Welcome
from Awakened Body founder
I'm Sara, founder of Awakened Body. Though I hail from Los Angeles, CA, I make my home in the Holy Land where I work as a hands-on healer, massage therapist and teacher.
Kabbalah teaches that the part of us that is Keter or our Crown, is ever-present with Source. It does not enter into the illusion of time and space that characterizes the earth-plane. It is the part of us that is also part of the Divine. As such, it co-creates our lives, arranging for us the precise set of experiences we most need to learn the lessons of this lifetime.
Each of the twists and turns in my life have enriched my understanding of the Awakened Body. As a child, I was a competitive gymnast, training 30 hours each week with a team. In the gym, I linked intention and action, mastering mind over matter, and cultivated a detailed awareness of the body. It's a story I tell in my first book, Magical World: Stories, Reflections, Poems, if you'd like to read more.
I pursued my first two credentials in tandem, rabbinic ordination at the Jewish Theological Seminary (2008) and certification as a yoga instructor from the Yoga Vidya Gurukul in Nasik, India. It was at the ashram that I found my rabbinic voice. Like the strands of a double helix, the intertwined path of Judaism and traditional Hatha yoga, were my initiation. In 2019, I became certified as a Massage Therapist at the Reidman College of Natural Medicine and in 2023 certified as a Level II Integral Psychotherapist with Dr. Mark Forman Phd. See my full CV here.
I make my home in the in the north of Israel. Here, I can hear the echos of the priestesses who once initiated seekers into the path of the awakened body in the very hills where I now make my home. I am a writer and healer, working 1-1 with clients, supporting them to enhance their own sense of vitality by learning to tune in to the Awakened Body.
The path of the Awakened Body is a path of Kabbalah, mindfulness and deep body listening. Grow in your mastery of all three through the resources on this website. Consider taking part in a seasonal cleanse to jump start your journey, linking the physical, emotional and spiritual, or come see me in Israel or when I am touring the US for a healing-touch session.
Blessings on your way,
Sara
What brought you to this work?
Sara shares about her own experience getting to know her Awakened Body.
What brought you to this work?
Kabbalistic
Tree of Life
If you look closely at the Awakened Body logo, you might recognize the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, a symbolic arrangement of ten circles, representing "Sephirot" or Divine facets.
The Kabbalistic Tree of Life is our grounding metaphor at Awakened Body and it is the energetic map that I use when working as a hands-on healer. Though its roots are ancient, it was fleshed out in the operative form we know today in the 12th century work of Jewish mysticism known as the Zohar, or Book of Splendor.
A traditional Kabbalistic Tree of Life is usually labeled with Hebrew terminology. Each sephirah has a traditional name that hints at its
essence. In the image above, those names are replaced with the energetic dynamics of each sephira--the ways the sephira comes alive in you. The best way to learn about the sephirot with Awakened Body is to take on a Spring Cleanse during the Counting of the Omer.
The color coding of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life in the Awakened Body logo might remind you of the Hindu Chakra system. That association is no accident. The two systems have the same source, our bodies. Here is a video explaining a bit about their similarities and their differences.
What is an Awakened Body Hands-on Healing session?
What is an Awakened Body Hands-on Healing session?
Wellnes vs
Illness, and why it matters
As citizens of the 21st century, we live in a time of contradiction. In the last 100 years, our species developed both the ability to nourish every human being alive and also, the ability to destroy ourselves. Science has brought cures to many of the maladies that caused suffering and death for our ancestors, and yet, many of us feel sick much of the time.
Sara is a healer for the 21st century. She works with clients 1:1, helping them to feel vitally alive. Whereas most Western-medicine doctors work with illness, Sara focuses on wellness.
What this means...
Awakened Body creates resources to support your wellness. The distinction has three important implications:
- No advice offered on this site or by any Awakened Body healer is intended to undermine or contradict the advice of a Medical Doctor. As a part of our intake process at Awakened Body, our healers determine if our clients merit a formal diagnosis of one kind or another, and we work in partnership with Medical Doctors of all fields when making that determination. If you are acutely sick, you must tend to your illness, even as our healers lay the foundation to help you to cultivate wellness.
- While Awakened Body healers are here to serve as guides for our clients, we believe that YOU are in control of your life. If you are ready to awaken into each new day feeling vitally alive, we are here to support you and show you the way.
- Sara occasionally works with clients battling acute illness, especially cancers and extreme auto-immune diseases like lupus and Muscular Sclerosis, however that work is always done free of charge. If you are fighting for your life and believe that a gifted session can help, contact Sara here.
What Our Clients Say
"I thoroughly enjoy learning from Rabbi Sara Brandes. She carries me gently, joyously and courageously into the higher realms of Kabbalah, a world filled with angels, holy sparks and a taste of eternity. I leave our lessons wanting to learn more, feeling connected to the sacred and with insight into my own life. I am so grateful for these lessons."
Bonnie R., St. Paul, MN
What Our Clients Say
"Starting my day with Awakened Body morning practice helps me to set an intention every morning, relax my heart and connect with the good things in my life, in spite of the hard things. During meditation, I try to let my anxiety go and connect with the good. "
Ellen B., Los Angeles, CA