This is one way you can hear me SINGING BOUT MY STUFF October 18, 2020

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Bhakti, Books, Changing Perspectives, Confessions, Dharma, Faith, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, Lorraine Hansberry, Meditation, Movies, Music, Mysticism, Ntozake Shange, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Suffering, Tantra, Texas, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.
Tags: Buena Batiste, Caroline Myss, chakras, Lorraine Hansberry, Ntozake Shange, SONY, Texas Instruments
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“Our minds and all that functions through our minds generate a continual stream of micro and macro activities through the complex of our non-stop brain. Our emotions are always active. We are constantly making choices, consciously and unconsciously. And – think about this – our “choices continue to make choices.” How’s that for a thought? But it’s pure truth. And because it’s truth, we need to find a way to evaluate the micro and macro impact of our thoughts, attitudes, belief patterns – the whole of our energetic personality and nature – as the energetic reflection of the landscape of our physical life.”

– quoted from “What Can You Heal in Five Minutes” (from the 2014 Online Salon) by Caroline Myss

The way the world communicated (and was entertained) changed dramatically today in 1954 when Texas Instruments and the Regency Division of Industrial Development Engineering Associates (IDEA Inc.) introduced the Regency Model TR-1, the first commercial transistor radio, to markets in New York and Los Angeles. When the device first went on sale (on November 1^st) it cost $49.95 – which was a lot of money back in the 1950’s – but almost 100,000 of the pocket radios were sold in the first year and a technology (as well as an entertainment) revolution had begun.

Prior to the “pocket-sized” TR-1, radios were mostly considered a piece of household furniture. They were essentially big dressers or medium sized jewelry boxes that housed circuitry centered around breakable vacuum tubes. The tubes used a lot of energy, took a long time to warm, and were incredibly fragile. There were “portable” tube radios, but they were about the size and weight of a lunchbox; were powered by several heavy, non-rechargeable batteries; and they didn’t even pretend to be shock resistant. So, few people invested in them. Instead, families huddled around the radio, waited for it to warm-up, and paid attention to the energy output (especially during the war).

No one really thought about listening (or even watching) something they whole family wasn’t going to hear (or see). Furthermore, no one (outside of the electronics industry) really thought about walking around with your personal choice of music, news, podcasts, and other forms of entertainment streaming out of our pockets 24/7. That possibility, that is our reality, became reality because of the introduction of transistors.

Like the old-fashioned vacuum tubes, transistors are devices used to amplify and switch (and also convert) electronic signals and electrical power. Unlike the tubes, transistors are made of semiconductor material which means that that they have an electrical conductivity value which falls between a metal conductor and an insulator (like glass). One of the main benefits to using semiconductor material in electronics is that its ability to conduct electrical current increases as it heats up (meaning its resistivity decreases), which is the opposite of metals. Semiconductor devices, like transistors, offer a lot of versatility and flexibility – especially when you want to pass current in more than one direction – and provided the radios with an “instant-on” capability. All of which allows people to conveniently and quickly share their stories.

“Our psyches are governed by archetypal patterns, containers of myths and symbols that continually feed our unconscious. Our health and well-being feeds off of the stories we tell ourselves, stories that are created, generated, and rooted in our myths. Every person I talk to tells me a story in some way about his or her life and that story inevitably contains at least one symbol or hints at one myth. As each of the participants of the Help Desk told me a bit about themselves, I listened for both the details they were sharing as well as any symbols or metaphors in their descriptions through which I could then identify an archetypal pattern. We can’t stop ourselves from revealing our archetypes. All of these systems that combine to make up each human life need to be understood in terms of how they speak to each other, how they participate in acts of creation, how they interact with the creative mechanisms of our psyche and soul, and how their sensitivities influence the development of physical illnesses. And further, how do we interact with this extraordinary system of life that is US when it comes to healing an illness?

I view the realm of health and healing through this lens now. In fact, it’s more of a parallel reality in that the real power of who we are truly exists in the realm of energy, or our energy field. Our health is regulated by far more than chemicals and nutrition, as we know. But adding on knowledge about the chakras, for instance, is hardly enough to span the spectrum of all that we have come to discover about the depth and width of our interior selves. Speaking about “chakras”, for instance, represents a great deal more than energy dots laid over the physical anatomy. The recognition of our energy anatomy – of energy consciousness itself – represents an entirely different paradigm of how we need to consider the nature of our concept of power.”

– quoted from “What Can You Heal in Five Minutes” (from the 2014 Online Salon) by Caroline Myss

The physical practice of yoga (hatha yoga, regardless of style or tradition) is simultaneously physical-mental, emotional-energetic, and psychic-symbolic. In the same way we are not always aware of how are mind-body communicates with itself and ourselves, we are not always aware of how we are communicating with others. The practice, however, gives us the opportunity to start paying attention to not only how we communicate, but also why we communicate. Every part of our being has a story to tell (and a method to tell it); every part of our story is connected to someone else’s story; and they way the stories are told (or not) determines how we think of the story, the storyteller, and the other players.

Consider, for instance, the story of the transistor radio. If you didn’t know the significance of today and someone mentioned transistor radios, your first thought might not be Texas Instruments or IDEA. Instead, your first thought might be SONY. Because not long after Texas Instruments and IDEA went on to new innovations, a Japanese company rebranded itself and (in 1957) introduced the TR-63, a smaller and cheaper transition radio that conveniently preceded with a global “music” mania. And that mania, is not only the stuff of musical legends, it’s the stuff that makes up the story.

Today is the anniversary of the birth of Ntozake Shange. Born today in 1948, she was an award winning playwright and novelist who changed her name to the Zulu words meaning “she comes with her own things” and “who walks like a lion.” The beginning of her story predates the transistor radio, but it is a definite element in her stories. The remainder of this post is part of a 2018 Kiss My Asana offering.

“somebody/anybody
sing a black girl’s song
bring her out
to know herself
to know you
but sing her rhythms
carin/struggle/hard times”

– The Lady in Brown with all the other Ladies from for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf by Ntozake Shange

“somebody almost walked off wid alla my stuff

not my poems or a dance i gave up in the street

but somebody almost walked off wid alla my stuff

like a kleptomaniac workin hard & forgettin while stealin

this is mine!

this aint yr stuff

now why don’t you put me back

& let me hang out in my own

Self”

– The Lady in Green from for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf by Ntozake Shange

I said it before, and I’ll say it again: The danger in not telling your story isn’t only that it might not be told, it’s also that someone else might tell your story. Someone else might, to quote the choreopoem, run off with all of your stuff. And, if someone else tells your story, they may (at best) leave out your rhythm, your tone, and what is most important to you. At worse, however, someone else telling your story can objectify you or turn you into a caricature, a living breathing stereotype come to life on the page – or on the stage.

Up until recently, certain individuals had a hard time telling their own stories in a way that they could be heard, seen, and validated. They didn’t have the money, the prestige, or the influence. I say this knowing full well that certain marginalized groups (people of color, women – of almost any color, GLBTQI, people who practice certain faiths, people who have been abused by people with power, the physically disabled, and the mentally disabled…just to name a few) still have a harder time getting their stories told, heard, seen, and validated than people who identify in a way that is not marginalized. Slowly but surely, that is changing. Still, as hard as it is, it would be harder were it not for people like Lorraine Hansberry and Ntozake Shange and works like Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and Shange’s choreopoem for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf.

“Write if you will: but write about the world as it is and as you think it ought to be and must be—if there is to be a world. Write about all the things that men have written about since the beginning of writing and talking—but write to a point. Work hard at it, care about it. Write about our people: tell their story. You have something glorious to draw on begging for attention. Don’t pass it up. Don’t pass it up. Use it. Good luck to you. The Nation needs your gifts.”

– from a speech to Readers Digest/United Negro Fund creative writing contest winners (May 1, 1964) by Lorraine Hansberry

Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun was inspired by real life events. It was also the first play written by a Black woman (and directed by a Black person) to appear on Broadway (1959). At some point during high school, I read excerpts from Lorraine Hansberry’s play What Use Are Flowers? and her autobiography To Be Young, Gifted and Black: Lorraine Hansberry in Her Own Words. Reading her words, I thought, “I could be that. I could write, I could act, and I could represent the world…as I see it.” I can only imagine where I would be if that idea – of being on stage while putting my work on stage – hadn’t been cemented in my mind. But, there it was, an inspiration not unlike the Langston Hughes poem that inspired the title of Hansberry’s most famous play. And, like a raisin in the sun, my dream kinda got deferred.

I auditioned for The Sunshine Boys during my first semester of college. The directors kept asking me to read with different people who were auditioning, which I took as a good sign. Unbeknownst to me, they weren’t considering me for a role on stage. Instead, the directors asked if I would be their assistant. I said yes and then found myself in the role of their stage manager… and their producer and their publicist. Fast forward 7 years and I was working as a professional stage manager for the writer/director who’s most famous play was the second Broadway play written by a Black woman: Ntozake Shange.

“hey man

where are you goin wid alla my stuff?!

this is a woman’s trip & i need my stuff”

– The Lady in Green from for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf by Ntozake Shange

In 1974, Shange and four other women started performing the choreopoems that would become for colored girls…. Seventeen years after Hansberry’s Broadway premiere, Shange’s work found its way to the Great White Way. (I say, [It] found its way,” but in truth, Ntozake is (to this day) a force of creative nature and moving across the country was the least of the things she did to shepherd her work.) Twenty years after she wrote and first started to perform the poems, Shange was in Houston directing a revival.

Ntozake Shange was not the first arts and entertainment legend with whom I worked – and she would not be the last – but holy cow did she leave an indelible impression. I worked with her twice and both times I was struck by her unwavering commitment to her own vision. While it is not unusual for a director to be strong, fierce, and artistically determined, she was one of the first woman (not to mention one of the first women of color) with whom I worked who was unapologetic about who she was and what she wanted. Also notable, she saw the world and, therefore, presented the world in a very different way from the mainstream. She was (and is) defiantly herself, singing her songs, dancing to her own rhythms, and – in doing so – giving us permission to do the same.

Everybody has a rhythm, a cadence, a pace of life and one big part of the physical practice of yoga is to find your rhythm and to move to it. Your breath sets your pace, but even within the pace there is room to (physically) harmonize. Find your pace, find you rhythm, and let the movement tell your story.

Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, October 18^th) at 2:30 PM. I am in the process of updating the links from the “Class Schedules” calendar; however, the Meeting IDs in the calendar are the same and are correct. PLEASE NOTE: Zoom 5.0 is in effect. If you have not upgraded, you will need to give yourself extra time to log into Zoom. You can always request an audio recording of this practice (or any practice) via email or a comment below.

Today’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. (This is the playlist “07112020 An Introduction.”)

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

### “I found god in myself
and i loved her
i loved her fiercely” (NS) ###

The Light Is On (the “missing” post) October 18, 2020

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Uncategorized.
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[My apologies for the delayed posting. Hopefully this is not a new trend. You can request an audio recording of Saturday’s practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible, class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.]

“It all begins with an understanding of why stretch your body. I ask students that, ‘Why do you want to stretch your body?’ They might answer, ‘Because I want to feel better.’ I don’t stop there. I keep questioning. ‘Why do you want to feel better?’ They might say, ‘Because I want to sleep better.’ And on we go. I don’t let them stop at the first answer. I ask them to keep looking deeper, keep peeling it back and get to the root of all it. What it comes down to is that we all have a longing to thrive.”

– Rod Stryker, quoted from “A Conversation with Yoga Master Rod Stryker” in Healing Garden Journal by Jan Deremo Lundy (2004)

There’s a certain internationally known actor who was in a tropical location filming an action movie in November 2000. Not long after the movie came out, I was talking to a bunch of people (mostly men) who were trying to pinpoint exactly why they found her so appealing. It was more than the role, they said, it was something about the actor… something about her vitality. That, her vitality, I pointed out was exactly the appeal: everything about her in that role was about being alive. And, not just alive… ALIVE!

To be fair, some of it was the role (and the characters singular determination). It also didn’t hurt that the actor was 25 and that the tropical environment – not to mention hair, makeup, and the activity level required for the role – all contributed to a certain glow.

It’s the same kind of glow often attributed to someone who is pregnant. In the base case, during pregnancy, hormones flood the body and there is an increase in blood flow. Additionally, there may be an increase in oil secretion and skin elasticity. Granted, if there is already some imbalance (especially as it relates to the skin), someone might develop or experience an increase in acne or rashes. But, generally, a person changes their diet, drinks more water, takes more vitamins, and eliminates certain toxins (which may counterbalance the imbalance). They may even get more sleep for a period of time. All of which can make someone look younger, vibrant, more alive: glowing. Keep in mind, however, that just like with certain yoga practices (like the practice of bramacarya) what is happening on the outside – what others perceive – is not nearly as important as what is happening on the inside. On the inside, everything in a pregnant person’s body is focused, concentrated, on sustaining the lives of the parent and the child.

Newborns also have a certain glow to them. Once the detritus of birth is cleaned of them, they look shiny and have a newness about them that extends into their infant and toddler period. Even their skin and hair smell good. Sure, as TM reminded me after class, there are certain things about babies that don’t smell good – but again, that’s a reflection of what’s happening on the inside. The newness, the shininess, the glow also comes from what’s happening on the inside. Everything in the baby’s system focused on one thing: the process of living and growing.

Notice that in all of the above examples, everything comes back to being focused on a single goal or purpose. Now, remember that the Sanskrit word Yoga means “union” and comes from the root word meaning “to yoke.” One classic example is yoking two oxen with the singular purpose of plowing a field. Another classic example is to think of your body as a chariot driven by the charioteer, the intellect (buddhi) that uses the mind-brain’s desire as the reins to steer the horses, which represent the senses. The roads or trails are desires and possibilities. Along for the ride is a passenger, the Atman (the element of the Divine you can call the Soul, the Self, the Consciousness, or the Witness – although, in this case, I call Her “The Little Old Lady from Pasadena”).

When the charioteer is not in control, the horses (senses) attempt to drag the whole contraption in every direction – not even staying on a particular path – and the mind-brain follows like reins flapping in the wind. The charioteer might even fall off the wagon. When the charioteer is in control and balanced, the horses go where they are directed. Keep in mind that the intellect has to be in balance; otherwise, you might find yourself going nowhere. Through it all, no matter what happens, The Little Old Lady from Pasadena sits in the back and witnesses it all.

She can tell you everything She has observed about where you’ve been and also about where you’re going. She can tell you when reins are too loose or too tight; when the horses need to be watered, feed, or rested; when you’re going to be ambushed; when you’re going to successfully arrive at your destination; and when you will be taking the scenic route. She knows and communicates all of this – although you (and your intellect) may or may not be listening.

“The human body is naturally endowed with unique qualities and capacities, such as beauty, charm, vitality, and self-healing power (YS 3:46)…. When the body is feed of impurities and replenished, its innate wisdom awakens spontaneously. Inner balance is restored – our limbs and organs function harmoniously. Our heart, brain, and endocrine and autonomic nervous system become acutely aware of our internal needs. The healing and nourishing process is accelerated. The internal organs are revitalized. The sense organs and the subtle power of the intelligence that empower them with the capacity to comprehend, feel, and act are energized and responsive.”

– commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.43 from The Practice of the Yoga Sūtra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

The basic human body can be viewed as a complex mechanical made up of simple machines. What I mean is that our body is comprised of organs, joints, bones, connective tissue, nerves, and fluids that each have a purpose and all are designed to work together. When each part works as it should, it contributes to the success of the other parts. When one part is not working optimally, it becomes a drag on the entire system. Just as in basic mechanics, an ideal system (which in this case is a healthy system) is one where energy is conserved rather than dissipated; the power put into the system equals the power put out of the system; and it is relatively easy to calculate the energy and power of the system.

Where things get complicated is when we factor in the fact that we are constantly (and sometimes consistently) introducing toxins and other obstacles which deteriorate the system and/or make it harder for the different parts to do their simple jobs. Remember, these toxins and obstacles are not only things we may physically consume, they are also things we may mentally and/or emotionally consume. They are things we do, as well as things we do not do. These toxins and obstacles are distractions – and they take away our luster.

Look around and you will notice that some people shine regardless of their age. Other people seem dull – despite their chronological youth. It all comes back to how well we are functioning as a whole system. Patanjali offers five ways to act ethically on the outside (the yamās); five ways to interact with ourselves internally (the niyamās); and consistently emphasizes the importance of how the practice gives us power by keeping things in balance – working as things are designed to work. In the absence of the practice, he recommends cultivating opposites, which produce a similarly desired effect. In the case of the third niyamā, he offers an opportunity to literally burn away that which no longer serves the system (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and energetically).

Yoga Sütra 2.43: kāyendriyasiddhiraśuddhikşayāt tapasah

– “Impurities of the body and senses are destroyed by tapas, resulting in powerful mastery of the body and senses.”

Tapas is a Sanskrit that can be translated as heat (also “shining heat” and “to melt”), discipline, and austerity. In the philosophy of Yoga, it simultaneously refers to the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual qualities and also to the practices that cultivate physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual heat, discipline, and austerity. Sometimes, to cover as many bases as possible, it is translated into English as “discipline and training the senses” or “mortification.” The latter is tricky, because the classic definition of “mortification” – especially when related to religion and spirituality – is specifically defined as the opposite of tapas in Yoga.

To highlight tapas, I often use giving up leaven bread during Passover; giving up anything during Lent; and fasting for Yom Kippur, Lent, the month of Ramadān, and the Bahá’í Nineteen-Day Fast as examples of the correct purpose and practice. In these examples, people are engaging in a multidimensional challenge in order to develop better understanding of themselves and cultivate a deeper spiritual bond with the Divine (and with their community). There is nothing in these ritual practices that is about embarrassment, humiliation, or torture – and the only death is the symbolic death of physical desire. Furthermore, each tradition specifically outlines situations where people should not observe the practice because it could be detrimental to their health.

“‘Some people, due to excessive passions and desires, invent harsh ways to inflict pain on themselves. In their foolishness they hurt their bodies and senses and outrage Me, the Atma who lives within them. They may seem to be endowed with ‘faith’, but such practices are harmful to their spiritual growth.

‘There are other behaviors that bear on spiritual attainment. One’s eating habits play a part in it, a fact that few recognize. And the way one performs the three main spiritual disciplines – sacrifice (yajna, offering up), purification (tapas, austerities), and charity (dana, alms giving) – also influences one’s spiritual development. Each of these three disciplines can also be understood in light of the three guna types.’”

– The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners (17:5 – 7) by Jack Hawley

“‘The purpose The purpose of purification is not pain and penance, but to deliberately refine one’s life, to melt it down and recast it into a higher order of purity and spirituality. The goal is very important; it is not self-punishment but refinement — to shift from human existence into Divinity!’”

– The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners (17:14) by Jack Hawley

The Bhagavad Gita specifically defines appropriate physical and mental tapas, as well as austerity of speech. These neatly coincide and overlap with the yamās and niyamās – with extra emphasis being placed on mental austerity since everything springs from one’s thoughts. One additional nuance here is that when it comes to speech there is an elaboration on words being truthful and also “‘not hurting; not flattering; and devotional chanting (read aloud)…. The point is to express (even under your breath) only beneficial words that promote movement toward Divinity.’” (BG 17:15)

The physical practice of yoga (hatha yoga, regardless of the style or tradition) can be a form of tapas. When engaging in the practice, however, you have to keep in mind the purpose of the practice. In other words: Why you’re stretching your mind-body. The challenges in the practice are not “party tricks;” they are an opportunity to practice discipline and austerity. They should not be painful or compromise your awareness of your breath. My role as a teacher is not to humiliate or embarrass you, but to remind you to consider what is appropriate for your mind-body-spirit on any given day and in any given moment. When we align our movement (mind-body) with our intention (intellect) and our spirit (breath), we tap into our innate wisdom, the wisdom of the heart (intuition) we increase our power and have the ability to go where we want to go and do what we want to do.

This is yoga.

“Over the course of these past six decades, we have actually evolved from being primarily five sensory to becoming multisensory creatures. We are actively intuitive, we have emotional and psychic intelligence, and with any luck eventually we will recognize that our soul is an active intelligent agent in our life system. Our psyches are governed by archetypal patterns, containers of myths and symbols that continually feed our unconscious. Our health and well-being feeds off of the stories we tell ourselves, stories that are created, generated, and rooted in our myths…. All of these systems that combine to make up each human life need to be understood in terms of how they speak to each other, how they participate in acts of creation, how they interact with the creative mechanisms of our psyche and soul, and how their sensitivities influence the development of physical illnesses. And further, how do we interact with this extraordinary system of life that is US when it comes to healing an illness?”

– quoted from “What Can You Heal in Five Minutes” (from the 2014 Online Salon) by Caroline Myss

Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. (Some songs after the practice music contain some “explicit” lyrics.)

I will leave the light on…you just have to step into the light. (Please note, this version contains some “explicit” lyrics).

https://youtu.be/_y1e9sNhu0k

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can call 1-800-273-TALK (8255). You can also call the TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

### FOCUS/CONCENTRATE/MEDITATE ON THE LIGHT ###

The Light Is On (This is just the music.) October 17, 2020

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Uncategorized.
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Please join me today (Saturday, October 17^th) at 12 Noon for a 90-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom, where we will do what we do. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. Give yourself extra time to log in if you have not upgraded to Zoom 5.0. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below.

Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify

### Just Step Into The Light ###

A More Loving Time October 14, 2020

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Loss, Love, Music, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: e e cummings, Gregorian calendar, Julian calendar, Pope Francis, Saint Clare of Assisi, Saint Francis of Assisi
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“‘FRATELLI TUTTI’.[1] With these words, Saint Francis of Assisi addressed his brothers and sisters and proposed to them a way of life marked by the flavour of the Gospel. Of the counsels Francis offered, I would like to select the one in which he calls for a love that transcends the barriers of geography and distance, and declares blessed all those who love their brother ‘as much when he is far away from him as when he is with him’.[2] In his simple and direct way, Saint Francis expressed the essence of a fraternal openness that allows us to acknowledge, appreciate and love each person, regardless of physical proximity, regardless of where he or she was born or lives.”

– quoted from Encyclical Letter “Fratelli Tutti” of the Holy Father Francis on Fraternity and Social Friendship (signed October 3, 2020)

Nothing happened today in 1582 – at least not in Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, and places like the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. These Papal-governed nations were the first to switch from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar (named for Pope Gregory XIII) and, therefore, skipped 10 days (October 5 – 14). The switch was primarily motivated by the Church’s desire to consistently observe Easter during the same season in which it had originally been celebrated. Of course, that date was (and is) a movable feast, but by the early third century people were no longer able to rely on an annual announcement from the Pope to tell them when to celebrate.

The First Council of Nicaea (in 325 AD) proposed a standard date, such as March 21^st, which would correspond with the ecclesiastical full moon. Ultimately, however, the Church developed the computes (“computation”) which allowed clergy to independently calculate what was essentially the Passover moon – but without depending on the Hebrew calendar. The only problem was that as early as the 8^th century people noted that the Julian calendar contained a calculation error that was already throwing things off. Pope Sixtus IV tried to introduce a reform in 1475, but his efforts were thwarted by the untimely (and unfortunately timed) death of the mathematician Johannes Müller von Königsberg (a.k.a. Regiomontanus).

In 1545, the Council of Trent authorized another attempt at calendar reform – this time to return Easter celebrations to the same time they had been observed in 325 AD and also to ensure no future drift. Progress was slow. Several decades passed before proposals were solicited from outside of the Church. The adopted proposal was a modification of one submitted by Aloysius Lilius (a.k.a. Luigi Lilio and Luigi Giglio). It corrected the length of the year, changed the duration between and occurrences of leap years, and required the deletion of ten days in order to reset.

Granted, the days didn’t actually disappear. In reality, they were still there; just renamed / renumbered. This “deletion of days” would occur at different times throughout the year and over the years – even as recently as 2016 – and, as the drift continued for countries still using the Julian calendar, sometimes were as many as 14. When these dates pop up on our current calendar, I like to think of them as “extra days,” like a little bit of lagniappe that we’ve been given. And, of course, I ask the question, “How could I spend this extra bit of time?”

“i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes”

– quoted from “i thank You God for most this amazing” by e e cummings

So, nothing happened in certain countries in 1582. But, in 1894, the author of some of my favorite poems was born. Edward Estlin Cummings (a.k.a. “E. E. Cummings” or “e e cummings”) was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts – which had been a British colony when Great Britain and its colonies switched calendars in 1752. In addition to at least 2900 poems, he wrote essays, four plays, and two autobiographical novels. He also painted. Cummings grew up in a Unitarian household (his father was a well known professor and minister) and he was exposed to a variety of philosophers.

Not surprisingly, his affinity to nature combined with his creativity and exposure to different philosophical and theological thinking led him to believe in the inherent goodness of people and nature: distinctly transcendental beliefs. He also developed an Ich und Du relationship with God that resulted in many poems and journal entries which are nothing less than prayers. He wrote about his service in the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps, about being arrested and detained by the French military (for suspicion of espionage), and his service in the United States Army. It was his father’s death, however, that marked a pivot in how his poetry addressed life and the time we spend living it.

“i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)“

– quoted from “[i carry your heart with me(I carry it in)]” by e e cummings

Please join me today (Wednesday, October 14^th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You will need to register for the 7:15 PM class if you have not already done so. Give yourself extra time to log in if you have not upgraded to Zoom 5.0. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible, class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

“We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become. If we love things, we become a thing. If we love nothing, we become nothing. Imitation is not a literal mimicking of Christ, rather it means becoming the image of the beloved, an image disclosed through transformation. This means we are to become vessels of God’s compassionate love for others.”

– Saint Clare of Assisi

Reformatted 10/14/2023.

### “LOVE, LOVE, LOVE (dat dada dada)” ###

Knowing & Unknowing, prequel (the “missing” post) October 13, 2020

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Uncategorized.
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[My apologies for the delayed posting. You can request an audio recording of Monday’s practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible, class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.]

“It feels like I should have something momentous to say now that I’ve hit this landmark birthday. There is only this—I feel I’m in the middle of it all. Family, grandkids, work, marriage, good friends, joy, sadness, knowing and unknowing. Hmmm…come to think of it, that is pretty remarkable!”

– my dear friend DB on turning 60 (in an email dated 10/14/2013)

I don’t know about the rest of y’all, but in many ways my life has taken turns I never saw coming. Even beyond the events of 2020, things are very different than I imagined. When we look back, when we see cause and effect – and even the now obvious beginnings of “unforeseen consequences” that absolutely could have seen coming if we had taken the time to pay more attention – it’s only human nature to think, “If I’d only known….” But, let’s be honest, coming where you come from, being surrounded by the people who surround you, and being who you are would you really have done things differently if you had known what was unknown?

Before you answer that question, consider that every moment of lives is spent a liminal moment between “knowing and unknowing,” “the seen and unseen.” Are you, in this moment considering the unknown and unseen forces at work around you and within you? Are you, at this moment, even comfortable considering the unknown (let alone the fact that there are things you know that you might need to “un-know”)?

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

– The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)

“So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

– The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians 4:18 (NLT)

When Paul the Apostle and Timothy, who would become the first Christian bishop of Ephesus, wrote the second letter to the Christian congregation in Corinth, Saint Paul was focused on the church’s internal struggles, division, and quarrels. He intended to use his own personal experiences with external persecution and internal strife to reassure the congregants that was an authority on Jesus and his teachings and, furthermore, that “all this is for your benefit.” He instructed them to “not lose heart,” because their faith would be rewarded in a way that overwhelmed any current troubles. Similarly, Patanjali indicates (in the Yoga Sūtras) that the end results of our efforts (karma) are stored in affliction/pain “that is experienced in seen and unseen lives” (YS 2.12), but that ultimately everything that happens in the objective/perceived world “has a twofold purpose: fulfillment and freedom.” (YS 2.18)

Again and again, the instruction is to trust that things are happening for the good if you are following the path. In the latter case, the path is the philosophy of Yoga, as opposed to Christianity; but, similar guidance is found in sacred text around the world. So the question becomes, how do we balance what we believe (our faith, especially in something unseen) with our reason, logic, and what we can clearly see (i.e., perceive with our senses)? Additionally, how do we “keep the faith” when everything seems to be going wrong?

“… all of us who feel we “know” a certain field—any field, whether scientific or not—should, it seems to me, regularly ponder what we don’t know, admit what we don’t know, and not turn away from what we don’t know…. Perhaps the chance for more civil discussion of these topics lies in our willingness to mark out our own areas of knowing and “unknowing,” to pay attention to one another’s areas of knowing and unknowing, and to proceed humbly together.”

– quoted from an Autumn 2006 Harvard Divinity Bulletin article entitled “Knowing and Unknowing” by Will Joyner

The minute we think we know everything and/or that we know enough to be right is the very moment we stop considering the needs of others – and that’s the very minute we are divided. The minute we think we know everything and/or that we know enough to be right is the very moment we stop learning, adapting, and growing. In other words, it’s the minute we stop truly living (and the minute we stop living a life that serves the greater good). If, however, we can take Joyner’s suggestion and apply it to our daily interactions (even with ourselves) we have the possibility of living in a way that supports the greater good.

Will Joyner’s words from 2006 present us with a challenge, one we can accept on a daily basis. It’s the challenge to turn inward and to move through life with a certain level of humility. Humility is crucial because, as my friend DB so eloquently pointed out, we are not alone in this thing called life. And, as First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt so eloquently said, “… either all of us are going to die together or we are going to learn to live together….” To learn to live together we have to figure out a way to balance our wants and needs with the wants and needs of others. We need to figure out a way to connect between our areas of “knowing and unknowing.”

I’m not saying any of this is easy, but it is necessary. It is also self-sustaining, because the more we practice/live with discernment and the wisdom of the heart, the more we want to listen to the heart. One way to start is to consider the yamās (and other similar commandments and precepts) as doing the best for others and the niyamās (and other similar commandments and precepts) as doing the best for your own self. Such a practice creates a feedback loop that can serve the greater good.

“The practice of contentment begins with a conscious decision not to fixate on the fruit of our actions. It requires a deep conviction that when we perform our actions, the forces governing the law of cause and effect will ensure they bear fruit. When our actions do not appear to best fruit, we remind ourselves that unknown factors are far more powerful than known factors. When our actions bear desirable fruit, we acknowledge the higher reality that arranges unforeseen factors in our favor. When the fruit is undesirable, we accept it while acknowledging the benevolence of divine will. Thus we remain unperturbed by both the desirable and undesirable consequences of our actions.”

– commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.42 from The Practice of the Yoga Sūtra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.

### WHAT DO YOU KNOW? ###

Knowing & Unknowing, prequel (Sorry, it’s just the music.) October 13, 2020

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“It feels like I should have something momentous to say now that I’ve hit this landmark birthday. There is only this—I feel I’m in the middle of it all. Family, grandkids, work, marriage, good friends, joy, sadness, knowing and unknowing. Hmmm…come to think of it, that is pretty remarkable!”

– my dear friend DB on turning 60 (in an email dated 10/14/2013)

Please join me today (Tuesday, October 13^th) at 12 Noon or 7:15 PM for a virtual yoga practice on Zoom, where we will do what we do. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. Give yourself extra time to log in if you have not upgraded to Zoom 5.0. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below.

Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.

### What Do I Know? ###

Knowing and Unknowing, Part II October 12, 2020

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Confessions, First Nations, Healing Stories, Life, One Hoop, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: Christopher Columbus, Danielle Battisti., DB, Eleanor Roosevelt, Nancy Schimmel, Trevor Noah, Vox, Will Joyner, yoga
1 comment so far

[My apologies for the delayed posting. You can request an audio recording of Monday’s Common Ground Meditation Center practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support the center and its teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible, class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.]

“… all of us who feel we “know” a certain field—any field, whether scientific or not—should, it seems to me, regularly ponder what we don’t know, admit what we don’t know, and not turn away from what we don’t know…. Perhaps the chance for more civil discussion of these topics lies in our willingness to mark out our own areas of knowing and “unknowing,” to pay attention to one another’s areas of knowing and unknowing, and to proceed humbly together.”

– quoted from an Autumn 2006 Harvard Divinity Bulletin article entitled “Knowing and Unknowing” by Will Joyner

I learned something new last week. An interesting bit of history that gave me some new perspective on what I thought I knew. I’m not one to ignore new information – or keep it to myself. I am, however, the type of person who considers the impact of how I tell the story… especially since how one tells a story is part of the story. How one hears and understands the story… is also part of the story.

If I take out the details and just giving you the general facts of the story, it becomes a story of propaganda… which it is. And, if I don’t tell you that up front, you might just soak it up and form an opinion, which may or may not change once the details are layered on top. Because, once you know I’m talking about how today is a holiday that centers around events related to today in 1492, what you know brings you smack up against opinions you’ve already formed.

“In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue,
He didn’t know what he thought he knew
And someone was already here.
Columbus knew the world was round
So he looked for the East while westward bound,
But he didn’t find what he thought he found
And someone was already here.

Chorus:

The Innuit and Cherokee,
The Aztec and Menominee,
The Onadaga and the Cree;
Columbus sailed across the sea,
But someone was already here.

– quoted from the song “1942” by Nancy Schimmel © 1991

So, if you didn’t skim over the first line of the quote – thinking you knew what the rest said – you may be thinking, “Wait, wait, that’s not the way the song goes!” True, this is not the poem most of us learned in school about Christopher Columbus, the Niña, the Pinta, and Santa María. Neither is it Jean Marzollo poem that aimed to correct some of the original misinformation (but without being too controversial). Instead, this is a song that gives kids a much broader picture. The “problem” with getting a bigger picture is that it calls into question all the things we think we know and begs the question: Why do we have a federal holiday that celebrates a mistake (i.e., a man who got lost) which led to a ton of atrocities?

For a long time, I thought I knew the answer to the question. I had answer that was built around wealth, class, whiteness, and nationalism. In some ways, my old answer includes some truth; however, last week a heard a new part of the story. It’s an oddly familiar bit about heritage: one that also includes elements of wealth, class, whiteness, and nationalism. But that heritage part… it’s the twist.

“They faced prejudice, violence and, after a 1924 law that aimed to limit immigration to desirable “old stock” Northern and Western Europeans, legal exclusion. But Columbus Day offered ethnic power brokers the opportunity to ‘rebrand’ their groups public image.”

– quoted from The Washington Post article entitled “Columbus Day had value for Italian Americans – but it’s time to rethink it: It helped erode discrimination but also upheld racial prejudice” (10/12/2020) by Danielle Battisti (author of Whom We Shall Welcome, Italian Americans and Immigration Reform)

While we might not necessarily see the difference between certain groups now, there was a time when a large group of ethnically white people were publicly viewed (and ostracized) as racially diverse. These immigrants came from all over the Europe and were, in some respects, lumped in with immigrants from Asia and Latin America. These immigrants not only reflected diversity in race and ethnicity, but also religion. They spoke different languages and ate different foods. Again, we may not see the difference now, but as the 20^th century approached there was a big perception difference between non-British or non-French immigrants and everyone else. “Everyone else” included about 4 million Italians who had something the other immigrants didn’t have – Christopher Columbus: the image of a “hero friend,”

By creating annual celebrations, art, and memorial tributes (in the form of street and building names) dedicated to Columbus, Italian Americans changed what we “know” about the explorer, about the country, and about who is “American.” This very successful PR campaign resulted in Columbus Day becoming a federal in 1934, and Columbus himself becoming a national icon. To me, this is not unlikely the Lost Cause campaign in the South, which resulted in the celebration of the Confederacy (i.e, people who lost a war). And, ultimately, it comes with the same avidyā-related headache: we are celebrating something impure as if it is pure.

“… but I came to gradually see that laws are only observed with the consent of the individuals concerned and a moral change still depends on the individual and not on the passage of any law.”

– quoted from the a July 14, 1939 My Day column (about prohibition) by Eleanor Roosevelt

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Understanding is a two-way street.” And, as more people became part of the conversation, more understanding was gained, and more and more people publicly questioned the decision behind the federal holiday. South Dakota officially shifted the focus of the second Monday in October by renaming it Native Americans’ Day (in 1990) and a protest surrounding the 500^th anniversary of 1942 led Berkeley, California to start observing Indigenous Peoples’ Day (in 1992). Today, Alaska, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon, and Vermont officially observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a holiday; South Dakota still (only) observes Native American Day as a holiday; and Hawai’i officially observes Discoverers’ Day (cause ya’ know, there’s that whole part of the story whereby other people “discovered” the Americas before Columbus). Alabama celebrates both Columbus Day and American Indian Heritage Day (which is consistent with the way they celebrate other controversial “heritage” days) and Oklahoma celebrates both Columbus Day and Native American Day. In recent years, governors in at least seven other states and the District of Columbia Council have signed proclamations in order observe “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” – but these proclamations only apply to the year in which they are signed (and are generally signed on or around the second Monday in October).

These changes, however, have come with resistance – as is often the case when a group of people experience growth and change. A lot of the resistance comes from our very human fear of change (i.e., abhiniveśāh; “fear of death/loss”). Some of it, however, comes from fear of the unknown.

“American scholars, compared with Iranian scholars, enjoy much greater freedom in approaching questions of faith and reason, and in knocking down barriers that hinder discussion of those questions. They also enjoy much greater latitude in ensuring protections for the rights of all religious and ethnic groups.”

– quoted from an Autumn 2006 Harvard Divinity Bulletin article entitled “Knowing and Unknowing” by Will Joyner

When Will Joyner introduced the main articles appearing the Autumn 2006 edition of the Harvard Divinity Bulletin, he explained that all three articles “ could have ‘carried’ the cover in expressing our focus on, and concern about, the gaps and bridges between faith and reason,” but that the article by Ronald F. Thiemann focused on a unique intersection between American and Iranian scientists at a time when the United States and Iran were in conflict “beyond the tragic events that unfolded in Lebanon and Israel.” He also mentioned how the articles by Mark U. Edwards, Jr. and John Hedley Brooke highlighted the need to consider “how personal faith affects your work and workplaces, and your participation in the other public places of America’s democracy.” Yes, he was talking about science and religion, but explicitly states that his words also apply to those outside of science.

Joyner’s words also apply to what we believe (i.e., our faith) about ourselves and our country and how that overlaps with reason and innate curiosity.

There is no playlist for the Common Ground practices.

Facts, with a side of Funny

Just the facts

### “… joy, sadness, knowing and unknowing.” DB in 2013) ###

The Hardest Part of Knowing? Unknowing. October 11, 2020

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“One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In stopping to think through the meaning of what I have learned, there is much that I believe intensely, much I am unsure of. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And, the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”

– quoted from the “Forward” to You Learn By Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life by Eleanor Roosevelt

“I think that somehow, we learn who we really are and then live with that decision.”

– Eleanor Roosevelt, as quoted in Laurence J. Peter’s Peter’s Quotations: Ideas for Our Time (1972)

Having established that all forms of avidyā (“ignorance” manifesting as misunderstanding the nature of things that are temporal, impure, suffering and different from the Soul, YS 2.5) are the bedrock for afflicted /dysfunctional thought patterns (kleśāh) that lead to suffering (YS 2.3 – 4), Patanjali’s Yoga Sutrās encourages us to really consider how we understand ourselves. Remember, the second type of afflicted /dysfunctional thought patterns is asmitā (“false sense of self”), which comes from the third and fourth types, rāga (“attachment” rooted in pleasure) and dveşa (“aversion,” which is attachment rooted in pain). So, when we initially turn inward, we are faced with the fact that our understanding of who we are is based on ignorance. Once we see this, we have to decide if we are ready to let go of what we once believed (about ourselves and the world) in order to embrace an existence with less suffering.

It seems like a no-brainer, right? Of course, we want less suffering. Of course, we want to be happy! Of course, we’re willing to…. Wait. WHAT?!!? I have to let go of my attachments?!!? I have to publicly appear and conduct myself in a way that is different from the way I have previously presented myself? I have to BE something other than what/who I said I was?

Even if what we are coming to understand about ourselves is more consistent with who we are and who we want to be – even if it is more consistent with our current and/or ideal behavior – we can get stuck (and experience a great deal of suffering in the process) because of that last afflicted /dysfunctional thought pattern: abhiniveśāh (“fear of death/loss”). Sure, we’re familiar with the idea Joseph Campbell expressed by equating letting go of our past with a snake shedding its skin. However the reality is painful. It’s painful now, at a moment when we don’t know what the future holds. One can’t help but wonder, “What if I let go of all the things that ‘bring me comfort and joy’ and I face more suffering?”

In the fog of our avidyā-based thinking, we may not be able to distinguish the difference between letting go of an idea, a person, a job, (or even a hat) and physically dying. It is all one and the same. We see this every day – not only in ourselves, but also in the world around us. From the outside looking in, it may be hard to understand how someone else holds on to something that is so clearly causing suffering (to themselves and others). We may question how someone can be so “ignorant.” We may think they are out of their mind to continue believing things that are so clearly (to us) false. And yet, we don’t always see that we are engaged in the same types of beliefs and behaviors. We don’t always notice that we are holding on, just as tightly, to some things that cause us suffering. Nor do we notice that we too are sometimes willing to struggle, even “fight to the death,” in order to protect our status quo.

Right now, someone is thinking, “Oh, no, what I’m doing is it’s different, because….”

Is it? Is it really?

Or are we, as human beings, just as reluctant to change as the other humans we believe need to change? Bottom line, the thought patterns Patanjali describes (as well as the suffering, obstacles, and ailments that follow) are part of being human. However, being human also includes the abilities to overcome this aspect of our lived experience. In fact, some people would say that overcoming that which separates us and causes suffering is exactly the point of living.

“Happiness is not a goal, it is a by-product. Paradoxically, the one sure way not to be happy is deliberately to map out a way of life in which one would please oneself completely and exclusively.”

– quoted from the “Forward” to You Learn By Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life by Eleanor Roosevelt

“When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die.”

– Eleanor Roosevelt, as quoted in Joseph P. Lash’s Eleanor: The Years Alone (1972)

Born today in 1884, in New York City, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was an advocate for change. In many ways, she changed the role of the first lady by actively championing civil rights, challenging her husband’s policies (in order to ensure they equally served minority and underserved communities), and even advancing the rights of the disabled by encouraging the political career of her wheelchair bound husband, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She became the first to hold regular press conferences, speak at a national party convention, and write a daily syndicated newspaper column (“My Day”) as well as a monthly magazine column. She was also the first to host a daily radio show and continue her business and political speaking engagements – all while also being the mother of six children.

FDR served four terms, making Eleanor the longest serving First Lady of the United States. After leaving the White House, she continued her human rights efforts – even serving as a United States’ first Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly (1945 – 1952). She chaired the UN’s Commission on Human Rights; oversaw the drafting of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights; chaired President John F. Kennedy’s Presidential Commission on the Status of Women; and was called “First Lady of the World” by President Harry S. Truman. At the time, some also considered her the most controversial first lady. Yet, she never let the criticism or detractors slow her down – neither did she let her recognized heritage stop her from bring beauty and truth to the world.

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right — for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be ‘damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.’”

– Eleanor Roosevelt, as quoted in Dale Carnegie’s How to Stop Worrying and Start Living (1944, 1948)

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt lived and served during a time of great upheaval and fear. So, like her husband, she is often quoted when people (myself included) are promoting the benefits of being fearless. For instance, she wrote in You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face…. You must do what you think you cannot do.” While people can easily relate this concept of fearlessness with external activity, it is perhaps best applied when we turn it towards our inward activity. It’s still scary and challenging, but the benefit to changing how we understand ourselves extends beyond ourselves.

The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, more commonly known as the Second Vatican Council or Vatican II, is a great example of how changing how you understand and identify yourself can be simultaneously challenging and beneficial, even beyond yourself. Opened today in 1962, by Pope John XXIII, the council would entail four sessions and span a little over three years. It “more fully defined the nature of the Church;” changed and expanded the roles of bishops; opened up dialogue with other faith communities; and created an opportunity for Catholics around the world to better understand the teachings of the Church. One of the ways Vatican II opened up understanding within the Church was to refocus the liturgy (so that the Church calendar highlighted the events of the Holy Week, leading up to and including Easter) and to allow for services to be conducted in languages other than Latin. The goal, especially with the streamlining of focus and language options, was to ensure people “take part fully aware of what they are doing, actively engaged in the rite, and enriched by its effects.”

To this day, however, there are Catholics who believe the liturgy and service are not real (and truly sacramental) if they are not in Latin.

Vatican II was attended by four future popes, lay members of the Catholic community, and religious leaders outside of the Catholic Church, including Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Rabbi Heschel worked with Cardinal Augustin Bea, the Jesuit head of the Secretariat for the Christian Unity, to dynamical change the way the Church teaches and views Jewish people; foster mutual knowledge and respect among congregants of the two faiths; and to ensure the Church officially (and categorically) condemned anti-Semitism. It sounds all good, right? Yet, the Nostra aetate – which specifically states, “… in her rejection of every persecution against any man, the Church, mindful of the patrimony she shares with the Jews and moved not by political reasons but by the Gospel’s spiritual love, decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone” – was one of the most controversial parts of Vatican II.

It turns out; it’s hard to get rid of your perception of others when it is tied to your convictions on right and wrong – even if correct those misconceptions alleviates suffering.

“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”

– Eleanor Roosevelt, quoted from a Voice of America broadcast on November 11, 1951

“We have to face the fact that either all of us are going to die together or we are going to learn to live together and if we are to live together we have to talk.”

– Eleanor Roosevelt, as quoted in Rosalie Maggio’s The Beacon Book of Quotations (1992)

Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, October 11^th) at 2:30 PM. (Don’t be surprised if today’s practice brings up some fond memories, since a man who once described himself as “careless, thoughtless, godless” was born today 1821.)

You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. PLEASE NOTE: Zoom 5.0 is in effect. If you have not upgraded, you will need to give yourself extra time to log into Zoom. You can always request an audio recording of this practice (or any practice) via email or a comment below.

Today’s playlist is available on YouTube and YouTube.

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible, class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

“‘That they all may be one.’ (John 17:21)”

– original motto of the YMCA, established in the “Paris Basis” by the First World Conference of YMCAs in 1855

### “When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it? ER ###

Happiness Redux October 10, 2020

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[My apologies for the delayed posting. You can request an audio recording of Saturday’s practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible, class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for next week’s class schedule.]

“You don’t start by the action; you start by the motivation, and motivation is something that can be cultivated…..

It is the inner quality that you need to cultivate first, and then the expression in speech and action will just naturally follow. The mind is the king. The speech and the activities are the servants. The servants are not going to tell the king how it is going to be. The king has to change, and then the other ones follow up.”

– Matthieu Ricard, speaking about generosity and other mental attitudes in a 2011 Sounds True interview with Tami Simon, entitled “Happiness is a Skill”

During the week of Sukkot, I ended each post with three things for which I am grateful. I regularly express gratitude for at least three things a day. But, let’s be honest; at the end of the day I usually have more than three things on my list.

Just out of curiosity, for what (or whom) are you grateful today?

Really take a moment, to think about it. Make a mental list, a physical list; you can even comment below.

Now that you’ve thought about it and expressed that appreciation, take a moment to notice how you feel.

This whole week of Sukkot, as I’ve talked about gratitude, happiness, ATARAXIA, and positive psychology, I’ve really just been talking about mental health. The Mental Health Foundation, the largest charity in the United Kingdom devoted to mental health, points out that “Good mental health is not simply the absence of diagnosable health problems, although good mental health is likely to protect against development of many such problems.” Like happiness, good mental health is a state of mind (smile) and while we may have different ways of describing or defining the experience, people with good mental health are capable of doing certain things that may not be possible when experiencing mental health issues.

For instance, the ability to learn; the ability to focus/concentrate; the ability to “feel, express, and manage a range of positive and negative emotions;” the ability to cope and manage change and uncertainty; and the ability to form and maintain meaningful relationships can be severely compromised when we do not have good mental health. Another way to look at it is to consider that the siddhis (“powers”) unique to being human are diminished when our mental health is compromised. In fact, ordered the list above (partially adapted from the Mental Health Foundation’s website) to reflect the order of the siddhis“ unique to being human.”

“I dedicate this song to recession,
Depression and unemployment
This song’s for you”

“Smile

See I just want don’t you to be happy
‘Cause then you have to have something you haven’t been
I want you to have joy ’cause can’t nobody
Take that away from you”

– quoted from “I Smile” (on the Hello Fear album) by Kirk Franklin

There are some people in the Jewish Diaspora who celebrate an eighth day (today) of Sukkot. However, there are also people celebrating two more holidays, part of it in their Sukkah. Yes, for forty days some people prep for the High Holidays; spend ten days reflecting, remembering, repenting, and planning for the new year; take a breath; and then dive into a week of happiness; and then spend two more days celebrating their connection to each other and to the lessons of the Torah. It is a time, within the Jewish community, that can have a profound impact on one’s overall mental health. But, that’s not the main reason we’re still doing the “happy dance.”

Today, October 10^th, is designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as World Mental Health Day. In the best of times, one in five adults in the United States experiences mental health issues, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. These issues can range from depression and anxiety to substance abuse and thoughts of harm. Over half of those who acknowledge having had issues in any given year, do not (I repeat, do not) seek treatment. Given, the stigma that can be attached to the conversation of mental health (even when it’s good, but especially when it’s not), there’s a good chance that the percentage of people who experience problems is actually higher than reported.

Not surprisingly, sexual minorities are at a greater risk – as are racial minorities – and treatment in these high risk communities may not be readily accessible. Veterans (of all genders) and men are high risk for suicide or other violent acts, but may not talk about their feelings before they hit a critical point. Additionally, statistics from a 2019 study published in JAMA Pediatrics indicates that half of children with mental health problems (including those experiencing depression, anxiety, and/or attention-deficit or hyperactive disorders) do not receive treatment. Again, part of the disparity in treatment comes from stigma; however, some of it comes from a shortage in providers.

Now, consider for a moment, that all of that (and more) is related to the “best of times.” And, as we all know, 2020, has been less than the best. According to a recent “Mental Illness Awareness Week” article by Sam Romano, 51.5 million American adults reported that they experienced mental health illness within the past year. Additionally, this statistic indicates that there is a steady increase in reported mental health issues (experienced by adults) over the last few years. That’s not surprising; so, you may miss the importance. Look at it this way, a little over 13 million more adults reported experiencing mental health issues in 2019 versus 2008. On the flip side, the population increase in this same time was around 24 million.

As you let that sink in, consider what you are doing for your mental health and the mental health of those around you. Consider what is accessible to you. Remember those siddhis “unique to being human?” Start there: turn inward, use your words, understand yourself,(so you know how to) help yourself be free of three-fold sorrow, cultivate your friendships, and give away what no longer serves you – as well as what you know will serve others.

“If you’re not happy with what you have, you’ll never be happy with what you get.”

– Rabbi Noah Weinberg

Yoga Sūtra 2.42: santoşādanuttamah sukhalābhah

– “From contentment comes happiness without equal.”

In English, we have a tendency to equate “being content” with settling – as if there is something we are missing. In truth, contentment is a state of “peaceful happiness,” meaning there is no desire or craving. Rabbi Noah Weinberg points out, in “Way #27: Happiness” in 48 Ways to Wisdom, that one of the big misconceptions about being content is that it diminishes motivation; when in fact being happy gives us energy. Or, at the very least, it doesn’t sap our energy.

Today’s sūtra highlights the importance of accepting what is and also of paying attention to our attitude about what is. Take a moment to notice how often you get swept up in the various forms of avidyā (“ignorance”). Notice how often we are so caught up in how we think things should work that we don’t pay attention to actual cause and effect. Notice how often negative emotions gain power over our innate abilities of the heart (like wisdom, kindness, compassion, generosity, and joy), because we feed those negative emotions by working so hard to ignore or stuff them down.

Flip the script, turn the tables; feed your heart and the positivity that lies within. You can engage joy without being delusional and creating more suffering. You just have to spend some time being present, right here and right now; accept what is; breathe deeply in, breathe deeply out; and smile.

Is that going to fix every problem in the world? Nope. But, it will help you manage whatever challenges you face.

Today’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.

### People whose work makes me smile; people whose work makes me think; people whose work makes me wiggle ###

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! October 7, 2020

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Gratitude, Hope, Life, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Sukkot, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: Adam Levin, Casey Wakeley Harris, Dalai Lama, Donald T. Campbell, Ethics of the Fathers, Gregorian calendar, Happiness, hedonic adaptation, hedonic set point, hedonic treadmill, Leo Tolstoy, Matthieu Ricard, Philip Brickman, Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Noah Weinberg, Richard Davidson, Russ Flynn, Samuel Nelson Harris, Sukkot, Tenzin Gyatso, X Ambassadors
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“… I’m running out of time
And it’s up to me to try and meet my fate with a smile
And it might sound silly, but I still will try

To be joyful, joyful
Joyful and happy, sunny and bright
To be joyful, joyful
Joyful and happy, just being alive.”

— quoted from “Joyful” by X Ambassadors (written by Samuel Nelson Harris, Casey Wakeley Harris, Adam Levin, Russ Flynn)

In English, we often say that this moment is a gift, that’s why we call it the present. I usually add to that the fact that one’s presence is also a gift. Remember, no one is guaranteed anything more than this moment in time: right here, right now. When you consider that today didn’t even exist for some people back in 1582 — when Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, and places like the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar and, therefore, skipped 10 days (October 5 – 14) — it seems like a good time to ask, “How could I spend my time?” We could even phrase it like one of Leo Tolstoy’s “Three Questions” and ask, “What is the most important thing to do with the time that I’ve been given?”

As I mentioned in July, Tolstoy’s short story confirms that “now” is the most important moment and that the most important thing we can do, in any given moment, is to something good for the person or people around us. What if, however, we are only around ourselves? How can we do our self good? We can very quickly come up with any number of things we can do to “treat” ourselves, but science shows that one of the best things we can do is be happy.

I know, I know, even as we enter the last few days of Sukkot, “The Season of Happiness, “The Season of Happiness”, it can seem a little odd to think about being happy on command. The suggestion (and even this week’s classes and blog posts) can seem especially tone deaf when taken out of the religious context and just viewed through the lens of all the unfortunate and tragic things currently happening around and/or to us. Yet, consider for a moment that even in the midst of despair people experience happiness. Our definitions of happiness may be different — for some it may be an ecstatic kind of joy, for others it is “not being miserable”, and then there is everything in between — but the feeling of well-being, safety, and security is part of being human. Being happy, regardless of your definition, is part of being alive.

“I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affect this. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment.”

— Tenzin Gyatso, the 14^th Dalai Lama in July 2015

Science has shown that our propensity for happiness is based on a cocktail of genetics, personality, and attitude. That mixture of elements combined with our circumstances creates what was referred to by Drs. Philip Brickman and Donald T. Campbell as a “hedonic treadmill” (or “hedonic adaptation”), whereby as our circumstances change our expectations (and desires) also change — creating a baseline for happiness. Accordingly, research in positive psychology shows that regardless of how extreme an event is (e.g., we win the lottery or experience a debilitating accident) people return to their happiness baseline (or “hedonic set point”) in a relatively short period of time. We just need recover time.

During that recovery time there are, obviously, things that promote good mental, emotional, and physical health. For instance, eating well, sleeping, staying hydrated, and exercise are always recommended. So too is acceptance and gratitude. We may or not feel grateful for what has happened to us, but not being grateful for something is definitely detrimental. Furthermore, science has shown that even thinking about something for which we could be grateful is beneficial.

“So the whole point of that is not, sort of, to make, like, a circus thing of showing exceptional beings who can jump, or whatever. It’s more to say that mind training matters. That this is not just a luxury. This is not a supplementary vitamin for the soul. This is something that’s going to determine the quality of every instant of our lives. We are ready to spend 15 years achieving education. We love to do jogging, fitness. We do all kinds of things to remain beautiful. Yet, we spend surprisingly little time taking care of what matters most – the way our mind functions – which, again, is the ultimate thing that determines the quality of our experience.”

— quoted from a Ted2004 talk entitled “The Habits of Happiness” by Matthieu Ricard

Matthieu Ricard is a French Tibetan Buddhist monk who has served as a translator for the 14^th Dalai Lama and has been called “the happiest man in the world”. He is one of the monks whose brain has been observed and studied to learn the clinical benefits of meditation. What researchers have learned about M. Ricard’s brain, however, is about more than just mindfulness. While hooked up to 256 electrodes, the brains of Matthieu Ricard and the other mediators indicated that even adult brains have some neuroplasticity and, therefore, can be changed. The research shows that we can not only change our brains; it shows that in doing so we can change our baseline for happiness.

M. Ricard equates changing one’s baseline for happiness to training for a marathon. It’s about pacing and using the appropriate techniques. In the documentary “A Joyful Mind”, Dr. Richard Davidson, a psychologist and neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin, states that brain scans indicate someone new to meditation can meditate 30 minutes a day over a 2-week period and see a change in brain activity. If you specifically want to change your baseline for happiness, one of the most effective “training techniques” is cultivating benevolent thoughts — like meditating on loving-kindness and compassion (which takes us right back to Tolstoy’s answer of “do that person good”). Another effective method for changing your happiness baseline is giving thanks.

“Western society commonly perceives happiness as the outcome of what you achieve and acquire….

Happiness is not a happening. Happiness is a state of mind. You can have everything in the world and still be miserable. Or you can have relatively little and feel unbounded joy.

The Talmud says:

‘Who is rich? The one who appreciates what he has.’ (Pirkei Avot 4:1)”

— quoted from “Way #27: Happiness” in 48 Ways to Wisdom by Rabbi Noah Weinberg

Please join me today (Wednesday, October 7^th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You will need to register for the 7:15 PM class if you have not already done so. Give yourself extra time to log in if you have not upgraded to Zoom 5.0. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. (Look for “Sukkot 3”)

“Misconception #2: ‘If I become content and satisfied with what I have, I’ll lose my motivation to achieve more.’

Happiness doesn’t drain your energy. It adds more!

Ask a happy person: ‘I have a boat. Do you want to go fishing?’
He’ll say: ‘Great! Let’s go!’

Now ask someone who is depressed: ‘C’mon, let’s go fishing!’
He says, ‘I’m tired. Maybe tomorrow. And anyway, it might rain…’

Happy people are energetic and ambitious. There’s never enough time to do everything they want to do.”

— quoted from “Way #27: Happiness” in 48 Ways to Wisdom by Rabbi Noah Weinberg

Format updated and credits added, 10/7/2025.

### today, yesterday, the possibility of tomorrow ###

« older posts newer posts »

A Joyful Practice

This is one way you can hear me SINGING BOUT MY STUFF October 18, 2020

– quoted from “What Can You Heal in Five Minutes” (from the 2014 Online Salon) by Caroline Myss

– quoted from “What Can You Heal in Five Minutes” (from the 2014 Online Salon) by Caroline Myss

“somebody/anybody sing a black girl’s song bring her out to know herself to know you but sing her rhythms carin/struggle/hard times”

– The Lady in Brown with all the other Ladies from for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf by Ntozake Shange

“somebody almost walked off wid alla my stuff

not my poems or a dance i gave up in the street

but somebody almost walked off wid alla my stuff

like a kleptomaniac workin hard & forgettin while stealin

​

this is mine!

this aint yr stuff

now why don’t you put me back

& let me hang out in my own

Self”

– The Lady in Green from for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf by Ntozake Shange

– from a speech to Readers Digest/United Negro Fund creative writing contest winners (May 1, 1964) by Lorraine Hansberry

“hey man

where are you goin wid alla my stuff?!

this is a woman’s trip & i need my stuff”

– The Lady in Green from for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf by Ntozake Shange

### “I found god in myself and i loved her i loved her fiercely” (NS) ###

The Light Is On (the “missing” post) October 18, 2020

– Rod Stryker, quoted from “A Conversation with Yoga Master Rod Stryker” in Healing Garden Journal by Jan Deremo Lundy (2004)

– commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.43 from The Practice of the Yoga Sūtra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

Yoga Sütra 2.43: kāyendriyasiddhiraśuddhikşayāt tapasah

– “Impurities of the body and senses are destroyed by tapas, resulting in powerful mastery of the body and senses.”

– The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners (17:5 – 7) by Jack Hawley

– The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners (17:14) by Jack Hawley

– quoted from “What Can You Heal in Five Minutes” (from the 2014 Online Salon) by Caroline Myss

### FOCUS/CONCENTRATE/MEDITATE ON THE LIGHT ###

The Light Is On (This is just the music.) October 17, 2020

### Just Step Into The Light ###

A More Loving Time October 14, 2020

– quoted from Encyclical Letter “Fratelli Tutti” of the Holy Father Francis on Fraternity and Social Friendship (signed October 3, 2020)

“i thank You God for most this amazing day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes”

– quoted from “i thank You God for most this amazing” by e e cummings

“i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)“

– quoted from “[i carry your heart with me(I carry it in)]” by e e cummings

– Saint Clare of Assisi

### “LOVE, LOVE, LOVE (dat dada dada)” ###

Knowing & Unknowing, prequel (the “missing” post) October 13, 2020

– my dear friend DB on turning 60 (in an email dated 10/14/2013)

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

– The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)

“So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

– The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians 4:18 (NLT)

– quoted from an Autumn 2006 Harvard Divinity Bulletin article entitled “Knowing and Unknowing” by Will Joyner

– commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.42 from The Practice of the Yoga Sūtra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

### WHAT DO YOU KNOW? ###

Knowing & Unknowing, prequel (Sorry, it’s just the music.) October 13, 2020

– my dear friend DB on turning 60 (in an email dated 10/14/2013)

### What Do I Know? ###

Knowing and Unknowing, Part II October 12, 2020

– quoted from an Autumn 2006 Harvard Divinity Bulletin article entitled “Knowing and Unknowing” by Will Joyner

“In fourteen hundred ninety-twoColumbus sailed the ocean blue,He didn’t know what he thought he knewAnd someone was already here.Columbus knew the world was roundSo he looked for the East while westward bound,But he didn’t find what he thought he foundAnd someone was already here.

Chorus:

The Innuit and Cherokee,The Aztec and Menominee,The Onadaga and the Cree;Columbus sailed across the sea,But someone was already here.

– quoted from the song “1942” by Nancy Schimmel © 1991

“They faced prejudice, violence and, after a 1924 law that aimed to limit immigration to desirable “old stock” Northern and Western Europeans, legal exclusion. But Columbus Day offered ethnic power brokers the opportunity to ‘rebrand’ their groups public image.”

“… but I came to gradually see that laws are only observed with the consent of the individuals concerned and a moral change still depends on the individual and not on the passage of any law.”

– quoted from the a July 14, 1939 My Day column (about prohibition) by Eleanor Roosevelt

– quoted from an Autumn 2006 Harvard Divinity Bulletin article entitled “Knowing and Unknowing” by Will Joyner

### “… joy, sadness, knowing and unknowing.” DB in 2013) ###

The Hardest Part of Knowing? Unknowing. October 11, 2020

– quoted from the “Forward” to You Learn By Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life by Eleanor Roosevelt

“I think that somehow, we learn who we really are and then live with that decision.”

– Eleanor Roosevelt, as quoted in Laurence J. Peter’s Peter’s Quotations: Ideas for Our Time (1972)

“Happiness is not a goal, it is a by-product. Paradoxically, the one sure way not to be happy is deliberately to map out a way of life in which one would please oneself completely and exclusively.”

– quoted from the “Forward” to You Learn By Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life by Eleanor Roosevelt

“When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die.”

– Eleanor Roosevelt, as quoted in Joseph P. Lash’s Eleanor: The Years Alone (1972)

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right — for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be ‘damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.’”

– Eleanor Roosevelt, as quoted in Dale Carnegie’s How to Stop Worrying and Start Living (1944, 1948)

“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”

– Eleanor Roosevelt, quoted from a Voice of America broadcast on November 11, 1951

“somebody/anybody
sing a black girl’s song
bring her out
to know herself
to know you
but sing her rhythms
carin/struggle/hard times”

### “I found god in myself
and i loved her
i loved her fiercely” (NS) ###

“i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes”

“In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue,
He didn’t know what he thought he knew
And someone was already here.
Columbus knew the world was round
So he looked for the East while westward bound,
But he didn’t find what he thought he found
And someone was already here.

The Innuit and Cherokee,
The Aztec and Menominee,
The Onadaga and the Cree;
Columbus sailed across the sea,
But someone was already here.

“I dedicate this song to recession,
Depression and unemployment
This song’s for you”