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Bereishit.

בראשית
Bereishit

What Does Your Breath Have to Do With Your Soul?

In the Torah portion of Bereishit, the breath of life God gives Adam represents the divine soul that distinguishes humanity through intelligence and choice. Tai Chi connects breath with movement and chi, offering a physical way to reflect on the life within us.

The teaching

Close your eyes. Take a breath. Now open... What did you feel? In this week’s Torah portion, Bereishit, the Torah describes how God gives Adam the breath of life.

This breath represents the divine soul that separates humanity from the rest of creation. It gives us the intelligence to understand, choose, and take moral responsibility.

The Hebrew words for soul, Neshama, and breath, Neshima, come from the same root. The Torah invites us to see the connection between the breath we take, and our divine source of life.

In Tai Chi, we use Shing Chi to coordinate breath with movement. Calm, intentional breathing, helps organize the body, and cultivate our chi, the vital energy flowing through it.

Every breath can remind us of the life force within us, and of the divine soul that gives humanity the ability to understand, choose, and act wisely. Learn more at TorahTaiChi.com.

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