The Embodied Jewish Woman With Rena Reiser

201

145 - Somatic Mindfulness Practice 11 13 2023

Nov 13, 2023

9:44

Rena guided the participants through a meditation exercise to help them become more aware of their thoughts and emotions. She encouraged them to focus on a primary thought that had been preoccupying them, to question how it aligned with their values, and its corresponding emotional sensation. She then led them through an exercise to explore the opposite of this thought, to question how it aligned with their values, and its corresponding emotional sensation. Then moving back and forth between the two thoughts, the participants deepened their felt experience of each thought, leading them to further integration of their values.

202

144 - Somatic Mindfulness Practice 11 12 2023

Nov 12, 2023

9:47

Rena guided the group in a meditation focused on grounding and connecting with the body. She emphasized the importance of finding a comfortable position and adjusting it as necessary. She also led the group in an exercise where they focused on their breath and became aware of the overall mood and emotion in their body at that moment. She encouraged the group to stay with the felt sense and to listen with compassion to what it had to say. The goal was for the group to offer compassion and understanding to their body's current state.

203

143 - Somatic Mindfulness Practice 11 09 2023

Nov 9, 2023

9:56

Rena guided a relaxation exercise, encouraging participants to become more aware of their body's state and to focus on the sensation of joy, feeling the sense of serving Hashem with joy. She then invited participants to connect with any other emotions present, and to hold both the joy and the other emotions simultaneously, before letting go of the latter. The goal was to create space for both joy and whatever other feelings were present, and notice how by doing so the nervous system shifts into a more regulated state.

204

142 - Somatic Mindfulness Practice 11 08 2023

Nov 8, 2023

9:30

Rena led a guided meditation to help participants relax and connect with a sense of security. She invited them to focus on their breath and release tension in different parts of their bodies. She then invited them to imagine themselves being held in Hashem's loving arms, a place of security and safety. Rena encouraged participants to bring their attention to any feelings of resistance or lack of security and to wrap those feelings with the sense of security they were imagining. She also asked them to find a word that captured the sense of security they were feeling, to help them revisit that experience later.

205

141 - Somatic Mindfulness Practice 11 07 2023

Nov 7, 2023

9:57

Rena led a guided meditation to help the participants settle and relax. She first guided them through a deep breathing exercise, encouraging them to focus on their breath and body sensations. Then, she invited them to look intently at a specific object in the room, before shifting their attention to a broader awareness of the space. The exercise was repeated with an internal focus, asking the participants to direct their gaze inward to notice sensations in their body. After the final repetition of the exercise, Rena encouraged the participants to continue in a more relaxed state, noticing any changes in their breathing patterns.