Simmering, simmering… boiling, boiling over (mostly the music and links) May 31, 2023
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Uncategorized.trackback
Many blessings to all, especially the children.
“What is it then between us?
What is the count of the scores or hundreds of years between us?
Whatever it is, it avails not—distance avails not, and place avails not,”
– quoted from the 5th stanza of the poem “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” by Walt Whitman
Today is the anniversary of the birth of Walt Whitman (b. 1819) and the anniversary of the beginning of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre and the destruction of Black Wall Street. While I generally focus on the former on the 31st and the later on the 1st both bring to mind an analogy I often use in association with Whitman and with America: a pot on an open flame.
As I described in a 2020 post, “There are times when we have so much churning inside of our minds and our bodies that it can make us physically ill. It churns and churns, until it spills over. Or, another analogy is to think of all of that emotion as water inside of a pot on top of an open flame: it’s “simmering, simmering, simmering…” until it boils over. When we are children, we are taught to be mindful of the hot stove and the pot that sits on top. We watch our elders; placing various ingredients inside, stirring, churning, adjusting the flames – even tasting along the way, sometimes even letting us taste a little. We watch and learn that we can make something delicious, or potent medicine, or poison, or paint and dye. We watch and learn that if we don’t pay close attention we will make a big, unusable, inedible mess. We watch and learn that if we are not careful, we can hurt ourselves or others.”
Click here to read more of the Walt Whitman post.
Click here to read the Black Wall Street post.
Please join me today (Wednesday, May 31st) 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. 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 “05312020 Walt Whitman”]
(NOTE: The YouTube playlist includes recordings of some of the poems, as part of the before/after class mix. These tracks are not included on Spotify. Both versions have a 2022 addition.)
“In Kenya, people walk out of yoga class feeling great, just like they do in New York. The one difference I loved, however, was that the children who took the classes always broke out into a spontaneous song or dance right in the middle of class. Then they would go back to the yoga postures.”
“Visiting the Kenyan [women’s] prison brought me unexpected joy. The inmates, some of whom are H.I.V.-positive, told me that yoga has become a rare source of happiness in their daily lives.”
– Robert Sturman talking about documenting the work of Africa Yoga Project (quoted from the New York Times interview “Yoga in Africa” by Karen Barrow)
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.)
A Joyful Practice 
Amazing
Thank you for sharing this beautifully written post, honoring the anniversary of Walt Whitman’s birth and the tragic events of Black Wall Street. Your analogy of a pot on an open flame and the importance of being mindful of our thoughts and emotions is so relevant to the current state of the world. In what ways can we apply this analogy to work towards healing and progress in society?
Jean
Great question. First, is the part about being mindful. If we know something could boil over (or burn) we typically pay attention to it. Second, it all comes down to heat and pressure. “Heat” and “pressure” could be symbols of several different things in an individual and, also, in a society; so it’s not about attaching significance to the term. Instead, we can look at all the things in our individual lives, situations, and societies that create heat and pressure (metaphorically speaking). Some of those things – many of those things – can be beneficial, but like the pot, the flame, and the ingredients (in my analogy) it all comes down to how we use what we have. Hope that is helpful, Myra