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Do You Want a Perfect Tuesday or a Good Tuesday? (the “missing” Tuesday compilation post) September 15, 2026

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Abhyasa, Art, Changing Perspectives, Donate, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, New Year, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Rosh Hashanah, Suffering, Vairagya, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yoga, Yom Kippur.
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Happy Ganesh Chaturthi, to those who are celebrating. “Chag sameach!” (“Happy Festival!”) to everyone observing the High Holidays. Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows and/or responding with friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom. 

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

This “missing” compilation post for Tuesday, September 15th, includes new and revised content, plus related links and a date-related excerpt. Some dated-related information, links, and formatting have been added/updated. 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.

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“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.”

— quoted from the poem/song “Anthem” by Leonard Cohen

On a certain level, it doesn’t matter if you are getting ready for a new year (as people are doing during the High Holidays, also known as the “Ten Days of Awe”) or if you are getting ready for a new beginning (as people are doing during the 10-day celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi), every day is a good day to ask, “How could I spend my time?”

Once we answer the question, we can start to plan. But, the plan is where we can run into a bit of a problem — especially if we want to make a difference in the world and/or just want to create as little suffering as possible. Because, once we decide that something is worth our time, and we start to plan, we want things to be perfect. When we find a flaw in the plan — maybe foresee or anticipate a consequence that would create more suffering (even unintentionally) — we go back to the drawing board.

The problem, of course, is that we could continually keep going back to the drawing board and never actually get to the doing. Or, we could realize things are never going to be perfect and just throw our hands up… and never get to the doing. The secret to breaking this perfection cycle is to focus on how the thing we want to do is “good”.

FTWMI: To Be Good of To Be Perfect

For Those Who Missed It: The following is a condensed and slightly revised version of a 2025 post (which included previously posted content).

At the beginning of our physical practice of yoga, we set a “group intention” — to get on the same page, so we can work together — and then we each have an opportunity to set our own “personal intention”. I refer to the latter as, “your goal, your desire, your reason for being on the mat.” Sometimes, I encourage people to go a little deeper and identify how their goal or desire serves them: “… how it brings you peace, balance, maybe even joy.” This is all followed by a dedication and, sometimes, the awareness that what serves us individually can serve us collectively.

The additional suggestions are reminders that sometimes things can work out in a different way then we envisioned. For example, if your goal or desire is to own a classic Shelby Cobra, it could serve you because you need a way to commute to work and/or because you love vintage Mustangs. If you need reliable transportation, but you get too fixated on the make and model, you might miss an opportunity to obtain a car that serves you (and those around you). If you love classic cars and already have reliable transportation, maybe you check out other makes and models (or years) to satisfy your desire.

On the mat, every pose — as well as how each pose fits into the sequence — affects the mind-body in different ways. Additionally, every part of the mind-body could be affected in a similar way by a multitude of other poses. Standing balance is good for your vestibular system and can strengthen the standing leg, hips, and core, while also creating flexibility (and strength) in the lifted leg. If you have issues standing on one foot, using a prop (like a wall) can be more beneficial than falling out of the pose every couple of seconds. By the same token, if you really want to focus on the flexibility or “opening” (more than the balance), you might practice a supine version of the same pose or a different pose altogether.

All that being said, it’s easy to get caught up in the momentum of doing something — on or off the mat — and forget WHY we’re spending our time doing what we’re doing. That tendency to forget is why I remind people, at least once during the practice, to “remember your intention / remember your dedication.”

“And God said, ‘There will be light,’ and there was light.

And God saw the light that it was good, and God separated between the light and between the darkness.”

— quoted from Beresh’t / Genesis 1:3-4

Friday (September 4th) at sunset marked the beginning of Rosh Hashanah (“the Head of the Year”), which is the beginning of the “Ten Days of Atonement” or “Ten Days of Awe” (which culminate with Yom Kippur, “The Day of Atonement”). There are several ways in which this period is different from a secular new year. First, there is the period of time, which is one of the holiest times of the year for some communities and may be celebrated by people who might not typically go to services. Second, observing these days are religious commandments and, therefore, observed by Jewish communities around the world and by communities where people observe the commanded holidays outlined in Deuteronomy. Finally, this is more than a celebration — it is an observation: a time for reflection, remembrance, and repentance.

It is also a time to consider how one could spend their time… doing something that is “good” .

“And God saw that it was good.”

— Words that appear 7 times in the Creation story found in Beresh’t / Genesis

Another way Rosh Hashanah is different from a secular new year (or the other new years found on the Hebrew calendar) is that people do not wish each other “Happy New Year”. Instead, people say1, “Shana Tovah” (“Good Year”) or “Shana Tovah U’Metukah!” (“Good and Sweet Year”). Tov is a Hebrew word that means “good”; and, as we find in the beginning of the Torah (also the Christian Old Testament), God defined things as “good” when they had meaning and served their purpose.

So, similar to the beginning of our physical practice of yoga, people who observe the “Ten Days of Atonement” and the “Ten Days of Awe” spend some time setting intentions and digging into how those goals and desires will serve them (and others) during the year ahead.

Some of the following was previously posted in a slightly different context.

“…every person is obligated to say, ‘For my sake alone the world was created.’ That doesn’t mean the world is mine to consume everything indiscriminately (although God does want us to enjoy the pleasures of this world).

What it does mean is that we must take responsibility for any problem in the world. If you recognize a problem – whether it be a piece of litter on the street or a major social issue that needs adjusting – you shouldn’t just say ‘someone else will deal with it.’ There is nobody else. In God’s eyes, the rule is: You saw it, you fix it.”

— Aish Rabbi on Tikkun Olam

Tikkun Olam is a phrase in Hebrew which literally means “repair the world” — although, many people think of it as “heal the world”. Classically, it refers to the rule of law: what is needed in order to restore social order. In the modern context, people think of it as how each person can do something, maybe even has an obligation to do something (when they can), and could even be compared to dharma (“law”) in Indian philosophies.

There are several things that happen when people (in general) start thinking about how they can make a difference. One of those things is that they look for inspiration in others. In fact, Yoga Sūtra 1.37 states that clarity of mind can come from “contemplating on the mind [or heart] of those who are free from desire” and, in the commentary, Swami Vivekananda said, “Take some holy person, some great person whom you revere, some saint whom you know to be perfectly nonattached, and think of his heart. That heart has become non-attached, and meditate on that heart; it will calm the mind. If you cannot do that, there is the next way…”.

Other commentary suggests focusing on your own heart and mind as if you were free from desire. This is a handy suggestion, because while looking to others for inspiration can be really motivating, it can also be problematic. For example, people have a tendency of putting their inspirations on pedestals. Such myth building belies the fact that people (take Gandhi, for instance) are (and were) human; that they make mistakes; and sometimes have really horrible opinions that co-exist with their more admirable ones.

On the flip side, comparisons to others can be problematic because they can lead to a really debilitating mindset: Imposter Syndrome, the belief that someone is somehow fraudulent. This type of self-doubt can manifest in a lot of different ways. It can show up as someone dreaming, planning, and/or re-working something so much that they never get to the point of doing the thing. It can also show up as someone never getting started because they are afraid of disappointing themselves (or others) and/or not doing something as well as others. Finally, it can just show up as a general feeling of malaise that saps your energy and makes it harder to focus… let alone do your best. It can be a vicious cycle that is perpetuated by a desire to be perfect and live up to expectations.

But, if we backup a little, we may remember that the important part is not that we do what someone else can do: The important thing is to do what we are able to do and to do the best that we can. This is explicitly spelled out in The Bhagavad Gita when Krishna spoke to Arjuna about “achieving perfection” and said, “‘Your very nature dictates that you perform the duties attuned to your disposition. Those duties are your dharma, your natural calling. It is far better to do your own dharma, even if you do it imperfectly, than to try to master the work of another. Those who perform the duties called for by their obligations, even if those duties seem of little merit, are able to do them with less effort — and this releases consciousness that can be directed Godward.’” (BG 18.47)

This same lesson on perfection and purpose can be found in the lesson of the shofar, as explained by Rabbi Binyomin Weisz.

For Those Who Missed It: Portions of the following excerpt were previously posted.

“But the truth is: ‘All sounds are kosher’ – not only for the shofar, but for the heart as well.”

— quoted from an article entitled “Perfectly Imperfect: The Secret of the Shofar” (09/12/2020) by Rabbi Binyomin Weisz

A shofar is a ram’s horn that is blown (like a trumpet) during most Rosh Hashanah services and at the end of Yom Kippur. Historically, it has also been used at other times, including as a call-to-arms before a battle. During the High Holidays, there are four types of sounds (tekiah = a long, smooth blast; shevarim = three short bursts; terua = a series of short bursts; and tekiah gedolah = a long, drawn out, smooth blast), which are produced in very specific patterns in order to remind people to turn inward and reflect, remember, repent, and hope.

As with most spiritual rituals, the horn has to be produced in a certain way and blown by a specific person. However, the mitzvah (or “commandment”) related to the High Holidays is not related to the blowing — it’s a commandment related to hearing the sound. Obviously, since it is an organic instrument, each shofar sounds slightly different. What is super fascinating to me (and others), however, is that certain imperfections do not “ruin” the instrument.

As teachers and scholars like Rabbi Binyomin Weisz point out, a hole can change the sound of the shofar and it’s still kosher. Granted, there are some ways a shofar can be broken — and even fixed — that make it no longer kosher. In fact, the very act of “fixing” a broken shofar, so that it sounds like it originally sounded, can make it unusable for its intended purpose — and, therefore, not good — which  just strengthens the lesson for me. Given that so many people struggle with “imposter syndrome” and high expectations, here are four steps you can do at any time:

  1. Let go of expectations and focus on what you can do / are doing;
  2. Remember Rule 303 (see the last embedded link above): Do what you can do, as much as you can, and for as long as you can;
  3. Appreciate what you’re doing, because it has value/meaning; AND
  4. Remember the value/meaning of you (being who you are and doing what you do).

“So I draw courage and stand face-to-face with my limitations, without shrinking or running. I allow for honest remorse. Here is my place of Now….

Of course, acceptance does not mean becoming complacent. I still need to honestly evaluate my life and reflect on how I want to act differently this coming year. It also doesn’t preclude trying my best.

But at this very moment my state of ‘now’ is my truth.”

— quoted from an article entitled “Perfectly Imperfect: The Secret of the Shofar” (09/12/2020) by Rabbi Binyomin Weisz

Speaking Truth to Power (in order to Repair the World)

On more than one occasion, I have stated that I have had the “luxury” of not being for or against the death penalty. However, more and more, I have realized that what I considered to be a neutral statement (meant to give more weight to people who have been victims of horrific crimes), completely ignored another horrific reality: Sometimes innocent people are on death row and sometimes innocent people are executed.

More and more, I have found myself agreeing with Victor Hugo, who spoke out against the death penalty today in 1848.

“Gentlemen, there are three things which belong to God and which do not belong to man: the irrevocable, the irreparable, the indissoluble. Woe to man if he introduces them into his laws! (Movement.) Sooner or later they cause society to bend under their weight, they disturb the necessary balance of laws and customs, they deprive human justice of its proportions; and then this happens, think about it, gentlemen, that the law terrifies the conscience. (Sensation.)”

— quoted from Victor Hugo’s address to the French Constituent (General) Assembly, September 15, 1848

Click on the excerpt title below for notes and an excerpt related Victor Hugo’s speech against the death penalty and the Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows (which I did not mention during the 2026 practice).

2 Quick Notes & EXCERPT: “Can You Be Like The Bird?” (the 6-minute post-practice Monday post)

“The future belongs to hearts even more than it does to minds.”

— quoted from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “High Holidays: Good or Perfect”]

NOTE: One track is in a different place for continuity between platforms.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT WHY I WANT YOU TO KISS SANDRA’S ASANA!

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).

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

September 25 — 27, 2026

LIMITED SPACE FOR HOTEL DISCOUNTS!

1NOTE: There are several Hebrew (and Yiddish) blessings that may be used at specific times and/or to specific people just before and throughout the High Holidays. The ones described above are generic and used throughout the ten days. The one below may be used by some from “noon on Rosh Hashanah, when our fates are already written, until Yom Kippur, when our fates for the coming year are to be sealed”.

### “Gemar chatimah tovah.” (“A good final sealing.”) ###

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