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A Quick PSA & FTWMI: The Power of Giving & Sharing June 14, 2025

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Donate, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Science, Suffering, Super Heroes, Tragedy, Twin Cities, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yoga.
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Happy Pride! Many blessing to everyone on World Blood Donor Day!!!

A Quick Public Service Announcement

My heart and condolences go out to the family, friends, and constituents being affected by the attacks in the Twin Cities.

Be safe today if you are participating in a No Kings Day! observation (or Flag Day celebration) and/or if you are in an area where protests and parades are taking place. Stay centered and calm, breathe, and practice the four (+1) R’s:

Recognize when your buttons are getting pushed (and things are escalating).

Refrain from your knee jerk reaction (which may be to push back).

Relax (even if you just pause and take a breath).

Resolve to move forward, centered and grounded.

Remember why you are doing what you are doing.

For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted in 2023. It includes updated statistics (compared to the related linked posts). Class details and theme information (as well as some formatting) have been updated. Some links at the end of the post connect outside of this blog.

“I found that [Karl] Landsteiner and I had a much different approach to science: Landsteiner would ask, ‘What do these experimental observations force us to believe about the nature of the world?’ and I would ask, ‘What is the most simple, general and intellectually satisfying picture of the world that encompasses these observations and is not incompatible with them?’”

— quoted from “Fifty Years of Progress in Structural Chemistry and Molecular Biology.” By Dr. Linus Pauling (published in Daedalus, 99, 1005. 1970)

In addition to the typical philosophical questions, this week has been full of very practical questions: “Are you keeping your foundation in mind?” “What do you have a hard time wrapping your brain around (i.e., understanding)?” In other words, “How ignorant are you?” “What ails you?” “How do you cope with what ails you?” “Does the way you cope alleviate suffering or create more suffering?” And, rooted within each of those questions is one more: “Are you willing to alleviate your suffering and/or the suffering of another?”

Honestly, that last question is really just asking if you’re willing to be a hero(ine)?

Heroes and heroines have come up again and again over the last few weeks. Sometimes the reference was inferred; other times it was quite explicit. Either way, the idea that one person could do something to help — even save — themselves and/or another person comes up over and over again. And, yes, I will admit that I have a certain bias towards the idea. I definitely appreciate the fact that many of the heroes and heroines you find in so many cultural stories (not to mention in the stories of certain superheroes) are ordinary people who do extra-ordinary things. Sure, sometimes they are given superpowers, but what is more relevant is the power(s) they cultivate.

“The last category of our innate siddhis is dana, ‘the ability to give.’ We have both the wisdom and the courage to share what lawfully belongs to us with others. We are designed to experience the joy of giving. This joy is the architect of human civilization, characterized by self-sacrifice and selflessness.”

— quoted from the commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.24 from The Practice of the Yoga Sutra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

According to the Yoga Sūtras, when we eliminate suffering and the roots of suffering, we gain awareness of our true nature. We also gain access to the power and vitality of our true nature. In the Sāṃkhya Karika, that power and vitality includes six siddhis (“powers” or abilities) which are described as “powers unique to being human.” Everyone has these powers, but not everyone appreciates and cultivates them. Take for example, what happens when we harness the power of duḥkha-vighātaḥ-trayaḥ (the ability to “eliminate three-fold sorrow”, i.e., physical, mental, and spiritual sorrow) and combine it with the power of dana (“generosity”, i.e., the ability to give to another).

We all have something that legally belongs to us that we could give to another. We also have something that most of us can give away without ever missing. I’m not talking about a material possession — although some of us may have material things that we could give away and not miss. No, here, I am specifically talking about something that is the very essence of our life. Consider how powerful it is to literally give our lifeblood. We have the ability to do that thanks to Dr. Karl Landsteiner, the “Father of Transfusion Medicine”, who was born today in 1868.

Click here to read more about the significance of Dr. Karl Landsteiner’s work.

In honor of Dr. Landsteiner’s birthday, today is World Blood Donor Day. (Coincidentally, it falls just the day before the anniversary of Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys’s 1667 surgery on a 15-year old boy, using sheep’s blood.) Established in 2005, by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, World Blood Donor Day is a celebration of and an expression of gratitude for the millions of donors worldwide. It is also an opportunity to raise awareness for the universal need for safe blood and blood products.

In 2023, the host country is Algeria (through its National Blood Transfusion Service) and the theme is “Give blood, give plasma, share life, share often.”

The 2025 theme is “Give blood, give hope: together we save lives.”

“[The 2023 World Blood Donor Day theme] focuses on patients requiring life-long transfusion support and underlines the role every single person can play, by giving the valuable gift of blood or plasma. It also highlights the importance of giving blood or plasma regularly to create a safe and sustainable supply of blood and blood products that can be always available, all over the world, so that all patients in need can receive timely treatment.”

— quoted from the World Health Organization’s 2023 World Blood Donor Day site

According to WHO, 42% of the world’s blood supply is collected in high income countries, which are home to only 16% of the world’s population. Additionally, as of 2018, only 79 countries have the majority (90%) of their blood supplied by voluntary, unpaid donors. Some of those countries also supply blood transfusions free of charge. Meanwhile, 54 countries depend on family and paid donors. When it comes to plasma-derived medicinal products (PDMP), less than half of the reporting countries (56 out of 171) produce PDMP through the fractionation (i.e., separation) of plasma collected in the reporting countries. A little over 53% of reporting countries (91 out of 171) import all PDMP. The remaining 14% either reported no usage or did not report any data.

Just as the demographics of people who donate is different, how different countries use blood varies. For example, in low income countries, more than half (54%) of blood transfusions are give to children under 5 years old. On the flip side, the majority of people receiving transfusions in high income countries (76%) are over the age of 60.

Go deeper and you will find that even in countries that can depend on voluntary donations, certain parts of those countries experience shortages which can only be alleviated by a mobilized network. In fact, one of the goals of World Blood Donor Day is to “mobilize support at national, regional, and global levels among governments and development partners to invest in, strengthen and sustain national blood programmes.” That mobilized network can include electronic cold chain monitoring systems and drones — both of which can be found in Rwanda and in Ukraine.

“Rwanda’s policy since 1985 is that blood must be donated by unpaid volunteers and provided to patients in need free-of-charge. Donors around Rwanda are eager to help.

‘I always am happy to save a life of someone, even someone I don’t know, because in our (Rwandan) culture, we believe that to be human is to do good things to someone without being remunerated,’ said Euphrasie Uwase Maneno, a blood donor.”

— quoted from the 12 June 2019 World Health Organization report “Drones take Rwanda’s national blood service to new heights” by © National center for blood transfusion (NCBT) Rwanda  

Please join me today (Saturday, June 14th) at 12:00 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra   (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Saturday’s playlist is on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06142020 World Blood Donor Day”]

Click here for the Red Cross site featuring fun and interactive animations regarding “Facts About Blood and Blood Types” – including some U. S. population breakdowns based on blood type.

“[Canadian drone manufacturer Draganfly’s] medical drones, meanwhile, are equipped with temperature-controlled payload boxes that can be used to transport up to 35 pounds of blood, insulin, vaccines, and other supplies. They can fly for 40 minutes on a single charge.”

— quoted from the Freethink article “Medical drones to transport blood being rushed to Ukraine” by Kristin Houser (dated March 31, 2022)

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

### WHAT QUESTION(S) ARE YOU ASKING? ###

EXCERPTS: “Being Linda” & “Being…” – Lessons in Svādyāya May 17, 2025

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Changing Perspectives, Donate, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Meditation, One Hoop, Philosophy, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yoga.
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating Counting the Omer, and/or observing the fourth week of Pascha.

“None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody – a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns – bent down and helped us pick up our boots.”

— Supreme Court Justice (and former NAACP chief counsel) Thurgood Marshall referencing his SCOTUS successor in a Newsweek interview (dated October 28, 1991)

Today is the anniversary of the 1954 Supreme Court of the United States’ landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

Click on the first excerpt title for a related meditation.

Click on the second excerpt title for more history.

Svādyāya I: Being Linda (the “missing” Monday post)

FTWMI: “Being…” – Lessons in Svādyāya (an expanded and “renewed” post)

“When they won, it set a lasting legal precedent. [Linda] Brown was attending an integrated junior high school by then, and she later recalled the initial desegregation of local elementary schools going smoothly. But over the course of her life, she saw the reality of school integration fall short, locally and nationally.”

— quoted from the 2018 Chalkbeat article entitled “In her own words: Remembering Linda Brown, who was at the center of America’s school segregation battles” by Sarah Darville (posted May 27, 2018)

Please join me today (Saturday, May 17th) at 12:00 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05172020 Brown”]

NOTE: The playlists have slightly different before/after music and the YouTube playlist includes the video below of Linda Carol Brown.

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

You can still click here to Kiss My Asana Now! (Or, you can still also click here to join my team and get people to kiss [your] asana!) 

### NAMASTE ###

FTWMI: A Well, Well, Well(ness) [Tuesday] (w/ an excerpt) May 13, 2025

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Depression, Donate, Faith, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Jane Hirshfield, Julian of Norwich, Karma Yoga, Life, Love, Mantra, Mathematics, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Volunteer, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating the Feast Day of Julian of Norwich, Vesak / Buddha Purnima / Buddha Jayanti, Counting the Omer, and/or observing the fourth week of Pascha.

For Those Who Missed It: The following is a slightly edited version of a May 8th post-practice post for Monday and included the prompt question, “Would you describe yourself as an optimist or a pessimist?”

Some links, dated-related context, and class information have been updated and/or added.

“optimism
n. hopefulness: the attitude that good things will happen and that people’s wishes or aims will ultimately be fulfilled. Optimists are people who anticipate positive outcomes, whether serendipitously or through perseverance and effort, and who are confident of attaining desired goals. Most individuals lie somewhere on the spectrum between the two polar opposites of pure optimism and pure pessimism but tend to demonstrate sometimes strong, relatively stable or situational tendencies in one direction or the other. See also expectancy-value model. —optimistic adj.”

— quoted from the American Psychological Association’s APA Dictionary of Psychology

Take a moment to consider how your outlook on life (and future events) factors into the way you move through your life and engage future events. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? I tend to describe myself as an optimist — who can be pessimistic about certain things; but there are people who would (credibly) argue that I am a pessimist. Maybe that makes me a realist.

Or maybe, as indicated by the American Psychological Association (APA), I’m just like most people: somewhere in the middle.

It all comes down to perspective and that perspective can change the way we interact with ourselves, with other people, with challenges, with new experiences, and even with our physical and mental health. In 2009, a group of researchers presented a paper (published in May 2010), about the effect of optimism. The abstract of the paper indicated that being (even a little bit) optimistic can be healthy and promote wellness.

“Through employment of specific coping strategies, optimism exerts an indirect influence also on the quality of life. There is evidence that optimistic people present a higher quality of life compared to those with low levels of optimism or even pessimists. Optimism may significantly influence mental and physical well-being by the promotion of a healthy lifestyle as well as by adaptive behaviours and cognitive responses, associated with greater flexibility, problem-solving capacity and a more efficient elaboration of negative information.”

— quoted from “Optimism and Its Impact on Mental and Physical Well-Being” by Ciro Conversano,1,† Alessandro Rotondo,2,† Elena Lensi,1 Olivia Della Vista,1 Francesca Arpone,1 and Mario Antonio Reda1

“1Istituto di Scienze del Comportamento Università degli Studi di Siena
2Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana
†These authors contributed equally to the work.”

Obviously, there is a difference between being optimistic (or pessimistic) and being delusional — or, in the case of pessimism, being fatalistic and/or riddled with anxiety. In some cases, however, the difference is a matter of perspective and that perspective brings our awareness to why some people are optimistic and some people are pessimistic. Notice that the source of optimism is not addressed in the APA’s definition of optimism. Many people may point to faith as the source of their optimism — especially this time of year, when there are so many holy obligations and sacred observations (including today’s celebrations of Julian of Norwich, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fátima, and the Buddha). But, notice that the APA’s definition doesn’t even include the word “believe” — and, yet, these mental attitudes are all about what our beliefs.

Neuroscientists like Dr. Beau Lotto highlight the fact that our beliefs are at the heart of this discussion. He often directs our attention to our previous experiences and the idea that we not only interpret current events through the filter of past events, we anticipate future events based on our past experiences. To me, his explanation sounds a lot like the concept of samskara (a “mental impression”) and vasana (a literal “dwelling” place of our habits). It also highlights why someone like Julian of Norwich thought she was dying back in 1373 and why, once she recovered, she was able to “shew” her experiences in a positive and loving light.

“Your brain is, at its core, a statistical distribution. Thus, your history of experiences creates a database of useful past perceptions. New information is constantly flowing in, and your brain is constantly integrating it into this statistical distribution that creates your next perception (so in this sense ‘reality’ is just the product of your brain’s ever-evolving database of consequence). As such, your perception is subject to a statistical phenomenon known in probability theory as kurtosis. Kurtosis in essence means that things tend to become increasingly steep in their distribution… that is, skewed in one direction. This applies to ways of seeing everything from currents events to ourselves as we lean ‘skewedly’ toward one interpretation positive or negative.”

— quoted from “Chapter 5. The Frog Who Dreamed of Being a Prince” in Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently by Beau Lotto

Dr. Lotto went on to write, “We’re really talking about math when we say, ‘The optimist sees the glass as half full and the pessimist as half empty,’ though in my view maybe true optimists are just glad to have a drink in the first place!” Julian of Norwich, an anchoress and Christian mystic who lived in the 14th and 15th centuries, fit that definition of a “true optimist.” Her Revelations of Divine Love (Revelations of Love in 16 Shewings) — which is the oldest surviving book written in English by a woman — refers to giving thanks (through prayer) as a way to truly understand oneself and ones situation. She even gave thanks for her illness!

Although she recovered on May 13, 1873, Julian was given last rites on May 8th, and experienced visions which she eventually related in her book. One of the most well known quotes from her book can be considered a mantra for optimists (and for those wanting to be more optimistic):

“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and (in) all manner of thing(s) shall be well.”

— quoted from Chapters 1 of Revelations of Divine Love (Revelations of Love in 16 Shewings) by Julian of Norwich

The feast days for Julian of Norwich are May 8th in Anglican and Lutheran traditions and May 13th in the Roman Catholic tradition.

Today, May 13th is also the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fátima in some Catholic traditions and (as referenced yesterday) celebrations of the Buddha are beginning or continuing in some Asian countries and the diaspora.

Click on the excerpt title below for more about Julian.

A Graceful Saturday & FTWMI: An “All Will Be Well” Wednesday

“Optimists are likely to see the causes of failure or negative experiences as temporary rather than permanent, specific rather than global, and external rather than internal. Such a perspective enables optimists to more easily see the possibility of change.”

— quoted from the Psychology Today webpage entitled, “Optimism” (Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff)

Please join me today (Tuesday, May 13th) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05132020 All Will Be Well Wednesday”]

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

You can still click here to Kiss My Asana Now! (Or, you can also still click here to join my team and get people to kiss [your] asana!) 

### BE WELL & BE GREAT ###

A Quick Note & Excerpts RE: Love & The Ones Who “taught us all how to move – through life” May 11, 2025

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Donate, Faith, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Love, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yoga.
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating Buddha Purnima / Buddha Jayanti, Counting the Omer, and/or observing the fourth week of Pascha.

“When I was young I studied with Martha Graham; not to learn to dance, but to learn to move on the stage. If Martha Graham could have had her way, she would have taught us all how to move – through life. That has been and will be her goal: proper movement through life, the relationship of the body to the mind and the body to the spirit. Martha Graham is a compulsive student of the human heart.”

— actor Gregory Peck on Martha Graham (in a documentary)

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms. No matter how you came to be a mom (or what your kiddos call you), you have been in a position to “[teach someone] how to move — through life.” In fact, in most cases, you are someone’s first teacher, cheerleader, mentor, coach, confidant, spiritual/religious/moral guide, and friend.

You may also be the short order cook, personal assistant, driver, and the business manager who handles entertainment, the schedule, and the finances. You do all of this and more — maybe even including a second job as a spouse and a third job as something other than a mom. (Of course, you may also list those roles in a completely different order.)

While today, Mother’s Day in the United States, doesn’t explicitly state that it is a day when we celebrate all of your roles… it absolutely is exactly that day!

“I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother’s day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life. She is entitled to it.”

— quoted from the end of 1876 Sunday school lesson by Ann Reeves Jarvis (words that inspired her daughter Anna Maria Jarvis)

Click on the excerpt title below for more about Mother’s Day.

The Ties That Bind (a short “renewed” post for Mother’s Day)

In addition to being Mother’s Day in the United States, today (May 11th) is also the anniversary of the birth of the revolutionary dancer and choreographer Martha Graham (b. 1894) and the printing date (in 868 A. D.) of  the oldest (surviving) book with a printed date: a Chinese copy of The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion, a sacred Buddhist text commonly known as The Diamond Sutra. For some people, it is also the Buddha’s Birthday!

Click on the excerpt title below for more about The Diamond Sutra and Martha Graham.

FTWMI: [Love] Letter to the World

“Furthermore, Subhūti, in the practice of compassion and charity a disciple should be detached. That is to say, he should practice compassion and charity without regard to appearances, without regard to form, without regard to sound, smell, taste, touch, or any quality of any kind. Subhuti, this is how the disciple should practice compassion and charity. Why? Because practicing compassion and charity without attachment is the way to reaching the Highest Perfect Wisdom, it is the way to becoming a living Buddha.”

— The Diamond Sutra (4)

While I don’t know if I will ever go back to teaching on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I will continue to offer the 2020 recordings and a philosophy-based alternative recording for those who are on my Sunday mailing list (or who request a recording via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com).

The Mother’s Day playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Mother’s Day 2020”]

The playlist for May 11th is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05112021 Martha and the Diamond”]

Feel free to also check out the 7 practices I posted on YouTube for this year’s Kiss My Asana yogathon!

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

You can still click here to Kiss My Asana Now! (Or, you can still also click here to join my team and get people to kiss [your] asana!) 

### “Keep the channel open.” ~MG ###

“… but for music” — a Quick Note w/excerpts May 7, 2025

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Donate, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Love, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Suffering, Volunteer, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone Counting the Omer and/or observing the third week of Pascha.

“…You see, my dear friend, I am made up of contradictions, and I have reached a very mature age without resting upon anything positive, without having calmed my restless spirit either by religion or philosophy. Undoubtedly I should have gone mad but for music. Music is indeed the most beautiful of all Heaven’s gifts to humanity wandering in the darkness. Alone it calms, enlightens, and stills our souls. It is not the straw to which the drowning man clings; but a true friend, refuge, and comforter, for whose sake life is worth living.”

— quoted from 1877 letter from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to Nadezhda Filaretovna “N. F.” von Meck (who financially supported the composer for 13-years), as published in The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky by Modeste Tchaikovsky

Today’s practice — like so many practices — often begins with bringing awareness to how you are feeling and to what you are feeling.

Then we breathe into the feelings.

Maybe, like me, or Johannes Brahms (b. 1833) and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (b. 1840), you are feeling too much for words and would be completely overwhelmed — “… but for music.”

Maybe, like me, or those great composers and Robert Browning (b. 1812), you are hoping the words you, somehow, find and share resonate in a special way — so that, “…we are allied” — if for “…but one moment!”

Perhaps, like me, it is the music, the poetry, and the practice that allows you to “…make perfect the present,” and stay in the “Now”.

“Out of your whole life give but one moment!
All of your life that has gone before,
All to come after it, – so you ignore,
So you make perfect the present, – condense,
In a rapture of rage, for perfection’s endowment,
Thought and feeling and soul and sense –
Merged in a moment which gives me at last
You around me for once, you beneath me, above me –
Me – sure that despite of time future, time past, –
This tick of our life-time’s one moment you love me!
How long such suspension may linger? Ah, Sweet –
The moment eternal – just that and no more –
When ecstasy’s utmost we clutch at the core
While cheeks burn, arms open, eyes shut and lips meet!”

— quoted from the poem “Now” by Robert Browning

Browning, Tchaikovsky, and Brahms all expressed their feelings in their art. While I don’t touch on Brahms very much, the other two inspired today’s practice.

CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLES BELOW FOR MORE!

Never the Time and the Place (the “missing” Sunday post)

Breathe Into How You’re Feeling

“Rejoice we are allied
To That which doth provide
And not partake, effect and not receive!
A spark disturbs our clod;
Nearer we hold of God
Who gives, than of His tribes that take, I must believe.”

— quoted from the poem “RABBI BEN EZRA” by Robert Browning

Please join me today (Wednesday, May 7th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. A chair will come in handy for this practice! 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.

There are two (2) playlist options:

A more “Christmas-y” option is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05072022 Rejoice We Are Allied”]

A symphony referenced during the practice is also available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10282020 Feeling Pathétique?”]

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

You can still click here to Kiss My Asana Now! (Or, you can also still click here to join my team and get people to kiss [your] asana!) 

### KEEP BREATHING (& NOTICE WHAT HAPPENS) ###

[HUMAN] News Makers — A Quick Note & Question May 3, 2025

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Donate, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Volunteer, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.
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Many blessings to anyone Counting the Omer or observing the second week of Pascha!

Peace and many blessings to everyone!!

“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

— quoted from “Article 19” of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Today is World Press Freedom Day and the 2025 theme is “Reporting in the Brave New World – The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media”.

According to the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, issued by  Reporters Without Borders (RWP), very few countries in the world currently rate a “Good” score when it comes to freedom for journalists, news organizations, and netizens. Given the fact that the United States currently has a score of “Problematic” score, I have a couple of questions:

Where do you get the news you trust and where do those you trust get their news?

“Necisitamos la paz para vivir civilizadamente y dejar de morir a destiempo y como salvajus”

— quoted from the memorial of Guillermo Cano Isaza (1925-1986)

Please join me today (Saturday, May 3rd) at 12:00 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05032023 News Makers”]

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

You can still click here to Kiss My Asana Now! (Or, you can still also click here to join my team and get people to kiss [your] asana!) 

### 🎶 ###

EXCERPT: “The Philosophy of Picking Locks (& Other Things Related to Internal Movement)” April 26, 2025

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Depression, Donate, Faith, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Loss, Meditation, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Riḍván, Science, Suffering, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yoga.
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“Happy Riḍván!” to those getting ready to celebrate “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to anyone Counting the Omer or celebrating/observing Eastertide / the Octave of Easter / Bright Week!

Peace and many blessings to everyone!! Happy Poetry Month!!

“‘My main point today is that usually one gets what one expects, but very rarely in the way one expected it.’”

— quoted from a draft of Charles Richter’s 1970 retirement speech, as printed in the Appendix of Richter’s Scale: Measure of an Earthquake, Measure of a Man by Susan Elizabeth Hough

Today is the anniversary of the birth of Ludwig Wittgenstein (b. 1889) and Charles Richter (b. 1900) and the 92nd birthday of Carol Burnett (b. 1933).

Click on the excerpt title below to find out what they have to do with yoga and the Lock Picking Lawyer.

FTWMI: The Philosophy of Picking Locks (& Other Things Related to Internal Movement) [the “missing” Wednesday post]

Please join me today (Saturday, April 26th) at 12:00 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04262020 Philosophy of Locks”]

NOTE: The playlists are slightly different in timing, but work out in the end.

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

You can click here to Kiss My Asana Now! (Or, you can also click here to join my team and get people to kiss [your] asana!) 

### YOU CAN STILL KISS MY ASANA ###

Practice Time #6: Fearless Play (A Kiss My Asana offering) & EXCERPT: “Shy & Fearless, Take 2” April 25, 2025

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in 7-Day Challenge, Abhyasa, Changing Perspectives, Donate, Fitness, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Suffering, Vairagya, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yin Yoga, Yoga.
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“Happy Riḍván!” to those getting ready to celebrate “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to anyone Counting the Omer or celebrating/observing Eastertide / the Octave of Easter / Bright Week!

Peace and many blessings to everyone!! Happy Poetry Month!!

“We are very afraid of being powerless. But we have the power to look deeply at our fears, and then fear cannot control us. We can transform our fear. Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive….”

— quoted from Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm by Thich Nhat Hanh  

Today, I encourage you to “be fearless and play!”

FTWMI: Shy & Fearless, Take 2

Click on the excerpt title above for more about why I think of Ella Fitzgerald, who was born today in 1917, when I think of being fearless — and why I give people the option to do “Ella’s Pose” .

Check out the video below to “be fearless and play” (while doing the pose) — even (or especially) if your low back, hips, hamstrings, achilles tendons, and plantar fascia are really tight.

“Once up there, I felt the acceptance and love from my audience. I knew I wanted to sing before people the rest of my life.”

— Ella Fitzgerald on how it felt after she sang one of her mother’s favorite songs at the Apollo

The video above is part of my 2025 offering for the 12th annual Kiss My Asana yogathon, which benefits Mind Body Solutions (MBS), has begun and I am super excited to dedicate this week (April 19th — 25th) to raising awareness and resources for MBS’ life-affirming work “to help people live better in the body they have.”

Mind Body Solutions provides live, online resources to people with disabilities worldwide. Through daily adaptive yoga classes, special programming, a comprehensive video library, and an online space exclusively for students, Mind Body Solutions is helping people make vital connections within and with others. You can help by joining me as we practice with purpose, by sharing this page, and/or by making a donation that creates opportunities for more people to practice yoga.

Each year, in addition to hosting my fundraising page and making my own personal donation, I offer a blog post and/or a YouTube post — sometimes even a whole practice. This year, I combined an idea I have had for a while with the suggestion/challenge of my yoga buddy Meghan and am offering a series of practice videos. These YouTube videos (of various lengths) underscore the fact that participating in the Kiss My Asana yogathon is just a tangible way to do what we do in every practice: set an intention and dedicate the merits of the practice to someone other than ourselves. Finally, I wanted to offer something that meets the moment and where you may be in this moment: “Swaying between joy and sorrow” (and all the other emotions).

You can click here to Kiss My Asana Now! (Or, you can also click here to join my team and get people to kiss [your] asana!) 

If you’re interested in my previous KMA offerings, check out the following (some links only take you to the beginning of a series and/or to YouTube):

Check out this 2023 class post to find out one of the reasons why Mind Body Solutions is so important to me!

Remember, if you subscribe to my YouTube channel, you can be notified as soon as the videos are posted.

“Be Fearless and Play
You could live for tomorrow and still live here in today

When i would play when i was a child
I swore that i would never forget no
I will never forget no!

Be Fearless and Play
This is one thing that no one can ever take away”

— quoted from the song “Be Fearless and Play” by Wookiefoot (written by Mark Murphy)

### DON’T BE AFRAID TO KISS MY ASANA! ###

Practice Time #5: (Restorative) Yoga For When You Don’t Feel Like Doing Much (A Kiss My Asana offering) April 24, 2025

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in 7-Day Challenge, Abhyasa, Changing Perspectives, Donate, Fitness, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Maya Angelou, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Suffering, Vairagya, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yin Yoga, Yoga.
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“Happy Riḍván!” to those getting ready to celebrate “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to anyone Counting the Omer or celebrating/observing Eastertide / the Octave of Easter / Bright Week!

Peace and many blessings to everyone!! Happy Poetry Month!!

“Healing stories guide us through good times and bad times; they can be constructive and destructive, and are often in need of change. They come together to create our own personal mythology, the system of beliefs that guide how we interpret our experience. Quite often, they bridge the silence that we carry within us and are essential to how we live.”

— quoted from “Introduction: The Mind-Body Relationship” in Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence by Matthew Sanford  

If you’re having one of “those” days — where you just don’t want to do much — I feel for you. 

I also have a practice for you!

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

— quoted from “Love & Relationships” in Rainbow in the Cloud: The Wisdom and Spirit of Maya Angelou by Maya Angelou

The video above is part of my 2025 offering for the 12th annual Kiss My Asana yogathon, which benefits Mind Body Solutions (MBS), has begun and I am super excited to dedicate this week (April 19th — 25th) to raising awareness and resources for MBS’ life-affirming work “to help people live better in the body they have.”

Mind Body Solutions provides live, online resources to people with disabilities worldwide. Through daily adaptive yoga classes, special programming, a comprehensive video library, and an online space exclusively for students, Mind Body Solutions is helping people make vital connections within and with others. You can help by joining me as we practice with purpose, by sharing this page, and/or by making a donation that creates opportunities for more people to practice yoga.

Each year, in addition to hosting my fundraising page and making my own personal donation, I offer a blog post and/or a YouTube post — sometimes even a whole practice. This year, I combined an idea I have had for a while with the suggestion/challenge of my yoga buddy Meghan and am offering a series of practice videos. These YouTube videos (of various lengths) underscore the fact that participating in the Kiss My Asana yogathon is just a tangible way to do what we do in every practice: set an intention and dedicate the merits of the practice to someone other than ourselves. Finally, I wanted to offer something that meets the moment and where you may be in this moment: “Swaying between joy and sorrow” (and all the other emotions).

You can click here to Kiss My Asana Now! (Or, you can also click here to join my team and get people to kiss [your] asana!) 

If you’re interested in my previous KMA offerings, check out the following (some links only take you to the beginning of a series and/or to YouTube):

Check out this 2023 class post to find out one of the reasons why Mind Body Solutions is so important to me!

Remember, if you subscribe to my YouTube channel, you can be notified as soon as the videos are posted.

### HAVE YOU KISS[ED] MY ASANA? ###

A Few Notes About Holy Events & Reaching a Higher Plane (the “missing” Sunday post for 4/13) April 13, 2025

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Karma Yoga, Kumbh Mela, Lent / Great Lent, Life, Loss, Love, Mantra, Meditation, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Passover, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.
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“Chag Sameach!” to everyone celebrating Passover and/or Counting the Omer! “Happy Songkran!” / “Happy New Year!” and/or “Happy Vaisakhi!” to all who are celebrating! Peace and many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating and/or observing Lent & Great Lent during Great / Passion / Holy Week!

This is a “missing” (and back-dated) compilation post for Sunday, April 13th, which was Palm Sunday in the Orthodox & Western Christian traditions, as well as the beginning of Passover / Pesach. My apologies for not posting earlier. This post contains new and “renewed” content, plus some excerpts. NOTE: The excerpts often include references to other holidays/events. You can request an audio recording of this practice or a previous practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).

Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.

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

“All you have to do is open up a little bit and then you’ll be experiencing a part of that person’s soul. It’s just there – in the presence of a beautiful painting, a creation, something created by someone else. This is insight into not who they are physically, but who they are on this other plane. So, what makes it magical, always, is to hear music performed live.”

— Bill Conti

People practice yoga for a lot of different reasons; but those reasons usually come down to opening up in some way. The opening up can happen on a lot of different levels: physical, mental, emotional, energetic, and even spiritual and/or religious levels. In addition to opening up, we start coming together — sometimes in surprising ways — and we start noticing the things we have in common. So, more opening up. Part of this opening up is about learning about ourselves and part of it is about learning about the world (and the other people in the world). Finally, there is an element of the practice that is about the Divine and about opening up to a higher plane.

Bill Conti, who was born April 13, 1942, has said similar things about music. Sometimes I have a playlist completely dedicated to the Italian-American composer and conductor known for soaring scores that inspire (underscore) the indomitable human spirit. However, this year, his music highlights the fact that there is just….

SO MUCH THAT IS HOLY

Every year, I say that May 1st is one of the hardest working days of the year, because so many people use that day to celebrate so many things. That being said, this year, April 13th may be one of the most revered days of the year as it coincided with several religious or philosophical observations: Palm Sunday in the Orthodox Christian and Western Christian traditions, the beginning of Passover (which started at sunset on Saturday, April 12th) in the Jewish tradition, Songkran or Pi Mai in the Thai or Laos communities, and Vaisakhi in the Sikh communities and some Hindu traditions. Even though some of these observations are connected and share history, they don’t always stack up like this since different traditions and cultures base their holy days on different calendars. However, the super pink moon always shines over the world in a way that is uniquely auspicious.

I am always up for a good auspicious story, one that is simultaneously inspiring and enlightening. The question is: How do we honor so much in the short amount of time that is a 65-minute class? That’s an especially tricky challenge when some of these are not even remotely connected on paper. The answer, of course, is to find the common denominator.

When considering different people’s experiences with the divine — or even what is best in mankind — we start with what is universal to the human experience: doubt and fear, passion/suffering, faith, and change. Everything changes and, in moments of great suffering — in moments when we doubt and fear ourselves and those around us — it is important to have faith in the fact that things will change. That faith can, sometimes, bring hope — and the power of hope is another common denominator.

That combination of faith and hope can not only bring people together, it can also help us reach a higher plane.

“When the audience and the performers become one, it is almost nearly divine, where this oneness can actually meet in some, not physical place, but in some spiritual place, in the middle, not the performers performing, not the audience receiving, but all of a sudden that contact is made and it becomes wonderful.”

— Bill Conti

CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLES BELOW FOR MORE ABOUT BILL CONTI.

Reaching for a Higher Plane

MEET MS. BANNING: 2019 Kiss My Asana Offering #13

SO MUCH SUFFERING… & SO MUCH HOPE

“What makes this night different from all [other] nights?

1) On all nights we need not dip even once, on this night we do so twice?
2) On all nights we eat chametz or matzah, and on this night only matzah?
3) On all nights we eat any kind of vegetables, and on this night maror?
4) On all nights we eat sitting upright or reclining, and on this night we all recline?”

— The Four Questions (“Ma Nishtana”)

While “How is this practice different from all the other practices?” a question you can ask before any practice, I ask it this time of year because it sounds a lot like “The Four Questions” traditionally asked by the youngest person at a Passover Seder.

Click on the excerpt title below for the more about the questions, the seder, the story of Passover, and a little about the 49-day observation of Counting the Omer.

Suffering & Hope (the “missing” Tuesday compilation)

PASSION = SUFFERING

Passion (noun): 1. [mass noun] strong and barely controllable emotion; 1.2 intense sexual love; 1.3 [in singular] an intense desire or enthusiasm for something; 2. (the Passion) The suffering and death of Jesus.

Origin: Middle English: from Old French; from late Latin passio(n-), from Latin pati- “suffer”

— quoted from Oxford Dictionaries

As noted (in the Saturday post, as well as the posts excerpted above and below), Jesus was a Jewish teacher or rabbi, who returned home to Jerusalem for Passover. The Gospel According to Saint John (12:1) is the only New Testament gospel that specifically refers to Passover as a reference point for the beginning of the last week of Jesus’ life. However, all four of the canonical gospels mention preparation for the festival, feast, or first day (depending on the translation) of “Unleavened Bread” and describe a jubilant and memorable moment where Jesus rode into town on a donkey (a symbol of peace) and was greeted by people who honored him by laying down palm fronds (and possibly coats) to cover his path.

In Christian communities, Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent / Great Lent and marks Christians’ final preparation for Easter. Since people in different religious traditions use different calendars, Great Lent (in the Orthodox traditions) and Lent (in the Western traditions) do not overlap with each other. Neither do they always directly overlap with modern observations of Passover as they do this year. However, divine love, suffering, and hope/desire for the end of suffering connect all of these observations.

CLICK ON THE EXCERPT BELOW FOR MORE ABOUT PALM SUNDAY TRADITIONS.

PASSION & PEACE: 2019 Kiss My Asana Offering #14

NEW HOPES (& OLD SUFFERING)

Passover and Lent / Great Lent have ties to harvest festivals and new beginnings. However, even as people remember those ancient harvest festivals, there are people are currently celebrating their own harvest festivals and new beginnings. For instance, Songkran / Songkran Festival (the traditional Thai New Year) and Pi Mai (the Lao New Year) are (usually) three-day festivals that started on Sunday, April 13th this year.  While Thailand has officially celebrated a secular new year (according to the Gregorian calendar) since 1940, Songkran is a national holiday. Pi Mai is also a government holiday.

Like all new year (and new season) celebrations, Songkran is a liminal time marking the transition between “what is no longer and what is not yet.” In fact, the name is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning “to move”, “movement”, or “astrological passage”, and marks the transition of the sun from one zodiac phase to another. Technically, this movement happens repeatedly throughout a year and marks the change from one month to the next on the solar calendar. However, the transition between Pieces and Aries is considered the Maha Songkran (“Great Movement”), which marks the new year. In Laos, the second day is considered “the day of no year” and the new year actually begins on the third day of the celebration.

These celebrations coincide or overlap with other new year’s celebrations in Southeast and South Asia, including Puthandu (the Tamil New Year, April 14, 2025); the Hindu festival Vishu (April 14, 2025); Bihu in the Indian state of Assam (April 14, 2025); Pohela Boishakh (the Bengali New Year, celebrated on April 14th in Bangladesh and April 15th in various parts of India); Pana Sankranti for the Odia people in India; and a plethora of other celebrations in China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Many of these celebrations are also tied to the Theravada Buddhist calendar.

Songkran also coincides with Vaisakhi (or Baisakhi), which is a spring harvest festival in Punjab and Northern India. Vaisakhi is also a solar new year and is a particularly auspicious time for the Sikh community. In addition to commemorating the creation of the Khalsa order (the Sikh community) by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of Sikhism (on April 13, 1699), it also commemorates the beginning of the unified Sikh political state when Ranjit Singh was proclaimed as Maharaja of the Sikh Empire (on April 12, 1801). That declaration was intentionally set to coincide around Vaisakhi as people recognized the power of coming together on such an auspicious occasion.

The significance of this date is also one of the reasons people gathered together during a Vaisakhi celebration in Amritsar, on April 13, 1919, to protest the British government’s Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919 (also known as the Rowlatt Act) and the arrest of two members of the satyagraha movement, Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Satyapal (Dr. Satya Pal). Tragically, British Indian Army officer Reginald Dyer ordered British soldiers block the entrance of the Jallianwala Bagh (a historic garden with only one entrance/exit) and fire into the nonviolent crowd. Hundreds, possible thousands (depending on the estimates), were killed and over 1,200 others were injured in what is remembered as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre or the Amritsar massacre.

“I wash myself
In sacred waters
In order to please You.

But if it doesn’t please You,
What is bathing for?

I see,
The vastness of Your wondrous creation.

But without taking action,
How can I merge with Thee?”

— quoted from Japji Sahib: The Song of the Soul by Guru Nanak (Translated by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa)

While the rituals, traditions, and related stories may be different, there are several common elements in Songkran, Pi Mai, and Vaisakhi celebrations. For instance, water is a prominent feature in these celebrations, which include ritual cleansing and bathing — sometimes in the form of a water fight or, for Hindu communities celebrating Vaisakhi, ritual bathing in one of the sacred rivers. Vaisakhi celebrations can also include gurudwara (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ) — an assembly place where everyone is welcomed into “the door of the guru” — as well as processions, kirtans, flag raisings, and alms giving. Sand mounds (sometimes decorated with flowers); processions; and various forms of alms giving are also part of Songkran and Pi Mai celebrations. In Luang Prabang, the capital of Luang Prabang Province in north-central Laos, there is a Miss Pi Mai Lao (Miss Lao New Year) beauty pageant. In both Thailand and Laos, the water may be perfumed. People celebrating in Laos may also spray each other with shaving or whipping cream.

One of the stories related to Songkran is the story of someone born with a deep well of compassion and the desire to see the end of suffering. A bodhisattva (bodistva) is someone on the path to Buddhahood either because of their birth, their practice, or from a spontaneous impulse (that is then joined with practice). In this case, the compassionate person is part of a poor family in a very (materially) rich community. While the community is financially prosperous, it is lacking in many areas. There was a lot of corruption, greed, and sin. People lacked compassion for those who were less fortunate and there was a lack of respect (for elders and for spiritual/religious traditions), as well as improper use of food and medicine. Faith in the dhamma (Buddhist “teaching” or “law”) had been replaced with faith in the dhamma as a business — not unlike the situation described on Passion / Holy / Great Monday.

According to one version of the story, Indra (the ruler of Heaven) looked down at the world out of balance and basically declared that people couldn’t have nice things if they didn’t have compassion and faith. Therefore, there was no longer rain in the proper time, food became scarce, the sun became too hot, and garbage built up in the streets — which, of course, brought disease… and more suffering.

The bodhisattva encouraged people to pray to Mother Earth, in the form of the Golden Tara, who told them they had to follow the dhamma. She also gave them a divine piece of fertile land, divine seeds, a song for rain, and a pots of divine powder in various colors. The people made a paste from the powder, to cool their skin, and then got to work sowing the seeds and singing the songs. Once they had an adequate harvest, they washed the paste off, and washed the feet of their elders. They also served their elders, cared for the less fortunate, and committed to practicing the dhamma.

“Within my own
Awareness

Are jewels, gems,
And rubies,
From listening to the teachings
Of the Divine Teacher
Even once.

All souls come
From the Hand of One Giver.

May I never, ever,
Forget Him.”

— quoted from Japji Sahib: The Song of the Soul by Guru Nanak (Translated by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa)

Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

Click here for the first 2025 Kiss My Asana post!

NOTE: Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa’s translation of Japji Sahib: The Song of the Soul can be found in The End of Kharma: 40 Days to Perfect Peace, Tranquility, and Joy by Dharma Singh Khalsa, M. D.

### ELEVATE & PRAY FOR PEACE ###