The confessions of Yom Kippur can easily provoke in us a sense of self-punishing shame. But what if we reframed confession as gentle self-honesty? In this episode, Rabbi Miriam Margles of the IJS Core Faculty helps us explore how physically softening our hardened faces and stiff necks opens us up to divine compassion rather than defensiveness. She grounds this practice in classic Jewish teachings and somatic awareness, and helps us hold our regrets with a soft heart -- so our confession, our honest reflection, becomes a foundation for growth in the New Year.
The meditation featured in this episode originally took place during the IJS Daily Online Meditation Sit on September 14th, 2026. To join these FREE daily meditations live, sign up here.
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