“Nine days and nine nights of blessings and happiness if you are celebrating Chaitra Navaratri!” Many blessings to all and especially to those observing Great Lent!
“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
The following excerpt is from a 2021 post about Bill Conti (whose music is featured on today’s playlist):
“Consider, for a moment, the things that can bring people together… even tear down walls. Consider, for a moment, what ‘sooth a savage Breast,’ — music… sweet music.
Born today in 1942, Bill Conti is an Italian-American composer and conductor known for soaring scores that inspire (underscore) the indomitable human spirit. He won an Academy Award for Best Original Score (for The Right Stuff) and five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Musical Direction for three (of his nineteen) Academy Awards ceremonies. He has also been nominated for a plethora of Academy, Emmy, and Golden Globe awards; has had his (television) music on the Billboard Hot 100; and was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2008. He has written jingles and themes for every human emotion and a variety of situations in which we humans continuously find ourselves. He believes in the power of music to bring people together and, in composing music that brings people together, he composes music that opens us to possibilities… music that elevates us.
All we have to do is listen. All we have to do is listen — to the music and to each other — that’s how we open, that’s how we come together.”
“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
NOTE: This fifth day of Navaratri is devoted to Skandamata, who is a fierce mother as protector — who simultaneously holds her baby, rides a lion, and keeps her eyes (especially her third eye) open for any and all danger.
Please join me today (Saturday, April 13th) 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 available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04132021 Reaching A Higher Place”]
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.)
“Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramadān!” to anyone observing the holy month of Ramadān. (Keep your eyes open.) Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Great Lent or Eastertide / the Octave of Easter!
This is the post-practice post for tonight’s “First Friday Night Special.” You can request an audio recording of tonight’s Yin Yoga practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at 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.
“The body is like a pot with the lid on lift the lid to see if it is filled with the Water of Life or the poison of death. Focus on the contents and you will become a master focus on the pot and you will be misguided. Your eyes only see the body while the spiritual eye perceives the soul.”
— quoted from the poem by Rumi as published in Rumi’s Little Book of Life: The Garden of the Soul, the Heart, and the Spirit, translated by Maryam Mafi and Azima Melita Kolin (with an introduction by Narguess Farzad)
This First Friday Night Special fell on a night that could be, might be (and to many probably is), one of the holiest nights of Ramadān: Laylat al-Qadr. Since April is Poetry Month, there was poetry as well as an explanation about this sacred time. While I ultimately did not include references to scripture related to the the Octave of Easter, there was a bit of context about why we were focusing on these observations — and, really, a little context about why we focus on more than the body (as well as why that often includes things outside of the Yoga Philosophy lineage). This post is just a little expansion of the explanatory comma (with an excerpt related to Laylat al-Qadr).
As often happens at least once year, someone said they weren’t sure where I was going with my narrative. In this particular case (on Monday), the confusion was understandable and (to be honest) a little intentional. Later in the week, a very wise and dear friend asked me why I teach the things I teach. In some ways, these are the same question: What’s the proverbial (or metaphorical) destination? What’s the point?
I actually ask myself these questions all the and I normally have pretty standard answers. These standard answers can be delivered via any number of stories from any number of cultures, authors, songs, historical events, and/or my own history. For instance, since I grew up around so many cultures and religious traditions, I like “…looking at the same mountains from different angles.” (to quote Paulo Coelho) and value the richness and wisdom that can be found in so many manifestations of humanity. However, as we see in many of the Eastern philosophies and traditional sciences, everything has a flipside.
Just as some people have riches, some people have next to nothing. Just as some people are grateful for everything, some people are never satisfied. Just as some people take without thinking, some people give without thought. Just as some people have the time and the space to sit and meditate in quiet, some people are in the middle of (external and/or internal) battles. Just as some people express love and kindness, some people express anger and frustration. There is joy and peace, just as there is anxiety and worry. There is fear and there is wisdom.
Sometimes I find that dichotomy exhausting. In fact, I recently admitted to some friends that I’ve been feeling a little world-weary. That weariness has made it hard to put in the work to do certain things… to teach certain things — even to blog about certain things.
I know I am not alone in this…. I also know some ways to overcome this. That is one of the reasons I do what I do. Because, whatever we do (or don’t do) and how ever we do it (or don’t do it), makes an impact and leaves an impression.
“Use your time wisely. Spend it only in pursuit of things that are good. Hold the world in your hand if you so desire, but never let the world use your heart as its abode. Your understanding of the world around you will be based off of how you take care of the world within you. Treat your heart as something precious and let only what is good for [it] have the privilege of receiving its love.”
— quoted from a 2013 “Ramadān Reflection” for Huffington Post by Imam Khalid Latif
Our thoughts, words, and deeds make an impact on our own self, on the world, and on those around us. That’s what Dame Jane Goodall was saying on Wednesday… and that’s one of the lessons of the Yoga Philosophy: Everything we do is planting a seed — and also, nourishing, harvesting, and/or uprooting what has been planted.
We see it in all the major religions and philosophies and in various sacred texts and scriptures. Throughout the Yoga Sūtras, Patanjali outlined how we can be more conscious about the seeds we are planting and the seeds we need to uproot. In the Book of Proverbs — Mishlei, before King Solomon emphasized the importance of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, discernment, and patience as being connected to “righteousness, justice, and equity, every good path” (P — M 2:9), he talked about the different ways “[one] who sows injustice will reap violence” (P — M 22:8). Of course, the latter sentiment is echoed in Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians (6:7), where it is applied to whatever/everything. While it is spelled out in different ways by different authors, the message is the same.
We are creating the world in which we live and we are creating the path we will ultimately walk.
“Once a believer asked the angel of the Gate, ‘Is it true that hell is the road through which both believers and unbelievers pass? For on my way here I saw neither smoke nor fire.’ ‘The road you passed was hell indeed,’ the angel smiled. ‘but since you have overcome your lower nature to you it appears as a garden. Having planted the seeds of devotion, you transformed the fire of anger into compassion and ignorance into wisdom. The thorns of envy have turned into roses so now your fiery soul has become a rose garden where nightingales sing praises.’”
— quoted from the poem by Rumi as published in Rumi’s Little Book of Life: The Garden of the Soul, the Heart, and the Spirit, translated by Maryam Mafi and Azima Melita Kolin (with an introduction by Narguess Farzad)
The following excerpt is from a 2022 “renewed” post:
“Laylat al-Qadr, translated as ‘Night of Power,’ ‘Night of Destiny,’ ‘Night of Value,’ ‘Night of Measure,’ ‘Night of Decree’ or ‘Night of Honour,’ commemorates the anniversary of the Qur’ān being reveled to the angel Gabriel in a verse-by-verse recitation, which Gabriel then recited to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) over the last 23 years of his (the Prophet’s) life. It is also considered the night when a certain evil spirit can do no harm/evil, when past transgressions are forgiven, and when Allah decides everyone’s destiny. (Notice the similarity to the High Holidays in Judaism?) It is a night so powerful that people will stay up all night praying because it is believed their prayers are more powerful on this most holy night.
The April First Friday Night Special features a Yin Yoga Yoga practice (partially inspired by Sarah Powers and Yin Yoga with Matt). It is accessible and open to all.
Prop wise, this is a kitchen sink practice. You can practice without props or you can use “studio” and/or “householder” props. Example of “Studio” props: 1 – 2 blankets, 2 – 3 blocks, a bolster, a strap, and an eye pillow. Example of “Householder” props: 1 – 2 blankets or bath towels, 2 – 3 books (similar in size), 2 standard pillows (or 1 body pillow), a belt/tie/sash, and a face towel.
You may want extra layers (as your body may cool down during this practice).
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Ramadan 2024: Planting & Transforming”]
Some quick notes about the music: First, my playlists for the final days of Ramadān are not halal (“permissible”) in all Islamic traditions, because of the orchestrations. The do, however, feature musicians who are Muslim (with a few exceptions). This First Friday Night Special playlist is all instrumental (during the practice); includes women as musicians and composers; and the YouTube version currently includes some additional before/after music. Please note that all practices can be done without music and, in fact, some people prefer practicing yoga without music.
One of the notable exceptions — notable, because on the other Ramadān playlists she is the only female soloist and the only non-Muslim singer — is Reba McEntire. While this playlist is a little different, her song “Pray for Peace” is on the playlists because she re-released it during the month of Ramadān in 2014 — but not just randomly in the month, the song was released in the last ten days of the month!
Additionally, there are some songs on the playlist that are Nasheeds (meaning they are religiously moral songs) that, in some traditions, are meant to be sung without instrumentation or only with percussion. I have, however, included orchestrated versions of these songs, because this seems to have worked best in an in-studio setting. I mean no disrespect by this choice. As far as I know, percussion or voice only recordings of the Nasheeds are available (if you want to build your own playlist). Alternatively, you can practice without the music.
Finally, one of the songs is on the playlist three (3) times and was inspired by “the stories in In Baghdad Dreaming Of Cairo: In Cairo, Dreaming Of Baghdad by Rumi and by The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.” The song is moving in English (and as an instrumental, which is how it shows up during the practice), but it is next level in Arabic. Let’s go. Better yet, let’s make the whole world feel like home.
### ARE YOU READY TO KISS MY ASANA?
(April 13th – 19th) ###
Happy International Children’s Book Day! “Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramadān!” to anyone observing the holy month of Ramadān. (Keep your eyes open.) Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Great Lent or Eastertide / the Octave of Easter, today and throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and during all other seasons!
“‘Oh, I can hear your heart. It’s beating faster.
Flitter-flutter, thumpity-thump, pitter-patter, bumpety-bump.
The traveling story has jumped inside and set your heart racing.
You’ll become one yourself next, spreading your wings to fly.
And so, another traveling story is born.’”
— quoted from the 2024 International Children’s Book Day poem & message “Cross the Seas on the Wing of your Imagination” by Eiko Kadono (translated from Japanese by the author)
Please join me today (Tuesday, April 2nd) 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 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 “11142021 A Day for Children”]
Here’s a little excerpt from my 2019 post on this date:
“Pretty much everything Kęstutis Kasparavičius wrote about books, in his 2019 International Children’s Book Day message, can be stated about yoga. There’s something that happens when you get on the mat, when you tap into the breath — even when you move with the breath. Like reading, practicing yoga is accepting an invitation to explore.”
“And if I take an animal body, only the animal desires will come up, and the good desires will wait. What does this show? That by means of environment we can check these desires. Only that Karma which is suited to and fitted for the environments will come out. This shows that the power of environment is the great check to control even Karma itself.”
— quoted from the commentary on Yoga Sūtra 4.8 from Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda
“Being born in a duck yard does not matter, if only you are hatched from a swan’s egg.”
— quoted from the children’s story The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen (b. 04/02/1805)
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.)
“Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramadān!” to anyone observing the holy month of Ramadān. (Keep your eyes open.) Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Passion Week / Holy Week on Spy Wednesday or Great Lent, throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and during all other seasons!
“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.”
— Jaques quoted from Act II, Scene vii, of As You Like It by William Shakespeare
Please join me today (Wednesday, March 27th) 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 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.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Spy Wednesday 2022”]
“Every person is unique and yet also like every other person. Our visible, external appearance is different from everyone else’s, of course, that is all well and good, but there is also something inside each and every one of us which belongs to that person alone—which is that person alone. We might call this their spirit, or their soul. Or else we can decide not to label it at all in words, just leave it alone.
But while we are all unlike one another, we’re alike too. People from every part of the world are fundamentally similar, no matter what language we speak, what skin color we have, what hair color we have.”
— quoted from “Art is Peace” the 2024 World Theatre Day message by Jon Fosse (translated from Norwegian by Damion Searls)
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.)
“Beannachti na fėile Pádraig. (Happy Saint Patrick’s Day.)” “Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramadān!” to anyone observing the holy month of Ramadān. (Keep your eyes open!) Many blessings and compassion to all, and especially to those observing Cheesefare/Forgiveness Sunday, Lent and/or the 19-Day Fast throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!
Take a moment to notice how you feel on the inside, knowing that how you feel on the inside affects how you move on the outside. Of course, how you move on the outside is going to affect how you feel on the inside. This is especially true today, especially in the United States, when a lot of people celebrate feeling “Irish on the inside.” Like Valentine’s Day — and, even Saint Stephen’s Day, on a certain level — Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated more as a cultural holiday than it is celebrated as a feast day.
The way Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated is particularly interesting when you consider three coincidences about that the fifth century (or late fourth century) priest. First, when he was sent to Ireland to minister to Christians who were there and convert those still practicing the Celtic religions, he chose to co-opt — um, I mean, incorporate — the Irish culture into Catholicism. So, he was all about the heritage… but in a problematic way. Second, Saint Patrick was never canonized — which means that one of the most famous saints was (technically speaking) a saint in name only. While he has a feast day in several traditions, including in the Roman Catholic tradition, I find it fitting that he is remembered as a Saint because people felt like was a saint.
Finally, most of what we know about Saint Patrick comes from exaggerated stories, legends, like the one about how he ran all the snakes out of Ireland — and what would Saint Patrick’s Day be without “me good yarn?”
If you read the title of this post correctly, you know that I think Saint Patrick’s Day is a good time to have “a good time.” In keeping with the feeling, there will be music, dancing, and a story. The Irish tale I like to tell today isn’t about Saint Patrick (in fact it is most often associated with a different saint); but, it can be seen as an allegory. It is also fun to tell with the poses — because, y’all, there are a lot of bird poses in yoga!
Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, March 17th) at 2:30 PM.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 by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “03172021 The Wren Cycle”]
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.)
“Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramadān!” to anyone observing the holy month of Ramadān. (Keep your eyes open!) Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Lent and/or the 19-Day Fast. May we be open to peaceful possibilities throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!
This is a post–practice note for Monday, March 11th.The post references racism, war, and famine (although these are not explicitly mentioned during the practice). You can request an audio recording of either 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.
“[JOSEPH] ASAGAI: Then isn’t there something wrong in a house – in a world – where all dreams, good or bad, must depend on the death of a man?”
— quoted from Act III, Scene One of A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
When there is conflict, particularly conflict related to religion and/or ethnicity and race (not to mention any number of other immutable traits), we sometimes forget that we do not live in a binary universe. There are not just people of color and white people in the United States. There are not just Jewish people and Muslim people in the Middle East. There are not just Christians and non-Christians in the world. Neither are there just two groups in any conflict. But, there is one thing we all are: People.
We are all people who deserve a little sugar in our bowl, metaphorically as well as physically. We will get to the physical; but, let’s start with the metaphorical.
“I want a little sugar in my bowl I want a little sweetness down in my soul I could stand some lovin’, oh so bad Feel so funny, I feel so sad
I want a little steam on my clothes”
— quoted from the song “I Want A Little Sugar in My Bowl” by Nina Simone
Metaphorically speaking, what is the little bit of sweetness you want in the bowl that is your life?
Above and beyond having the basic necessities in life — food, water, shelter, and the ability to rest — your experiences and the experiences of those around you determines how you visualize and conceive of that sweetness. For example, Lorraine Hansberry’s childhood experiences became A Raisin in the Sun, which premiered on Broadway, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, today in 1959. Named after a line from the Langston Hughes poem “Harlem,” the award-winning play is about a family whose American dream is to live in a nice, safe neighborhood without facing racism and hostilities.
We live in a different time than the Hansberrys lived and each of us may have experiences that lead us to desire something that appears very different — on the outside. Ultimately, however, all of our sweet dreams boil down to the same things: We all want peace, safety, contentment, freedom, and love (e.g., that sense of belonging/being part of something more than ourselves).
Many people seek that sweetness through their spiritual and/or religious practice. As I have mentioned over the last few weeks, this is the time of year when many religious communities around the world are observing and/or are about to observe their holiest times. People within some Western Christian communities are entering the fourth week of Lent; people in the Baháʼí Faith community are in the second week of the 19–Day Fast; and the holy month of Ramadān has just begun. Furthermore, Great Lent (in the Orthodox Christian communities) begins next week, more communities will soon celebrate a new year and a new season, Passover is next month, and there are even more celebrations in between.
“‘Yet others abstain from food and practice sacrifice by spiritualizing their vital energy – that is, by figuratively pouring their own vital life force into the Cosmic Life Force. The whole point of all these various methods of sacrifice (worship) is to develop a certain mental attitude. Those who live with a truly worshipful attitude, whose whole lives are offered up for improvement of the world, incur no sin (no karmic debt).
‘This world is not for the person who performs no sacrifice, no worship. But those who actually live their lives as an offering partake of the nectar of God. Through selflessness they reach the Divine.’”
— Krishna speaking to Arjuna (4.30 – 31) in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley
For some people, fasting during a sacred time is one of the pillars or foundations of faith and an important element of worship. The same is true for giving something up and donating to charity. From the outside, it may just look like a luxury to be able to do these things. To someone on the inside of a tradition, these activities can be necessities of faith. Yet, as I have mentioned repeatedly over the last few weeks, since fasting is not meant to be abusive and/or a form of punishment, each major religion has exclusions based on age and physical–mental conditions. Just as there were people who were not able to fast because of COVID, there are people who have not been able to fully observe Lent, the 19–Day Fast, Great Lent, Passover, the holy month of Ramadān, and a host of other religious traditions and rituals because of war and famine.
I am specifically mentioning famine, because it sometimes gets overlooked and because it is something that is so unnecessary. I do not mean to imply that war and disease are necessary or that they are easily avoidable. But, famine is a different story.
Famine is a different story because there is enough food in the world. In fact, there is enough food to feed 1.5x the current world population.
Just think about that for a moment.
We could break that down as food for everyone on the plant plus 2.5 – 3 billion people who don’t exist. Or, we could break that down as having enough food for 2.5 – 3 billion people to go back for a second helping. Just to put all that into perspective: The largest countries in the world are still under 2 billion people. And yet, people are experiencing famine.
Take a moment to give thanks for what you have. Then, consider how you can help someone else have that metaphorical sweetness in the bowl that is their life.
Spoiler Alert: While what you can do is not necessarily about money, it is always about power. You have the power.
“[JOSEPH] ASAGAI: You wanted to be God – ?
BENEATHA [YOUNGER]: No – I wanted to cure. It used to be so important to me. I wanted to cure. I used to care. I mean about people and how their bodies hurt –
[JOSEPH] ASAGAI: And you’ve stopped caring – ?”
— quoted from Act III, Scene One of A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
The playlist used for the 2023 practice 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.
“To Mama: in gratitude for the dream”
— quoted from the dedication of A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
“MAMA [YOUNGER]: Crazy ’bout his children! God knows there was plenty wrong with Walter Younger hard-headed, mean, kind of wild with women – plenty wrong with him. But he sure loved his children. Always wanted them to have something be something. That’s where Brother gets all these notions, I reckon. Big Walter used to say, he’d get right wet in the eyes sometimes, lean his head back with the water standing in his eyes and say, ‘Seem like God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams – but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worth while.’”
— quoted from Act I, Scene One of A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
### Respect your dreams and the dreams of the children around you. ###
May you breathe deeply and savor the richness of doing something amazing for the first time!
Pardon me while I catch up. This is the “missing” post for Sunday, January 14th (which fell during Makar Sankranti in 2024). This post and practice pick up where the Saturday the 13thpost and practice left off. It contains some passing references to the American Civil War and World War II.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.
“I dwell in Possibility – A fairer House than Prose – More numerous of Windows – Superior – for Doors –”
— quoted from the poem “I dwell in Possibility (466)” by Emily Dickinson
Take a moment to consider the very first time you thought, said, did, and/or experienced someone else thinking, saying, and/or doing something. That very first time was (and is) special for a number of reasons — not the least of which being that it created a neural pathway (if we’re using the terminology of Western science) and a saṃskāra (“mental impressions”), if we’re using the terminology of Yoga and Āyurveda (as they come to us from India). When that thought, word, deed, and/or experience is experienced, the neural pathway starts becoming hardwired and connected to other experiences. Repeating a thought, word, deed, and/or experience also creates another mental impression which, over time, could become vāsanā (“dwelling places” of our habits). Even though the terminology is different, the end result is the same: We view life through the lens/veils of previous experiences and, at some point, we establish a status quo that is directly (or indirectly) connected to the first time we did something. The more we do new things — i.e., experience more “firsts” we have — the more we cultivate a foundation for more possibilities.
This may seem really obvious — especially when you first think about it. However, take a moment to consider that “firsts” happen in every moment of every day (even when they are not all happening to us). If we dig deep enough, we could find a “first” that happened today… in any given year. We might even find multiple “firsts.”
Consider what happens, when a “first” is experienced by most of the world? Consider what happens when when we go a little deeper into something simply because it was a “first” — because that is what we typically do on January 14th. We go a little deeper into three “firsts” that include several other “firsts” — some of which were out of this world or, at the very least, above the earth.
FLYING HIGH
“At the concluding press conference on 24 January 1943, Roosevelt stated that General Ulysses S. Grant had been known as ‘Unconditional Surrender’ Grant, and that the Allies were also demanding unconditional surrender from the Germans and Japanese (but not the Italians) in the present struggle. It is often argued that this insistence led the Germans and Japanese to fight more fanatically than would otherwise have been the case, although it cannot be proven. What is plainly untrue, however, is that the policy merely sprang fully formed from Roosevelt’s mind without any consultation with [George C.] Marshall or Churchill.”
— quoted from “12 The Casablanca Conference: ‘We go bald-headed for Husky’ January 1943” in Masters and Commanders: The Military Geniuses who Led the West to Victory in World War II by Andrew Roberts
On Thursday, January 14, 1943, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the first sitting United States president to travel by airplane and the first to visit Africa. This was during World War II when the president and his advisors flew from Miami to Casablanca, French Morocco (now known as Morocco) in order to meet with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his advisors. They were meeting to discuss how the Allied forces would proceed in the War. Sultan Muhammad V, as well as French Generals Charles de Gaulle and Henri Giraud, also attended parts of The Casablanca Conference (sometimes called the Anfa Conference, since it was hosted at the Anfa Hotel). Although Joseph Stalin did not attend the conference at all and the other leaders did not attend the parts related to military strategy, one of the most critical things to come out of the conference was the Casablanca Declaration, a unified Allied statement calling for the “unconditional surrender” of Germany, Italy, and Japan.
The ways in which the call for unconditional surrender was announced — as well as the ways in which people understood the announcement — may have had some unintended consequences. Some historians have theorized that the announcements resulted in the war being extended (because some people in the Axis countries got their backs up and/or felt their backs were against the wall) and that this led to the dropping of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Some have also speculated about how Europe might have been divided had the explanation been different and/or had Joseph Stalin been included in the conference. Another crucial and unfortunate element of the conference was anti-Semitic rhetoric expressed by many of the leaders, including President Roosevelt. Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, the then 14-year-old son of Sultan Muhammad V, grew up to become Hassan II, King of Morocco, whose reign was marked by authoritarianism, and human rights and civil rights abuses. One can only wonder what Hassan II’s reign would have been like had he not been exposed to such rhetoric by the most influential leaders of their time.
“Roosevelt loved the sea, but his ability to draw on the past to put the present into perspective allowed him to see the potentialities of naval and air power working in conjunction as Admiral [Harry E.] Yarnell had suggested. Soon, Roosevelt demonstrated his appreciation of air power as a military and naval defensive weapon.”
— quoted from “VI. The Wings of Democracy” in The Wings of Democracy: The Influence of Air Power on the Roosevelt Administration, 1933–1941 by Jeffrey S. Underwood
FDR’s historic 1943 flight was the beginning of several other presidential-aeronautic “firsts.” That first fight, as well as the return flight, were aboard the “Dixie Clipper,” a Boeing Model 314 long-range Clipper initially operated by Pan Am. The then-President Roosevelt was on board this luxurious flying boat, en route between Trinidad and Miami, when he turned 61 — making him the first sitting U. S. president to celebrate a birthday in an airplane, thousands of feet above the earth.
Some of this may be considered trivial. Consider the fact, however, that the president’s trip promoted the creation of the Douglas VC-54C Skymaster, the first U. S. presidential aircraft. Officially referred to as “the Flying White House,” the specially modified luxury aircraft was nicknamed “Sacred Cow,” because of the security features and designation. It featured modifications that produced increased fuel capacity; an unpressurized cabin with an executive conference room; rectangular bulletproof windows; a private bathroom; a fold down bed hidden behind the sofa; and an electric refrigerator. Although slower and less luxurious than its successor (Air Force One), the Sacred Cow did include a battery-powered elevator to accommodate the President Roosevelt’s wheelchair.
Alas, FDR would only fly on the new plane when he attended the Yalta Conference in February 1945. On the flip side, President Harry S. Truman used the plane quite a bit — including when he attended the Potsdam Conference in the summer of 1945. His frequent flying led then-President Truman to sign the National Security Act of 1947, which restructured the U. S. military in a variety of ways, including: creating a Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council, and the Central Intelligence Agency. The 1947 act, which the president signed on board the Sacred Cow, clarified the responsibilities of the Department of the Army (formerly the Department of War), the Department of the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the newly formed Department of the Air Force — making the Sacred Cow the “birthplace” of the United States Air Force.
Retired in 1961, the first plane officially produced specifically for presidential travel was moved to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force (in Dayton, Ohio) in 1983 and has been on display since 1993.
SINGING HIGH
“To your arms someday I’ll return to stay till then I will remember too Every bright star we made wishes upon Love me always, promise always Oh, you’ll remember too
I’ll remember you”
— quoted from the song “I’ll remember you” by Elvis Presley, written by Lee Kuiokalani
At 12:30 AM (local time) on Sunday, January 14, 1973, Elvis Presley started performing his “Aloha from Hawai’i” concert. It was not the first time the “King of Rock and Roll” had performed in Hawai’i. In addition to filming three (3) movies on the islands (and selling tickets to the dress rehearsal for the January 14th show), he performed concerts in 1957 (before he served in the U. S. Army) and in 1961 (after he was discharged from the army). Several of these were benefit concerts, as was this notable first in 1973. So, those things weren’t new elements. Neither was this the first time he and the TCB Band (“Taking Care of Business Band”) had recorded a concert live with an orchestra and/or used Richard Strauss’s “Also Sprach Zarathustra” as their into music. Although, this time, that particular song selection did underscore the fact that this 1973 concert was the “first” by a single performer* to be broadcast live, via satellite.
People in 40 countries (mostly in Asia and Oceana) watched the broadcast in real time and people in Europe watched it with a slightly delay (and a little editing). Most people in the United States, however, were not able to watch the concert until April 4th (due to the Super Bowl broadcast and the fact that the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer documentary Elvis On Tour was playing on the mainland). Wearing an iconic white jumpsuit with rhinestones in patriotic designs, Elvis sang his classics and Kui Lee’s “I’ll Remember You.” He also announced that the proceeds from the pay-what-you-will concert were being donated to the Kui Lee Cancer Fund.
Kuiokalani Lee was a Chinese-born American singer-songwriter who served in the United States Coast Guard and penned popular hits by Don Ho during the Hawai’ian Renaissance. Diagnosed with cancer in 1965, he performed (as Kui Lee) until his death in 1966 (at the age of 34). He was posthumously awarded the Lifetime Achievement award by the Hawai’i Academy of Recording Arts and inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame. Donations from Elvis’s “Aloha from Hawai’i, live via Satellite” concert totaled $75,000 (which would be almost $514,700 in 2024) for cancer research.
The songs performed for the audience at Honolulu International Center, plus some that Elvis recorded before the concert, were included on the live album and the U. S. broadcast. Four (out of five) additional songs recorded (directly) after the live concert were included in the U. S. special, but were not initially included on the live album. In fact, the five songs recorded after the concert were not issued on any album until the posthumous release of Mahalo From Elvis (in 1978) and were not available as part of the “live” album until it was reissued as a CD in 1998. Additionally, people listening to the album, and/or watching the April 1973 broadcast, did not hear the announcement about the Kui Lee Cancer Fund.
Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite, the live album, was originally released as a two-disc set in quadraphonic sound. Although most people did not listen to the album as it was initially released — because the technology was not in place for people to truly appreciate the “surround sound” — and RCA quickly re-issued the album in standard stereophonic version, it was the first album formatted in such a way to top the Billboard album chart.
LANDING HIGH
“If you want to lift a hundred pounds, you don’t expect to succeed the first time. You start with a lighter weight and work up little by little. You actually fail to lift a hundred pounds, every day, until the day you succeed. But it is in the days when you are exerting yourself that growth is occurring.”
— quoted from the “Notes and References [related to Chapter 6. Brain Lock Unlocked — Using Plasticity to Stop Worries, Obsessions, Compulsions, and Bad Habits]” in The Brain the Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science by Norman Doidge, M.D.
Every “first” has a back story. We may think, say, and even believe that something happened overnight, but the reality is that there’s always an idea and/or an innovation that precedes the next idea and innovation. For example, the president’s first flight and the king’s first concert broadcast via satellite required an idea and technology — a backstory, if you will — that started firmly on terra firma. The backstory for this final “first” also starts on the ground… with people looking up… in the mid to late 17th century.
Giovanni Domenico Cassini, also known as Jean-Dominique Cassini, was an Italian-French mathematician, astronomer, and engineer (born June 8, 1625) who experienced a lot of significant “firsts” in his lifetime. His contributions to science include determining the rotation periods of Jupiter and Mars; discovering four moons of Saturn, the reason one of those moons varies in brightness, and the Cassini Division (between the two outermost rings of Saturn); and beginning (towards the end of his life) what would become the first topographic map of France. He also published his observations regarding the topography of Mars. However, he was not the first to discover the surface markings on Mars — that distinction belongs to Christiaan Huygens (born April 14, 1629), a Dutch mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor who was also a Dutch nobleman.
In addition to being the first Western scientist to observe the markings on Mars, Christiaan Huygens is considered a significant part of the Scientific Revolution. He discovered the largest of Saturn’s moons; was the first to describe Saturn’s rings as “a thin, flat, ring, nowhere touching [Saturn;]” and developed a system for calculating relative sizes and stellar distances within (and of) the solar system. He also advanced the designs of telescopes; identified and codified laws and/or formulas of elastic collision, centrifugal force, and the wave theory of light; and invented the pendulum clock.
“Cassini is a mission of firsts. Time and time again it has continued to surprise us. Astounding observations. It has changed our thinking irrevocably.”
— Jim Green, NASA Planetary Science Division Director, quoted from the video “Cassini’s First Dive Between Saturn and Its Rings” posted on NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology site
Since Giovanni Cassini and Christiaan Huygens contributed so much to Western scientists’ understanding of Saturn, it is not surprising that a major mission to Saturn bears their names. Known as Cassini–Huygens, the mission to study Saturn and its system was a collaboration between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). It brought together teams from 27 different countries and featured NASA’s Cassini space probe and ESA’s Huygens lander. The probe, launched on October 15, 1997, was the fourth to visit Saturn. It collected data en route and (on July 1, 2004) became the first to enter Saturn’s orbit. The lander separated from the probe on December 4, 2004, and landed on Saturn’s largest moon (Titan) on January 14, 2005 — becoming the first successful landing in the outer solar system and the first lunar landing on a moon other than Earth’s moon.
The Huygens lander transmitted data, via the probe, for about 90 minutes after landing. The overall Cassini–Huygens mission (also known simply as Cassini) was extended twice; with the first extension known as the Cassini Equinox Mission and the second known as the Cassini Solstice Mission. The extensions allowed the probe to continue collecting data (from Saturn’s orbit) until September 15, 2017, when it entered Saturn’s (upper) atmosphere. The data collected during the nineteen years and eleven months of observation is still being analyzed and will foster better understanding of Saturn, our solar system, and life in (and beyond) our solar system. It will also provide the foundation for the next round of cosmic “firsts.”
“… Don protested. ‘But that’s theoretically impossible— isn’t it?’
Dr. Jefferson brushed it aside. ‘Everything is theoretically impossible, until it’s done. One could write a history of science in reverse by assembling the solemn pronouncements of highest authority about what could not be done and could never happen. Studied any mathematical philosophy, Don? Familiar with infinite universe sheafs and open-ended postulate systems?’
‘Uh, I’m afraid not, sir.’
‘Simple idea and very tempting. The notion that everything is possible—and I mean everything—and everything has happened. Everything.’”
— quoted from “II: ‘Mene, Mene, Tekel,Upharsin’” in Between Planets by Robert A. Heinlein
*NOTE: The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) coordinated national broadcasters, performing artists, and other participants from fourteen different countries for a live variety show that was broadcast via satellite to 24 countries on Sunday, June 25, 1967. The “other participants” included fishermen, construction workers, and other laborers selected by individual countries.
Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Lent and/or the 19-Day Fast. May we all find unity throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!
“Some ideas may resonate, others may not. A few may awaken an inner knowing you forgot you had. Use what’s helpful. Let go of the rest.
Each of these moments is an invitation to further inquiry: looking deeper, zooming out, or in. Opening possibilities for a new way of being.”
— quoted from the prelude to The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
What would happen if every practice — and, really, everything we did — started with the reminder above (which comes courtesy of a person who has been meditating for almost fifty years)? I think it would help us be more mindful and, perhaps, more intentional. I think, also, that it would make us a little more in tune to how we feel and to what changes the way we feel. Since a catalyst creates and/or increases a fundamental shift without itself undergoing a permanent change, we can use our heightened awareness to go back, again and again, to that catalyst; whether it is a person, place, or a thing… like a good piece of music.
“‘The right sound reaches its hand out and finds its way. So much of what I do is just being present and listening for that right sound.’”
— Rick Rubin, quoted from The New York Times article, “The Music Man,” by Lynn Hirschberg (Sept. 2, 2007)
A good piece of musical work can inspire you, touch you, and can express what you’re feeling even when you can’t put those feelings into words. A good piece of music can pump us up; hold us when we’re feeling down; and make sense of things that are twisted and upside down. Good music may start with the lyrics or the musical notes, but what ultimately sticks with us is the way it sounds… the way it feels… and when it comes to a recording, the way music sounds and feels has as much to do with the way it’s mixed and produced as it does with the way it’s written and composed.
Again, I don’t know the math, but I feel safe in saying that however you do the math, odds are that, on any given day, my playlist contains music in some way connected to producer who has been described as looking like a hippie Guru, a ZZ Top impersonator, and a medium-sized (teddy) bear. Known as “The Loudness King,” as well as “DJ Double R,” Frederick Jay “Rick” Rubin was born today in 1963. While my high school and college buddies were making mixed tapes, Rick Rubin, spent his senior year in college creating a record label: Def Jam Recordings.
“‘When I’m listening, I’m looking for a balance that you could see in anything. Whether it’s a great painting or a building or a sunset. There’s just a natural human element to a great song that feels immediately satisfying. I like the song to create a mood.’”
— Rick Rubin quoted in The New York Times article, “The Music Man,” by Lynn Hirschberg (Sept. 2, 2007)
You might associate Def Jam with rap music. In reality, however, DJ Double R has produced everything from rap to jazz to country to pop to opera to kirtan. He has won at least 8 Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for his work with The Chicks (2007) and with that other famous chick, Adele (2012). He also won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2007 and 2009, and, in 2007, he was named as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World” by Time Magazine.
Rick Rubin once said, “‘I do not know how to work a board. I don’t turn knobs. I have no technical ability whatsoever….But I’m there when they need me to be there. My primary asset is I know when I like something or not. It always comes down to taste. I’m not there to hold their hands and baby-sit, but I’m there for any key creative decisions.’” I’m not sure that I 100% believe the first claim, but I absolutely see evidence of everything else. Music produced by Mr. Rubin often has extreme dynamics in sound, hence his “Loudness King” moniker — even though what often balances the loudness is extremes of quiet. It’s the dichotomy that works for our brains. In fact, since our brains crave that kind of stimuli, those extremes make songs like “Walk This Way” (his collaboration between Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith) the adult version of a lullaby.
That collaboration, one of his most famous, is typical Rick Rubin: outside the box – in a way that no one else thinks of doing, but then wishes they had. He sees it as breaking down boundaries and part of that is pushing people out of their comfort zones, which often produces a sound that is uniquely an artist’s style and yet, simultaneously, different. Getting pushed out of his box was definitely the experience Ed Sheeran had when working with the legendary producer on x. At one point Mr. Sheeran was afraid that, as good as the songs sounded, they wouldn’t be playable on the radio. So, he wrote and recorded additional music that fit more in the “pop Top 40” paradigm.
“From the first hip-hop records he produced for L L Cool J and the Beastie Boys, he insisted on classic song structure. ‘Before Def Jam, hip-hop records were typically really long, and they rarely had a hook,’ [Rubin] continued. ‘Those songs didn’t deliver in the way the Beatles did. By making our rap records sound more like pop songs, we changed the form. And we sold a lot of records.’”
— quoted from The New York Times article, “The Music Man,” by Lynn Hirschberg (Sept. 2, 2007)
When Rick Rubin left Def Jam Recordings, he planned to start a new label called “Def American Recordings.” While his focus had started to turn more and more toward rock and metal, DJ Double R was not leaving his roots behind. Remember, he started with punk and rap music — like that of the Beastie Boys. Yes, the Beastie Boys actually started with experimental hardcore punk music and evolved into hip-hop stylists. In fact, Rick Rubin was instrumental (a-ahem) in their transition. (Alas, as I noted during the practice, my favorite Beastie Boys album is more jazz than punk or hip-hop and is not produced by Mr. Rubin.) After he become friends with DJ Jazzy Jay and starting a partnership with Russell Simmons, his Def Jam Recordings took off — releasing their first full-length album (L. L. Cool J’s Radio) and signing groups like Public Enemy. When he started Def American Recordings, he continued his relationships with L. L. Cool J, Public Enemy, and Run-D.M.C. — but he quickly ended his relationship with “def.”
A decade after he brought the word to the awareness of the general public, Rick Rubin felt like “def” had lost its meaning. In 1993, when he learned “def” was in the dictionary, he decided to hold an actual funeral for the word — complete with a casket; a horse-drawn hearse; a grave and engraved headstone; a New Orleans-style first and second line (played by six-piece brass band); and a eulogy by Reverend Al Sharpton. Among the 1500+ in attendance were Black Panthers and celebrity “mourners” like The Amazing Kreskin, Tom Petty, Rosanna Arquette, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sir Mix-A-Lot, and pallbearer Mo Ostin (Warner Brothers Records chairman).
“Sharpton’s eulogy summarized the Death of Def in eloquent style, stating that def meant ‘more than excellent. Like, def-iantly excellent with a bang. Now the bang is out of def. It’s lost its exclusivity to the in, def-iant crowd. It died of terminal acceptance.’”
— quoted from the article “Loud End for Def Records” by Wimana (Imo Wimana Chadband), posted on the Raptology.com February 5, 2020
In many ways, the funeral (on August 27, 1993) was a spectacular way to launch his new labels new name: American Recordings. One of the other ways he decided to make a name for his new label was to “find” an artist who was also ready to be “reintroduced” to the world. He wanted someone legendary, but not in the same season they had been in when they first made a name for themselves. He wanted someone like Johnny Cash. Ultimately, Rick Rubin would produce six Johnny Cash “American Recordings,” two of which were released after Johnny Cash’s death. The albums were critical and commercial successes, earning the 2003 Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal (“Give My Love to Rose”); the 2003 Country Music Association award for Single of the Year (for a cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” — the music video of which also won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video); the 2003 Grammy Nomination for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (for a cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge over Troubled Water, with Fiona Apple); and a plethora of other awards and nominations.
While Rick Rubin attributes a couple of his nicknames to the fact that he has a long beard, his work has contributed to this idea that he is a “teacher.” He often gives advice about the creative process and spent 8 years working on The Creative Act: A Way of Being (2023). Mr. Rubin said that the book was meant to be “… about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be.”
“We’re making something with our hearts and souls, and then we’re sharing it with the world. And if people like it, it’s great, and if they don’t, we wouldn’t change it, because we’ve made it with our hearts and souls, and it’s true. It’s a true thing we’re doing.”
— Rick Rubin, quoted from an NPR, All Things Considered interview with Rachel Martin entitled “Rick Rubin on taking communion with Johnny Cash and not rushing creativity” (December 10, 2023)
Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, March 10th) at 2:30 PM.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 by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Songs for the DJ’s Adventure”]
Kirtan is a form of Bhakti Yoga (or union through devotion/love) and involves chanting with music. One of the Rick Rubin-produced songs on the March 10th playlist is a Krishna Das kirtan version of “Brindavan Hare Ram,” which appears on Breath of the Heart. In the album’s liner notes, Krishna Das noted that the melody appeared on a previous album and that when he mentioned missing the singer and his daughter (after they died), “…Ram Dass said, ‘You tell that story wrong.’ / He was right. / Aren’t they [here] in this music,/in this song of longing and unbearable / sweetness. Don’t they live in our lives and sing in our song, in the One Life which breathes in all of us?”
Rick Rubin expressed this same sentiment after Johnny Cash died. He said he “would close his eyes and hear Cash’s voice as he said the benediction. ‘It was like hearing a song that you love,’ Rubin said. ‘He was there with me.’” (ibid, Hirschberg)
*NOTE: This is a remix of one part of a 2021 post. It includes new information and quotes.
Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Lent and/or the 19-Day Fast during the “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!
“Much of one’s spiritual discipline must therefore focus on taming wayward senses and being ever vigilant against the treacherousness of the senses. The refinement of an individual or a society is measured by the yardstick of how well greed and desires are controlled.
The Illumined Ones subdue their senses and hold them in check by keeping their minds ever intent on achieving the overarching goal of union with God. They get in the habit of substituting divine thoughts for attractions of the senses.”
— Krishna speaking to Arjuna (2.60 – 61) in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley
Please join me today (Wednesday, March 6th) 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 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.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09132020 What Is Inside, II”]
“But when you can move about in a world that surrounds you with sense attractions, and yet be free of either attachment or aversion to them, tranquility comes and sits in your heart — and you are absorbed in the peace and wisdom of the Self within. Serenity, Arjuna, is the point at which all sorrow ends!”
— Krishna speaking to Arjuna (2.64 – 65) in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley
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.)
Happy Read Across America Day! Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Lent and/or the 19-Day Fast, during this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!
“Be mature and honorable in the relationship you have with yourself and accept responsibility for the person you have become.”
— quoted from “Morning Visual Meditation” (Chakra 3) by Caroline Myss
Please join me today (Saturday, March 2nd) 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 playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “03022021 Ready, Set….”]
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.)
### Acknowledge the elephant in the room (and the cat in the hat). ###
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A Joyful Practice 