The Embodied Jewish Woman with Rena Reiser

Mindfulness for Joy and Relaxation Rena guided the participants through a mindfulness exercise aimed at promoting relaxation and joy. She instructed everyone to take deep breaths and notice their surroundings, then to check in with their body's mood and sensations. She then asked them to shift their focus to a joyful memory, noting where and how they felt joy in their body. Rena stressed the importance of sending signals of safety to the nervous system by allowing joy and relaxation. She concluded by encouraging the participants to stay with the sense of joy for as long as they felt comfortable and safe.

Support Guided Meditation Rena led a guided meditation focused on feeling Hashem's support. The participants were encouraged to focus on their breath and deeply relax their bodies. Rena then invited them to notice the physical sensations of support from the surface they were sitting on, as well as the floor and the building structure, and then extending this feeling to the entire planet. The participants were also invited to sense the support from Hashem, with a focus on feelings of security and support. The practice concluded with an invitation to choose a word or phrase that could help them to remember the feeling of support throughout their day.

Mindfulness Exercise for Awareness and Calmness Rena guided a mindfulness exercise, focusing on breathing and body awareness. She instructed participants to take deep breaths and notice the sensations in their body, both physical and internal. Rena then shifted the focus to external surroundings, inviting participants to notice any object that caught their attention and observe its shape, texture, and size. The exercise ended with a return to the body, focusing on any points of tension and observing the sensations throughout the body.

Sensing and Releasing Tension Rena guided the participants through a mindfulness exercise focused on sensing and releasing tension in the body. She instructed the participants to focus on their breath, observe their body's sensations, and acknowledge any areas of tension or discomfort. The participants were then encouraged to explore the boundaries of this tension, observe the surrounding space, and notice the overall space in their bodies. The exercise concluded with the participants becoming aware of all three sensations - the tension, the space around it, and the rest of the body - at the same time.

Guided Meditation on Breathing and Visualization Rena led a guided meditation focusing on breathing techniques, body awareness, and visualization exercises. She encouraged participants to take deep breaths, notice their body's sensations, and bring to mind any challenges they were facing. She guided them to observe their thoughts and emotions around these issues, and then to imagine the opposite, a perfect scenario. Participants were then invited to switch between these two states of mind, noticing their bodily sensations throughout. The meditation was open-ended, with participants allowed to stay in it for as long as it was beneficial to them.

Protective Parts Rena led a guided meditation focused on protective parts. She encouraged participants to relax their bodies, observe their feelings, and connect with their inner selves. She then invited them to ask their bodies some questions, such as how it was feeling, why it felt that way, and what it was trying to protect them from. The meditation concluded with Rena gently reminding the participants that they are capable adults who can care for their parts.

Zos Chanukah Miracles

Rena led a mindfulness exercise to help participants connect with their emotions and body sensations. She guided them through a series of deep breaths and visualizations, encouraging them to explore their feelings and their connections with their physical surroundings. She then asked them to recall a time when they experienced a miracle and invited them to bring that joyful memory into their bodies. Rena suggested that they alternate between their overall emotions and the joyful memory, before staying with both.

Neshama Meditation Rena led a guided meditation focused on our Neshama's presence. She started by guiding participants to focus on their bodies, noticing any areas of tension and releasing it. Then, she moved the attention to the forehead, the spot of our Neshama Shebamochi, our Neshama in our mind. Rena encouraged participants to sense their Neshama throughout their bodies and also become aware of their current mood. She then invited participants to focus on a specific part of their body, allowing it to express itself fully and freely. Finally, Rena asked participants to communicate with this part of themselves, asking what it needs, and imagining their Neshama providing it with that.

Relaxation and Mindfulness Exercise

Rena guided a relaxation and mindfulness exercise during the meeting. She instructed the participants to begin with deep breathing, gradually releasing tension in their bodies and focusing on different sensations. She encouraged curiosity and acceptance of these sensations, without judgment. Rena then invited them to feel everywhere, and then to go back and forth between focusing intently on a specific feeling and the focusing everywhere. Finally, she invited the participants to focus on a pleasant sensation in their bodies and observe the effects of the exercise on their breathing and overall feeling.

Exercise for Nervous System Regulation Rena guided a deep breathing exercise to help people tune into their nervous system and thoughts. She asked participants to notice their current state, the signs in their body, and any accompanying thoughts and emotions. She then instructed them to switch their focus to a more regulated nervous system state and its accompanying thoughts and feelings. The exercise involved alternating between the two states and noticing the differences in sensations in the body. Rena concluded by encouraging participants to stay with the regulated state for as long as it felt right.