My Introduction to Mussar Yoga

I recently learned about Mussar Yoga, which is like yoga but with a Jewish spin. Naturally, I was super excited to look into this more extensively because I am Jewish, and that would be a combination of my favorite spiritual things. I found an article in Yoga Journal that discusses Mussar through the lens of Alan Morinis, author of Climbing Jacob's Ladder. Morinis describes Mussar as "deep and transformative soul work, intended to clear away the inner muck that covers up our essential holiness and prevents it from shining through." The article goes on to discuss how Mussar is different from traditional yogic teachings. There was one part in particular that really spoke to me:

"[Mussar's] spiritual ideas stem in part from the Torah and the Talmud and include uniquely Jewish takes on holiness and God. It parts company with the East, too, on the idea that enlightenment frees us from our struggles. Our negative impulses will remain, Mussar instructs, even as we learn to make better choices. If we are truly becoming holy, the proof will be seen in our actions toward our family, friends, neighbors, and society."

I love this because the idea that enlightenment would free me from struggle is an idea that I have never really learned to accept or come to fully understand, no matter how much studying or reading I've done. I always felt that this was seemingly impossible. I agree with the Mussar idea that the closer we come to enlightenment, the better our choices will become - but we will continue to be faced with struggle, and the lesser of the two choices will continue to tempt us and look us in the eye. It is our job to train ourselves to look away, and enlightenment brings us closer to that. Mussar is about learning to be the best person we can possibly be, and I love that because that is ultimately why I practice yoga.

I just ordered a book called Mussar Yoga: Blending an Ancient Jewish Spiritual Practice with Yoga to Transform Body and Soul, by Edith R. Brotman, and I can't wait to read it and write more about all I will learn.

Also, here's the link to that Yoga Journal article:

http://www.yogajournal.com/article/lifestyle/seeking-the-inner-mensch/