A Joyful Practice

An Important Announcement About Kissing & Giving (with a little Double Dipping) September 12, 2026

“L’Shana Tovah U’Metukah!” to everyone celebrating Rosh Hashanah and the High Holidays. Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone cultivating friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom.

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

“[His mother, Betty] wondered if Terry really knew how much work and money it would take to run across Canada. Apparently he did. He had discussed his idea with Colin Johnstone, chaplain at the cancer clinic, and on the same day had walked into the office of Blair MacKenzie, executive director of the British Columbia and Yukon Division of the Canadian Cancer Society, and told him he wanted to raise money for cancer research. MacKenzie was skeptical.”

“MacKenzie believed Terry’s ambition, to raise one million dollars, was impossible.

Terry left MacKenzie a letter, one that he composed with Rika [Noda] — using his ideas and her grammar. His letter read:

The night before my amputation, my former basketball coach brought me a magazine with an article on an amputee who ran in the New York Marathon. It was then when I decided to meet this new challenge head on and not only overcome my disability, but conquer it in such a way that I could never look back and say it disabled me.”

— quoted from “6. ‘Mom, I’m going to run across Canada’” in Terry Fox: His Story (New Revised Edition) by Leslie Scrivener

Speaking of marathons and tzedakah (giving as a “righteous act”). . .  It’s time to talk about a certain yogathon.

You may be thinking, “Wait, isn’t the yogathon in the Spring? How did I miss the yogathon????” And, yes (to the first question). With the exception of 2016 (when it was in February), the Kiss My Asana yogathon has typically been held in April. This year, for reasons above my paygrade, the yogathon is being held in September. In fact, it starts today (and runs through September 18^th).

So, to answer the second question, you didn’t miss it. Today is the first day of the 13^th annual Kiss My Asana yogathon that benefits Mind Body Solutions. Normally, I post special offerings throughout the yogathon and sometimes host a Kiss My Asana class. Unfortunately and ironically, I have decided not to host a fundraising page this year.

“My quest would not be a selfish one.”

— quoted from  Terry’s letter to MacKenzie in “6. ‘Mom, I’m going to run across Canada’” in Terry Fox: His Story (New Revised Edition) by Leslie Scrivener

Don’t get it twisted! Even though my reasons for not hosting a page are personal, I am still going to “do yoga, share yoga, and help others”. I am still going to donate and promote the yogathon. However, instead of asking you to kiss my asana, I am going to ask you to pucker up and Kiss [Sandra’s] Asana.

As some of you know, Sandra Razieli is a dear friend, as well as a phenomenal yoga/movement teacher and rabbi. She was my co-teacher on the 2015 Sukkot/Gratitude retreat and #23 when I did the 5 questions (in 2016). She has a long history with Mind Body Solutions and, also, with the best ways to practice when you have a “curvy” spine. Over the last few years, Sandra has been delving a little deeper into the mind part of the whole mind-body experience and she is highlighting some of that work with the brain during a special class for this year’s yogathon.

You can click here to Kiss [Sandra’s] Asana… & Cerebellum!

“I was now successful in proving that a direction of movement is localized in the cerebellum. For I found cases in which the reaction of the extremities was missing in one direction only (on the side of the cerebellar hemisphere which was diseased) whereas the reaction of the extremities on the other, healthy side and all the other reactions in the extremities on the diseased side were normal…. Close investigations, however, proved something more namely that within such a centre there was also localization with regard to joints.”

— quoted from the Nobel Prize lecture “Some New Methods for Functional Testing of the Vestibular Apparatus and the Cerebellum” by Robert Bárány, winner of the 1914 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (delivered September 11, 1916)

As I mentioned before, my decision not to host a page this year is unfortunate and ironic. The unfortunate part is that it is partially related to my brother’s recent hospitalization. The ironic part is that he could definitely benefit from the work Mind Body Solutions does with people living with trauma, loss, and disability. (And, this is the double dipping part, because I would also appreciate it if anyone could help a brother out!)

“Profound, inspirational, and touched my heart.

Now, when anybody asks how Bert did, you can say, ‘What he said at the beginning was profound, inspirational, and touched my heart.’”

— quoted from Bert’s 2020 eulogy for our mom

If you’re interested in my previous KMA offerings, check out the following (some links only take you to the beginning of a series and/or to YouTube):

• 30 Poses in 30 Days 
• A Musical Preview
• 5-Minute Practices (the playlist)
• 5 Questions Answered by Yogis
  • The 5 Questions Playlist
• Answers to Yogis Questions
• A Poetry Practice
• A Preview of the April 1^st Practice
• Some Stories
• Prāņāyāma
• The Body/Chakra offerings
• A Series of Poses (scroll down to see the first KMA Community Page post)
• The Series of Shorts Series
  • The Shorts Playlist (Easter Egg: The playlist is itself a whole practice!)
• The Full Practice Series (2025)
  • The 2025 Practices Playlist

Check out this 2023 class post to find out one of the reasons why Mind Body Solutions is so important to me!

Remember, if you subscribe to my YouTube channel, you can be notified as soon as the videos are posted.

“‘If you’ve given a dollar, you are part of the Marathon of Hope.’”

— quoted from  “9. ‘I think you’ve all heard my story’” in Terry Fox: His Story (New Revised Edition) by Leslie Scrivener

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 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).

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