First Friday Night Special #65 — Invitation for “Coming Home to Yourself” (with excerpt) March 6, 2026

“Ramaḍān Mubarak, Blessed Ramaḍān!” to anyone observing the holy month of Ramaḍān. Many blessings to all, and especially to those celebrating and/or observing Lent, Great Lent, and/or the Baháʼí 19-Day Fast.

Peace, ease, and mindfulness to all, throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!

“All of us go through times of transition, challenges, and difficulties. We may have faced or will face times of loss, confusion, or heartbreak, when we realize we cannot control the way our life is unfolding, whether in our personal lives or in the world around us. With mindfulness, we can learn to move through these intense, challenging times in ways that don’t add to the suffering and difficulty that are already there. We can even learn to open our hearts to the richness and wisdom these times of immense disruption can bring us.

A key step that can help us begin to settle ourselves when we are profoundly unsettled is to come home, to ourselves, in this moment, whatever is happening. This is one way of speaking about mindfulness, or being present: coming home to ourselves.”

— quoted from the “Chapter 1: Coming Home” in We Were Made For These Times: 10 Lessons for Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption by Kaira Jewel Lingo

“Mindfulness” , the principle of the day for the “Season for Nonviolence”, is present moment awareness that is characterized by acceptance or open-mindedness. Some would say that it also involves compassion. How ever you define it¹ and how ever you practice and/or experience it, mindfulness requires going deeper, inside of yourself and inside of your mind. We must, as the poet and teacher Danna Faulds wrote, “Go in and in / and turn away from / nothing that you find.”

And, what we find may be the angel of Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, born today in 1475. Or, perhaps, we find the man behind the myths and legends of Cyrano de Bergerac, born today in 1619. Or, maybe, we find the name of the (og) GOAT, which was revealed as Muhammad Ali today in 1964.

INSIDE/OUT

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

— words attributed to Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni

For Those Who Missed It: Portions of the following were excerpted from a 2021 post.

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, the artist, was born March 6, 1475, in Caprese (then the Republic of Florence and now Tuscany, Italy). Known for works like David, the Pietá, and some of the most well-known frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo was known as Il Divino (“The Divine One”) by his contemporaries, because he had the ability to bring inanimate objects to life and to create terribilitá (a sense of awesomeness or emotional intensity). He said, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”

In the practice of Yoga, we use the first four limbs of the philosophy the way Michelangelo used his carving and painting tools: to bring what is inside out, to set our inner angel free. We can also use these tools to set our inner GOAT free.

“‘He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.’”

— quoted from the Ebony Magazine article, “Muhammad Ali: ‘Don’t Count Me Out’ – Despite his medical problems, ‘The Greatest’ says there is plenty of fight left in his body” by Walter Leavy (published March 1985)

In 1964, it was announced to the world that the boxer we now know as The Greatest of All Times would no longer go by his birth name or “slave name” — which was also his father’s name. The heavy-weight champion’s grandfather had named his son (Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr.,) after a 19^th-century abolitionist politician in Kentucky (Cassius Marcellus Clay) who, by some accounts, strong-armed President Abraham Lincoln to emancipate people enslaved by Confederate states and freed some of his own enslaved people in 1844 (but still kept some on hand). Muhammad Ali wanted to distance himself from that legacy of slavery and forge his own path; so, he chose a name that reflected his faith and his skills: Muhammad Ali.

The name change wasn’t even close to instantaneous. In fact, with the major exception of Howard Cosell, who coincidentally had changed his own last name back to his family’s original Polish surname, most journalists and media outlets continued to refer to the prizefighter as “Cassius Clay” for over a decade. And it wasn’t just a matter of people getting use to the new name. Because he refused to answer to his birth name, journalist would address him as Muhammad Ali in-person, but then write about “Cassius Clay”. By their own account, The New York Times wrote about over 1,000 articles about “Cassius Clay” from 1964 to 1968, but only referenced “Muhammad Ali” in about 150. This practice continued well into the 1970’s!

But the practice (as it related to name changes) wasn’t even consistent. The media seemed to have no problem referencing “Malcolm X” — even though, at the time, he was still legally “Malcolm Little”.

Muhammad means “One who is worthy of praise” and Ali means “Most high”. The names, as he clearly stated, were symbolic in nature — as all names are. By changing his name, Muhammad Ali honored his outside (i.e., the color of his skin) while also placing emphasis on the inside (i.e., his talent and his beliefs). He also gave the world tools to focus on the inside and to become more intimate. Sadly, some folks kept themselves stuck on the outside.

OUTSIDE/IN (*new*)

“‘Sir,’ said I to him, ‘Most men judge only by their senses and let themselves be persuaded by what they see. Just as the man whose boat sails from shore to shore thinks he is stationary and that the shore moves, men turn with the earth under the sky and have believed that the sky was turning above them.

On top of that, insufferable vanity has convinced humans that nature has been made only for them, as though the sun, a huge body four hundred and thirty-four times as large as the earth, had been lit only to ripen our crab apples and cabbages.

I am not one to give in to the insolence of those brutes.’”

— quoted from the “3: Of His Conversation With the Vice-Roy of New France; And Of The System Of This Universe” in The Other World or The Comical History of the States and Empires of the World of the Moon Written in French by Cyrano Bergerac (And now Englished by A. Lovell A.M. 1687)

During the Wednesday practices, I quoted the Bhagavad Gita regarding the idea that (because we identify with our own bodies) it is easier for people think of God as a someone with a body, rather than as formless. The i-ness that comes with our attachment to our own bodies can also feed into our attraction (or aversion) to another person. Case in point: Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac.

Born today in 1619, in Paris, France, Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac was a novelist, playwright, and duelist, whose gift with words — as well as his appearance — made him one of the most famous epistolarians (or letter writers) in history. He wrote political satire and science fiction and was one of the first science fiction writers to depict space travel with rockets. He also wrote about interspecies / extraterrestrial “first contact”. While his works inspired writers like Jonathan Swift, Edgar Allan Poe, and (maybe) Voltaire and while Pierre Corneille and Molière lifted directly from Cyrano’s original works, most modern audiences know of Cyrano de Bergerac because of the myths and legends about him — especially those immortalized by Edmond Rostand’s play, Cyrano de Bergerac.

To be clear, the play features real people, but in fictionalized situations and relationships. To be fair to Mr. Rostand, however, even some historians are conflicted about the truth when it comes to Cyrano. Was he an aristocrat who joined the military and later used his writing to poke fun at his college professor? Probably. Were women turned off by his appearance? Who knows. Was he the descendant of a Sardinian fishmonger and did his name come from a small estate and not titled land? Maybe. Was he a gay man who eventually spent years exchanging insults and injuries with his former love through satirical texts? Perhaps.

In the end, we come back to what people remember: Cyrano’s nose and his ability to speak/write from his heart.

“I was terrified, but my mind was not too upset for me to remember all that happened at that moment.”

— quoted from the “6: 5… 4… 3… Blast off !… 2… 1…” in The Other World or The Comical History of the States and Empires of the World of the Moon by Cyrano Bergerac (Translations and notes by Donald Webb)

¹NOTE: The term “mindfulness” is derived from the Pali word sati (Sanskrit: smṛti), meaning “memory” or “retention”. It can also be translated into English as “to remember to observe”.

Please join me on (TONIGHT) Friday, March 6, 2026, 7:15 PM – 8:20 PM (CST) for “Coming Home to Yourself”. You can 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 (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra   (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

This Yin Yoga is accessible and open to all. 

(NOTE: There will be a little bit of quiet space in this practice.) 

Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “03052021 Give Up, Let Go, Trustful Surrender” — I recommend Track 1 or Track 2, which are slightly different on each medium.]

Prop wise, this is a kitchen sink practice and I will suggest having a wall, chair, sofa, or coffee table for this practice. You can practice without props or you  can use “studio” and/or “householder” props. Example of “Studio” props: 1 – 2 blankets, 2 – 3 blocks, a bolster, a strap, and an eye pillow. Example of “Householder” props: 1 – 2 blankets or bath towels, 2 – 3 books (similar in size), 2 standard pillows (or 1 body pillow), a belt/tie/sash, and a face towel.

You may want extra layers (as your body may cool down during this practice).

“When we bring our mind back to our body we come home. We could consider this state our our true home.”

— quoted from the “Chapter 1: Coming Home” in We Were Made For These Times: 10 Lessons for Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption by Kaira Jewel Lingo

If you are 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 an 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.

REVISED 03/06/2026

### Go In & In & In, Again! (& Show Me What You Find!) ###