Omer Day 23
8 Iyar 5780
Saturday 2 May 2020

Omer Day 23: Strength within Endurance

As we move into today’s framing of strength & endurance — gevurah within netzach — Hannah Henza shares a yoga flow for the breath and body as we strengthen our endurance and allow ourselves to move through blockages.

From Hannah:
The practice of yoga teaches that our sense of calm is created and sustained by the controlled exhalation and retention of breath. It also teaches that life is filled with obstacles – stumbling blocks that will cross our path for which we must react.

We know from recent events how tumultuous life can be and the strength it can require to get through. When we encounter difficult moments, weeks, or months, it is necessary to have an inner strength to lean on. We develop this strength, or endurance, with patience, persistence, and practice.

Like the journey of life, the counting of the Omer is a journey that wanders through a series of challenges to achieve an incredible result. Like our ancestors patiently watching their wheat, praying to G-d, and preparing for their Shavuot offering, we too must tend to our needs if we are to bring forth a bountiful harvest.

Hannah Henza is Director of National Programs at Hazon and owner of Shalom Yoga. Thank you for today’s contribution!

☀️Omer Day 23 practice [8 Iyar 5780 | Saturday 2 May 2020]☀️

  1. Sukhasana – Cross legged seat ground, stretch, twist – 1 min
  2. Table top – cat/cow – 1 min
  3. Balasana – Child’s pose – 1 min
  4. Plankasana – whisper “I am strong” – 1 min
  5. Adho Muka Svanasana – Downward Facing Dog – 1 min
  6. Utthita Tadasana – Star pose – 30 sec
  7. Utkata Konasana – Wide-legged squat – 30 sec
  8. Balasana – Child’s pose – whisper “I am strong” – 1 min

🌀Materials🌀

  • Floor space
  • Towel or yoga mat for padding

✨Practice Detail & Notes ✨

  1. Sukhasana – In a cross-legged seat – take a deep breath. (1min)
    1. Feel your body connect with the surface beneath you and sit up a little bit taller
    2. Inhale – reach your arms over head and stretch out through your fingertips
    3. Exhale and twist gently to one side
    4. Inhale – reach your arms over head and stretch out through your fingertips
    5. Exhale and twist gently to the other side 
  2. Table-Top posture – place hands directly under shoulders, knees directly under hips, flatten back (1 min)
    1. Inhale, lift your chin and hips creating a concave curve in your spine – (cow posture) reach your chest forward – opening your heart to the possibilities of the world
    2. Exhale and draw inward – feel your connection to the earth and imagine a great light burning in your chest
    3. Inhale back to cow posture – send that light outward – repeat
  3. Balasana – sink your hips back – reach your hands forward – settle into a nurturing child’s pose (1 min)
    1. Inhale deeply, allow your breath to create a gentle stretch in your low back
    2. Exhale feeling the ground beneath your hands, legs, knees, and forehead
  4. Plankasana – Moving through table-top posture – press into your hands and toes – slide into a full-plank (1 min)
    1. Whisper to yourself “I am strong”
  5. Adho Mukha Svanasana – Downward Facing Dog – Press into hands and toes – reach hips up to the sky (1-min)
  6. Utthita Tadasana – Rise up with feet spread wide – stretch through fingertips and reach arms out at 11 and 2:00 positions. (30 seconds)
    1. Ground strongly through your feet
    2. Reach actively through your hands 
    3. Breathe
  7. Utkata Konasana – Wide-leg squat with Cactus Arms (30 seconds)
    1. Sink down into a squat
    2. Draw arms down into 90 degree angles – cactus arms
    3. Sink a little bit lower
  8. Balasana – return to child’s pose (1 min)
    1. Breath deeply
    2. Whisper to yourself – “I am strong”

☀️ This post is part of our Omer Wellness Series – a daily 7-minute opportunity for introspection and intentional focus on caring for ourselves, each other, and our environment in this incredibly challenging time. ☀️

#omer #wellness #jewish #countingtheomer #jewishmovement #movementculture #movementecology #selfcare #dailypractice #hebrewcalendar #kabbalah #jewishwellness #dailyomerpractice #embodiedpractice #omerinplace #omer5780 #mindfulness #grounding #breathwork #yoga #torahyoga

Leave a Reply