An “–” Note & EXCERPTS: “Today in Rock and Roll” & “… some Powerball® thoughts” (the “missing” Sunday post) May 24, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Baha'i, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Japa, Japa-Ajapa, Karma, Life, Love, Mantra, Meditation, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Anna Mae Bullock, Annie Dillard, Bob Dylan, chanting, Dechen Shak-Dagsay, Declaration of the Báb, Diotima, em dash, en dash, hyphen, Linda Ellis, mantra, music, Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, Nat Hentoff, Plato, Regula Curti, Robert Allen Zimmerman, satya, Seventh Sunday of Pascha, Socrates, The Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, Tina Turner, truth, Uvalde Texas, Woody Guthrie
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Many, many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating and/or observing the Seventh Sunday of Pascha: The Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council and /or the Declaration of the Báb.
This is “missing” compilation post for Sunday, May 24th, features new content and excerpts. My apologies for not posting before the practice. 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.
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.
“What shall I do this morning? How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing…. living.”
— quoted from “Chapter Two” of The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
At the beginning of Chapter Two of The Writing Life, Annie Dillard quoted Plato’s Symposium, in which Socrates (quoting Diotima) said, “But what if the man could see Beauty Itself, pure, unalloyed, stripped of mortality, and all its pollution, stains, and vanities, unchanging, divine,…the man becoming in that communion, the friend of God, himself immortal;…would that be a life to disregard?” The answer, of course, is no. Neither do we ignore (i.e., disregard) the beauty that comes from someone dealing with all the things we deal with as mere mortals, all the things that come with life, including morality.
Ah, mortality.
On any given day, in any given year, someone is born and someone passes away. When we mark those milestones with celebrations, what we are really celebrating is what happens in between. The en dash [–] in someone’s biography and/or obituary symbolises all that they do while living on this planet we call Earth. All the things we learn and teach; all the people we love (or not); all the things we think; and all the things we say and do are compressed into that en dash, which is longer than a hyphen [-] and shorter than an em dash [—] .
Linda Ellis wrote a famous poem about “The Dash”, which has been quoted at funerals, memorials, and other events. The dash — and what it represents — has been the inspiration for sermons, speeches, and so many songs that I’ve lost track of them. All of that work dovetails and inspires so many lives, so many dashes.
Today is the birthday of Bob Dylan (b. 1941) and the death anniversary of Tina Turner (d. 2023).
Click on the excerpt titles below for more.
“‘The most important thing I know I learned from Woody Guthrie,’ says Dylan, ‘I’m my own person. I’ve got basic common rights-whether I’m here in this country or any other place. I’ll never finish saying everything I feel, but I’ll be doing my part to make some sense out of the way we’re living, and not living, now. All I’m doing is saying what’s on my mind the best way I know how. And whatever else you say about me, everything I do and sing and write comes out of me.’”
— quoted from the liner notes by Nat Hentoff (from Bob Dylan’s album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan)
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “O5242026 Poems & Meditations with Bob & Tina”]
NOTE: This remix, inspired by both Bob and Tina, includes Tina Turner’s recording of her “Beyond” message (which you can also find in the first embedded link above), an interlude, and “Sound of Mystic Law: Lotus Sutra” (which I referred to as a remix version at the end of the 2026 practice). The YouTube playlist includes an extra Tina video. The extended version of Sound of Mystic Law: Lotus Sutra, which I sometimes use for my personal practice, is only available on YouTube.
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).
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
### AUM ###
FTWMI EXCERPT — “Svādyāya III: Being In the Middle” May 19, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Lorraine Hansberry, Mysticism, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, chakras, Counting the Omer, Ernő Rubik, Johns Hopkins, Langston Hughes, Lorraine Hansberry, Malcolm X, Manipura, Muladhara, nadis, sefirot, Sixth Week of Pascha, Svadhisthana, svadyaya, svādhyāya, yesod
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Many, many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating Counting the Omer and/or observing the sixth week of Pascha.
“If you are curious, you’ll find the puzzles around you. If you are determined, you will solve them.”
— Ernö Rubik
In addition to being the day, in 1974, when Ernö Rubik invented the Rubik’s Cube, today is the anniversary of the birth of Johns Hopkins (b. 1795), Malcolm X (b. 1925), and Lorraine Hansberry (b. 1930). The following excerpt is from a 2021 post related to how the things that make people different are also the things we have in common.
CLICK ON THE POST TITLE FOR MORE.
Svādyāya III: Being In the Middle (the “missing” Wednesday post)
“A good puzzle, it’s a fair thing. Nobody is lying. It’s very clear, and the problem depends just on you.”
— Ernö Rubik
Please join me today (Tuesday, May 19th) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into in the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05192021 Being in The Middle”]
NOTE: The before/after music includes different artists performing Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” (with an intro I don’t think I had ever heard): on YouTube it’s Jennifer Hudson; on Spotify it’s Aretha Franklin.
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.
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
### CELEBRATE CONNECTIONS ###
Pulling the Thread — a quick note and excerpts (the “missing” Tuesday compilation post) *CORRECTED* May 12, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Love, Maya Angelou, Meditation, One Hoop, Poetry, Religion, Suffering, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, agape, Alecia Beth Moore, Allen Shamblin, Chögyam Trungpa, chesed, Counting the Omer, Fifth Week of Pascha, Golden Rule, heart, Home Rule, José González, Love, lovingkindness, Marcus Aurelius, Maya Angelou, Merrick Rosenberg, P!nk, Tom Douglas
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Peace and many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone Counting the Omer and/or observing/celebrating the Fifth Week of Pascha.
This is the “missing” compilation post for Tuesday, May 12th.1 My apologies for not posting before the practice. 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.
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.
“We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.”
— quoted from the last (repeated) lines of the poem “Human Family” by Maya Angelou
Sometimes we forget — or never learned — the wisdom of Dr. Maya Angelou. We cycle trivialities, get caught up in outward appearances, and spend whole lifetimes noticing differences between us and the people around us. However, as I mentioned yesterday, there are pretty good odds that we all learned the same rule very early in our lives. The question is: From where did you learn the Golden Rule? Was it from the sacred text or scripture of an Abrahamic religion or an ancient philosophy? Were you in a public school, private school, or homeschool? Did you learn it while scouting or while interacting with your siblings? Did you ever learn that little extra bit that is the “Home Rule”2?
More importantly, did you grow up thinking it was a value unique to your community of birth? Or, were you taught that it is a value common throughout our Human Family? Finally, how does what you were taught about the rule determine how you implement the rule?
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLES BELOW TO PULL THE THREAD.
(The second embedded link above is for a post related to Dr. Angelou’s poem.)
Rules For Me & Thee PLUS EXCERPT: “[Love] Letter to the World” (the post-practice Monday post)
“Accept the things and occurrences to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so truly, sincerely.”
— quoted from Meditations (Book 6) by Marcus Aurelius
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05122026 Golden Rule: Threads, Instructions, & Truths”]
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).
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
NOTES/CORRECTIONS:
1This was originally posted with the wrong date.
2I sometimes have the pleasure of playing board games with a family that uses super fun “House Rules”; so, I used the wrong term in class when I referenced Merrick Rosenberg’s “Home Rule: Treat others how they need to be treated, not how you need to be treated.” I paraphrased a little and explained the rule using Love Languages).
### LOVE [THEM] ANYWAY ###
Rules For Me & Thee PLUS EXCERPT: “[Love] Letter to the World” (the post-practice Monday post) May 11, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Buddhism, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Love, Mantra, Meditation, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Agnes de Mille, Buddhism, Charity, compassion, Counting the Omer, Dana, Diamond Sutra, Fifth Week of Pascha, Genorosity, Golden Rule, Graham Technique, Gregory Peck, inspiration, James Grissom, Karuna, Life, mantra, Martha Graham, Wang Jie
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Peace and many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone Counting the Omer and/or observing/celebrating the Fifth Week of Pascha.
This is the post-practice post for Monday, May 11th. The 2026 prompt question was, “What is your favorite rule?” You can request an audio recording of this practice or a previous practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
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.
“Art is memory. It is the excavation of so many memories we have had–of our mothers, our best and worst moments, of glorious experiences we have had with friends or films or music or dance or a lovely afternoon on a sloping, green hill. All of this enters us and, if we are artists, must be shared, handed over to others. This is why it is so important to know what came before you. It is also important to understand that things will follow you, and they may come along and make your work look pedestrian and silly. This is fine; this is progress. We have to work with what life presents to us, and we have to work as well as we can while we can.”
— Martha Graham, quoted from a 1990 telephone interview with James Grissom
Since yesterday was Mother’s Day, I can’t help but think of rules my parents taught me. We all have rules. There are rules we were taught as children and rules that we’ve learned along the way. These are rules that simultaneously serve as life’s guide rails (that direct us) and guardrails (that prevent major disaster). Perhaps the most common such rule is The Golden Rule, which we can find in the sacred texts and scriptures of every religion and philosophy.
According to the Gospel According to Matthew (7:12, NIV), Jesus said, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” This is essentially paraphrasing Leviticus 19:18 and Hillel the Elder, who explained, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow: this is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn.” Additionally, in the Islām, there are several examples of the Golden Rule, including when Ali ibn Abi Talib wrote, “…you should desire for others what you desire for yourself and hate for others what you hate for yourself. Do not oppress as you do not like to be oppressed. Do good to others as you would like good to be done to you. Regard bad for yourself whatever you regard bad for others…. Do not say to others what you do not like to be said to you.”
As I stated before, the Golden Rule is not only found in the Abrahamic religions and, in fact, there are examples of it that predate the Torah (also known as the Christian Old Testament). For example, in the Mahābhārata, Vyasa wrote, “Do not to others what you do not wish done to yourself; and wish for others too what you desire and long for for yourself — this is the whole of Dharma; heed it well”. Of course, no matter how (or where) it is communicated, the fundamental message is about love, compassion, and charity. Compassion/love and charity are also the focus of the oldest (surviving) book with a printed date: a copy of a Chinese copy of The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion, a sacred Buddhist text commonly known as The Diamond Sutra, which was translated from Sanskrit and printed today (May 11th) in 868 A. D.
“Furthermore, Subhūti, in the practice of compassion and charity a disciple should be detached. That is to say, he should practice compassion and charity without regard to appearances, without regard to form, without regard to sound, smell, taste, touch, or any quality of any kind. Subhuti, this is how the disciple should practice compassion and charity. Why? Because practicing compassion and charity without attachment is the way to reaching the Highest Perfect Wisdom, it is the way to becoming a living Buddha.”
— The Diamond Sutra (4)
Click on the excerpt title below for more about The Diamond Sutra and Martha Graham (born today in 1894).
“When I was young I studied with Martha Graham; not to learn to dance, but to learn to move on the stage. If Martha Graham could have had her way, she would have taught us all how to move – through life. That has been and will be her goal: proper movement through life, the relationship of the body to the mind and the body to the spirit. Martha Graham is a compulsive student of the human heart.”
— actor Gregory Peck on Martha Graham (in a documentary)
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
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).
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
### “Keep the channel open.” ~ MG (& Keep the heart open!) ###
A Mother’s Dream & EXCERPT: “The Ties That Bind” May 10, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Maya Angelou, Movies, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Wisdom, Women, Yoga.Tags: 988, Ann Reeves Jarvis, Anna Marie Jarvis, Counting the Omer, Donald P. Bellisario, Fifth Sunday of Pascha, Fred Astaire, Gerry Society, Gerrymen, Jeanine Basinge, Johanna “Ann” Geilus Astaire, Kathleen Riley, MoManger, Mother's Day, Samaritan Woman, The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
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Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms!
Peace and many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone Counting the Omer and/or observing/celebrating the Fifth Sunday of Pascha: The Samaritan Woman.
“After their first performances in Los Angeles in February 1909, the Gerrymen intervened, and their booking was canceled. Ann thereupon initiated a campaign of her own, appealing to newspaper critics to help publicize their plight and finally obtaining a hearing before the local chapter of the [New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children1]. She pleaded convincingly the children’s dedication and well-being and the excellent care and tuition they were receiving, and the society relented.”
— quoted from “Opening the Bill” in The Astaires: Fred & Adele by Kathleen Riley
If she were alive today, Johanna “Ann” Geilus Astaire would be considered a MoManger. She was the mother of Adele Astaire Douglass and Fred Astaire (who was born Frederick Austerlitz today in 1899. She was the daughter of Lutheran German immigrants; married to a Jewish-Austrian immigrant (whose family converted to Catholicism); and she was (initially) raising her children in Omaha, Nebraska. Like their parents, Ann and her husband (Friedrich “Fritz” Emanuel Austerlitz) wanted the best for their children. They had big dreams — and Ann thought they could achieve those dreams through the talents of their children.
Adele immediately took to singing and dancing. Young Fred learned to sing and learned to play piano, accordion, and clarinet; but, wasn’t much for dancing until he started imitated his sister. Both studied elocution and, by the time they were nine and six (respectively), Adele and Fred were living in New York and preparing to be one of the most sought after brother-sister vaudeville acts in the United States.
“Fred Astaire explained it to the young Jack Lemmon: ‘You’re now at a level where you can afford only one mistake. The higher up you go, the more mistakes you are allowed. Right at the top, if you make enough of them, it’s considered to be your style.’ In other words, once you were successfully typed, you were safe.”
— quoted from “Part I: Stars and the Factory System ― Product and Type” in The Star Machine by Jeanine Basinge
Eventually, the siblings moved from vaudeville to Broadway musicals to London’s West End. When Adele got married and retired (in 1932), Fred moved from stage to screen. His 76-year career included over 10 Broadway and West End musicals, 31 film musicals, four Emmy Award-winning musical specials for television, and a plethora of (non-musical) television and movie appearances. In addition to receiving an Honorary Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Grammy Award, Fred Astaire changed the way musicals were filmed.
While he appeared in several acting roles in 1979 and the early 1980s, Fred Astaire’s final filmed dance was as Chameleon, in the 1979 Battlestar Galactica episode “The Man with Nine Lives”. The role and the episode were specifically written for him (by by Donald P. Bellisario) after Mr. Astaire asked if could make a guest appearance on the show that his grandchildren loved.
In other words, he wanted something special for his (grand)children — just like his mom wanted something special for him.
FTWMI: Variations of the following have previously been posted.
It all comes back to the moms. No matter how you came to be a mom (or what your kiddos call you), you have been in a position to teach people to dream, dance, and reach for the stars. In fact, in most cases, you are someone’s first teacher, cheerleader, mentor, coach, confidant, spiritual/religious/moral guide, and friend.
You may also be the short order cook, personal assistant, driver, and the business manager who handles entertainment, the schedule, and the finances: the MoManger. You do all of this and more — maybe even including a second job as a spouse and a third job as something other than a mom. (Of course, you may also list those roles in a completely different order.)
While today, Mother’s Day in the United States, doesn’t explicitly state that it is a day when we celebrate all of your roles… it absolutely is exactly that day!
“I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother’s day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life. She is entitled to it.”
— quoted from the end of 1876 Sunday school lesson by Ann Reeves Jarvis (words that inspired her daughter Anna Maria Jarvis)
Click on the excerpt title below for more about Mother’s Day.
The Ties That Bind (a short “renewed” post for Mother’s Day)
While I don’t know if I will ever go back to teaching on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I will continue to offer the 2020 recordings and a philosophy-based alternative recording for those who are on my Sunday mailing list (or, you can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.)
The Mother’s Day playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Mother’s Day 2020”]
The playlist for May 10th is available on on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05102022 Fred’s Dance”]
NOTE: The May 10th playlists have slightly different before/after music and the YouTube playlist includes a video and a portion of an interview.
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.
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
NOTE:1 The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was a child protective agency founded in 1874 (and incorporated in 1875). Sometimes referred to as the “Gerry Society” (after co-founder Elbridge Thomas Gerry), its agents were nicknamed “Gerrymen”.
### Moms Have Fascinating Rhythm! ###
A Few More Reflections in the Garden April 29, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Baha'i, Bhakti, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Riḍván, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: Abdul-Baha, Baha’u’llah, Baháʼí, Counting the Omer, Crystal Pite, International Day of Dance, Kitab-i-Aqdas, Nabil and Karim, Riḍván, Ridvan, Taraz Nosrat, Third Week of Pascha, Universal House of Justice
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Happy International Dance Day!! “Happy Riḍván!” to anyone celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Peace and many blessings to anyone Counting the Omer or celebrating/observing the Third Week Pascha!
Happy Poetry Month!!
“Humans move – our arms reach out, our knees collapse, our heads nod, our chests cave in, our backs arch, we jump, we shrug, we clench our fists, we pick each other up and push each other away. This is language as much as it is action. This is what the body has to say about need, defeat, courage, despair, desire, joy, ambivalence, frustration, love. These images flash with meaning in the mind because we have felt these things so purely in the body – we have been moved.
We are dancers, all of us. Life moves us; life dances us. Ephemeral as breath, concrete as bone, a dance is made of us. We sculpt space. We write with our bodies in a wordless language that is deeply understood. We grace the space within and around us when we dance.”
— quoted from the International Dance Day Message 2026 by Crystal PITE, Canada
The movement we do during a vinyasa practice reinforces the reminders found in this year’s International Dance Day message by choreographer Crystal Pite: We are all dancers, we all dance, and (in doing so) we all communicate. Even outside of the Yoga — which includes symbolic and energetic connections between the mind-body and our lived experiences, there practices (like in Kabbalism) that focus on embodying attributes of the divine.
In addition to being International Dance Day, today is “three weeks and six days of the Omer” (for people who are counting), as well as the second day of the month of Jamál (“Beauty”) and the day called ʻIdál (“Justice”) on the Bahá’i Faith calendar. It is also the ninth day of Riḍván, “the Most Great Festival”, which makes it one of the most auspicious days for the Bahá’i community.
“This purposeful spirit has been especially evident in the institutional meetings that have been convened around the world. Again and again, the accounts of these gatherings have reported the same phenomenon: a profound, insightful conversation based on direct experience of building vibrant communities rather than on assumptions or theory. This conversation is animated by the ongoing process of learning in each place. It is imbued with a deeper recognition of the significance of the Bahá’í community’s endeavours and the implications they hold for a troubled world in desperate need of direction. A sense of responsibility and resolve is widely felt, and there is an acute awareness of the scale of the task at hand. Often, this conversation opens up an additional, complementary perspective which recognizes the efforts of communities and individuals not simply as the pursuit of programmes and projects, but as the cultivation of a way of life patterned on the divine teachings—a shaping of actions, interactions, and aspirations.”
— quoted from the Riḍván 2026 message from the Universal House of Justice “To the Bahá’is of the World”
Click on the excerpt title below and scroll down to the “ENTERING THE GARDEN” section for information about the April 29th practice.
“Many in the wider society who encounter the grassroots activity of Bahá’ís are struck by its distinctive characteristics: it springs from a sincere concern for the well-being of all, it is oriented towards unity and service, and it follows clear principles yet does not presume to have an immediate answer to every problem. In a spirit of common endeavour, Bahá’ís seek to collaborate with others and to learn together; and in the relationships they form with those who occupy positions of authority and responsibility in society, they are earnest and clear-sighted. They pursue social change without political ambition or self-interest, and they recognize that, as the prominence of the Faith rises, it becomes important to ensure that its true character and aims are well understood. In many places, the growing depth of the community’s interactions with society means, inevitably, that there are new situations to navigate and new questions to answer, and this is compelling the community to further develop its own capabilities.”
— quoted from the Riḍván 2026 message from the Universal House of Justice “To the Bahá’is of the World”
Please join me today (Wednesday, April 29th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into in the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Ridvan 181 BE 2024”]
Music Notes: With a few obvious exceptions (at the beginning and end), this music is composed and performed by Bahá’i musicians and inspired by the Bahá’i Faith. One track in the before/after music is different on each platform. My intention was to include the track below during the practice music; however I could not find it on Spotify.
“‘So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth’ – Abdu’l-Bahá”
— quoted from the liner notes for the song “So Powerful” by Taraz Nosrat
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).
“The song title is taken from: ‘We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby they may be lifted up unto the realm on high; make it not, therefore, as wings to self and passion.’ – Baha’u’llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas”
— quoted from liner notes for the song “Ladder for the Soul” by Taraz Nosrat
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
### CONNECT, WITH BEAUTY ###
More Reflections in the Garden (the “missing” Tuesday blessings, music, & excerpt) April 21, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Baha'i, Bhakti, Changing Perspectives, Donate, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Riḍván, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: Abdul-Baha, Baha’u’llah, Baháʼí, Commemoration of the Dead, Counting the Omer, Kitab-i-Aqdas, Nabil and Karim, poetry month, Provody, Radonitsa, Riḍván, Ridvan, Second Week of Pascha, Taraz Nosrat, Universal House of Justice
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“Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Peace and many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone Counting the Omer and/or celebrating and/or observing the Second Week of Pascha & Radonitsa or Provody (Day of Rejoicing / Commemoration of the Dead)!
Happy Poetry Month!!
This is the “missing” (and backdated) post with music links for Tuesday, April 21st. My apologies for not posting before the practice. 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.
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.
“Many in the wider society who encounter the grassroots activity of Bahá’ís are struck by its distinctive characteristics: it springs from a sincere concern for the well-being of all, it is oriented towards unity and service, and it follows clear principles yet does not presume to have an immediate answer to every problem. In a spirit of common endeavour, Bahá’ís seek to collaborate with others and to learn together; and in the relationships they form with those who occupy positions of authority and responsibility in society, they are earnest and clear-sighted. They pursue social change without political ambition or self-interest, and they recognize that, as the prominence of the Faith rises, it becomes important to ensure that its true character and aims are well understood. In many places, the growing depth of the community’s interactions with society means, inevitably, that there are new situations to navigate and new questions to answer, and this is compelling the community to further develop its own capabilities.”
— quoted from the Riḍván 2026 message from the Universal House of Justice “To the Bahá’is of the World”
Click on the excerpt title below and scroll down to the “ENTERING THE GARDEN” section for information about the April 22nd practice.
“The song title is taken from: ‘We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby they may be lifted up unto the realm on high; make it not, therefore, as wings to self and passion.’ – Baha’u’llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas”
— quoted from liner notes for the song “Ladder for the Soul” by Taraz Nosrat
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Ridvan 181 BE 2024”]
Music Notes: With a few obvious exceptions (at the beginning and end), this music is composed and performed by Bahá’i musicians and inspired by the Bahá’i Faith. One track in the before/after music is different on each platform. My intention was to include the track below during the practice music; however I could not find it on Spotify.
“‘So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth’ – Abdu’l-Bahá”
— quoted from the liner notes for the song “So Powerful” by Taraz Nosrat
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).
“We rejoice to see, in every country and region, true practitioners of peace occupied with building this haven. We see it in every account of a heart being enkindled with the love of God, a family opening up its home to new friends, collaborators drawing on Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings to address a social problem, a community strengthening a culture of mutual support, a neighbourhood or village learning to initiate and sustain the actions necessary for its own spiritual and material progress, a locality being blessed with the emergence of a new Spiritual Assembly.”
— quoted from the Riḍván 2022 message from the Universal House of Justice “To the Bahá’is of the World”
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
### TEACH ONE LOVE ###
Our Ability to Seek the Truth & FTWMI: A Midnight Ride Into History (give or take 10 hours) April 18, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Healing Stories, Life, Music, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, American Revolution, Arthur O’Shaughnessy, Bright Week, Civil War, Counting the Omer, Dr. Joseph Warren, Fireside Poets, George Santayana, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Hero's Journey, history, inspiration, Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, KISS MY ASANA, Paul Revere, Poetry, poetry month, Samuel Prescott, satya, truth, William Dawes
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Happy Poetry Month! Peace and many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone Counting the Omer and/or celebrating and observing Bright Week!
“Nor let the Historian blame the Poet here,
If he perchance misdate the day or year,
And group events together, by his art,
That in the Chronicles lie far apart.
For as the double stars, though sundered far,
Seem to the naked eye a single star,
So facts of history, at a distance seen,
Into one common point of light convene.”
— quoted from the “Prologue” of I. John Endicott in The New-England Tragedies [1868] by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Satya (“Truth”) is the second yamas (external “restraint” or universal commandment) in the Yoga Philosophy. Just as our thigh bones are connected to our hip bones and our hip bones are connected to our backbones, our ability to seek the truth, perceive the truth, and know the truth when we encounter it is connected to where we come from, the friendships we make along the way, how (or if) we extend ourselves to the world, how determined we are, and how present we are in every moment.
In Yoga and Āyurveda (as they come to us from India), these concepts are energetically and symbolically associated with the body. Even if you think of indigenous sciences as pseudoscience, you can use the paradigm to examine cause-and-effect. This type of contemplative practice is similar to how people who are Counting the Omer can embody seven attributes of the divine by considering how each attribute is energetically and symbolically connected to the body.
So, when we look at our ability to know the truth, seek the truth, and believe the truth, we have to also look at what we learned was “true” — and how and why we were given these “truths”.
“‘Why touch upon such themes?’ perhaps some
friend
May ask, incredulous; ‘and to what good end?
Why drag again into the light of day
The errors of an age long passed away?’
I answer: ‘For the lesson that they teach;
The tolerance of opinion and of speech.
Hope, Faith and Charity remain, — these three;
And greatest of them all is Charity.’
Let us remember, if these words by true,
That unto all men Charity is due;
Give what we ask; and pity, while we blame,
Lest we become copartners in the shame,
Lest we condemn, and yet ourselves partake,
And persecute the dead for conscience’ sake.”
— quoted from the “Prologue” of I. John Endicott in The New-England Tragedies [1868] by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
For Those Who Missed It: The remainder of this post is a (slightly revised) version of a 2021 post. It’s hard to say how I feel about the fact that I could have written this today (but I definitely feel a certain kind of way).
I have clarified a couple of historical points. Class details and some links have been added or updated.
“Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five:
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.”
— quoted from the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Not going to lie: It’s been hard getting geared up to talk about American history today. There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to appear to glorify treason and insurrection. And, since I set my own curriculum, I can (relatively easily) change my lesson plan on any given day. However, that can sometimes be hypocritical. It would especially be hypocritical today, because (as I have stated before), I believe in history, I believe in context; and I believe in things that are true. And those are the very reasons why I started teaching today’s theme in the first place.
Remember, April is poetry month and while there’s a plethora of ways to write a poem and any number of reasons why someone may write a poem — let alone why they might write it a certain way — a poem is a form of expression that can tell a story in a way that is both memorable and easy to remember (which are not necessarily the same things) and also inspirational. This fact alone, the overall staying power of a poem, is why Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote “Paul Revere’s Ride” and why he wrote it the way he wrote it. It’s also the reason I originally chose to highlight the poem: Because it’s a really great example of well-written propaganda that shaped history by shaping the way things are remembered.
We are, once again, at a critical time in history — a time that will be remembered. And, once again, we run the risk of getting so caught up in the momentum of the moment that we forget the importance of how today’s story will be is being told. Yes, I changed the tense there; because the poems, songs, essays, articles, visual and performing art — as well as news stories and texts books — that tell the story of today are already being created. And, thanks to the internet, some are already being “published” and heralded as truth. Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, also known in English as “George Santayana”, famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” So, let’s take a moment to consider why things are remembered the way they are remembered.
“With wonderful deathless ditties
We build up the world’s great cities,
And out of a fabulous story
We fashion an empire’s glory:”
— quoted from the poem “Ode” by Arthur O’Shaughnessy
The following (slightly revised) excerpt is from a 2018 Kiss My Asana offering (that features a mini-practice).
Listen, my children, and you shall hear… something new and yet, very familiar. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s well-known poem about the events of April 18, 1775, reads like a historically narrative when, in fact, there’s a lot more going on between the lines. To understand what’s going on and why Longfellow may have fictionalized parts of the story, we have to go back… not only to 1775, but also to the 1860s.
First, a little about the poet: Longfellow was a successful poet during his lifetime. His success and popularity among readers and critics alike was notable not only because of his poems, but also because his popularity rivaled his British contemporaries. In fact, he was one of several New England poets referred to as “Fireside Poets”, because his poems served as family entertainment around the fireside. Longfellow recognized that he could use his platform not only to entertain, but also to educate, guide, and inspire. He also recognized that he could best convey his messages if they were served with a Romantic hero.
Enter Hiawatha (1855), Miles Standish (1858), and one Paul Revere (1860), to name a few.
“He said to his friend, ‘If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry-arch
Of the North-Church-tower, as a signal-light,—
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm’”
— quoted from the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Historians note that when he died, Paul Revere was remembered as a successful silversmith and a good friend. He was not celebrated as the midnight rider until Longfellow’s poem, which is curious unless one considers the discrepancies within the poem. For instance, history reveals that Revere was responsible for the idea of sending out the lantern signal, but he did not receive the signal. In fact, he (theoretically) had the idea after he had already been summoned and dispatched by Dr. Joseph Warren. Why the change? Obviously, seeing the lantern(s) and jumping on a horse to sound the alarm is a much more romantic idea than receiving orders and setting up a back-up plan in case you fail to reach your destination. Longfellow’s creative liberty also firmly establishes Revere as receiving the “hero’s call” — which is critical to the hero’s cycle/journey.
Longfellow also took some creative liberties by focusing on Revere in the first place. Revere was one of three riders who alerted the colonists about the arrival of the British army, then referred to as the Regulars. William Dawes (a tanner) and Revere were both instructed to ride from Boston to Lexington (via different routes) and then on to Concord, raising the alarm along the way. They were eventually joined by a Dr. Samuel Prescott, but then all three were detained by British troops. Dawes and Prescott escaped. Revere was escorted back to Lexington, at gunpoint. Ultimately, Prescott was the only one to make it all the way to Concord. Yet, Longfellow never utters the names Dawes and Prescott.
To understand why Longfellow never mentions Dawes and Prescott, we must look at another curious note about Longfellow’s poem. The poet switches back and forth between past and present tense — seeming to tell it like it was (in 1775), but also like it is (in the early 1860s). In both time periods, the country was headed towards civil war. By switching between past and present tense, Longfellow moved readers back and forth between the American Revolution and the Civil War (between the States). This literary tactic reinforced the message that both civil wars liberated people within the continent. Since he was, essentially, issuing a battle cry to other abolitionists, Longfellow needed a simple story with a simple hero, preferably one whose name had a certain ring to it, a name he could easily rhyme.
“A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo forevermore!
For, borne on the night wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.”
— quoted from the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Did you catch that last part? Back in 1860, Longfellow wanted people woke, and the message (when you bring it forward) is not about the British coming, it’s about the coming danger to life, liberty, and freedom.
Please join me today (Saturday, April 18th) at 12:00 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. 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.
Saturday’s playlist is ONLY available on YouTube. [Look for “04182020 A Midnight Ride”]
An alternate playlist is available on Spotify. [Look for “07012020 Caesar Rodney’s Ride”]
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.
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
### SOMETHING’S DEFINITELY COMING ###
How We Begin & FTWMI/ABRIDGED: “A Few Notes About Holy Events & Reaching a Higher Plane” (the post-practice Monday post) April 13, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Donate, Faith, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma Yoga, Music, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Baisakhi, Bihu, Bill Conti, bodhisattva, Bright Week, Counting the Omer, Dharma Singh Khalsa M. D., Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa, Gary Soto, KISS MY ASANA, Pana Sankranti, Pi Mai, Pohela Boishakh, Puthandu, Sikhism, Songkran, Theravada Buddhism, Vaisakhi, Vishu
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“Happy Songkran!” / “Happy New Year!” and/or “Happy Vaisakhi!” to all who are celebrating! Peace and many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone Counting the Omer and/or celebrating and/or observing Bright Week!
Happy Poetry Month!
This post-practice compilation post for Monday, April 13th, features a quick note and (For Those Who Missed It) the abridged version of a 2025 post. The 2026 prompt question was, “What or how do you like to begin?” WARNING: There is a passing reference to state-sanctioned violence.
You can request an audio recording of this practice or a previous practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
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.
“How strange that we can begin at any time.”
— quoted from the poem “Looking Around, Believing” by Gary Soto
Even though we could begin a practice (or a story) in a variety of ways, the beginning of something is particularly special because it brings awareness to future possibilities. The way we begin gives us an opportunity to set an intention about how we want to move forward. And, even when we know how the story (or the practice) ends, there is something momentous and exciting about not knowing how we will get there. Again, there are so many possibilities — even when we are beginning again.
All of the things that make the beginning of a story and/or a practice significant also make the beginning of a new job, new day, a new season, or a new year significant. While we are in the habit of starting a new year — not to mention a new day or a new season — at a particular time, that time is slightly arbitrary. The truth is that a new year starts every time we inhale and every time we exhale.
In fact, some people are beginning a new year right now and this new beginning is an opportunity to open up to new possibilities.
For Those Who Missed It: The following is the abridged (slightly revised) version of a 2025 post. The original post included new and “renewed” content and excerpts, plus references to lunar calendar-based holidays. NOTE: The excerpts and linked posts often include references to other holidays/events.
“All you have to do is open up a little bit and then you’ll be experiencing a part of that person’s soul. It’s just there – in the presence of a beautiful painting, a creation, something created by someone else. This is insight into not who they are physically, but who they are on this other plane. So, what makes it magical, always, is to hear music performed live.”
— Bill Conti
People practice yoga for a lot of different reasons; but those reasons usually come down to opening up in some way. The opening up can happen on a lot of different levels: physical, mental, emotional, energetic, and even spiritual and/or religious levels. In addition to opening up, we start coming together — sometimes in surprising ways — and we start noticing the things we have in common. So, more opening up. Part of this opening up is about learning about ourselves and part of it is about learning about the world (and the other people in the world). Finally, there is an element of the practice that is about the Divine and about opening up to a higher plane.
Bill Conti, who was born April 13, 1942, has said similar things about music. Sometimes I have a playlist completely dedicated to the Italian-American composer and conductor known for soaring scores that inspire (underscore) the indomitable human spirit. However, sometimes, his music highlights the fact that there is just so much that is holy.
“When the audience and the performers become one, it is almost nearly divine, where this oneness can actually meet in some, not physical place, but in some spiritual place, in the middle, not the performers performing, not the audience receiving, but all of a sudden that contact is made and it becomes wonderful.”
— Bill Conti
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLES BELOW FOR MORE ABOUT BILL CONTI.
NOTE: The 2026 practice included references to Bright Week, which is the week after the Great & Holy Pascha (in some Orthodox Christian traditions). It also included references and a body scan related to Counting of the Omer (in some Jewish traditions). You can click on the link for more information.
NEW HOPES (& OLD SUFFERING)
Passover and Lent / Great Lent have ties to harvest festivals and new beginnings. However, even as people remember those ancient harvest festivals, there are people currently celebrating their own harvest festivals and new beginnings. For instance, Songkran / Songkran Festival (the traditional Thai New Year) and Pi Mai (the Lao New Year) are (usually) three-day festivals that started on April 13th. While Thailand has officially celebrated a secular new year (according to the Gregorian calendar) since 1940, Songkran is a national holiday. Pi Mai is also a government holiday.
Like all new year (and new season) celebrations, Songkran is a liminal time marking the transition between “what is no longer and what is not yet.” In fact, the name is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning “to move”, “movement”, or “astrological passage”, and marks the transition of the sun from one zodiac phase to another. Technically, this movement happens repeatedly throughout a year and marks the change from one month to the next on the solar calendar. However, the transition between Pieces and Aries is considered the Maha Songkran (“Great Movement”), which marks the new year. In Laos, the second day is considered “the day of no year” and the new year actually begins on the third day of the celebration.
These celebrations coincide or overlap with other new year’s celebrations in Southeast and South Asia, including Puthandu (the Tamil New Year, April 14, 2026); the Hindu festival Vishu (April 14, 2026); Bihu in the Indian state of Assam (April 14, 2026); Pohela Boishakh (the Bengali New Year, celebrated on April 14th in Bangladesh and April 15th in various parts of India); Pana Sankranti for the Odia people in India; and a plethora of other celebrations in China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Many of these celebrations are also tied to the Theravada Buddhist calendar.
Songkran also coincides with Vaisakhi (or Baisakhi), which is a spring harvest festival in Punjab and Northern India. Vaisakhi is also a solar new year and is a particularly auspicious time for the Sikh community. In addition to commemorating the creation of the Khalsa order (the Sikh community) by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of Sikhism (on April 13, 1699), it also commemorates the beginning of the unified Sikh political state when Ranjit Singh was proclaimed as Maharaja of the Sikh Empire (on April 12, 1801). That declaration was intentionally set to coincide around Vaisakhi as people recognized the power of coming together on such an auspicious occasion.
The significance of this date is also one of the reasons people gathered together during a Vaisakhi celebration in Amritsar, on April 13, 1919, to protest the British government’s Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919 (also known as the Rowlatt Act) and the arrest of two members of the satyagraha movement, Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Satyapal (Dr. Satya Pal). Tragically, British Indian Army officer Reginald Dyer ordered British soldiers to block the entrance of the Jallianwala Bagh (a historic garden with only one entrance/exit) and fire into the nonviolent crowd. Hundreds, possible thousands (depending on the estimates), were killed and over 1,200 others were injured in what is remembered as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre or the Amritsar massacre.
“I wash myself
In sacred waters
In order to please You.
But if it doesn’t please You,
What is bathing for?
I see,
The vastness of Your wondrous creation.
But without taking action,
How can I merge with Thee?”
— quoted from Japji Sahib: The Song of the Soul by Guru Nanak (Translated by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa)
While the rituals, traditions, and related stories may be different, there are several common elements in Songkran, Pi Mai, and Vaisakhi celebrations. For instance, water is a prominent feature in these celebrations, which include ritual cleansing and bathing — sometimes in the form of a water fight or, for Hindu communities celebrating Vaisakhi, ritual bathing in one of the sacred rivers. Vaisakhi celebrations can also include gurudwara (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ) — an assembly place where everyone is welcomed into “the door of the guru” — as well as processions, kirtans, flag raisings, and alms giving. Sand mounds (sometimes decorated with flowers); processions; and various forms of alms giving are also part of Songkran and Pi Mai celebrations. In Luang Prabang, the capital of Luang Prabang Province in north-central Laos, there is a Miss Pi Mai Lao (Miss Lao New Year) beauty pageant. In both Thailand and Laos, the water may be perfumed. People celebrating in Laos may also spray each other with shaving or whipping cream.
One of the stories related to Songkran is the story of someone born with a deep well of compassion and the desire to see the end of suffering. A bodhisattva (bodistva) is someone on the path to Buddhahood either because of their birth, their practice, or from a spontaneous impulse (that is then joined with practice). In this case, the compassionate person is part of a poor family in a very (materially) rich community. While the community is financially prosperous, it is lacking in many areas. There was a lot of corruption, greed, and sin. People lacked compassion for those who were less fortunate and there was a lack of respect (for elders and for spiritual/religious traditions), as well as improper use of food and medicine. Faith in the dhamma (Buddhist “teaching” or “law”) had been replaced with faith in the dhamma as a business — not unlike the situation described on Passion / Holy / Great Monday.
According to one version of the story, Indra (the ruler of Heaven) looked down at the world out of balance and basically declared that people couldn’t have nice things if they didn’t have compassion and faith. Therefore, there was no longer rain in the proper time, food became scarce, the sun became too hot, and garbage built up in the streets — which, of course, brought disease… and more suffering.
The bodhisattva encouraged people to pray to Mother Earth, in the form of the Golden Tara, who told them they had to follow the dhamma. She also gave them a divine piece of fertile land, divine seeds, a song for rain, and a pots of divine powder in various colors. The people made a paste from the powder, to cool their skin, and then got to work sowing the seeds and singing the songs. Once they had an adequate harvest, they washed the paste off, and washed the feet of their elders. They also served their elders, cared for the less fortunate, and committed to practicing the dhamma.
“Within my own
Awareness
Are jewels, gems,
And rubies,
From listening to the teachings
Of the Divine Teacher
Even once.
All souls come
From the Hand of One Giver.
May I never, ever,
Forget Him.”
— quoted from Japji Sahib: The Song of the Soul by Guru Nanak (Translated by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa)
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
The 2025 playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04132025 All That Is Holy, II”]
The Bill Conti playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04132021 Reaching A Higher Place”]
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).
Click here for the first 2025 Kiss My Asana post!
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
NOTE: Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa’s translation of Japji Sahib: The Song of the Soul can be found in The End of Kharma: 40 Days to Perfect Peace, Tranquility, and Joy by Dharma Singh Khalsa, M. D.
### ELEVATE & PRAY FOR PEACE ###
Keeping A Commitment to the Truth, No Joke (just the music & blessings) April 1, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Lent / Great Lent, Love, One Hoop, Passover, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Commitment, Lent / Great Lent, Passover, satya, Sidd Finch, Spy Wednesday, Yoga Sutra 2.20, Yoga Sutra 2.30, Yoga Sutra 2.36
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Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Passion/Holy/Spy Wednesday; Great Lent; the Fast of the First Born and/or erev Pesach!
Peace, ease, and commitment to all, throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!
Please join me today (Wednesday, April 1st) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into in the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04012026 Spy Wednesday No Joke”]
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.
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A Joyful Practice 