How to Achieve Balance and Inner Peace During the Holidays

I interviewed Rabbi and Cantor Judy Greenfeld who is a concierge Rabbi in West Los Angeles. She talked about how to achieve balance and spiritual contentment during the holidays as it is a stressful time for many people. Her tips are Universal and can apply to anyone no matter what religion they are.

Watch my video interview here

About Rabbi Judy

Rabbi and Cantor Judy Greenfeld is the author of two books, Minding the Temple of the Soul: Balancing Body, Mind & Spirit through Traditional Jewish Prayer, Movement and Meditation and also Entering the Temple of Dreams: Jewish Prayers, Movements and Meditations for the End of the Day.

She is transforming the way she approaches traditional Judaism to meet people where they are, and where they are comfortable. Noticing that spiritual practices are still wanted but less traditional and performative these days. She weaves an array of healing practices, from dreamwork, meditation, breath work, healing through somatic dance, sound and sonic geometry and incorporates other ways to understand and open up the ancient scriptures and meaning of Torah, Mussar, and Kabbalah.

Universal truths for spiritual balance during stressful times

Here are some takeaways from our interview.

There are so many ways to find a spiritual perspective. The wellness field has opened up. Feeling better, psychology, beautiful writings, and so many incredible teachers among us. They have all experienced their own obstacles and stress and have overcome them. They have all worked very hard on themselves to get to where they are today.

We are all unified through ancient traditions. Most of us come from the idea of monotheism. (One God) At its core, monotheism is really LOVE and embodying that. Rabbi Judy practices meditation on her heart. Going inside every day and noticing that she needs to turn on her heart and also spend time softening her heart.

When you are worrying about things like money, buying presents, going on vacations it’s easy for the heart to stiffen up and remember we have a heart.

All of us have different spiritual practices whether it’s drinking a cup of coffee and looking out the window to others who have more intense and formal ways to tap into it. Surrendering to God, writing, and other practices before starting the day. Some people don’t do anything in particular.

The Jewish prayer books have four prayers that are said first thing in the morning that express gratitude. The first prayer is; Thank you God for returning my soul to this physical body. The other three prayers remind you to set up your spiritual space, to set up your mind, body, and soul to remember what is truly valuable to you, and to rid yourself of toxins and negativity that you are experiencing.

Those prayers have been around since the turn of the millennium. But the interpretation gives a perspective of how people today can become grounded or balanced by aligning body, mind, and soul. It’s like an affirmation and setting an intention for the day.

It’s a forcefield that we can use the moment we go into the airport. We can take a beat, recognize it will be crazy in there, and remember to leave a compliment when we can’t find what we are looking for and not take things personally. That little space or beat we take is a connection to God.

Going into nature like forest bathing is there to hold us and protect us from negative things that are happening in the world. It can be your Temple.

Before you go to sleep at night is also an important time to decompress. If you don’t get enough sleep and restore yourself you cannot function at your best and it’s easy to get stressed. There are also four Jewish prayers for this called the Bedtime Shema. Protection, forgiveness, step into the pupil of my eye. They are a checklist of what you have done well and a feeling of completion for the day.

During the stressful times of the holidays, remember there is no perfectionist, life is not a Rockwell painting, and no one has it any different no matter what you see on social media. We are all learning and have never done this before.

Don’t judge yourself if you didn’t accomplish something during the day. Maybe you weren’t supposed to. Sometimes when you don’t do what you intended, other things come into being.

Take the time between Thanksgiving and New Year to prepare. Think to yourself, ” What would I like to create? What’s my hope? What have I learned?”It helps to take the emotion out of it and to acknowledge what you have accomplished. Or, you may want to change what you are doing that is causing you stress. Also, some stress can be good because it helps us to grow.

Think of what you want in the coming year. Think of being an archer and drawing back your bow. As you draw it back you point and aim for your target. How do you want to draw your bow back and aim for a year that will be fulfilling to you?

In the end, we want to embody what we are meant to do on this planet. When we find that, there is a calm so that everything we do fits into that category.

Loosen your belt and be gentle with yourself. It’s not the holiday spirit you are missing. You ARE the holiday spirit. You are enough. It’s a lovely ride.