Four Micro Practices To Nourish Your Soul
By Elana Fauth
Elana Fauth is the Springboard Jewish Education Fellow at Hillel for Utah, based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. She is a content associate for At The Well, and recently graduated from NC State with a BA in Communication Media. Elana's passions include women's wellness, chai lattes, and celebrity podcasts. She also hosts co-ed Well Circles at Hillel for Utah.
Over the past few days, I have moved to a new office space: my living room couch.
With my new co-workers (aka, a basil plant and my TV playing “Parks and Rec” reruns), I turned to my favorite indulgent activity: podcasts!
In listening to an episode of Armchair Expert, I heard Dax Shepard interviewing a man named BJ Fogg. He authored the self-help book, “Tiny Habits.”
In his book, Fogg outlined a basic truth that is so intrinsically Jewish and relevant today that it stopped me in my tracks.
Fogg believes that we can change our whole outlook on life by carrying out small positive actions. He says that once you begin to consistently incorporate positivity, you will see it spread into every aspect of your life.
One such example of these positive actions really struck me:
“After you put your feet on the floor in the morning, immediately say this phrase, ‘It’s going to be a great day.’ As you say these seven words, try to feel optimistic and positive.”
Sound familiar? In Jewish tradition, there’s a prayer called Modeh Ani. It’s a short prayer that we say upon waking to give thanks that we have been given the gift of life for another day.
מוֹדֶה אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּם, שֶׁהֶחֱזַרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְּחֶמְלָה. רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ.
Modeh ani lefanecha melech chai vekayam, she-he-chezarta bee nishmatee b’chemla, raba emunatecha.
I offer thanks to You, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great.
What Fogg and the Modeh Ani have zeroed in on is something I consider to be a universal truth: When we are grateful for our existence and for the life we are given, it changes our outlook, and creates a more positive world for us to move through.
To that end, once we decide to take a minute to be grateful for our bodies and our existence, we better understand the weight of that existence, and the duty to take care of the universe that is inside each and every one of us.
By incorporating micropractices into our lives, we get to act out this gratefulness on a micro level. We don't have to worry about the world around us, and instead, we can focus on the world within us.
What are some ways to focus on the world within us? To take control of our physical and mental wellbeing? To ground us in ourselves through intention and awareness? I’m glad you asked! Here are four micro practices to nourish your soul and body in times of uncertainty:
1. Modeh Ani - Give thanks in the morning
The Modeh Ani prayer is a spiritual experience with the potential to set you up for a day of gratefulness and positivity. Say this prayer upon waking, as your first action of the day. (Feel free to also create an alternative prayer or mantra, much like BJ Foggs “it's going to be a great day”)
מוֹדֶה אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּם, שֶׁהֶחֱזַרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְּחֶמְלָה. רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ.
Modeh ani lefanecha melech chai vekayam, she-he-chezarta bee nishmatee b’chemla, raba emunatecha.
I offer thanks to You, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great.
2. Netilat Yadayim - Ritual hand washing
This custom, while always important, is especially necessary now, as we are working as a world to keep our communities and homes safe from the spread of COVID-19.
Fun fact: Our rituals have a tendency of saving our lives! In the days of the bubonic plague, which wiped out half of Europe's population, the illness made a minimal indent on the Jewish population. Why? Because in a time when the general public was not aware of the concept of personal hygiene, the Jews were practicing an ancient Jewish ritual: the washing of hands before meals, as prescribed by the Torah. This small act of obedience to their custom saved many many lives.
To complete this task, we are to take a vessel, fill it with water, and “pour twice on the right hand followed by twice on the left (this is reversed for those who are left-handed)”, followed by the prayer:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדַיִם
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav vitzivanu al n’tilat yadayim.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments, and commanded us concerning the washing of the hands.
This practice is not exactly CDC compliant, so how do we apply this to our everyday lives? Here is my offering: If you connect with the ritual hand washing, do it before or after each time you wash your hands!
We’ve all heard the “20-second rule” for washing our hands right? Take those 20 seconds and create your own personal prayer. Make those 20 seconds a sacred space, so that while you are cleansing your body, so are you cleansing your soul. You can repeat a mantra, a Hebrew prayer, or sing a song that gives you joy! Turn a tedious act into something you look forward to, and a chance for you to take time for yourself.
3. Asher Yatzar - Giving thanks for the workings of the body
Using the restroom. Mundane act, right? Wrong! Believe it or not, there is a prayer that is said after a successful trip to the loo. This prayer is full of spirituality and power, and is cited as being self-healing, with many people claiming that continued recitation can benefit our physical health.
*This prayer also comes along with halacha or Jewish law, which dictates how we should use the restroom in a clean way. And YES this includes ALWAYS washing your hands!
The prayer Asher Yatzar is an opportunity to give thanks to the inner workings of our body and reminds us that our bodies ARE miracles and universes in and of themselves. It reminds us that we should be constantly in awe that these sticky parts come together to form a whole, working to keep us alive and healthy.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר יָצַר אֶת הָאָדָם בְּחָכְמָה, וּבָרָא בוֹ נְקָבִים נְקָבִים חֲלוּלִים חֲלוּלִים .גָּלוּי וְיָדוּעַ לִפְנֵי כִסֵּא כְבוֹדֶךָ, שֶׁאִם יִפָּתֵחַ אֶחָד מֵהֶם, אוֹ יִסָּתֵם אֶחָד מֵהֶם, אִי אֶפְשַׁר לְהִתְקַיֵּם וְלַעֲמוֹד לְפָנֶיךָ אַפִלּוּ שָׁעָה אֶחָת. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי, רוֹפֵא כָל בָּשָׂר וּמַפְלִיא לַעֲשׂוֹת:”
Blessed are You, Adonai, our God, King of the universe, who formed man with wisdom and created within him many openings and many hollow spaces. It is obvious and known before Your Seat of Honor that if even one of them would be opened, or if even one of them would be sealed, it would be impossible to survive and to stand before You even for one hour. Blessed are You, Adonai, who heals all flesh and acts wondrously.
4. Create a blessing for a loved one, someone in need, or for a group of people
Judaism puts great value on the power of spoken prayer and solidarity. A practice I find particularly beautiful is speaking positivity over others. For this micro practice, you can take a little time each day to write a one or two-sentence blessing wishing greatness upon someone, or something.
With that, here is my blessing for you, dear reader: As we navigate this ever-changing world, I hope for you to know and believe that you are a beautiful being, whose potential is endless, and whose light is bright. I pray that you find the solace you need during this unsure time, and that you are able to provide light to others. Amen.