Day 30: Daily Omer Wellness Practice

Omer Day 30
15 Iyar 5780
Saturday 9 May 2020

This week’s Sefirah of Hod is associated (alongside Netzach) with the feet. So for today’s practice of Gevurah (strength) within Hod, we turn to foot dexterity and strengthening tools. Our feet literally ground us to the earth and are the foundation of the vast majority of movement. Yet we rarely focus on strength and skill work specific to the feet. Maybe this work is too subtle, not sexy enough like big olympic lifts, gymnastic skills, or distance work. Bringing in both the humility of hod and its cousin gratitude (hoda’ah), we push aside the allure of those big and fun movements for the humble, grounding work of focusing on our feet and in doing so showing them gratitude for all they do to move us forward. 

Today’s exercises are adapted from the work of Katy Bowman at Nutritious Movement and Kyle Fincham at Movement Brooklyn.

☀️Omer Day 30 practice [15 Iyar 5780 | Saturday 9 May 2020]☀️

1. Toe Wiggles: Spend 2 minutes trying the following (barefoot and standing): A) Lift the big toe by itself; B) Lift each other toe by itself; C) Spread the toes away from each other; D) Spread the toes away from each other without lifting them off the ground at the same time.
2. Foot Dexterity: Use your feet to pick up, move, stack, re-arrange etc assorted small household objects. See what shapes you can create.
3. Foot Strength: Standing either flat on the ground or on a block (or curb etc outside) with heels off the ground, complete three sets of 10 calf raises. Keep your feet and heels aligned forward (ie don’t let your feet roll to the outside). Do not rush these movements. Take short rest between sets. (2-3 minutes)

🌀Materials🌀

• Assorted small household objects (pens / pencils, jenga blocks, legos, etc)
• Timer

✨Practice Notes ✨

• Today’s practice should be completed barefoot for optimal dexterity, sensitivity, and strength development;
• For calf raises: Stand with your feet forward, ankles pelvis-width apart; Press the front of your foot into the ground; Slowly lift your heels away from the ground without overly moving your pelvis forward; Keep your ankles straight (don’t let them drop or roll outward) and continuously press the ball of the foot into the floor; Toes should be lift-able throughout the entire exercise.
• If calf raises with both feet do not feel challenging, complete them with one foot at a time, 10 reps per foot;

☀️ 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. ☀️

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