with Joyce Schachter
Mindfulness meditation is simply lay language to describe relaxed states of mind available similarly through yoga, prayer, art, running, etc… The question of how meditation can be “Jewish” comes up all the time. Contemplative practice is part of a Jewish spiritual life, whatever you want to name it! Not to mention the benefits of meditation practice: improved relaxation, increased self-knowledge, increased ability for self-care and stress management, improved empathy.
Joyce Schachter has practiced meditation and yoga for the past ten years and has a background in ballet, contemporary dance, and Pilates. She considers herself a retreat junkie, having become hooked after attending her first meditation and yoga retreat at Kripalu in 2009. She has been leading a meditation group for the past year and is actively engaged with Ottawa’s Reconstructionist Jewish community. She has two teenage daughters, and a day job as a women’s health care provider.
