FTWMI: A Quick Note & EXCERPT: “The Stories Behind the Music (or The Vibration Behind the Vibration)” July 21, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Life, Men, One Hoop, Philosophy, Science, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Books, Bret Anthony Johnston, Buchi Emecheta, Ernest Hemingway, fiction, reading, Rebecca Gross, samskāras, Toni Morrison, Writing, writing-tips
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Many blessings to everyone, everywhere.
For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted in 2025 (with the prompt question was, “If you were going to write a story, what would be the subject of your story?”)
Class details, some links, and some formatting have been updated/added.
“I may be wrong about this, but it seems as though so much fiction, particularly that by younger people, is very much about themselves. Love and death and stuff, but my love, my death, my this, my that. Everybody else is a light character in that play.
When I taught creative writing at Princeton, [my students] had been told all of their lives to write what they knew. I always began the course by saying, ‘Don’t pay any attention to that.’ First, because you don’t know anything and second, because I don’t want to hear about your true love and your mama and your papa and your friends. Think of somebody you don’t know. What about a Mexican waitress in the Rio Grande who can barely speak English? Or what about a Grande Madame in Paris? Things way outside their camp. Imagine it, create it. Don’t record and editorialize on some event that you’ve already lived through. I was always amazed at how effective that was. They were always out of the box when they were given license to imagine something wholly outside their existence. I thought it was a good training for them. Even if they ended up just writing an autobiography, at least they could relate to themselves as strangers.”
— Toni Morrison, quoted from the American Theatre interview “Write, Erase, Do It Over: On Failure, Risk and Writing Outside Yourself — Learning how to fail well is as crucial a part of a writer’s craft as putting words on a page. With other kinds of failure, you have less control.” by Rebecca Gross (dated March 10, 2015)
Writers are often taught, “Write what you know.” Some authors and creative writing teachers think that is the best advice ever. Others, as noted above* and below, think this old standard it is not so great advice. But, have you ever considered that (on a certain level) writers have no choice? Have you ever considered that every writer writes from their own experience — even when they are writing about the experience of others and even when they are writing about places that are not their home?
Storytelling is part of being human. Before we are born, our brains start processing all the sensations/information around us and communicating a story about the present moment. (YS 2.18-20) From an early age, we tell stories about how our day went and how we wish our day had gone. We make up stuff, embellish stuff, and tell lies. Or, we tell stories about things that randomly pop up in our head. Sometimes, those stories can be pretty fantastical. But, every time we tell a story, we are telling the story based on our understanding of the world, which is based on our past experiences and our samskara (“mental impression”).
In other words, we write what we know (and what we understand).
Now, take a moment to consider that much of what we read is available for us to read (and interests us) because of our previous experiences and, also, the experiences and identity of the writer — no matter their subject matter. This is why two writers can tell very different stories even when they are writing about the same things and the same places.
This is also why you may hear about one great author and not another.
Click on the excerpt title below for the very different stories of two writers born on July 21st.
The Stories Behind the Music (or The Vibration Behind the Vibration)
“Every Wednesday, I teach an introductory fiction workshop at Harvard University, and on the first day of class I pass out a bullet-pointed list of things the students should try hard to avoid…. The last point is: Don’t Write What You Know.”
“The idea panics them for two reasons. First, like all writers, the students have been encouraged, explicitly or implicitly, for as long as they can remember, to write what they know, so the prospect of abandoning that approach now is disorienting. Second, they know an awful lot. In recent workshops, my students have included Iraq War veterans, professional athletes, a minister, a circus clown, a woman with a pet miniature elephant, and gobs of certified geniuses. They are endlessly interesting people, their lives brimming with uniquely compelling experiences, and too often they believe those experiences are what equip them to be writers. Encouraging them not to write what they know sounds as wrongheaded as a football coach telling a quarterback with a bazooka of a right arm to ride the bench. For them, the advice is confusing and heartbreaking, maybe even insulting. For me, it’s the difference between fiction that matters only to those who know the author and fiction that, well, matters.”
— quoted from The Atlantic (Fiction 2011 Issue) essay, “Don’t Write What You Know: Why fiction’s narrative and emotional integrity will always transcend the literal truth” by Bret Anthony Johnston
Please join me today (Tuesday, July 21st) at 12:00 Noon 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 “07212020 A Tale of Two Writers”]
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not 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 need a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
*NOTE: The Toni Morrison quote (above) is from a section of the interview titled, “Failures In Contemporary American Literature”
### LIVE YOUR STORIES ###
FTWMI: A Little Note & Contemplating Death, Dying, and All the Living in Between July 8, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Vairagya, Wisdom, Women, Writing.Tags: 988, Death, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, grief, Ken Ross, Life, Loss, meditation, mental health, On Death and Dying, On Grief and Grieving, Philosophy, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, The Miracle of Mindfulness, Thich Nhat Hanh, yoga
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Peace and blessings to all!
For Those Who Missed It: This quick note was originally posted in 2025.
“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”
“Strange though it may seem to you, one of the most productive avenues for growth is found through the study and experience of death. Perhaps death reminds us that our time is limited and that we’d better accomplish our purpose here on earth before our time runs out. Whatever the reason….Those who have been immersed in the tragedy of massive death during wartime, and who have faced it squarely, never allowing their senses and feelings to become numbed and indifferent, have emerged from their experiences with growth and humanness greater than that achieved through almost any other means.”
— quoted from Death: The Final Stage of Growth by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
There are places in the world where people have almost always had to grapple with life and death and dying on a daily basis. However, for many in the world, the last few years have included more struggles with life and death and dying.
These are hard things to contemplate, but they are also important things to contemplate; because, death and dying (and the feelings associated with them) are all part of life.
My condolences to people who are dealing with death and dying, especially when it is an unexpected loss, a tragic loss, and/or the loss of those who were so very young.
May their memories bring you comfort.
For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted today in 2020 & 2023. Class details, formatting, and some links have been updated/added. Some quotes were moved in 2025. A quote (with context) was added in 2026.
“I cannot leave out the problem of life and death. Many young people and others have come out to serve others and to labor for peace, through their love for all who are suffering. They are always mindful of the fact that the most important question is the question of life and death, but often not realizing that life and death are but two faces of one reality. Once we realize that we will have the courage to encounter both of them….
Now I see that if one doesn’t know how to die, one can hardly know how to live—because death is a part of life.”
— quoted from The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation by Thích Nhất Hạnh
Today’s post and class will be tricky for some. Today’s theme is always tricky for some. Although, I would assert that it shouldn’t be. After all, death is part of life. That can come off glib and easy to say — specifically because it is a little glib, or shallow, because it belies the fact that loss is hard and that most of us haven’t/don’t really face the concept of death until we (or someone we love) is dying. The statement “death is part of life” is also shallow because it belies the fact that, even if we meditate on and prepare for death, loss is still hard. Yes, death and dying are something that we all have to deal with, but to just leave it at that is what makes the subject tricky.
We have to, as the Stoics did (with the statement “Memento mori”) and as Thích Nhất Hạnh instructs in The Miracle of Mindfulness, go deeper.
“The five stages – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance – are a part of the framework that makes up our learning to live with the one[s] we lost. They are tools to help us frame and identify what we may be feeling. But they are not stops on some linear timeline in grief. Not everyone goes through all of them or goes in a prescribed order.”
— quoted from On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Grief by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and David Kessler
Born in Zürich, Switzerland today in 1926, Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross was the oldest triplet in a family of Protestant Christians. Despite her father’s wishes, she grew up to be a psychiatrist known for her work on death and dying, life and death, and the five stages of grief. Her ultimate work was in part inspired by her work with refugees in Zürich during World War II. After the war, she participated in relief efforts in Poland and, at some point, visited the Maidanek concentration camp in Poland. As a young woman, standing in a place of destruction, she was struck by the compassion and human resilience that would inspire someone to carve hundreds of butterflies into the walls of the death camp.
Dr. Kübler-Ross originally planned on being a pediatrician. However, she married a fellow medical student (in New York in 1958) and became pregnant. The pregnancy resulted in the loss of her pediatrics residency, so she switched to psychiatry. Unfortunately, she also suffered two miscarriages before giving birth to two children. The loss of her residency and her miscarriages were not her first (or last) experiences with loss. Her marriage ended in divorce and, when she attempted to build a Virginia hospice for infants and children with HIV/AIDS, someone set fire to her home (in 1994). The house and all of the belongings inside were lost to arson.
When she started her psychiatry residency, Dr. Kübler-Ross was struck by the way hospitals in the United States treated patients who were dying. She began to host lectures where medical students were forced to meet and listen to dying people outside of a clinical setting. Her intention was to get medical students to “[react] like human beings instead of scientists…and be able to treat [terminal patients] with compassion the same compassion that you would want for yourself.” As she moved through her career, she continued hosting the series of seminars which used interviews with terminally ill patients. Her work was met with both praise and criticism — most of the latter was because she was so obviously questioning the traditional practices of psychiatry. In 1969, she released her seminal book On Death and Dying: What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy and Their Own Families, which provided a grief model for people who were dying and for those they were leaving behind.
“Those who have the strength and the love to sit with a dying patient in the silence that goes beyond words will know that this moment is neither frightening nor painful, but a peaceful cessation of the functioning of the body.”
— quoted from On Death and Dying: What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy and Their Own Families by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Dr. Kübler-Ross explained from the beginning that her outline was not intended to be linear and yet, people wanted to be able to step through the stages with grace and ease. The problem with that mindset is… life is messy and so is grieving. A perfect example of the messiness of life and death can be found in Dr. Kübler-Ross’s own life… and death. In 1995, after a series of strokes which left her partially paralyzed on her left side, she found herself confronted with the reality of her own death. Added to her grief was the closing of Shanti Nilaya (“Final Home of Peace”), a healing and growth center which she had established in the later 1970’s (shortly before her divorce) after convincing her husband to buy 40-acres of land in Escondido, California.
Despite a 2002 interview with The Arizona Republic, where she stated that she was ready to die, Dr. Kübler-Ross struggled with the fact that she could not choose her own time of death. He son Ken, Founder and President of the Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Foundation, served as her caregiver for the last decade of her life. In a 2019 interview with the hosts of ABC Radio’s Life Matters, Ken said, “A few weeks before she passed she said to me, ‘Kenneth, I don’t want to die.’”
“It is not the end of the physical body that should worry us. Rather, our concern must be to live while we’re alive – to release our inner selves from the spiritual death that comes with living behind a facade designed to conform to external definitions of who and what we are.”
— quoted from Death: The Final Stage of Growth by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Ken Ross admitted that he was taken aback by his mother’s statement that she did not want to die. It turned out, Dr. Kübler-Ross was not only physically paralyzed; she was also stuck in the anger stage of her own grief model. She caught flak in the media — as if she were somehow above being human simply because she had studied, taught, and spoken so openly and so frequently on the subject of death and dying. She did not stay there (in the anger stage), however, as her family and friends encouraged her to keep living and to keep processing the experience of dying. Her son even literally pushed her out of her comfort zone by assisting her in wheelchair marathons and in visiting her sisters in Europe.
“[She] let herself be loved and taken care of, then that was her final lesson — and then she was allowed to graduate. For years I thought about this and what I realized was that’s exactly what she teaches. [When] you learn your lessons you’re allowed to graduate.”
— Ken Ross in a 2019 “Life Matters” interview on ABC Radio National
“In Switzerland I was educated in line with the basic premise: work, work, work. You are only a valuable human being if you work. This is utterly wrong. Half working, half dancing – that is the right mixture. I myself have danced and played too little.”
— Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, M.D. in an interview
Please join me today (Wednesday, July 8th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07082020 On Death & Dying”]
“If we could raise one generation with unconditional love, there would be no Hitlers. We need to teach the next generation of children from Day One that they are responsible for their lives. Mankind’s greatest gift, also its greatest curse, is that we have free choice. We can make our choices built from love or from fear.”
— Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, M.D.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not 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 need a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
Revised 07/08/2023 & 2025.
### “People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” EKR ###
First Friday Night Special #69: “A Little Rest for the Weary Working for Freedom(s)” (the “missing” & expanded invitation w/excerpts) July 3, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, California, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Suffering, Swami Vivekananda, Tragedy, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Abigail Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Ally Boothroyd, Battle of Gettysburg, Caesar Rodney, Civil War, CROWN Act, Franz Kafka, Frederick R. Karl, George Meade, Gettysburg, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Joseph Cinqué, Joseph Cinquez, Kelly Rowland, Max Brod, National CROWN Day, Oskar Pollak, Restorative Yoga, Robert E. Lee, Sengbe Pieh, slavery, Swami Vivekananda, Thurgood Marshall
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It’s National CROWN Day (unofficially, of course)! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone cultivating peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
This is “missing” (and expanded) invitation for the “First Friday Night Special” on July 3rd, which includes new and “renewed” content, excerpts, embedded links to related posts, and an extra video. You can request an audio recording of this Yin Yoga practice (with a little movement and pranayama) 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.
“… so he said to put an end to all misunderstanding: ‘We parted on bad terms.’
The Manageress seemed to construe this as excellent news.
‘So then you’re free?’ she said.
‘Yes, I’m free,’ said Karl, and nothing seemed more worthless than his freedom.”
— quoted from “FIVE / The Hotel Occidental” in the unfinished novel Amerika by Franz Kafka (b. 1883)
It’s not enough to declare something. You usually have to work for it. When I teach (or blog) on July 1st (as I did on Wednesday) and/or on July 2nd, we focus on the effort that it takes — has taken and continues to take — to declare, ensure, secure, enshrine, and preserve independence, liberty, and freedom. However, the work does not end on the day it begins. As was the case today in 1776, there is more work to be done. However, people cannot do the work they need to do without taking a break to rest. So, today in 1776, some people rested.
Eventually, people in 1839, 1863, (1908), and 2019, also rested.
Rest is an important part of life. Along with the ability and opportunity to digest what we consume — including media and events — rest is a function of our parasympathetic nervous system. Our ability to rest and digest is also connected to our ability to create (and procreate). Just as a significant growth period in plants happens at night, we plant seeds and get rooted, centered, and grounded when we rest.
When we rest, we can also reflect and review on the work we have already accomplished — which is what people like Caesar Rodney and John Adams were doing back in 1776.
The following is a revised (and expanded) version of an earlier post.
“But on the other Hand, the Delay of this Declaration to this Time, has many great Advantages attending it…. This will cement the Union, and avoid those Heats and perhaps Convulsions which might have been occasioned, by such a Declaration Six Months ago.
But the Day is past. The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.
I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”
— quoted from letter John Adams wrote to Abigail Adams, with the heading “Philadelphia July 3d, 1776”
After riding for two days, in order to cast his vote for freedom, Caesar Rodney rested in Philadelphia for a couple of days. John Adams, who also voted for independence on July 2, 1776, spent today resting and writing letters to his wife Abigail. In one of those letters to Abigail, the future president wrote about how (and why) the “Second Day of July 1776” would be remembered and celebrated for all times.
As he reflected on the decisions that had already been made and anticipated future celebrations, John Adams also acknowledged that the work was not done and that the declaration was just the beginning of the fight. He recognized that there were battles to come — and not just battles with the “redcoats” or “regulars” (as they would have been called back in the day). He recognized that there would be philosophical, legal, and physical battles among the colonists.
He could not have known, however, that his own son (John Quincy Adams) would be involved in one of those legal battles, which came about after Sengbe Pieh (also known as Joseph Cinqué) and the other enslaved Mende, West Africans revolted on the slave ship La Amistad sometime around July 1, 1839. The Mende, West Africans did could not rest, today in 1839, because they were attempting to take the ship back to Africa. A little over a month later, they would be re-captured and their legal battle for freedom began.
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLES BELOW FOR MORE.
A Rest for Those Riding, Fighting, and Working for Freedom – An Invitation
“You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. — I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. — Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.”
— quoted from letter John Adams wrote to Abigail Adams, with the heading “Philadelphia July 3d, 1776”
While John Adams and John Quincy Adams were the only early presidents to never own enslaved people and while both father and son legally represented people fighting for freedom within the courts, the elder was willing to compromise his views on slavery when it came to colonial politics. All that being said, today in 1776, as he rested and wrote to Abigail (who was publicly anti-slavery), John Adams couldn’t have known that he and his son would end up as presidents — or that his son would help to secure the freedom of kidnapped West Africans.
John Adams also would have had no reason to think of a Black woman, resting after the birth of her son on July 2, 1908. He had no reason to think about how his actions would eventually (indirectly) lead to a descendent of enslaved people being able to rest — instead of being immediately forced back to work — after delivering her child. Neither would he have been able to imagine that that woman son’s, Thoroughgood (later shorten it to Thurgood) Marshall, would work tirelessly to further secure, enshrine, and preserve freedom, liberty, and independence.
I said indirectly, because (as I stated before) he was willing to compromise his views to appease the Southern states in order to achieve independence. Even as he wanted to avoid conflict, I don’t know that he could have imagined the brutality of the Civil War.
“But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate we can not consecrate we can not hallow, this ground The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have hallowed it, far above our poor power to add or detract.”
— quoted from “The Gettysburg Address” (from the Nicolay version1) by President Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863
Today in 1863, the Army of the Potomac forces, led by Major General George Meade, defeated Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia during the third Battle of Gettysburg. The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War and its conclusion not only halted the confederacy’s invasion of northern territories, it also marked the beginning of the end of the Civil War (but not the end of the battle for long-promised freedom).
The generals, soldiers, civilians, and enslaved people who survived today, in 1863, did not rest. There was still work to be done, on both sides of the battlefield.
There was, also, still battles to be won off the battlefield.
“(3) Racial and national origin discrimination can and do occur because of longstanding racial and national origin biases and stereotypes associated with hair texture and style.
(4) For example, routinely, people of African descent are deprived of educational and employment opportunities because they are adorned with natural or protective hairstyles in which hair is tightly coiled or tightly curled, or worn in locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, or Afros.
(5) Racial and national origin discrimination is reflected in school and workplace policies and practices that bar natural or protective hairstyles commonly worn by people of African descent.”
— quoted from “(a) Findings.” of “SEC. 2. Findings; sense of Congress; purpose.” in “CROWN Act 2020 (H. R. 5309)”2
Today in 2019, in America’s ongoing effort to make our ideals make sense (as a reality rather than a theory), the CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) Act (SB188) was signed into law under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (of 1959) and the California Education Code. As I first noted in 2021: “New Jersey and New York adopted similar versions of the bill and other states, including South Carolina, are following suit. But, those laws don’t protect people in all over the country and they don’t apply outside of the country.”
As of today, in 2026, 30 states — including Texas, Maryland, Tennessee, Minnesota, Illinois, Oregon, and Alaska — have passed a CROWN Act. Some major cities in those states also, independently, passed variations of the CROWN Act. Additionally, cities in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia, and Wisconsin have passed CROWN protection laws. But, again, those laws only apply in those cities. So, unfortunately, people are still having their hair cut without consent and/or being told they can’t participate in school or professional events with their God-given hair.
You can click the embedded link (above) for the history and/or click on the excerpt title (below) for more (con)text(ure).
“(9) As a type of racial or national origin discrimination, discrimination on the basis of natural or protective hairstyles that people of African descent are commonly adorned with violates existing Federal law, including provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.), section 1977 of the Revised Statutes (42 U.S.C. 1981), and the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.). However, some Federal courts have misinterpreted Federal civil rights law by narrowly interpreting the meaning of race or national origin, and thereby permitting, for example, employers to discriminate against people of African descent who wear natural or protective hairstyles even though the employment policies involved are not related to workers’ ability to perform their jobs.”
— quoted from “(a) Findings.” of “SEC. 2. Findings; sense of Congress; purpose.” in “CROWN Act 2020 (H. R. 5309)”2
If you are unfamiliar… If you haven’t noticed or paid attention to the ways in which hair has been used to oppress people, some of the information related in the linked posts can be a little surreal.
For that matter, even if you are familiar, it can be surreal.
In some ways, we are living in a realistic, surreal world, not unlike the worlds created by Franz Kafka, who was born today in 1883. Like Kafka’s characters, we find ourselves transformed and/or in oddly transformational situations where we are forced to confront things that just don’t make sense. Of course, in order for things to make sense, we need context… reference points… history. In fact, in a letter to Oskar Pollak (dated 27 January 1904), Kafka advocated reading books that shake us awake. This was a follow-up to an earlier letter (dated 8 November 1903, translated by Frederick R. Karl), in which Kafka wrote, “We are as forlorn as children lost in the woods. When you stand in front of me and look at me, what do you know of the griefs that are in me and what do I know of yours? And if I were to cast myself down before you and weep and tell you, what more would you know about me than you know about Hell when someone tells you it is hot and dreadful? For that reason alone we human beings ought to stand before one another as reverently, as reflectively, as lovingly, as we would before the entrance to Hell.”
Resting can help us make sense of things that have gotten surreal. Resting can help us open up our hearts and minds to the griefs of others — without (or especially if we already are) feeling overwhelmed. Resting allows us to continue the battles we need to fight in order to say, “Everyone!” when asked:
“Who is free?”
— quoted from the commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.20 from Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda
This Restorative Yoga practice (inspired by Ally Boothroyd) includes a body scan and some pranayama.
It is accessible and open to all.
(NOTE: There will be a little bit of quiet space in this practice.)
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07032026 A Little Rest for the Weary Working for Freedom(s)”]
NOTE: This playlist is a Friday remix. You can start with any of the first 6 tracks. It is still slightly different on each platform, but mostly with regard to the before/after class music. The biggest difference is that certain contextual videos (including the one below) do not appear on Spotify.
Prop wise, this is a kitchen sink practice and I will suggest having a strap and wall or bolster (as well as a blanket) for this practice. **CLARIFICATION: I used the fitted sheet so I could do the sequence in bed**. 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 also want extra layers (as your body may cool down during this practice).
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not 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 need a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
“Who is free? The free must certainly be beyond cause and effect. If you say that the idea of freedom is a delusion, I shall say that the idea of bondage is also a delusion. Two facts come into our consciousness, and stand or fall with each other. These are our notions of bondage and freedom. If we want to go through a wall, and our head bumps against that wall, we see we are limited by that wall. At the same time we find a willpower, and think we can direct our will everywhere. At every step these contradictory ideas come to us. We have to believe that we are free, yet at every moment we find we are not free. If one idea is a delusion, the other is also a delusion, and if one is true, the other also is true, because both stand upon the same basis — consciousness. The Yogi says, both are true; that we are bound so far as intelligence goes, that we are free so far as the soul is concerned. It is the real nature of man, the soul, the Purusha, which is beyond all law of causation. Its freedom is percolating through layers of matter in various forms, intelligence, mind, etc. It is its light which is shining through all.”
— quoted from the commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.20 from Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda
NOTES:
1In the other four versions of the Gettysburg Address, the words “have consecrated it” are used.
2The CROWN Act of 2020 (and a subsequent variation in 2022) passed in the U. S. House of Representatives, but has never been voted on in the U. S. Senate.
### FEEL FREE ###
FTWMI(repost): Fearless Play with Miles & Sally **UPDATED** May 26, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Changing Perspectives, Donate, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Men, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Science, Volunteer, Wisdom, Women, Yoga.Tags: 988, Afterfeast of the Ascension, Alison Beard, ancestors, asana, Christa McAuliffe, Eastertide, fearless, fearless play, Improv, jazz, Kate Hughes, Lynn Sherr, Miles Davis, Pearle Cleage, play, Robert Alan Benson, Robert Andrews, role models, Sally Ride, yoga
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Many, many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Afterfeast of the Ascension and/or working as a force of peace, freedom, and fulfillment (inside and outside).
For Those Who Missed It: This slightly revised version of a 2020 post was previously posted. Some contextual information, class details, links, and formatting have been updated or added.
“‘I’ve discovered that half the people would love to go into space and there’s no need to explain it them. The other half can’t understand and I couldn’t explain it to them. If someone doesn’t know why, I can’t explain it.’”
— Sally Ride, quoted in the “Introduction” of Sally Ride: Americas First Woman in Space by Lynn Sherr
“If you understood everything I say, you’d be me!”
— Miles Davis
I often say that when I think of being fearless, I think of jazz and the rules of improve. I think of saying “yes, and….” I think of people like Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Charles Mingus, Dinah Washington, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Joshua Redman, Eddie Palmieri, Sonny Rollins, the Marsalis family, and Jason Moran.
I also think about Miles Davis, who would have turned 94 100 today. But we’ll come back to him, because when I think of being fearless I also think of women like Christa McAuliffe and Sally Ride.
Sally Ride, who was born today in 1951, was the first American woman in space and the third woman overall, (after Soviet cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova and Svetlana Savitskaya). She is still the youngest American NASA* astronaut to have traveled into space and, although it wasn’t known at the time, she is now acknowledged as the first LGBTQIA+ astronaut. She once said, “I love the John Glenn model… I may call NASA in 25 years or so, and see it they’d like to send me to Mars.” She probably would have done just that if she hadn’t been so busy teaching, running public-outreach programs for NASA, serving on two aerospace accident investigation boards, writing 7 books for children, and starting and running “Sally Ride Science” (which creates entertaining science programs and publications aimed at upper elementary and middle school children).
Part of what made Dr. Ride fearless was that not only did she (to paraphrase Christa McAuliffe) say yes to a seat on a rocket, she also said yes to being a role model. She kept the focus on the science even as she endured the most sexist questions from the public and the press. When she realized certain people were going to keep coming back to her gender, she used the platform she was being given to make room for more women and girls in the sciences.
“I never went into physics or the astronaut corps to become a role model. But after my first flight, it became clear to me that I was one. And I began to understand the importance of that to people. Young girls need to see role models in whatever careers they may choose, just so they can picture themselves doing those jobs someday. You can’t be what you can’t see.”
— Sally Ride, quoted from the Harvard Business interview (“Sally Ride on Breaking Ground in Aerospace and Education”) by Alison Beard
The fact that pretty much anyone (and everyone) in the public eye ends up as a possible role model can be dangerous — especially when people don’t accept the responsibility, or take it for granted. Miles Davis fits into this category. Born today in 1926, Miles Davis said, “The thing to judge in any jazz artist is, does the man project and does the man have ideas.”
Mr. Davis did and had both. He was a musical innovator who studied at the Institute of Musical Art, now known as Julliard, and also studied in jam sessions with jazz greats like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. He was a trailblazer, who kicked off the “cool jazz” movement, developed “hard bop,” and ultimately fused jazz with rock and funk. He would lose old fans, win new fans, and then gain the old fans back — because he did the thing he told other musicians to do: he didn’t play what was there, he played what wasn’t there.
“A legend is an old man with a cane known for what he used to do. I’m still doing it.”
— Miles Davis, quoted from The New Penguin Dictionary of Modern Quotations by Robert Andrews, with the assistance of Kate Hughes (cited from International Herald Tribune 17 July 1991)
For all his musical success, however, Mr. Davis battled demons. He grew up in a fairly well off family, but people often assumed he grew up poor and was uneducated. He struggled with the fact that although albums like his Birth of the Cool were historically and musically important, they didn’t have the same success as albums by white musicians in the same genre. He also struggled with cocaine and heroin addiction; once broke both ankles in a car accident; and by all accounts (including his own) was physically and emotionally abusive to all three of his wives (and most likely any other women with whom he had a romantic relationship).
Miles Davis was a narcissistic abusive jerk. He was also a genius. Interestingly, even now, Pearl Cleage is one of the few people to speak of his abuse. Not because she personally experienced it, but because she wanted people (especially men) to stop and think about how they engage in relationships. She wanted shine a light on how not to act in relationships.
“No, you should not feel guilty. Miles is dead. We can just hope the next time he comes around his spirit and his personality will be as lovely as his music.”
— Pearl Cleage, author of Mad at Miles: A Blackwoman’s Guide to Truth, in a 2012 interview for Atlanta Magazine (when asked about listening to music by Miles Davis)
2024 PRACTICE NOTE: This week, we reconnect and remember those that came before and consider what lessons their lives have to teach us. Today, in particular, there is a little extra focus on faith, humility, and what it takes to do… the thing you think cannot be done.
Please join me today (Tuesday, May 26th) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into in the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05262020 Fearless Play with Miles & Sally”]
“Suppose you come across a woman lying on the street with an elephant sitting on her chest. You notice she is short of breath. Shortness of breath can be a symptom of heart problems. In her case, the much more likely cause is the elephant on her chest.
For a long time, society put obstacles in the way of women who wanted to enter the sciences. That is the elephant. Until the playing field has been levelled and lingering stereotypes are gone, you can’t even ask the question”
— Sally Ride in a 2006 USA Today interview with Robert Alan Benson
*NOTE: While private (non-government) companies have now made spaceflight available to individuals who can afford the ticket, Sally Ride is still the youngest American astronaut whose spaceflight is considered public (because it was funded by a government agency).
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
(Early Bird Pricing ends this week!)
2026 NOTE (with errata and correction: I referenced two jazz greats as recently passing away, but had one of the dates wrong. Sonny Rollins passed yesterday (5/25/2026). Eddie Palmieri passed 08/06/2025. Rest in Power!
### THERE’S A COUPLE OF ELEPHANTS IN THE ROOM ###
A Mother’s Dream & EXCERPT: “The Ties That Bind” May 10, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Maya Angelou, Movies, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Wisdom, Women, Yoga.Tags: 988, Ann Reeves Jarvis, Anna Marie Jarvis, Counting the Omer, Donald P. Bellisario, Fifth Sunday of Pascha, Fred Astaire, Gerry Society, Gerrymen, Jeanine Basinge, Johanna “Ann” Geilus Astaire, Kathleen Riley, MoManger, Mother's Day, Samaritan Woman, The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
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Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms!
Peace and many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone Counting the Omer and/or observing/celebrating the Fifth Sunday of Pascha: The Samaritan Woman.
“After their first performances in Los Angeles in February 1909, the Gerrymen intervened, and their booking was canceled. Ann thereupon initiated a campaign of her own, appealing to newspaper critics to help publicize their plight and finally obtaining a hearing before the local chapter of the [New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children1]. She pleaded convincingly the children’s dedication and well-being and the excellent care and tuition they were receiving, and the society relented.”
— quoted from “Opening the Bill” in The Astaires: Fred & Adele by Kathleen Riley
If she were alive today, Johanna “Ann” Geilus Astaire would be considered a MoManger. She was the mother of Adele Astaire Douglass and Fred Astaire (who was born Frederick Austerlitz today in 1899. She was the daughter of Lutheran German immigrants; married to a Jewish-Austrian immigrant (whose family converted to Catholicism); and she was (initially) raising her children in Omaha, Nebraska. Like their parents, Ann and her husband (Friedrich “Fritz” Emanuel Austerlitz) wanted the best for their children. They had big dreams — and Ann thought they could achieve those dreams through the talents of their children.
Adele immediately took to singing and dancing. Young Fred learned to sing and learned to play piano, accordion, and clarinet; but, wasn’t much for dancing until he started imitated his sister. Both studied elocution and, by the time they were nine and six (respectively), Adele and Fred were living in New York and preparing to be one of the most sought after brother-sister vaudeville acts in the United States.
“Fred Astaire explained it to the young Jack Lemmon: ‘You’re now at a level where you can afford only one mistake. The higher up you go, the more mistakes you are allowed. Right at the top, if you make enough of them, it’s considered to be your style.’ In other words, once you were successfully typed, you were safe.”
— quoted from “Part I: Stars and the Factory System ― Product and Type” in The Star Machine by Jeanine Basinge
Eventually, the siblings moved from vaudeville to Broadway musicals to London’s West End. When Adele got married and retired (in 1932), Fred moved from stage to screen. His 76-year career included over 10 Broadway and West End musicals, 31 film musicals, four Emmy Award-winning musical specials for television, and a plethora of (non-musical) television and movie appearances. In addition to receiving an Honorary Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Grammy Award, Fred Astaire changed the way musicals were filmed.
While he appeared in several acting roles in 1979 and the early 1980s, Fred Astaire’s final filmed dance was as Chameleon, in the 1979 Battlestar Galactica episode “The Man with Nine Lives”. The role and the episode were specifically written for him (by by Donald P. Bellisario) after Mr. Astaire asked if could make a guest appearance on the show that his grandchildren loved.
In other words, he wanted something special for his (grand)children — just like his mom wanted something special for him.
FTWMI: Variations of the following have previously been posted.
It all comes back to the moms. No matter how you came to be a mom (or what your kiddos call you), you have been in a position to teach people to dream, dance, and reach for the stars. In fact, in most cases, you are someone’s first teacher, cheerleader, mentor, coach, confidant, spiritual/religious/moral guide, and friend.
You may also be the short order cook, personal assistant, driver, and the business manager who handles entertainment, the schedule, and the finances: the MoManger. You do all of this and more — maybe even including a second job as a spouse and a third job as something other than a mom. (Of course, you may also list those roles in a completely different order.)
While today, Mother’s Day in the United States, doesn’t explicitly state that it is a day when we celebrate all of your roles… it absolutely is exactly that day!
“I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother’s day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life. She is entitled to it.”
— quoted from the end of 1876 Sunday school lesson by Ann Reeves Jarvis (words that inspired her daughter Anna Maria Jarvis)
Click on the excerpt title below for more about Mother’s Day.
The Ties That Bind (a short “renewed” post for Mother’s Day)
While I don’t know if I will ever go back to teaching on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I will continue to offer the 2020 recordings and a philosophy-based alternative recording for those who are on my Sunday mailing list (or, you can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.)
The Mother’s Day playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Mother’s Day 2020”]
The playlist for May 10th is available on on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05102022 Fred’s Dance”]
NOTE: The May 10th playlists have slightly different before/after music and the YouTube playlist includes a video and a portion of an interview.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
NOTE:1 The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was a child protective agency founded in 1874 (and incorporated in 1875). Sometimes referred to as the “Gerry Society” (after co-founder Elbridge Thomas Gerry), its agents were nicknamed “Gerrymen”.
### Moms Have Fascinating Rhythm! ###
Anne Marie’s Life & EXCERPT: “Accepting Rachel’s Challenge & Entering the Garden” (the “missing” post-practice Monday post) *w/CORRECTION* April 20, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Baha'i, Changing Perspectives, Depression, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Loss, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Riḍván, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Anne Marie Hochhalter, by Jessie Van Amburg, Columbine High School, Commemoration of the Dead, mass shootings, mental health, Provody, Rachel Joy Scott, Radonitsa, Riḍván, Ridvan, Second Week of Pascha, Thornton Wilder
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“Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Peace and many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone Counting the Omer and/or celebrating and/or observing the Second Week of Pascha & Radonitsa or Provody (Day of Rejoicing / Commemoration of the Dead)!
Happy Poetry Month!!
This is the “missing” (and backdated) post-practice for Monday, April 20th. The 2026 prompt question was, “What is on your heart and on your mind?”
WARNING: This post and the excerpted post reference Columbine High School and mass shootings. This post also references suicide. 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.
“ANTROBUS: …. Oh, I’ve never forgotten for long at a time that living is struggle. I know that every good and excellent thing in the world stands moment by moment on the razor-edge of danger and must be fought for — whether it’s a field, or a home, or a country. All I ask is the chance to build new worlds and God has always given us that second chance, and has given us [opening the book] voices to guide us; and the memory of our mistakes to warn us. Maggie, you and I must remember in peace time all those resolves that were clear to us in the days of war. Maggie, we’ve come a long ways. We’ve learned. We’re learning. And the steps of our journey are marked for us here.”
— quoted from The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder
Seventeen-year old Rachel Joy Scott was one of the “voices to guide us”. After she and twelve others were killed, on April 20, 1999, her family found her notebooks full of messages that have stood the test of time. If you click on the excerpt title below, you will find a little of her story and the names of the others who were killed 27 years ago.
What you will not find is the name of Anne Marie Hochhalter, who was also a 17-year old at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. Ms. Hochhalter was shot and left paralyzed from the waist down by the same person who killed Ms. Scott. She died on February 16, 2025, at the age of 43, because of sepsis complicated by the gunshot wounds she sustained in 1999. Her death is officially listed as a homicide — making her the fourteenth homicide victim.1
“Hindsight is always 20/20. We’re 20 years past the point of Columbine, and I can see where I went wrong [in coping], and that was in delaying counseling. I cannot stress that enough. Students and teachers that were there at Columbine, the people that didn’t lose a loved one or who weren’t injured, that they weren’t ‘that bad,’ they might have thought that they didn’t need it. That’s a lie, and it’s come back to bite a lot of us in the butt 20 years later because we put it off.”
— Anne Marie Hochhalter, quoted from the (Feb 16, 2018) Women’s Health interview, “‘I Survived Columbine And It Feels Like Nothing Has Changed: We haven’t addressed mass shootings at all.’” by Jessie Van Amburg
I don’t remember hearing about Anne Marie Hochhalter’s death last year. When I did hear about it, I thought about editing the earlier post(s); but then I thought about her life. See, despite her paralysis and the fact that she lived with severe pain for the rest of her life, Anne Marie Hochhalter also became one of those “voices to guide us”. She spent the rest of her life advocating against gun violence, supporting other survivors of gun violence, advocating for supplemental Social Security payments for people with disabilities, and training rescue dogs. She did all of that while also working and establishing her own independence. She did all that while also dealing with her own physical and emotional pain and trauma from the attack that left her paralyzed, as well as the trauma and grief related to her own mother dying by suicide (and using a gun, no less) six months after the Columbine High School shooting.
Anne Marie Hochhalter was an avid proponent of the NoNotoriety Movement and the “Don’t Name Them” campaign. When I wrote the earlier posts, I did so with that movement and campaign in mind. And that’s the other reason I’m only going to add an extra link to those earlier posts: Anne Marie’s voice is heard (and one of her challenges accepted)…in the silence.
Click on the excerpt title below to learn about Rachel’s Challenge and a little bit about Riḍván, “the Most Great Festival”
“I had counseling in the very beginning, but I was still in such a fog and a daze so I thought that I was okay. But I recently started it up again this year. I figured, Better late than never! But now, looking back, I wish I had been in counseling that whole time. It has a greater effect on you than you think, and it’s a delayed reaction. So many of my classmates have said the same exact thing.”
— Anne Marie Hochhalter, quoted from the (Feb 16, 2018) Women’s Health interview, “‘I Survived Columbine And It Feels Like Nothing Has Changed: We haven’t addressed mass shootings at all.’” by Jessie Van Amburg
The post excerpted above includes statistics about mass shootings. This year, I didn’t find reliable updates; however, from Friday the 17th until the morning of Monday the 19th, there were 11 shootings (that I know about) directly affecting 58 people (that I know about). Clearly, some of us are not listening to the right voices and accepting the right challenges. But/and, it is also true that sometimes we need to ask for help.
So, here is a third challenge: If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, dealing with depression, and/or struggling with addiction, I dare you to ask for help. It might be the hardest thing you do. It can also be the best thing you do.
“Having a support system around you of your friends and family is so important. Having people just to sit there when you’re feeling down—not to offer advice, just to sit beside you. Or take you out of the house, find you something that you like to do. Because if you just sit ay home and don’t go out, it just destroys you. It can destroy you. So counseling and having that support system are the two most important things I can think of.”
— Anne Marie Hochhalter, quoted from the (Feb 16, 2018) Women’s Health interview, “‘“I Survived Columbine And It Feels Like Nothing Has Changed: We haven’t addressed mass shootings at all.”’” by Jessie Van Amburg
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
CORRECTION:1 As noted in the original post, 36 people were killed or injured on April 20, 1999. In addition to the 14 whose deaths are officially homicides, at least two other victims (Austin Eubanks and Greg Barnes) have died in ways that are related to this traumatic tragedy.
### I DARE YOU TO LOVE, BE NICE, & ASK FOR HELP! ###
Where We Begin… & Understanding How Things Work, Redux (the “missing” compilation post for Sunday) April 12, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Healing Stories, Lent / Great Lent, One Hoop, Poetry, Religion, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Bright Week, Easter, Gary Soto, Octave of Easter, Paschalion, Poetry, poetry month
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Happy Pascha, to those who are celebrating Bright Week!! Peace and many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone Counting the Omer and/or celebrating and/or observing Eastertide and the Octave of Easter or Bright Week.
Happy Poetry Month!!
This “missing” compilation post for Sunday, April 12th , contains new and “renewed” content. Links to the related Kiss My Asana offerings can be found at the of this post. Poetry links in the final notes section will direct you to sites outside of this blog. NOTE: There is a passing reference to an accidental death.
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.
“Beneath my steps, my breath”
— quoted from the poem “Oranges” by Gary Soto
(for my twin and her best friend)
This is how we begin. On the mat (and, ideally, off the mat), we build from the ground up. We establish a foundation by placing some part(s) of our body on the floor, on the mat, on a prop, or even on a chair. Everything else stacks up from there.
We find the balance between effort and relaxation that allows us to focus on the breath — and not be distracted by the possibility of falling over and/or by some random pain, discomfort, and/or disease.
Then we breathe… and pay attention to the breath. We also pay attention to how it feels to breath in the pose, the asana, the seat.
Then, we do it all over again.
In the process, we start to notice cause and effect. We start to notice that where — and how — we begin determines how things unfold.
We start to notice how things work.
“Today it’s going to cost us twenty dollars
To live….”
— quoted from the poem “How Things Work” by Gary Soto
For Those Who Missed It: Variations of the following have been previously posted.
“As far as I can tell, daughter, it works like this:
You buy bread from a grocery, a bag of apples
From a fruit stand, and what coins
Are passed on helps others buy pencils, glue,
Tickets to a movie in which laughter
Is thrown into their faces.
If we buy a goldfish, someone tries on a hat.
If we buy crayons, someone walks home with a broom.
A tip, a small purchase here and there,
And things just keep going. I guess.”
— quoted from the poem “How Things Work” by Gary Soto
Born April 12, 1952, in Fresno, California, Gary Soto is a poet, novelist, playwright, essayist, memoirist, and film director/producer, who also writes literature for children and young adults. He was the first Mexican-American to earn a Master of Fine Arts (MFA, 1976), at the University of California, Irvine, and taught at both the University of California, Berkeley, and at the University of California, Riverside. In addition to being a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, he won Before Columbus Foundation’s American Book Award for his memoir Living Up the Street (1985); the 2014 Phoenix Award for his children’s book Jesse (1994); and a Nation/Discovery Award and the Levinson Award from Poetry.
Mr. Soto is a two time recipient of both the California Library Association’s John and Patricia Award and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and was once named NBC Person of The Week (1995). Eight of his books have been translated into French, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. Additional accolades have come from his work on movies like The No-Guitar Blues, based on the story of the same name in his collection Baseball in April and other stories (1990) and the movie based on his book The Pool Party (1993, illustrated by Robert Casilla). He wrote the libretto to the Los Angeles Opera’s Nerdlandia and has also collaborated with the illustrator Susan Guevara on the bilingual Chato series (about “the coolest low-riding cat in East L.A… and his best friend, Novio Boy”).
“Ellen Lesser, writing in Voice Literary Supplement, was charmed by Soto’s poetic tone, ‘the quality of the voice, the immediate, human presence that breathes through the lines.’”
— quoted from the Poetry Foundation profile “Gary Soto”
Gary Soto’s work mirrors the Mexican-American communities of his youth (and his adulthood) as well as his early fascination with English (Western canon) literature, which did not reflect his lived experience. His parents were immigrants and day labors. When his father died, when Mr. Soto was five years old, the future award-winning author worked in the fields in San Joaquin and had little time for school. Later, he worked in factories of Fresno to help support his family. By high school, however, he had discovered his love of fiction and poetry and wanted to create literary worlds that felt like home. He mixed dirt with philosophy; English with Spanish; reality with fantasy. His fiction and poetry have the feel and texture of real life being lived in the moment or, they are, as he puts it, “portraits of people in the rush of life.”
In answering a question about what inspires him, he wrote, “I’m also a listener. I hear lines of poetry issue from the mouths of seemingly ordinary people. And, as a writer, my duty is not to make people perfect, particularly Mexican Americans. I’m not a cheerleader. I’m one who provides portraits of people in the rush of life.” And, in writing about people’s day-to-day experiences, he writes about cause and effect, and about “how things work”.
Gary Soto’s portraits also illustrate how we are all connected, how our stories are all interconnected, and how it all comes back to what we believe.
“How strange that we can begin at any time.
With two feet we get down the street.
With a hand we undo the rose.
With an eye we lift up the peach tree
And hold it up to the wind – white blossoms
At our feet. Like today. I started”
— quoted from the poem “Looking Around, Believing” by Gary Soto
As someone who loves stories and loves yoga, I often quote Maty Ezraty who said, “A good sequence is like a good story. There is a beginning (an introduction), the middle (the heart of the story), and the end (the conclusion).” However, as I have pointed out before, life is a little different in that we meet each other in the middle of our stories and simultaneously progress forward and back (as we learn about each other’s back stories). We are also, simultaneously, living the middle, beginning, and end of some part of our stories — while also telling the beginning, middle, and end of some part of our stories — every time we inhale and every time we exhale. As Gary Soto put it, “We’re here in the day. One step, / A simple hello, and we’re involved.”
When we are sharing our stories with each other, we pick where we begin. Where we begin, when we tell a story, is based on what we know/understand about the story and may change the way the story is understood (by ourselves and others).
“Light in her eyes, a smile
Starting at the corners
Of her mouth. I fingered
A nickle in my pocket,
And when she lifted a chocolate
That cost a dime,
I didn’t say anything.
I took the nickel from
My pocket, then an orange,
And set them quietly on
The counter. When I looked up,
The lady’s eyes met mine,
And held them, knowing
Very well what it was all
About.”
— quoted from the poem “Oranges” by Gary Soto
Gary Soto’s birthday often overlaps with one or more religious holidays. Although April 12, 2026, was the Great and Holy Pascha in Orthodox Christian communities; the Second Sunday of Easter / the Octave of Easter in some Western Christian traditions; and the Counting of the Omer in some Jewish traditions, no holiday-related stories were central to this year’s practice. I stayed focused on Gary Soto, the poems, and the physical aspects of the poetry-inspired practice. At the end, however, I shared a little snippet of a story about my encounters with the poem “Oranges”.
For context, I should mention that (back in 2021) I used the first line of the poem “How Things Work” (quoted above) to illustrate how our experiences (re)frame understanding. I should also mention that I hadn’t read Gary Soto’s poem “Oranges” in years. So, when I was getting ready for the (2026) class and I went back to the 2019 post, where I originally quoted the line about steps and breath, I was not surprised that those were the words that jumped out at me. However, I couldn’t remember why I dedicated the line to “my twin and her best friend”.
What was I thinking? What was the story?
Re-reading the poem about a first date, I thought about how much has changed. My twin and her best friend got married several months after I wrote that post and now they have a little girl. At the end of practice, I said I didn’t know if the little girl likes oranges and/or chocolate. But, if I hadn’t gotten choked up by the memories, I would have mentioned that she had s’mores for the first time this week — and she seemed to enjoy that well enough.
“Love,
The moon is between clouds,
And we’re between words
That could deepen
But never arrive.”
— quoted from the poem “Between Words” by Gary Soto
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10202020 Pratyahara”]
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
PRACTICE & POETRY NOTES:
If you are interested, click on the year for the Kiss My Asana offerings in 2018 and 2019, which feature practices inspired by Gary Soto’s poems. You can also click here (or above) for the aforementioned 2021 post.
I also encourage you to click on the titles below to read the highlighted poems:
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
### A LITTLE MORE KINDNESS, PLEASE ###
Where We Begin… & Understanding How Things Work, Redux (mostly the music & blessings) April 12, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Healing Stories, Lent / Great Lent, One Hoop, Poetry, Religion, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Bright Week, Easter, Gary Soto, Octave of Easter, Paschalion, Poetry, poetry month
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Happy Pascha, to those who are celebrating Bright Week!! Peace and many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone Counting the Omer and/or celebrating and/or observing Eastertide and the Octave of Easter or Bright Week.
Happy Poetry Month!!
“Beneath my steps, my breath”
— quoted from the poem “Oranges” by Gary Soto (b. 1952)
(for my twin and her best friend)
Please join me today (Sunday, April 12th) at 2:30 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into in the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10202020 Pratyahara”]
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
### A LITTLE MORE KINDNESS, PLEASE ###
A Quick Note & EXCERPTS: “Make a Commitment to Imagination” & “More Stories and Music [the 2025 version]” (*revised*) March 22, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, 9-Day Challenge, Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Lent / Great Lent, Life, Music, One Hoop, Religion, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Ananta Ripa Ajmera, Andrew Lloyd Webber, B. Alan Orange, Billy Collins, Chaitra Navaratri, equality, Hugh Wheeler, James Patterson, Keegan-Michael Key, Kushmanda, Lent / Great Lent, Maty Ezrarty, Navaratri, Season for Nonviolence, Stephen Sondheim, storytellers, Writing
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“Nowruz Mubarak!” Happy New Year to those who are celebrating! “Nine days and nine nights of blessings and happiness if you are celebrating Chaitra Navaratri!” Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Lent or Great Lent!
Peace, ease, and equality to all, throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!
“Practicing yoga is a privilege. And with this privilege comes a duty to be kind, to share a smile, and to offer yoga from the mat into the rest of your life.”
— Maty Ezraty
Everyone has a series of stories — and each of our stories make up part of other people’s stories. These collections of stories overlap and converge with each other and with the stories of the community. Every community has a collection of stories. How we tell those stories makes a difference — and our experiences (i.e., our stories) play a part in how we tell our stories.
For years, I have told stories about storytellers born on this date. I would, of course, make room for sacred stories when they overlapped this date. For example, today is the fourth day of Navaratri, the Hindu festival of “nine nights” celebrating divine feminine energy in various manifestations. While some people see the manifestations as nine different women, they are also seen by some as the same woman at different points in her story.
Click on the excerpt below for a short post about the Goddess Kushmanda who, it is said, “created the world with her divine smile” — a smile that also powers the sun.
“[Kushmanda] also lives in our hearts. The fact that she is smiling reminds us that we too are our most creative when we are smiling and feeling positive, courageous (a quality of heart), and strong. The fact that this goddess, like Chandraghanta, rides a lion shows that the power of love is just as potent as the fire of transformation. It reminds us that the ability to love comes from inner strength. When we feel clouded by fear, anger, and grief, it can be difficult to imagine one day having the strength to love again. But Kushmanda is here to remind us that, no matter how brokenhearted we may feel at time, the power of love lives within us, and we can tap into it and become our creative best at any time.”
— quoted from the “Knowing Kushmanda” section of “Chapter 4 — The Art of Loving Your True Self” in The Way of the Goddess: Daily Rituals to Awaken Your Inner Warrior and Discover Your True Self by Ananta Ripa Ajmera
So, for years, even when I made room for other stories, sacred stories, I kept coming back to four storytellers. As I mentioned in the post excerpted below: These storytellers tell/told their stories in different ways. However, the storytellers themselves have something in common — other than the fact that they are all, as it turns out, the same gender and race and share the same profession and birthday. They all know/knew how to tell a good story.
Last year, I added a storyteller. Same gender, profession, and birthday. Different racial identity. Different way of telling a good story.
Again, as noted below (and since someone asked after the 2025 class): While there are other storytellers I could have highlighted, the original focus was always the last 4 storytellers referenced above. I didn’t replace anyone, just added a storyteller and adjusted the narrative accordingly. Similarly, the playlist has room, time, and space, for another song (or two).
“Don’t you love farce?
My fault, I fear
I thought that you’d want what I want
Sorry, my dear
But where are the clowns?
Quick, send in the clowns
Don’t bothеr, they’re herе”
— quoted from the song “Send in the Clowns” from the musical A Little Night Music, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE OF THE STORY.
More Stories and Music [the 2025 version] (the “missing” Saturday post)
NOTE: In the March 22nd post excerpted above, the principle for the “Season for Nonviolence” was advocacy. The 2026 principle is equality, which also fits the story.
“A poet can feel free, in my estimation, to write a poem for himself. Or a painter can paint a painting for himself. You can write a short story for yourself. But for me, comedy by its nature is communal. If other people don’t get it, I’m not sure why you are doing it. I think the same can be said for being offensive, for no other reason than being offensive. Me personally, it boggles my mind.”
— Keegan-Michael Key, quoted from the (Feb 1, 2012) MovieWeb interview entitled “Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele Talk Key & Peele Series Premiere [Exclusive]” by
B. Alan Orange
Please join me today (Sunday, March 22nd) at 2:30 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into in the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “03222020 Storytellers”]
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
### Enjoy & Share Your Stories ###
#GivetoGain Rights. Justice. Action March 8, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, 19-Day Fast, Art, Baha'i, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, First Nations, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Lent / Great Lent, Life, Meditation, Men, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Ramadan, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Women, Yoga.Tags: 19-Day Fast, 988, Baháʼí, Dashdondog Bayarmagnai, Elizabeth Hale, Enkhsaikhan Batjargal, Equal Pay Day, February Revolution, Galbadrakh Tsendbaatar, International Women’s Day, Kameron Traviss Glasper, Kathy Hutchins, kindness, Lent / Great Lent, Lizzy Hale, Lucinda Williams, Malcolm X, Margie Warrell Ph.D., Martin Luther King Jr, Mickey Guyton, Nyamjanstan Galsanjamts, Oliver Robin Frid, Ramaḍān, Russian Revolution, Season for Nonviolence, Selma, Selma to Montgomery, Tamara Makoni, Taylor Monet Parks / Tayla Parx, Temuulen Naranbaatar, The HU, United Nations, Victor Franco
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“Ramaḍān Mubarak, Blessed Ramaḍān!” to anyone observing the holy month of Ramaḍān. Many blessings also to all, and especially to those who were celebrating and/or observing the Baháʼí 19-Day Fast, Great Lent, and/or Lent on International Women’s Day and every day!
Peace, ease, and kindness to all, throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!
NOTE: The following post contains some new and previously posted content.
“You weren’t born to be mistreated
And you weren’t born to misguided
You were born to be loved
You were born to be loved”
— quoted from the song “Born to Be Loved” by Lucinda Williams
Every part of you deserves love and appreciation. Sometimes, however, we take ourselves (or parts of ourselves) for granted and need a moment to very deliberately and intentionally give thanks. So, here’s a variation of the body scan I’ve used in practices on March 8th for a little over a decade. After you review each part, take a moment to pause — close your eyes if that is comfortable for you — and breath into each part of yourself. After a few moments of awareness about how your body feels and how you feel about your body, continue to the next part.
THE BODY SCAN
- There is a portion of your body that supports you all day, every day. Even when that part doesn’t work exactly as you would like or as others are able, it still keeps you grounded. Breathe awareness into this part of your body and give thanks.
- There is a portion of your body that is related to creativity and pleasure that you might enjoy and indulge — but/and about which you may feel some shame and embarrassment. Breathe awareness into this part of your body and give thanks.
- There is a portion of your body that is vital to your survival — even though you may want it to be smaller (and/or appear stronger). Breathe awareness into this part of your body and give thanks.
- There is a portion of your body that already holds all your joys and burdens — and you still expect it to do the heavy lifting. Breathe awareness into this part of your body and give thanks.
- There is a part of your body that you may take for granted and is easily overextended — but/and you don’t really think about it unless something is wrong. Breathe awareness into this part of your body and give thanks.
- There is a part of your body that gets a lot of attention (from others) — but/and may need some assistance to serve you. Breathe awareness into this part of your body and give thanks.
- There is another part of your body that gets a lot of attention (from yourself and others) — but/and you may change it a lot. Breathe awareness into this part of your body and give thanks.
- Now, go back and consider that every description matches at least one woman in your life. One or more may even describe you! Just think about the women who support you 24/7, 365 days a year. Think about the woman who created you and the women whose creativity inspires you. Think about the woman/women who play a part in your day-to-day survival. Think about the women with whom you share your joys, your grief, and your fears. Think about the women you (may) take for granted and those who speak up for you (and may be a little overextended in all the things they do). Think about the beautiful women who share their points of view and truths with you. Think about all the beautiful women in your life.
Now, breathe and give thanks for all of them!
“It’s more than strength
It’s more than physical
It’s more than faith
It’s more than biblical”
— quoted from the song “Woman” by Mickey Guyton (written by Victor Franco, Mickey Guyton, Kameron Traviss Glasper, Taylor Monet Parks, Oliver Robin Frid)
International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate women and also to bring awareness to the disparities and inequities often faced by women around the world. Possibly the earliest “Women’s Day” was organized in New York by the Socialist Party of America on Sunday, February 28, 1909. An annual, international event on a specific “special day” (i.e., the last Sunday of February) was proposed in 1910, during the International Socialist Women’s Conference (in Copenhagen); however, no date was actually set. Additionally, some people (in places like the United States) thought the idea was too closely aligned with socialism. On Sunday, March 8, 1914, there was an event in Germany that focused on women’s suffrage (and coincided with an suffragists march in London). However, these events were still pretty independent of each other until the beginning of the Russian Revolution: March 8, 1917 (on the Gregorian calendar) / February 23, 1917 (on the Julian calendar).
“[Mickey] Guyton said in a statement: ‘I loved the idea of writing a song that celebrates the power women have. Throughout history and even today, women have taken pain, setbacks, and doubt, and they turn that into inner strength, and they persevere to achieve incredible things.’ Guyton also shared the story behind the song: ‘The idea actually came from Tayla (Parx). At the time there was so much going on online about what defined a woman, and there was so many interpretations and the whole internet was ablaze, and we thought it was so important to release a song called “Woman” on International Women’s Day.’”
— quoted from the WRNS: Your Country 95.1 article entitled “Mickey Guyton shares the official video for ‘Woman’” by Kathy Hutchins
After World War I, the Russian Empire was plagued by food shortages and a lack of representation (under tsarist autocracy). On Thursday, March 8, 1917, women who were standing in bread lines in Petrograd (which was then the capital of the Russian Empire) were joined by women who worked as textile workers and disgruntled soldiers in a demonstration demanding “bread and peace”. After eight days of protests and strikes — which included some violent conflicts — Tsar Nicholas II abdicated the throne and women were granted the right to vote. While this did not end the The Russian Revolution (which was a combination of the February Revolution and the October Revolution in 1917), it did highlight the power of women coming together and was recognized by Bolsheviks like Vladimir Lenin. Women’s Day was celebrated in the communist circles around the world throughout the early 20th century and became an official “non-working public holiday” in the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1965. It was first celebrated by the United Nations in 1975, and received an official designation from the United Nations General Assembly in 1977.
“The research is compelling: sexism hurts everyone. Societies that have more women participating in the labor market are more prosperous. Corporations that have more women in senior leadership roles produce better bottom line results. Peace negotiations with more women sitting at the table result in less conflict and fewer deaths. In families where gender stereotypes are dismantled (with mothers going to work and fathers sharing more of the traditional women’s work at home), sons grow up more self-reliant and daughters are more likely to attain senior managerial roles.”
— quoted from the May 6, 2017 Forbes article entitled “Be Bold For Change: Tackling Sexism Head On This International Women’s Day” by Margie Warrell, Ph.D.
While women’s suffrage was one of the big focuses during the first Women’s Day celebrations, International Women’s Day observations now also focus on workplace accessibility, education (which is sometimes restricted by gender), reproductive health issues, and raising awareness about violence and abuse against women. Pay equity is also a primary focus around the world — especially as more and more women participate in the labor force — and highlights the pay gap between genders and, also between women of different ethnicities.
“Give to Gain”, the 2026 theme, “emphasizes the power of reciprocity and support.” It is inspired by the fact that, “When people, organizations, and communities give generously, opportunities and support for women increase. Giving is not a subtraction, it’s intentional multiplication. When women thrive, we all rise.”
The United Nations 2026 theme, “Rights. Justice. Action.”, highlights the fact that “Women and girls are living without full legal protection.” According to the UN, women and girls, worldwide, have 64% of the legal rights granted to men and, in almost 70% of the surveyed countries, “women face more barriers accessing justice than men. ” This inequality is experienced in all facets of life, including bodily autonomy, marriage inequality, and equal pay.
When comparing [previous year’s] United States earnings statistics of all people in the labor force (full time, part time, year round, and seasonal), women make an average of 76 cents for every dollar earned by their white, non-Hispanic male counterparts. The pay gap is around (81 cents for every dollar) when only comparing full time, year round workers. This means that, on average, it would take a woman until March 26, 2026, to earn the same amount that her white, non-Hispanic male counterpart made in 2025. This is one day later than last year’s equal pay day!*
While it is a little shocking to think that it could take a woman in the United States three extra months to earn the same thing that a man (doing the same work) did in a calendar year, March 26th is the earliest “Equal Pay Day” (in 2025). When the earnings statistics are broken down by ethnicity (or other factors*), the wage gaps become even more startling.
- April 9th — AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander) Women’s Equal Pay Day
- August 6th — Mom’s Equal Pay Day (for women who work outside the home),
- June 17th — LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day (which is not directly tied to statistics, since they are not available)
- July 21st — Black Women’s Equal Pay Day
- September 15th — NHPI (Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander) Women’s Equal Pay Day
- October 8th — Latina Women’s Equal Pay Day
- October 20th — Disabled Women’s Equal Pay Day
- November 19th — Native Women’s Equal Pay Day
*NOTE: While the 2026 Equal Pay Day is one day later than 2025, some of the other gaps are several days later and, in the case of moms, months later (which is why the list is out of order).
Of course, the elephant in the room, is that many women work inside the home — 24/7, 365 days a year — and stay-at-home moms do not typically receive a paycheck. Neither do they always receive the same recognition as stay-at-home dads. Yet, they are an invaluable part of society — just like women who start businesses and/or work in other people’s companies. Additionally, women (on average) spend more time as the unpaid caregiver of children and adult family members — even when they and their spouse or partner both work outside the home.
International Women’s Day is about giving these women, and all other women, their flowers. It is also about teaching the children of the world, regardless of their sex or gender, that we all sing a woman’s song and, therefore, we all benefit in a society that respects women.
“When Kings fall to their knees
They sing a woman’s song
When birds scream in the trees
They sing a woman’s song
The sunrise in the east
Sings a woman’s song
Every heart that beats
Sings a woman’s song”
— quoted from the song “Song of Women” by The HU, featuring Lizzy Hale of Halestorm (written by Elizabeth Hale, Dashdondog Bayarmagnai, Enkhsaikhan Batjargal, Galbadrakh Tsendbaatar, Temuulen Naranbaatar, Nyamjanstan Galsanjamts)
Please join me today (Sunday, March 8th) at 2:30 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into in the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “03082025 Women’s Day, redux”]
NOTE: Both playlists highlight women, as performers and as composers and songwriters. The Spotify playlist includes some silent tracks (for timing). The YouTube playlist has about 43 additional songs by women. Enjoy!
“A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.”
— quoted from the March 8, 1965 sermon, at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church (in Selma, Alabama) by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The most disrespected woman in America, is the black woman. The most un-protected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America, is the black woman.”
— quoted from the May 5, 1962 speech (at the funeral Ronald Stokes) by Malcom X
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.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
A Joyful Practice 