MITZVAH

What Mitzvah is not

Mitzvah is not affiliated with any religion.

It is a simple method for postural improvement that can be practiced easily by anyone regardless of their religion.

Mitzvah is not massage, chiropractics or acupuncture.

Like massage, chiropractics and acupuncture, Mitzvah teachers do sometimes manipulate their students’ bodies during private lessons. However, unlike these techniques, students of Mitzvah are expected to take healing into their own hands through regular practice.

Mitzvah is not tai-chi, yoga or pilates.

Tai-chi, yoga, pilates and other exercise systems are similar to Mitzvah in that they all teach us to heal our own bodies through our own efforts. However, unlike these systems, Mitzvah teachers help to heal their students by gently manipulating their bodies during private lessons.

It is not an intensive work out, sport, or martial art.

Students should not expect to be doing highly energetic movements that generate a lot of sweat. While Mitzvah does strengthen the core and other subtle muscles by retraining the way we move our bodies, the exercises are very slow and gentle. Students should think of Mitzvah as a foundational technique that can improve posture for all kinds of activities, including high-energy workout.

It is not Western medicine nor a replacement for Western medicine.

While the Mitzvah technique does not contradict Western medicine, its basic mode of operation is different. In Western medicine, health professionals check the patient’s body through scientific tests and perform treatments on the patient. In Mitzvah, students check their own body with their own awareness and heal themselves by performing exercises. Therefore, in Western medicine patients are passive, while in Mitzvah students are active in healing themselves. We invite students to think of Mitzvah and Western Medicine as two different but complimentary healing systems.