ב׳ה
Welcome to The Festive Sutras – A Yogi’s Guide To Shabbat & Festivals. A book of teachings that give you a year-round guide to the Torah’s hidden Yogic principles.
Spirituality in our Body?
How can we feel God in our body? Get a physical experience of spirituality? Connect with Shabbat, Festivals & Prayer through yoga? Discover more calm and find your centre?
Why Now?
Many people are searching…looking..asking for more. There are spiritual seekers everywhere who want to go deeper with their practice, but do not yet have the tools. This includes newcomers to yoga who want more of a a spiritual feeling throughout their week, experienced meditators, yogis/teachers who want more of a Jewish connection, and people who think, ‘Hey, this is a cool idea!’.
What Is In The Book?
The Festive Sutras contains a series of essays and practices to help get an experience of God within your body. Using the tools of Torah wisdom and yoga postures (asana), the reader is given very practical techniques to use physicality as a gateway to spirituality.
The Festive Sutras is technically three-books-in-one: The Festive Sutras, concerned with the Jewish festival cycle, The Shabbat Sutras – a yogi’s guide to the Jewish Sabbath, and Ethics of the Yogis – a Jewish commentary on the classic Yoga Sutras.
How does it work?
There are teachings, yoga practices and deep-dive meditations for each festival. This is all new material to give you the tools to experience a higher connection in your body. Here are some layout samples
How will your contribution help?
You contribution will help with book production, design, distribution, printing, e-book creation, book launches, and getting the word out there. As Ecclesiastes wrote, “There is no end to the making of books” (12:12), so your support REALLY helps!
Grant Matching – How It Works
Every dollar you contribute will be matched by the Schusterman Foundation. This means if you buy a copy of the book for $18, an additional $18 will be donated to the campaign by our sponsor. This is a tremendous boost for a project like The Festive Sutras!
When will you get your book?
The books will be completed and ready in time for Chanukah 2016 and the next Festive season!
Video Teachings – Get a Taster!
Ok! So you want to get a flavour of the teachings & see some of them in action. Here are some videos from the vault, something old, something newish, something bold, something Jewish…
Marcus, Yoga & the Spiritual Journey
I have spent the last two decades developing a way to experience spirituality in our bodies. It all started with a frustrating Shabbat morning! I had been religiously observant for several years, was studying yoga at acting school with the incredible Edward Clark of Tripsichore Yoga, was fresh from learning with Rabbi Chaim Brovender, Rabbi Dovid Ebner & Rabbi Shlomo Riskin at Yeshivat HaMivtar in Efrat, Israel…and I wanted a full-body spirituality! So I created what was then called Bibliyoga, co-founded the Jewish Yoga Network, completed a couple of yoga teacher trainings..but wanted more! I taught this work in 20 countries, Limmud conferences, and published two books of the teachings – The Kosher Sutras and The Kabbalah Sutras.
Any Questions?
If you have any questions about the campaign or the book (or life in general), you can contact me by clicking here.
with love & blessings for a Happy & Healthy New Year, Shana Tova U’Metuka
Marcus x
This campaign is being spearheaded by a member of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation network and has been awarded a matching grant. Schusterman is a global organization that seeks to ignite the passion and unleash the power in young people to create positive change for themselves, the Jewish community and the broader world. Learn more about the Foundation here.
WORLD BOOK LAUNCH! Thank you all for your patience…it is happening. Next Wednesday in LA, 5th April 2017 – here is the FB link https://www.facebook.com/events/180398635809209/ and the Eventbrite RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/world-book-launch-the-festive-sutras-a-yogis-guide-to-shabbat-jewish-festivals-tickets-33267138908.
I also just got the news that my US visa has been renewed for 3 years so I’m free to travel once I’ve visited the US Embassy in London & left my passport with them for a week (it’s a whole megillah, rules is rules…)…but no plans as yet for a UK Book Launch. My current plan is to mail the international books so I’ll update you as soon as that’s in motion.
much love to the “Festive Sutras Family”
Marcus
Hello Friends!
Wow, it’s been a while. Some news: your copies of The Festive Sutras have gone to press :). FINALLY! After months of unexpected delays, setbacks & proofread-tweaking challenges, I just placed the print order for all the USA copies. International copies to follow. My intention is to have a Book Launch party in Los Angeles as soon as the local books are delivered. Unfortunately there are no plans for a UK Book Launch party this time around because my US Immigration Attorney has advised me not to leave the Americas due to my current visa status (in case they don’t allow me back in). So for now, it’s Another Day of Sun.
Other news…I am simultaneously publishing another book…it sort of slipped in..this year there the first-ever publicly-available print edition of my play ‘Solomon: King, Poet & Lover – A Tale of One Man & 700 Wives’. It’s to coincide with the play’s 18th Anniversary and a series of 5 performances I’m doing at this summer’s ‘Hollywood Fringe Festival’.
But back to The Festive Sutras. I am going to do everything I can to get you your books in time for Pesach. Or the end of Passover. We’ll see how fast the printers deliver.
much love, blessing & sunshine. And thank you for your patience & support!
Marcus
http://www.marcusjfreed.com
Hello friends & Happy Chanukah
Just a quick update on The Festive Sutras and when you can expect to receive your copy.
The process is a little behind schedule as I got accidentally inspired during the last bout of festivals and wrote a new batch of essays for the book…but the book is now 98% finished. I am just going through final tweaks for usability and proofreading.
Here is the current intention for distribution:
USA > Book Launch event in Los Angeles, Feb 2017. You will be invited to collect your copies there or I will arrange distribution for anyone in the USA who couldn’t make it to the event.
UK & EUROPE > *Either* a Book Launch event in April/May (it depends upon the renewal of my current US visa that expires in Feb & whether my immigration lawyer gives me the green-light to leave the country 🙂 ) *or* distribution by mail. Nonetheless I’d like to do a live event and see you all if we can make it happen.
Chanukah Warrior Video: Here’s something seasonal from the archives – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khhTceCYX54
If there is anything else I can help you with, or if you have any questions, please contact me at marcus@freedthinking.com.
Warm wishes for a happy holiday season & may your light shine ever-more brightly
love
Marcus
http://www.marcusjfreed.com