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Remember, “It’s Much More Than Just a Candlelight”* (the “missing” Saturday post w/excerpts) December 9, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Books, Changing Perspectives, Chanukah, Dharma, Faith, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Life, Loss, Mathematics, Meditation, Men, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.
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“Happy Chanukah!” to all who are celebrating. May all be safe and protected, during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence (November 25th – December 10th) and on all the other days of the year.

This “missing” post for Saturday, December 9th is a compilation of previously and newly posted information. You can request an audio recording of a related 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; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.

Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.

“If [a person has the opportunity to fulfill only one of two mitzvot,] lighting a lamp for one’s home [i.e., Sabbath candles] or lighting a Chanukah lamp – or, alternatively, lighting a lamp for one’s home or reciting kiddush – the lamp for one’s home receives priority, since it generates peace within the home.
[Peace is of primary importance, as reflected by the mitzvah requiring] God’s name to be blotted out to create peace between a husband and his wife. Peace is great, for the entire Torah was given to bring about peace within the world, as [Proverbs 3:17] states: ‘Its ways are pleasant ways and all its paths are peace.’
Blessed be the Merciful One who grants assistance. This concludes the third book.”

— quoted from Mishneh Torah, Scroll of Hanukkah (Halakhah) by Rambam (translation by Eliyahu Touger. Jerusalem, Moznaim Pub. c1986-c2007, Dedicated in memory of Irving Montak, z”l)

Moses ben Maimon, known as Maimonides and often referred to as Rambam, was a Sephardic Jewish rabbi, physician, and philosopher who was as prolific and influential as he was (to some) controversial. He is remembered as one of the most important scholars of Torah and Halakhah (Jewish law) and his legacy is very much alive in the way people live, celebrate, and honor their faith. For example, one of his treatise  is a breakdown of Chanukah — in which he continually reinforced the most important aspects of the holiday in the event that one could not celebrate under ideal conditions.

Unfortunately, those contingencies were vital to people who have, historically, found themselves living under less than ideal situations. Of course, I understand that highlighting a reference to peace and Chanukah — especially one from Rambam, who was also an Islamic scholar — may feel off to some people right now.

But… let’s be real.

If you are Jewish, if you celebrate the commanded holidays, if you are in community with Jewish people — and/or Palestinian people — and/or if you are someone (like me) who honors the rituals and traditions of different cultures, Chanukah hits different this year. How could it not? After all, Chanukah is a celebration of a series of miracles directly connected to a revolt against oppression and battles fought for the survival of the Jewish community — and it started at sunset on Thursday night… exactly two months (to the date) after a horrendous terrorist attack in Israel.

The attack happened during a sacred time of celebration within the Jewish community and during a music festival that attracted people from around the world. It also happened around the anniversary of a war in 1973 (that also occurred during a holy time in both Judaism and Islam) and on the anniversary of other significant conflicts that have taken place in Israel and in the Gaza Strip. For two months and counting, Israelis and Palestinians (not to mention people of other nationalities who were in the area), have dealt with more terror and more horror, more conflict and more war… without any end in sight.

One could argue that none of this is new in the Middle East. One could argue that this darkness has been omnipresent and that people have celebrated Chanukah in Israel for decades in spite (and because) of this exact kind of darkness. One could argue that there have been (and continue to be place) places where it is not safe to celebrate — yet people find a way. One could argue that Chanukah has always inspired some people to shine in the way they live their faith and for some people to shine in the way they defend their faith.

I would argue, however, that for people outside of Israel — and maybe, even, for some people in Israel — the parallels between what was and what is are more striking. I would argue that what felt (for some) like a theoretical threat has become a very real (and present) existential danger. I would argue that while it is easy (maybe too easy) to ignore what was happening to others (e.g., random Greek citizens) during the the 2nd century BCE, it is detrimental to ignore how this current crisis affects Palestinian civilians, a good majority of whom were/are children.

I would argue that it is one thing to study and debate the laws of faith when one can spiritually (and/or intellectually) bypass the connection between what someone thinks and says and the actions that person actually commits and/or inspires others to commit.

“It’s much more than just a candlelight
’cause we’ve fought more than just a little fight”

— quoted from the song “Victory” by Nissim Black

Full disclosure, I do not political (or even philosophically) align with the American-Israeli Rapper/Singer Nissim Black, who was born today (December 9th) in 1986. That said, I have been inspired by some of his music, including his 2022 Chanukah song entitled “Victory.” Yes, the song and video literally (and figuratively) hit different given current events and the fact that his home is under attack. Yes, his song and lyrics are very intentional and specific to Chanukah and the Jewish people. None of that, however, negates the fact that the symbolism he references in the song applies to everyone in the world.

Remember: Light shines on more than one person or group of people and we all must fight against the darkness, inside of us and all around us.

For Those Who Missed It: The following excerpt was originally posted, in a slightly different context, in 2021. In addition to some slightly revisions, some dates and links have been updated. As we do in the physical practice, I encourage you to use it as a starting point for svādhyāya (“self-study”).

Light and the symbolic meanings of light have been celebrated since the beginning of time and by every culture on the planet. During the darkest times of the year, people celebrate light as well as the symbolic meaning of light overcoming darkness. In the Northern Hemisphere, we have a whole long list of winter celebrations that start around Halloween and will continue into the beginning of the new secular year. This year’s celebrations started with Samhain (October 31-November 1); which was followed by Diwali, the 5-day Indian festival of lights, (November 9-15); and now Chanukah, the 8-day Jewish festival of lights, which started at sunset on Thursday. The highlight, some might even say the culmination, of the Chanukah story is “the miracle of the oil,” the miracle of light. However, the fact that there were eight nights and eight days of light when there was only enough oil for one day is just one of many miracles in the story — and one could argue that it’s not even the final miracle.

“(1) Rabbi [Judah HaNassi] would say: Which is the right path for man to choose for himself? Whatever is harmonious for the one who does it, and harmonious for mankind.

Be as careful with a minor mitzvah as with a major one, for you do not know the rewards of the mitzvot. Consider the cost of a mitzvah against its rewards, and the rewards of a transgression against its cost….

(3) Be careful with the government, for they befriend a person only for their own needs. They appear to be friends when it is beneficial to them, but they do not stand by a person at the time of his distress.”

— quoted from Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) (2:1 & 2:3)

More often than not, I question where to begin this story. For some, it makes sense to start with Matīṯyāhū and his sons, the ones who would become known as the Maccabees, and how they defied the orders of King Antiochus IV Epiphanes. But, I like to put certain actions in context – which means going back over two hundred years to the rule of Alexander the Great who, in the 4th century BCE, conquered Persia and expanded the Greek empire – an expansion that included the Jewish people.

Alexander’s attitude towards the Jews and their faith is sometimes described as “tolerant.” He didn’t really care what they did or what they believed, because he didn’t see them as a threat. Life was hard if you were a Jew under the reign of Alexander the Great, and even under the rule of many of the Greek kings that came after him. It was hard to make a living and you would face harassment and bullying, but you could do you (as we say these days).

Of course, some people wanted an easier life. Known as Hellenic Jews, these people changed the way they dressed and wore their hair; the things they ate; how they talked; and what they talked about. They even changed the way they practiced their faith. They stopped observing the Sabbath and (publicly) studying Torah. They stopped circumcising their male children or devised ways to hide the circumcision. This last part was necessary, because of there were many aspects of Greek life that required men to be nude. However, by the 2nd century BCE it wasn’t enough to hide who you were. King Antiochus made it illegal, under penalty of death, to be Jewish or to practice the faith. He also created situations, like appointing High Priests and building a gymnasium outside of the temple, that made it harder for people to hide.

It’s one thing to keep the faith when doing so just makes things a little uncomfortable. It’s another thing altogether to keep the faith when doing so could result in your death. Yes, I know; throughout the history of religion there has been religious persecution and there have been people who kept the faith despite that persecution. But, whenever it happens, I think it’s a bit of a miracle.

To understand why people keep the faith, sometimes it’s helpful to understand what the believe. Definitely, in this case, to really understand the Maccabees and the gravity of what they did, we have to understand what they believed – which means getting into a bit of Torah… and, eventually, going back to the beginning of time.

“And God said, ‘Light will be,’ and light was.”

— Transliteration of the Hebrew from Bereishit – Genesis (1:3), most commonly translated as “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.

So, in the beginning of the Abrahamic creation story, there was God, there was heaven and earth, there was water, and there was “the spirit on the water.” There was also emptiness and darkness. Then, depending on how you translate or interpret the text from the Hebrew Bible (which is also the Christian Old Testament), God either created light with a command or predicted the existence of light. Either way, in the original Hebrew, the twenty-fifth word is ohr (“light”) and Chanukah begins, every year, on the 25th of Kislev. (Similarly, Christmas occurs, every year, on the 25th of December, but that’s a another story.)

Matīṯyāhū and his sons believed this creation story, believed in God and the power of God, and lived their lives according to their faith. They were priests who studied the word and the laws of their people and, therefore, observed the commandments and the commanded holidays. Of course, if you look at Vayikra–Leviticus 23, where the appointed festivals and holy days are outlined, you won’t find any mention of a festival of light. Neither will you find mention of Chanukah in the similar list located in Devarim–Deuteronomy 16. After all, the word chanukah means “dedication” and that doesn’t happen until later in the story.

What you will find instead, at the beginning of Vayikra–Leviticus 24, is a commandment to “take to you pure olive oil, crushed for lighting, to kindle the lamps continually” and detailed instructions on how the menorah should be publicly displayed (24:1-3). You will also find, at the end of Devarim–Deuteronomy 16 and the beginning of Devarim–Deuteronomy 17, commandments on what not to do; instructions to investigate reports of transgressions; and instructions on punishments. Now, I am not going to support or condone the instructions on punishments. I am just pointing out that they are there and that Matīṯyāhū and his sons believed in these instructions.

When the father was told to make a sacrifice to the Greek gods, he refused. When a Hellenic Jew stepped up to perform the desecration in his place, Matīṯyāhū killed him. His actions meant that he and his family had to flee to the caves in the wilderness. Others followed them — and I don’t just mean physically. They also followed them spiritually. In the caves, the people studied Torah, observed the Sabbath, and kept the faith. They were a light in the wilderness.

“The world that we live in, so much cold and strife
One little light to warm another life
Fill the darkest night with the brightest light
Cause it’s time for you to shine
A little dedication, a small illumination
Just one person to change a whole nation
Let me see the light”

— quoted from the song “Shine” by the Maccabeats

At some point, someone suggested that this father and his sons, this band of brothers, should take on the Greek army. Now, keep two things in mind. First, Matīṯyāhū and his sons were Kohens; they were priests and scholars. They weren’t warriors or athletes, like the Greeks. In fact, one could say that they were the polar opposite. Second, the Greek army at this time was (reportedly) the biggest and best trained army in the world. Remember, they were the army of a people and a culture that prized physical prowess. So, it was kind of ludicrous to consider going up against them.

Yet, take them on they did… which brings us back to their beliefs and the power of their beliefs.

Remember, the earlier commandments on setting up temple, observing the Sabbath, and all the different ways of keeping the faith were codified within the context of God leading the Jews out of slavery in Egypt. Matīṯyāhū and his sons may not have been physically ready for the battle, but they were mentally and spiritually ready. They knew the wilderness and they knew the Torah. They knew that in Shemot–Exodus 15, their ancestors sang of the power of God. They knew that story included the words, “Who is like You among the powerful, O Lord? Who is like You, powerful in the holy place? Too awesome for praises, performing wonders!” (S-E 15:11) And that, at least that first part, became their battle cry.

They put the initials of the battle cry on their shields and banners. When Matīṯyāhū died, Judah, the son he left in charge, became known as Judah Maccabee (or Judas Maccabeus, in Greek). While there are several other explanations for the name and for the meaning behind the name, the one I learned first was that Maccabee (the acronym) sounded like the word for “hammer” and so the people in the revolt became known as God’s hammer. For seven years, the hammer came down on the mighty Greek army and eventually defeated them. This, depending on how you count, is the second or third miracle of the story: the light breaking through the darkness.

“But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said to Judas: How shall we, being few, be able to fight against so great a multitude, and so strong, and we are ready to faint with fasting today?

And Judas said: It is an easy matter for many to be shut up in the hands of a few: and there is no difference in the sight of the God of heaven to deliver with a great multitude, or with a small company:

For the success of war is not in the multitude of the army, but strength cometh from heaven.”

— 1 Maccabees 3:17-19 (DRB)

The Maccabees returned to the temple and found it was completely wrecked. Everything forbidden had taken place. There were idols and evidence of sacrifice. The menorah was not lit and bottles of olive oil had been shattered and in other ways desecrated. Cleaning up the temple became the new battle. Rededicating the temple became the new mission. In the process of cleaning up and restoring the temple, they (miraculously) found one vial of oil that still had the seal of the High Priest. Who knows how old the vial was? Who know who found it? Doesn’t matter. It was another miracle.

It would take several days, over a week, to make the oil required to light the menorah as detailed in the Torah. Using the one vial of oil would be a symbolic gesture — one might even call it a sign of faith. But, it wouldn’t fulfill the commandment, because they wouldn’t be able to keep the candles “continually” lit. They had to make a choice: wait or do what they could do.

They decided to do what they could do. Miraculously, the candles stayed lit. As I point out each year, going into the first day and the second night — even the second day and the third night — people might have thrown the word “miracle” around lightly. After all, there was always the possibility that someone had measured the oil incorrectly and that there was more than expected in the vial. (We won’t get into the odds of that happening or the odds of that particular bottle being the one that wasn’t violated.) However, as the nights and the days progressed, there was no denying that “a great miracle happened.”

Letters on dreidels (outside of Israel): nun (נ), gimel (ג), hei (ה), and shin (ש)

Letters on dreidels (in Israel): nun (נ), gimel (ג), hei (ה), and pei, (פ)

— Hebrew letters symbolizing the phrases (in Hebrew) “A great miracle happened there” and “A great miracle happened here”

Every year, people celebrate the miracle of the oil and commemorate the rededication of the temple. Part of that celebration is a game that involves spinning a four-sided top, a dreidel. Each side contains a Hebrew letter that represents a word. While many people only think of the dreidel in the context of modern celebrations, the practice of spinning the top actually dates back to the time of the Maccabees. It was a way for children (in particular) to study in secret.

Except in extenuating circumstances, when it is not safe to do so, people are instructed to place their hanukia (a special menorah for the occasion) next to their door or in a window that can be seen from the street — so that anyone walking past will be reminded of the miracle that started with faith. In some traditions, each person lights their own individual hanukia — again, in a place that is visible. Lighting the candles is a sign a faith, a sign that people are keeping the faith, and after all this time, that is itself a miracle.

Lighting the candles in as public of a way as is possible is a way to see someone’s faith and, also, a way by which the faithful “see everything else.” If you look at a hanukia you will notice that it is different from a regular menorah. The primary way it is different is that there are nine candles instead of seven. I know, if you are unaware of this, you’re thinking, “Wait. Aren’t there supposed to be eight candles?” One would think that, except for the fact that the eight candles (and lighting them) are part of a mitzvah (“commandment”). Therefore, they can’t do any other “work.”

The ninth candle, the one that is set apart — either out to the side or on a different plane than the others — is a worker, an attendant, a caretaker: the Shamash. It is the candle that lights all the other lights and, in Orthodox homes, it is the light by which people read the Torah and play the dreidel. It is the light by which people see.

Take a moment to notice, in this story and in all the other light related stories of this dark season (even the ones from faiths that don’t share roots), to notice there is always a worker, an attendant, a shamash or caretaker of the miracle. There is always someone who is the source of light. Whether that light is goodness, wisdom, love, kindness, compassion, equanimity, or joy there is always someone shining bright. And if we see the world in that light, by that light, we all end up living a better world.

Since the Saturday practice focused on grace (of self) as well as light, we ended with a little more light… and a little more grace — both in the form of a person who was true “shamesh” in the world: United States Navy Rear Admiral Grace Brewster Murray Hopper, who was born today (December 9th) in 1906, and was known as “Amazing Grace,” “the Queen of Code,” “the Queen of Software,” and “Grandma COBOL.”

Click here for the 2020 post about the person who often gets the credit when we say we have a “bug” in the system.

“[Grace Hopper] said, ‘The most important thing I’ve accomplished, other than building the compiler, is training young people. They come to me, you know, and say, “Do you think we can do this?” I say, “Try it.” And I back ’em up. They need that. I keep track of them as they get older and I stir ’em up at intervals so they don’t forget to take chances.’”

— quoted from “Grace Hopper: The Admiral in Command of Knowledge” by Jan Adkins, published in  30 People Who Changed the World: Fascinating bite-sized essays from award winning writers – Intriguing People Through the Ages: From Imhotep to Malala Yousafzai (Got a Minute?), Edited by Jean Haddon

Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Chanukah (Day 2-3) 2022”]

NOTE: The YouTube playlists contains some official videos that are not available on Spotify. 

*TITLE NOTE: The title for this post features lyrics from the song “Victory” by Nissim Black (which can be found at the end of the playlists).

### PEACE ###

Remember, “It’s Much More Than Just a Candlelight”* (mostly the music) December 9, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Chanukah, Music, One Hoop, Religion.
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“Happy Chanukah!” to all who are celebrating. May all be safe and protected, during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence (November 25th – December 10th) and on all the other days of the year.

“(1) Rabbi [Judah HaNassi] would say: Which is the right path for man to choose for himself? Whatever is harmonious for the one who does it, and harmonious for mankind.

Be as careful with a minor mitzvah as with a major one, for you do not know the rewards of the mitzvot. Consider the cost of a mitzvah against its rewards, and the rewards of a transgression against its cost….

(3) Be careful with the government, for they befriend a person only for their own needs. They appear to be friends when it is beneficial to them, but they do not stand by a person at the time of his distress.”

— quoted from Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) (2:1 & 2:3)

Please join me today (Saturday, December 9th) at 12:00 PM, for a 90-minute yoga practice on Zoom. 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.

Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Chanukah (Day 2-3) 2022”]

NOTE: The YouTube playlists contains some official videos that are not available on Spotify. 

*TITLE NOTE: The title for this post features lyrics from the song “Victory” by Nissim Black (which can be found at the end of the playlists).

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.)

### PEACE ###

EXCERPT (w/links): “When Do You Feel Free?” December 6, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Music, One Hoop, Peace, Suffering, Wisdom, Yoga.
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May all beings everywhere be happy and be free, during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence (November 25th – December 10th) and on all the other days of their lives.

“At the last session of Congress a proposed amendment of the Constitution abolishing slavery throughout the United States passed the Senate, but failed for lack of the requisite two-thirds vote in the House of Representatives. Although the present is the same Congress and nearly the same members, and without questioning the wisdom or patriotism of those who stood in opposition, I venture to recommend the reconsideration and passage of the measure at the present session. Of course the abstract question is not changed; but an intervening election shows almost certainly that the next Congress will pass the measure if this does not. Hence there is only a question of time as to when the proposed amendment will go to the States for their action. And as it is to so go at all events, may we not agree that the sooner the better?”

— quoted from State of the Union 1864, delivered to the United States Congress by President Abraham Lincoln (on 12/6/1864)

The following is excerpted from the 2022 version of a 2020 post:

“Today in 1864, during his State of the Union Address, President Abraham Lincoln urged Congress and the States to take action “the sooner the better” on an amendment to abolish slavery. He proceeded to very actively, more actively than had previously been witnessed in other presidencies, work towards securing the votes needed to pass and ratify what would become the 13th Amendment — which was, in fact, ratified today in 1865.

Ratification of the 13th Amendment “officially” made slavery illegal in the United States. It also rendered the Fugitive Slave Clause moot and created the opportunity for more representation, by eliminating certain aspects of the Three-Fifths Compromise. So, we celebrate today, right? Right??

Funny thing about that ratification: Even before we address things like the 18th Century “Tignon Laws,” the 19th Century “Black Codes” or “Black Laws,” and the “Jim Crow Laws” enacted in the late 19th and early 20 Centuries — or the fact that a 14th and 15th Amendment were needed to secure the rights, privileges, and immunities of formerly enslaved people and their descendants (let alone all the Acts) — we need to look at the how the 13th Amendment was ratified.

Click here to read the entire post.

“It is not claimed that the election has imposed a duty on members to change their views or their votes any further than, as an additional element to be considered, their judgment may be affected by it. It is the voice of the people now for the first time heard upon the question. In a great national crisis like ours unanimity of action among those seeking a common end is very desirable–almost indispensable. And yet no approach to such unanimity is attainable unless some deference shall be paid to the will of the majority simply because it is the will of the majority. In this case the common end is the maintenance of the Union, and among the means to secure that end such will, through the election, is most dearly declared in favor of such constitutional amendment.”

— quoted from State of the Union 1864, delivered to the United States Congress by President Abraham Lincoln (on 12/6/1864)

Please join me for a virtual yoga practice on Zoom, today (Wednesday, December 6th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM. 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 me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.  [“12062022 Freedom, XIII”]

NOTE: This is a remix based on the 4th of July and Juneteenth playlists. The playlists are slightly different, but mostly with regard to the before/after class music. The biggest difference is that the videos posted on the blog on July 4th do not appear on Spotify.]

“Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”

— “Amendment XIII” of The Constitution of the United States

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.)

### When Do You Breathe Freely (& Deeply)? ###

Breathe, Question, Change (a Monday Moving Meditation reflection) December 4, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Baha'i, Books, Changing Perspectives, Depression, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Loss, Meditation, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Suffering, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.
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May you be safe and protected / May you be peaceful and happy (and curious), during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence (November 25th – December 10th) and on all the other days of your life.

This is just a reflection related to Monday, December 4th. There is no recording for 2023; however, you can request an audio recording of a related practice (as listed below) 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; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.

Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.

“Here, where I am surrounded by an enormous landscape, which the winds move across as they come from the seas, here I feel that there is no one anywhere who can answer for you those questions and feelings which, in their depths, have a life of their own; for even the most articulate people are unable to help, since what words point to is so very delicate, is almost unsayable. But even so, I think that you will not have to remain without a solution if you trust in Things that are like the ones my eyes are now resting upon. If you trust in Nature, in what is simple in Nature, in the small Things that hardly anyone sees and that can so suddenly become huge, immeasurable; if you have this love for what is humble and try very simply, as someone who serves, to win the confidence of what seems poor: then everything will become easier for you, more coherent and somehow more reconciling, not in your conscious mind perhaps, which stays behind, astonished, but in your innermost awareness, awakeness, and knowledge. You are so young, so much before all beginning, and I would like to beg you, dear Sir, as well as I can, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.”

— quoted from Letter #4 (dated July 16, 1903) addressed to 19-year old officer cadet Franz Xaver Kappus, published in Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

Look back over the years (or check out the links indexed below) and you will see that I often reference and quote Rainer Maria Rilke, who was born today in 1875. I am particularly fond of the aforementioned advice the poet gave the 19-year old officer cadet Franz Xaver Kappus in the fourth letter, dated July 16, 1903. I go back to them again and again, in every season of every year of my life (to paraphrase Walt Whitman); because, I think it is great advice for everyone: “Live the questions….”

Of course, to live the questions requires us to breathe (into) the questions and notice what happens.

“To breathe! Oh poem we cannot see!
Pure space exchanged continually
For one’s own being. Counterpoise,
In which I come to be, a rhythm.”

— quoted from Sonnets to Orpheus, II.1 by Rainer Maria Rilke (translated by Robert Temple)

Just as there is something divine (universal and sacred) about the breath, there is something divine about questions. I am not sure we can be alive and not have questions. Additionally, in the Bahá’í Faith, each month is named after a virtue or attribute of God. One of the months is Masáʼil, which means “questions,” and it begins at sunset exactly a week after Rilke’s birthday. How serendipitous! So, I think this is the perfect time to ask ourselves questions; to live those questions; to breathe those questions; and to change with those questions.

That, as it turns out, is also good advice from Rilke. It is advice we can take on and off the mat.

“Want the change. Be inspired by the flame
where everything shines as it disappears.
The artist, when sketching, loves nothing so much
as the curve of the body as it turns away.

What locks itself in sameness has congealed.
Is it safer to be gray and numb?
What turns hard becomes rigid
and is easily shattered.

Pour yourself like a fountain.
Flow into the knowledge that what you are seeking
finishes often at the start, and, with ending, begins.

Every happiness is the child of a separation
it did not think it could survive. And Daphne, becoming a laurel,
dares you to become the wind.”

— quoted from Sonnets to Orpheus, II.12 by Rainer Maria Rilke

If you are interested in previous posts (and practices) related to Rainer Maria Rilke, check out the following:

“Quiet friend who has come so far,

feel how your breathing makes more space around you.
Let this darkness be a bell tower
and you the bell. As you ring,

what batters you becomes your strength.
Move back and forth into the change.
What is it like, such intensity of pain?
If the drink is bitter, turn yourself to wine.

In this uncontainable night,
be the mystery at the crossroads of your senses,
the meaning discovered there.

And if the world has ceased to hear you,
say to the silent earth: I flow.
To the rushing water, speak: I am”

— quoted from Sonnets to Orpheus, II.29 by Rainer Maria Rilke (translated by Joanna Macy) 

### What Helps You Breathe Deeply In and Breathe Deeply Out? ###

Gazing into the Heart, redux…again (a “missing” and “long-lost” post) December 3, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.
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May you be safe and protected / May you be peaceful and happy, during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence (November 25th – December 10th) and on all the other days of your life.

This “missing” post for Sunday, December 3rd (2023) includes information related to the 2022 practice on this date and a 2021 excerpt (as well as some information from 2014). You can request an audio recording of a related 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; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.

Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.

“Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

— James Baldwin (as quoted from the movie I Am Not Your Negro, directed by Raoul Peck)

Part of what appeals to me about the Yoga Philosophy is that I find it very practical: there are steps and step-by-step progressions. Another thing that has always resonated with me about the Yoga Philosophy is the idea that we all have an inner light and that we can tap into that inner light or (as Patanjali put it in Yoga Sūtra 2.52) uncover the light in a way that removes obstacles. In fact, according to Patanjali’s Yoga Sūtras, focusing on our inner light clears the mind and enables us to utilize the tool of samyama (the combined effort of focus, concentration, and meditation), which leads to all sorts of supernormal abilities. These siddhis (“accomplishments”) or powers include the ability to make oneself invisible (YS 3.21); the ability to see really small things, obstructed things, and things that are far away (YS 3.26); the ability to see those who have reached a higher plane of awareness (YS 3.33); and the ability to know… anything and everything (YS 3.34).

Keep in mind that those are just some of the abilities associated with light!

But, before we go any further into the light, I want to back up a little (as we did in 2022) — in order to better understand what comes next.

Yoga Sūtra 3.19: pratyayasya paracittajñānam

— “By making samyama on the distinguishing marks of another’s body, one obtains knowledge of the nature of the other’s mind.”

Yoga Sūtra 3.20: na ca tatsālambanaṃ tasyāviṣayãbhūtatvāt

— “But not of its contents, because that is not being the object of the samyama.”

Yoga Sūtra 3.35: hṛdaye cittasaṃvit

— “By making samyama on the heart, one gains knowledge of the content of the mind.”

Now, I’m not going to get into the physics, metaphysics, and logistics of the aforementioned supernormal abilities associated with light. Instead, let’s turn our awareness to something we can all do right now: Pay attention to our thoughts, words, and deeds — as well as the thoughts, words, and deeds of others. Because, as I often say, what is in the heart will be in the mind; what is in your mind (your thoughts) will become your words; and your words will precede your actions… which reflect what is in your heart.

Having said all that, again and again, it is really easy to look at what’s happening in the world and see more darkness than light. It’s really easy to think a lot of people are just running around with hearts of darkness — which is a really, super scary thought. However, I don’t completely believe that. Neither do I believe that most people are all sunshine and light. I believe we all have both light and darkness in our hearts.

I also believe that it is important to gaze into the places inside of ourselves where the light becomes the darkness… and the darkness becomes the light. I think that doing so allows us to engage our own light (more than our own darkness) and, also, to better help others engage their own light. Or, at the very least, this practice allows us to better understand why some people seem to consistently engage their shadow selves instead of the brighter parts of themselves.

Of course, we have to do this light (and dark) work mindfully, because…

“146. Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”

— quoted from “Fourth Chapter. Apophthegms and Interludes” in Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future by Friedrich Nietzsche

The following includes (revised) excerpts which were originally posted in 2021 and some new content. If you are interested in the original context, please click here for the post entitled “First Friday Night Special #14: ‘What’s at the Edge of Your Light?’”

“I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence but it comes from within. It is there all the time.”

— Anna Freud, psychoanalyst and teacher

Many people might think of Anna Freud (born December 3, 1895) as living in her father’s shadow. Really, as the youngest of six, some might think that she lived in her whole family’s shadow. It’s possible that being in everyone’s shadow gave her the perspective needed to see possibilities for other children. Either way, she didn’t stay in the shadows for long. She made a name for herself — first as a primary (or elementary) school teacher and then as a psychoanalyst. Her work as a psychoanalyst was slightly different from that of her illustrious father. She focused on the functions and benefits of a healthy ego and was able to parlay her experience in as an educator to become one of the pioneers of child psychology.

In her late twenties, Anna Freud presented a paper to the Vienna Psychoanalytical Society and then became a member. Within a year of joining the society, she was serving as its chairperson and had established her own practice (for children). In 1925, she started teaching her techniques and approach at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Training Institute. In 1927, she published her system. She spent nine years as the Secretary of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Training Institute and then, ten years after she started teaching, she became the institute’s director. A year later, in 1936, she published her groundbreaking study, The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defence, which postulated the ways by which humans protect themselves. Her ideas around these methods — including repression (which she said develop naturally and unconsciously in children); projection (of one’s own feelings onto another); directing aggressive behavior towards one’s self; identification with an overpowering aggressor; and divorcing ideas from feelings — became one of the cornerstones of adolescent psychology.

After the Nazi’s annexed Austria in March of 1938, Anna Freud was interrogated by the Gestapo. Being a Jewish woman and an intellectual, she had good reason to fear the worst and was prepared to protect herself using one of the same methods she had described in her work. She was eventually allowed to return home and, when her father was offered a way out of Vienna, she organized the Freud family’s immigration to London. In England, she not only continued her work, she broadened it. First she focused on the effects of war on children and their development. Later, after she had spent some time traveling and lecturing in the United States, she broadened her horizons and began studying the effects of being emotionally and/or social deprived and/or disadvantaged. She also did some work around how crime affected children’s development and published her collaborations with regard to laws and policies that could help children thrive.

“When she was eighty-five, a depressed young man sent her a lament about the chaotic state of the world, and she sent him a succinct statement of her credo: ‘I agree with you wholeheartedly that things are not as we would like them to be. However, my feeling is that there is only one way to deal with it, namely to try and be all right oneself, and to create around one at least a small circle where matters are arranged as one wants them to be.’”

— quoted from “Preface to the First Edition” of Anna Freud: A Biography (second edition) by Elisabeth Young-Bruehl

Just as was the case during Anna Freud’s lifetime, the world is in a chaotic state and “‘…things are not as we would like them to be.’” While many have created the small circle she suggested, it gets harder and harder as people get more and more isolated, siloed, and marginalized. In some ways, taking her suggestion begins to highlight the edge of the light… which is also the edge of the darkness. It does not, in and of itself, however, spread the light — neither does it prevent the darkness from spreading. For that we have to look at cause and effect.

We can absolutely look back and see how we got here. However, I think it is also important (and necessary) to look at where we are in order to see where we are going — especially when we find ourselves heading into the darkness. Maybe we find ourselves engaging our shadow self and the darkness inside of our own heart and mind, because someone pushes our buttons (and/or physically pushes us) and we feel like we must defend ourselves. Maybe, instead of fear or anger, it is doubt or grief that distracts us from our own light.

Either way, there are a lot of situations (and people) in the world that activate our sympathetic nervous system, compelling us to fight, flee, or freeze/collapse. One of the things of which we must be mindful is when we go from instinctual actions related to survival — including those highlighted by Anna Freud — to actions that are more related to our darkness than our light.

“Darkness. Few things frighten us more. The fear it creates is a constant in our existence: The living darkness of our bedrooms after our parents turn out the lights. The pregnant darkness beyond the glow of the bonfire as we listen to ‘spooky’ stories. The ancient darkness of the forest as we walk past deep shadows between trees. The shivering darkness of our own home when we step inside wondering if we’re alone.

Darkness is a fundamental, existential fear because it contains all the fears that we carry with us in our brains — fears both real and imagined, engendered from living life and from the life lived in stories, from culture, from fairytales.”

— quoted from “Chapter 9. Celebrate Doubt” in Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently by Beau Lotto 

As you consider your light — and what it symbolizes — you must also consider the dark. After all, we don’t really appreciate the light, until we contrast it with the dark. During a 2021 class I shared a little fear I experienced driving my old truck in the city (where there were so many bright lights that I couldn’t see my own headlights) and how that fear was, ironically, alleviated, when I was driving in the country where there were less cars and street lights. It’s a weird scenario, I know; but in the latter case I had a better understanding of my reference points, a better (and more consistent) understanding of where the light ended and the darkness began. You can think of it as a better understanding of the safety of what is known/seen versus the danger of what is unknown/unseen.

This holds true with all the different paradigms: good and evil, life and death, love and hate, knowledge and ignorance, kindness and anger/frustration, hope and despair, wisdom and fear; etc. We appreciate what we have more when there is the possibility of not having it. However, we can’t truly appreciate what we don’t have (or can’t see ourselves having).

Another way to look at this idea is vis-à-vis proprioception. Remember, when the “brain finds the body in space” and realizes it has more room, it stretches out. When the mind-body bumps into an obstacle, it pulls back. Similar to the defense mechanisms described by Anna Freud, when we are faced with the danger that we perceive as failure (or other people’s judgements), we pull back.

When we feel safe, we shine. However, when we only feel safe in a small sphere, our understanding of ourselves and our light (including our potential) changes. So, too, does that narrow frame change our understanding of others (and their light).

“‘Destiny. My destiny! Droll thing life is – that mysterious arrangement of merciless logic for a futile purpose. The most you can hope from it is some knowledge of yourself – that comes too late – a crop of inextinguishable regrets. I have wrestled with death. It is the most unexciting contest you can imagine. It takes place in an impalpable greyness, with nothing underfoot, with nothing around, without spectators, without clamour, without glory, without the great desire of victory, without the great fear of defeat, in a sickly atmosphere of tepid scepticism, without much belief in your own right, and still less in that of your adversary. If such is the form of ultimate wisdom, then life is a greater riddle than some of us think it to be.’”

— the character Charles Marlow speaking of Kurtz’s death in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski in Berdychiv, Russian Empire (in what is now Ukraine, but was originally part of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland) in 1857, Joseph Conrad was known as “Konrad” by his Polish family. If you look at his family history, you might think that he was fated (or destined) to be a writer. Given the cultural interactions and socio-political clashes that he experienced growing up, perhaps he was even destined to write the dark plots and twisted characters that are found in his novellas. His dark plots and twisted characters are often the subject of criticism and debate* and sometimes analyzed through a (Sigmund) Freudian lens. Personally, I wonder what Anna Freud might have said about how his experiences informed his topics; but she was only three when the Heart of Darkness was serialized in Blackwood’s Magazine (February, March, and April of 1899) and only five when the last portion of Lord Jim appeared in the same magazine.

When Anna Freud said, “Creative minds have always been known to survive any kind of bad training,” she could have easily been talking about the “Prince of Darkness,” John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne. Born in December 3, 1948, the lead singer of Black Sabbath has a reading disorder, was abused as a child, dropped out of school at 15, spent some prison (as a young man), and discovered late in life that he was suffering from an undiagnosed central nervous system disorder. He worked at a variety of trades, but was inspired to be a singer at a very young age. Despite (or maybe because of) his childhood trauma, he persevered. But, there was a cost and a toll and a lot of darkness that played out in the music and on the stage. That cost, toll, and darkness have included years of substance abuse, mixed in with periods of sobriety, and criticism about how his music and behavior have (negatively) impacted young people. That criticism has included him being banned from certain cities and several lawsuits related to death and violence that people have attributed to his music.

“People look to me and say
Is the end near, when is the final day?
What’s the future of mankind?
How do I know, I got left behind

Everyone goes through changes
Looking to find the truth
Don’t look at me for answers
Don’t ask me, I don’t know”

— quoted from the song “I Don’t Know” by Ozzy Osbourne

At the end of the day, each of us to focus on our own inner light; figure out how we show up shine in the world; notice the situations that enable us to shine our brightest; and also notices “what’s at the edge of [our] light.” There are a few more questions in this rubric, but consider how the answers start pointing you in certain directions. Notice how the questions and their answers can start opening up your field of possibilities.

Sometimes it may seem like you are wearing a head lamp (or heart lamp) and you’re moving in a way that changes your field of awareness. And that’s fine, that happens — it’s part of life and part of the practice. But, sometimes, we experience a brightening and a widening of our field. Sometimes we find that what we couldn’t imagine was actually just outside our field of vision: It was always there, waiting for us.

Yes, eventually, what is waiting for us all is Death. But, prior to that, there is an opportunity, “one tiny moment in time / For life to shine to shine / Burn away the darkness /”

“An old woman living in a nightmare, an old woman who has fought a thousand battles with death and always won. Now she’s faced with a grim decision—whether or not to open a door. And in some strange and frightening way she knows that this seemingly ordinary door leads to the Twilight Zone.”

“There was an old woman who lived in a room. And, like all of us, was frightened of the dark. But who discovered in a minute last fragment of her life that there was nothing in the dark that wasn’t there when the lights were on. Object lesson for the more frightened amongst us in, or out of, the Twilight Zone.”

— “Opening” and “Closing” narrations, quoted from “Episode 81 (3.16) — ‘Nothing in the Dark’” of The Twilight Zone (premiered January 5, 1962)

Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “12032022 Gazing into the Heart, redux”]

*NOTE: As I mentioned in 2014 (see asterisked link above), Joseph Conrad wrote his short novel after his own experiences in Africa in the late 1800’s and while his own words best describe the world he sees, I think the world he sees is the world in his own heart.

I initially resisted the book and the birthday, in part because literary greats like Chinua Achebe criticize Conrad and his work as racist and xenophobic — and I don’t think there’s any way to get around that. Neither did I want to seem to celebrate a depiction of racism given currents events in Ferguson, Missouri and around the United States in 2014. However, Dr. Peter Mwikisa said Heart of Darkness can be “…the great lost opportunity to depict dialogue between Africa and Europe…” and that made me wonder: Are we, right now, losing an opportunity for dialogue in the U. S.? As I asked in 2014, are we just not ready for dialogue?

Or, is it possible that we have made our circles too small to dialogue?

“‘Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge? He cried in a whisper at some image, some vision – he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath:

“‘” The horror! The horror!’

“I blew the candle out and left the cabin….”

— the character Charles Marlow describing Kurtz’s death in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

### Be The Light ###

First Friday Night Special #38: An Invitation to “(True) Stories Before You Sleep” & An Excerpt December 1, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Loss, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.
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On World AIDS Day, Rosa Parks Day, and every day: May you be safe and protected / May you be peaceful and happy / May you be healthy and strong! 

“Once upon a time…”

— the English phrase that begins many fairy tales and folktales

According to the monomyth or Hero’s Journey paradigm, stories from all over the world have similar features: like heroes and heroines who overcome challenges in order to bring a boon to make the world better. Different cultures and languages may begin their stories in different ways. (“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” and “It was long long ago. If I was there at that time I would not be here now. But, as I am, I have one small story…” being among my favorites.) However, since at least the 14th century, most stories in the English language have the same beginning and (in modern times) a common ending… a happy ending.

Although, if you go back far enough, you may find that “…and they lived happily ever after” was originally “…and they lived happily until they died” or that the (quote-unquote) happy ending might be considered a fate worst than death (e.g., being forced to live a life devoid of all the character valued). In fact, many ancient stories were darker and more realistic than modern tales. They had endings that were contingent and temporary. They were closer to real life and were intentionally meant to parallel real life in order to give us insight into how we can live our lives.

In real life, we find ourselves in the middle of the story… sometimes even in the challenging and heartbreaking parts of the story. Sometimes, we fall asleep before the end. Sometimes, we must dream up the happy ending in order to wake up and make it come true. So, for this month’s First Friday Night Special, prepare to tuck yourself in and dream of happy endings (to stories that begin in scary and heartbreaking ways).

“If this article doesn’t scare the shit out of you, we’re in real trouble. If this article doesn’t rouse you to anger, fury, rage, and action, [we] may have no future on this earth. Our continued existence depends on just how angry you can get.”

— quoted from “1,112 and Counting” by Larry Kramer, printed in the New York Native (Issue 59, March 14 – 27, 1983)

The following revised excerpt is from the 2020 post entitled, “Stories for the Living.”

“Today I have two stories for you. Both are fables, in that they are stories with a moral. Both are also true — in that they actually happened (and both stories contain a multitude of other stories). Finally, both stories are open ended… in that we are still living with the ramifications of the stories and their lessons. There are some other overlaps (like the fact that both involve people who changed the world). However, ultimately, one of the stories is a dark and twisted fairy tale, while the other is a bit of a horror story. You can decide which is which.”

Click here to read the stories.

“‘Mine was the first cry for justice, and a loud one. I made it so that our own adult leaders couldn’t just be nice anymore. Back then, as a teenager, I kept thinking, Why don’t the adults around here just say something?’”

— quoted from Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice  by Phillip Hoose

Please join me for the “First Friday Night Special #38: ‘(True) Stories Before You Sleep’” tonight (December 1st) at 7:15 PM – 8:20 PM (CST), for a virtual Yoga practice on Zoom. 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.

This “Bedtime Yoga” / Restorative Yoga practice is accessible and open to all. 

Prop wise, I recommend your pajamas and bed (plus your pillows and blankets). Seriously. Additionally, 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). Having a wall, chair, sofa, or coffee table may be handy if you are not using a bed.

Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “12042020 Bedtime Yoga”]

NOTE: The playlists contain a different variety of musical selections and you will only need one track/album for the practice. With one exception, the tracks play without interruption. There are more options on the YouTube playlist, but there is a different Sigur Rós option on the Spotify playlist. The December 202 practice is a good one to do without music. If you are using the music for this practice, I recommend the “sleep” tracks (i.e. #5, 6, or 7 on YouTube or #3 or starting with 4 on Spotify).

“I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free… so other people would be also free.”

— Rosa Parks, as quoted in Fight Like A Girl: 50 Feminists Who Changed the World by Laura Barcella

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.)

### Let Communities Lead ###

One Mo *Extra* Seat (mostly an index with music & links) November 21, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Health, Karma Yoga, Life, Men, Music, One Hoop, Yoga.
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May we all be safe and protected / May we all be peaceful and happy / May we all be healthy and strong.

“I had come to understand that yoga has never been about the stretch; it’s always been about the reach. And if I could use my reach to bring yoga’s healing powers to people everywhere and my influence to raise awareness and funds for social causes that alleviate suffering and separation, then I was all in.”

— quoted from Revolution of the Soul: Awaken to Love Through Raw Truth, Radical Healing, and Conscious Action by Seane Corn

Click here to learn why sometimes (like today) I’m just a little extra.

Click here to learn a little mou’ about Movember.

Click here to to learn about this type of practice (in general).

(One more link is coming….)

Please join me today (Tuesday, Movember 21st) 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 (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Movember 20th 2021”]

NOTE: The Spotify playlist has been updated to better match the YouTube playlist in list in length/duration.

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 a new 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.)

### Inhale / Exhale ###

“… in a larger sense…” (mostly the music) November 19, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Music, One Hoop, Suffering, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.
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May we all be safe and protected / May we all be peaceful and happy.

“But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate we can not consecrate we can not hallow, this ground The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have hallowed it, far above our poor power to add or detract.”

— quoted from “The Gettysburg Address” (from the Nicolay version*) by President Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863

Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, November 19th) 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 “11192022 The Gettysburg Address”]

MUSIC NOTE: There are some slight differences in the playlist, mostly in the before/after practice music. 

*NOTE: In the other four versions of the speech, the words “have consecrated it” are used.

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.)

### 🎶 ###

EXCERPT (with links): “More Sitting and Breathing” November 18, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Healing Stories, Hope, Life, One Hoop, Philosophy, Wisdom, Yoga.
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Peace and blessings to everyone, everywhere.

“Yoga is awareness, a type of knowing. Yoga will end in awareness. Yoga is arresting the fluctuations of the mind as said in the Yoga Sutras (of Patanjali): citta vritti nirodha. When the mind is without any movement, maybe for a quarter of an hour, or even a quarter of a minute, you will realize that yoga is of the nature of infinite awareness, infinite knowing. There is no other object there.”

— Sri T. Krishnamacharya at 100, in an interview with A. G. Mohan

The following was originally posted in 2020:

“The perception and reality of who practiced the physical elements of Yoga changed in part because of a teacher named Sri Yogeshwara Ramamohana Brahmachari. Sri Brahmachari was married and had three children, but he taught in a remote cave at the base of Mount Kailash, a mountain sacred in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Bön (a major Tibetan religion). His students would spend years studying with him and, as was the tradition, repay him with a gurudakshinā at the end of their studies. This traditional form of payment could be a monetary donation or the fulfillment of task(s). In the case of one student, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, the repayment for seven and a half years of intensive instruction was three-fold: look for a lost sacred text written on palm leaves; get married and have a family; teach yoga.

Born today in 1888, Sri T. Krishnamacharya not only found, translated, and transcribed the lost Yoga Korunta, which is believed to be the basis of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, he also married, raised children, and spent most of his adult life teaching some of the most influential yoga teachers in history.”

Click here to read the entire post about the man remembered as the ‘Father of Modern Yoga.’

“Maybe this situation has happened for a reason. A reason that will unfold later.”

— Namagiriamma, Sr. Krishnamacharya’s wife

Please join me today (Saturday, November 18th) at 12:00 PM, for a 90-minute yoga practice on Zoom. 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.

Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07112020 An Introduction”]

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.)

### Honor the grace of your Self. ###

Birds, Monkeys, Trees, & Behavior (w/an excerpt) November 15, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Science, Yoga.
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 Reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle, and plant a tree on America Recycles Day and Plant a Tree Day (in Sri Lanka)!

“There seems to be a single starting point for psychology, exactly as for all the other sciences: the world as we find it, naïvely and uncritically. The naïveté may be lost as we proceed.”

— quoted from “Chapter I: A Discussion of Behaviorism” in Gestalt Psychology: An Introduction to New Concepts in Modern Psychology by Dr. Wolfgang Köhler

We may not have control over how a studio space is set up; however, when we make our way into the space — and/or if we have the luxury of creating our own home space — most of us put some effort into the space we are going to occupy. It may not be a lot of space, but it is ours while we are there and most people have some sense of what they need to be stable and steady, comfortable and at ease. (YS 2.46) Similarly, we don’t have any control over our genetics and the body into which we are born, but we can make an effort to be healthy and strong — or, at the very least, comfortable in our own skin (which is yet another environment). Then we get on the mat and the whole practice is about very intentionally and mindfully creating our internal (physical-mental and emotional-energetic) space… as opposed to just passively receiving the space we’ve been given.

Of course, as one of my first teachers used to say, how we do yoga is how we do life. As children, we all start off like someone entering the studio. We learn what works for us and what doesn’t (i.e., what serves us in alleviating our suffering versus what causes more suffering). However, we don’t always do the things that create steadiness, stability, ease, comfort, and maybe even joy. Sometimes, we remain a “passive recipient” instead of becoming a “co-creator” of your culture and environment?

Thanks to Merrick Rosenberg, I went down the rabbit hole almost ten years ago and came across the research of Dr. Wolfgang Köhler (a German researcher in the 1920’s and 30’s) and Dr. Gordon R. Stephenson (at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in the 1960’s). Here’s an excerpt from a 2021 post about what I found:

“Dr. Wolfgang Köhler believed (a) that subjective experience matters; (b) that the human mind and behavior have to be considered as a whole (and that whole includes subjective experience); (c) that, like chimpanzees, humans are capable of problem solving through insight learning; and (d) that people could – and one can argue should – stand up for what they believe to be right and, in doing so, actively co-create the world in which the live.”

Click here to read the entire 2021 post entitled, “The Sum of the Whole Is Our Behavior.”

Throughout the year, there are different days when people from different countries (and/or of different cultures) focus on be active co-creators of this world in which we all live. Today, November 15th, is one of those days. In Sri Lanka, it is Plant a Tree Day. In the United States, it is America Recycles Day (and this year’s theme is all about innovation).

“Problems may be found which were at first completely hidden from our eyes. For their solution it may be necessary to devise concepts which seem to have little contact with direct primary experience.”

— quoted from “Chapter I: A Discussion of Behaviorism” in Gestalt Psychology: An Introduction to New Concepts in Modern Psychology by Dr. Wolfgang Köhler

Please join me for a virtual yoga practice on Zoom, today (Wednesday, November 8th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM. 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 me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.

(My apologies to the 4:30 folks for not getting this posted earlier.)

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.)

### Be Like the Birds (who reuse everything they can get their beaks on). ###