Podcasts
Mikvah Prep Meditations: Devora Goldberg, MBSR
Welcome to the Mikvah Prep Meditations Podcast, a three-part series exploring how Hisbonenus in Tefillah and meditative Torah concepts can infuse calm into the Mikvah experience.Imagine if the Mikvah could be more than something to get done — if it could become a moment of meaning, calm, and connection.
In this episode, Devora Goldberg, MBSR mindful coach, guides us to slow down, breathe, and rediscover the soul within the Mikvah experience. She not only shares insights but gives us a gentle taste of what mindfulness at the Mikvah can feel like.
Stay until the end — it’s truly beautiful.
Download Devora’s free pre-Mikvah meditation: Mikvah Meditation
Devora Goldberg's work is endorsed by Rabbi Rotenberg
To reach Devora directly or bring her to your next Mikvah event, email deegoldberg@gmail.com.
Podcast Summary:
This episode of the Mikvah.org podcast, part of the Mikvah and Meditation series, features Devorah Goldberg, an MBSR-certified mindful transformation coach and founder of Release To Relax Mindful Meditations. The series aims to enhance the mikvah experience by combining Torah concepts with calming meditation, with all meditations reviewed by a rabbi to ensure alignment with Torah principles.
MBSR, or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, is a practice of mindful-based techniques designed to help people rewire stress hormones and stress responses, drawing on the teachings of Dr. Joe Dispenza and Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn. The word "meditation" means "to become familiar with," and in Devorah's practice this means becoming familiar with one's inner self, or neshama. In her work, she focuses participants on something holy, noting that the Tanya itself references meditating on the greatness of Hashem. She also highlights that the Hebrew word for breath, "neshima," shares the same letters as "neshama," making breath-focused meditation spiritually meaningful. Meditations can be as short as five minutes, addressing the common objection of not having enough time.
On the topic of mikvah specifically, Devorah observes that the experience often becomes mechanical, reduced to checklists and timing, and that her free mikvah meditation, called "Mindful Torah," aims to help women move beyond this and bring deeper meaning to their immersion. Mikvah.org also has a book called "Mikvah Meditations" and is developing it into a full meditation series. The broader point made is that while the mitzvah is performed regardless of one's depth of understanding, meditation brings Torah concepts not just cerebrally into the mind but somatically into the body.
Regarding mikvah-related OCD and anxiety, Devorah clarifies that meditation is not a quick fix but a tool that helps in the moment and builds skills over time. OCD can manifest as intrusive thoughts, constant checking, reassurance-seeking, doubt, and avoidance behaviors. In a meditative state, the mind rests while the body enters full relaxation through activation of the pineal gland and vagus nerve, and the person is guided through a visualization offering a different reality from their OCD loop. Sessions are customized and typically 35 to 45 minutes, with clients generally needing only a few before developing their own tools. Meditation works in tandem with other therapeutic modalities and is not a replacement for them.
The episode includes a live guided meditation covering breath awareness, full-body relaxation using star imagery, and releasing held pain or limiting beliefs through breath and visualization. The conversation also touches on how meditation supports women in tuning into their monthly cycle, with menstruation described as a built-in invitation to slow down and receive, aligned with the Kabbalistic concept of women as vessels. Devorah's closing message is that every person carries an inner gift that can be activated through breath to calm the nervous system and work through challenges one step at a time.