Teshuva is the practice. But what is Teshuva?
Teshuva is the Hebrew word for homecoming or returning. When we dance, we come home to our bodies, and we come home to the moment. We return to the NOW. And in the moment, we are in relationship with the creative Divine and the naturally creative and organic, moving Soul.

And why do we dance this practice called Teshuva?
To live more fully, of course. It is our birthright. It is what we came here for.

When we dance the process of Teshuva, we explore the different qualities of the Divine, that are alive and well within us. In the Hebrew language, words can mean many different things, usually related, and are dependent on the context they are used. For the sake of keeping it simple, when I define a Hebrew word, keep in mind it can mean many different things, as Hebrew is an experiential language. This is why I love it so much.

In Teshuva, we:

Get Embodied.
First, we connect with our bodies through something called embodiment practice. Through breath, intention, movement and sound, we connect with our bodies. In this practice, we explore intimacy with self and other. And, we turn up the volume on our bodies, to meet the incredible power of the thinking mind.

Rachem~Mother
Rachem is the Hebrew word for mercy or compassion. With our feet rooted on mother Earth, we experience the ground below us, and within us. We begin to explore the root of who we are at the very core; without titles, without our best and worst actions. When we do this, we begin to experience our humility and our humanity. We dance our way back to an infinite, and sustainable, Love within us. And when we root with our feet, and our breath, in this unconditional love, we are free to explore the mystery of who we are. We come to learn, in this practice of the feet, that we are loved deeply by a mother within us; One who longs for us to live freely, rooted deeply in the compassion that is ours. We connect first and foremost with this One through the breath.

Hesed~Father
Hesed is the Hebrew word for steadfast love or faithfulness. When we root our feet in the compassion and unconditional love of the mother, we spread our wings with confidence into this big, beautiful world. The voice within us speaks to us and says, "You can do it. Get out there and live your life. Make mistakes, do great things. Be human and love every minute of it." When we begin to connect with the hips, we come in contact with our creativity. We uncover old stories, those that have held us back. And we discover new stories of hope and opportunity. We fill up with the love of rachem, and through the quality of hesed, we let it spill out onto this planet. This quality holds teachings of responsibility, that comes with the freedom of being so deeply loved. We own our belovedness, and then, we live from it.

Shekhinah~The Coming Together
Shekhinah is the Hebrew word for the dwelling of God in the temple. This is the experience of body and soul coming together. When the beat is in the feet, we are rooted in the Big Huge Love. And when we come into our hips, we experience the power of that Love. When we have our roots and know their power, we can let go. We can surrender. And invite that Love to penetrate every cell of our beautiful beings. We can let go of our bodies because they are held by the Love; they are held by the dance. In archetypal terms, when the mother and father come together, a creative child is born. And that child is the truth of who you are. In Shekhinah, we dance truth. And it holds us.

Nephesh~The Embodied Soul
Nepesh is the Hebrew word for soul or life or breath, and even body in some cases. When we surrender, and dance through the darkness of the coming together of body and soul, we enter the light. We reach for the heavens with our arms and hands, as our feet and body are safely rooted on earth. We build relationship with this bright light within; a light that is embedded in gratitude for the wholeness of life. We begin to appreciate life on life's terms, and the movement of our emotional life and the organic nature of that flow. We learn to trust that our interiority and that the life within us is both untouched, and completely involved in, our humanity. We come alive in body, when we experience the strength and sustainability of the Soul.

Ahavah~The Greatest Love
In the greatest Love of all, Avahah, the Hebrew word for Love, we are held. The root of this word means "to give." We receive from this Love and we give it. We fill up and it naturally spills out of us. The dance is held by this big mystery, no matter what we call it, and we are held safely, every part of us, in this Love. We breath the holy in and out. We rest in the Love that we began in, and end in, and begin again. This is where we land, for now. And where we pick up from again. It is in Ahavah, that we reflect, heart, body and mind, on what the dance has taught us. We are invited to listen to, and embrace, the wisdom that reaches far beyond us, and straight into us; the wisdom of body and soul and the mystery that holds it all.

Dance is the hidden language of the soul.

~ Martha Graham