flowing, the Shofar is life affirming. And in this yoga practice, we connect with the breath and the body to bring renewal to this moment. The letter associated with the month is the Lamed, the tallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The height of the lamed invites us to reach heights, to leap upwards, to stretch our bodies and create new space and new momentum for this new year.

Yoga is an ancient practice that comes from the Indian Subcontinent, which has been developed over thousands of years. “Yoga” comes from the root “yuj” meaning unity. It is not simply physical movements, rather it is a system of philosophy, devotion, physical practice, meditation and more. You are invited into the practice regardless of how experienced or flexible you are. In this Rosh Hashannah flow, we combine yogic practice with Jewish teachings and wisdom, to help ground the spiritual wisdom into the body.

The Zohar tells us that the call of the Shofar, like yoga, is the great unifier. We hope that this month’s yoga, and the Shofar this holiday, call together the four directions, the desperate parts of the self, relationships that need healing, and of course, community in solidarity and allyship.

The meaning of this month, “Tishrei” is dedication. In today’s yoga practice, we invite you to take a few moments to dedicate your practice to someone, or to something that needs unifying, healing and rebirth.

Shana Tova U’Metuka! A sweet, healthy, and wholesome new year!

And join us, every Rosh Chodesh (new moon/Hebrew month) for a yoga practice with Living Jewishly!

*Yoga Practice is by Jenna Zadaka @breathandsoul_Jenna / www.breathandsoul.net from Jerusalem

*Song by Kaley Halperin, “May I Fly”