Tadā! Tāḍa! II (just the music) December 11, 2022
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Hope, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Women, Yoga.Tags: #InternationalMountainDay
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Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, December 11th) at 12:00 PM. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “12112021 Tadā! Tāḍa!”]
NOTE: Due to artists’ protests, one or more songs may not play on Spotify.
2022 Theme Note: Since “Women move mountains” is the official 2022 International Mountain Day theme, one could use the International Women’s Day playlist on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “03082022 Women’s Day”]
[NOTE: There are currently 77 songs by/about women on the YouTube playlist. Enjoy!]
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
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Dwelling in the Human Possibility (mostly the music) December 10, 2022
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Music, Peace, Philosophy, Yoga.Tags: Ales Bialiatski, Alfred Nobel, Emily Dickinson, Natallia Pinchuk, yamas, Yanka Kupala, Yoga Sutras 2.30-2.31
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“For Occupation – This –
The spreading wide my narrow Hands
To gather Paradise –”
– quoted from the poem “I dwell in Possibility – (466)” by Emily Dickinson (b. 12/10/1830)
«Нядаўна ў мяне адбыўся кароткі дыялог.
— Калі на волю? — спыталіся ў мяне.
— А я і так вольны, у душы, — адказаў я.
Мой вольны дух лунае па-над вязніцай і над кляновым лістом абрысаў Беларусі.
Я зазіраю сабе ўсярэдзіну, і здаецца, што мае ідэалы не змяніліся, не страцілі
каштоўнасць, не патускнелі. Яны заўжды са мной, і я ахоўваю іх, як магу. Яны — як
адлітыя з золата, і іх не бярэ іржа.
Мы хочам уладкаваць нашае грамадства як больш гарманічнае, справядлівае і спагаднае.
Дабіцца незалежнай, дэмакратычнай Беларусі. Марым, каб яна была ўтульнай і
прывабнай для жыцця.
Гэтая ідэя высакародная, сугучная агульным для свету цывілізацыйным уяўленням. Мы
ж не марым пра штосьці надзвычайнае, мы хочам усяго толькі ‹людзьмі звацца›, як
сказаў наш класік Янка Купала. Тут — і павага да сябе саміх, і да іншых, тут і правы
чалавека, дэмакратычны лад жыцця, беларуская мова і нашая гісторыя.»
“I recently had a short dialogue.
– When will you be released? – they asked me.
– I am already free, in my soul, was my reply.
My free soul hovers over the dungeon and over the maple leaf outlines of Belarus.
I look inside myself, and my ideals have not changed, have not lost their value, have not faded. They are always with me, and I guard them as best I can. They are like cast from gold, immune from rusting.
We want to build our society as more harmonious, fair and responsive to the needs of its sons and daughters. To achieve an independent, democratic Belarus, free of foreign coercion. We dream that it will be a country full of warmth and advantageous to live in.
This is a noble idea, concordant with the global ideas of civility. We are not dreaming of something special or extraordinary, we just want ‘to be called human’, as our classic Yanka Kupala said. It implies respect for ourselves and for others, it implies human rights, a democratic way of life, the recognition of the Belarusian language and of our history.”
– quoted from the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize lecture by Ales Bialiatski, as delivered (in Belarusian) by his wife Natallia Pinchuk, Oslo, 10 December 2022 (Copyright © The Nobel Foundation, Stockholm, 2022.)
Please join me for a 90-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Saturday, December 10th) at 12:00 PM. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.
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In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
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We Remember This Date (mostly the music w/2 links) December 7, 2022
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, Loss, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: Amy Greene, December 7th, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Pearl Harbor, Shizuoka, World War II, yoga
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“I was beginning to see then what I have learned now. It’s not forgetting that heals. It’s remembering.”
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– quoted from Bloodroot by Amy Greene
Please join me today (Wednesday, November 30th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You will need to register for the 7:15 PM class if you have not already done so. 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 “12/7 and Healing 2021”]
Here are two (2) posts related to December 7th. The first one is personal. The second one is the one to be expected.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, playlists, 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 to Common Ground are tax deductible; class purchases and donations directly to me are not necessarily deductible.)
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Being the Questions (mostly the music & links) December 4, 2022
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Music, Poetry, Yoga.Tags: Rainer Maria Rilke
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“Quiet friend who has come so far,
feel how your breathing makes more space around you.
Let this darkness be a bell tower
and you the bell. As you ring,
what batters you becomes your strength.
Move back and forth into the change.
What is it like, such intensity of pain?
If the drink is bitter, turn yourself to wine.
In this uncontainable night,
be the mystery at the crossroads of your senses,
the meaning discovered there.
And if the world has ceased to hear you,
say to the silent earth: I flow.
To the rushing water, speak: I am”
– quoted from Sonnets to Orpheus, II.29 by Rainer Maria Rilke
Click here for the 2020 post about Rainer Maria Rilke, who was born today in 1875.
Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, December 4th) at 2:30 PM. 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.
Gazing into the Heart, redux (mostly the music *** UPDATED w/link ***) December 3, 2022
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Life, Music, Philosophy, Yoga.Tags: Anna Freud, Elisabeth Young-Bruehl, Yoga Sutra 3.35, Yoga Sutras 3.19-3.20
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“When she was eighty-five, a depressed young man sent her a lament about the chaotic state of the world, and she sent him a succinct statement of her credo: ‘I agree with you wholeheartedly that things are not as we would like them to be. However, my feeling is that there is only one way to deal with it, namely to try and be all right oneself, and to create around one at least a small circle where matters are arranged as one wants them to be.’”
– quoted from “Preface to the First Edition” of Anna Freud: A Biography (second edition) by Elisabeth Young-Bruehl
Click here for the post related to this practice.
Please join me for a 90-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Saturday, December 3rd) at 12:00 PM. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.
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In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
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Breathe As If… (mostly the music and links) December 2, 2022
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Buddhism, Hope, Love, Meditation, Music, Suffering, Vipassana, Yoga.Tags: Ann Patchett, Bel canto, Japanese Embassy, Lima Peru, pratyahara, Pratyāhāra, vinyasa, vinyāsa, Vipassana, Vipassanā
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“She sang as if she was saving the life of every person in the room.”
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– quoted from Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Imagine singing as if you were saving lives; imagine the breath awareness and control that would take. When they hear the words bel canto, many people outside of classical music think of the novel written by Ann Patchett, who was born today in 1963. The novel is based on the 1996 – 1997 hostage crisis that took place at the Japanese Embassy in Lima, Peru (Dec 17th – April 22nd). It details the interactions of the terrorists and their hostages – including a world renowned opera singer. Opera and music are central themes throughout the novel, which is named for the Italian term for “beautiful singing” or “beautiful song.” The thing is; bel canto, like vinyasā and vipassanā, is a technique that became known as a style – and it requires control (and awareness) of the breath.Click here to read more of the post from 2020.
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In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
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Across, Beyond, Transcending (mostly the music) November 20, 2022
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Music, Yoga.Tags: Transgender Awareness Week, Transgender Day of Rememberancr
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I see you. I believe in you. I celebrate you. I grieve with you.
Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, November 20th) at 2:30 PM. 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.
The Little Note The World Remembers (mostly the music) November 19, 2022
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Hope, Life, Music, Philosophy, Yoga.Tags: Abraham Lincoln, Battle of Gettysburg, Civil War, freedom, Gettysburg, kaivalya, liberty, Yoga Sutra 2.11, yoga sutra 2.18, Yoga Sutras 4.26-32
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“Four score and seven years ago….”
— quoted from “The Gettysburg Address” (all versions) by President Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863
Please join me for a 90-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Saturday, November 19th) at 12:00 PM. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.
NOTE: There are some slight differences in the playlist, mostly in the before/after practice music. However, due to artist protests, one song may not play on Spotify.
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In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
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NOTE: In anticipation of the holiday(s), I have cancelled classes on November 23rd – 27th. Don’t forget to be grateful.
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Keep Mou’-ving! (mostly the music) November 16, 2022
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Food, Health, Men, Music.Tags: Jack Hawley, Movember
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“‘People who eat too much or too little or who sleep too much or too little will not succeed in meditation. Eat only food that does not heat up the body or excite the mind. When you balance and regulate your habits of eating, sleeping, working, and playing, then meditation dissolves sorrow and destroys mental pain.’”
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– Krishna speaking to Arjuna (6.16 – 6.17) in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley
Please join me today (Wednesday, Movember 16th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You will need to register for the 7:15 PM class if you have not already done so. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [“Look for Movember 3rd 2020”]
Click here for all my Movember posts. (There will be some duplicates.)
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: In anticipation of the holiday(s), I have cancelled classes on November 23rd – 27th. Don’t forget to be grateful.
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A Simple Practice (just the music) November 15, 2022
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Music, Yoga.add a comment
Please join me today (Tuesday, November 15th) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07112020 An Introduction”]
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.)
A Joyful Practice 