May you be peaceful and happy / May you be healthy and strong!
“‘As long as records have been kept in all countries, women have lived longer than men,’ said Amelia Karraker, a program official at the National Institute on Aging. ‘Across, basically, almost every major cause of death, men are more likely to die than women are.’”
— quoted from the March 2023 CNBC Health and Science article entitled, “Here’s why American men die younger than women on average and how to fix it” by Charlotte Morabito
The following was originally posted in 2020. The post has been revised, with some statistics updated (or added) to reflect more recent data. NOTE: Some links will direct you away from this site. WARNING: This post discusses physical and mental health issues.
Today is a big day. Not just in the United States, but all over the world, today is a day for changing and also for gaining insight. Today is Movember 3rd — also known as the 3rd day of No(shave)mber, a month dedicated to “changing the face of men’s health.” This month of awareness started in Melbourne, Australia in 2004, but has its origins in a 1999 story about a group in Adelaide, South Australia that coined the word “Movember.” The Adelaide group, of about 80, spent the month “growing whiskers for whiskers” (possibly while drinking whiskey, since they started in a pub) while also raising money for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) by selling Movember t-shirts.
When Adam Garone, Travis Garone, Luke Slattery, and Justin (JC) Coughlin started the Melbourne group — of 30 “Mo bros” raising awareness for prostate cancer and men’s mental health (specifically depression) — they didn’t realize that they were starting a movement. In 2005, almost 500 people joined the original 30 and raised over $40,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, the PCFA’s largest donation at the time. Today, the Movember Foundation is an official charity in Australia and the movement has spread all over the world. Furthermore, the movement now includes “Mo sistahs” and other “Mo folks” and the focus has shifted to all aspects of men’s health and the discrepancies between men’s health and women’s health.
“Globally, men die an average of six years earlier than women, and for reasons that are largely preventable. Which means that it doesn’t have to be that way: we can take action to live healthier, happier and longer lives.”
“Mo your own way….”
— quoted from the (US) Movember website
Statistics (for 2019) showed that the average life expectancy for men was 76.3 years, versus 81.4 years for women. Estimates related to COVID-19 indicated that men would lose an average of 2.8 years versus 2.1 years lost by women. In any given year, 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer (versus 1 in 3 women) and studies show that a third of all cancers are preventable through diet, exercise, and other lifestyle choices. Those same lifestyle choices also benefit everyone’s cardiovascular systems, digestive systems, and mental health.
Despite all the statistics and research about lifestyle choices, a large percentage of men are overweight (with 42.4% of Americans, in general, dealing with obesity and 9.2% with severe obesity). Note, however, that the term “obese” is tricky, especially in the United States, because our metrics can diagnose a very fit and muscular person as “obese.” Consider this then: 13.6% of men over the age of 18 consider themselves in fair to poor health — and many suffer from diabetes and heart disease without even knowing it.
Skin cancer is on the rise for all genders and is the most common cancer diagnosis for men, followed by prostate cancer. While melanoma is treatable and recoverable, the 2023 mortality rate for men is over twice that of women.
In 2020, over 1.4 million men (globally) were diagnosed with prostate cancer — which is treatable and recoverable — while testicular cancer (which is also treatable and recoverable) is the most common cancer in men between the ages of 15 and 35. There’s over 70,000 new cases of testicular cancer every year (74,500 in 2020), with a little over half a million men (worldwide) living with (or beyond) it. The risk of both prostate cancer and testicular cancer increase if someone has a brother or father who has had that particular cancer; if a person has African-American ancestry; and (in the case of testicular cancer) if they have previously had that type of cancer. To make matters worse, men can also get breast cancer — which also has a genetic component.
All of the physical aspects of poor health take a mental health toll in a typical year. Keep in mind, however that 2020 was anything but typical (and the same can be said for 2021 – 2023) — especially when it comes to mental health. Then consider that, at the beginning of 2020, about 51.5 million Americans adults reported experiencing mental health issues within the previous 12 months and that that was an increase from previous years. In previous years, 15 million Americans (in general) were specifically diagnosed with depression. In 2018, an estimated 11.4 million people attempted suicide — with 48,344 Americans reported as dying from suicide. However, men die by suicide almost 4 times more than in women, and the highest rate of suicide is in middle-aged white men (who accounted for 69.67% of the suicides indicated above). In 2021, the number of deaths went down, but the percentage of middle-aged white men in that count was slightly higher. Additionally, veterans are at a high risk for suicide, regardless of gender.
And, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: gender. One set of stats that is only recently being tracked is the physical and mental health of transgender people. Just as diet and exercise affect physical and mental, so too does everyone’s level of hormones — which means hormone treatments could increase or decrease risk of certain illnesses. Additionally, physical and mental health improves when people have emotional support on their life’s journey. In my opinion, the high rate of suicide within the transgender community — as well as the high rate of violence against transgender people — indicates a lack of support and awareness. Thankfully, this is changing; however, as our perceptions change we need to make sure we do not leave transgender (or even non-binary) people out of the conversation.
Spend time with people who make you feel good.
Talk, more.
Know the numbers. (If you are male and over 45, ask your doctor if you need a PSA test.)
Know thy nuts. Simple.
Move, more.”
— quoted from the (US) Movember website
According to the(US) Movember website, “70% of men say their friends can rely on them for support, but only 48% say that they rely on their friends.” This is always a wild (and frankly ridiculous) staticstic to me — but it points directly to the stigma and social mores or norms that make it challenging to be a healthy man in today’s society. Don’t get me wrong, as Dr. M. Scott Peck pointed out, “Life is difficult” for everyone. The individual aspects of each person’s life come with distinct physical and mental health risks. However, life is easier and people are healthier when we pay attention to what we’re feeling and also share what we’re feeling with people who respect us and treat us well. If you can’t count five people (or even three people) with whom you can have a mutually beneficial conversation — and between those five or three conversations cover every subject under the sun — you might want to consider how that lack of support translates into your quality of life and general well-being.
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.
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.)
May you be peaceful and happy / May you be healthy and strong!
“‘We respond differently to life’s unexpected challenges. Sometimes, though, that can leave us feeling worried or overwhelmed. It’s our hope that we can connect men with the right support, and equip their peers with the confidence and skills to reach out and help when it’s most needed.’”
— Brendan Maher, Global Director of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Movember
Most of you mou’ what’s up. Most of you mou’ that it’s Movember and that means I’m once again joining other Mo Bros, Mo Sisters, and Mo Siblings in the effort to change the face of men’s health. In most cases, when I talk about men’s physical and mental health, we mooooove. In this practice, however, we’re going to be inspired by Brendan Maher’s insight and consider a different way to respond: we’re going to “Mo [Our] Own Way” and slow everything down into stillness.
Please join me for a “First Friday Night Special” tonight (Movember 3rd) 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 Restorative Yoga practice is accessible and open to all.
Prop wise, a small ball (e.g., tennis ball, massage ball, etc.) will be useful. 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.
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTubeand Spotify. [Look for “Movember Friday 2023”]
NOTE: Some options on the playlist appear as longer tracks or as multiple tracks, depending on the playlist. You can begin with any of the first four tracks.
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.)
More peace and more ease for everyone on World Mental Health Day!
“World Mental Health Day 2023 is an opportunity for people and communities to unite behind the theme ‘Mental health is a universal human right’ to improve knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right.
Mental health is a basic human right for all people. Everyone, whoever and wherever they are, has a right to the highest attainable standard of mental health. This includes the right to be protected from mental health risks, the right to available, accessible, acceptable, and good quality care, and the right to liberty, independence and inclusion in the community.
Good mental health is vital to our overall health and well-being. Yet one in eight people globally are living with mental health conditions, which can impact their physical health, their well-being, how they connect with others, and their livelihoods.”
— quoted from the 2023 World Mental Health Day message by the World Health Organization
Please join me today (Tuesday, October 10th) 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 “10102021 World Mental Health Day (redux)”]
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.
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.)
“Of course, such classes must be somehow distinguished or distinguishable from others, or the symbols would not be significant. If I am to make use of the terms x and y to any purpose, I must obviously have some means of making it clear to myself and to others which things are x and which are not, which are y and which are not.”
– quoted from “Chapter II. Symbols of Classes and Operations.” in Symbolic Logic by John Venn Sc.D. ; F.R.S.
Before class, my friend Meghan used to always ask, “What are we doing in class today?” My answer, every time, was exactly the same: Yoga. If I was feeling very cheeky, I might have said, “haṭha yoga,” but what does that even mean? What makes a particular positioning of the body – or a sequence of positions – yoga versus gymnastics or dance or calisthenics or step aerobics? Since John Venn was born today in 1834, we could use his diagrams to identify three elements that distinguish the physical practice of yoga, haṭha yoga (regardless of the style or tradition), from other disciplines.
The first circle is the position of the body (i.e., the asana (“seat” or pose)). The second circle is specific breathing (i.e., prānāyāma (awareness of breath or extension of breath), which is not commonly found outside of yoga. Focus or intention might be considered a third point of intersection, because there is a specific purpose to the practice of yoga. While people practice yoga for different reasons – and some people do other things for those same reasons, the physical practice of yoga is (classically) intended to prepare a person for deep, seated meditation. Since we have different minds, bodies, and circumstances, it makes since that there are different practices. However, many styles and traditions use the same shapes and breathing techniques. So, what distinguishes the different practices? For a moment, let’s consider energy.
Traditionally, all physical practices are (in some way) connected to a medical science and we could break things down according to these types of energetic mapping. For example, there are practices based on Āyurveda as it comes to us from India; there are practices based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM); and there are practices rooted in African science. There are also modern practices that are derived from the aforementioned medical arts and tied to modern science and/or religious mysticism. Right now, however, I am not talking about the energetic vitality of the mind-body. Here, I am focusing on the level of physical activity.
“Paul B, one of my first yoga teachers, said that our yoga practice should be the ‘most intense’ part of our day. Some people hearing that or reading that might find that really appealing, ‘Ooo, I want that kind of practice!’ Others may be immediately turned off – for the exact same reason others get turned on. But, the practices with Paul B might not be what either group expects. In fact, his classes were the reason I always wanted to go deeper.”
– quoted from my November 17, 2020 post entitled “‘The Most Intense Part of Your Day’”
There are practices with a lot of movement and practices with little to no movement. However, within each of those categories, there are practices that are physically active and practices that are more actively relaxing. Very vigorous practices include Hot Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, and some forms of vinyasa (like Power Yoga and Forrest Yoga). I would also put AcroYoga and Aerial Yoga in the vigorous box; however, they could be considered more moderate. Similarly, ViniYoga and Iyengar Yoga might be considered moderate, because they require active movement, but are not super vigorous. All of the above are weight-bearing exercises and can build strength.
Yin Yoga can have have elements of Tai chi and Qigong (both of which I would put in the moderate category), but there is not a lot of movement in pure Yin Yoga. This TCM-based practice cultivates dynamic tension, which makes it more active than a Restorative Yoga practice (which is based on Iyengar Yoga). On the flip side, when we think of yin as “softness” and yang as “hardness,” some teachers consider Restorative Yoga more “yang” than Yin Yoga. Similarly, micromovements place SomaYoga and Somatic Yoga (including Gentle Somatic Yoga) in between Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga. That little bit of movement can be continuous (similar to vinyasa), but it is not vigorous. These moderate to low (or no) activity practices are not considered weight-bearing.
To be clear, all of the aforementioned practices can be considered energetic practices (based on how they engage the vitality of the mind-body. However, within their traditions, Tantra Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Kemetic Yoga (also known as Egyptian Yoga or African Yoga, which includes Sema Tawy), and Svaroopa Yoga are considered “energetic” practices (not physical practices). If we look at them from a physical standpoint, Tantra Yoga can be tied to practices in the vigorous circle and, also, to practices that (physically) feel more like Restorative Yoga. Kundalini Yoga has kriyās that are extremely vigorous and, also, kriyās that feel more restorative – and everything in between. The different traditions of Kemetic Yoga can also run the gamut in terms of activity level. Svaroopa Yoga is sometimes referred to as a restorative practice and takes it’s name from Yoga Sutra 1.3. Additionally, all of these types of practice can feature some weight-bearing poses.
Yoga Sūtra 1.3: tadā draştuh svarūpe’vasthānam
– “[When the fluctuations of the mind are mastered] the Seer abides/rests in their own true nature.”
In theory, you can draw a Venn diagram of any pose or sequence, breathing (or a specific type of pranayama), and energy level based on what I’ve outlined above. Keep in mind that many poses (or shapes of said poses) are found in all the different practices. Additionally, you will find that some practices – especially very vigorous practices, like some vinyasa – have different levels of activity at different points in the practice and that those energy levels can be used to create a specific effect (i.e., stimulated, relaxed, balanced). We can use different words to describe the different levels of activity, just as we can use different words to describe the different effects of the poses and sequences. Note, however, that all the descriptions are just different ways to describe the gunas. Finally, the end effect is what we find in the space where all the circles overlap.
– “The objective world (what is seen), consisted of a combination of elements and senses, and having a nature of illumination, activity, and stability, has two purposes: fulfillment and freedom.
Please join me for a “First Friday Night Special” tonight (August 4th) 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 practice is accessible and open to all.
Prop wise, this is a kitchen sink practice.You can practice without props or you can use “studio” and/or “householder” props. Example of “Studio” props: 1 – 2 blankets, 2 – 3 blocks, a bolster, a strap, and an eye pillow. Example of “Householder” props: 1 – 2 blankets or bath towels, 2 – 3 books (similar in size), 2 standard pillows (or 1 body pillow), a belt/tie/sash, and a face towel.
You may want extra layers (as your body may cool down during this practice). Having a wall, chair, sofa, or coffee table may be handy.
NOTE: More often than not, I often spend today noting what makes people like Louis Armstrong (born today in 1901, in New Orleans, Louisiana), President Barack Obama (born today in 1961, in Honolulu, Hawai’i) and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (née Markle) (born today in 1981, in Los Angeles, California) – as well as those previously mentioned – “impossible people.” Tonight, however, the practice is mostly about what makes the physical practice of yoga “the physical practice of yoga.”
For the more vigorous practices, the 2020 playlist is also available on YouTube and Spotify.. [Look for “08042021 Wonderfully, Hopefully, Fearlessly Impossible”]
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.)
– “Non-violence (or non-harming), truthfulness, non-stealing, walking in awareness of the highest reality, and non-possessiveness (or non-hording) are the restraints (or universal commandments).”
– “[The five restraints] are not affected by class, race, ethnicity, place, time, and circumstance. They are universal and become a great vow.”
Today is a day when I focus on some of the reasons why we do the things we do, the way we do them – and what sometimes gets lost when we get caught up in the momentum. In some ways it is a foundational practice. In some ways it is a cautionary tale.
It is also a reminder to practice responsibly.
The following (edited) excerpt is from a 2020 post and 2022 re-post:
“By separating the physical practice from the larger context, the book does the exact same thing so many people do: it removes the ethics. Yet what [William] Broad’s research reinforces, to me, is that one of the ‘rewards’ of the postural practice – the increase in physical health and power – becomes a risk if some kind of ethical component is not affixed to the practice.
Let us not forget, Patanjali gave us the ethical component when he codified the system – and he didn’t give it to us as an afterthought. He gave it to us first (just as the Buddha did). Most yoga teachers, and all teachers of Buddhism or the major religions, are aware of the ethics of their particular system. If they are not teaching those elements, they may not be practicing them. If they are not practicing the ethics of their system, in all aspects of their life, we end up with more suffering.”
Please join me today (Wednesday, July 26th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a 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.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04192020 Noticing Things”]
NOTE: Each playlist is actually two playlists and you can decide which one you use. You can start with Track #1, Track #11 (for the least breaks on either platform), or start with Track #12, #13, or #14 for a slightly psychedelic experience. Track #14 on the Spotify is self-contained.
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.
For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted in 2021. Class details and one quoted have been updated or added. WARNING: This post references war.A link to a philosophical variation of this theme, one related to divine play, is linked at the end the of this post.
“Don’t say things. What you are stands over you the while, and thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary. A lady of my acquaintance said, ‘I don’t care so much for what they say as I do for what makes them say it.’”
– quoted from 1875 essay “Social Aims” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
What do you believe? It seems like such a simple question – especially since it’s not “In what” or “In whom” do you believe? But simple questions can be the trickiest. Because if you believe something – really, truly, believe with your whole heart and every fiber of your being – than your actions will reflect your beliefs. Right? Everything will be in alignment. Right?
Only, we humans tend to be a little more complicated than that. So, maybe the next thing to consider isn’t whether your every thought, word, and deed perfectly reflects what you believe. Maybe the next thing to consider is whether or not you are willing to put all of your efforts – all of your thoughts, words, and deeds – on the line, in support of a campaign (or an organization…or a country…) in which you believe. What would you do for freedom, for country, for God (what every that means to you at this moment)?
Prior to going to London in 1841, George Williams was a young draper from the countryside (Dulverton, Somerset, England to be exact) who had attended school in Tiverton, Devon and apprenticed at a shop in Bridgewater (also in Somerset). He was not a man of the world. But he had a sense of self and described himself as a “careless, thoughtless, godless, swearing young fellow.” For all that, when he arrived in London for a job, he was way out of his depth. He saw London as a dirty place, a place of temptation, a kind of hell on Earth. (Keep in mind; I have heard that he couldn’t tell the difference between schoolgirls in uniform and prostitutes if they were standing on a street corner.)
“All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”
– 1 Corinthians 9:25 – 27 (NLT)
Motivated to overcome the unhealthy living and working conditions and inspired by Muscular Christianity, a mid-19th century philosophical movement based on the idea that one’s mind-body and actions should glorify God, Sir Williams gathered together 11 other drapers to create a place for healthy and moral activities and for, as he said, “the improving of the spiritual conditioning of young men engaged in drapery, embroidery, and other trades.” They gathered together today, June 6th in 1844, to create what one of the drapers, Christopher W. Smith, suggested they call the “Young Men’s Christian Association” [YMCA].
The ideas behind the YMCA expanded and, by the early 1850’s, there were YMCA meetings and branches throughout the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States. Jean-Henri Dunant (who would later co-win the first Noble Peace Prize for founding the International Committee of the Red Cross) was the founder of the Swiss branch of the YMCA, Secretary of the YMCA Geneva, and the person who spearheaded the idea for a YMCA World Conference. At that first conference, in August 1855, 99 delegates from nine countries adopted the Paris Basis, which included an international mission and motto. That motto came from John 17:21, “That they all may be one.”
“Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!
You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.”
– quoted from the June 6, 1944, printed “Order of the Day” (issued to 175,000 troops by Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force) and the subsequent speech by United States General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Commander of Operation Overlord
Exactly a hundred years (to the date) after the founding of the YMCA, a World War II battle began on the beaches of Normandy, France. At least 156,000 Allied troops put their lives on the line in the effort to liberate Western Europe from Nazi Germany. Today is the anniversary of D-Day, the beginning of the Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June 6, 1944 until August 30th. Codenamed “Operation Overlord,” the military campaign was a coordinated amphibious and airborne effort on five beaches by the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Norway.
The original plan was for troops to land on June 5th, on beaches codenamed Gold, Juno, Sword, Omaha, and Utah. However, bad weather delayed the start – and created tactical issues. Some troops were not able to land when and where they were scheduled to land – in one case, at Juno, infantry made it to shore ahead of their supporting armoury – resulting in many casualties. The Allied forces met their heaviest resistance, and possibly the highest casualties, on Omaha Beach, but by the end of the day, the Allies had invaded Nazi-controlled territory.
The campaign that started today, in 1944, moved across the Normandy countryside, engaging over 2 million Allied troops. By the end of August, Paris had been liberated, Germany was forced out of northwestern France, and Allied forces were prepared to join their Soviet allies in the continued effort to rid the world of fascism and end what we now know was the Holocaust.
But, of course, there was a cost. An estimated 226,386 Allied troops died in the campaign, with the Axis powers losing somewhere between 288,000 – 530,000 troops. An estimated 25,000 to 39,000 civilians died (between the pre-invasion bombing and the actual bombing).
“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.”
– from “Ode of Remembrance” taken from “For the Fallen” by Laurence Binyon
When we remember those who were lost today and throughout the war – as well as when we remember those who survived, but were left with permanent scars, inside and out – we must remember that even during times of war, even when there is a draft, people put their lives on the line for a lot of different reasons. People put all of their efforts – all of their thoughts, words, and deeds – on the line, in support of a campaign (or an organization…or a country…) because of something in which they believe. Maybe, like those who engaged in the Muscular Christianity movement of the mid-19th century, it’s a belief in patriotic duty, discipline, self-sacrifice, manliness, and the moral and physical beauty of athleticism. Maybe it’s a belief in freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Maybe it’s a belief in life.
We can’t always know why someone thinks what they think, says what they say, or does what they do. We can, however, give some thought to how our thoughts, words, and deeds reflect our deepest beliefs.
“And what is the right way of living? Are we to live in sports always? If so, in what kind of sports? We ought to live sacrificing, and singing, and dancing, and then a man will be able to propitiate the Gods, and to defend himself against his enemies and conquer them in battle. The type of song or dance by which he will propitiate them has been described, and the paths along which he is to proceed have been cut for him.” (Book 7)
– quoted from The Laws by Plato
Please join me today (Tuesday, June 6th) 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 me at myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06062020 D-Day & YMCA]
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 TO & FROM EVERYTHING & EVERYONE WE ENCOUNTER ###
“Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to anyone Counting the Omer or celebrating/observing Eastertide / the Octave of Easter!
For Those Who Missed It: The Following was originally posted as part of my Kiss My Asana offering in 2020. I have adjusted some language, added a couple of critical details, and also added class details and links. Some links connect to sites outside of this blog.
( )
– Title of the third sigur rós album, on which all songs are “sung” by jónsi (born 4/23/1975) in Hopelandic (“Vonlenska” in Icelandic)
A lot of people, myself included, find sigur rós music relaxing. I also find it visceral, something felt deep in the body. So, sometimes, when I want people to really tune in and pay attention to how they are feeling – deep in their bodies – I play sigur rós. There are albums where jónsi, who was born today in 1975, sings in Icelandic. On the third album, however, he sings in an imaginary language known as Vonlenska. Vonlenska, as identified by a journalist, first appeared in the ninth track of the band’s debut album. The song is called “Von,” the Icelandic word for “hope.” Hence the name: Volenska. Hopelandic.
Hopelandic. How can you not love that name, or the idea of a place where the native language is hope?
“it’s of course not an actual language by definition (no vocabulary, grammar, etc.), it’s rather a form of gibberish vocals that fits to the music and acts as another instrument. jónsi likens it with what singers sometimes do when they’ve decided on the melody but haven’t written the lyrics yet.”
– from the faq section of the sigur rós website
When I play sigur rós in class, I remind people that they are hearing an imaginary language, but also point out that if you listen long enough you can not only sing along you can also feel as if you understand what is being sung – if not the words (since they aren’t, technically, words), at least the sentiment. I also explain that it is a little like listening to the mind-body.
Our minds and bodies speak in sensation, that’s how they communicate information. The only problem is, we’re not always fluent in sensation. So, just like we do when we are learning a new language, we need to experience the “vocabulary” in context and then repeat and repeat them until they are ingrained. Living our lives in our bodies is a little like being immersed in a foreign language – except for the part where we can ignore all of the sensation/information and only converse in our native tongue because, in some ways, it is easier than trying to understand this language no one spends a lot of time teaching us how to understand. The physical practice of yoga (hatha yoga, regardless of the style or tradition) is a way to start learning the language.
It’s not that hard to find a yoga class, if you consider yourself able-bodied and/or of sound mind (and/or if you are not marginalized in any way). Even now, under the when there was a worldwide lockdown, there were lots of options. It may take a little effort to find a yoga practice that works for you, but it’s out there. What if, however, you (or someone around you) didn’t consider you able-bodied and/or of sound mind? What if you had been told that because you couldn’t move parts of your body on your own, couldn’t breathe without a machine, and/or didn’t feel sensation the way others felt it, you couldn’t practice yoga? What if your body didn’t look like the teacher’s body? What if you had experienced a loss or a traumatic event so devastating that it was hard to get out of bed? What if you were burnt out from taking care of people? What if a doctor told you that you were all but dead?
“Or do you need to get quiet enough to understand that some person – maybe close to you, maybe you – needs a beautiful place to come to, just to be, to come back to the purity of your existence.
And whatever’s dragged you through your life up to this point, beaten you forward to solve whatever problems, you drop all of that. And find yourself.”
– Robert Boustany describing that ‘Every answer is inside you.’
I started practicing yoga between professional dancers and musicians, people who used their bodies to make a living. They were also people (pardon the pun) very in-tune with their bodies. Then there was me, and on the first day, Robert Boustany explained that I already practiced yoga (philosophically speaking).
Because I knew Robert’s background and knew some of the people who practiced with him under various conditions, it would be decades before it occurred to me that some people thought they couldn’t practice yoga. It was heartbreaking to realize that some people were being denied a really profound internal experience, a profoundly healing experience, because of a misconception about what yoga is and what it is not. It was heartbreaking to realize that there were yoga teachers all of the world who only knew how to teach a single, sometimes stereotypical, person – especially since there are so many people in the world who are not stereotypical.
“As I write this book, I am a yoga teacher, and I still get around in a wheelchair. I teach bodies that can stand when I cannot, that can feel things where I do not. This is possible because I have explored a different kind of connection between mind and body. Although I still cannot move my legs – and have no goal to do so – I do feel a heightened level of presence throughout my entire consciousness, including my paralyzed body.
It is a connection that we all share. Most of us, however, have not needed to bring it fully to consciousness. I believe this shared connection has profound implications not just for the shape and quality of our consciousness, but for the aging process, for the experience of trauma, for our approach to disability and rehabilitation, and even for our survival on this planet.”
– quoted from the Introduction to Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence by Matthew Sanford
Matthew Sanford is one of those people who is not stereotypical. He founded Mind Body Solutions to help those who have experienced trauma, loss, and disability find new ways to live by integrating both mind and body. Known for their adaptive yoga classes, MBS provides “traditional yoga” classes, workshops, and outreach programs. They also train yoga teachers and offer highly specialized training for health care professionals. This year’s yogathon, the 10th annual yogathon, kicked off yesterday. Seven days to practice with purpose: to do yoga, share yoga, and help others. By participating in the Kiss My Asana yogathon you join a global movement, but in a personal way. In other words, you practice yoga… for 7 days. And you can start right now!
Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, April 23rd) 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.
The practices I lead are full of little bits of teaching/practice I’ve picked up from Matthew Sanford and other teachers and students at Mind Body Solutions. Plus, I’ll be posting KMA offerings on the community page on my YouTube channel.
If you’re interested in my previous KMA offerings, check out the following (some links only take you to the beginning of a series):
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. Ifyou are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
“Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to anyone Counting the Omer or celebrating/observing Eastertide / the Octave of Easter!
This is a “missing” post for Saturday, April 22nd. It includes some recycled quotes and re-purposed information from earlier posts. Some embedded links will take you outside of the blog. 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.
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”
– quoted from Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (published 1962)
So, this week we considered the power found in waiting, waiting in community and also the power of water and light – which is akin to fire – (plus there were some references to wind). But what about Earth… and Space? And what does any of this have to do with grace, particularly shastra kripa (or, at least, one of the definitions of shastra kripa)? To get to all that we have to get grounded, dig deep, and take a little detour through another celebration related to waiting and through a yogathon.
Notice, however, that all of the references below are centered and grounded in community.
“But it seems reasonable to believe — and I do believe — that the more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us the less taste we shall have for the destruction of our race. Wonder and humility are wholesome emotions, and they do not exist side by side with a lust for destruction.”
– Rachel Carson accepting the John Burroughs Medal (April 1952) and printed in Lost Woods: The Discovered Writing of Rachel Carson
In addition to being the beginning of the 10th annual Kiss My Asana yogathon, today was Earth Day. While the roots of Earth Day can be found in the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, an actual day dedicated to Earth and peace was initially proposed by John McConnell during a 1969 conferenced hosted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The very first Earth Day, as he proposed it, was held in San Francisco on March 21, 1970, to coincide with the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. Gaylord Nelson, a United States Senator from Wisconsin, proposed a nationwide environmental teach-in and hired a young activist named Denis Hayes to organize the first national Earth Day, which was held on April 22, 1970. More than 20 million people, including then-President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon, participated in the events on April 22, 1970, making that day one of the largest protests in the United States. (The 1970 Earth Day teach-in was the largest recorded protest until the 2020 protest after the murder of George Floyd.)
“In these troubled times it is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know the sense of wonder and humility. There is modern truth to the ancient wisdom of the psalmist: `I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.’”
– quoted from Rachel Carson’s original submission to “Words to Live By” for This Week Magazine (1951)
“A determination to be outward looking in the process of community building had already become an established aspect of culture in many, many places; it has now blossomed, in a rising number of communities, into a sense of real responsibility for the spiritual and material progress of larger and larger groups within society, well beyond the membership of the Bahá’í community itself. The efforts of the friends to build communities, to engage in social action, and to contribute to the prevalent discourses of society have cohered into one global enterprise, bound together by a common framework for action, focused on helping humanity to establish its affairs on a foundation of spiritual principles.”
– quoted from the Riḍván 2022 message from the Universal House of Justice “To the Bahá’is of the World”
Thursday night marked the beginning of the twelve-day festival of Ridván, “the Most Great Festival” in the Baháʼí Faith. As I mentioned last month, the Baháʼí Faith is a monotheistic faith that believes in the oneness of God and religion, as well as the oneness and nobility of humanity. The community believes that, historically, there has been a “progressive revelation of religious truth” which has been shared with the world through the voices of the prophets or Divine Messengers, known as “Manifestations of God” (which include “Braham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, and, in more recent times, the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh”). People within the faith are taught to honor the value of different religious and philosophical traditions as well as the value of education, especially in science (which is viewed by some faiths as being contrary to religion).
The Bahá’í calendar begins around the Vernal (Spring) Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and has 19 months with 19 days – each named for one of the 19 names/manifestations/attributes of God. For example, “Splendor” and “Glory” are the English translations for Bahá and Jalál, the first two months (and days) of this solar calendar. There are also 4 or 5 intercalary days that occur just before the final month and which are considered “transcendent” in nature. The calendar is partially tied to the Gregorian calendar, in that days on each calendar always correspond with each other; however, the Bahá’í calendar is very much focused around its own historical liturgy. Hence, why 2023 is the year 180 BE (Bahá’í Era).
The twelve-day festival of Ridván, one of the holiest times within the Bahá’í community, is celebrated during the second month and begins exactly one Gregorian-month after the new year. This “Most Great Festival” in the Baháʼí Faith honors the time that the founder of the Bahá’i Faith, Bahá’u’lláh waited in the original garden of Ridván prior to being exiled to Constantinople. The Arabic word ridván means “paradise” and I indicated “the original garden,” because in addition to the garden outside of Baghdad, where the great spiritual leader (considered a manifestation of the Divine) prepared for his exile, there is a second garden with the same name in Israel, which Bahá’u’lláh visited after years of exile.
The festival is a time of a sacred time of prayer, reflection, and celebration. This year’s celebrations began two hours before sunset on Thursday – with the specific timing meant to commemorate the actual time, in 1863, when Bahá’u’lláh entered the Najíbíyyih Garden with his three sons and his secretary and began to receive the visitors who wanted to wish him well before his departure. It was during this time, in the space he called “paradise,” that Bahá’u’lláh declared himself as the most recent manifestation of God; that all religious wars were repealed; that there would not be another manifestation of the God for another 1,000 years; and that the names of God (or attributes of the divine) are manifested in all things. To honor the fact that he made these announcements, the Universal House of Justice issues an annual Ridván message. They also hold elections held during this time. The first day (yesterday), the ninth day (next Saturday), and the twelfth day are considered the most holy of days. The ninth day is auspicious because it is the day the rest of Bahá’u’lláh’s family joined him in the garden and it is also the beginning of the third month, Jamál (“Beauty”).
“Besides my involvement with the Investor’s Circle, I temporarily put aside my plan for an institute and returned to the basics – an almost exclusive focus on my yoga practice. After a couple of years, I decided that it was time to share my experience with yoga and paralysis. If nothing else, I could help others who lived with disability. I started teaching an adapted yoga class at the Courage Center, a leading rehabilitation facility in a suburb of Minneapolis.
My idea was that by teaching this class, I could give something back – an obvious means to make my experience useful. What I found was much more. I thought I was teaching these students, when, in fact, they were teaching me. Neurological deficit is a frontier of mind-body integration. Working with these students has taught me that the principles of yoga are nondiscriminating – they can travel though any body.”
– quoted from “16, Falling Gracefully” in “Part Three: Yoga, Bodies, and Baby Boys” of Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence by Matthew Sanford
As I have mentioned before, my first exposure to the physical practice of yoga was also my first exposure to Yoga Philosophy and to the fact that anyone and everyone can practice yoga. Sometimes we stumble upon the practice that works for us. However, sometimes it takes an extra effort to find the practice (and the teacher) that works for our particular mind-bod-spirit. In fact, it wasn’t until I took my first yoga teacher training that I really realized how many people weren’t practicing, because they didn’t know they could practice. Even worse, some people had been told that they couldn’t practice – which is heartbreaking.
Still, I believed (and continue to believe) in the transformative, healing, and joyful experience of yoga. I also still believe there is a practice for every mind/body/spirit – every veteran, every person with disability, every survivor of sexual assault and other trauma, every elderly person, every person living with chronic pain, every person with a terminal illness, and every caregiver. I am joyfully participating in the Kiss My Asana yogathon for the 10th year in a row, because Mind Body Solutions is helping people find their practice!
The Kiss My Asana yogathon is an annual event that raises awareness and resources for Mind Body Solutions and their life-affirming work to help people living with disabilities. Best known for their Adaptive Yoga Program, which provides adapted yoga opportunities for people around the globe, MBS currently provides live, online resources to people living with disabilities, worldwide. In addition to 11 live online yoga classes a week, MBS has also created a comprehensive library of recorded adaptive yoga classes for students, instructional videos for adaptive yoga teachers, and insightful interviews between the founding teacher, Matthew Sanford, and adaptive students. In the past, MBS has also offered training and workshops for yoga teachers, healthcare professionals, and caregivers (so they can share this work in their communities, too).
All of this helps people with disabilities live more fully, where they are and how they are. Ultimately, however, Mind Body Solutions is all about everyone having better relationships with their mind-body and spreading the message that a greater connection between mind and body can help us all live with improved comfort and ease. So, we can all benefit from the practice, because we all experience trauma, loss, and disability in some way shape or form.
The yogathon started as a month-long endeavor, but switched to a 7-day yogathon in 2020. This week (April 22nd – 28th) I’m planning to practice with purpose. I’m going to “Do Yoga. Share Yoga. Help Others.” – and you can join me! The practices I lead will be full of little bits of teaching/practice I’ve picked up from Matthew Sanford and other teachers and students at Mind Body Solutions. Plus, I’ll be posting on the community page on my YouTube channel.
If you’re interested in my previous KMA offerings, check out the following (some links only take you to the beginning of a series):
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “0422020 Earth Day”]
What’s this?
Dandasana (“Staff Pose”)
Have you subscribed to my YouTube page? It’s mostly playlists, plus a few mini-practices and videos from previous yogathons. Starting later tonight, I’m also going to be posting on my community page as part of my 2023 Kiss My Asana offering. So, check it out if you want to know more about the pose pictured above (and why we’re doing it).
“Chag Sameach!” to everyone celebrating Passover and/or Counting the Omer! Blessings to anyone celebrating Great Week or Eastertide / the Octave of Easter! “Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramadān!” to anyone who is observing the holy month of Ramadān.
Depending on how you look at it, this is either a “missing” post for April 6th and 7th or an early post for April 13th and 14th. For Those Who Missed It: Elements of the following have been previously posted. Click here for last year’s compilation post, which includes links to the originals. Dates have been updated. NOTE: The change in the color of the quotes is intentional.
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.
“We talk of becoming one with God and many seekers are looking to reach higher spiritual levels, but first we must unify the different parts of ourselves. To see that we are complex beings, often with apparent internal contradictions, but this too is also a form of oneness. Understanding the Divine begins by first understanding ourselves.”
– from the introduction to The Kabbalah Sutras: 49 Steps to Enlightenment, by Marcus J. Freed
During a Passover Seder, when Jewish people commemorate their ancestors’ exodus from slavery in Egypt, they wash their hands before and after the story of exodus is told through the lens of four questions. The first time, hands are washed without a blessing; the second time, hands are washed with a blessing. Like everything else in the Seder, even the name and the questions, the hand washing is crucial and symbolic.
The Hebrew word “Seder” means “order, procedure.” Just like in our yoga practice, everything happens in a very specific order that tells the story of the people, of their faith, and of their exodus. Symbols are used to engage not only the numerically young children at the table, but also those who are spiritually young and may not have studied the Torah. For example, the elements of the four questions (leavened vs. unleavened bread; all vegetables vs. bitter herbs; dipping the herbs in brine or vinegar and also in a sweet paste; eating in a variety of positions vs. eating in a reclining position) are symbolic of how quickly people fled when given the chance to escape Egypt; the bitterness of slavery; the sweat and tears of the enslaved people, as well as the bricks-and-mortar the enslaved were forced to build; and the luxury and privilege implied in eating in a reclining position – as if one has not a care in the world. The symbolic nature of the different aspects of the observation means that the ritual is both a mental experience and a visceral experience. Still, it’s easy to overlook the hand washing, even though it’s in the Bible.
“For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the LORD, they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”
– Shemot – Exodus 30:19 – 30:21 (NIV)
In the Eastern philosophies (like Yoga) and religions (like Judaism) arms and hands are recognized as extensions of the heart. They are how we reach out to others, embrace others, embrace ourselves, and even embrace a moment. We use our hands and arms to build the world around us. We also use our hands and arms to love one another (or not) and to defend or support what we love (or not). Love (chesed) and strength (gevurah) are two of the aspects of the Divine (found on the Tree of Life). Furthermore, Jewish mysticism identifies these elements of the Divine as being embodied by the right and left arms, respectively. It is no accident then, nor is it only an element of good hygiene, that hands are washed before handling sacred food. In fact, in the Hasidic tradition, “Water represents the healing power of wisdom. Water flows downward, carrying its essential simplicity to each thing. It brings them together as a single living, growing whole. We pour water over our hands as an expression of wisdom pouring downward passing through our heart and from there to our interaction with the world around us.”
Of the 613 commandments within the Jewish tradition, at least 21 – 27 are directly related to the observation of Passover, the Seder, the Counting of the Omer (which begins on the second night of Passover), and Shavuot (which begins at the end of the Counting of the Omer). The Last Supper (or suppers, depending on who you ask) is acknowledged as Jesus’ last meal and the source of the Eucharist or Holy Communion in Christian faiths. While the one of the four canonical gospels (John) places Passover after Jesus’s death, the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) present The Last Supper as a Passover Seder. Therefore, it would make sense that Jesus – recognized as a rabbi, a teacher, long before he was considered by some to be the Messiah – would have made sure everyone washed their hands, twice during the Seder. It’s part of the Law, part of the Commandments.
“This makes perfect sense on reflection, as these are the organs that we can use to master ourselves and to complete the relationship with others, depending on the words we speak and the way we interact (e.g., Who we are giving to or walking towards and away from). In this sense, Malchut-mastery also comprises communication. It asks us: how are you using communication as a tool for giving and creating? Are you using your feet to walk towards situations where you can be more loving, and are your hands creating a kinder world?”
– quoted from “Day 7 / THE ROYAL PATH OF LOVE: MASTERY IN LOVINGKINDNESS מלכות שבחסד ” in The Kabbalah Sutras: 49 Steps to Enlightenment by Marcus J. Freed
If you are familiar with the Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) and the Tree of Life, you might be thinking that my explanation is not completely accurate. It’s not completely accurate, because The Zohar only associates chesed and gevurah with the arms. Meanwhile, the hands, as well as the feet and mouth, are associated with malchut, which can be translated into English as sovereignty, stewardship, leadership, kinship, queenship, and mastery. These body parts are, as Marcus Freed points out, what we use to create (and move towards) new experiences, new realities, and new world orders.
So, it is interesting to note that an (often) unnamed woman washing Jesus’ feet is considered the catalyst for Judas betraying Jesus. Equally interesting is that before the Seder, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. That last bit of feet washing is one of the events commemorated by some Christians on Maundy Thursday.
Very few people talk about what happened to Judas and the money after the betrayal, even though the Gospel According to Matthew (27:1 – 10) and The Acts of the Apostles (1:16 – 18) give explicit, albeit slightly different, details. Additionally, there is some difference in notation about when Judas left the last supper or if he even attended. Either way, it was at the Last Supper – which some accounts depict as the Passover Seder – that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. When Simon Peter objected, Jesus told him three particularly noteworthy things; things that remind us that none of this is about the money.
“‘Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.’”
– The Gospel According to John (13:12 – 15, KJV)
“‘If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.’”
– The Gospel According to John (13:8, KJV)
“‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’”
– The Gospel According to John (13:34 – 35, KJV)
The word “Maundy” comes to us, by way of Middle English and Old French, from a Latin word that means “command, order.” While it may be associated with the ritual of washing the feet of a saint, showing hospitality, or preparing a body for burial, the command or order associated with the Thursday before Easter is that “new command.” It is a command repeatedly reiterated in the Gospel According to John (15:12 and 15:17). It is also a sentiment that is echoed in one of the last things Jesus said on the cross, when he connected his own mother with one of his disciples as if they are mother and son. It is a lesson Jesus taught again and again. Yet, it is a lesson all too often forgotten; even though it is the whole point of the story.
“‘A second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”’”
– The Gospel According to Matthew (22:39, NLT)
Sunset on Thursday night (April 6th) marked the beginning of the Counting of the Omer in Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah). The Counting of the Omer is a 49-day observation which reflects the days the newly freed Jews were in the desert and segues into the commemoration of the people receiving the Torah. When people observe the Counting of the Omer there is an extra element of prayer, of offering, and also contemplation on two connected elements of the Divine (from the Tree of Life). One the first night, the connect elements are Chesed She b’Chesed (Lovingkindness in Lovingkindness). In the Western Christian traditions, that same night (this year) is connected to the beginning of the events associated with Good Friday.
But, why is the Friday before Easter good? And why are there so many holy observations going on around the world at the same time?
Let’s start with the second question first, because that will lay the foundation for answering the first question.
“People ask me how I find hope. I answer that I don’t believe in hope, and I don’t believe in hopelessness. I believe in compassion and pragmatism, in doing what is right for its own sake. Hope can be lethal when you are fighting an autocracy because hope is inextricable from time. An enduring strategy of autocrats is to simply run out the clock.”
– quoted from Hiding in Plain Sight by Sarah Kendzior
Serendipitously, I received two texts from the same Austin suburb (on April 11, 2020). One was from a friend, sharing the Sarah Kendzior quote (above). The other was from my brother, asking why people were celebrating the same thing at different times. The quote sharpened my focus. The question brings me to you.
Even though he didn’t ask the question in an all encompassing way, I am going to answer his question here in a broader sense, and in a pretty basic way.
On Friday, April 7, 2023, people all over the the world celebrated the second day (and then the third night) of Passover; started (or were in the middle of) the third week of the holy month of Ramadān; celebrated Good Friday (in the Western Christian traditions); got ready for Lazarus Saturday (which was April 8th, in the Eastern Orthodox Christian traditions); and, after sunset, counted “two days of the Omer” (in some Jewish traditions). All of that was followed by, Easter Sunday (in the Western Christian traditions) and Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Easter) in the Eastern Orthodox Christian traditions. Oh, and some people observe/celebrate more than one of those traditions at the same time. When you add in the (Wednesday/Thursday) celebrations of Hanuman Jayanti (in the Hindu traditions) and consider that these observations and celebrations are occurring all over the world – and keeping in mind different time zone – it can get really confusing. Hence my brothers question.
If we just stick with the Abrahamic religions for a moment, remember that Passover is a commemoration of the Exodus story, which is the story of the Jewish people being freed from slavery in Egypt. The Jewish liturgical calendar is lunar-based and, therefore, Passover happens at a slightly different time each year on the Gregorian (i.e., secular) calendar. According to all four canonical gospels of the New Testament, Jesus spent the last week of his life preparing for Passover (and what he knew was coming in terms of the Crucifixion and Resurrection). Three of the four gospels indicate that what Christians (and artists) refer to as the “Last Supper” was actually a Passover Seder – so we are back to a lunar calendar, although it’s a different lunar calendar. Keep in mind that the initial switch to the Gregorian calendar (in the fall of 1582) was partially motivated by the Roman Catholic Church’s desire to have consistency in the timing of liturgical observations and that Orthodox Christians operate under the old-school Julian calendar, which brings us to a third timeline.
While most modern Christians focus exclusively on the New Testament and observe holy times accordingly, some Christians also follow the observations commanded in Deuteronomy and Leviticus.
Finally, the holy month of Ramadān is based on yet another calendar, giving us a fourth timeline. Islām, Christianity, and Judaism share historical roots and some of the same beliefs (e.g., a belief in the oneness of God, a belief in angels, a belief in revealed book, etc.); however, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar does not always fall in March or April and is not directly connected to Passover. So, just for this moment, I’m going to tighten my focus.
Are you still with me? Be honest. If you need a scorecard, I’m happy to provide one – especially since I’m about to go down the (metaphorical) rabbit hole.
“And God saw that it was good.”
– Words that appear 7 times in the Creation Story found in Bereish’t – Genesis
Tov is a Hebrew word that means “good.” If we only think of the word “good” in a modern context – as something desired, approved, right, pleasing, and welcome – we can find ourselves in a bit of a quandary; because, we’ve lost part of the meaning. I often say that there was a time when everything people did had meaning. Over time, as people got further away from the meaning, rituals became traditions – things people did just because their ancestors did them. Over more time, traditions lose their meaning and just become things people say. Even though, there are some rituals and traditions that have their meanings baked into the practice (i.e., Passover and Good Friday), people don’t always understand that meaning.
Things can get even more confusing when cultures overlap and people are suddenly witnessing multiple practices they don’t understand – because they don’t know the meaning. These kinds of perplexing situations happen a lot in the Spring, when all the major religions and philosophies have significant observations and celebrations that overlap. This can get even more confusing when, for instance, people outside of Judaism wonder why there’s a celebration associated with a time of so much suffering and non-Christians wonder how the Friday of Holy Week / Passion Week can be simultaneously associated with the trial, persecution, crucifixion, and death of Jesus and also good. It’s a bit of a conundrum… until you go a little deeper.
Going deeper means we don’t look at the events of Good Friday using the modern understanding of “good.” Instead, we go back to the beginning of the Torah (also the Christian Old Testament), where God defined something as “good” when it was useful and serving its purpose. In the Christian tradition, Jesus is recognized as the Messiah, the Christ, the one who heralds and ushers in an era of peace and salvation. He served his purpose, because he lived, suffered, was crucified, died, was buried, and was risen – in order for sins to be forgiven. Thus, the events commemorated on the Friday before Easter are considered “good,” because they were meaningful and served a purpose. And, just as there is a meaningful “order” to a Passover Seder, there is a particular path which tells the story of Good Friday.
“And God said, ‘There will be light,’ and there was light.
And God saw the light that it was good, and God separated between the light and between the darkness.”
– Beresh’t / Genesis 1:3-4
For Good Friday, many Christians move through the Stations of the Cross, a visual pilgrimage of Jesus’ last moments. The earliest “Way of the Cross” or “Way of Sorrows” artwork and the Scriptural Way of the Cross (introduced by Pope John Paul II on Good Friday 1991 and approved by Pope Benedict in 2007) depict 14 scenes or “steps,” ending with Jesus being laid in the tomb. The Resurrection is often considered to be the 15th Station of the Cross. (NOTE: The Resurrection is the 14th Station according to the “New Way of the Cross” in the Philippines; however, this version is different from the previous mentioned versions.) The art is meant to mirror Via Dolorosa (the “Way of Sorrow/Pain”) in Jerusalem, the actual path Jesus would have taken to Mount Calvary.
When people “move through the Stations of the Cross,” it is a ritual pilgrimage wrapped in a walking tour wrapped in a children’s picture book disguised as traditional art. That is not unlike our physical practice of yoga, which can sometimes be a history lesson wrapped up in philosophical discourse disguised as physical exercise.
The layers are baked in; however, we can sometimes be too far away from the meaning to understand the rituals of the practice. We can find ourselves facing that aforementioned quandary: We’re doing poses without understanding how they serve or benefit us – and then doing them in a way that means we’re not getting all the benefits. We might also do poses and sequences for the “wrong” reasons. Sometimes we forget that, regardless of the style or tradition, we want every yoga practice to be “good” in the Old Testament way. We want poses to have meaning and purpose.
So, again, we have to go deeper.
Going deeper to me means highlighting the physical-mental purposes and benefits of poses and sequences – and, also, digging into the symbolic aspects of the practice. Even doing a little svādhyāya (“self-study”) to notice what comes up (physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically, and even spiritually) in certain situations. So, for 11 years, I taught a Good Friday yoga practice that essentially mirrored the Via Dolorosa and the way people walk through the Stations of the Cross. I didn’t lead any prayers; but, I did hold a little space for people that wanted to pray.
I know it was a little much for some folks. I also know that some people really appreciated a yoga practice. Every year, someone asked me if I was going to do the Good Friday theme and, every year, someone thanked me and said that it was meaningful, which was good.
“You ain’t got no kind of feeling inside I got something that will sho’ ’nuff set your stuff on fire You refuse to put anything before your pride What I got will knock all your pride aside”
– quoted from the song “Tell Me Something Good” by Chaka Khan and Rufus
NOTE: This is a mostly Good Friday playlist for a “First Friday Night Special” and it is very similar to what I have used in the past for a the vinyasa practice referenced above.
METTA MEDITATION (with relationships):
Prior to the quarantine, Metta Meditation was part of my daily commute. Part I gives you a little background and a partially guided meditation. Part II includes guided meditation for the cardinal and intercardinal directions. These meditations were recorded in the Spring of 2019.
May you be safe and protected
May you be peaceful and happy
May you be healthy and strong
May you have ease and well-being, today and always.
NOTE: As much as I am able, I like to highlight the quotes with a good color, i.e., a meaningful color. That is why some of these quotes are black, for those who know.
### “et lux in tenebris lucet et tenebrae eam non comprehenderunt” (John 1:5) ###
“Nowruz Mubarak!” Happy New Year to those who are celebrating! Happy Spring to those in the Northern Hemisphere & Happy Fall to those in the Southern Hemisphere. Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Lent or Great Lent during this “Season for Non-violence” and all other seasons! & Don’t forget to rock your socks on World Down Syndrome Day!
For Those Who Missed It:This is an excerpt from March 21, 2020. There is a link at the end of the excerpt if you want more of the philosophy. Some embedded links below connect to sites outside of this blog. Class details and links have been added (as I was not yet teaching online three years ago today).
“[Music] should have no other end and aim than the glory of God and the re-creation of the soul, where this is not kept in mind, there is no true music, but only an infernal clamour and ranting.”
– Johann Sebastian Bach (b. 1685)
According to the Old Style / Julian calendar, March 21st, is the anniversary of the birth of the composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Born in 1685, Bach’s statement about music also works as a statement for yoga: ‘[Philosophically speaking, yoga] should have no other end and aim than the glory of God and the re-creation of the soul, where this is not kept in mind, there is no true [yoga], but only an infernal clamour and ranting.’ People who think of yoga only as a form of exercise are often surprised that there’s more. One can only imagine their surprise if they walk into one of my classes – especially on March 21st, when the playlist starts with Bach and then becomes a soundtrack for other events that correspond to this date in history.
Imagine their further surprise when all of that is just the background to a deeper practice.
“Samskaras – the drivers of our mental tendencies – manifest in the form of memory. We are able to remember something because the subtle impressions related to the object have been stored in our mind. Because they are hidden beneath thick layers of the forces of time, the mind is not aware of their existence. But like a seed that lies dormant until spring brings moisture and warmth, samskaras awaken when the conditions inside and outside the mind are conducive.”
– quoted from the commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.11 from The Practice of the Yoga Sūtra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD
Please join me today (Tuesday, March 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 me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “03212020 Bach’s Day Too” or “03212021 Bach’s Day Too” ]
NOTE: Some tracks have slightly different timings on the different platforms.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
### I’M ADVOCATING FOR MORE KINDNESS TO YOURSELF & TO OTHERS (& LOTS OF SOCKS)! ###
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A Joyful Practice 