在以色列,瑜伽是"革命性的"
In 1997, Rachel Kolberg was newly married, pregnant and living in Tel Aviv when she went to her first yoga class. It was a revelation. Her husband, Avraham, soon began practicing with her. "I was looking for some spiritual support," he says. "Yoga gave that to me." Seven years later, the couple opened their own studio, determined to introduce yoga to fellow Orthodox Jews in Beit Shemesh. They teach Iyengar yoga, a discipline that encourages the use of props to assist with poses. While yoga is increasingly popular in Israel, Avraham says, it is "revolutionary" in their neighborhood. Their students, taught in single-sex classes, are encouraged to come as they are, even in day clothes or long skirts, if necessary. The Kolbergs say yoga helps people who spend long days in prayer and study and aren’t physically active. But, Rachel says, "in our studio, we will never have practices that contradict our religion, such as mantras and chanting." Julie Bosman
1997年，蕾切爾·科爾伯格(Rachel Kolberg)剛結婚，她懷孕了，住在特拉維夫，她去上了第一節瑜伽課。她獲得了啟示。丈夫亞伯拉罕(Avraham)很快開始和她一起練習。“當時我在尋找某種精神支援，”他說，“瑜伽讓我獲得了這種支援。”七年後，這對夫妻開了自己的瑜伽館，決心把瑜伽介紹給貝特謝梅什的正統猶太人。他們教的是輔助瑜伽，這個瑜伽分支鼓勵練習者使用小道具來幫助做到某些姿勢。亞伯拉罕說，雖然瑜伽在以色列越來越流行，但是在他們的社群，它是“革命性的”。他們是男女分開授課，鼓勵學生們隨意穿著，需要的話，甚至可以穿日常服飾或者長裙。科爾伯格夫婦說，瑜伽可以幫助那些長時間祈禱和學習、基本不運動的人。但是，蕾切爾說，“在我們的瑜伽館，我們永遠也不會做那些與我們的宗教相牴觸的事情，比如唸佛教中的禱語或經文。”
Year the Kolbergs opened their Beit Shemesh yoga studio: 2004
科爾伯格夫婦在貝特謝梅什開設瑜伽館的時間：2004年Students who practice at the studio each week: Roughly 100
每週在瑜伽館練習的學生人數：大約100人
Ratio of female to male students: Three to two
男女生人數的比例：2：3
