My journey

Ellaya is an Israeli storyteller, spoken word artist, Buddhism and mindfulness teacher and workshop leader.

She performs and leads workshops throughout Israel and abroad.

She is the co-creator of "Come Whoever You Are"-- a journey into the spirit and

soul of Jallauddin Rumi and additional productions that celebrate spiritual poetry

including her own. She lives and breathes Rumi and Hafiz poetry, is maker of

the Religion of Love Rumi Cards and has translated many of Rumi's poems from

English to Hebrew.  She is also a dharma (Buddhist teachings) teacher and

certified mindfulness teacher, forever drawing her inspiration from the wells of silence

from which all words and music arise.

In 1995, Ellaya Ayal Mor fell in love with storytelling.

Images, archetypes and the power of the spoken-word captivated her being.

Studying the art of storytelling both in Israel and in England she threw herself

into the world of stories, performing for all ages, touring, conducting workshops

and immersing herself in the infinite richness and magic of story and myth. 

Gradually her love of Sufi poetry took over. Rumi and Hafiz became her two best

friends and speaking their poetry as one might tell a story became her unending passion.

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In 2010 she created the performance "Come Whoever You Are", a unique tapestry

of music, whirling and words that tells Rumi's story and draws the audience into his

burning search for the beloved. The performance became widely acclaimed in

Israel and additional Sufi poetry productions, shows and workshops followed.

Collaborating with some of Israel's best musicians Ellaya became a figure that for

many serves as a gateway into the profound world of Sufi poetry.

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Her poetry presentations are deeply personal, endowed with a natural flow from

which an exquisite intimacy bubbles forth. "I love speaking this poetry" she says.

"I love breathing life into the words, transforming them into images which become

live entities that then serve as keys into hidden corners of our hearts and souls".

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Ellaya's love of poetry is enhanced by her love of silence.

She began practicing Buddhist meditation at the age of 22 and has been devoted

to the path of the dharma (Buddhist teachings) since. She is a certified mindfulness

teacher and teaches Buddhist meditation retreats and courses, infusing her

teachings with poems that as she says, "bring home insights that thousands of

lengthy explanations cannot". As she speaks and performs, she drinks from the

wells of silence that years of meditation practice have opened her to.

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Her deep love of Rumi gave birth to the "Religion of Love" Rumi cards; 51 delicately

designed cards, each carrying a carefully picked Rumi poem or sentence that offers

readers poignant tastes of beauty, inspiration and insight. The cards are sold on

her website and although advertised merely by word of mouth, throughout the

years have found their way to all corners of the earth from Alaska to Singapore.

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In 2014 Ellaya was invited to 'Sound and Silence', an international sacred music

festival in Europe, and since has spent significant portions of her

time touring abroad, collaborating with different musicians and

igniting people around the world with her love of spoken Sufi

poetry and the beauty and wisdom that is at its essence.

The rest of her time is spent in her home country of Israel,

deepening and expanding her creative work as a Sufi

spoken-word artist and teaching Buddhism and mindfulness.