Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing a fast; offering prayers on Leil Selichot; and/or awakening friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
Please join me (TONIGHT) Friday, September 4, 2026, 7:15 PM – 8:20 PM (CST) for “A Little Playtime, A Little Rest Time… (for the mind)”.
This Restorative Yoga practice (with a little movement) is accessible and open to all.
(NOTE: There will be a little bit of quiet space in this practice.)
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09062024 The Art of Moving Maintenance”]
NOTE: You can start with Track #1 or #2. The YouTube playlist includes “Pirsig’s Pursuit” by Chris Foster, which I did not find on Spotify. The Spotify playlist has an extra track from the original playlist.
Prop wise, this is a kitchen sink practice and I will suggest using blankets, bolsters, and/or blocks during the practice. You can practice without props or use “studio” props and/or “householder” props. Example of Commercial 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 throughout this practice.
Extreme heat can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, it can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
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.
HEADS UP: Tropical Storm Eduardo is headed my way & might become a hurricane. (Just fyi, in case there is a power outage.)
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone cultivating friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
“Deeply Listening, Yoga And the hidden systems Of the body Make themselves known.
Deeply Listening, The wisdom Of all sacred scriptures in the world Is revealed.
Oh my soul, Those who surrender themselves in Love To the Divine Continuously blossom and bloom.
Deeply Listening Sorrows And errors Depart.”
— quoted from Japji Sahib: The Song of the Soul by Guru Nanak (Translated by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa)
Our practices, on and off the mat or cushion, give us the opportunity to pay attention to how the mind-body works — and to really listen, deeply.
Listening deeply is one of the important lessons in the Japji Sahib (known in English as The Song of the Soul) an ancient Sikh text at the beginning of the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the Adi Granth or primary sacred text / scripture in Sikhism. Originally compiled and printed by Guru Arjan, the fifth Sikh guru, on August 29, 1604, it was placed in the Golden Temple in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India, today (September 1st) in 1604.
Please join me today (Tuesday, September 1st) at 12:00 Noon 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 me at myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09012024 Deep Listening”]
MUSIC NOTE: The playlist contains John Metcalfe’s album Tree (with the remixes); however, one track has been moved. The story behind the album is beautiful (and it is about working). Additionally, I encourage you to deeply listen to Track #11 (which is the Japji Sahib).
A First Friday playlist is also available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09012023 Trusting, Listening… Deeply”] When using the First Friday playlist you can start with Track #1, #2, #3, or #5. These are instrumental tracks. Track #4 is the Japji Sahib.
“If you Trust what you hear When you listen, Then you will know What you see, How to understand And act.”
— quoted from Japji Sahib: The Song of the Soul by Guru Nanak (Translated by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa)
Extreme heat can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, it can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
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.
NOTE: The translation by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa is the foundation for The End of Karma: 10 Days to Perfect Peace, Tranquility, and Joy by Dharma Singh Khalsa, M. D., which I quote during the practice.
### BREATHE, LISTEN, REST (& do it all over again) ###
For Those Who Missed It: The following was previously posted. Class details, links, and some formatting has been updated/added.
“‘You are in the wrong,’ replied the fiend; ‘and instead of threatening, I am content to reason with you. I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all…? Shall I respect man when he condemns me? Let him live with me in the interchange of kindness, and instead of injury I would bestow every benefit upon him with tears of gratitude at his acceptance. But that cannot be; the human senses are insurmountable barriers to our union. Yet mine shall not be the submission of abject slavery. I will revenge my injuries; if I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear, and chiefly towards you my archenemy…’”
— quoted from Chapter 17 of Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (b. 1797)
I stand by the statements I made in the post excerpted below and yet… and yet. While I do not ever choose the monster’s path, I do recognize that any of us could be the monster. I recognize that it is a choice and that recognition can make all the difference in the world.
Part of this practice is noticing our choices and, also, noticing cause-and-effect — as well as our samskara (a “mental impression”) and vasana (a literal “dwelling” place of our habits). Part of this practice is noticing the conditioning and habitual patterns that make us, in a moment, forget that we have a choice. It is natural to run, hide, and/or come out swinging when backed into a corner by someone that means us harm. However, take note of what happens when the danger is passed. Are you still running, hiding, or swinging?
Now, take note of the times when you back yourself into a corner.
Are you still running, hiding, or swinging?
And, if you are not swinging, what are you doing?
“Nothing is more painful to the human mind than, after the feelings have been worked up by a quick succession of events, the dead calmness of inaction and certainty which follows and deprives the soul both of hope and fear.”
— quoted from Chapter 9 of Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Click on the excerpt title below for the short post related to this date.
“I do know that for the sympathy of one living being, I would make peace with all. I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.”
— quoted from the movie based on Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Please join me today (Sunday, August 30th) at 2:30 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.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10202020 Pratyahara”]
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not researched, but which may be helpful if you need (non-professional) support.
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.
“Blackouts follow plenty of storms, and at a press conference eight days after the storm hit, Gary Mayor Eddie Melton described the ongoing blackout as a situation for ‘not just Gary’ but also all of northwest Indiana. However, as the days of darkness stretched on, and the power started going back in other parts of the region—first Dyer and East Chicago, then Hobart and Merrillville—the initial inconvenience of a Tuesday, a Wednesday, then a Thursday, then a Friday without power started to become a crisis in Gary.”
— quoted from The Atlantic article entitled “The Lights Are Back On in Gary, Indiana: A long two weeks after a derecho blew through, most of the city finally has power.” by Jenae Barnes
It’s that time of year, again, Hurricane Season. Today is the anniversary of some of the most destructive and deadliest hurricanes making landfall in 2005 (Katrina, Category 5); 2017 (Harvey, Category 4, on its fifth landfall); and 2021 (Ida, Category 4). Not to mention Hurricane Andrew (Category 5), which dissipated today in 1992, and Hurricane Maria, Category 5, which hit Puerto Rico in 2017. Then there was Hurricane Franklin (Category 4), which was wrecking havoc in Bermuda today in 2023, and Hurricane Idalia (which weakened from Category 4 to Category 3, as it made landfall on the Gulf Coast in 2023).
This year, as was the case in 2024 and 2025, those of us who live around the Gulf of Mexico are experiencing a momentary pause. We are not currently “battening down the hatches”; but, we still have the infrastructure (including the knowledge and experience) to do so. We also still have the memories of being without power for multiple days or weeks on end (and dealing with the uncertainty of that) — as people have been dealing with in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and (now) Gary, Indiana.
You might think Cuba is the outlier in that last list, because it is not part of the United States (and because their power issues are connected to sanctions more than weather). You might think of Gary, Indiana as the outlier because it is not an island (and their power issues occurred after a derecho,1 which is also becoming common in the Gulf Coast). However, the truth is that there are no outliers when we are all dealing with the same “dragons”.
For Those Who Missed It: The following is a slightly revised and updated version of a previous post. Class details, a quote, and some formatting have been added/updated.
“[Public health researcher Arline Geronimus from the University of Michigan] coined a term for this chronic stress — she calls it ‘weathering,’ which, she says, ‘literally wears down your heart, your arteries, your neuroendocrine systems, … all your body systems so that in effect, you become chronologically old at a young age.’ She writes about the phenomenon in her new book, Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society.”
— quoted from the NPR: Fresh Air segment entitled “How poverty and racism ‘weather’ the body, accelerating aging and disease” by Dave Davies
Just like there is a difference between the weather (short-term changes in the atmosphere) and the climate (atmospheric changes over decades), there is a difference between ‘weathering’ and weathering the storm. The latter is about how we recover from temporary setbacks, stress, and single moments of trauma. The former, however, is about what happens when someone experiences chronic stress without periods of relief and recovery. As much as we need to prepare for dragons and as much as we need to be there for each other, we also need to consider how natural disasters (not to mention man-made disasters) affect our ability to withstand trauma – and what we can do to weather the storm.
“Weathering afflicts human bodies—all the way down to the cellular level—as they grow, develop, and age in a racist, classist society. Weathering is not measured in number of steps walked, cigarettes smoked, opioids used, alcohol drunk, or calories eaten. It’s not primarily measured by your years of education, the size of your paycheck, or your bank balance. It’s not essentially about emotional despair, either. Weathering is about hopeful, hardworking, responsible, skilled, and resilient people dying from the physical toil of constant stress on their bodies, paying with their health because they live in a rigged, degrading, and exploitative system.”
— quoted from the “Introduction” to Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society by Arline T. Geronimus
Please join me today (Saturday, August 29th) 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 by emailing myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTubeand Spotify. [Look for “08292020 Katrina, Harvey…”]
“‘It’s not that every Black person has more damage than every white person,’ [Geronimus] says. ‘It’s really about how much stress versus social support you get in your everyday life.’”
— quoted from the NPR: Fresh Air segment entitled “How poverty and racism ‘weather’ the body, accelerating aging and disease” by Dave Davies
Extreme heat can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, it can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
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.
NOTE: 1“Derecho” is a Spanish word (masculine form) that can be translated into English as “right, straight, or direct”. In meteorology, it is a type of straight-line wind storm that causes hurricane-force winds, heavy rains, and flash floods.
### TAKE AN AX OR A HAMMER IF YOU GO TO THE ROOF. ###
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Dormition (Theotokos) Fast and the Apodosis of the Transfiguration; and/or working to cultivate friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
“… if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”
— quoted from the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University’s Architects of Peace essay, “Reflections on Working Towards Peace” by Mother Teresa
Click on the excerpt title below for a lesson taught by all the greatest teachers, including Mother Teresa (born Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, today in 1910) and Christopher Isherwood (born today in 1904).
“Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating feelings of friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked [ or non-virtuous].”
— quoted from How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali (1.33), translated and with commentary by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood
Please join me today (Wednesday, August 26th) 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 by emailing myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s “heart-filled” playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08262020 Heart Filled for Teresa & 2 Christophers”]
(The second “Christopher” is Chris Pine, born today in 1980, so I have also previously offered last week’s (Courage filled) playlist, which is also available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08192020 To Boldly Go with Courage”])
It’s hard to be loving or kind — to yourself or another — when you’re uncomfortable. Extreme heat can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, it can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
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.
Many blessings to you all. Make sure to rest, relax, hydrate, and smile (when you can) — especially if you are observing the Dormition (Theotokos) Fast.
Stay hydrated & be kind, y’all!
“Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul.”
— quoted from the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley
Click on the excerpt title below for more about William Ernest Henley (b. 1849) and how his life and work continues to inspire billions.
“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
— quoted from “The Sermon on the Mount,” in The Gospel According to Matthew (7:14)
“It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.”
— quoted from “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley
Please join me today (Sunday, August 23rd) at 2:30 PM for a “spirited” 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.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08232020 Henley’s Invictus Day”]
(NOTE: The playlists have slightly different before/after practice content. Both include the poem, but the YouTube playlist has a little more!)
Extreme heat can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, it can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
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.
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Second “Feast of the Saviour” (in August) and/or exploring friendship, peace, freedom, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay hydrated & be kind, y’all!
Pardon me, while I catch up!
This “missing” (and backdated) compilation post for Wednesday, August 19th, includes new and re-purposed content, an extra poem, a previously posted video, and a series of excerpts.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.
“RIKER: So none of the background which we have provided would be helpful in understanding why they continue to fight?
SCHOLAR: The portfolio will indicate that the conflict is over a piece of land, or wealth, or some other tangible asset. But we both know that is not the case.
RIKER: They’ve been at war for so long, it has become personal.
SCHOLAR: Exactly. The basis for peace must also be personal….”
— quoted from Star Trek Deep: Next Generation, “Loud as a Whisper” – (season 2, episode 5, aired January 9, 1989), conversation between First Officer William T. Riker (played by Jonathan Frakes), Riva (played by Howie Seago), and the Chorus (played by Thomas Oglesby as Scholar/Dreamer/Artist, Marnie Mosiman as Woman/That Which Binds Them, and Leo Damian as Passion/Warrior)
Understatement of the Day: There is a lot of conflict in the world.
Most of the conflict in the world is not new. We may point to something that happened yesterday or two weeks ago or two years ago or six (or ten or twenty) years ago as being the beginning of the conflict. However, more often than not, the roots of the conflict go much deeper than whatever we can point to at this moment. I think this is true about global conflicts, as well as about individual conflicts — and this idea is highlighted in the Yoga Sūtras.
According to the Yoga Sūtras (1.5; 1.30-1.32; 2.2-2.11), everything we think — and, therefore, everything we say and do — is a seed that can be described as klişțāklişțāh (“afflicting/dysfunctional or non-afflicting/functional”). (That which is klesha (an “affliction”) grows into suffering. Every seed (regardless of how it is colored) can be dormant, attenuated/weakened, intercepted, or fully activated/rooted through our actions. Part of the practice is about being very mindful of what we “plant” in the world and very deliberate and intentional about what we uproot versus what we nurture. One of the ways we do this is by practicing peace.
“Shanti Shanti Shanthi Om”
“Peace [within us], Peace [all around us], Peace [to and from everything and every one we encounter] With our conscious, subconscious, and unconscious mind and on every plane of existence.”
— Sanskrit and English, quoted from the end of the shantipats
There are, without a doubt, a lot of pithy, poignant, and even meaningful quotes about peace. However, again and again, I come back to a reminder found at the end of every shantipat. The importance of peace is emphasized by the fact that the word shanti (“peace”) is repeated three times.
That final “peace” is drawn out and can be translated as an emphatic “Peace, because I said so!” or “Peace, because I demand it!” However, more often than not, I translate the three repetitions as, “Peace within us, peace all around us, peace to and from everything and everyone we encounter.” Then, I tack on a little reminder: “Peace, like [insert quality of the day] begins within.”
In other words, peace is personal and [finding your personal] “roj vay’ potlh ngIq (peace is an important part of the process).”
Since our experiences are different, the details of our conflicts are difference. So, if we want peace, we have figure out “qaStaH nuq jay (What the bleep is happening?)” and the best way to communicate with ourselves and others [i.e., “Holchaj yIjatlh. (Speak in their language).”]
August 19th is the anniversary of the birth of three people who changed how we consume media and what media we consume.
Click on the excerpt titles below for the 2020 post and the 2023 note related to Philo T. Farnsworth (b. 1906) and Gene Roddenberry (1921), and the related 2025 post that connects their television innovations to the work of Dorothy “Dot” Miles (b. 1931).
“I gave a lot of thought this year to my own Christmas list I think these should be given to all, and no-one should be missed; The first and most important is that we should learn to Love… Ourselves — and then each other as we will in ‘heaven above’. And after that Intelligence., growing like a seed; And then a little Discipline, a scolding when we need! And last of all, when all these are working as they should. The right amount of Humour to make life good.”
— quoted from the English translation of the poem “Christmas List” by Dorothy Miles
Wednesday’s “Courage filled” playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08192020 To Boldly Go with Courage”]
Extreme heat can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, it can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Dormition Fast and/or cultivating communication that leads to peace — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay hydrated & be kind, y’all!
“Do it differently So it won’t come out the same Step up, be strong, Get yourself out of pain.”
— quoted from the poem “DIFFERENTLY” by Donna Garrett
Have you ever noticed a pattern in your life? Have you ever noticed certain things happening around the same time year after year? I have. Some of those things are situations over which we have no control (like my mother passing away at the beginning of August 2020 and my brother being hospitalized in August of 2026). Then there are things over which we have some control… like how we deal with the patterns in our lives.
While I am doing some things differently this year (specifically to get myself out of pain/suffering), some things seem to be the same. I emphasized “seem”, because although I am once again cancelling some classes in August, I am cancelling them for different reasons… and some of those reasons are a definite choice.
There are no Zoom classes today (Saturday, August 15th) or Monday (August 17th); however, I am planning to hold the regular Sunday class. I apologize for the inconvenience (especially as I will be cancelling some upcoming classes so that I can visit my brother).
Meanwhile, I am sending recordings to anyone on the class email lists and, of course, you can always check out one of my videos.
Click on the excerpt titles below for the philosophical posts that inspired previous practices on this date.
“In the conventional practice of non-violence we are not led to entertain a stream of structured, organized non-violent thoughts. For example, when someone slaps us on the right cheek, we are told to offer the left one also—this is said to be practicing non-violence. But this approach to non-violence does not free us from pain, nor does it purify our mind. According to Vyasa, we must design a system of practice that neutralizes the force of violence, step-by-step and point-by-point. In violence, the mind is churning out negative thoughts involuntarily. To practice non-violence, we have to train the mind to churn out positive thoughts voluntarily. We accomplish this by the methodical practice of contemplation.”
— quoted from the commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.33 from The Practice of the Yoga Sutra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD
You can request an audio recording of a related practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
The playlist we used for the 2023 practices is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “0123-24/2022 Doing: Lessons in…”]
NOTE: If it is accessible to you, please consider using the Spotify playlist as it contains the original music (referenced in the original practice). Even better, if you already have the album!
The original Keith Jarrett recording is not available on YouTube (in the US) without a “Premium” membership and, after listening to several different “interpretations” – which do not / cannot include the vocalizations – I decided the Fausto Bongelli sounded the closest to the original. Sadly, one movement is missing and so I used a recording by Tomasz Trzcinkinski, who was the first person to record the music using the transcription. There are also now transcriptions for other instruments – which I didn’t sample, even though I think some of them would be lovely. There are also “covers” using electronic instruments, which I’m considering a hard pass (even if it seems contradictory to the original theme), out of respect for the composer.
Extreme heat can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, it can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
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.
“Poetry and philosophy will become friends. (II. 140) Philosophy is the highest poetry. (VI. 63)
Philosophy is no joke or talk. (III. 10)
Our philosophy does not depend upon any personality for its truth. (V. 207)”
— quoted from Pearls of Wisdom by Swami Vivekandanda (collected from speeches and writings, edited by The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture)
Sometimes people forget, or never knew, that Yoga is a philosophy. It is, actually, one of six (6) Indian darshans (“views” or philosophies). As I’ve mentioned before (and highlighted in the 2020 post I am quoting here), the word philosophy comes to us from Greek, by way of Latin, Old French, and Middle English, from a word that means “love of wisdom”. It is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, thought, reality, and existence. It provides a way to think about and understand the world, the universe, and everything. As stated in Wikipedia, it “is the study of general and fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.” The most basic question being, “Why?” – Which spirals out of some variation of even more existential questions.
Throughout the history of the world, people have come at these questions from different directions. In Sophie’s World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy we get “a survey course in ancient and modern philosophy (through the beginning of the 20th Century).”
“So now you must choose… Are you a child who has not yet become world-weary? Or are you a philosopher who will vow never to become so? To children, the world and everything in it is new, something that gives rise to astonishment. It is not like that for adults. Most adults accept the world as a matter of course. This is precisely where philosophers are a notable exception. A philosopher never gets quite used to the world. To him or her, the world continues to seem a bit unreasonable – bewildering, even enigmatic. Philosophers and small children thus have an important faculty in common. The only thing we require to be good philosophers is the faculty of wonder…”
— quoted from Sophie’s World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy by Jostein Gaarder (b. 1952)
Please join me today (Saturday, August 8th) 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 me at myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04262020 Philosophy of Locks”]
Extreme heat can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, it can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses.If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
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.
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone travelling the road(s) with friendship, peace, freedom, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay hydrated & be kind, y’all!
“… my husband bought me a Maxwell roadster. There were scarcely half a dozen persons we knew driving motor cars, but nothing daunted, I took a couple of lessons and was ready to go. The still-young motor industry proved itself by indulging in what were known as ‘endurance runs,’ in two of which we participated. ‘We’ does not include my husband, for I had elected to spend my married life with a non-mechanical and non-travel-loving man, who ventured far from home only for fishing or hunting! His dread of the new contraption was clear when, with each new car we owned he look just one ride, and always asked, ‘How do you stop this thing?’
However, he was always magnanimous in his point of view toward me. When it came about, late in 1908, that a motor trip to the Pacific Coast was suggested by Carl Kelsey, then Sales Manager of the Maxwell-Briscoe Company, the proposal had considerable lure as we discussed it among the feminine members of the family. The journey had been made—though by men only—why not by us?”
— quoted from the article “Veil, Duster, and Tire Iron” by Alice Huyler Ramsey, ’07 (excerpted from the book of the same name and printed in Vassar Quarterly, Volume XLVII, Number 5, 1 June 1962)
Even if you’ve never taken a road trip quite like the one 22-year old Alice Huyler Ramsey finished today in 1909, you probably know the importance of rest stops and pit stops (and keeping your destination in mind when faced with detours). Mrs. Ramsey was the first woman to complete a cross country automobile trip in the United States. She was accompanied by her two older sister-in-laws (Annette “Nettie” Ramsey Powell [Lewis] and Margaret “Maggie” Ramsey Atwood) and her teenage friend Hermine Jahns1 in a publicity stunt for the automobile manufacturer Maxwell-Briscoe, but none of the other women knew how to drive.
This was during a time when less than 5% of the roads they traveled were paved; there were no service stations, gas stations, or charging stations at regular intervals. In fact, the fuel they needed wasn’t general used as fuel… at least, not by women. The group traveled for 59-days, from New York City to San Francisco, in a dark green, four-cylinder, 30-horsepower Maxwell DA, and they were met with great fanfare — even though they arrived 3 weeks later than they planned.
Like any road trip, the journey was full of rest stops to stretch their legs, pit stops to either fill up the tank or fix things on the vehicle, and detours… so many adventures disguised as detours. However, even the rest stops and pit stops were adventures that required them to stay centered and grounded.
“Now as I think back 53 years I honestly believe the really brave ones were the husband who trusted in my ability, after only a year’s experience at the wheel, and the three companions who put themselves in my hands to cross that long and little-known stretch of miles. It was not a comedy enacted, and there were many episodes to try our courage, but the challenge of each new day and the determination to drive every inch of the way, in spite of some advices to the contrary, finally brought us triumphantly to our goal in San Francisco.”
— quoted from the article “Veil, Duster, and Tire Iron” by Alice Huyler Ramsey, ’07 (excerpted from the book of the same name and printed in Vassar Quarterly, Volume XLVII, Number 5, 1 June 1962)
Please join me (TONIGHT) Friday, August 7, 2026, 7:15 PM – 8:20 PM (CST) for “Rest Stops, Pit Stops, & Detours”.
This Restorative Yoga practice is accessible and open to all.
(NOTE: There will be a little bit of quiet space in this practice.)
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09012023 Trusting, Listening… Deeply”] NOTE: You can start with Track #1, #2, or #5.
Prop wise, this is a kitchen sink practice and I will suggest using a wall, chair, or table during the practice. You can practice without props or use “studio” props and/or “householder” props. Example of Commercial 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 throughout this practice.
Extreme heat can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, it can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
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.
NOTES & REVISIONS:1There are some discrepancies about Hermine Jahns’s age in 1909. Most of the sources I checked indicated that she was 19 years old. However, the Smithsonian magazine and a fictionalized account of the 1909 trip describe her as 16 years old.
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