Music is a powerful tool for healing. You can select one song, such as Laura’s original Mi Shebeirach prayer above, for your ritual, and/or you can listen and move to one of these playlists below, or create your own.
The songs in these playlists have been selected to support exploration of the two middot (soul traits) this booklet explores: Rachamim (Compassion) and Hakarat HaTov (Looking For the Good). As the songs flow in the sequence provided, the music often builds from restful and quiet to active and upbeat, then back to melodies that support coming to stillness and resting again.
In creating your own embodied healing rituals with music playlists, you may use a template that flows in this way, but there are so many ways to create playlists to support self-contact, self-compassion and healing. Sometimes we need to listen to restful melodies and let them wash over us, or sometimes we need to just dance it out with a song or two. Sometimes words are helpful and affirming, and sometimes we need only instrumental songs so that our own prayers can flow forth with ease.
Clear a space for movement, and set up a mat and a blanket or two upon the floor for resting as you desire. Have a journal and/or drawing materials. Large newsprint paper measuring 18” x 24” and oil pastels are what we typically use in our dance circles. Keep water and tissues nearby so that if tears come, you do not need to leave your space to have what you need.
You may begin your dance with setting up an altar using the instructions in this booklet, lighting a candle, and/or simply writing a small intention/kavanah for yourself. Turn off your devices and set aside sacred space and time for yourself.
Opening: Begin by resting on the floor on a blanket and gently breathing, arriving, opening and stretching. Receive yourself and the gift of this time.
As the music changes, you may simply listen or you may invite your body to respond to the music and move in ways that are safe. You are the authority - there are no steps, no shapes to take - only that which arises from within. Optional: For a few songs, you may want to consider these specific intentions at the beginning of the song.
If tears come, let them come. Keep listening within. Pause and rest or keep going. Sing, pray, cry, dance, draw, rest. Stay with yourself and what you need.
When the music ends, rest and allow the experience to integrate for five to ten minutes and you may draw or journal at the end to capture your state of being at the end.
You may close with a wish or prayer for yourself and/or for the world.
Published by Recustom in collaboration with Embodied Jewish Learning. All content created by Laura Hegfield and Julie Emden of the Embodied Jewish Wisdom Network, except where otherwise noted. All contributions from Laura Hegfield are copyrighted and shared with the author’s permission.
Julie Emden is the Founding Director of Embodied Jewish Learning and the Embodied Jewish Wisdom Network, a global collaborative of leaders and seekers of movement practices infused with Jewish wisdom. Laura Hegfield is an educator, meditation guide and spiritual lay-leader, incorporating original liturgical poems and musical compositions to lift her voice in prayer, song and love.
Julie and Laura have been chevruta (study partners), exploring and studying Torah together for more than 20 years. In their words: “In our weekly studies, we have found that our steady, long-standing witnessing of one another in relationship as we make connections between Torah and our day-to-day lives has been a plentiful well of nourishment and healing that sustains us over time. You may choose to explore this booklet together with a chevruta - a friend who may witness you and whom you may also witness, to enrich your experience.”
Published by Recustom in collaboration with Embodied Jewish Learning. All content created by Laura Hegfield and Julie Emden of the Embodied Jewish Wisdom Network, except where otherwise noted. All contributions from Laura Hegfield are copyrighted and shared with the author’s permission.
Jewish source texts, liturgy, laws, customs, and practices offer so many resources for us to cultivate well-being in living our day-to-day lives. From the very beginning, in the book of Breishit/Genesis, we are inspired to consider ourselves as whole beings, physical beings imbued with the breath of life, Nishmat Hayyim/נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים.
בראשית ב׳:ז׳
ז) וַיִּיצֶר֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֗ם עָפָר֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה וַיִּפַּ֥ח בְּאַפָּ֖יו נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים וַֽיְהִ֥י הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה׃
Genesis 2:7: Va’yitzer Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey Elohim et’ha’adam afar min ha’adamah va’yipach b’apav nishmat hayyim va’y’hi ha’adam l’nefesh chaya.
Genesis 2:7 “And the source of all life formed the person from the dust of the earth. The Creator blew into their nostrils the breath of life, and the person became a living being.”
Our tradition encourages us to live flourishing, resilient, integrated lives that include awareness, appreciation, and cultivation of health and well-being on all levels - mind, body, heart and spirit. The integration of all levels of being are essential to an experience of wholeness and healing.
Though our culture often focuses upon the intellect, the body has its own intelligence. By tapping into the wisdom of the body, we open, access and integrate the wisdom of our physical, emotional and spiritual selves alongside our minds, in our healing journeys.
In this booklet, we offer an array of embodied practices from which you may choose to create your own healing ritual, drawing from any or all of the elements we share here. You are welcome to revisit this booklet as frequently as you are called and experiment with utilizing just one element or combining any number of these elements in different ways each time you create a healing ritual for yourself or for a loved one.
Published by Recustom in collaboration with Embodied Jewish Learning. All content created by Laura Hegfield and Julie Emden of the Embodied Jewish Wisdom Network, except where otherwise noted. All contributions from Laura Hegfield are copyrighted and shared with the author’s permission.
We call into awareness our ancestors most ancient; Avraham v’Sarah, Yitzchak v’Rivka, Ya’akov, Rachel v’Leah. We call upon the generations, nearest to our own; great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, without whom we would not exist. We ask for comfort, for strength, for wisdom, for guidance, as we face challenges and celebrate blessings revealed along the way.
Published by Recustom in collaboration with Embodied Jewish Learning. All content created by Laura Hegfield and Julie Emden of the Embodied Jewish Wisdom Network, except where otherwise noted. All contributions from Laura Hegfield are copyrighted and shared with the author’s permission.
We invite you to take from this booklet one or more components that are useful to you in this unique moment in time on your healing journey. Each time we create a ritual for healing, we may want to draw upon different qualities needed in the moment. There are many qualities (middot/soul traits) from which to choose, such as Gevurah/ גְּבוּרָה / Inner Strength, Hesed/חֶסֶד /Lovingkindness or Nedivut/ נְדִיבוּת /Generosity.
For the purpose of this these rituals, we encourage you to open your hearts to two specific qualities we have found to be supportive on our personal healing journeys: Rachamim / רַחֲמִים / Compassion and Hakarat HaTov / הַכָּרַת הַטּוֹב / Gratitude. We invite you to choose from these rituals and any other prayers, activities, or practices that are most meaningful to you. May this booklet inspire you to discover resources within yourself and from our rich tradition to create healing rituals and spaces for yourself throughout your life.
Published by Recustom in collaboration with Embodied Jewish Learning. All content created by Laura Hegfield and Julie Emden of the Embodied Jewish Wisdom Network, except where otherwise noted. All contributions from Laura Hegfield are copyrighted and shared with the author’s permission.
Or, read a transcript of the practice here.
Published by Recustom in collaboration with Embodied Jewish Learning. All content created by Laura Hegfield and Julie Emden of the Embodied Jewish Wisdom Network, except where otherwise noted. All contributions from Laura Hegfield are copyrighted and shared with the author’s permission.
Embodied Practice for Rachamim / Compassion / רַחֲמִים from Julie
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Music is a powerful tool for healing. You can select one song, such as Laura’s original Mi Shebeirach prayer above, for your ritual, and/or you can listen and move to one of these playlists below, or create your own.
The songs in these playlists have been selected to support exploration of the two middot (soul traits) this booklet explores: Rachamim (Compassion) and Hakarat HaTov (Looking For the Good). As the songs flow in the sequence provided, the music often builds from restful and quiet to active and upbeat, then back to melodies that support coming to stillness and resting again.
In creating your own embodied healing rituals with music playlists, you may use a template that flows in this way, but there are so many ways to create playlists to support self-contact, self-compassion and healing. Sometimes we need to listen to restful melodies and let them wash over us, or sometimes we need to just dance it out with a song or two. Sometimes words are helpful and affirming, and sometimes we need only instrumental songs so that our own prayers can flow forth with ease.
Clear a space for movement, and set up a mat and a blanket or two upon the floor for resting as you desire. Have a journal and/or drawing materials. Large newsprint paper measuring 18” x 24” and oil pastels are what we typically use in our dance circles. Keep water and tissues nearby so that if tears come, you do not need to leave your space to have what you need.
You may begin your dance with setting up an altar using the instructions in this booklet, lighting a candle, and/or simply writing a small intention/kavanah for yourself. Turn off your devices and set aside sacred space and time for yourself.
Opening: Begin by resting on the floor on a blanket and gently breathing, arriving, opening and stretching. Receive yourself and the gift of this time.
As the music changes, you may simply listen or you may invite your body to respond to the music and move in ways that are safe. You are the authority - there are no steps, no shapes to take - only that which arises from within. Optional: For a few songs, you may want to consider these specific intentions at the beginning of the song.
If tears come, let them come. Keep listening within. Pause and rest or keep going. Sing, pray, cry, dance, draw, rest. Stay with yourself and what you need.
When the music ends, rest and allow the experience to integrate for five to ten minutes and you may draw or journal at the end to capture your state of being at the end.
You may close with a wish or prayer for yourself and/or for the world.
Published by Recustom in collaboration with Embodied Jewish Learning. All content created by Laura Hegfield and Julie Emden of the Embodied Jewish Wisdom Network, except where otherwise noted. All contributions from Laura Hegfield are copyrighted and shared with the author’s permission.
Julie Emden is the Founding Director of Embodied Jewish Learning and the Embodied Jewish Wisdom Network, a global collaborative of leaders and seekers of movement practices infused with Jewish wisdom. Laura Hegfield is an educator, meditation guide and spiritual lay-leader, incorporating original liturgical poems and musical compositions to lift her voice in prayer, song and love.
Julie and Laura have been chevruta (study partners), exploring and studying Torah together for more than 20 years. In their words: “In our weekly studies, we have found that our steady, long-standing witnessing of one another in relationship as we make connections between Torah and our day-to-day lives has been a plentiful well of nourishment and healing that sustains us over time. You may choose to explore this booklet together with a chevruta - a friend who may witness you and whom you may also witness, to enrich your experience.”
Published by Recustom in collaboration with Embodied Jewish Learning. All content created by Laura Hegfield and Julie Emden of the Embodied Jewish Wisdom Network, except where otherwise noted. All contributions from Laura Hegfield are copyrighted and shared with the author’s permission.
Jewish source texts, liturgy, laws, customs, and practices offer so many resources for us to cultivate well-being in living our day-to-day lives. From the very beginning, in the book of Breishit/Genesis, we are inspired to consider ourselves as whole beings, physical beings imbued with the breath of life, Nishmat Hayyim/נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים.
בראשית ב׳:ז׳
ז) וַיִּיצֶר֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֗ם עָפָר֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה וַיִּפַּ֥ח בְּאַפָּ֖יו נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים וַֽיְהִ֥י הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה׃
Genesis 2:7: Va’yitzer Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey Elohim et’ha’adam afar min ha’adamah va’yipach b’apav nishmat hayyim va’y’hi ha’adam l’nefesh chaya.
Genesis 2:7 “And the source of all life formed the person from the dust of the earth. The Creator blew into their nostrils the breath of life, and the person became a living being.”
Our tradition encourages us to live flourishing, resilient, integrated lives that include awareness, appreciation, and cultivation of health and well-being on all levels - mind, body, heart and spirit. The integration of all levels of being are essential to an experience of wholeness and healing.
Though our culture often focuses upon the intellect, the body has its own intelligence. By tapping into the wisdom of the body, we open, access and integrate the wisdom of our physical, emotional and spiritual selves alongside our minds, in our healing journeys.
In this booklet, we offer an array of embodied practices from which you may choose to create your own healing ritual, drawing from any or all of the elements we share here. You are welcome to revisit this booklet as frequently as you are called and experiment with utilizing just one element or combining any number of these elements in different ways each time you create a healing ritual for yourself or for a loved one.
Published by Recustom in collaboration with Embodied Jewish Learning. All content created by Laura Hegfield and Julie Emden of the Embodied Jewish Wisdom Network, except where otherwise noted. All contributions from Laura Hegfield are copyrighted and shared with the author’s permission.
We call into awareness our ancestors most ancient; Avraham v’Sarah, Yitzchak v’Rivka, Ya’akov, Rachel v’Leah. We call upon the generations, nearest to our own; great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, without whom we would not exist. We ask for comfort, for strength, for wisdom, for guidance, as we face challenges and celebrate blessings revealed along the way.
Published by Recustom in collaboration with Embodied Jewish Learning. All content created by Laura Hegfield and Julie Emden of the Embodied Jewish Wisdom Network, except where otherwise noted. All contributions from Laura Hegfield are copyrighted and shared with the author’s permission.
We invite you to take from this booklet one or more components that are useful to you in this unique moment in time on your healing journey. Each time we create a ritual for healing, we may want to draw upon different qualities needed in the moment. There are many qualities (middot/soul traits) from which to choose, such as Gevurah/ גְּבוּרָה / Inner Strength, Hesed/חֶסֶד /Lovingkindness or Nedivut/ נְדִיבוּת /Generosity.
For the purpose of this these rituals, we encourage you to open your hearts to two specific qualities we have found to be supportive on our personal healing journeys: Rachamim / רַחֲמִים / Compassion and Hakarat HaTov / הַכָּרַת הַטּוֹב / Gratitude. We invite you to choose from these rituals and any other prayers, activities, or practices that are most meaningful to you. May this booklet inspire you to discover resources within yourself and from our rich tradition to create healing rituals and spaces for yourself throughout your life.
Published by Recustom in collaboration with Embodied Jewish Learning. All content created by Laura Hegfield and Julie Emden of the Embodied Jewish Wisdom Network, except where otherwise noted. All contributions from Laura Hegfield are copyrighted and shared with the author’s permission.
Or, read a transcript of the practice here.
Published by Recustom in collaboration with Embodied Jewish Learning. All content created by Laura Hegfield and Julie Emden of the Embodied Jewish Wisdom Network, except where otherwise noted. All contributions from Laura Hegfield are copyrighted and shared with the author’s permission.
Embodied Practice for Rachamim / Compassion / רַחֲמִים from Julie
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