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

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

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

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

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

Then we breathe into the feelings.

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

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

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

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

— quoted from the poem “Now” by Robert Browning

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

CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLES BELOW FOR MORE!

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

Breathe Into How You’re Feeling

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

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

Please join me today (Wednesday, May 7th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. A chair will come in handy for this practice! You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

There are two (2) playlist options:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FTWMI: ¡Vamos Otra Vez! (a collection of excerpts) [the post-practice Monday post] May 5, 2025

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Donate, Faith, Healing Stories, Karma Yoga, Lent / Great Lent, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Texas, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yoga.
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Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone remembering Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (in Canada) on REDress Day; Counting the Omer; and/or observing the third week of Pascha.

For Those Who Missed It: This post-practice compilation for Monday, May 5th features a collection of excerpts. You can click on the excerpt titles for more. The 2025 prompt question was, “What do you know about yourself?”

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.

“One must first learn to know himself before knowing anything else. Not until a man has inwardly understood himself and then sees the course he has to take does his life gain peace and meaning; only then is he free….”

— quoted from a journal entry #5100 “Gilleleie, dated August 1, 1835” by Søren Kierkegaard

The following excerpt is from a 2023 “First Friday Night Special” post:

“Even though he shares a birthday with some great people I know, I hardly ever mention the existential philosopher Søren Kierkegaard on his actual birthday. That’s because he was born today, May 5, 1813. Sure, he was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Denmark–Norway, 49 years before the Battle of Puebla — which took place on Cinco de Mayo, 1862 in Puebla de Zaragoza, Mexico (almost 9.5 thousand kilometers away from Copenhagen, where Kierkegaard died, seven years before the battle). And, yes, he lived almost 150 years before Cinco de Mayo became a celebration of Mexican heritage in the United States. However, for me, that celebration of heritage is crucial and a great opportunity to breathe and to share the music of Mexican-Americans.

Despite what some people think, Cinco de Mayo has absolutely nothing to do with Mexican Independence Day (September 16th) and everything to do with the spirit, the will, and the determination of the people in Puebla, Mexico in 1862. The Battle of Puebla took place during the second Franco-Mexican War (also known as the Second French Intervention in Mexico). This was forty-plus years after the Mexican War of Independence….”

¡Vamos, Respiremos!

The following excerpt is from a 2020 post:

“Kierkegaard was a Christian existentialist and yet his thoughts on love, living a life with purpose, honoring community while also knowing your own mind, and connecting with the Divine may be very meaningful to people of different faiths and belief systems. I don’t agree with all of his conclusions. Yet, some of his words definitely resonate with me — especially right now, as we find ourselves alone together and not only having the time to really get to know ourselves, but also having the need to know our own minds. Kierkegaard’s deliberations warn about the ease in which we may be swept away by the crowd, and not only the danger of that, but also the importance of that.”

¡Vamanos!

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

— Søren Kierkegaard (b. 05/05/1813)

There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices. 

The 2020 [baile/dancing] playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Cinco de Mayo 2020”]

A 2023 (mostly) instrumental playlist is also available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Cinco de Mayo Viernes 2023”]

“Yo tengo Patria antes que Partido.”

— “I have a Homeland before a Party.” quote attributed to General Miguel Negrete (after switching back to the Mexican side during the Second French Intervention in Mexico)

### BAILE ###

First Friday Night Special #54 — Invitation to “Trust Yourself to Soothe Yourself” May 2, 2025

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Donate, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Karma Yoga, Life, Love, Meditation, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Suffering, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yoga.
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Many blessings to anyone Counting the Omer or observing the second week of Pascha!

Peace and many blessings to everyone!!

Some elements of the following have previously been posted.

“TRUST YOURSELF.

1. You know more than you think you do.”

— quoted from “Preparing for the Baby” in The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care (pub. 1946) by Benjamin Spock, M. D. (with illustrations by Dorothea Fox)

Dr. Benjamin Spock, who was born today in 1903, started off his bestselling book with advice to parents that also applies to our yoga practice (on and off the mat). Even if this is your first time on the mat, trust yourself. Even if this is your 50,000th time on the mat, trust yourself. See what you see and notice how you engage what you see, inside and outside.

Bring awareness, also, to how you engage what is unseen — and, how you engage yourself. Notice what makes you tense up — as if you are bracing for impact — and notice what allows you to relax, release, and rest. Notice the state in which you are most comfortable. Notice the state in which you are most productive. Notice if you are relaxed, comfortable, and productive — or if you find yourself comfortable in a situation where you are not resting and not productive.

Notice what helps you shift, inside and outside.

Remember, as Dr. Spock reminded parents, that each child [read: individual] is unique.

This is the practice.

“What is the meaning of these rhythmic movements? I don’t think we know for sure, but here are some suggestions. In the first place, these motions usually appear in the second half of the first year, in the age period when babies naturally begin to get a sense of rhythm and try to sway in time to music. But this is at best only a partial explanation. Jouncing and head-banging occur mostly when a baby is going to sleep or is partly awakened. We know that many babies when they are tired do not go directly and peacefully to sleep, but must go through a slightly tense period first. There are the 2- and 3-month-old infants who always scream for a few minutes before dropping off. Perhaps those older babies who suck their thumbs to go to sleep, and the others who bang their heads or jounce, are also trying to soothe away a tense feeling.”

— quoted from “How Baby Is Doing: Common Nervous Symptoms — 124. Head-rolling, head-banging, jouncing.” in The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care (pub. 1946) by Benjamin Spock, M. D. (with illustrations by Dorothea Fox)

Please join me tonight, Friday, May 2, 2025, 7:15 PM – 8:20 PM (CST) for “Trust Yourself to Soothe Yourself”. 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.

This Restorative Yoga practice is accessible and open to all.

Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05032024 Balancing Holding On & Letting Go”]

NOTE: At the beginning of the practice, you will be prompted to pause and select a track. The playlist tracks are slightly different in length and duration; however, the overall content is the same.

A playlist inspired by Dr. Benjamin Spock’s life and work is also available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05022020 Dr Spock’s Big Day”]

Prop wise, I will suggest using a ball (or water bottle) and this is a kitchen sink practice. You can practice without props or you  can use “studio” and/or “householder” props. Example of “Studio” props: 1 – 2 blankets, 2 – 3 blocks, a bolster, a strap, and an eye pillow. Example of “Householder” props: 1 – 2 blankets or bath towels, 2 – 3 books (similar in size), 2 standard pillows (or 1 body pillow), a belt/tie/sash, and a face towel.

You may want extra layers (as your body may cool down during this practice). Having a wall, chair, sofa, or coffee table will also be handy.

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

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

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

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

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

### PRACTICE SELF-COMPASSION ###

Fearlessly Play On Some More! (mostly the music & blessings — w/a special link) April 30, 2025

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Baha'i, Books, Donate, Faith, Healing Stories, Karma Yoga, Music, One Hoop, Religion, Riḍván, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yoga.
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Happy International Jazz Day! “Happy Riḍván!” to those getting ready to celebrate “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to anyone Counting the Omer or observing the second week of Pascha!

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

Please join me today (Wednesday, April 30th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04302022 International Jazz Day”]

NOTE: Since this playlist is not specific to any aforementioned holiday, feel free to email or message me for a different playlist.

Today is International Jazz Day! This year the All-Star Global Concert is hosted in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Check out the international concert 4 PM New York / 1 PM Los Angeles / 9 PM London / 5 AM, May 1st Tokyo.

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

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

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

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

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

### 🎶 ###

Fearless Play with Duke (& Jerry?) [just the music & blessings] April 29, 2025

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Changing Perspectives, Donate, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Meditation, Music, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Riḍván, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yoga.
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“Happy Riḍván!” to those getting ready to celebrate “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to anyone Counting the Omer or celebrating/observing the Commemoration of the Dead!

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

Please join me today (Tuesday, April 29th) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify[Look for “04292020 Fearless Play with Duke & Satchmo”]

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

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

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

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

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

### 🎶 ###

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

### YOU CAN STILL KISS MY ASANA ###

Hope… from Suffering (mostly the music & blessings) April 23, 2025

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

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

“People ask me how I find hope. I answer that I don’t believe in hope, and I don’t believe in hopelessness. I believe in compassion and pragmatism, in doing what is right for its own sake. Hope can be lethal when you are fighting an autocracy because hope is inextricable from time. An enduring strategy of autocrats is to simply run out the clock.”

— quoted from Hiding in Plain Sight by Sarah Kendzior

Please join me today (Wednesday, April 23rd) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04232023 The Language of Hope”]

NOTE: Since this playlist is not specific to any aforementioned holiday, feel free to email or message me for a different playlist.

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

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

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

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

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

### ( 🎶 ) ###

Practice Time #3: Let’s Take A Sitting Break! (A Kiss My Asana offering) April 22, 2025

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

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

Yoga Sūtra 3.16: sthirasukham āsanam

— “By samyama [focus-concentration-meditation] on the three-fold changes in form, time, and characteristics, there comes knowledge of the past and future.”

How long does it take you to notice that you’ve been sitting too long?

Ideally you would notice that you’ve been sitting a long time — as opposed to too long — and you take a break… a sitting break.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

### ARE KISS[ING] MY ASANA! ###

Looking Up… & Down (w/excerpts) April 22, 2025

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in 9-Day Challenge, Baha'i, Changing Perspectives, Donate, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Loss, Meditation, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Riḍván, Suffering, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yoga.
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“Happy Riḍván!” to those getting ready to celebrate “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to anyone Counting the Omer or celebrating/observing Eastertide / the Octave of Easter / Bright Week!

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

“In these troubled times it is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know the sense of wonder and humility. There is modern truth to the ancient wisdom of the psalmist: `I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.’”

— quoted from Rachel Carson’s original submission to “Words to Live By” for This Week Magazine (1951)

Today is Earth Day. It is also the third day of Riḍván (“the Most Great Festival” in the Bahá’i Faith); Easter Tuesday or Bright Tuesday (in Western and Orthodox Christian communities); and “one week and two days” (for people who are Counting the Omer).

Additionally, Roman Catholics around the world have started praying a novena in memory of Pope Francis, who encouraged us to “keep looking up”. Today, I encourage you to look up… and down… and all around you.

Notice what you notice. Notice how you the world affects you and how you affect the world. Notice how just noticing is the beginning of change.

“We often make do with looking at the ground: it’s enough to have our health, a little money and a bit of entertainment. I wonder if we still know how to look up at the sky. Do we know how to dream, to long for God, to expect the newness he brings, or do we let ourselves be swept along by life, like dry branches before the wind? The Magi were not content with just getting by, with keeping afloat. They understood that to truly live, we need a lofty goal and we need to keep looking up.”

— quoted from “Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord,” Papal Mass, Homily of Pope Francis (Vatican Basilica, Saturday, 6, January 2018)

CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE ABOUT EARTH DAY!

What You Notice About the Earth (on April 22nd)

CLICK HERE and scroll down to the “ENTERING THE GARDEN” section for information about Riḍván.

Please join me today (Tuesday, April 22nd) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04222020 Earth Day”]

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

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

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

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

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

### Remember: See the forest and the trees. ###

Practice Time #2: Get Ready (With Me)! [A Kiss My Asana offering] April 21, 2025

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in 7-Day Challenge, Abhyasa, Baha'i, Changing Perspectives, Depression, Donate, Faith, Fitness, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma Yoga, Lent / Great Lent, Life, One Hoop, Pain, Passover, Peace, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Riḍván, Suffering, Vairagya, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yoga.
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“Happy Riḍván!” to those getting ready to celebrate “the Most Great Festival.” Happy Easter! to those who are celebrating! Many blessings to anyone Counting the Omer or celebrating/observing Eastertide / the Octave of Easter!

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

“Success of asanas is dependent upon your being relaxed and calm and centered. It’s going to start by relaxing yourself, just with breathing. Spread your arms wide, take in a breath, and then bring your arms across your chest and let the breath out.

— quoted from the “Asanas” section of “3 — Cook Book For A Sacred Life: A Manual For Conscious Being” in Be Here Now by Dr. Richard Alpert, Ph.D into Baba Ram Dass

Have you ever noticed what people do before a yoga class begins?

Some people might be talking to their neighbors — which is “coming together” and, therefore, yoga.

Other people are just sitting or lying still, breathing, scanning their mind-body and cultivating awareness — which is the meditation part of yoga.

Still others will do an āsana like Hanumānāsana (the “seat/pose of Hanumān [the Monkey King]”) or movement like rotating their arms and shoulders or simply stretch out their legs — which is part of what we do when we practice vinyasa krama (“placing things in a special way for a step-by-step progression towards a goal”).

And, yes, there are people rushing in at the last minute, because they had obstacles to overcome — which, again, is also part of yoga.

In other words, there are as many different ways to get ready to practice as there are ways to practice.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

### I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO KISS MY ASANA! ###