Neshama Center for Spirituality and Wellness
Submitted by: Sara Category: Ensuring the Jewish Future
The Big Idea
It starts with you, with your body...The Neshama Center for Spirituality and Wellness offers Jewish opportunities for spiritual growth and transformation. A holy environment, embodied religious practice, space for study, reflection and contemplation and a supportive community present Judaism as a portal for meaning for today's spiritual seeker. By stepping away from the pressures of American life for an hour or an evening, practitioners at the Neshama Center for Spirituality and Wellness are transformed Jewishly and spiritually, thereby increasing Jewish passion and peace in the world.
At the heart of the Neshama Center for Spirituality and Wellness is embodied Jewish practice, including mikva immersion, yoga, gardening and conscious eating. Classes, sacred circles, prayer, and spiritual counseling facilitate personal growth. The ethically and environmentally responsible, holy space of the Neshama Center nurtures the spirit and stirs the soul.
The Impact
A sanctuary for the soul, the complete Neshama Center for Spirituality and Wellness will offer:
- A community Mikva and spa, to be used for traditional mikva practice and spiritual transformation.
- "Becoming a Bride" celebration for Jewish brides to mark the transition into marriage through sacred ritual.
- Sacred circles and support groups to guide men and women through significant life transitions.
- Transformational Jewish learning
- Yoga Studio
- Organic Teaching Garden
- Outdoor prayer space
- Kosher cafe
- Virtual Jewish Book store
- The complete Neshama Center for Spirituality and Wellness will be built in a green building, repurposing all water used for mikva preparations. As the Neshama Center serves Jews in times of transition, the completed space will house a modest shelter for homeless families, struggling through transition. Mikva preparation rooms will be made available to those in need of a shower and a second chance.
This Is A Great Idea Because
The Neshama Center for Spirituality and Wellness approaches Jewish in-reach in the following innovative ways:
- We are an expression of Judaism in the public square; we offer an entry-point into Jewish practice which is accessible and indulgent.
- We embrace embodied Jewish practice; Spirituality grounded in the body is deeply transformational and moving to its adherents. This is why yoga is so popular. Judaism too is filled with embodied practice. We must invite Jews to begin with the body.
- We address spiritual seekers as individuals, offering programming for every stage of life. Honoring the changing shape of the Jewish family, our points of entry focus on the individual, and serve to escort individuals through the many transformations we undergo in contemporary American life.