A Joyful Practice

First Friday Night Special #70: “Rest Stops, Pit Stops, & Detours” August 7, 2026

Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone travelling the road(s) with friendship, peace, freedom, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).

Stay hydrated & be kind, y’all!

“… my husband bought me a Maxwell roadster. There were scarcely half a dozen persons we knew driving motor cars, but nothing daunted, I took a couple of lessons and was ready to go. The still-young motor industry proved itself by indulging in what were known as ‘endurance runs,’ in two of which we participated. ‘We’ does not include my husband, for I had elected to spend my married life with a non-mechanical and non-travel-loving man, who ventured far from home only for fishing or hunting! His dread of the new contraption was clear when, with each new car we owned he look just one ride, and always asked, ‘How do you stop this thing?’

However, he was always magnanimous in his point of view toward me. When it came about, late in 1908, that a motor trip to the Pacific Coast was suggested by Carl Kelsey, then Sales Manager of the Maxwell-Briscoe Company, the proposal had considerable lure as we discussed it among the feminine members of the family. The journey had been made—though by men only—why not by us?”

— quoted from the article “Veil, Duster, and Tire Iron” by Alice Huyler Ramsey, ’07 (excerpted from the book of the same name and printed in Vassar Quarterly, Volume XLVII, Number 5, 1 June 1962)

Even if you’ve never taken a road trip quite like the one 22-year old Alice Huyler Ramsey finished today in 1909, you probably know the importance of rest stops and pit stops (and keeping your destination in mind when faced with detours). Mrs. Ramsey was the first woman to complete a cross country automobile trip in the United States. She was accompanied by her two older sister-in-laws (Annette “Nettie” Ramsey Powell [Lewis] and Margaret “Maggie” Ramsey Atwood) and her teenage friend Hermine Jahns¹ in a publicity stunt for the automobile manufacturer Maxwell-Briscoe, but none of the other women knew how to drive.

This was during a time when less than 5% of the roads they traveled were paved; there were no service stations, gas stations, or charging stations at regular intervals. In fact, the fuel they needed wasn’t general used as fuel… at least, not by women. The group traveled for 59-days, from New York City to San Francisco, in a dark green, four-cylinder, 30-horsepower Maxwell DA, and they were met with great fanfare — even though they arrived 3 weeks later than they planned.

Like any road trip, the journey was full of rest stops to stretch their legs, pit stops to either fill up the tank or fix things on the vehicle, and detours… so many adventures disguised as detours. However, even the rest stops and pit stops were adventures that required them to stay centered and grounded.

“Now as I think back 53 years I honestly believe the really brave ones were the husband who trusted in my ability, after only a year’s experience at the wheel, and the three companions who put themselves in my hands to cross that long and little-known stretch of miles. It was not a comedy enacted, and there were many episodes to try our courage, but the challenge of each new day and the determination to drive every inch of the way, in spite of some advices to the contrary, finally brought us triumphantly to our goal in San Francisco.”

— quoted from the article “Veil, Duster, and Tire Iron” by Alice Huyler Ramsey, ’07 (excerpted from the book of the same name and printed in Vassar Quarterly, Volume XLVII, Number 5, 1 June 1962)

Please join me (TONIGHT) Friday, August 7, 2026, 7:15 PM – 8:20 PM (CST) for “Rest Stops, Pit Stops, & Detours”.

This Restorative Yoga practice 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 “09012023 Trusting, Listening… Deeply”]
NOTE: You can start with Track #1, #2, or #5.

Prop wise, this is a kitchen sink practice and I will suggest using a wall, chair, or table during the practice. You can practice without props or use “studio” props and/or “householder” props. Example of Commercial 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). Having a wall, chair, sofa, or coffee table may be handy throughout this practice.

Extreme heat can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, it can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.

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 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 need 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.

You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!

September 25 — 27, 2026

NOTES & REVISIONS: ¹There are some discrepancies about Hermine Jahns’s age in 1909. Most of the sources I checked indicated that she was 19 years old. However, the Smithsonian magazine and a fictionalized account of the 1909 trip describe her as 16 years old.

(8/0/2026. Revised for clarity.)

### Do You Know Where You Are?  ###