“Chag Sameach!” to everyone celebrating Passover and/or Counting the Omer! Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone observing Great Lent! Happy National Poetry Month!
“Everybody knows a hundred stories, you know, a thousand stories — the question is: Why does this story pick on you? Why this story and not that story? My guess is now this: the story or poem you find to write is the story or poem that has some meaning that you haven’t solved in it, that you haven’t quite laid hands on. So your writing—it is a way of understanding it, what its meaning, the potential meaning, is. And the story that you understand perfectly, you don’t write. You know what the meaning is; there’s nothing there to nag your mind about it. A story that’s one for you is the one you have to work to understand.”
— quoted from “A Conversation” (with John Baker, 1989) in Talking with Robert Penn Warren, edited by Floyd C. Watkins, John T. Hiers, and Mary Louise Weeks
A portion of the following is a revised and updated version of a 2023 post:
Today, April 24th, is a day when I always tell a story…or two (or three). Or, sometimes, I tell an old favorite in a slightly different way. For instance, in 2020, I focused on telling the story of the Library of Congress, which was established today 1800, and preserves by (and about) people like including Anthony Trollope (b. 1815), Carl Spitteler (b. 1845), Robert Penn Warren (b. 1905), Sue Grafton (b. 1940), Eric Bogosian (b. 1953), and Kelly Clarkson (b. 1982). In 2021, I focused on telling the story of Robert Penn Warren. I sometimes reference holy and auspicious stories (as I did in 2022 — and will today). I have been known to tell the story about telling stories (as I did in 2023).
In every case, however, the practice is an opportunity for svādyāya (“self-study”) and is all about how our minds and bodies tell stories.
Whether we realize it or not, we are constantly telling stories. We tell stories verbally, visually, and viscerally. We tell stories in the ways we move and, also, in the ways we don’t move. We tell stories about where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going — and we do this on and off the mat. Whether we realize it or not. On the mat, the storytelling is done through the poses and sequences. Since our bodies are different, we can each tell (and understand) the same “story” in different ways. Since our bodies change over time, we can learn different things about ourselves each time we tell the “story.”
“Social tensions have a parallel in the personal world. The individual is an embodiment of external circumstances, so that a personal story is a social story.”
— Robert Penn Warren quoted from “A Conversation with Robert Penn Warren [with] Frank Gado / 1966 (From First Person: Conversations on Writers and Writing, by Frank Gado” as printed in Conversations with Robert Penn Warren, edited by Gloria L. Cronin and Ben Siegel
Today, I am sharing some auspicious and holy stories, stories that are sacred in one or more religious tradition. They are stories about suffering and the desire for one’s suffering to be alleviated. For some people they are simply that and nothing more: just some of the over 168 million items, in over 460 languages, that can be found in the Library of Congress. For some people, however, these stories are very personal stories. They are they stories that give people hope. They are the stories that give people strength and inspire them to work for a kinder, more peaceful, loving, and cohesive world.
“The asking and the answering which history provides may help us to understand, even to frame, the logic of experience to which we shall submit. History cannot give us a program for the future, but it can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves, and of our common humanity, so that we can better face the future.”
— quoted from The Legacy of the Civil War by Robert Penn Warren
Please join me today (Wednesday, April 24th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom.You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04242024 PRGL Stories”] Music Notes: One track in the before/after music is different on each platform, because I was unable to find the track below on Spotify.
“Chag Sameach!” to everyone celebrating Passover and/or Counting the Omer (tonight)! Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone observing Great Lent! Happy National Poetry Month!
This is the “missing” post for Tuesday, April 23rd. It is a compilation post, which includes a little bit of new content mixed with previously posted content. 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.
“First and foremost, we believe creation of the world, G-d created a world in which he wanted the human being to actually be able to do something – that is to say, to exercise free will, to be like G-d, meaning to be a creator, not to be lab rats…. He wants us to have a relationship with Him. But to have a relationship with G-d requires that I have an exercise of my free will…. Free will means an environment in which not necessarily do I always have pleasure when I make the right decisions and not necessarily does someone always suffer when they make the wrong decision. Free will is having real power to create stuff. Free will is having real power to alleviate suffering.”
— Rabbi Mordechai Becher, in vlog explaining one of several reasons why suffering exists
Take a close look at every major religion and philosophy, as well as all medical sciences, and we find the same two ends of a common thread: people suffer and people want their suffering to end. In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali outlined the 8-Limbed Yoga Philosophy as a way to alleviate current suffering and prevent future suffering. He also described several obstacles and ailments from which people may suffer (YS 1.30-1.31); dysfunctional/afflicted thought patterns that lead to suffering (YS 2.2-2.9); and specifically pointed to meditation as a way to overcome the (YS 1.32 and YS 2.10-2.11).
Unfortunately, the caste system in India prevented some people from practicing Yoga. I have heard that Siddhartha Gautama was aware of the Yoga Philosophy, and probably practiced it, but — in large part because of the caste system — found that it wasn’t practical. So, he sat under the Bodhi tree and was determined to wait there until he awakened to the nature of reality. In some suttas, it says that the Buddha (“the Awakened One”) sat there for an additional seven days. Eventually, he started teaching from this enlightened state. Some say that he only ever taught about two things: suffering and the end of suffering. His teachings were codified in the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism and the Noble Eightfold Path. According to the former:
Suffering exists
Suffering is caused by attachment, clinging, craving
There is an end to suffering
The Noble Eight-fold Path is the way to end suffering
Following these paths includes some sitting… and waiting. What is promised at the end of the sitting and waiting is freedom from suffering. What we find in the middle is hope.
If we take another look at the major religions and philosophies, we find sacred stories about people suffering and waiting for the end of suffering; hoping for the alleviation of suffering. Just as it is interesting to note what people did (in the stories) to maintain hope and keep the faith while they were “waiting,” it is interesting to note how people observing Passover, Riḍván, and Great Lent find hope in these stories.
“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”)
“How is this practice different from all the other practices?” is a question you can ask before any practice. It is also a question that sounds a lot like “The Four Questions” traditionally asked by the youngest person at a Passover Seder. The word seder is a Hebrew word that means “order” or “arrangement,” and it refers to the ritual feast that people in the Jewish community have on the first night of Passover (or first two nights for Orthodox and Conservative communities outside of Israel). The meal is a symbolic celebration of the Exodus story, which is the story of how the Jews were freed from slavery in Egypt. Really, the meal is the story — beginning with the questions, which are also symbolic.
Passover, which is also called Pesach and The Feast of Unleavened Bread, is considered a spring festival. In ancient times, it was directly connected to the harvesting and offering of barley — which was the first grain to ripen and harvest in the Holy Land. For seven days (eight days for the Orthodox and Conservative communities, especially in the diaspora), people commemorate the story of Exodus, which is a story of faith, suffering, and hope.
The ritual observation actually begins before the Passover Seder, with the removal of chametz (“leavening”), as it is forbidden to consume, keep, or own chametz during Passover. Some forms or chametz will be burned; other forms can be given away or even sold. Keep in mind that the agents of “rising” or fermentation are not forbidden. In fact, wine is a required part of the celebration. However, the action of rising is symbolic and part of the story (NOTE Question 2: Where the Jews have to flee so fast their bread doesn’t have time to rise.)
Another part of the story and another ritual that occurs before the Passover Seder is the Fast of the Firstborn, which falls on the day before the evening of the Passover Seder (with adjustments made when Passover begins on a Saturday night — which is the end of the Sabbath). Again, this is a symbolic element of the story as first-born sons (and “newborn” sons) play critical roles in the Exodus story.
“The Lord saw that he had turned to see, and God called to him from within the thorn bush, and He said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am!’”
— Shemot – Exodus 3:4
The Passover story comes with a backstory — and is, itself, the backstory (and the backdrop) for the Passion/Easter story. According to Shemot / Exodus, an Egyptian pharaoh first oppressed and then enslaved the Jewish people. He also ordered all Hebrew newborn sons to be killed. For a while, the midwives and the Jewish mothers circumvented Pharaoh’s order. Then, he ordered all the newborn sons to be thrown in the river. Jochebed, Moses’ birth mother, hid her son for three months. Then, she very cleverly placed him in a basket in the river and sent her daughter, Miriam, to watch the baby in the basket. When Pharaoh’s daughter scooped up the baby — who she would eventually name “Moses… ‘For I drew him from the water’” — Miriam offered to secure a wet nurse (who was, of course, Jochebed, their mother). In this way, Moses grew up as the Pharaoh’s grandson and, also, grew up knowing he was Jewish.
At the age of 40, Moses stepped in to protect a Jewish man who was being beaten by an Egyptian and had to flee his home. When he was 80, he was confronted by G-d (in the form of the burning bush) and commanded to return to Egypt and speak to Pharaoh about freeing the Jewish people. Theoretically, Moses was also 80 when he received the Torah, G-d’s truth for his people, and he was 120 when he died – but that’s a story for a different day.
“And He said, ‘For I will be with you, and this is the sign for you that it was I Who sent you. When you take the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.’”
— quoted from Shemot – Exodus (3:12)
“God said to Moses, ‘Ehyeh asher ehyeh (I will be what I will be),’ and He said, ‘So shall you say to the children of Israel, “Ehyeh (I will be) has sent me to you.’””
— quoted from Shemot – Exodus (3:14)
In some ways, Moses was the perfect person to be the (human) hero of the story. However, he was humble to the point of lacking confidence. He did not want to give the Jewish people false hope and so he repeatedly asked who/what was commanding him. Rabbi David Fohrman, quoting Shlomo Yitzchaki, the medieval French rabbi known as Rashi, points out that when G-d initial spoke to Moses and Moses asked for G-d’s identity, Moses was told three times that the One who spoke was the One who would always be with Moses and the Jewish people. Regardless of what they experience, Rashi explained, G-d will be with them. This is the very definition of compassion, which literally means “to suffer with.”
Moses’ humility and lack of confidence led him to seek the assistance of his brother Aaron. Of course, the Pharaoh did not believe in the G-d of Abraham and Moses. As a show of power, Aaron’s staff was turned into a snake. Pharaoh was not impressed and pointed out that he had magicians who could do the same “magic trick.” Even the fact that the brothers’ snake ate the other snakes was not enough for Pharaoh.
When the initial show of power didn’t convince Pharaoh of the authority of G-d, everyone was subject to nine plagues: blood, frogs, lice, wild beasts in the streets, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, and day(s) of darkness. Remember: It was not only Pharaoh and the Egyptians who suffered. The Jews, who were already suffering the hardship of slavery, also had to endure the additional hardships. In other words, they were asked to endure more suffering, but to have faith that this period of more suffering would end with the alleviation of their suffering. Perhaps they found hope in a critical — but not often highlighted — aspect of the Ten Plagues: they not only started on command, they also ended on command.
On the evening of the tenth plague, the death of the first born male child, the Jewish families were told to smear lambs blood on their doors — so their households will be passed over. They were also commanded to celebrate and give thanks for their freedom — even though they are still slaves.
Yes, it is a little mind boggling; but, what passes as the first Passover Seder happened in Egypt and during a time of slavery. Considering Pharaoh had changed his mind before, they had no way of knowing (with any certainty) that they would be freed immediately after the tenth plague. See where this is going? In that moment, the Jewish people who chose to believe and celebrate were like the quantum mechanics Cat: simultaneously free and not free.
“When you pass through water, I am with you, and in rivers, they shall not overflow you; when you go amidst fire, you shall not be burnt, neither shall a flame burn amongst you.”
— quoted from Yeshayahu (Isaiah) (43:2)
“So said the Lord, who made a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters.”
— quoted from Yeshayahu (Isaiah) (43:16)
The people in the Passover story were told that the must have faith and follow the instructions of G-d in order to to be passed over and saved. They also had free will. So, it is important to note that not everyone celebrated the first Passover — neither did everyone flee when given the opportunity. It is also important to remember that celebrating freedom that had not yet been given/experienced was not the last time people in the Passover story had to keep the faith, hope, believe, and (with free will) act accordingly. There was a moment, after Pharaoh was compelled by the tenth plague to release the Jewish people (and after his heart hardened once again), when the Jewish people were between the tumultuous sea and Pharaoh’s army. According to the Midrash, talmudic commentary, Nahshon, believed that G-d would save the Jewish people and, therefore, waded into the water. It was his faith and his faith-based actions that caused G-d to turn the tide.
In modern times, this second night of Passover is when people begin Counting the Omer in Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah). Counting 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 Count the Omer there is an extra element of prayer, of offering, and also of contemplation on two connected elements of the Divine (from the Tree of Life). One the first night, the connected elements are Chesed She b’Chesed (“Lovingkindness in Lovingkindness”).
Divine love and the observation of Passover link the Jewish observations with the Christian observations of Lent and Great Lent, because, historically speaking, 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.
In addition to people around the world observing Passover, Counting the Omer, and Great Lent, there are people around the world celebrating the twelve-day festival of Riḍván, 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 commemorates the time that the founder of the Bahá’i Faith, Bahá’u’lláh, waited in the original garden of Riḍván prior to being exiled to Constantinople. His declarations in the garden gave people hope and, during these modern day celebrations, the Universal House of Justice issues an annual Riḍván message and holds elections. These messages are reflections meant to inspire hopeful, faith-based actions.
“The urgency of the present hour must not obscure the special joy that comes from service. The call to service is an uplifting, all-embracing summons. It attracts every faithful soul, even those weighed down by cares and obligations. For in all the ways in which that faithful soul is occupied can be discovered deep-rooted devotion and a lifelong concern for the well-being of others. Such qualities give coherence to a life of manifold demands. And the sweetest moments of all for any enkindled heart are those spent with spiritual sisters and brothers, tending to a society in need of spiritual nourishment.”
— quoted from the Riḍván 2022 message from the Universal House of Justice “To the Bahá’is of the World”
“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 short answer to my brother’s question is that it comes down to calendars and how people tell their stories (i.e., what is emphasized). A longer answer is all of these blog posts and classes, which come back to the fact that not everyone finds hope in the same place and/or in the same way.
At the end of the day (and often at the end of the practice), there are people whose faith and hope comes not from religion or spiritual philosophies, but from nature and even from other people. Just as some people are inspired by stories in sacred texts, scriptures, and history, there are many who are inspired by stories in songs — and/or the backstory of songs. While I typically offer a playlist with songs that, in and of themselves, tell the stories, this Tuesday’s playlist is a little different. Instead of songs that tell the story, it is a playlist mostly comprised of music by sigur rós.
On some albums, 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?
Just like the track “18 sekúndur fyrir sólarupprás” (“18 Seconds before Sunrise”), the music and the language remind me of Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s thoughts on free will, suffering, and being creators. They remind me that in between the suffering and the end of suffering, there is an empty space that we can fill with hope or with more suffering. That hope can be the silence of meditation or it can be the “gibberish” that serves as a placeholder for the beauty to come.
“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.”
“Chag Sameach!” to everyone celebrating Passover and/or Counting the Omer (tonight)! Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone observing Great Lent! Happy National Poetry Month!
“First and foremost, we believe creation of the world, G-d created a world in which he wanted the human being to actually be able to do something – that is to say, to exercise free will, to be like G-d, meaning to be a creator, not to be lab rats…. He wants us to have a relationship with Him. But to have a relationship with G-d requires that I have an exercise of my free will…. Free will means an environment in which not necessarily do I always have pleasure when I make the right decisions and not necessarily does someone always suffer when they make the wrong decision. Free will is having real power to create stuff. Free will is having real power to alleviate suffering.”
— Rabbi Mordechai Becher, in vlog explaining one of several reasons why suffering exists
Please join me today (Tuesday, April 23rd) 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 YouTubeand Spotify. [Look for “04232023 The Language of Hope”]
NOTE: This is not the music we typically use for the aforementioned holidays. Please let me know if you are looking for a different playlist.
“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
Happy Earth Day! “Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone observing Great Lent or Passover! Happy National Poetry Month!
This post-practice post for Monday, April 22nd. The prompt question was, “What is your favorite tree or the tree you would expect to find in paradise?” In addition to referencing Earth Day, this practice also highlighted current religious observations. 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.
“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)
The following excerpt is from content posted in 2020 & 2023 post:
“[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)
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
“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
“Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone observing Great Lent! Happy National Poetry Month!
This is the “missing” post with music links for Sunday, April 21st. My apologies for not posting before the practice. 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.
“The song title is taken from: ‘We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby they may be lifted up unto the realm on high; make it not, therefore, as wings to self and passion.’ – Baha’u’llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas”
— quoted from liner notes for the song “Ladder for the Soul” by Taraz Nosrat
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Ridvan 181 BE 2024”]
Music Notes: With a few obvious exceptions (at the beginning and end), this music is composed and performed by Bahá’i musicians and inspired by the Bahá’i Faith. One track in the before/after music is different on each platform. My intention was to include the track below during the practice music; however I could not find it on Spotify.
“We rejoice to see, in every country and region, true practitioners of peace occupied with building this haven. We see it in every account of a heart being enkindled with the love of God, a family opening up its home to new friends, collaborators drawing on Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings to address a social problem, a community strengthening a culture of mutual support, a neighbourhood or village learning to initiate and sustain the actions necessary for its own spiritual and material progress, a locality being blessed with the emergence of a new Spiritual Assembly.”
— quoted from the Riḍván 2022 message from the Universal House of Justice “To the Bahá’is of the World”
“Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone observing Great Lent! Happy National Poetry Month!
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
— Leo F. Buscaglia, PhD
Dr. Buscaglia’s observations really speak to the very foundation of Mind Body Solutions and the Kiss My Asana yogathon. I’ll get to what that means in an upcoming post; but, first, I want to touch on “the power of touch.” It is often, as “Dr. Love” pointed out, underestimated in our general society. Sure, there are times — like when people are touch-deprived — that we appreciate that power. Other times, however, people can take it for granted.
You know who doesn’t take the power of touch for granted? People who study with Matthew Sanford. It doesn’t matter if it is an adaptive yoga practice or a traditional/Iyengar practice, touch is utilized as much — if not more — than any prop. The video below is just a little taste of how a little touch can be beneficial in your practice.
The video above is part of my 2024 offering for the 11th annual Kiss My Asana yogathon, which benefits Mind Body Solutions (MBS). I am super excited to dedicate this week (April 13th — 19th) to raising awareness and resources for MBS’ life-affirming work “to help people live better in the body they have.” 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 wanted to highlight elements of the practice that we may overlook or take for granted. I also wanted to underscore 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 reflects my inspirations; something that “begins in delight and ends in wisdom;” and something that was short, fun, and full of insight (or, maybe it’s just randomly useful information) — something that I think of as the video equivalent of a villanelle (check out that last link for details).
Many blessings to all and especially to those observing Chaitra Navaratri, Rama Navami, and/or Great Lent! Happy National Poetry Month!
“BLING, noun [or, bling-bling]
flashy jewelry worn especially as an indication of wealth or status
[broadly] expensive and ostentatious possessions”
— quoted from Merriam-Webster.com
Riddle me this very true oxymoron: How is it not unheard of that we have unseen bling? It turns out that calcium carbonate, the same precious mineral that makes a pearl, is also found in the human body. Check out the two video shorts below to discover how these priceless crystals (metaphorically) shine — on and off the mat.
The videos above are part of my 2024 offering for the 11th annual Kiss My Asana yogathon, which benefits Mind Body Solutions (MBS). I am super excited to dedicate this week (April 13th — 19th) to raising awareness and resources for MBS’ life-affirming work “to help people live better in the body they have.” 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 wanted to highlight elements of the practice that we may overlook or take for granted. I also wanted to underscore 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 reflects my inspirations; something that “begins in delight and ends in wisdom;” and something that was short, fun, and full of insight (or, maybe it’s just randomly useful information) — something that I think of as the video equivalent of a villanelle (check out that last link for details).
Many blessings to all and especially to those observing Chaitra Navaratri, Rama Navami, and/or Great Lent! Happy National Poetry Month!
“STAGE MANAGER…. How do such things begin?”
— quoted from Act II of Our Town by Thornton Wilder
Please join me today (Wednesday, April 17th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom.You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04212021 So Much Holy, II”]
“STAGE MANAGER….. – Now there are some things we all know but we don’t take’m out and look at’m very often. We all know that something is eternal. And it ain’t houses and it ain’t names, and it ain’t earth, and it ain’t even the stars . . . everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings. All the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years and yet you’d be surprised how people are always letting go of that fact. There’s something way down deep that’s eternal about every human being.”
— quoted from Act III of Our Town by Thornton Wilder
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). Or, you can scroll back up and Kiss My Asana! Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
Happy National Poetry Month! “Nine days and nine nights of blessings and happiness if you are celebrating Chaitra Navaratri!” Many blessings to all and especially to those observing Great Lent!
“Well, de hip bone jump to de back bone,
And de back bone jump to de neck bone,
And de neck bone jump to the head bone,
Oh, hear the word of the Lord.”
— quoted from the Negro spiritual “Dem Bones” (a.k.a. “Dry Bones” and “Dem Dry Bones”) by James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson
NOTE: The call and response between lyrics is missing from the above quote.
At some point in your life, you’ve probably heard, maybe even sung, some version “Dem Bones.” What many people think of as a song or nursery rhyme about how the human body is connected, is actually a Negro spiritual written by James Weldon Johnson and set to music by J. Rosamond Johnson. The brothers — who also collaborated on the song “Life Every Voice and Sing” — were inspired by a passage in the Hebrew Bible / the Christian Old Testament that refers to future blessings. Specifically, they were inspired by the prophet Ezekiel’s “Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones.” [Yechezkel (Ezekiel) 37:1–14] Rather than intending it to be an anatomy primer, the Johnson brothers wanted to highlight how bones come together and are animated by the Spirit of God for a specific purpose.
It was originally recorded, in 1928, as “Exekiel Prophesied To The Dry Bones” (or, simply, “Dry Bones”), by the Famous Myers Jubilee Singers. The group was some configuration of singers from what we now know (and remember) as the Fisk Jubilee Singers. This particular grouping would have been under the direction of Mrs. Henrietta Crawley Myers, who led the group (and adopted the new name) after the death of her husband, Reverend James A. Myers, who took on the director role after the resignation of John Wesley Work II.
(NOTE: The Reverend Myer, Mr. Work II, Noah Walker Ryder, and Alfred Garfield King were probably the members of the Fisk University Jubilee Quartet that made the first authentic recordings of Negro spirituals, in general.)
Over time, variations of the song were recorded and published by a variety of artists (including Alvin and the Chipmunks). It also inspired other songs — like “Dem Bones,” written by Gregory Porter and Troy Miller, which feels in-keeping with the original. While we could blame or credit a 1979 Schoolhouse Rock! episode for the fact that the song got repurposed as an anatomy primer, the truth is that maybe as early as the 1930’s (and definitely by 1947), people were singing that Ezekiel (as opposed to God, working through Ezekiel) was “connecting” the bones and that the bones were “your [bones]” (as opposed to dry bones just lying around in the valley). That change in perspective and language paved the way for a change in understanding.
While I am not referencing the spirit of God in the video below, this is an opportunity to gain better understanding about your bones.
The video above is part of my 2024 offering for the 11th annual Kiss My Asana yogathon, which benefits Mind Body Solutions (MBS). I am super excited to dedicate this week (April 13th — 19th) to raising awareness and resources for MBS’ life-affirming work “to help people live better in the body they have.” 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 wanted to highlight elements of the practice that we may overlook or take for granted. I also wanted to underscore 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 reflects my inspirations; something that “begins in delight and ends in wisdom;” and something that was short, fun, and full of insight (or, maybe it’s just randomly useful information) — something that I think of as the video equivalent of a villanelle (check out that last link for details).
Happy National Poetry Month! “Nine days and nine nights of blessings and happiness if you are celebrating Chaitra Navaratri!” Many blessings to all and especially to those observing Great Lent!
“Find the cost of freedom Buried in the ground Mother Earth will swallow you Lay your body down.”
— “Find the Cost of Freedom” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
The following excerpt is related to the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, signed today in 1862:
“Most people, I think, would agree that freedom is priceless. I mean, at least, I think we can all agree about that when we are talking about our own freedom. Things get a little twisted when we are talking about someone else’s freedom. How much do we value the freedom — or even the life — of someone we perceive as different from us? How much do we value the freedom — or even the life — of someone with whom we disagree about even the meaning of freedom?
What happens if you have to put a price freedom? What happens if you actually have to quantify the value of life, liberty, freedom (which is, ultimately, the pursuit of happiness)?
Did that last question take you back to the Constitution and the founders of the United States? Let’s really go back, get the full context, shall we?”
Please join me today (Tuesday, April 16th) 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 YouTubeand Spotify. [Look for “04162023 Cost of Freedom, II”]
The following excerpt is from a 2024 post about Navaratri:
“[Today is] also the eighth night/day of Navaratri, the Hindu celebration of God as a woman. This penultimate manifestation of Durga/Parvati is known as Mahagauri, the mother Goddess who slays the demon-king. Each of the nine manifestations of Durga represent Her at a different point in her life/journey. By the time we get to the eighth manifestation, Parvati is already married — but the demons can only be killed by a virgin. Obviously, she could not go back; she had to go forward in order to prepare herself for battle.
In some versions of her story, she practiced tapas, prayed, and made offerings. At one point, she bathed in the Ganges River, one of the sacred rivers in India, and emerged with the rosy glow of youth. In parts of India, people begin their eighth day by making pūjā or offerings of flowers to celebrate her wisdom, beauty, and ability to bring peace. Then they get ready for the final celebration. As I mentioned before, this particular Navaratri is one of the two lesser celebrated occasions. So, while there are not as many people celebrating at this time of year, there are still a lot of people preparing for the final celebrations.”
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.)
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A Joyful Practice 