Mapping the 7 Weeks of the Omer | Graphic inspired by Aharon Varady and and Lauren Deutsch on Open Siddur Project, inspired in turn by the teachings of Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

As we begin this year’s Counting of the Omer, many of us have already been counting the days since the world entered this period of isolation, distancing, anxiety, and stress on the one hand … and self-sacrifice, community-care, and virtual connection on the other.

The Omer — the 7 week / 49 day period from Passover to Shavuot — lends itself beautifully to numerous layers of interpretation and practice. This year in particular, as we cope and manage with the COVID-19 pandemic as best we can, it’s more critical than ever that we each do what we can to develop and/or maintain a wellness practice.

It’s the strange irony of this time that some folks are dealing with hours upon hours of unstructured time to fill while others are so busy working full time either from home or on the frontlines of healthcare and other essential services, while also caring for children and other family members whose normal school and care services are shut down, that it feels like there’s barely time to breathe.

That’s why we’ve started a daily seven minute wellness practice based on the Counting of the Omer. In this incredibly challenging time, we need opportunities for introspection and intentional focus on caring for ourselves, each other, and our environment, however brief.

Seven minutes is all we ask. Most of us can find seven minutes within even the busiest of days.

We’re take inspiration from the mystical framework of the Sefirot (divine qualities) the Kabbalists layered upon the Omer to help organize our wellness practice.

We hope you’ll try these practices on. Please let us know how it goes!

And for those with ample time, certainly feel free to use the seven minutes expansively — it isn’t meant as a limit, but as a bite-size starting point.

And for those for whom seven minutes is a stretch, we hope you’ll give this gift to yourself, and that these practices will serve to help you find more groundedness, comfort, joy, and nourishment to help sustain you through this time.

To join the practice, follow Mitsui Collective on Instagram and see the links below for an archive of each day. Jump in at any time!

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Daily Omer Wellness Practice

Week One Sefirah: Chesed (Lovingkindness)

Day One: Exponential Love — Chesed (lovingkindness) within Chesed

Day Two: Creating a Sacred Container — Gevurah (strength / discipline) within Chesed

Day Three: Listening for Love — Tiferet (harmony) within Chesed

Day Four: Breath & Stillness — Netzach (endurance) within Chesed

Day Five: Loving the Little Things — Hod (humility) within Chesed
** featuring nature journaling methods from Emilie Lygren

Day Six: Locating our Foundation — Yesod (foundation) within Chesed
** featuring a Four Direction Song & Dance from Rabbi Mira Rivera

Day Seven: Love & Sovereign Nature — Malkhut (majesty) within Chesed
** featuring Torah Yoga from Autumn Leonard

Week Two Sefirah: Gevurah (strength / discipline)

Day Eight: Centering for Strength — Chesed (lovingkindness) within Gevurah

Day Nine: Strengthening Boundaries — Gevurah within Gevurah

Day Ten: Harmonious Vision — Tiferet within Gevurah

Day Eleven: From Strength to Strength — Netzach within Gevurah
**featuring Yoga & Song from Samia Mansour

Day Twelve: Memory for Strength & Blessing — Hod within Gevurah — Yom HaShoah

Day Thirteen: Relationship Before Task — Yesod within Gevurah

Day Fourteen: The Sovereign Squat — Malkhut within Gevurah

Week Three Sefirah: Tiferet (harmony / compassion)

Day Fifteen: Self-love & Liberation — Chesed within Tiferet
**featuring body liberation practice from Talia Cooper

Day Sixteen: Radical Candor — Gevurah within Tiferet

Day Seventeen: Love & Harmonic Explosion — Tiferet within Tiferet
**featuring dance immersion practice from Roey Kruvi

Day Eighteen: Finding the Sacred — Netzach within Tiferet
**featuring poetry + meditation from Rabbi Jessica Minnen

Day Nineteen: Softening the Heart — Hod within Tiferet
**featuring movement from Chelsea Taxman

Day Twenty: Feet at the Foundation — Yesod within Tiferet

Day 21: Calm in Chaos — Malkhut within Tiferet
**featuring grounding practice from Nate Looney

Week Three Sefirah: Netzach (endurance)

Day 22: Shaping Endurance — Chesed within Netzach
**featuring somatic practice from Cara Michelle Silverberg

Day 23: Strength in Patience — Gevurah within Netzach
**featuring yoga flow from Hannah Henza

Day 24: Balance in Stillness — Tiferet within Netzach
**featuring compassion statement practice from Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife

Day 25: Enduring in Mind & Body — Netzach within Netzach

Day 26: Expansive Humility — Hod within Netzach

Day 27: Foundation & Connection — Yesod within Netzach

Day 28: Hands in the Dirt — Malkhut within Netzach

Week Four Sefirah: Hod (humble splendor)

Day 29: Interconnected Glory — Chesed within Hod
**featuring gratitude practice from Rabbi Deborah Waxman

Day 30: Strong Feet Strong Body — Gevurah within Hod

Day 31: Splendid Spine Compassion — Tiferet within Hod

Day 32: Loss and Letting Go — Netzach within Hod

Day 33: Celebratory Vision — Hod within Hod + Lag b’Omer
**featuring vision and journaling practice from Nigel Savage

Day 34: Low Flow — Yesod within Humility

Day 35: Sovereign Splendor — Malkhut within Hod

Week Five Sefirah: Yesod (foundation / connection)

Day 36: Mindful Nurturing — Chesed within Yesod
**featuring meditation practice from Catherine Bell

Day 37: Strengthening the Swivel — Gevurah within Yesod

Day 38: Listening On Purpose — Tiferet within Yesod
**featuring mindfulness practice & conversation guide from Melissa Carter

Day 39: Enduring Connections — Netzach within Yesod
**featuring connection practice from Ben Becker

Day 40: Humble & Well-Heeled — Hod within Yesod

Day 41: Aligning our Foundation — Yesod within Yesod

Day 42: Roots & Shoots + Rainbow Day! — Malkhut within Yesod

Day 43: Reflecting the Light of Others — Chesed within Malkhut

Day 44: Strength in Sacred Space — Gevurah within Malkhut

Day 45: Compassionate Sovereignty — Tiferet within Malkhut

Day 46: Mapping your Patronages — Netzach within Malkhut
**featuring commitment mapping practice from Adina Polen

Day 47: A Story Towards Sovereignty — Hod within Malkhut

Day 48: Tending the Garden — Yesod within Malkhut
**featuring mindfulness practice from SooJi Min-Maranda

Day 49: Preparing for Ascension — Malkhut within Malkhut

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