This is the kind of book to keep by your bedside and read over and over as you evolve spiritually. Let’s start our review by refreshing your understanding of specific the subjects of the book, Yoga and Judaism.

Yoga is a Hindu theistic philosophy, a technique where the seeker strives to attain through ascetic and psychic means: control over the vital functions; total mastery the body so that the “soul” is liberated from it; and finally, a unity between the ultimate essence of all that is and essence of the individual person that we are. To help achieve this, there are a series of exercises to achieve bodily and mental control, producing well-being (this is the more popularly known part of Yoga).

Judaism is the religion of the ancient Hebrews, characterized by belief in one transcendent God, who revealed Himself to Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrew prophets, and who laid down a code of behavior in accordance with Scriptures and rabbinic traditions. Today’s Jews, as descendents of the ancient Hebrews, are the inheritors of these very spiritual and very sacred Scriptures, not just the Talmud, but the entire Old Testament of the Christian Bible.

In each of the nine chapters, this book points out to how you can associate almost any great spiritual tradition and discipline, one with the other, and come to a marvelous balance. 

There is powerful symbolism with the Star of David, the six-pointed star of Judaism: its origins are the ancient tenets of mysticism, and it is related to the Tree of Life (which itself is also has significant spiritual symbolism in religions other than Judaism).

In the Chapter, “Life, Death, and Breath,” the author brings together Yoga and Judaism on the subject of death:  “Death is a subject that all spiritual teachings address, although many people don’t want to talk about it.  The general teaching is that you can’t master life, and that you can’t enjoy and express life to its fullest unless you address death.  Of course, we’re all going to address death when we die. The idea is to address the fact that we are going to die in a conscious, intentional manner while we are still alive. The more thoroughly and completely we can address it and have a real sense of it, the better equipped we will be when that eventuality occurs. It will also equip us to enjoy life more because overcoming the fear of death makes us fearless, and fearlessness is a quality extolled by spiritual teachers.”

There are some interesting figures in the book: “the cosmic egg,” “the tree of life, the Lurianic version” and “the tree of life, Karin version, with the three rings.” These particular figures exemplify principles of the Kabala. 

Thoughts are pure and perfect in their essence, so all we have to do is to perfect our thinking process, to prepare our logical minds, which are the material vehicle for our thoughts to manifest.  By focusing our thinking to match the perfection of the essence of thought is another unifying point of Yoga and Judaism. And through inspiration and being conscious of the value and result of our thoughts, we can evolve spiritually toward the innumerable capacities that we have in our spirit limited only by our way of thinking about the material world.

In Yoga, we practice breathing techniques and the seven chakra points (energy spirals or wheels located in the body). In Judaism, we have the seven branches of the holy candles (which represent breath, the original inspiration from God, the life force energies, and other holy symbolism).  That is why the breathing exercises, the central spiritual foundation of Yoga, are punctuated with movements that produce well-being. Both spiritual disciplines have well-prescribed rules and rituals that accomplish the same thing in a similar way: teaching us to lift up our physical and mental planes as we simultaneously grow to higher spiritual planes.

As humanity evolves spiritually, we will more and more use our immense talents for the good of all. This will cause the entire human population to evolve further in these material planes as well. We will become healthier on all levels as well, across the planet. There is one force that can re-establish harmony among us and balance within each of us, that can lead us to master the universe represented in its three forms of physical, mental, and spiritual. That force is embraced by both Yoga and Judaism.

I highly recommend this book.  It will take you to other dimensions and give you spiritual insights that you will always treasure.

Steven J. Gold, BA Antioch College, Philosophy and Religion: JD Emory Law School, is the founder director of the Yoga and Judaism Center in Atlanta. He has been a student, practitioner and teacher of spiritual self-realization and its related philosophy and psychology for many years. To contact the author, for more information about the Yoga and Judaism Center, call 404-377-1161.

Marie-Claire Wilson, author of the Spiritual Tarot: The keys to the Divine Temple, is a bilingual writer and poet. She has been practicing medium for 28 years using direct clairvoyance, the Tarot, numerology and palmistry. For an appointment face-to-face or phone readings call: 404-847-7330.
www.marie-claire.tv