Counting the Omer with Body Movements
Each day of the Omer can be counted with the movements of the nikudot (Hebrew vowel signs) for the sefirot of that day. For example, tonight (April 21st) we count the 18th day of the Omer which corresponds to Netzach ShebaTiferet. Netzach corresponds to the Chirik and Tiferet corresponds to the Cholam. A person can do the movement for the Chirik followed by the movement for the Cholam in three pairs, one pair for the fixing of any blemish in each of our three levels of soul: our nefesh (appetitive functioning and awareness, creative imagination, vitality), our ruach (emotional awareness, intentionality [linking the physical and spiritual], song), and our neshamah (intellect, spiritual manifestation, creative thought, inspiration).
Below are some words that might help you better understand the sefirot of Netzach and Tiferet.
Netzach (Chirik): sense of purpose, endurance, awareness of eternal structures, decision making
Tiferet (Cholam): beauty, harmony, compassionate balancing of the limitless and the structured, surrendering to a larger all-encompassing perspective
See www.otiyot.com for mini-movies and descriptions of how to do the movements for the Chirik and Cholam. The descriptions for doing the movements for all the nikudot which correspond to the sefirot on the Tree of Life can also be found on this blog under Otiyot Hayyot, and my descriptions for all the sefirot on the Tree of Life are listed under Kabbalah. You can watch me performing the movements for the nikudot from Keter to Malkhut in descending order on my youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjrxaCnflQk.
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Nikudot Movements
Video of Nikudot Movements, from Keter to Malkhut
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjrxaCnfIQk
Short movies of each movement may be found on my website: www.otiyot.com
Short movies of each movement may be found on my website: www.otiyot.com
THE
DANCE OF THE NIKUDOT
Descriptions by Yehudit
Goldfarb, Ph.D. (copyright 1994)
Starting
position: Stand
with feet parallel, pelvis width apart, weight evenly distributed on both feet
and knees slightly bent, arms slightly curved at your sides with palms facing
backward and fingertips pointing toward the earth.
Kamatz ("ah") -- Keter
1. Inhale as you bend knees and bring your
hands back-to-back in front of body.
2. Turn fingertips inward toward body and
then upward in a circular motion.
3. Straighten your knees until they
are only slightly bent, and bring elbows, forearms, and wrists together as you
raise arms upward and turn palms toward each other.
4. When wrists are level with forehead,
open your fingertips so they point to the sides and palms face upward.
5. Forming a kametz, make an
"ah" sound as you exhale.
6. Continue sounding as you separate
wrists and with fingertips leading move your arms toward sides, palms facing
upward.
7. Gradually turn palms outward toward
sides and bring arms down in an arc with base of palms leading.
8. As arms near sides of body, lower
fingertips, turn palms first toward your thighs and then face them forward
slightly to the side and in front of your thighs.
9. Repeat sequence from Step (1) eight
more times, ending the last sequence by lowering hands to sides with elbows
slightly bent, fingertips pointing toward the earth, and circling palms so they
turn first forward and then backward in a wavelike motion.
Patakh ("ah") --
Khokhmah
1. Bend your knees as you turn palms
toward each other, and then place the back of your left hand on top of the
inside of your right hand with your thumb tips touching and with your palms
facing upward in front of pelvis.
2. Inhale as you straighten your knees
until they are only slightly bent, and as you raise your linked hands in an arc
until your palms face the earth.
3. Form a straight line between your
elbows with palms facing the earth and arms parallel to the ground in front of
chest and your thumb tips still touching.
4. Forming a patakh,
make an "ah" sound as you exhale.
5. Move your arms in an arc outward from
the body and lower them with your left hand still resting inside of your right
hand until palms face upward again.
6. Bend your knees and repeat sequence
from step (2) eight more times, ending with unlinking your hands and bringing
palms to your sides so they face backward with elbows slightly bent and
fingertips pointing toward the earth.
Tzere
("ay") -- Binah
1. Bend knees and turn palms forward.
2. Inhale as you straighten your knees
until they are only slightly bent and raise your hands upward to neck height
with arms parallel.
3. Slowly circle your wrists so palms face
forward with elbows bent in a right angle and fingers slightly curled as if
holding two small balls.
4. Forming a tzere, make an "ay" sound as you exhale.
5. Slowly lower your arms, palms facing
downward, until your hands are at your sides, palms facing backward with elbows
slightly bent and fingertips pointing toward the earth.
6. Repeat the full sequence eight more
times.
Segol
("eh") -- Khesed
1. In preparation, raise your arms in
front of chest so that your elbows are slightly bent with your wrists crossed,
right hand outside and palms facing each other.
2. Bending your knees, lower your arms to
waist level and then open them in a circular movement toward the sides.
3. Inhale as you straighten your
knees until they are only slightly bent and continue circling your arms outward
and then upward in an arc with palms facing outward.
4. When your arms pass shoulder height,
tilt your head back as you continue circling your outward facing palms above
your head until palms face the sky, shoulder width apart with fingers slightly
curled as if holding two small balls.
5. Forming a segol with your open mouth being the lower dot, make an "eh" sound
as you exhale.
6. Lower your chin and look forward as you
lower your hands by crossing wrists in front of your face with right arm
outside and palms facing each other.
7. Repeat sequence from Step (2) eight
more times, ending by bringing palms to your sides so that they face backward
with elbows slightly bent and fingertips pointing toward the earth.
Sh'va (staccato "e") -- Gevurah
1. Bend knees and turn palms forward.
2. Inhale as you straighten your knees
until they are only slightly bent and raise your hands upward until right hand
is about six inches in front of your face and left hand is about six inches in
front of chest.
3. Slowly circle your wrists so palms face
forward with fingers slightly curled as if holding two small balls.
4. Forming a sh'va, make a staccato "e" sound and then exhale quietly.
5. Slowly lower your arms, palms facing
downward, until your hands are at your sides, palms facing backward with elbows
slightly bent and fingertips pointing toward the earth.
6. Repeat the full sequence eight more
times.
Kholam ("oh") -- Tiferet
1. Bend knees and turn palms forward.
2. Inhale as you straighten your knees
until they are only slightly bent and raise your arms upward and bring hands
together so that fingertips and thumbs are touching to form a circle in front
of your chest.
3. Bend your head forward as you continue
the upward movement of your arms until the circle formed by your fingers is
above your head with thumbs under index fingers.
4. Forming a kholam with your
bent head and straight spine forming the letter Vav, make an "oh"
sound as you exhale.
5. Continue sounding as you open your
hands in a circular motion outward toward the sides with palms facing outward
and slowly lift your head upright.
6. Continue lowering your hands to your
sides in an arc.
7. Repeat full sequence eight more times,
ending the last sequence by lowering hands to sides with elbows slightly bent,
fingertips pointing toward the earth, and circling palms so they turn first
forward and then backward in a wavelike motion.
Khirek ("ee") -- Netzakh
1. Bend knees and turn palms forward.
2. Inhale as you straighten your knees
until they are only slightly bent and raise your arms upward and bring hands
together so that fingertips and thumbs are touching to form a circle with
thumbs under index fingers about six inches in front of neck.
3. Forming a khirek, make an "ee" sound as you exhale.
4. Continue sounding while you bend your
knees and separate your hands in a diagonal movement downward and toward the
sides with palms facing the earth and your back and head bent forward in a
diagonal line.
5. Raise your back to an upright position
as you turn your palms forward and repeat sequence from Step (2) eight more
times, ending the last sequence by circling palms so they turn backward in a
wavelike motion so that your hands are at your sides with elbows slightly bent, fingertips pointing toward
the earth.
Kubbutz ("oo") -- Hod
1. Inhale and lift your hands up in front
of your waist so palms face upward and fingertips point toward each other about
an inch apart.
2. Turn upper body and head toward your
left and bend your knees as you turn over your left palm to face downward,
gently curl your fingers as if holding a ball, and extend your hand to your
left side about a foot beyond your hip, and at the same time turn over your
right palm to face downward, gently curl your fingers as if holding a ball, and
move it across your chest until it is a few inches beyond from your left side
at chest level.
3. Form a kubbutz by tilting your
head downward slightly so that your mouth forms the upper dot in a diagonal
with your two downward facing palms and make an "oo" sound as you
exhale.
4. Slowly lift your head upright, turn
your upper body and head forward as you straighten your knees until they are
only slightly bent, and turn your palms upward again in front of your waist
with fingertips facing each other.
5. Repeat Steps (2), (3), and (4) on the
right side so that the right hand forms the lowest dot at hip level and the
left arm crosses in front of the chest.
6. Repeat Steps (2), (3), and (4) facing
forward with the right hand at chest level about six inches in front of you and
the left hand about a foot in front of your navel.
7. Repeat Steps (2), (3), and (4) facing
forward with the left hand at chest level about six inches in front of you and
the right hand about a foot in front of your navel.
8. Repeat Steps (2) through (7) and then
Steps (2), (3), and (4) to the left side one last time, ending by turning your
palms over and bringing them down to your sides so they face backward with
elbows slightly bent and fingertips pointing toward the earth.
Shuruk ("oo") -- Yesod
1. Turn palms forward.
2. Inhale as you bend your head forward
and circle your arms upward to bring hands together so that fingertips and
thumbs are touching in the form of
a circle with thumbs under index fingers a few inches in front of chest.
3. Forming a shuruk with bent head and straight spine forming the
letter Vav, make an "oo" sound as you exhale.
4. Continue sounding as you bend your
knees, move the circle forward at chest height allowing your hands to open to
the sides with palms facing outward, and raise your head upright.
5. Circle arms downward to your sides and
straighten your knees until they are only slightly bent.
6. Repeat the full sequence eight more
times, ending the last sequence by circling palms so they turn first forward
and then backward in a wavelike motion so that your hands are at your sides
with elbows slightly bent, fingertips pointing toward the earth.
No nikudah (silence) --
Malkhut
Standing
with feet parallel, pelvis width apart, weight evenly distributed on both feet
and knees slightly bent, arms slightly curved at your sides with palms facing
backward and fingertips pointing toward the earth, let the Breath breathe you
nine times.
Ending
to the Dance of the Nikudot:
1. With knees still slightly bent, shift
your weight to your right foot and then lift your left foot to place it next to
your right so that the heels touch and the toes are pointed outward at about a
thirty-degree angle.
2. Balance your weight evenly on both feet
with knees slightly bent, arms slightly curved at your sides with palms facing
backward and fingertips pointing toward the earth.
All material on this site is under copyright © Yehudit Goldfarb and may be copied only with permission from the owner.
All material on this site is under copyright © Yehudit Goldfarb and may be copied only with permission from the owner.
Counting Our Blessings
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