We are in the middle of my favorite Hebrew month and this year we have 2 of them- Adar Alef and Adar Bet. That fact that my Birthday is in Adar (Adar 22 which this year falls on March 16, so if you missed my March 6th Birthday you now have another opportunity to celebrate with me) of course of one reason I like it so much but the other has to do with the energy of the month of Adar. Adar is a time for celebrating JOY! We are told to Be Happy, It is Adar! Mi Shnichnas Adar, Marbim b'Simcha - When Adar comes in our joy is increased!
In the past when I have planned yoga classes for the Hebrew month of Adar I have put together play lists with music that made me happy. Jonathan Edwards- Sunshine (Go Away Today), a song that makes me think of my year in Israel, and Sweet Home Alabama which always make me smile. Usually my mixes are a bit more Jewish but these work with the them of joy in Adar.
This year I'd like to do something different. In class we will look for ways to access our bliss bodies. Each of us is created as a holy being, pure and full of joy. Life happens and sometimes this pure essence becomes obscured, or covered with schmutz as my teacher Alan Morinis says. Our job is to wipe away the schmutz so that our holiness can shine through. We will do a series of yoga poses that focus on opening the stagnant areas in our bodies and help us access the joy of being alive and able to move our bodies.
In the daily prayer liturgy we thank God for giving us bodies that work. But not just for the sake of having a body. The full prayer thanks God of giving us a body that functions in order that we can praise God. When all of this comes together, our kedoshim-holiness, our gratitude, our openness and our connection to God, then we can feel bliss.
Be Happy, It's Adar.
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