RAV YOGA

Modern day Rabbi Heather Altman articulates the traditional offerings of Judaism with intelligence, heartfelt enthusiasm and immense respect. What makes her work so intriguing is her courageous commitment to merging sacred Jewish teachings with complementary healing modalities like yoga, nutrition and meditation. Heather’s unique gift is to offer a celebratory journey that is uplifting of Spirit, grounded in body and rooted-deeply-in truth.”
- Seane Corn, international yoga teacher

Heather sets the standard for a wonderful yoga class!! In Rav Yoga, I feel both safe and challenged. I have lower back pain and Heather pushes me to try new poses while making sure that I don't injure myself. As an ex-competitive diver and gymnast, I have had many coaches. Heather is among the best of them.”
- Rabbi Jane Kanarek

Rabbi Heather Altman embodies a unique combination of deep knowledge of practical and mystical Judaism with a profound understanding of the body and its transformational capacity through yoga. Her healing presence, practice, teaching and performance of ritual and ceremony are both therapeutic and inspiring.”
-Felicia M. Tomasko
Associate Editor, LA Yoga Ayurveda and Health magazine
Boardmember, National Ayurvedic Medical Association

REFU’AH YOGA

Refu'ah yoga afforded me two hours of inner peace, safety and comfort. Through Heather's warm, confident instruction, I was able to put my mind and body at ease, emerging from the experience restful and calm. The space itself also afforded a kind of refuge that felt miles away from the business of daily life. It was a true oasis.”
- Dafna

Rabbi Altman's R'fuah yoga is a vacation for the spirit. By end of the two hours, I am in a totally different place than when I arrived. I feel relaxed, centered, nurtured, and in touch with my soul.  Like Shabbat, it helps me acknowledge that I am a human BEING, not a human do-ing. There are no demands, no expectations. There is a lot of healing, true rest, and support—physical as well as spiritual. Although there are many yoga centers near my home, I travel into the city just to take this class. I'm so glad I discovered this opportunity—it's a real "mechiah" (lifesaver)!”
- M.R. Diamond, Evanston

TEFILLA YOGA

Thank you so much for leading Tefilla Yoga services for our retreats. Your work is beautiful, subtle and deeply prayerful. The participants loved praying with you, and so did I.”
- Rabbi Amy Eilberg, Morei Derekh Jewish Spiritual Direction Training Program

RAV YOGA FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY

We had a second grade son who was having challenges controlling his anger at school. He was still struggling after years of trying various strategies learned from trusted professionals.  We asked Rabbi Altman if she would work with him, building on his attachment to Judaism and combining that perspective with what yoga teaches about inner calm.  Rabbi Altman spoke to him through yoga and conversation in ways that we could not.  Our second grade son is now in the latter part of third grade, and he is doing wonderfully.  He learned how to moderate his frustrations and react in appropriate and constructive ways.”
-Day School parents

WEDDING YOGA

Rabbi Heather Altman led a private yoga session the day of my wedding. This was one of the best moments of my wedding experience. She created such a safe, calm space to connect my mind with my body in preparation for my wedding ceremony and in preparation of married life. The yoga session allowed me to escape the chaos of the wedding weekend and concentrate on my thoughts, feelings and bodily cues during this momentous moment in my life. After we finished the session, I told Heather I didn't want to leave and that her yoga session was exactly what I needed before my wedding. Rabbi Altman is truly a talented spiritual leader and yoga teacher. I would highly recommend this experience to any bride or groom on their wedding day.”
- Sandy Sufian

CEREMONY

She embraces you and your family, artfully intuits how to guide you, and esteems your life with honor, dignity and integrity. I entered my first Brit Bat ceremony without an idea of what to expect. As a guest, largely unfamiliar with the Jewish ritual, I was impressed by Rabbi Altman’s ability to hold and esteem this ceremony, both for herself and in how she relayed it to others. She embraced the child and the family with an energy both grounded and fluid. Its clear that she comes from a place of emotional, spiritual and intellectual harmony that embraces family. She has a unique ability to connect with and share herself with the people gathered together. I appreciate her real gift in blending educational information within the ritual context.  For people who are new to this experience, and for those more familiar, she allows people to fully step into the ceremony and invites them to take part in it. She holds an integrity of the service at the level it should be held, and an integrity of self that allows her to convey the beauty and importance of the moment.”
- Abby Miller

BRIT BAT CEREMONY

I cannot say enough praise for Rabbi Heather’s beautiful ceremony! She started our Brit Bat with no less than Heroic Efforts, by arriving at the celebration only weeks after being hospitalized with a burst appendix! How she managed to keep the date… let alone perform the ceremony with the passion, and enthusiasm she gave it, was no less than amazing! My daughter’s Brit Bat left a lasting impression with everyone….Even our non-Jewish guests, who had never experienced a Jewish ceremony before, commented on how “beautiful, spiritual, and warm it was”! The Rabbi’s words painted vivid pictures in our minds. We all felt a connection to our shared heritage, and to each other. My husband (who had converted to Judaism) was especially moved as Rabbi Heather relayed the story of Ruth, and her importance as a convert, in our shared history.”

“We feel very lucky to have found Rabbi Heather. I felt that she gave our daughter’s blessed event the attention that she would give her own daughter’s naming. Today, 3 months later, we are still hearing the compliments!!!”
- Pam Cofre

BAT/BAR MITZVAH

Rabbi Heather has provided my daughter and me with a new approach to learning about Judaism in preparation for her Bat Mitzvah. In our mother/daughter sessions, she shares her spiritual knowledge, focus on contemporary concerns and warmth. Rabbi Altman’s receptivity and gentle approach provides us with the comfort to ask questions and the opportunity to cultivate one’s own opinions on a topic that is so deeply personal.”
- Ellyn Bank

WEDDING CEREMONY

Dear Rabbi Altman,Thank you so much for performing a most moving and beautiful wedding ceremony for us. We appreciate the time you spent before the wedding getting to know us and educating us regarding Jewish laws and customs. We are extremely grateful that you could share with us the joy and happiness of this most special day. Your service was so very personal, and so special that many people told us it was the most beautiful wedding they had ever heard… Thank you again for the lovely wedding service and all of your help and advice. We will always smile when we think of that day. It was an honor to have you as our Rabbi at our wedding day.We felt a very spiritual and unique connection to God, and to you as our spiritual leader. Your beautiful smile and loving spirit transformed us from the restaurant in Skokie to a bride and groom, who felt the love and presence of God.”

“Thank you for everything! You are an Angel!!”
- Benita & Sheldon Bell, Dec 24, 2006

HEALING

I wanted to thank you again for the absolutely beautiful job you did with the mikveh ceremony. It brought [my husband] to tears (impressive eh?). He also thought it was very beautiful and he was very supportive and thankful for the work you've done with me.”
- Sarah Malka, Highland Park

SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

Spiritual Direction with Rabbi Altman has allowed me to explore my connection to the universe (higher power). It has helped me to find a quiet place inside where I can retreat and know that I am exactly where I am supposed to be." 
- AK

SPIRITUAL DIRECTION GROUP

For me, spiritual direction group has given me a quiet place for healing. I have been able to explore and deepen, my understanding of God, spirituality and being Jewish, and what all this means to me. I have received compassion, understanding, kindness and support from the other group members. I have been the opportunity to learn from their wisdom, strength and courage.  Rabbi Heather Altman has given us strength and direction to search within ourselves, her faith is an inspiration for me.”
- Mara

Rabbi Heather Altman’s Spiritual Directions Sessions allows one to reach deep within oneself to find where God touches one’s life.  Her Rabbinic training, her psychological understanding and her kindness will guide one to understand G-d’s role in their own life. Just as importantly, from the other participants in the sessions, one will learn G-d’s influence in their lives.”
- Julian

For me, Spiritual Direction, has been holding many holy moments where compassionate listening took place because of Rabbi Heather Altman's leadership skills in giving us direction on how to do this. Because of the compassionate listening on the part of the participants, each participant gave their best response to what they heard after each person shared about what came up for them. For me, their responses to my sharing reinforced in a positive way about where I was in my life, and where I wanted to be. I learned that compassionate listening was a skill that I wanted to develop for myself, and, it could not have come at a better time in my life. I learned that I valued our group and our leader's input after our sharing, and how powerful that can be to effectively be a witness for who I am and how meaningful and valuable that was for me… I want to thank Rabbi Heather Altman for her expertise with leading a group like this and for your stellar feedback with respect to witnessing my process with Spiritual Direction.”
- Marylyn