“Happy Spring Festival!” “Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramaḍān!” to everyone observing the holy month of Ramaḍān. Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Lent and Great Lent and/or getting ready to celebrate the Jade Emperor’s Birthday and the Festival of Ayyám-i-Há.
Peace, ease, and respect to all, throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!
Please join me today (Tuesday, February 24th) 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. [Look for “Lunar New Year Day 8 2026”]
NOTE: I revised the playlist after the Noon class. The timing difference is negligible.
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.
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.
“Happy New Year!” to those who are celebrating! “Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramaḍān!” to anyone observing the holy month of Ramaḍān. Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing and/or celebrating Lent and/or Cheesefare Week (in preparation for Great Lent)!
Peace, ease, and self-forgiveness to all, throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!
“If my work is to be functional to the group (or to the village, as it were) then it must bear witness and identify danger as well as possible havens from danger; it must identify that which is useful from the past and that which ought to be discarded; it must make it possible to prepare for the present and live it out; and it must do that not by avoiding problems and contradictions but by examining them; it should not even attempt to solve social problems but it should certainly try to clarify them.”
— quoted from the essay “The Writer Before the Page” in “Part II God’s Language” of The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations by Toni Morrison (b. 1931)
Please join me today (Wednesday, February 18th) 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 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. [Look for “One Other One for Ash Wednesday, Day 2, & Ramadan 2026”]
*NOTE: The YouTube playlist includes an extra “relaxation” track that is not (yet) available on Spotify.
“The quality of light by which we scrutinize our lives has direct bearing upon the product which we live, and upon the changes which we hope to bring about through those lives. It is within this light that we form those ideas by which we pursue our magic and make it realized. This is poetry as illumination, for it is through poetry that we give name to those ideas which are, until the poem, nameless and formless-about to be birthed, but already felt. That distillation of experience from which true poetry springs births thought as dream births concept, as feeling births idea, as knowledge births (precedes) understanding.”
— quoted from the essay “Poetry is Not a Luxury” in Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde (b. 1934)
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.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Many blessings to all, and especially to those celebrating and/or observing Carnival/Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras, Cheesefare Week, the Lunar New Year & Spring Festival and/or getting ready for the the holy month of Ramaḍān!
Peace, ease, and acceptance to all, throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!
“Laissez les bons temps rouler!”
— Louisiana French for “Let the good times roll!”
Please join me today (Tuesday, February 17th) 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. [Look for “Mardi Gras & Day 1 2026”]
NOTE (*revised*): The YouTube playlist includes a special “relaxation” track that (as of 2/17/2026) is not available on Spotify. I will update Spotify when/if the track becomes available. Additionally, the second before/after music track hits different on YouTube. If you know, you know!
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.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone observing the Sunday of the Last Judgement; Shrove/Cheesefare/Forgiveness/Transfiguration Sunday; and/or Carnival!
Peace, ease, contemplation, and integrity throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!!!
Please join me today (Sunday, February 15th) 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 in the class.You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Quinquagesima 2022”]
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
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.
“Happy Carnival!” to those who are celebrating! Many blessings to everyone, everywhere!!
Peace, ease, contemplation, and creativity throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!!!
This is the “missing” (and backdated) post for Wednesday, February 11th (with excerpts). In addition to the new content and excerpts, it includes some re-purposed content. 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.
“Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is simply to ask the right question. And sometimes the best way to ask the right question is to come up with an example that makes most explicit what the problem is about.”
— quoted from the “What Needs to Be Explained” section of “Part I. The World Knot — Chapter Two: The Special Problem of Consciousness” in A Universe of Consciousness: How Matter Becomes Imagination by Gerald M. Edelman and Giulio Tononi
On a certain level, life is a series of lessons… or puzzles… or questions seeking answers… or “problems that want to be solved”. How ever you think about it, life requires us to be creative. In fact, in discussing life, sleep, and the mind-body experience, Dr. Gerald Edelman and Dr. Giulio Tononi wrote, “If our view of memory is correct, in higher organisms every act of perception is, to some degree, an act of creation, and every act of memory is, to some degree, an act of imagination. Biological memory is thus creative and not strictly replicative. It is one of the essential bases of consciousness, to the mechanisms of which we now turn.”1
What the good doctors were saying is that, whether we realize it or not, we are all creative beings, creating all the time.
Now, if you are wondering how sleep got in there, consider that our parasympathetic nervous system — which is also connected to our ability to rest and digest — is also related to ability to create. We need to rest in order to digest (i.e., process) everything we consume — be it food and drink, ideas, media, experiences, etc. — and we need to process things in order to learn the lessons, solve the puzzles, answer the questions, and solve the problems of life. In other words, we need to rest and digest in order to engage our “creativity”, the principle of the day for the “Season for Nonviolence”.
Inventors like Thomas Alva Edison, who was born on February 11, 1847, are obviously remembered as being creative. If you think about it, creativity is also needed if you are a statesman and activist, like Nelson Mandela, and you want to change your country and the world. Also known as Madiba, Nelson Mandela was freed from prison on February 11, 1990, after 27 years in prison; and one of the things that sustained his spirit and gave him hope — especially when he was in prison — was the creativity of others (often in the form of music). Finally, you know how handy creativity can be if you have ever experienced any kind of oppression and/or worked in the service industry. So, I am sure it was a useful tool for Ruth Carol Taylor, whose maiden flight was on this same date in 1958.
“‘I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my inventions come indirectly through accident, except the phonograph. No, when I have, fully decided that a result is worth getting, I go about it, and make trial after trial, until it comes.’”
— Thomas Edison, as quoted in “A Photographic Talk with Edison” by Theodore Dreiser (printed in Success Magazine, Feb. 1898)
Click on the excerpt title below for more about Thomas Alva Edison.
“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.”
— Nelson Mandela
Click on the excerpt titles below for more about Nelson Mandela (including a note about Umqombothi a special beer).
“…[Ruth Carol Taylor] didn’t take the job because she thought being a flight attendant would be so great. She says she did it to fight discrimination.
‘It wasn’t something that I had wanted to do all my life,’ she tells JET about being a flight attendant. ‘I knew better than to think it was all that glamourous. But it irked me that people were not allowing people of color to apply… Anything like that sets my teeth to grinding.’”
— quoted from the JET Magazine article entitled, “First Black Flight Attendant Is Still Fighting Racism” (printed in the “Labor” section of the May 12, 1997 issue)
Click on the excerpt title below for more about some historic flights, including Ruth Carol Taylor’s 1958 flight.
“Music is a great blessing. It has the power to elevate and liberate us. It sets people free to dream. It can unite us to sing with one voice. Such is the value of music.”
— Nelson Mandela speaking to musicians at a Freedom Day concert in London
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “02112023 Breath, Light, Freedom”]
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.
NOTE: 1 I often use an abbreviated version of this quote (courtesy of Dr. Oliver Sacks). It is originally from “Part III. Mechanisms of Consciousness: The Darwinian Perspective — Chapter Eight: Nonrepresentational Memory” in A Universe of Consciousness: How Matter Becomes Imagination by Gerald M. Edelman and Giulio Tononi.
“Happy Carnival!” to those who are celebrating! Many blessings to everyone, everywhere!!
Peace, ease, contemplation, and groundedness throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!!!
This is the “missing” (and backdated) compilation post for Tuesday, February 10th (with excerpts). In addition to the new content and excerpts, it includes some re-purposed content. 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.
“When you are grounded you are completely present, your mind is still, and you are totally focused. It is from this place of being grounded that you can operate most effectively….”
— quoted from the “Reflection” section of the “Day 12 ~ February 11 ~ Groundedness” page for the “Season for Nonviolence,” provided by the Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace
While Patanjali said very little about asana (“seat” or pose) in the Yoga Sūtras, his initial instruction is literally (and figuratively) the beginning of every practice: “sthirasukham āsanam — cultivate a steady (or stable), easy (comfortable or joyful) seat (or pose).” (YS 2.46) There is a little bit more in the next few sūtras, which can help us deepen the experience, but everything else comes from that very first part: sthira — which is ultimately a sense of groundedness.
Being grounded allows us to relax, to release, to get a little bit more comfortable and breathe. Being grounded allows us to notice the different parts of your breath and to play with the breath. Being grounded allows us to move the body in certain ways; to notice how it feels to move and breathe; and, also to notice what we notice. We can extend and expand, contract and release, and even find our rhythm because we are supported, grounded.
There are different ways to be grounded and“groundedness”, the “Season for Nonviolence” principle for Tuesday, February 10, 2026, is just as important off the mat as it is on the mat. For instance, James Edward Maceo West (born 02/10/1931) had an accident at a very early age that illustrated the danger of working with energy when you are not grounded. The accident didn’t deter him and he grew up to develop technology that is still used to this day. In fact, the technology created by Dr. West was probably used in the recording of the music featured in the playlist (linked below), and definitely contributes to your ability to hear it.
“James’ approach to learning sounds very familiar: ‘If I had a screwdriver and a pair of pliers, anything that could be opened was in danger. I had this need to know what was inside.’”
— quoted from “James West Began 40 Years at Bell Labs with World-Changing Microphone Tech” by Mike Szczys (posted at hackaday.com on February 17, 2021)
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE ABOUT JAMES MACEO WEST.
“‘Wait, let me tell you what I think. I think that if the beast who sleeps in man could be held down by threats—any kind of threat, whether of jail or of retribution after death—then the highest emblem of humanity would be the lion tamer in the circus with his whip, not the prophet who sacrificed himself. But don’t you see, this is just the point—what has for centuries raised man above the beast is not the cudgel but an inward music: the irresistible power of unarmed truth, the powerful attraction of its example.’”
— Nikolai Nikolaievich, quoted in “Part One, Chapter 2 : A Girl from a Different World, section 10”, of Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (translated from Russian by Max Hayward and Manya Harari) with Introduction by John Bayley
The February 10th playlist features music composed by Jerrald (“Jerry”) King Goldsmith (born 02/10/1929), as well as music song by Robert Flack (born 02/10/1937) and “Ziggy Stardust” (who made his earthly debut on 02.10/1972). Whether a musician is singing, playing an instrument, and/or conducting, they need to be grounded in order to fully engage (and control) their breath.
The playlist also includes a song that samples a poem by Boris Pasternak (born 02/10/1890, according to the Gregorian calendar) and music inspired by the mountain climbing twins Jim and Lou Whittaker (born on the exact same day as Jerry Goldsmith), who would rely on at least three parts of their body being grounded as they climbed to great heights. There is not (necessarily) a song inspired by Edith Clarke (born 02/10/1883), who spent some time working as a “computer” just like Dr. West’s mother; however, her ability to stay grounded and not be deterred by people who wanted to hold her back was very much an inspiration for this practice.
“‘There is no demand for women engineers, as such, as there are for women doctors; but there’s always a demand for anyone who can do a good piece of work.’”
— Edith Clarke quoted in a March 14, 1948 Daily Texan article
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE ABOUT THE OTHER PEOPLE BORN ON FEBRUARY 10TH.
“I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style And so I came to see him, to listen for a while”
— quoted from the song “Killing Me Softly With His Song” by Roberta Flack
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “02102021 Songs for Today’s Adventure”]
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.
“Happy Carnival!” to those who are celebrating! Many blessings to everyone, everywhere!!
Peace, ease, and contemplation throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!!!
This is the “missing” (and backdated) post-practice post for Monday, February 9th (with excerpts).In addition to the new content and excerpts, it includes some re-purposed content. The 2026 prompt question was, “What is something moving around in your mind (& heart) that may move you to change?”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.
“Contemplation has long had an important role in spiritual practice. We’re encouraged to bring a wise and loving attention to our experience, gently investigating the nature of what’s happening in each moment with a sense of care and interest. For example, when we contemplate the dynamic nature of experience, we’re not trying to convince ourselves intellectually that things change; we’re actually softening into our direct experience and noticing that this breath arises and passes away. This sensation appears and dissolves. This emotion feels sticky or solid. We discern what thoughts seems useful and what thought do not seem useful.”
— quoted from a December 20, 2025, message to the Common Ground Meditation Center sangha by Shelly Graf
In addition to being one of the Co-Guiding Teachers at Common Ground Meditation Center, Shelly Graf has a background in clinical social work. I bring this up because it explains a little exchange we had during an informal meeting over tapas. This conversation happened years ago and, for the life of me, I don’t remember the subject of the meeting. However, in a passing moment, Shelly Graf taught me something about contemplation that has stuck with me to this day: It’s not just thinking.
“Contemplation”, which was the “Season for Nonviolence” principle for February 9th (2026), comes in a variety of different flavors. It can be sitting with a concept (like contemplation, peace, ease, lovingkindness, etc.) and/or it can be the kind of contemplation Saint Ignatius of Loyola outlined in The Spiritual Exercises — which is similar to svādhyāya (“self-study”), the fourth niyama (internal “observation”) in the Yoga Philosophy, and which involves putting yourself in another person’s shoes/circumstances. However, no matter the form of contemplation, engaging in a contemplative practice can be transformative (i.e., bring about change).
And this is what Shelly pointed out to me all those years ago. In certain paradigms, contemplation is directly related to change.
“So where does change come from? And how do we recognize it when it happens?”
— Forest Whitaker, as “Happiness”, in the movie The Air I Breathe by Jieho Lee and Bob DeRosa
According to the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) developed by psychologists James O. Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente (et al) in 1977, there are six stages of change: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and termination. You can think of them as: “not ready”, “ready”, “get set”, “go”, “pace yourself”, and “the finish line”. In the conversation with Shelly, I referenced “contemplating” something when, in fact, I was in the precontemplation stage — meaning, I hadn’t really gotten to a point where I was seriously considering making a change.
The TTM stages are just one (of five) of the model’s components (which include processes of change, levels of change, self-efficacy, and decisional balance). The overall model also includes what motivates (or triggers) change in behavior, as well as what may be a barrier to change, and what supports or hinders change. Research has shown that these stages are applicable in a lot of different situations where people want/need to change their behavior, including smoking (which I believe was the original research); weight management; stress management; depression; and adherence to prescription drug protocols.
Some TTM research has also been conducted around how people commute and how people could be encouraged to reduce their reliance on single occupant motor vehicles (especially those powered by fossil fuels). While some of the transportation research focused on “pre-action” and “action” (versus the six stages) — and some defined the processes in different ways than the TTM — it is interesting to note how using this model (and these stages) on an individual level can be applied to social change.
“The only thing that I could say, in defense of my being on the [City] Council, is an old stupid woman who wasn‘t satisfied with those persons that were running to fill the unexpired term left on the Council in this district. I think that that‘s a slogan that I‘ve carried with me – If I don’t like what the other fellow‘s doing, I get up and do it myself.”
— Mrs. Juanita Jewel Craft (b. 1902), quoted from The Black Women Oral History Project, Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University (interview conducted by Mrs. Dorothy R. Robinson (on 01/20/1977)
Born in Round Rock, Texas on February 9, 1902, Juanita Jewel Craft (née Shanks) contemplated change… and then got others to contemplate change.
“I am going to venture that the man who sat on the ground in his tipi meditating on life and its meaning, accepting the kinship of all creatures and acknowledging unity with the universe of things was infusing into his being the true essence of civilization.”
— quoted from the “What the Indian Means to America” in Land of the Spotted Eagle by Luther Standing Bear
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
*NOTE: Since there are several moveable feasts around this time of year, the second excerpt includes references to events that did not take place on February 9, 2026. It also features a playlist that I low-key referenced during this practice.
“A nimble mind can accept that it’s like this right now. We can notice how it feels to relate through a softer relationship with appreciation for the dance of experience arising in relationship to all things. We’re intimately contemplating the truth of the teachings through our own direct, embodied observation. And here we find the agency to learn and grow as we go along.”
— quoted from a December 20, 2025, message to the Common Ground Meditation Center sangha by Shelly Graf
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.
Happy Carnival (to those who are already celebrating)! Peace and ease on the final day of World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW) and throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!!!
May your dreams come true.
This is the “missing” post & excerpt for February 7th. My apologies for the delay and for not posting music before the practice. You can request an audio recording for a related 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.
“It is necessary that we dream now and then. No one achieved anything, from the smallest object to the greatest, unless the dream was dreamed first, yet those who stop at dreaming never accomplish anything. We must first see the vision in order to realize it; we must have the ideal or we cannot approach it; but when once the dream is dreamed it is time to wake up ‘get busy.’ We must ‘do great deed, not dream them all day long.’
The dream is only the beginning.”
— quoted from the “1918: Make Your Dreams come True ~ February 5, 1918” by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. 1867), published in Laura Ingalls Wilder, Farm Journalist: Writings from the Ozarks, Edited by Stephen W. Hines
“Dreaming” is the “Season for Nonviolence” principle of the day and, according to the Yoga Sūtras, can be the source of wisdom. However, some types of dreaming can also be a form of grasping or craving — which is antithetical to the practice. So, as is so often the case, the practice becomes about finding balance.
It can be challenging to find the balance between dreaming and that “trustful surrender” that is letting go and having faith in your efforts (and in what has already been written). In our physical practice, it can be the balance between effort and relaxation. In our philosophical Yoga practice, it is the balance between abhyasa(“[continuous and deliberate] practice, [engaged with sincere devotion]”) and vairagya(“non-attachment”). (YS. 1.12-1.14) In a spiritual and/or religious practice, it is having faith in yourself and in God (whatever that means to you at this moment).
When we find that balance, things get done. According to the Yoga Sūtras, the process by which we find that balance leads to mental and physical vitality, as well as freedom and liberation from suffering. (YS 1.2 – 1.4; 1.12 – 1.15; 1.29 – 1.40; 2.18) This process — which is the Yoga Philosophy — includes the practice of santoşā(“contentment”), which leads to “…happiness without equal.” (YS 2.42)
And there’s the twist: How do you dream or desire (which can be a form of craving) and also be satisfied/content? How do you find balance when you may think of contentment as “settling” — as if there is something more and you are missing out?
“At this second Carol realized that for all Guy’s love and dead elegances his timidity was as depressing to her as the bulkiness of Sam Clark. She realized that he was not a mystery, as she had excitedly believed; not a romantic messenger from the World Outside on whom she could count for escape. He belonged to Gopher Prairie, absolutely. She was snatched back from a dream of far countries, and found herself on Main Street.”
— quoted from Main Street by Sinclair Lewis (b. 1885)
I think of both santoşā and the Zen Buddhist practice of shoshin(“beginner’s mind”) as practices that encourage us to stay in the present moment — with a sense of awe and wonder about what comes next. These practices also create the opportunity for us to be grateful for what we have been able to do in the past, present, and in the future.
During the practice, I reference several people born on February 7th; people who dreamed of “something more”. Three of them found their something more by writing about what they knew and about what they dreamed. Like their father, the fourth birthday person also worked to create the world of which they dreamed, a more just world, a more equitable world… but (unlike the others) their writing was “brief”.
“In the early seventies, blacks argued for bifurcated jury trials, and this Court today has mandated such for the State of Alabama. In the seventies, blacks asked that sentences for rape and other offenses be not discriminatorily and freakishly imposed.”
— quoted from the special concurrence opinion for Beck v. State, 396 So. 2d 645 (1980) by Alabama Supreme Court Justice Oscar W. Adams (b. 1925)
“Are you happy in this modern world? Or do you need more? Is there something else you’re searchin’ for?
I’m falling In all the good times, I find myself longin’ for change And in the bad times, I fear myself”
— quoted from the song “Shallow” written by Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt, Stefani J. Germanotta
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07092022 Awareness of the Mind’s Awareness”]
Music Note: There are two (going on three) playlists on YouTube and Spotify with today’s date. However, due to circumstances beyond my control, I decided to substitute the playlist highlighted 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.
“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.
“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.
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.
“Happy Carnival!” to those who are celebrating! Many blessings to everyone, everywhere.
Peace, ease, contemplation, and a little faith (believing) throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!!!
This is the “missing” compilation post for Tuesday, February 3rd.It includes a little note and a series of date-related excerpts. 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.
“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
— Proverbs (New King James Version, 23:7)
Bring your awareness to what you believe, in your heart of hearts and in the back of your mind. “Believing” is the “Season for Nonviolence” principle of the day and it highlights the fact that what we believe, in our heart of hearts, shapes our thoughts, words, and deeds — and, by extension, the world. Patanjali made this point in Yoga Sūtra 3.35 (which is 3.33 or 3.34 in some translations), when he indicated that “By practicing samyama (focus-concentration-meditation] on the heart, knowledge of the mind is attained.”
So, what (or who) is in your heart? Do you believe “the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost”? Do you believe “in God above”? Some people do and some of those people (in the Western Christian traditions) are finishing up the final weeks of their pre-Lenten season, while others (in the Orthodox Christian traditions) are just beginning their pre-Lenten season. Regardless of which calendar they use (or the different ways they do it), these are all people who are preparing for the weeks-long ritual Lent, which is a very intentional — and, sometimes, very public-facing — expression of what they believe.
We can believing in things that are limiting our possibilites and/or things that expand our horizons. For instance, do you you can make a difference in the world? Do you believe you can make a difference in the world doing something you love? If not, have I got a story for you.
“On October 17, 1903, [Branch] Rickey felt the ‘Black Cyclone’s’ full power when he ran their ends dizzy for 20, 25, 35 and 70 yard gains, the last being a touchdown. After that game Rickey praised Follis, calling him ‘a wonder.’ It was the power of his example, his character, and his grace that convinced Rickey, that color could not belie his greatness. The rest is history….”
— quoted from the “Background” section of the Charles Follis Foundation website
Click on the excerpt title to learn about Charles “The Black Cyclone” Follis, born today in 1879.
“For years, [Dr. Mike Miller], a research cardiologist, has been studying the effects of happiness — or things that make people happy — on our hearts. He began his research with laughter, and found watching funny movies and laughing at them could actually open up blood vessels, allowing blood to circulate more freely.
Miller thought, if laughter can do that, why not music? So, he tested the effects of music on the cardiovascular system. ‘Turns out music may be one of the best de-stressors — either by playing or even listening to music,’ said Miller.”
— quoted from a 2009 CNN Health segment entitled, “The power of music: It’s a real heart opener” by Val Willingham, CNN Medical Producer
“Now do you believe in rock and roll / Can music save your mortal soul?” And, what happens if the music died, as it did today in 1959? Would you believe that the show must go on?
Click on the excerpt title to learn more about the music, the musicians, and the tragic accident that happened today in 1959.
— quoted from the song “Everyone Deserves Music” by Michael Franti & Spearhead (written by Michael Franti, David Shul, Carl Rogers Young)
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “02032021 The Day the Music Died”]
NOTE: The YouTube playlist has the Tommy Dee version of “Three Stars” during the practice and the Eddie Cochran version in the before/after music. The Spotify playlist has Cochran’s version during the practice and Charlie Gracie’s song “I’m Alright,” a tribute to Eddie Cochran, in the before/after music.
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.
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A Joyful Practice 