The Jewish Yoga Network is a community of teachers and students who explore their roots in yoga, meditation and Jewish wisdom. Please join our community to get involved, enjoy the free resources and come along to upcoming network events.The Jewish Yoga Network began life 20 years in the UK as Yoga Mosaic. Founded by Estelle Eugene at Yakar in London, it has expanded Internationally as a resource for both teachers and students. We aim to provide a wealth of information via our website for everybody who is enthusiastic for the profound worlds of Jewish wisdom, yoga and meditation. Please explore and contribute to our community.
USA
MARCUS J FREED is president of the Jewish Yoga Network and award-winning author of The Kabbalah Sutras: 49 Steps to Enlightenment and The Kosher Sutras – the Jewish Way in Yoga & Meditation. Originally from England, he now resides in Los Angeles. He is yogi-in-residence for JConnectLA and Jewlicious Festivals and regularly tours to communities around the North America and Europe teaching Jewishly-inspired yoga and performing his one-man Biblical comic plays. Visit Marcus’s website www.marcusjfreed.com and www.bibliyoga.com , and sign up to receive regular teachings.
The steering committee for the Jewish Yoga Network in the USA includes Rabbi Avivah Erlick, Ida Unger, Lisa Grossman, and Zack Lodmer. Our US network was originally pioneered by Reisha Golden, who did a huge amount of work for the ‘Yoga Mosaic’ website before the relaunch, and we are hugely grateful to Reisha’s work.
Join the new Facebook group: Jewish Yoga Network. We look forward to expanding the network. Please invite your friends, teachers and fellow classmates.
UK
ESTELLE EUGENE founded the original Yoga Mosaic, and is co-founder and co-director of the Jewish Yoga Network. She lives in London and teaches a regular schedule of classes. Estelle has run over 20 annual Jewish Yoga seminars in England -several in conjunction with JW3 and is thrilled to see how the community continues to grow internationally. She is also a proud mother and grandmother!
The Torah is concerned with both our spiritual and physical wellbeing. Moreover there has always been a recognition in Judaism that there is wisdom and there are resources to improve our lives beyond the four cubits of halachah. In addition the art of meditation, both as a preparation for prayer and as the deep state of spiritual consciousness to which prayer should lead, has been an integral part of Jewish practice and tradition down the ages. In these regards there is much richness and benefit to be gained from the ancient practice known as Yoga which uses breath and movement to bring harmony to body, mind and spirit. Whether one sees Yoga as helping recapture Jewish wisdom and practice which may have been lost over time, or as incorporating wisdom from other parts of the world into Jewish life; the physical and spiritual benefits of such practice offer much blessing and enlightenment. I accordingly express my appreciation and admiration to Estelle Eugene for her work and website YogaMosaic which seeks to integrate the benefits of Yoga into authentic and committed Jewish life.
Rabbi David Rosen,CBE,KSG,
International Director of Interreligious Affairs , AJC
6 comments
Reisha says:
Nov 15, 2011
I think you have done a great job. Love the site.
Marcus says:
Nov 15, 2011
thank you Reisha! We’re incredibly grateful for all of the hard work you put in over the years and hope you can continue to be involved! best wishes, Marcus
Hawk says:
Dec 18, 2011
Your answer shows real intellgenice.
Joel Retzloff says:
Jul 12, 2013
Not all yogas are “movement”. As a Jewish practitioner of jnana yoga, I was looking for confirmation that indeed there were others like myself; that I wasn’t entirely outside halacha. Please write me if you know of others practicing non-Hatha yoga.
Marcus says:
Jul 18, 2013
thank you Joel – there are many people practicing many kinds of yoga. In the broadest sense, Bhakti Yoga could translate to Mitzvot between people that are heart-centered – or Karma Yoga for that matter – and indeed all forms of Tefillah/prayer could be seen as non-physical yoga. This stuff is everywhere…
Rabbi Eli Mallon, M.Ed., LMSW says:
Jun 14, 2015
Dear Joel,
“Jnana Yoga” has its most obvious formal presence in the HaBaD (or Chabad) school of Hasidut. The spiritual practice of this group is based around the contemplation (hitbonenut) of the ideas found in “Tanya,” written by the founder of this Hasidic school. In particular, the contemplation is of the ideas found in the 2nd part: “Sha’ar Ha-Yichud v’Ha’emunah” — the Gateway to knowing Oneness and Faith.
Maimonides certainly had “jnana” in mind in his book, “The Guide for the Perplexed (or ‘Entangled’), which was also about contemplating certain ideas.
Less formally, “jnana” has been an integrated element of Jewish learning, without necessarily being identified as such.