Embodying Middot: 4-Day Morning Immersive Class at Kallah 2023

Join Julie for a unique 4-day immersive morning class at Kallah, the largest global gathering of the Jewish Renewal Movement! The class will be offered in the mornings on Tuesday, July 4 - Friday, July 7, and the conference continues through Shabbat until Sunday, July 9.

Explore and embody Jewish wisdom teachings on the “middot”: the qualities of Anavah / ענוה (Humility), Rachamim / רחמים (Compassion), Menuchat HaNefesh / מנוחת הנפש (Equanimity), and Bitachon / בטחון (Trust), as a resource for grounding, calm, and wholeness in your life.

Each day this class will begin with the body and move through a variety of somatic practices (Embodied Mindfulness, Conscious Dance, Halprin Life/Art Process and Iyengar-based Yoga) infused with key teachings from our rich tradition to deepen our understanding of these four middot. With the words of text and Torah as our guides, we will engage in carefully constructed movement sequences, curated soundscapes, free movement, messy art (with newsprint and oil pastels), creative writing, reflection and rest.

There is no ‘perfect pose’ or ‘movement’ for any given middah. Each trait can be invoked in any movement or posture to support our spiritual growth. Our hope is to experience these qualities on all levels of being, so that we have a greater chance of cultivating them for ourselves, in relationship to others, and in service of creating positive change for our world. No previous experience with any movement or art form is necessary and all Hebrew texts presented will be transliterated and translated. Please wear layered clothing in which you can easily move.