Rabbi Judi Ahavah Del Bourgo of Har Zion Congregation in Scottsdale loves sharing her knowledge about the Torah and her passion for yoga. She enjoys this so much that she has begun a class that combines both spiritual aspects of her life.
It all started for the rabbi while teaching elementary school in New York in 1999. Battling job stress, food allergies, major digestion issues and a close friend coming to the end of her life, Del Bourgo decided to go to a yoga retreat at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Massachusetts one summer. There she fell in love with what she learned and was inspired to create her own version, which includes words of the Torah.
“I’m not the first person to do this; in fact there is a Jewish Yoga Alliance! It is literally about ‘breath of life’ being a gift. There is an easy and natural connection between the two,” says Del Bourgo. “One day while taking a yoga class, we were in happy baby pose,” she says. “Enjoying the pose, but always open to ways to ‘translate’ things into a Jewish language for myself, I could not help but think of a Midrash (rabbinic legend) about the human experience inside the womb. According to this rabbinic legend, while a human baby is inside the womb, an angel whispers the entire Torah, everything
a baby will need to know when it goes out into the world. Then, just before the baby is born, the angel touches the space just above the baby’s lip and the baby forgets everything. That angel stays with us throughout our lives and beyond, but your job in this life is to remember all we were taught from Torah.”
While not an accredited yoga teacher, Del Bourgo guides her 50-minute class with yoga stretches, breathing and poses while playing Hebrew chanting to encourage talking about the topic of the class and how it brings the two cultures together. During the High Holy Days, Del Bourgo even includes “a child’s pose” as part of the choreography of the service. “Today often only clergy do it, but anyone is invited (even encouraged) to bend our knees, kneel to the ground and lower our foreheads as we sing: “Va’anachnu korim u’mishtachavim u’modim lifnei Melech Malchei Hamlachim (We bend, we bow, and we acknowledge in the presence of the Sovereign of Sovereigns).”
“The day I shared this Midrash in class a woman approached me afterwards and told me she had heard an Eastern teacher share a similar story. She was so glad to learn the story’s roots were actually in Judaism! I was delighted to witness another Jew, like myself, connecting deeper to our rich tradition through the lens of what is such a natural part of our 21st century American lives today.” Currently participants in the adult class are all in the 40-plus age range. One participant, Bracha Etgar, says that for her this started out of sheer curiosity stemming from her daughter’s love of yoga.
“For me, I’m in very good shape, but I was very surprised to find that it was great exercise. I’ve always exercised, but some of the poses were a challenge. And this is a good thing. I love listening to the chants. I would definitely say that it’s a wonderful experience that I plan on continuing whenever I have the opportunity.”
The class is free, but donations are accepted. Held in a large room of the synagogue, Del Bourgo hopes others will join and reap the benefits. More adult classes are planned for August and October. Del Bourgo includes her Torah and Yoga class in the religious school and says the students love the lessons. “I’ve even taught it in summer camps and the teens really enjoy it.” Del Bourgo holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and general science from the State University of New York at New Paltz and a master’s degree in leadership in math education from Bank Street College of Education in Manhattan. She received her rabbinic ordination from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles.
Before teaching elementary school in the Catskill Mountain region in New York, she worked with elders and hospice patients. As a Jew whose involvement in Judaism has been reawakened by inspiring teachers, Del Bourgo knows the power of meaningful and engaging experiences. Following in the footsteps of her mentors, she enjoys helping all Jews deepen their sense of wonder and understanding of how God and holiness are present in their everyday lives.
Carine Nadel is a freelance writer who recently relocated to the Valley.
Har Zion Congregation: 6140 E Thunderbird Road, Scottsdale | harzion.org | 480-991-0720
