Observing the Conditions… of the Heart (the Friday post) February 6, 2021
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[This is the post for the “First Friday Night Special: ‘Observing the Conditions of the Heart’” – on Friday, February 5th. You can request an audio recording of this special practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at 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.]
“When we ask, ‘Am I following a path with heart?’ we discover that no one can define for us exactly what our path should be. Instead, we must allow the mystery and beauty of this question to resonate within our being. Then somewhere within us an answer will come and understanding will arise. If we are still and listen deeply, even for a moment, we will know if we are following a path with heart.”
– quoted from “Chapter I – Did I Love Well” in A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life by Jack Kornfield
In general, “discernment” is one’s “ability to judge well” and to see (or perceive) clearly and accurately. In a secular sense, that good judgement is directly tied to perception of the known world (psychologically, morally, and/or aesthetically). However, “discernment” has certain other qualities in a religious context and, in particular, in a Christian context. In Christianity, the perception related to discernment is based on spiritual guidance and an understanding of God’s will. In his Spiritual Exercises, Saint Ignatius of Loyola gets even more specific: Ignatian spirituality requires noticing the “interior movements of the heart” and, specifically, the “spirits” that motivate one’s actions.
Saint Ignatius believed in a “good spirit” and an “evil spirit” that would use similar methods to guide one either towards peace, love, and eternal bliss or towards sin and more sin. For example, if one is already in the habit of committing mortal sins, then the “evil spirit” will emphasize the mortal pleasures that might be found in a variety of vices – while simultaneously clouding awareness of the damage that is being done. On the other hand, the “good spirit” in this scenario “uses the opposite method, pricking them and biting their consciences through the process of reason.”
If however, a person is striving to live in a virtuous and sacred manner then the “evil spirit” will create obstacles, offer temptation, and in all manners of ways attempt to distract one from the sacred path; while the “good spirit” provides “courage and strength, consolations, tears, inspirations and quiet, easing, and putting away all obstacles, that one may go on in well doing.” It can get really confusing, on the outside, which is why discernment requires turning inward and taking a look at one’s self.
Yoga Sūtra 2.44: svādhyāyādişţadevatāsamprayogah
– “From self-study comes the opportunity to be in the company of bright beings [of our choice].”
The fourth niyamā (“internal observation”) in the Yoga Philosophy is svādhyāyā (“self-study”) which is a form of discernment whereby one looks at themself – their thoughts and reactions – in relation to sacred text, chants, or even historical scenarios. Saint Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises fit firmly within this rubric in that they entail a period of prayer and self-study during which a person places themself within the context of the life of Jesus (and the disciples) and considers how they feel, what they sense, and what motivates them in any given direction. Just like in the yoga practices, the ultimate goal of the Spiritual Exercises is to cultivate an awareness of the spiritual heart that enables one to release attachment to likes and dislikes (which are include in Patanjali’s descriptions of afflicted/dysfunctional thought patterns that lead to suffering) and move through the world with Divine purpose.
Every religious, spiritual, and philosophical path holds up one or more examples of the ideal end goal. Christians think of this end goal as “becoming more Christ-like,” and may also emulate saints like Saint Paul the Apostle, Saint Francis of Assisi, or Mother Teresa. Jewish people may emulate Abraham, Moses, a Biblical heroine like Esther, or a great rabbi like Hillel the Elder, Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, or Rabbi Akiva. In Islām, people follow the example of the Prophet Muhammed and Aisha, as well as prophets like Abraham, Moses, and even Jesus. In Buddhism, the gold standard is the Buddha and a person on the path to Buddhahood is a bodhisattva (although, some traditions have a more specific description). All of these examples share a strong connection to the wisdom of the heart and the power of sacred/spiritual love. All of these examples communed with their hearts – and discernment, as a spiritual exercise (in any tradition), is the practice of cultivating a dialogue with one’s heart.
“It is possible to speak with our heart directly. Most ancient cultures know this. We can actually converse with our heart as if it were a good friend. In modern life we have become so busy with our daily affairs and thoughts that we have forgotten the essential art of taking time to converse with our heart. When we ask it about our current path, we must look at the values we have chosen to live by. Where do we put our time, our strength, our creativity, our love? We must look at our life without sentimentality, exaggeration, or idealism. Does what we are choosing reflect what we most deeply value?”
– quoted from “Chapter I – Did I Love Well” in A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life by Jack Kornfield
Many traditions have a practice of “sitting with” a question. In some practices, the “sitting” is quite literally sitting; breathing, not thinking about the question, but definitely holding the question in one’s heart. In some yoga traditions, the practice of vichāra (which roughly translates into English as “deliberation”) consists of a series of questions that drill down to the core essence of one’s motivations.
In the Heart to Heart Guidebook: A Spiritual Journey for Women and the From the Heart Journal: A Personal Prayer Journal for Women, Patricia D. Brown outlines a practice for groups of women to dialogue with their own hearts while dialoguing with the hearts of others. The journal includes lots of prompts, including a series of questions (courtesy of Portia Nelson’s There’s a Hole in my Sidewalk) to help one recognize potential pitfalls in their life as well as questions to help one honor the people and things that support the heart. She also includes a series of prompts which she refers to as puzzle pieces. In this practice, I ask the following questions based on or inspired by her puzzle pieces:
During Introductions: What is on your heart today? (Note: The prompt IS NOT ‘what is heavy on your heart?’ It is simply, ‘What is on your heart today?’
After 1st Dandasana:
- My greatest fear is…
- What is on your mind?
- A project or plan I worry may fail is…
- Note a most embarrassing moment
- Note a most desperate moment
- Note a tragic moment
- When in your life are/were you the most driven?
- When in your life are/were you the least driven?
- What’s the emotion you hide (from yourself or others)?
The questions also circle back to the questions in the Jack Kornfield quotes:
- Am I following a path with heart?
- Where do we put our time, our strength, our creativity, our love?
- Does what we are choosing reflect what we most deeply value?
Since I recently had a conversation with a friend who mentors professionals from a spiritual perspective and also listened to a related talk, I’ve had Enneagrams on my mind and, to a certain degree, on my heart. In the most general sense, the Enneagram system is an ancient system of archetypes that breaks down the human psyche into nine interconnected personality types. The nine types are bundled into three sub-types – which I have seen described in different ways, but make the most sense to me as “Body,” “Heart,” and “Head.” Even someone who is not familiar with (or interested in) the Enneagram system, will appreciate the idea of making decisions from “the gut;” from the heart or emotions; and/or from a purely logical, fact-based perspective. And so, I propose observing the conditions of the heart by seeing how the “Body,” “Heart,” and “Head” react to the questions…and to the answers.
Notice what comes up immediately. Notice from where the “answer” arises. Notice how the different parts of you feel about the answer that arises. Notice what you’re thinking about what is arising. Notice if there are questions, answers, and/or thoughts that surprise you. Notice if there are any from which you want to immediately turn away.
And do all of this with your heart gently open or gently supported. Breathe. Listen. Respond.
“There was a girl in Paris
Whom he sent a letter to
Hoping she would answer back
Now wasn’t that a fool
Hardy notion on the part of a
Sometimes lonely musician
Acting out a whim is only good
For a condition of the heart”
– quoted from the song “Condition of the Heart” by Prince
We’re human. We all have a desire to feel connected; to have someone hear us, see us, and understand us. In other words, we all have a “condition of the heart.” Sensation is simultaneously one of the pleasures and challenges of being human: we feel so much. Yet, we don’t always pay attention to what we’re feeling – and, as a result, we are surprised by the “sudden” outpouring of emotion.
I think of it in much the same way that I think about the weather. We talk about the weather all the time – and sometimes with limited knowledge of why we’re experiencing the weather we’re experiencing. Sometimes we are prepared for what’s to come; sometimes not. Sometimes we rely on professionals, and all their science and math and theories, to predict what to expect. Sometimes we trust the almanac (and the history of precedent and “superstition”). Other times, we feel more confident relying on our achy bones; the smell of the air; the pressure in our head/sinuses; and/or a certain kind of restlessness. Of course, sometimes, we observe all that and still ignore the observation.
John Jeffries, born in Boston today (February 6th) in 1744, is considered America’s first weatherperson (even though he was loyal to the crown and would be banished from the new republic because of his loyalties). His birthday is observed (mostly in the United States) as National Weatherperson’s Day, which recognizes professionals in the meteorology, weather forecasting, and broadcast meteorology, as well as volunteer storm spotters, chasers, and observers.
The original Dr. Jeffries (not to be confused with his son, he became a famous ophthalmic surgeon) was a physician, a scientist, and a military surgeon who served with the British Army. A graduate of Harvard College (1763) and the University of Aberdeen, he started taking daily measurements of the Boston weather in 1774. He would eventually take weather observations from a balloon piloted by the French inventor Jean Pierre Blanchard on November 30, 1784 and a second trip on January 7, 1785. On the first trip, the duo flew over London to Stone Marsh, Kent. On the second trip they flew from England to France. In addition to making weather and atmospheric observations, Dr. Jeffries dropped four letters from the balloon on that first trip. Three of the letters were delivered to the appropriate recipients. The letter addressed to Mr. Arodie Thayer is now “considered the oldest piece of airmail in existence.”
“From the Balloon above the Clouds
Let this afford some proof, my dear Mr. Thayer, that no separation shall make me unmindful of you, — have confidence, — happier, I hope much happier days await you — pray tell my dear Mrs T. I salute her from the Skies… [this section illegible except for the word “pleasure”]… believe me as I ever have been,
faithfully yours,
J. Jeffries”
– quoted from Dr. John Jeffries letter sent via “airmail” to Mr. Arodie Thayer, November 30, 1784, as posted “Attention, Aerophilatelists” by Peter Nelson (on The Consecrated Eminence: The Archives and Special Collections at Amherst College, 4/16/2012)
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [NOTE: If you are in “shuffle mode” Spotify may include songs selected by the app. I will update the playlist next week to circumvent that pseudo-randomness.]
### “LISTEN TO YOUR HEART BEFORE YOU…” ###
Observing the Conditions… of the Heart (just the music) February 5, 2021
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Uncategorized.add a comment
Please join me today (Friday, February 5th) at 7:15 PM for a “First Friday Night Special” virtual yoga practice on Zoom. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. Give yourself extra time to log in if you have not upgraded to Zoom 5.0. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below.
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.
This practice is open to all. It can be done as an individual or as part of a pair.There will be moments where I will request that you note something.
Prop wise, it will be handy to have blocks (or books that are the same size), something you can use as a cushion, something you can use as a strap, and a blanket or towel. It will also be handy to have access to a closed door (or wall without molding) or a high back chair.
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.)
### 🎶 ###
Today, 1959 (the Wednesday post about the music that died) February 5, 2021
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Uncategorized.1 comment so far
[My apologies for this very late Wednesday the 3rd post. You can request an audio recording of Wednesday’s practices via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes. *** DON’T FORGET THERE’S A “FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT SPECIAL! ***]
“Everyone deserves music, sweet music”
– quoted from the song “Everyone Deserves Music” by Michael Franti & Spearhead
“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.
The setup was basically the same as with the laughter study: Using high-tech imaging, Miller measured blood vessel size as people listened to music.
The results did not surprise Miller. ‘The inner lining of the blood vessel relaxed, opened up and produced chemicals that are protective to the heart,’ he said.
But when participants listened to music they didn’t particularly enjoy, Miller said, ‘the vessels actually began to close up.’”
“But be careful what you listen to. Whether you like Beyoncé or the B-52s, Chopin or Johnny Cash, Miller found that listening repeatedly to the same tune diminished the music’s effects on the body. ‘You just don’t get that boost if you listen to the same song over and over again,’ he said. ‘You need to vary your songs, so when you hear the song fresh, it brings back the sense of joy and opens up the system.’”
– quoted from a 2009 CNN Health segment entitled, “The power of music: It’s a real heart opener” by Val Willingham, CNN Medical Producer
From Dr. Oliver Sacks to Dr. Teppo Särkämö and from Arthur C. Clarke to Friederick Nietzsche, medical practitioners, researchers, authors, philosophers, and anthropologists have shown that music affects us in multiple ways. It can touch our minds and hearts – and change our hearts and brains; it can change our moods; it can tell our stories; and it can affect our bodies on multiple levels. We may not all agree on what we like (or even what constitutes “music”), but it is hard to deny the benefit of music in general.
But, what if there was no music? What if it just stopped, or ceased to be? What if it died?
How long would you carry the music in your heart and your mind? How long would you carry it in the muscles of your body? Would you experience great longing? Would you be inspired to make more music?
I ask these questions not to be overly deep, but because today (February 3rd) is “The Day the Music Died.” It is the day in 1959 when a plane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson crashed just outside of Clear Lake, Iowa. The three stars and the pilot, Roger Peterson, all died in the crash that happened as they were traveling to Moorhead, MN.
The three singers were young and successful. Holly was 22 and a newlywed expecting his first child. Valens was 17. At 28, “The Big Bopper” was the oldest of the three chronologically, but had started writing and singing later than the others. He had already made a name for himself as a Texas DJ and was capitalizing on his earlier success. He had a wife, a daughter, and another child on the way. (Peterson, 21, was also married.) All three of the singers were popular on the charts, had hit singles, and were on the precipice of even more greatness.
The accident happened during the “Winter Dance Party” tour, which featured the three stars plus Buddy Holly’s band, the Crickets, and Dion and the Belmonts. The Crickets, at the time, consisted of Waylon Jennings, Tommy Allsup, and Carl Bunch, with Frankie Sardo has an opener for Holly. Dion and the Belmonts were Dion DiMucci, Angelo D’Aleo, Carlo Mastrangelo, and Fred Milano. In my theatre days, we would have called the tour “snake bit,” but the musicians had a more specific moniker: “the tour from hell.”
“[Holly historian Bill] Griggs, who long ago moved to Holly’s home town of Lubbock, Texas, from Connecticut, estimates they had used five different buses before driving into Clear Lake – ‘reconditioned school buses, not good enough for school kids.’
The tour started in Milwaukee on Friday, Jan. 23, 1959. It then zig-zagged during the next 11 days from Wisconsin to Minnesota to Wisconsin to Minnesota to Iowa to Minnesota to Wisconsin to Iowa to Minnesota.
There were no roadies to help set up and pack up, and only icy two-lane highways to get from town to town.”
– quoted from the February 3, 2009 Star Tribune article entitled, “Buddy Holly: The tour from hell – The story of the long, cold nights on the road before the Day the Music Died, 50 years ago.” by Pamela Huey
Typically on a bus and truck tour, the order of venues is based on proximity, i.e. geographical nearness in space and time. A group might perform more than one show in a day, but those shows would typically be in the same venue. Typically, at least on the tours I did back in the day, the artists have a little down time between being on the road and actually performing (and vice versa), because the crew has to unload, set-up, and then after the performance breakdown and load out. But these things didn’t happen on the “Winter Dance Tour” of 1959.
To add to the abnormality of it all, it was super cold, snowy, icy, and windy. The temperature swung from 20° F (-7° C) to -36° F (-38° C) – and the buses weren’t always heated. At least one bus, the one between the ninth show (in Duluth, MN) and the tenth and eleventh shows (in Appleton and Green Bay, Wisconsin) was not only not heated, it broke down; leaving the musicians stranded on the side of the freezing cold road – trying to stay warm with blankets and a trash bonfire made out of newspapers. Then, they had to perform. Carl Bunch, Buddy Holly’s drum at the time, had frostbite on his feet. J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson had the flu. And, to add to all that, Buddy Holly was bickering with his manager.
Everyone was tired, cold, and frustrated – but they still had shows… and the show must go on.
The twelfth show, the show in Clear Lake, Iowa, was not on the original schedule. It was scheduled by Holly’s manager when the musicians arrived in Clear Lake on Monday, February 2nd. Which just added to the headliner’s frustration – especially since the thirteenth show, in Moorhead, MN, would require them to drive 365 miles, passing by the previous two stops along the way. Fed up, Buddy Holly decided to charter a plane from the Iowa venue (the twelfth show) to the next Minnesota stop (the thirteenth show). He was going to cover himself and his band, and was willing to split the cost with any of the other musicians that wanted to skip the road trip, and possibly have time to sleep in some place warm and soft instead of in a cold bus seat).
Dion DiMucci said he couldn’t afford the $36 for him and the Belmonts. He was later quoted as saying that the cost was the same amount as his parents paid in rent in New York; so, ultimately, he couldn’t justify the expense. During the investigation into the crash, DiMucci gave a slightly different explanation of how things transpired than Jennings and Allsup; however, the most accepted sequence of events is that: (1) As an act of compassion, since “The Big Bopper” was so sick, Waylon Jennings gave up his seat to the former DJ. (2) Carl Bunch was in the hospital (because of the frostbite) and would be out until the tour swung back to Iowa on February 5th. (3) Ritchie Valens and Tommy Allsup flipped a coin which, in theory, Allsup lost.
“The next thing I know, Buddy sends me over to get a couple of hot dogs. He’s sitting there in a cane-bottomed chair, and he’s leaning back against the wall. And he’s laughing.
‘Ah,’ he said. ‘You’re not going with me tonight, huh? Did you chicken out?’
I said no, I wasn’t scared. The Big Bopper just wanted to go.
‘Well,’ he said grinning, ‘I hope your damned bus freezes up again.’
I said, ‘Well, I hope your ol’ plane crashes.’
That took me a lot of years to get over. I was just a kid, barely twenty-one. I was about halfway superstitious, like all Southern people, scared of the devil and scared of God equally.
I was afraid somebody was going to find out I said that, and blame me. I knew I said that. I remember Buddy laughing and then heading out to the airport after the show. I was certain I caused it.”
– quoted from “Chapter 2: Buddys” of Waylon: An Autobiography by Waylon Jennings and Lenny Kaye
After the crash, “The Winter Dance” tour went on. Robert Velline (who would make a name for himself as Bobby Vee) was a fifteen-year old singer, songwriter from Fargo, North Dakota, who put together a band called the Shadows, with his older brother and some school friends. They answered a call for talent and performed in Moorhead, MN. Vee would go on to release a single “Suzie Baby” (1959), which was an homage to Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue;” release a tribute album (I Remember Buddy Holly (1963); and regularly performed at the Winter Dance Party memorial concerts in Clear Lake, Iowa. Waylon Jennings, Tommy Allsup, and Carl Bunch would all continue, with Jennings eventually singing lead. However, Jennings and Allsup would only continue the tour for two additional weeks. Jennings would ultimately leave Buddy Holly’s guitar and amplifier in a locker at Grand Central Station, and mail the keys to Holly’s widow.
Tragically, María Elena Holly suffered a miscarriage – due to the compounded trauma of losing her husband and finding out about the accident over the radio. Waylon Jenning’s family would also report being traumatized by hearing on the radio that “Buddy Holly and his band had been killed.” Subsequently, public officials decided not to release the names of victims until after the families had been notified.
J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson’s son, Jay Perry Richardson, was born two months after the accident. He grew up to become a musician known as “The Big Bopper, Jr.” in honor of his father. For a while, including in 1999, he toured with Jay Mueller, a Buddy Holly impersonator whose tribute show attempted to recreate the 1959 schedule in 1999 (for the 40th anniversary).
“John Mueller, who plays Buddy Holly in a traveling road show called ‘Winter Dance Party,’ has rare insight into what the ’50s performers endured. In 1999, Mueller and the other musicians tried to replicate ’59 tour. It was the 40th anniversary of the plane crash, and he wanted to honor the ’59 tour by going back to the original cities and original venues.
‘By the time we got to Clear Lake, I had lost my voice, I had lost about 10 to 15 pounds, I was just physically exhausted, as was everybody in the group. The grueling nature of the tour, following the exact geographic routing, it really hit me in the head why they chartered the plane,’ said Mueller, whose group traveled in warm, comfortable minivans.”
– quoted from the February 3, 2009 Star Tribune article entitled, “Buddy Holly: The tour from hell – The story of the long, cold nights on the road before the Day the Music Died, 50 years ago.” by Pamela Huey
I asked the questions: But, what if there was no music? What if it just stopped, or ceased to be? What if it died?
But, we know what we would do because people did it. We carry the music in our hearts and minds. We carry it in the muscles of our bodies and in every fiber of our being. We are inspired to make more music, more dance, more poetry, more stories, and even statues.
There have been many songs, books, movies, reenactment concerts, and even a musical written in honor of the musicians and music that were lost in 1959. Perhaps the most famous tribute song about the three stars is Don McLean’s 1971 hit “American Pie” – which established February 3rd as The Day the Music Died. I have been told that Madonna covered the song (but if you’ve never heard the original, you’re missing out).
In April 1959, Tommy Dee recorded “Three Stars,” which offers personal glimpses into the singers’ personality and lives. Eddie Cochran, who was friends with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, actually recorded “Three Stars” before Dee recorded it. Tragically, he would be killed in a car accident while on tour in England. He was the only fatality. (I believe his version of “Three Stars was released posthumously.)
Eddie Cochran’s death resulted in another wave of tribute songs, including Waylon Jennings “The Stage (Stars in Heaven),” which was a tribute to the Holly, Valens, “The Big Bopper,” and Cochran. Interestingly, Buddy Holly arranged for Waylon Jenning’s first recording session in December 1958. During that session, Jenning’s recorded his first single, “Jole Blon” – which is sometimes called “the Cajun national anthem” and is on my playlist for the day. It features Buddy Holly and Tommy Allsup, and would be released in March 1959 – so, in some ways, it is also a tribute.
“In a vision I can see, the stars that meant the world to me
Ana din the vision it’s the same as long ago
I see a stage beyond compare and all the stars were settled there”
“We’ve had the final curtain call and if you have seen any of my vision at all
Then you have truly seen, The greatest show of all”
– quoted from the song “The Stage (Stars in Heaven) by Waylon Jennings
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.
(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.)
“Look up in the sky
Up toward the North
There are three new stars
Brightly shining forth
They’re shining so bright
From Heaven above
Gee, we’re gonna miss you
Everybody sends their love”
– quoted from the song “Three Stars” by Tommy Dee
IT’S TIME! During tonight’s “First Friday Night Special” (7:15 – 8:20 PM, CST) we will be “observing the conditions” of the heart. This practice is open and accessible to all. Additional details are posted on the “Class Schedules” calendar! The relevant post is coming.
### “YOU KNOW WHAT I LIKE!” ###
Today, 1959 (the music that died) February 3, 2021
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Uncategorized.add a comment
Please join me today (Wednesday, February 3rd) 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. Give yourself extra time to log in if you have not upgraded to Zoom 5.0. 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.
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.)
### 🎶 ###
“Okay, campers, rise and shine! (just the music) February 2, 2021
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Uncategorized.add a comment
Please join me today (Tuesday, February 2nd) at 12 Noon or 7:15 PM for a virtual yoga practice on Zoom, where we will see how the practice “evolves.” Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. Give yourself extra time to log in if you have not upgraded to Zoom 5.0. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below.
Tuesday’s Noon playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.
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.)
### 🎶 ###
Getting Mystical, again (just the music) January 31, 2021
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Uncategorized.add a comment
***NOTE: My apologizes to email subscribers who received the “Saturday post” with the “just music” heading. ***
Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, January 31st) at 2:30 PM, CST. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. Give yourself extra time to log in if you have not upgraded to Zoom 5.0. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.
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.)
### 🎶 ###
Focus/Concentrate on Peace and Non-violence (just the music) January 30, 2021
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Uncategorized.add a comment
Please join me for a 90-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Saturday, January 30th) at 12:00 PM. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. Give yourself extra time to log in if you have not upgraded to Zoom 5.0. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.
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). If you don’t mind me knowing your donation amount you can also donate to me directly. Donations to Common Ground are tax deductible; class purchases and donations directly to me are not necessarily deductible.)
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Divine Remembrance (the music) January 27, 2021
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Please join me today (Wednesday, January 27th) 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. Give yourself extra time to log in if you have not upgraded to Zoom 5.0. 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.*
*NOTE: The Spotify playlist required some substitution tracks – and, therefore, the timing will not match up. If you are using Spotify, you may have to pause towards the end of the practice. I plan to recalculate between classes to see if I can remedy this issue. My apologies for the discrepancy.
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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Who’s Afraid of Breathing? Part II (just the music) January 26, 2021
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Please join me today (Tuesday, January 26th) at 12 Noon or 7:15 PM for a virtual yoga practice on Zoom, where we will see how the practice “evolves.” Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. Give yourself extra time to log in if you have not upgraded to Zoom 5.0. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below.
Tuesday’s Noon playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07192020 Compassion & Peace (J’Accuse!)”]
The Tuesday evening’s playlist is also available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10272020 Pranayama II”]
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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Breathing Just Breathing January 24, 2021
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“Here we are – again, beginning and also ending. Ending also and beginning, again – are we here? Are we all in?”
– my “faux” palindrome from the 1/20/2021 blog post
Even though I mentioned him in yesterday’s blog, I didn’t mention Ed Roberts during yesterday’s practice. But, I was thinking about him. I was thinking about him and the way he had to breathe after he was paralyzed by the polio virus. Naturally, thinking about him breathing started me thinking about the different ways we breathe and how that impacts our practice – which, in turn, impacts our life and the way we live our lives.
Over the last few years, but especially last after last year, yoga teachers and teachers of other Eastern philosophies and contemplative practices have been joined by more and more people who are focusing on the impact of the power of the breath. Most recently, perhaps, the publication of James Nestor’s Breath has reignited interest in (a) breathing – something we know people have been doing since at least the dawn of man (or since God breathed into clay, depending on your beliefs) and (b) prāņāyāma or breathing exercises – something we know people have been doing for thousands of years. I have not read Breath, but I have been slightly amused and intrigued by the number of people that have called, texted, or emailed me in the last few months because of this book.
The conundrum, or riddle, to me, is that the people who reached out to me about the book are people who already had some experience with prāņāyāma. But, Mr. Nestor is not a teacher, by trade or by training. He is a journalist, who is about the “who, what, where, when, why, and how” of things. His first book, DEEP: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves, exposed him to different breathing methods and also had him metaphorically exploring a space (the ocean) that teachers like me constantly use as a metaphor for breathing. His initial focus in writing his book on breathing was on presenting the facts, not cultivating the experience. (I say “initial focus,” because he is now very definitely engaged in the “cultivating the experience” of the practice – even if that change in focus is being driven by the desire to sell the books.) By presenting the facts and, also, cultivating the experience, he is proving to people that the practice works – and that draws more people in and more people deeper.
While I often provide “proof,” I am more about cultivating the experience – and so today, like every day, we breathe. As today, 1242021, is another palindrome day, we’re going to start off with a breath pattern that is the same coming in as going out. It is not technically and traditionally “box breathing”… so we can call it “palindrome prāņāyāma” – and we’ll use it to go deep.
“In a world of seven billion people, where every inch of land has been mapped, much of it developed, and too much of it destroyed, the sea remains the final unseen, untouched, and undiscovered wilderness, the planet’s last great frontier. There are no mobile phones down there, no e-mails, no tweeting, no twerking, no car keys to lose, no terrorist threats, no birthdays to forget, no penalties for late credit card payments, and no dog shit to step in before a job interview. All the stress, noise, and distractions of life are left at the surface. The ocean is the last truly quiet place on Earth.”
– quoted from DEEP: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves by James Nestor
Today’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10272020 Pranayama II”]
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 request an audio recording of Sunday’s practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
A Joyful Practice 