Spiritual Relaxation in Kabbalah: Calming the Mind, Heart, and Body

In a previous column, we explained that the first and most important step in calming the soul begins at the moment of waking up — by reflecting on all the goodness that God has given, gives, and will continue to give us at every moment. Recognizing that everything we have in this world comes only from the Creator’s kindness, and not from our own strength, abilities, or talents, allows the heart to begin the day with gratitude and peace.

In this article, we will delve deeper into this practice of spiritual relaxation.

Three Systems of the Human Being in Kabbalah

According to Kabbalah, the organs of the body correspond to ten inner powers of the soul, which are grouped into three general systems:

1. The system of delight, intellect, and thought — centered in the head, including all mental faculties.

2. The system of emotions — centered in the heart, extending to the hands, which express love, awe, reverence, and admiration.

3. The system of action — centered in the legs and lower parts of the body (liver, intestines, spleen, kidneys, etc.), which channel emotions into action.

When we realize that our very existence is only a gift from God, and that all of our powers truly belong to Him, we can release tension from the body through a process of spiritual relaxation that addresses each system. This process has two stages: releasing negative energy and replacing it with positive energy.

Just as when we wake up, the head awakens first with the opening of the eyes, then the hands begin to act according to our will, and only afterward the legs move us out of bed — so too, the order of relaxation begins with the head, then the hands, and finally the legs.

Part One: Relaxing the Mind

We begin at the top — with the brain. True relaxation comes from recognizing that all of our thoughts and plans, even our cleverest strategies, depend entirely on God’s will and kindness. We release the false belief that our thoughts and plans are “our strength and power.” That illusion creates pressure and stress, weighing us down with endless tasks and worries.

Instead, we internalize the truth that every thought we have, and every plan that arises, comes from the divine life-force that flows into our soul by God’s will. Even the very act of thinking is granted to us in the moment by God.

With this awareness, we move from being overburdened managers carrying sacks of worries on our backs, to children of the King, walking beside our Father with upright posture and dignity. Negative toxins of “my strength and my power” are released, and the mind becomes lighter and freer.

Part Two: Relaxing the Emotions

Next, we turn to the emotional system — the heart and the central organs of feeling, expressed outwardly through the hands. Love and awe branch out here, shaping our actions as we seek satisfaction (love) or escape from fear and worry (awe).

We release the negative force of ego, which blocks divine influence from flowing into our emotions.

We reflect: no person truly benefits us, and no one truly harms us. All good comes only from God’s will, which flows through human “channels” chosen for that purpose. All harm results only from our own shortcomings, which block divine blessing.

From now on, we do not love people merely for what they give us — we direct our love to the One true Source, God, and through Him we love His children, the people of Israel. Likewise, we do not hate others for harm they caused us — instead we reject the forces of evil that confuse us and obstruct us from serving God.

In this step, we remove the negative energies stored in the heart and middle body, which tie us to stressful thoughts about friends, enemies, and imagined human power.

Since intellectual and emotional contemplation is strengthened when joined to action, at this stage we perform a practical act: the ritual washing of the hands in the morning (Netilat Yadayim). In Kabbalah, this action purifies us from lingering negative energies.

After this act, we redirect our emotions toward the true Beloved — our loving, caring Father in Heaven. Instead of being trapped in a complicated web of love and hate, of friends and foes, we free our emotions and connect them to God, knowing He directs them for our ultimate good. In the end, we use our emotions for their true purpose: to love Him deeply and to distance ourselves from the real evil of separation from God and neglect of His will.

Part Three: Relaxing the System of Action

Finally, we move to the lowest system — the legs and organs of action — completing the relaxation process.

It is crucial not to leave bed before finishing the relaxation of the first two systems, especially before washing the hands, which seals the process of releasing and purifying thought and emotion.

Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov, author of Bnei Yissachar, explains that whoever begins the day without this order of reflection of first acknowledging God’s sovereignty over every part of body and soul — falls under the verse: “He sets himself on a path that is not good; he does not despise evil” (Tehillim 36:5). In such a case, forces of impurity take hold of the lower body and overwhelm the higher faculties of thought and soul.

In his words: “Therefore, when reflecting on this command, we are obligated each day to dedicate our very beginning to God — the first of our thoughts upon rising, to reflect on His rule over us and that He restores our souls; the first of our words; the first of our actions. The beginning is the foundation of everything, for to Him belongs the right of the firstborn. Once the beginning is sanctified, all the branches of thought, speech, and action throughout the day will follow. A person should always keep God’s providence before his eyes, knowing that it is His will that gives life to our thoughts, words, and deeds.”