While some might think that academia, religion and yoga might not make for the best mixture, an initiative bringing together a Hebrew University professor, his international students and a unique yoga studio in Israel’s Elah Valley is endeavoring to prove just the opposite.
Professor Eliezer Shore recently developed a course entitled Judaism and the Body. An ordained rabbi, Shore has focused much of his academic research on the interaction between chassidut and kabbalah which brought him to the Karna Kriya Yoga studio in the small town of Neve Michael, near Beit Shemesh, as part of a day filled with stops around the Jerusalem environs.
Karna Kriya was founded by Avraham and Rachel Kolberg, a married couple, adherents of the Breslov Chassidic sect, but admit that they don’t fit into a specific description or mold. Their studio sits overlooking the valley below, an area rich in nature and agricultural that has been described as the “Tuscany of the Middle East” for its unique landscapes and numerous vineyards and orchards.
The breathtaking view presents an idyllic setting for the relaxing and introspective emotions that one associates with yoga, which was what drew the couple to relocate their home and studio to this quiet community just last year.
Professor Shore said that the Kolbergs and their work provided a perfect –yet certainly non-traditional- opportunity for him to show his international students another way to understand the place of the body in Jewish tradition.
Channeling his clear passion for Breslov Chassidism, Avraham Kolberg welcomed his guests to the studio describing how the sect’s founder, Rabbi Nachman, included references to the body in nearly all of his many teachings and how the material fuses with the spiritual to define our connection to God and mind. “Yoga helps us to gain control of the mind through different tools for how to influence how we think. The body is the vessel but the mind is what fills that vessel with light and understanding.”
The class, consisting of an international cadre of students, then participated in a few yoga stretches and poses presented by Rachel allowing the group to refresh and open their minds as part of the educational experience. Lizbeth Sanchez, in Israel for the first time with The Hebrew University’s Rothberg International School, said the experience in the studio- particularly in hearing about yoga from a religious person - was unexpected and “was glad to see that Judaism doesn’t have a close-minded approach to it.”
“Judaism is the first and true religion,” she continued. “I was interested in this course to see what Judaism has to say about the body, which is so often the focus or representation of evil in many religions. This was a great and refreshing experience to round off our full day of visits to see and learn about Jewish culture and the connections with the human body.”
"I didn't know what to expect in bringing the students, especially since the synthesis of yoga and hasidic thought seemed quite novel,” said Shore. “However, the students were enthralled - both by the teachings and the practical exercises. They learned that both in Judaism and in Yoga, the body and soul are not necessarily antagonistic, but can work in union to produce a deep spiritual experience."
“It’s wonderful to see the next generation interested in these two ancient cultures and how they interact together in the most beautiful of ways,” said Rachel Kolberg. “The name of our studio, Karna Kriya, combines the Aramaic meaning of ‘the call of the horn’ with the Sanscrit meaning of ‘the action of the ear’. We truly believe that there is a place where Judaism and Yoga can come together to both ‘call out’ and ‘listen’ to help the individual find his path to fulfillment, happiness and holiness.”