Kosher Yoga?

That sounds very interesting, but I’m not personally familiar with a breathing technique in the Hayom Yom that draws higher levels of the Naranhay into the body. I’d suggest asking someone with deeper knowledge of these sources. Reply

Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment. I want to clarify one central point, because some of the discussion here is based on a misunderstanding of what I actually teach and what the Lubavitcher Rebbe called for.

What I teach is not yoga and not a Chassidic mystical meditation aimed at spiritual ascent. It is a simple, neutral, therapeutic relaxation technique designed solely to reduce stress and help people function better in daily life by triggering the body's natural relaxation response. Nothing more. No mantras. No visualizations. No kavana toward divine unification. No Eastern philosophy. No borrowed spiritual frameworks of any kind.

The Rebbe was already calling for this type of kosher therapeutic meditation as early as 1962, and even more urgently in later years. His position was explicit and consistent: Jews were being drawn into TM, yoga, and related systems in massive numbers because they were suffering from stress and anxiety and needed relief. Reply

Comment continued:
The Rebbe requested that a fully kosher alternative be developed so that Jews would not need to turn to practices rooted in avodah zarah or foreign religious systems. He insisted that not even a trace of Eastern religion remain.

For that same reason, the Rebbe was firmly opposed to yoga as a spiritual system. If a Jew wants the physical benefits of stretching, that can be achieved by ordinary exercise, physical therapy movements, or self-created stretches. There is no need to adopt or rebrand yogic systems to get basic physical benefits. The Rebbe wanted a complete break from those lineages, not a reframing of them.

To those concerned about cultural appropriation: I agree with the principle that religious systems should not be misrepresented or stripped of their identity. That is exactly why I do not teach yoga, do not teach Eastern meditation, and do not repackage Hinduism in Jewish language. Reply

Thank you for sharing your comments. I want to clarify something important, because what you are describing is not the kind of meditation being discussed or promoted here.

You are absolutely correct that in Tanach the word “meditation” refers to focused contemplation on God’s words, His will, and His Torah. Nothing I teach replaces or competes with that in any way.

What the Rebbe was specifically calling for in the 1970s was not spiritual contemplation, but a clinically effective, fully kosher therapeutic method to help people who were overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, trauma, and the inability to function in daily life. At that time, tens of thousands of Jews were being drawn into Eastern systems like TM purely for stress relief. The Rebbe saw the danger and urgently asked mental-health professionals to develop a neutral, non-religious, non-idolatrous tool for calming the nervous system, as that was needed. As an added benefit, people seeking relief would not turn to foreign practices Reply

Check the Yoga section on KosherCalm.org

In summary:

1. Separate Exercise from Avodah Zarah

Many yoga systems are built on Hindu spiritual ideas or rituals.
A kosher approach removes all religious elements:

No Sanskrit mantras or names of Hindu deities to describe postures.

No chanting, bowing to statues, or gestures of worship.

No references to chakras, prana, or energy centers tied to Hindu metaphysics.

2. Focus on Physical and Health Benefits

Use physical movements purely as exercise, stretching, and relaxation:

Think of it as “kosher stretching” — improving flexibility, posture, and breathing.

Set your intention (kavanah) for health, calmness, and serving Hashem with a healthy body. Reply

The Rebbe addressed Zen directly in a 1979 letter, which I reprinted in Kosher Calm. He wrote: “Apparently you are unaware that Zen, as commonly practiced now, is connected with Avoda Zara (idolatry)… The Torah, Toras Chaim and Toras Emes, strictly prohibits pagan methods and practices… for they will be of no benefit for the soul or body, but rather destructive to both. Indeed, it is precisely the external side effects and relief which such practices may bring that cover up the insidious harm and makes them all the more dangerous.” The Rebbe’s concern was not that meditation itself is foreign to Judaism, but that borrowing from Buddhist or other foreign traditions risks spiritual damage. Instead, he urged Jews to “taste and see” the depth of our own heritage. Kosher Calm offers a simple, scientifically validated method for stress reduction that is spiritually safe and may possibly produce the benefits you experience in Zen. Reply

In response to the meditation methods of Rabbi Kaplan, the Rebbe wrote:
The methods of Rabbi Kaplan and Rabbi Polit and their aim are not at all the aim and purpose I had in mind, of which I spoke with you. The intent is not that you should teach Kabbalah or Chassidus or Torah in general, but only and exclusively teach meditation and mental concentration and the like such as are kosher and permissible according to the Shulchan Aruch—it is possible to attain peace of mind, etc. Especially to attain peace of mind by those in whom this is acutely lacking, due to anxiety in business, Sholom Bayis, health, and similar stresses. Therefore, you should not teach Kabbalah, mysteries of the Torah, Zohar and similar subjects in your sessions (or workshops). In other words, your function is that of physicians (not Torah teachers), and an essential purpose is preventive therapy. Reply