FTWMI: A Quick Note & EXCERPT: “When Awareness Expands” (the post-practice Monday post, with an extra quote) June 1, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Life, Meditation, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Black Wall Street, Cable News Network, CNN, Greenwood District, Indian Territory, Juana Summers, Lessie Benningfield Randle, Mother Randle, Randy Hopkins, Swami Vivekananda, Ted Turner, The CNN Effect, trauma, Tulsa, yoga sutra 3.5
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Many, many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating/observing the Day of the Holy Spirit and/or Children’s Day (in China).
For Those Who Missed It: The following post-practice for Monday, June 1st was originally posted in 2025. I have added a quote and a couple of notes at the end of this post. The 2026 prompt question was, “What’s on your heart?”
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.
Yoga Sutra 3.5: tád jayat prajñā lōkāh
— “Through the mastery of that [three-part process of samyama] comes the light of knowledge, transcendental insight, or higher consciousness.”
“When one has succeeded in making this Samyama, all powers come under his control. This is the great instrument of the Yogi. The objects of knowledge are infinite, and they are divided into the gross, grosser, grossest and the fine, finer, finest and so on. This Samyama should be first applied to gross things, and when you begin to get knowledge of this gross, slowly, by stages, it should be brought to finer things.”
— commentary on Yoga Sūtra 3.5 from Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda
Ted Turner’s CNN (Cable News Network)1 premiered Sunday, June 1, 1980, at 5 PM EST; making it the first 24-hour news channel and the first all-news television in the United States. While other news channels made fun of the new outlet, CNN stayed focused (with the slogan “Go live, stay with it, and make it important.”) and changed the way government made and addressed policy and also the way people interacted with each other and the news.
There was no such thing as CNN back in 1921, when the Greenwood District (in Indian Territory) — also known as “Black Wall Street” — was destroyed in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE.
NOTE: The post excerpted below does not reference the shooting which happened in Tulsa today in 2022.
“On Thursday morning, June 2, 1921, one of Tulsa’s many problems was that of optics. A large chunk of the city had been obliterated in a matter of hours and an embarrassingly large portion of the city’s population had a hand in the obliterating. How this was going to look to outsiders was far from an irrelevant concern for many Tulsans, especially the city’s elite for whom pride in the city’s accomplishments was keen…. Would businesses go elsewhere? Would other ‘better citizens’ from other places look down their noses?”
— quoted from The Center for Public Secrets Journal article entitled, “Mask of Atonement: The Plan to Rebuild the Homes of Greenwood” by Randy Hopkins
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
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).
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
“Lessie Benningfield [Randle]2, who testified over video conference, said the effects of the massacre are still felt today in Tulsa.
‘My opportunities were taken from me and my community. Black Tulsa is still messed up today. They didn’t rebuild it. It’s empty, it’s a ghetto,’ [Randle], who is now 106, said.
[Randle] said she not only survived the massacre, but she has also now survived ‘100 years of painful memories.’
‘By the grace of God, I am still here. I have survived to tell this story,’ she said. ‘Hopefully, now you will all listen to us while we are still here.’”
— quoted from “Survivors Of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Share Eyewitness Accounts” by Juana Summers (as heard on NPR’s All Things Considered, May 19, 2021)
2026 NOTES:
1Rest in Power, Ted Turner (d. 05/06/2026).
2 As of today, Lessie Benningfield Randle (also known as “Mother Randle” is the last (known) living survivor of the Tulsa Massacre. In the 2021 NPR article, her married name was incorrectly printed as “Randall”.
### PEACE IN, PEACE OUT ###
FTWMI(2): Simmering, simmering… boiling, boiling over (a revised note with excerpts) May 31, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Life, Mantra, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, America, Black Wall Street, Dr. Robert Hudspeth, Greenwood District, John Townsend Trowbridge, Karen Barrow, Pentecost — Trinity Sunday, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Robert Sturman, Tulsa, Walt Whitman
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Many, many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating the Pentecost — Trinity Sunday and/or coming together in peace.
For Those Who Missed It: The following is a (2025) revised version of a note and excerpts originally posted in 2023. Class information and some links have been added/updated.
“I was simmering, simmering, simmering. Emerson brought me to a boil.”
— Walt Whitman (b. 05/31/1819) as quoted in a February 1902 article by John Townsend Trowbridge, published in The Atlantic Monthly
Today is the anniversary of the birth of Walt Whitman (b. 1819) and the anniversary of the beginning of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre and the destruction of Black Wall Street. While I generally focus on the former on the 31st and the latter on the 1st, both bring to mind an analogy I often use in association with Whitman and with America: a pot on an open flame.
As I described in a 2020 post, “There are times when we have so much churning inside of our minds and our bodies that it can make us physically ill. It churns and churns, until it spills over. Or, another analogy is to think of all of that emotion as water inside of a pot on top of an open flame: it’s “simmering, simmering, simmering…” until it boils over. When we are children, we are taught to be mindful of the hot stove and the pot that sits on top. We watch our elders; placing various ingredients inside, stirring, churning, adjusting the flames – even tasting along the way, sometimes even letting us taste a little. We watch and learn that we can make something delicious, or potent medicine, or poison, or paint and dye. We watch and learn that if we don’t pay close attention we will make a big, unusable, inedible mess. We watch and learn that if we are not careful, we can hurt ourselves or others.”
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLES BELOW FOR MORE.
The Bard of Democracy (and of getting better air in our lungs)
“Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs.”
— Walt Whitman writing about the new game, baseball, in the Brooklyn Eagle (07/23/1846)
The Difference A Day Made I (a “missing” post, that is also very timely)
“What is it then between us?
What is the count of the scores or hundreds of years between us?
Whatever it is, it avails not—distance avails not, and place avails not,”
— quoted from the 5th stanza of the poem “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” by Walt Whitman
Please join me today (Sunday, May 31st) at 2:30 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05312020 Walt Whitman”]
NOTE: The YouTube playlist includes recordings of some of the poems, as part of the before/after class mix. These tracks are not included on Spotify. Both versions have a 2022 addition.
“In Kenya, people walk out of yoga class feeling great, just like they do in New York. The one difference I loved, however, was that the children who took the classes always broke out into a spontaneous song or dance right in the middle of class. Then they would go back to the yoga postures.”
“Visiting the Kenyan [women’s] prison brought me unexpected joy. The inmates, some of whom are H.I.V.-positive, told me that yoga has become a rare source of happiness in their daily lives.”
— Robert Sturman talking about documenting the work of Africa Yoga Project (quoted from the New York Times interview “Yoga in Africa” by Karen Barrow)
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.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
### “A KELSON OF THE CREATION IS LOVE” (WW) ###
FTWMI — A Quick Note & EXCERPT: “The Grace of Knowing How to Feel & FTWMI: How We Learn To Feel (and what we learn from feeling)” May 27, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Life, Mysticism, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Science, Suffering, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, beauty, compassion, empathy, Nature, Rachel Carson, Rosalind Dymond Cartwright, sympathy, Tony Hillerman
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Many, many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Afterfeast of the Ascension and/or working as a force of peace, freedom, and fulfillment (inside and outside)
For Those Who Missed It: The following was previously posted. Class details and some links have been updated/added.
“‘Everything is connected. The wing of the corn beetle affects the direction of the wind, the way the sand drifts, the way the light reflects into the eye of man beholding his reality. All is part of totality, and in this totality man finds his hozro, his way of walking in harmony, with beauty all around him.’”
— quoted from The Ghostway (Navajo Mysteries #6) by Tony Hillerman
Today is the anniversary of the birth of Rachel Carson (b. 1907) and Tony Hillerman (b. 1925). Both writers had a way of making Nature a character with the intention of making readers feel for nature.
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE.
The Grace of Knowing How to Feel & FTWMI: How We Learn To Feel (and what we learn from feeling)
“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
Please join me today (Wednesday, May 27th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05272020 Carson & Hillerman”]
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.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
(Early Bird Pricing ends this week!)
### MANY BLESSINGS (to the nth degree) ###
FTWMI: It’s Not About What We’re Saying… (an updated short post with links & 2 excerpts) [the post-practice Monday post] May 25, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Japa-Ajapa, Karma, Life, Mantra, Meditation, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Suffering, Tragedy, Twin Cities, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Aaron Lindsey, Black Wall Street, chakras, Daniel Inouye, George Floyd, Greenwood District, India.Arie, mantra, Memorial Day, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Tim Chambers, United States, Veterans, Yoga Sutras 3.15-3.16
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Many, many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Afterfeast of the Ascension and/or Memorial Day.
For Those Who Missed It: The following post-practice for Monday, May 25th was originally posted in 2024 (and revised in 2025). In addition to adding the Memorial Day note and excerpt, I have updated some details and links. The 2026 prompt question was, “Who are you remembering?”
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.
“Don’t say things. What you are stands over you the while, and thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary. A lady of my acquaintance said, ‘I don’t care so much for what they say as I do for what makes them say it.’”
— quoted from the essay “Social Aims” in Letters and Social Aims by Ralph Waldo Emerson (b. 1803)
[On Friday, May 24, 2024], a group of United States veterans reportedly spent part of their Memorial Day weekend in Greensboro, North Carolina with the intention of asking people at the Republican National Convention to honor the basic principles of the “republic, for which it stands” and they were (reportedly) escorted out of the area. Even if I don’t talk about it, this practice is about that and about the idea of still serving even after one’s official service is over — and about how people react to that.
Four Six years ago today, George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis. Even if I don’t talk about it, this practice is about that and about the importance of treating someone you perceive as being different from you with respect — and about how we seem to keep forgetting that.
Almost exactly one hundred, five days — in a year when Memorial Day fell on May 30th — the Greenwood District, also known as Black Wall Street, was destroyed in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Even if I don’t talk about it (until this weekend), this practice is about that and about the importance of respecting what others build and acknowledging the loss when it is destroyed — and about how hard that seems to be for some people.
Click on the excerpt title below for the 2020 Memorial Day post.
“There is some awe mixed with the joy of our surprise, when this poet, who lived in some past world, two or three hundred years ago, says that which lies close to my own soul, that which I also had wellnigh thought and said.”
— quoted from the 1837 “The American Scholar” speech by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Two hundred, twenty-three twenty-one years ago today, Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston, Massachusetts. I often say that I am blown away by the fact that his words are still relevant to our present circumstances. Even if I don’t talk about it, this practice is about that.
And, even if I don’t talk about it, this practice is also about what you are feeling in this present moment.
Click on the excerpt title below for the 2021 post about Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson (b. 05/25/1803)
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
“…in our effort to accommodate many Americans by making the last Monday in May, Memorial Day, we have lost sight of the significance of this day to our nation. Instead of using Memorial Day as a time to honor and reflect on the sacrifices made by Americans in combat, many Americans use the day as a celebration of the beginning of summer.”
— Veteran and Hawaii Congressman Daniel Inouye, quoted from the “Senate” portion of the Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 106th Congress, First Session (Vol. 145, Washington, Tuesday, January 19, 1999, No. 8)
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).
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
“Compassion. Respect. Common Sense.”
— Retired Marine Staff Sergeant Tim Chambers (a.k.a The Saluting Marine) when asked what he wanted to inspire in people who see him standing/saluting
### “Continue to breathe / In honor of your brother / That’s what your heart is for” ~ India.Arie (Aaron Lindsey / India.arie Simpson) ###
An “–” Note & EXCERPTS: “Today in Rock and Roll” & “… some Powerball® thoughts” (the “missing” Sunday post) May 24, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Baha'i, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Japa, Japa-Ajapa, Karma, Life, Love, Mantra, Meditation, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Anna Mae Bullock, Annie Dillard, Bob Dylan, chanting, Dechen Shak-Dagsay, Declaration of the Báb, Diotima, em dash, en dash, hyphen, Linda Ellis, mantra, music, Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, Nat Hentoff, Plato, Regula Curti, Robert Allen Zimmerman, satya, Seventh Sunday of Pascha, Socrates, The Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, Tina Turner, truth, Uvalde Texas, Woody Guthrie
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Many, many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating and/or observing the Seventh Sunday of Pascha: The Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council and /or the Declaration of the Báb.
This is “missing” compilation post for Sunday, May 24th, features new content and excerpts. 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.
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.
“What shall I do this morning? How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing…. living.”
— quoted from “Chapter Two” of The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
At the beginning of Chapter Two of The Writing Life, Annie Dillard quoted Plato’s Symposium, in which Socrates (quoting Diotima) said, “But what if the man could see Beauty Itself, pure, unalloyed, stripped of mortality, and all its pollution, stains, and vanities, unchanging, divine,…the man becoming in that communion, the friend of God, himself immortal;…would that be a life to disregard?” The answer, of course, is no. Neither do we ignore (i.e., disregard) the beauty that comes from someone dealing with all the things we deal with as mere mortals, all the things that come with life, including morality.
Ah, mortality.
On any given day, in any given year, someone is born and someone passes away. When we mark those milestones with celebrations, what we are really celebrating is what happens in between. The en dash [–] in someone’s biography and/or obituary symbolises all that they do while living on this planet we call Earth. All the things we learn and teach; all the people we love (or not); all the things we think; and all the things we say and do are compressed into that en dash, which is longer than a hyphen [-] and shorter than an em dash [—] .
Linda Ellis wrote a famous poem about “The Dash”, which has been quoted at funerals, memorials, and other events. The dash — and what it represents — has been the inspiration for sermons, speeches, and so many songs that I’ve lost track of them. All of that work dovetails and inspires so many lives, so many dashes.
Today is the birthday of Bob Dylan (b. 1941) and the death anniversary of Tina Turner (d. 2023).
Click on the excerpt titles below for more.
“‘The most important thing I know I learned from Woody Guthrie,’ says Dylan, ‘I’m my own person. I’ve got basic common rights-whether I’m here in this country or any other place. I’ll never finish saying everything I feel, but I’ll be doing my part to make some sense out of the way we’re living, and not living, now. All I’m doing is saying what’s on my mind the best way I know how. And whatever else you say about me, everything I do and sing and write comes out of me.’”
— quoted from the liner notes by Nat Hentoff (from Bob Dylan’s album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan)
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “O5242026 Poems & Meditations with Bob & Tina”]
NOTE: This remix, inspired by both Bob and Tina, includes Tina Turner’s recording of her “Beyond” message (which you can also find in the first embedded link above), an interlude, and “Sound of Mystic Law: Lotus Sutra” (which I referred to as a remix version at the end of the 2026 practice). The YouTube playlist includes an extra Tina video. The extended version of Sound of Mystic Law: Lotus Sutra, which I sometimes use for my personal practice, is only available on YouTube.
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).
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
### AUM ###
[Another] REMINDER: Doing the work & EXCERPT: “FTWMI: Doing the Work” May 16, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Books, Buddhism, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Life, Mathematics, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Science, Suffering, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: Balapandita Sutta, Counting the Omer, Dharma, Dr. B. B. Cael, Fifth Week of Pascha, Mona Miller, purpose, Seane Corn, Suffering
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Peace and many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone Counting the Omer and/or observing/celebrating the Fifth Week of Pascha!
“‘Bhikkhus, I could tell you in many ways about the animal kingdom, so much so that it is hard to find a simile for the suffering in the animal kingdom. Suppose a man threw into the sea a yoke with one hole in it, and the east wind carried it to the west, and the west wind carried it to the east, and the north wind carried it to the south, and the south wind carried it to the north. Suppose there were a blind turtle that came up once at the end of each century. What do you think, bhikkhus [monks]? Would that blind turtle put his neck into that yoke with one hole in it?’
Bhikkhus: ‘He might, venerable sir, sometime or other at the end of a long period.’
‘Bhikkhus, the blind turtle would take less time to put his neck into that yoke with a single hole in it than a fool, once gone to perdition, would take to regain the human state, I say. Why is that? Because there is no practicing of the Dhamma there, no practicing of what is righteous, no doing of what is wholesome, no performance of merit. There mutual devouring prevails, and the slaughter of the weak.’”
— quoted from “The Animal Kingdom” in Majjhima Nikāya 129, Balapandita Sutta: Fools and Wise Men
Click on the excerpt title below for more of the post related to today’s practice — which includes Dr. B. B. Cael’s probability calculations related to the aforementioned sutta.
“Find your struggle, learn your lesson, and then know your purpose.”
— a “Monaism” (saying by Mona Miller, as quoted by Seane Corn)
Please join me today (Saturday, May 16th) at 12:00 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05162021 Doing the Work”]
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.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
### Go, On! Do YOUR Thang! ###
The Sacred Simplicity of Life (a short note & excerpts) February 4, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Karma Yoga, Life, Love, Meditation, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Suffering, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Carnival, Margaret Bonds, meditation, Robert Fulghum, Rosa Parks, Rosa Parks Day, Season for Nonviolence, siddhis, Simplicity / Preparation, Sunn m'Cheaux, Thornton Wilder, yoga
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“Happy Carnival!” to those who are celebrating! Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone celebrating Rosa Parks Day*.
Peace, ease, contemplation, and simplicity throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!!!
“There is a sacred simplicity in not doing something—and not doing it well. All the great religious leaders have done it. The Buddha sat still under a tree. Jesus sat still in a garden. Muhammad sat still in a cave. And Gandhi and King and thousands of others have brought sitting still to perfection as a powerful tool of social change. Passive resistance, meditation, prayer—one and the same.”
— quoted from It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It by Robert Fulghum
Several people — including Rosa Parks, who was born today in 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama — have been quoted as saying some variation of “The beauty of life is in the simplicity of it.” Additionally, lots of people (including Robert Fulghum) have described Rosa Parks and her life as simple. Such descriptions are not meant in a derogatory way. No, they are meant to highlight how one person, one single human being, has the ability to do something that is simultaneously simple, beautiful, and extraordinary.
That beauty and that simplicity are on full display in Our Town, which had it’s Broadway premiere at Henry Miller’s Theatre today in 1938. In the play, Thornton Wilder wrote a monologue (actually, a whole play) about something that — if not “unique to being human” — is at least an essential part of being human. Something simple, something beautiful, and something extra-ordinary.
“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
“Simplicity” is the “Season for Nonviolence” principle of the day. In previous years, “preparation” has popped up as a principle around this time in the season. Both ideas play a part in the simple, yet extraordinary true story of how Rosa Parks became a household name.
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE.
FTWMI: “Rooted Deep in a Moment (a special [revised] Black History note)” *UPDATED*
“I believe we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom.”
— Rosa Parks
Please join me today (Wednesday, February 4th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “02042024 Sitting, Breathing… on a Bus”]
NOTE: The before/after music is slightly different on each platform, as the YouTube playlist includes videos of some featured songs. Both playlists also include Margaret Bonds’s Montgomery Variations and a podcast episode about the women who started the Montgomery Bus Boycotts; however, the Spotify playlist does not include the short (below) from one of my favorite [haa-vahd] professors. (Neither playlist includes the extra video included in the post excerpted above.)
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.)
*NOTE: Rosa Parks Day is currently celebrated today in Missouri and Massachusetts; on the first Monday after her birthday in Michigan and California; and on the anniversary of the day she was arrested (December 1, 1955) in Ohio, Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Oregon and several cities and counties.
### “Just” Sitting & Breathing ###
FTWMI: So, Yes, It’s Groundhog Day & Also… (an abridged post-practice Monday post w/excerpts) February 2, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Life, Movies, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Wisdom, Women, Yoga.Tags: 988, Bill Murray, Black History Month, Candelmas, Caring, Carnival, change, Groundhog Day, Harold Ramis, holidays, Margaret Fuhrer, Punxsutawney Phil, Raven Wilkinson, Richard Henzel, Season for Nonviolence, trees, Tu BiShvat
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“Happy Carnival!” and “Happy Birthday to the Trees!” to those who are celebrating! Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone celebrating Candlemas.
Peace, ease, contemplation, appreciation, and caring throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!!!
For Those Who Missed It: This short post-practice post for Monday, February 2nd (with excerpts) is the abridged (and slightly revised) version of a 2025 post. It includes an extra excerpt related to the “Season for Nonviolence”. The 2026 prompt question was, “If you only had one day (not your last day, but just one day) what would you do?” 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.
“Well, it’s Groundhog Day… again.”
— Bill Murray as “Phil Connors” in the movie Groundhog Day
February 2nd is always Groundhog Day. For people using the Gregorian Calendar, it is also, always, Candlemas, the second day of Black History Month (for some people in the United States), and part of the “Season for Nonviolence”. However, since people use different calendars for religious and cultural holidays and observations, this day sometimes overlaps a whole lot of other ancient rituals and traditions — and even a couple of modern ones. For instance, in 2026, today is also part of Carnival and Tu BiShvat the New Year for Trees (on the Hebrew calendar).
In 2026, the “Season for Nonviolence” principle for today is “Caring”. While an underlying element of this practice is always about how we take care of ourselves, it is coupled with the understanding that we must take care of ourselves in order to take care of others. Today, there is also an awareness that we must care (about ourselves and others) if we want to make any beneficial changes in the world.
FTWMI: AN INVITATION TO SHINE
“It’s always Feb 2nd — there’s nothing I can do about it.”
— Bill Murray as “Phil Connors” in the movie Groundhog Day
Have you ever had one of those moments, like Phil Connors had in the movie Groundhog Day, where you woke up and every day seemed (or actually was) the same? Or, maybe, like Raven Wilkinson (who was born today in 1935), you see things in the world that you want to be different… even though it seems like those things have been the same for so long that they are unchangeable.
I think it is very easy to look at the world and see things we would like changed. I also think we have all had days where nothing we do seems to make a difference. Yet, the reality is that everything we do changes something.
Being alive is like a dance between our body, our mind, our spirit, and the world. Everything is shifting, changing. Everything is balance and counterbalance, inhale and exhale, enter and leaving, rising and falling. Sometimes we lead. Sometimes we follow. Sometimes we are watching from the side, resting, or waiting for our turn to lead or follow. Start to notice that dance and your start to notice change and how you engage it. You also start to notice when you are stuck… and the choices you make when you are stuck.
Do you get frustrated and stay stuck?
Do you “accept the things [you] cannot change”… and stay stuck?
Or, do you “change the things [you] can”… with appreciation/gratitude?
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE SOME HISTORY ABOUT GROUNDHOG DAY.
FTWMI: “Okay, campers, rise and shine!” (the “missing” post for February 2nd)
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT BELOW FOR A PROFILE ABOUT RAVEN WILKINSON.
Whether we realize it or not, everything we do changes something about us. It changes our perspective. Maybe the change is a reinforcement of what we already believe. Sometimes, however, we see ourselves and the world in a new way, a special way. That new insight can lead us to interact with people in a different way — and that can change their perspectives. The first part happened to Phil Connors in the movie. Both parts happened to Raven Wilkinson and, therefore, to ballet dancers and ballet fans.
That’s the way life goes. We just have to rise and shine.
“Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don’t forget your booties cause it’s cooooold out there today.”
— Richard Henzel as “DJ #1” in the movie Groundhog Day
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR ANOTHER POST ON CARING FOR OURSELVES (with a video)!
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
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).
“During that same meeting, I also told Mr. Denham that I didn’t want to put the company in danger, but I also never wanted to deny what I was. If someone questioned me directly, I couldn’t say, ‘No, I’m not black.’ Some of the other dancers suggested that I say I was Spanish. But that’s like telling the world there’s something wrong with what you are.”
— Raven Wilkinson quoted from the Pointe Magazine interview ” Raven Wilkinson’s Extraordinary Life: An Exclusive Interview” by Margaret Fuhrer (dated June 1, 2014)
### I APPRECIATE YOU TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF!! ###
EXCERPT: “Understanding [Your] Karma & Putting Cash in Your Karmic Bank Account” January 13, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, California, Donate, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Karma Yoga, Life, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Philosophy, Volunteer, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Carl Perkins, Folsom State Prison, inspiration, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Karma, Karma Yoga, kriya, kriyā, music, Statler Brothers, The Tennessee Three, Yoga Sutra 2.1, Yoga Sutra 2.12
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May your mind-body-spirit be well, be great, and be in harmony with your thoughts, words, and deeds.
“Well, you wonder why I always dress in black
Why you never see bright colors on my back
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone
Well, there’s a reason for the things that I have on”
— quoted from the song “The Man in Black” by Johnny Cash
Today in 1968, Johnny Cash, June Carter (who wouldn’t become a Cash until March 1, 1968), Carl Perkins, The Tennessee Three, and the Statler Brothers performed and recorded two (2) concerts at Folsom State Prison in Folsom, California.
CLICK ON THE EXCEPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE.
“I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down
Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town
I wear it for the prisoner who is long paid for his crime
But is there because he’s a victim of the times”
— quoted from the song “The Man in Black” by Johnny Cash
Please join me today (Tuesday, January 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 in 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. [“01132021 Karma Cash I”]
“Each week we lose a hundred fine young men
And I wear it for the thousands who have died
Believin’ that the Lord was on their side
I wear it for another hundred-thousand who have died
Believin’ that we all were on their side
… Well, there’s things that never will be right, I know
And things need changin’ everywhere you go
But ’til we start to make a move to make a few things right
You’ll never see me wear a suit of white
Ah, I’d love to wear a rainbow every day
And tell the world that everything’s okay
But I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back
’Til things are brighter, I’m the man in black”
— quoted from the song “The Man in Black” by Johnny Cash
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.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
### GIVE ###
A (revised) Note & Excerpt RE: Children, Heroes, Responsibility, & Power *UPDATED* December 28, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, 7-Day Challenge, Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Christmas, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Life, Movies, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Super Heroes, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 12 Days of Christmas, 988, Art, Childermas, Christmas, Feast Day of the Holy Family, Feast of the Holy Innocents, Innocents Day, Kwanzaa, Nativity Fast, Neil Ellis Orts, New Year's, Nguzo Saba, siddhis, St. Philip's Fast, Stan Lee, Twelvetide, Ujima
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“Kwanzaa, yenu iwe na heri!” – “May your Kwanzaa be happy!” to everyone who is celebrating! May you have a meaningful observation if you are observing the Nativity / St. Philip’s Fast and/or your focus is on the Innocents and/or Family. Many blessings to everyone!
“All six of these stories – nearly half the stories in the book – speak to me of a longing in our human condition, a desire for more life (either here or in the hereafter) or a desire to turn regrets around to something joyous….
None of the characters in this collection are more powerful than a locomotive, none are faster than a speeding bullet, but what they are able to do, I believe, reveals something of our desires, something of our humanity – the best and worst in us.”
— quoted from the introduction to able to…: a literary look at super powers by…, edited by Neil Ellis Orts
There is a lot going on. Today is the third day of Kwanzaa, which always corresponds with the third or fourth day of the “12 Days of Christmas” (depending on when you start counting). For some it is also the Feast of the Holy Innocents, also known as Childermas or Innocents Day. There are also people who spend the first Sunday after Christmas observing the Feast Day of the Holy Family. Finally, there are some Christians observing the Nativity (or St. Philip’s) Fast in preparation for Christmas. Each of these observations comes with a story and each story comes with a message.
The stories and messages associated with this day are all about children (i.e., future generations), heroes, responsibility, and power. More importantly, these stories and messages are for and about regular people. Fortunately, today is also the anniversary of the birth of a person who told stories with these same messages… and with these same types of heroes.
“…aware at last that in this world, with great power there must also come — great responsibility!”
— quoted from Amazing Fantasy #15 by Stan Lee (b. 1922), et al (August 1962)
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLES BELOW FOR MORE.
“Ujima (collective work and responsibility) — To build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and to solve them together.”
— the third of the Nguzo Saba (or “Seven Essential Pillars”) of Kwanzaa
Please join me today (Sunday, December 28th) at 2:30 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “12282021 Power, Responsibility, & Children”]
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.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
CHECK OUT THE CALENDAR! You can kick off New Year’s Day 2026 in two ways (and in two spaces): with the very active practice of 108 Sun Salutations at 10:00 AM or with the very “chill” practice of a Restorative Yoga+Meditation practice beginning at 5:00 PM. All times are Central Standard.
Register to practice in-person (or join us via Zoom). Details are posted on the “Class Schedules” calendar.
12/29/2025 Update: I neglected to mention the Feast Day of the Holy Family (mostly because I forgot that it is a “moveable feast”).
A Joyful Practice 