A Joyful Practice

When You Have a Little More Time September 22, 2024

Happy Autumn or Spring (depending on where you find yourself)! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone spending their time with friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom.

Stay safe! Live well! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.

This post contains some previously posted information.

“Because there’s a lot of work out there
Everything will be fine
And I’ll send for you baby
Just a matter of time”

— quoted from the song “A Matter of Time” by Los Lobos 

Do you ever wish for a little more time?

Or, for similar reasons, do you ever wish certain things didn’t take up so much of your daylight hours?

There are certain times of year — like at the beginning of a new year and/or the beginning of a new season — when I think about this quite a bit. As different communities around the world celebrate new years at different times, a change in the astronomical seasons often overlaps or happens around the same time as a cultural and/or religious new year. So, I often do more than think about how I actually spend my time. I also start considering what I could do with more time — even if the actual time is only a little more.

Today is the Autumnal Equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere (and the Vernal or Spring Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere). In theory, the angle of the Earth combines with its rotation around the sun to produce four noteworthy (and marked) dates: Autumnal Equinox, Winter Solstice, Vernal (or Spring) Equinox, and Summer Solstice. I say, “in theory,” because the terms solstice and equinox refer to phenomena that don’t happen exactly as they are described.

While most people know that the sun does not, literally, “stand still” on the solstices, we still like to think that everyone around the world has equal amounts of day and night on the equinoxes — and that these appreciable moments in time are actually that: appreciable and notable. The truth, however, is that there is no sudden/automatic change in how much light and how much darkness we get. It’s not a dimmer switch. Additionally, we can notice changes much earlier than indicated by the celestial calendar. Furthermore, no one is really getting 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night on the actual equinox.

We perceive daylight long after the sun has moved below the horizon and, therefore, daytime is longer at latitudes above the equator than below. Here in Houston, I’ll get 12 hours and 7 minutes (as will people in Guatemala City, Guatemala). Meanwhile, people in Shanghai, China will get 12 hours and 6 minutes and people in Cairo, Egypt will get 12 hours and 8 minutes. On the flip side, someone in Anchorage, Alaska will get 12 hours and 11 minutes (while people in Helsinki, Finland will get 12 hours and 14 minutes). As for the countries marking the beginning of Spring, people in Lesotho (Free State), South Africa will get 12 hours and 7 minutes (as will people in São Paulo, Brazil); while people in Auckland, Aotearoa / New Zealand will get 12 hours and 9 minutes.

Even as we approach the equator, a true 12-hour split doesn’t happen on the equinox: It happens on the equilux (“equal light”), which — depending on your latitude and season — can fall a few days before or after the equinox. In the Northern hemisphere, equilux falls after the Autumnal Equinox. The closer you are to the equator, the later the date. However, if you are on (or near) the equator, you may never really get a 12-hour split. Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, which sits on the equator, has the same amount of daylight today as Shanghai, China (12 hours and six minutes).

So, for a few more days (or weeks) we all have more daylight than usual.

How could you spend your time?

More importantly: How will you spend your time?

“Believe in what you’re doing”

— quoted from the song “A Matter of Time” by Los Lobos

Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, September 22^nd) at 2:30 PM. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10062021 More Time]

If you are struggling, thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this 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.

White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

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.

### MAKE A + DIFFERENCE! ###