Ongoing Jewish mindfulness meditation community guided by Laura Hegfield.
Click here, or from phone number (646) 558-8656, the Zoom app, or Zoom.us: enter meeting ID 881 1083 0621 and passcode: 183672
Did you know? Our meditation group has been ongoing since 2012! All are welcome! No previous meditation practice/experience required.
Join us, Shabbat mornings* via Zoom from 9:00 – 9:30 am online, to explore wisdom and inspiration found in the weekly Torah portion, engaging our bodies, minds, hearts and souls. Jewish rituals and Torah offer us a map for practicing mindfulness. Living mindfully assists us in cultivating patience, holy listening, peace and wholeness as we learn to see the truth of each moment just as it is. By observing the inner workings and habits of our hearts and minds, we are able to see more clearly and make wiser choices that impact all of our relationships; with ourselves, with other people, the earth, and the Holy Blessed One dwelling with and within us.
We typically start with a chant related to parashat ha-shavua, the weekly Torah portion, followed by a 15–18-minute d’var. Then, Laura offers some gentle guidance, and we sit in mindful awareness for the remainder of each session. Our practice is then sealed with a reprise of the chant and a blessing.
We purposefully end by 9:30 am so that people who wish can physically come to the Temple for services or attend via this zoom link to the main sanctuary.
We practice mindfulness to cultivate patience, holy listening, peace and wholeness as we learn to see the truth of each moment just as it is. By observing the inner workings and habits of our hearts and minds, we are able to see more clearly and make wiser choices that impact all of our relationships; with ourselves, with other people, the earth, and the Holy Blessed One dwelling with and within us.
*Due to ongoing family needs, travel, and healing from personal illness, our dates for gathering have been less frequent than usual. Please consult the weekly Kulanu Newsletter to find out if there will be a meditation session on a particular Shabbat. If you would like to be added to the Menuchat Ha-Lev email list to receive personal invitations and/or if you have questions, please send me a message:
In addition, to sample a very basic meditation practice, daily or whenever your heart calls you to do so, particularly during this time of less frequent live Zoom sessions, click here for a podcast. You will notice that Laura has a slight foreign accent when you listen. This is not an act, but the consequence of a Covid induced MS flare, causing a temporary reprisal of Foreign Accent Syndrome. Brains are complicated, mysterious and marvelous!
Laura Hegfield has served Temple Beth Abraham in Nashua, NH as an educator since 2001. She grounds her teaching in Torah, compassion, and wisdom, often informed by living her life with Multiple Sclerosis, weaving her various interests and skills together in a unique way. She is a graduate of Philadelphia College of Textiles and Sciences, with a BS in textile design, the Institute for Jewish Spirituality Teen Educators cohort, a certified Yoga & Jewish Spirituality Teacher, IJS certified Jewish Mindfulness Meditation Teacher and Reiki Master Practitioner. She also leads Healing Services at TBA, throughout the year, and serves as a lay-leader, creating contemplative Holy Day services to co-facilitate with Liz Macedo and Rabbi Jon during the Yamim Noraim. Laura incorporates original liturgical compositions into her offerings, lifting her voice in prayer, song, and love, whenever possible. She studies Torah twice weekly with her two longtime chevruta/study partners, Julie Emden and Rabbi Meryl Crean, and continues to be an active member of IJS Hevraya and the Embodied Jewish Learning/Wisdom Network.