A Well, Well, Well(ness) Monday (a post-practice post w/excerpt for Monday) May 13, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Depression, Donate, Faith, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Jane Hirshfield, Julian of Norwich, Karma Yoga, Life, Love, Mantra, Mathematics, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Volunteer, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Alessandro Rotondo, American Psychological Association, Beau Lotto, Ciro Conversano, Counting the Omer, Eastertide, Elena Lensi, Francesca Arpone, Julian of Norwich, KISS MY ASANA, Mario Antonio Reda, mental health, Olivia Della Vista, Optimism, Our Lady of Fatima, Pessimism, Psychology Today Staff, samskaras, samskāras, vasana
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Second Eastertide, Counting the Omer, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima, the Feast Day of Julian of Norwich, and/or working for peace (inside and outside).
This post-practice post for Monday, May 13th. It includes an excerpt from a 2020 post. The prompt question was, “Would you describe yourself as an optimist or a pessimist?” You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
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.
“optimism
n. hopefulness: the attitude that good things will happen and that people’s wishes or aims will ultimately be fulfilled. Optimists are people who anticipate positive outcomes, whether serendipitously or through perseverance and effort, and who are confident of attaining desired goals. Most individuals lie somewhere on the spectrum between the two polar opposites of pure optimism and pure pessimism but tend to demonstrate sometimes strong, relatively stable or situational tendencies in one direction or the other. See also expectancy-value model. —optimistic adj.”
— quoted from the American Psychological Association’s APA Dictionary of Psychology
Take a moment to consider how your outlook on life (and future events) factors into the way you move through your life and engage future events. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? I tend to describe myself as an optimist — who can be pessimistic about certain things; but there are people who would (credibly) argue that I am a pessimist. Maybe that makes me a realist.
Or maybe, as indicated by the American Psychological Association (APA), I’m just like most people: somewhere in the middle.
It all comes down to perspective and that perspective can change the way we interact with ourselves, with other people, with challenges, with new experiences, and even with our physical and mental health. In 2009, a group of researchers presented a paper (published in May 2010), about the effect of optimism. The abstract of the paper indicated that being (even a little bit) optimistic can be healthy and promote wellness.
“Through employment of specific coping strategies, optimism exerts an indirect influence also on the quality of life. There is evidence that optimistic people present a higher quality of life compared to those with low levels of optimism or even pessimists. Optimism may significantly influence mental and physical well-being by the promotion of a healthy lifestyle as well as by adaptive behaviours and cognitive responses, associated with greater flexibility, problem-solving capacity and a more efficient elaboration of negative information.”
— quoted from “Optimism and Its Impact on Mental and Physical Well-Being” by Ciro Conversano,1,† Alessandro Rotondo,2,† Elena Lensi,1 Olivia Della Vista,1 Francesca Arpone,1 and Mario Antonio Reda1
“1Istituto di Scienze del Comportamento Università degli Studi di Siena
2Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana
†These authors contributed equally to the work.”
Obviously, there is a difference between being optimistic (or pessimistic) and being delusional — or, in the case of pessimism, being fatalistic and/or riddled with anxiety. In some cases, however, the difference is a matter of perspective and that perspective brings our awareness to why some people are optimistic and some people are pessimistic. Notice that the source of optimism is not addressed in the APA’s definition of optimism. Many people may point to faith as the source of their optimism — especially this time of year, when there are so many holy obligations and sacred observations (including today’s celebration of Julian of Norwich and the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima). But notice that the APA’s definition doesn’t even include the word “believe” — and, yet, these mental attitudes are all about what our beliefs.
Neuroscientists like Dr. Beau Lotto highlight the fact that our beliefs are at the heart of this discussion. He often directs our attention to our previous experiences and the idea that we not only interpret current events through the filter of past events, we anticipate future events based on our past experiences. To me, his explanation sounds a lot like the concept of samskara (a “mental impression”) and vasana (a literal “dwelling” place of our habits). It also highlights why someone like Julian of Norwich thought she was dying back in 1373 and why, once she recovered, she was able to “shew” her experiences in a positive and loving light.
“Your brain is, at its core, a statistical distribution. Thus, your history of experiences creates a database of useful past perceptions. New information is constantly flowing in, and your brain is constantly integrating it into this statistical distribution that creates your next perception (so in this sense ‘reality’ is just the product of your brain’s ever-evolving database of consequence). As such, your perception is subject to a statistical phenomenon known in probability theory as kurtosis. Kurtosis in essence means that things tend to become increasingly steep in their distribution… that is, skewed in one direction. This applies to ways of seeing everything from currents events to ourselves as we lean ‘skewedly’ toward one interpretation positive or negative.”
— quoted from “Chapter 5. The Frog Who Dreamed of Being a Prince” in Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently by Beau Lotto
Dr. Lotto went on to write, “We’re really talking about math when we say, ‘The optimist sees the glass as half full and the pessimist as half empty,’ though in my view maybe true optimists are just glad to have a drink in the first place!” Julian of Norwich, a 14th century anchoress, fit that definition of a “true optimist.” Her Revelations of Divine Love (Revelations of Love in 16 Shewings) — which is the oldest surviving book written in English by a woman — refers to giving thanks (through prayer) as a way to truly understand oneself and ones situation. She even gave thanks for her illness! Additionally, one of the most well known quotes from her book can be considered a mantra for optimists (and for those wanting to be more optimistic):
“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and (in) all manner of thing(s) shall be well.”
— quoted from Chapters 1 of Revelations of Divine Love (Revelations of Love in 16 Shewings) by Julian of Norwich
A Graceful Saturday & FTWMI: An “All Will Be Well” Wednesday
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
“Optimists are likely to see the causes of failure or negative experiences as temporary rather than permanent, specific rather than global, and external rather than internal. Such a perspective enables optimists to more easily see the possibility of change.”
— quoted from the Psychology Today webpage entitled, “Optimism” (Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff)
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).
Thank you to everyone who Kiss[ed] My Asana!
We surpassed the overall fundraiser goals & one of my personal goals!!! Whether you showed up in a (Zoom) class, used a recording, shared a post or video, liked and/or commented on a post or video, and/or made a donation — you and your efforts are appreciated! Thank you!!!
### BE WELL & BE GREAT ###
The Ties That Bind (a short “renewed” post for Mother’s Day) May 12, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Dharma, Donate, Faith, Healing Stories, Karma Yoga, Life, Love, Maya Angelou, Meditation, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Super Heroes, Volunteer, Wisdom, Women, Yoga.Tags: Ann Reeves Jarvis, Anna Marie Jarvis, Chögyam Trungpa, compassion, Counting the Omer, family, Hero's Journey, loving-kindness, lovingkindness, Martha Graham, Maya Angelou, monomyth, Mother's Day, samskāras, Shawn Rivera, sutra, The force, Tim Harford
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Second Sunday of Pascha, Counting the Omer, Buddha Jayanti, and/or working for peace (inside and outside).
“I know ten thousand women called Jane and Mary Jane
I’ve not seen any two who really were the same
(Mirror twins are different, although, their features jibe)
And lovers think quite different thoughts
While lying side by side”
— quoted from the 4th stanza* of the song (5th & 6th stanzas of the poem) “Human Family” by Maya Angelou (song by Maya Angelou / Shawn Rivera)
This following is a “renewed” and slightly revised post from 2023 (with some additional context from 2020). The first embedded link connects to the original post, entitled “The Force of the Mother.”
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms. No matter how you came to be a mom (or what your kiddos call you), you are a powerful force in the world and represent a powerful Force in the world. The Mother archetype is present in every life story, every healing story, and in every religious and cultural story or myth. In the monomyth (or “Hero’s Journey”), the Mother can represent life, death, and time; nurturing, nourishment, and protection; unconditional love, acceptance, and devotion; as well as unselfishness. The Mother can present as the Matriarch, as Mother Nature/Gaia, as a Fairy Godmother, or as a Divine Mother/Goddess. The Mother can be seen as the Good Mother, the Working Mother (which opens up into a whole host of other archetypes), the Stay-at-Home Mother, the Perfect Mother, the Devoted Mother. the Co-Dependent Mother, the Abusive Mother, the Abandoning Mother, the Critical Mother, or the Hovering/Helicopter Mother.
I used the word “or” for the aforementioned archetypal patterns; because, in many stories, maternal figures are often portrayed as one-dimensional. As if every Mary is the same as every Mary Jane and every Mary Jane the same as every Jane (or Jean). In real life, however, mothers can be more than one thing… simultaneously — and sometimes in ways that may seem contradictory. In real life, mothers are people: they love, they hope, they desire, they fear, they teach, and they fit into so many boxes it doesn’t even make sense to put them into a box… let alone to regulate them to a single day.
And yet, here we are… Mother’s Day in the United States.
“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)
I added that “in the United States,” because for years I willfully ignored the fact that other countries — not to mention a variety of religions — celebrate Mother’s Day at other times during the year and in very different ways than the way the observation has evolved here in the US. 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 who request a recording via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com).
Click here to check out my 2020 blog post about Mother’s Day (which lands in a special way since my mom unexpectedly passed in 2020). For a deeper dive, check out the April 28, 2023 episode of Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford – The Dark Money Behind Mother’s Day. (This link takes you to the episode on Tim Harford’s website.)
The Mother’s Day playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Mother’s Day 2020”]
“It is time for the preachers, the rabbis, the priests
Pundits and the professors
To believe in the awesome wonder of diversity
It is time for parents to teach young people early on
That in diversity, there is beauty, and there is strength
I note the obvious differences in the human family
Some of us are serious, some thrive on comedy
Some declare their lives are lived as true profundity
And others claim they really live the real reality”
— quoted from the 1st & 2nd stanzas* of the song “Human Family” by Maya Angelou (song by Maya Angelou / Shawn Rivera)
Since Mother’s Day 2024 falls on a day when I often focus on the common “threads” between different traditions, I am also sending the Sunday mailing list the practices from May 12, 2020, which feature another heart-centered (and hip-y) sequence inspired by Martha Graham.
The playlist for May 12th is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05122020 Threads, Instructions, & Truths”]
“We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.”
— quoted from the last (repeated) lines of the poem “Human Family” by Maya Angelou
*NOTE: The song “Human Family” contains the original poem written by Maya Angelou, plus additional lyrics by Maya Angelou and music by Shawn Rivera.
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).
You can still click here to Kiss My Asana Now! (Or, you can also click here to join my team and get people to kiss [your] asana!)
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
I will be back on schedule (and on Zoom) tomorrow. Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
### AUM ###
EXCERPT(S): “The Cost of Freedom” April 16, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Donate, Faith, First Nations, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma Yoga, Lent / Great Lent, Life, Men, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Volunteer, Women, Yoga.Tags: Chaitra Navaratri, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, KISS MY ASANA, Mahagauri, Mind Body Solutions, yogathon
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Happy National Poetry Month! “Nine days and nine nights of blessings and happiness if you are celebrating Chaitra Navaratri!” Many blessings to all and especially to those observing Great Lent!
“Find the cost of freedom
Buried in the ground
Mother Earth will swallow you
Lay your body down.”
— “Find the Cost of Freedom” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
The following excerpt is related to the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, signed today in 1862:
“Most people, I think, would agree that freedom is priceless. I mean, at least, I think we can all agree about that when we are talking about our own freedom. Things get a little twisted when we are talking about someone else’s freedom. How much do we value the freedom — or even the life — of someone we perceive as different from us? How much do we value the freedom — or even the life — of someone with whom we disagree about even the meaning of freedom?
What happens if you have to put a price freedom? What happens if you actually have to quantify the value of life, liberty, freedom (which is, ultimately, the pursuit of happiness)?
Did that last question take you back to the Constitution and the founders of the United States? Let’s really go back, get the full context, shall we?”
Please join me today (Tuesday, April 16th) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04162023 Cost of Freedom, II”]
The following excerpt is from a 2024 post about Navaratri:
“[Today is] also the eighth night/day of Navaratri, the Hindu celebration of God as a woman. This penultimate manifestation of Durga/Parvati is known as Mahagauri, the mother Goddess who slays the demon-king. Each of the nine manifestations of Durga represent Her at a different point in her life/journey. By the time we get to the eighth manifestation, Parvati is already married — but the demons can only be killed by a virgin. Obviously, she could not go back; she had to go forward in order to prepare herself for battle.
In some versions of her story, she practiced tapas, prayed, and made offerings. At one point, she bathed in the Ganges River, one of the sacred rivers in India, and emerged with the rosy glow of youth. In parts of India, people begin their eighth day by making pūjā or offerings of flowers to celebrate her wisdom, beauty, and ability to bring peace. Then they get ready for the final celebration. As I mentioned before, this particular Navaratri is one of the two lesser celebrated occasions. So, while there are not as many people celebrating at this time of year, there are still a lot of people preparing for the final celebrations.”
It’s Time to Kiss My Asana!
My first offerings for the 11th annual Kiss My Asana yogathon, which benefits Mind Body Solutions (MBS), are already posted. You can check out the first blog post here (and to check out previous offerings).
Click here to Kiss My Asana Now! (Or, you can also click here to join my team and get people to kiss [your] asana!)
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.)
### BESO MI ASANA ###
Ramadān & Gandhi in Dandi (the “missing” Saturday post — that is mostly notes, links, and music) April 7, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Gandhi, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Lent / Great Lent, Life, Love, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Poetry, Ramadan, Religion, Suffering, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: Ahimsa, Eastertide, Islam, KISS MY ASANA, Laylat al-Qadr, Mohandas Gandhi, nasheeds, Octave of Easter, Ramadan, Ramadān, Reba McEntire, Salt Satyagraha, satya, satyagraha, Shriman Narayan, Valji Govindji Desai, Yusuf Islam
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“Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramadān!” to anyone observing the holy month of Ramadān. (Keep your eyes open.) Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Great Lent or Eastertide / the Octave of Easter!
This is the “missing” post for Saturday, April 6th. My apologies for not posting the music before the practice on Zoom. You can request an audio recording of a related practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
“The eternal source of love
Was implanted
In every part of existence
The desire for another
Though night and day
Outwardly appears enemies
Yet both serve one purpose
Each seeking the other”
— quoted from the poem “Whispers from a Spiritual Garden” by Yusuf Islam
At the end of the day, we all desire an end to our suffering. However, since our experiences and circumstances are different, we articulate our desires in different ways. We cry, we sing, we wish, we hope, we pray, we contemplate — and, at some point, we have to do… something.
What we do and how we do it is also based on our experiences and circumstances. Some people give peace (and people) a chance. Some people choose war — and a twisted concept of power that prevents them from recognizing a power so great it is referenced in every major religion and spiritual philosophy: Divine or Universal Love.
“Truth (Satya) implies love, and firmness (agraha) engenders and therefore serves as a synonym for force. I thus began to call the Indian Movement ‘Satyagraha’ , that is to say, the Force which is born of Truth and Love or non-violence, and gave up the use of the phrase ‘passive resistance’ in connection with it, so much so that even in English writing we often avoided it and used instead the word ‘Satyagraha’ itself or some other equivalent English phrase.”
— quoted from “12. THE ADVENT OF SATYAGRAHA” in Satyagraha in South Africa by M. K. Gandhi (as published in THE SELECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI, VOLUME TWO, translated from the Gujarati by Valji Govindji Desai; General Editor Shriman Narayan)
In 1930, facing the suffering caused by unjust laws, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi decided salt would be the focus of a direct action, non-violent mass protest. The protest movement became known as the Salt Satyagraha and today (April 6th) is the anniversary of Gandhi, in Dandi, breaking the law.
This also happens to be one of the final days of Ramadān — and the beginning of the month when the Saturday classes will be heart(chakra)-focused.*
Click on the links below for more information and insight.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04062024 Satyagraha & Ramadan”]
Some quick notes about the music: First, my playlists for the final days of Ramadān are not halal (“permissible”) in all Islamic traditions, because of the orchestrations. They do, however, feature musicians who are Muslim (with a few exceptions).
Reba McEntire is one of the notable exceptions — notable, because in previous years she was the only female soloist and the only non-Muslim singer on the playlists. While this year’s playlists include several Muslim women as musicians and composers, “Pray for Peace” is still highlighted because it was re-released during the month of Ramadān in 2014 — but not just randomly in the month, the song was released in the last ten days of the month (during the holiest part of the month)!
Some songs on the playlist are Nasheeds (meaning they are religiously moral songs) that, in some traditions, are meant to be sung without instrumentation or only with percussion. I have, however, included orchestrated versions of these songs, because this seems to have worked best in an in-studio setting. I mean no disrespect by this choice. As far as I know, percussion or voice only recordings of the Nasheeds are available (if you want to build your own playlist). Alternatively, you can practice without the music — which is always a suitable option.
Finally, the YouTube version currently includes some additional before/after music.
*HOLIDAY NOTE: I did not reference the biblical stories related to the Octave of Easter or Great Lent.
###
DID YOU KNOW, IT’S ALMOST TIME TO
KISS MY ASANA?
(April 13th – 19th)
###
First Friday Night Special #42: An Invitation to “Planting & Transforming” (a post-practice post with an excerpt and links) April 5, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Bhakti, Books, Changing Perspectives, Confessions, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Lent / Great Lent, Life, Meditation, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Poetry, Ramadan, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: Azima Melita Kolin, Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians, Imam Khalid Latif, Jane Goodall, khorasan, KISS MY ASANA, Laylat al-Qadr, Maryam Mafi, Mishlei, Narguess Farzad, nasheeds, Octave of Easter, Paulo Coelho, poetry month, Proverbs, Ramadan, Ramadān, Reba McEntire, Rumi, Sami Yusuf
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“Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramadān!” to anyone observing the holy month of Ramadān. (Keep your eyes open.) Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Great Lent or Eastertide / the Octave of Easter!
This is the post-practice post for tonight’s “First Friday Night Special.” You can request an audio recording of tonight’s Yin Yoga practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible.
“The body is like a pot with the lid on
lift the lid to see if it is filled
with the Water of Life or the poison of death.
Focus on the contents and you will become a master
focus on the pot and you will be misguided.
Your eyes only see the body
while the spiritual eye perceives the soul.”
— quoted from the poem by Rumi as published in Rumi’s Little Book of Life: The Garden of the Soul, the Heart, and the Spirit, translated by Maryam Mafi and Azima Melita Kolin (with an introduction by Narguess Farzad)
This First Friday Night Special fell on a night that could be, might be (and to many probably is), one of the holiest nights of Ramadān: Laylat al-Qadr. Since April is Poetry Month, there was poetry as well as an explanation about this sacred time. While I ultimately did not include references to scripture related to the the Octave of Easter, there was a bit of context about why we were focusing on these observations — and, really, a little context about why we focus on more than the body (as well as why that often includes things outside of the Yoga Philosophy lineage). This post is just a little expansion of the explanatory comma (with an excerpt related to Laylat al-Qadr).
As often happens at least once year, someone said they weren’t sure where I was going with my narrative. In this particular case (on Monday), the confusion was understandable and (to be honest) a little intentional. Later in the week, a very wise and dear friend asked me why I teach the things I teach. In some ways, these are the same question: What’s the proverbial (or metaphorical) destination? What’s the point?
I actually ask myself these questions all the and I normally have pretty standard answers. These standard answers can be delivered via any number of stories from any number of cultures, authors, songs, historical events, and/or my own history. For instance, since I grew up around so many cultures and religious traditions, I like “…looking at the same mountains from different angles.” (to quote Paulo Coelho) and value the richness and wisdom that can be found in so many manifestations of humanity. However, as we see in many of the Eastern philosophies and traditional sciences, everything has a flipside.
Just as some people have riches, some people have next to nothing. Just as some people are grateful for everything, some people are never satisfied. Just as some people take without thinking, some people give without thought. Just as some people have the time and the space to sit and meditate in quiet, some people are in the middle of (external and/or internal) battles. Just as some people express love and kindness, some people express anger and frustration. There is joy and peace, just as there is anxiety and worry. There is fear and there is wisdom.
Sometimes I find that dichotomy exhausting. In fact, I recently admitted to some friends that I’ve been feeling a little world-weary. That weariness has made it hard to put in the work to do certain things… to teach certain things — even to blog about certain things.
I know I am not alone in this…. I also know some ways to overcome this. That is one of the reasons I do what I do. Because, whatever we do (or don’t do) and how ever we do it (or don’t do it), makes an impact and leaves an impression.
“Use your time wisely. Spend it only in pursuit of things that are good. Hold the world in your hand if you so desire, but never let the world use your heart as its abode. Your understanding of the world around you will be based off of how you take care of the world within you. Treat your heart as something precious and let only what is good for [it] have the privilege of receiving its love.”
— quoted from a 2013 “Ramadān Reflection” for Huffington Post by Imam Khalid Latif
Our thoughts, words, and deeds make an impact on our own self, on the world, and on those around us. That’s what Dame Jane Goodall was saying on Wednesday… and that’s one of the lessons of the Yoga Philosophy: Everything we do is planting a seed — and also, nourishing, harvesting, and/or uprooting what has been planted.
We see it in all the major religions and philosophies and in various sacred texts and scriptures. Throughout the Yoga Sūtras, Patanjali outlined how we can be more conscious about the seeds we are planting and the seeds we need to uproot. In the Book of Proverbs — Mishlei, before King Solomon emphasized the importance of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, discernment, and patience as being connected to “righteousness, justice, and equity, every good path” (P — M 2:9), he talked about the different ways “[one] who sows injustice will reap violence” (P — M 22:8). Of course, the latter sentiment is echoed in Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians (6:7), where it is applied to whatever/everything. While it is spelled out in different ways by different authors, the message is the same.
We are creating the world in which we live and we are creating the path we will ultimately walk.
“Once a believer asked the angel of the Gate,
‘Is it true that hell is the road through which
both believers and unbelievers pass?
For on my way here I saw neither smoke nor fire.’
‘The road you passed was hell indeed,’ the angel smiled.
‘but since you have overcome your lower nature
to you it appears as a garden.
Having planted the seeds of devotion, you transformed
the fire of anger into compassion and ignorance
into wisdom. The thorns of envy have turned into roses
so now your fiery soul has become a rose garden
where nightingales sing praises.’”
— quoted from the poem by Rumi as published in Rumi’s Little Book of Life: The Garden of the Soul, the Heart, and the Spirit, translated by Maryam Mafi and Azima Melita Kolin (with an introduction by Narguess Farzad)
The following excerpt is from a 2022 “renewed” post:
“Laylat al-Qadr, translated as ‘Night of Power,’ ‘Night of Destiny,’ ‘Night of Value,’ ‘Night of Measure,’ ‘Night of Decree’ or ‘Night of Honour,’ commemorates the anniversary of the Qur’ān being reveled to the angel Gabriel in a verse-by-verse recitation, which Gabriel then recited to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) over the last 23 years of his (the Prophet’s) life. It is also considered the night when a certain evil spirit can do no harm/evil, when past transgressions are forgiven, and when Allah decides everyone’s destiny. (Notice the similarity to the High Holidays in Judaism?) It is a night so powerful that people will stay up all night praying because it is believed their prayers are more powerful on this most holy night.
There’s just one problem….
No one knows which night is the holiest night.”
CLICK HERE for the entire 2022 post about Laylat al-Qadr.
The April First Friday Night Special features a Yin Yoga Yoga practice (partially inspired by Sarah Powers and Yin Yoga with Matt). It is accessible and open to all.
Prop wise, this is a kitchen sink practice. You can practice without props or you can use “studio” and/or “householder” props. Example of “Studio” props: 1 – 2 blankets, 2 – 3 blocks, a bolster, a strap, and an eye pillow. Example of “Householder” props: 1 – 2 blankets or bath towels, 2 – 3 books (similar in size), 2 standard pillows (or 1 body pillow), a belt/tie/sash, and a face towel.
You may want extra layers (as your body may cool down during this practice).
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Ramadan 2024: Planting & Transforming”]
Some quick notes about the music: First, my playlists for the final days of Ramadān are not halal (“permissible”) in all Islamic traditions, because of the orchestrations. The do, however, feature musicians who are Muslim (with a few exceptions). This First Friday Night Special playlist is all instrumental (during the practice); includes women as musicians and composers; and the YouTube version currently includes some additional before/after music. Please note that all practices can be done without music and, in fact, some people prefer practicing yoga without music.
One of the notable exceptions — notable, because on the other Ramadān playlists she is the only female soloist and the only non-Muslim singer — is Reba McEntire. While this playlist is a little different, her song “Pray for Peace” is on the playlists because she re-released it during the month of Ramadān in 2014 — but not just randomly in the month, the song was released in the last ten days of the month!
Additionally, there are some songs on the playlist that are Nasheeds (meaning they are religiously moral songs) that, in some traditions, are meant to be sung without instrumentation or only with percussion. I have, however, included orchestrated versions of these songs, because this seems to have worked best in an in-studio setting. I mean no disrespect by this choice. As far as I know, percussion or voice only recordings of the Nasheeds are available (if you want to build your own playlist). Alternatively, you can practice without the music.
Finally, one of the songs is on the playlist three (3) times and was inspired by “the stories in In Baghdad Dreaming Of Cairo: In Cairo, Dreaming Of Baghdad by Rumi and by The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.” The song is moving in English (and as an instrumental, which is how it shows up during the practice), but it is next level in Arabic. Let’s go. Better yet, let’s make the whole world feel like home.
### ARE YOU READY TO KISS MY ASANA?
(April 13th – 19th) ###
Waiting… on a Saturday (mostly the blessings & music) March 30, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Lent / Great Lent, Life, Love, Music, One Hoop, Ramadan, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Women, Yoga.Tags: Dr. Crawford M. Long, Holy Saturday, Holy Week, Lazarus Saturday, National Doctors Day, Passion Week, Pope Francis, Ramadān, Season for Nonviolence, Season of Non-violence
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Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramadān!” to anyone observing the holy month of Ramadān. (Keep your eyes open.) Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Passion Saturday / Holy Saturday or Great Lent on National Doctors’ Day and throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and during all other seasons!
“This year however, we are experiencing, more than ever, the great silence of Holy Saturday. We can imagine ourselves in the position of the women on that day. They, like us, had before their eyes the drama of suffering, of an unexpected tragedy that happened all too suddenly. They had seen death and it weighed on their hearts. Pain was mixed with fear: would they suffer the same fate as the Master? Then too there was fear about the future and all that would need to be rebuilt. A painful memory, a hope cut short. For them, as for us, it was the darkest hour.
Yet in this situation the women did not allow themselves to be paralyzed. They did not give in to the gloom of sorrow and regret, they did not morosely close in on themselves, or flee from reality. They were doing something simple yet extraordinary: preparing at home the spices to anoint the body of Jesus. They did not stop loving; in the darkness of their hearts, they lit a flame of mercy. Our Lady spent that Saturday, the day that would be dedicated to her, in prayer and hope. She responded to sorrow with trust in the Lord. Unbeknownst to these women, they were making preparations, in the darkness of that Sabbath, for ‘the dawn of the first day of the week’, the day that would change history. Jesus, like a seed buried in the ground, was about to make new life blossom in the world; and these women, by prayer and love, were helping to make that hope flower. How many people, in these sad days, have done and are still doing what those women did, sowing seeds of hope! With small gestures of care, affection and prayer.”
— Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis, Easter Vigil, Holy Saturday, 11 April 2020
Please join me today (Saturday, March 30th) at 12:00 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06052021 The Last Appointment”]
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
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A Little Salt (the “missing” Tuesday post) March 12, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in 19-Day Fast, Books, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Donate, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Faith, Food, Gandhi, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Karma Yoga, Lent / Great Lent, Life, Love, Mantra, Men, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Ramadan, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Volunteer, Wisdom, Women, Yoga.Tags: A. R. Rahman, Ahimsa, Andrew Jackson, Civil Rights, Gospel According to Matthew, Jawaharlal Nehru, Jesus, Kamala Nehru, Khatija Rahman, Martha Nussbaum, Martin Luther King Jr, Mohandas Gandhi, niyamas, Raheema Rahman, Ray Cassin, salt, Salt Satyagraha, salt tax, satya, satyagraha, Season for Nonviolence, Season of Non-violence, Shriman Narayan, Sunil Khilnani, tapas, Theodore Roosevelt, U2, Valji Govindji Desai, yamas
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“Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramadān!” to anyone observing the holy month of Ramadān. (Keep your eyes open!) Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Lent and/or the 19-Day Fast. May we cultivate peaceful possibilities throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!
This is the “missing” post for Tuesday, March 12th. It is a compilation post, which includes some previously posted content. You can request an audio recording of a related practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
“‘…the book I’ve been working on for about 10 years, and that I’m in the midst of trying to finish now, is about that; about how we can have a culture that cultivates the spirit of individual dissent.
‘I think it can be done. It can be done by having public examples of that. Gandhi, when he was on the salt march, had everyone singing the song of Rabindranath Tagore, which goes, “Walk alone, walk alone …” Now there’s some paradox in that, with a million people on the march! But he was cultivating the thought that each individual has dignity, and the dignity consists partly in the willingness to stand up to authority.’
Gandhi’s leadership of a march protesting about the salt tax imposed by India’s British colonial administrators is a vivid example of the kind of civic formation [Martha] Nussbaum is talking about. But she has homelier examples, too.”
— quoted from The Sydney Morning Herald article “Interview: Martha Nussbaum – As attitudes harden towards religion, the American philosopher turns her attention to the nurturing of faith, freedom and respect for difference.” by Ray Cassin (pub. September 1, 2012)
In the mid-1880s, the British East India Company (and then the British government) enacted a series of salt taxes, which made it illegal to produce or possess salt without paying a tax. By 1930, that tax represented 8.2% of the British Raj tax revenue. Even if you lived in a coastal town like Dandi, you had to pay the tax, or suffer the consequences. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi decided salt would be the focus of a direct action, non-violent mass protest.
As I mentioned last month, some people laughed when Gandhi decided salt would be the focus of his satyagraha. People who are world leaders today scoffed back then, because they didn’t get it and they didn’t have his insight and vision. However, Gandhi wasn’t the first radical leader to emphasize the importance of salt. Jesus did it, in the Gospel According to Matthew (5:13 – 14), when he referred to his disciples as “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” In both cases, the teacher whose name would become synonymous with a worldwide religious movement indicated that there was a purpose, a usefulness, to the disciples and their roles (as salt and as light). I think it’s important to remember that Jesus was speaking to fishermen, farmers, and shepherds — people who were intimately familiar with the importance of salt (and light). They knew that (different kinds of) salt can be used for flavoring, preservation, fertilization, cleansing, and destroying, and that it could be offered as a sacrifice. They knew, as Gandhi would later point out, that people in hot, tropical climates needed salt for almost everything — including healing.
Gandhi’s “audience” was different. He was living in a time of industrialization and the beginnings of these modern times in which we find ourselves. He knew that people laughed and scoffed, because they didn’t completely understand the usefulness and vitalness of salt. He understood that some people took salt for granted. Even within the pages of Young India (which he used to educate and inform people), he debated with experts about the benefits and risks of salt consumption. He also knew that some people — inside and outside of British-ruled India — just didn’t get the inhumanity of charging people a tax for something that they could obtain (literally) outside their front door; something that was part of the very fiber of their being.
Remember, the human body is 60 – 75% water… and most of that water is saturated with salt.
“Next to air and water, salt is perhaps the greatest necessity of life. It is the only condiment of the poor. Cattle cannot live without salt. Salt is a necessary article in many manufactures. it is also a rich manure.
There is no article like salt, outside water, by taxing which the State can reach even the starving millions, the sick, the maimed and the utterly helpless. The salt tax constitutes the most inhuman poll tax that the ingenuity of man can devise.”
— quoted from a letter by M. K. Gandhi, printed in Young India, Vol. XII, Ahmedabad: February 27, 1930
From Wednesday, March 12th until Saturday, April 5th, 1930, Gandhi walked over 240 miles (390 kilometers) so that he could reach the sea shore in Dandi in order to break an unjust law. He woke up in Dandi, on Sunday, April 6th, prayed and illegal made salt at 8:30 AM. The satyagraha against the salt tax would continue for almost a year. It would, ultimately, be one of the inspirations for Civil Rights Movement in the United States and would be one of the first times that women were actively involved in a protest in India. Kamala Nehru, the young wife of the man who would eventually become India’s first Prime Minister, was one of those women. She was also an advocate for women being involved in the movement and in politics. (So, it is not surprising that her daughter and grandson also became prime ministers.)
Over 60,000 Indians (including Gandhi) would be jailed before it was all said and done. But, when Gandhi began the march he was only accompanied by 78 men devoted to truth (satya).
“Truth (Satya) implies love, and firmness (agraha) engenders and therefore serves as a synonym for force. I thus began to call the Indian Movement ‘Satyagraha’ , that is to say, the Force which is born of Truth and Love or non-violence, and gave up the use of the phrase ‘passive resistance’ in connection with it, so much so that even in English writing we often avoided it and used instead the word ‘Satyagraha’ itself or some other equivalent English phrase.”
— quoted from “12. THE ADVENT OF SATYAGRAHA” in Satyagraha in South Africa by M. K. Gandhi (as published in THE SELECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI, VOLUME TWO, translated from the Gujarati by Valji Govindji Desai; General Editor Shriman Narayan)
Even though thousands would join the movement, the 78 men who started the march with Gandhi (and many who would join in along the way) were people who practiced a dedication to ahimsa (non-violence/non-harming) and satya (truth) — the first two yamas (external restraints or universal commandments) of the 8-Limb Philosophy of Yoga. Since Gandhi once said, “God is Truth” and another time said “Truth is God,” there was also a commitment to recognizing a day-to-day awareness of a higher purpose, meaning in life, and supreme consciousness. This is one way to look at bramacharya, yet another yama.
Along with the business and logistics of the campaign, people participating in the march had to sleep outside, often wore a single white garment, and were dependent on villagers along the way to provide food and water for them to wash up. This means they also practiced asteya (non-stealing), aparagraha (non-attachment), saucha (cleanliness), santosha (contentment), and tapas (discipline/austerity). Furthermore, they chanted and sang devotionals to keep their spirits up; which can also be a way of practicing isvarapranidhana (releasing one’s efforts back to the source).
All told, the satyagrahis actively practiced all five (5) of the yamas (external restraints/universal commandments) and four (4) of the five (5) niyamas (internal observations) which make up the ethical component of the philosophy of yoga. One could even argue that, since people had to consider their feelings on the subject and make the decision to join the movement, they were also practicing svadyaya (self-study), which is the niyama I did not include above. Either way you break it down, Gandhi and the first 78 men set the tone for the movement. They were steeped in a way of life and a way of thinking that enabled them to respond rather than to react and to work towards change without being attached to the results.
Jawaharlal Nehru — who would go on to become India’s first Prime Minister — was one of the people who initially scoffed at Mahatma Gandhi’s idea to focus on salt. But, he and his wife participated in the movement. They saw the powerful effect of the movement firsthand. In fact, he indicated that the important legacy of the Salt Satyagraha was how it changed the mindset of the Indian populace.
“Of course these movements exercised tremendous pressure on the British Government and shook the government machinery. But the real importance, to my mind, lay in the effect they had on our own people, and especially the village masses. Poverty and a long period of autocratic rule, with its inevitable atmosphere of fear and coercion, had thoroughly demoralised and degraded them…. Non-cooperation dragged them out of this mire and gave them self-respect and self-reliance; they developed the habit of cooperative action; they acted courageously and did not submit so easily to unjust oppression; their outlook widened and they began to think a little in terms of India as a whole….”
— quoted from a letter addressed to Lord Lothian [Philip Henry Kerr, 11th Marquess of Lothian], dated Badenweiler, January 17, 1936, by Jawaharlal Nehru (published in A Bunch of Old Letters: Being mostly written to Jawaharlal Nehru and some written by him, selected and edited by Jawaharlal Nehru, with an introduction by Sunil Khilnani
Several American leaders, including two former presidents (Andrew Jackson and Theodore Roosevelt) have been quoted as saying that one can tell if a person is worth their salt (or not worth their salt) by their willingness to stand up for what is right and/or to put themselves at risk on behalf of a great cause. Fast forward to the United States in the 1960’s and we find another example of people engaging in a satyagraha. Once again, people gained agency through a faith-driven, grassroots movement.
Fast forward to today and we see lots of grassroots efforts and lots of agency being given to the populace. Some of these more modern movements may be based on the concept of non-violence; but, unfortunately, they are not always firmly-grounded in the practice.
“Such a universal force [Satyagraha] necessarily makes no distinction between kinsmen and strangers, young and old, man and woman, friend and foe. The force to be so applied can never be physical. There is in it no room for violence. The only force of universal application can, therefore, be that of ahimsa or love. In other words it is soul force.
Love does not burn others, it burns itself.”
— quoted from “Some Rules of Satyagraha” by M. K. Gandhi, printed in Young India, Vol. XII, Ahmedabad: February 27, 1930
(NOTE: The general explanation and rules were followed by a section of rules of conduct for various situations, including for “an Individual” and for “a Prisoner.”)
“Agape is something of the understanding, creative, redemptive goodwill for all men. It is a love that seeks nothing in return. It is an overflowing love; it’s what theologians would call the love of God working in the lives of men.”
— quoted from the “Loving Your Enemies” sermon at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (11/17/1957)
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04062021 Salt Satyagraha”]
NOTE: The YouTube playlist includes extra videos of featured songs.
“Even when a man takes revenge on others who hate him, in spite of him not hating them initially, the pain caused by his vengeance will bring him inevitable sorrow.” (313)
“When a man inflicts pain upon others in the forenoon, it will come upon him unsought in the afternoon.” (319)
— quoted from the English translation of the Tamil lyrics in the song “Ahimsa” by U2 and A. R. Rahman, featuring Khatija and Raheema Rahman (translation from IntegralYoga.org)
CORRECTION: I have previously misspoken the time when Gandhi broke the salt tax law. 8:30 AM, local time, appears to be the correct time.
### Be we are all accountable for our own thoughts, words, and deeds. ###
FTWMI: Liminal & Rare Days (abridged) February 29, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in 19-Day Fast, Ayyám-i-Há, Baha'i, Books, Changing Perspectives, Depression, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Lent / Great Lent, Life, Love, Mathematics, Men, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Religion, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Women, Yoga, Yom Kippur.Tags: #shareyourcolours, Bruce H. Kramer, Calendars, Cathy Wurzer, Dalia Fein, Edward Reingold, Gregorian calendar, Jessica Fein, Joan Borysenko, Julian calendar, Nachum Dershowitz, rare disease, Rare Disease Day, Season for Nonviolence, Season of Non-violence
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Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Lent, Ayyám-i-Há, and/or Rare Disease Day during this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!
If the colors are too much, click here for a monochromatic copy of the entire 2023 post.
This is the abridged version of a 2023 post related to February 29th (which was original posted with information from yesterday’s post). Some context and links (including a video) have been added/updated. There’s no practice today; however, you can request an audio recording of a previous practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
“That’s the thing about a rare disease. You fight for a diagnosis for years ― on average, according to Global Genes, it takes seeing 7.3 physicians and trying for 4.8 years before getting an accurate rare disease diagnosis ― and then, even once you know, you must continue being a detective as you try to piece together the clues as to how the illness might progress. You become an expert in a disease you wish you’d never heard of.
As a parent, you also quickly morph into a nurse, therapist, chief operating officer, educational advocate, cheerleader and warrior. You feel alone, because by definition, your child’s diagnosis is exceptional. And yet, 1 in 10 Americans and 300 million people globally are living with a rare disease.
You find community not just in other people who share the specific diagnosis your family is facing, but in those struggling with any rare diagnosis. It doesn’t matter what the exact symptoms or disease trajectory are. What matters is the shared understanding that your dreams as a parent have forever shifted.”
— quoted from the (February 28, 2022*) Huffington Post article entitled “My Daughter’s Rare Disease Was A Mystery For Years. Here’s How We Finally Got A Diagnosis.” by Jessica Fein
In addition to being (what I would consider) a “liminal day,” February 28th can also be a “rare” day. Typically, when we think of a “rare” day on the Gregorian and Julian calendars, we think of February 29th, Leap Day, which is rare because it only happens every four years.** Leap day is the perfect day for Rare Disease Day, which is observed on February 28th during non-leap years like 2023. Observations on this alternate date, coincide with the anniversary of the United States House of Representatives passing the Orphan Drug Act of 1983 on February 28, 1982. The act went into effect on January 4, 1983, and it facilitated the development of “orphan drugs” (i.e., drugs for rare diseases and disorders). Japan and the European Union enacted similar acts in 1993 and 2000, respectively. Prior to the act being passed in the U. S., less than 40 drugs had been approved as treatments for rare diseases and disorders (in the whole history of the United States). In the three decades after the act went into affect, almost ten times as many drugs had been approved.
Why the difference? Why did it take an act of Congress?
Unfortunately for those who face life-threatening and life-changing diseases, research is primarily driven by pharmaceutical companies, which are mostly driven by profits — and there’s just not a lot of profit in rare diseases.
“That referral led us to the geneticist, who ended up delivering the information that changed our lives.
‘Dalia tested positive for a genetic mutation that’s associated with myoclonic epilepsy with ragged red fibers, or MERRF syndrome ― an extremely rare form of mitochondrial disease,’ the doctor said.”
— quoted from the (February 28, 2022*) Huffington Post article entitled “My Daughter’s Rare Disease Was A Mystery For Years. Here’s How We Finally Got A Diagnosis.” by Jessica Fein
Approximately 300 million people are living with a rare disease. That doesn’t sound very rare when you add in their family, friends, and caregivers. But, here’s the thing: those 300 million people are not living with the same disease. They are not even living with the same two or three diseases. In the medical community, a “rare disease” is typically defined as a disease that affects fewer than 1 in 2,000 people. That means it can affect one or two people, or several hundred around the world. In the United States, Huntington’s disease; myoclonus; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – also known as motor neuron disease (MND); Tourette syndrome; muscular dystrophy; Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS); Prader-Willi syndrome; and Usher syndrome are all considered rare diseases or rare disorders. Sickle cell anemia is also considered a rare disease; even though it affects approximately 100,000 people in the United States. Autosomal systemic lupus erythematosus, which is characterized by the presence of (the more common) systemic lupus erythematosus symptoms in two or more members of a single family, is also considered a rare disease.
Approximately 72 — 80% of rare diseases are known to be genetic. About 70% begin in childhood. Tragically, thirty percent of children diagnosis with a rare disease will not reach age 5. While some people have diseases that are degenerative, some people “outgrow” their disease. Another challenge, for people suffering from rare diseases and disorders, is that sometimes people can be suffering with “invisible” ailments — meaning that others perceive them as healthy. All of these differences in symptoms and situations makes it really hard to receive diagnosis and treatment — especially since healthcare practitioners (particularly here in the West) are taught to “look for horses, not zebras.” Unfortunately, rare diseases are really colorful zebras. They require patients and their family and friends to take on all the roles normally distributed between professionals.
Recently, another couple of layers have been added to the already complicated story of rare diseases. For a variety of really disturbing reasons — that I want to believe come from a lack of awareness and knowledge — people have started co-opting orphan drugs and using them for non-life threatening issues. In some cases, they are being used for purely cosmetic purposes without any regard for the people whose lives actually depend on the medication. (NOTE: This is also happening with treatments for “common diseases,” with equally devastating effects; however, those common diseases get more publicity, because they make up a larger share of the market.) On the flip side, COVID seems to have created a situation where some rare diseases are becoming more common — which means, as twisted as sounds, that some people are feeling more hopefully, because more research and development is being done with regard to their ailment.
Again, it all comes down to awareness, education, perspective, compassion, and empathy. Which is the whole point of Rare Disease Day.
Established in 2008, by the European Organization for Rare Diseases, Rare Disease Day is a day dedicated to “raising awareness and generating change for the 300 million people worldwide living with a rare disease, their families and [caregivers].” The 2023 theme “Share Your Colours” is an invitation to share your story. Whether you have a rare disease or whether you love and/or care for someone with a rare disease, sharing your story can be a way to raise awareness, stop the ignorance, and end stigma.
If you are not dealing with a rare disease, be open to hearing other people’s stories. As rare as they are, I have known someone dealing with almost all of the rare diseases and disorders that I used as examples (above). Or, I should say, I’ve known that I knew them, because they shared their stories. Listening, as Bruce Kramer pointed out, opens us “… a little bit more.”
“To be open is to embrace your own great big messy humanity, to cry in sadness but not despair, to recognize presence in the emptiness of the bitter moment of truth, to be afraid but not fearful. Dis ease presents the choice of being open or closed, and opening to her lessons, her gifts, her challenges, is not easy. But dis ease clarifies vision, bringing sight to the blindness of what you thought you knew about living, light to the darkness of cynicism that life’s grief piled upon itself can foster. I know ALS is a horror, yet when fully embraced, it has taught me, it has revealed to me pure unsullied, uncontaminated, unbelievable love.
In my heart of hearts, I know that love never dies.”
— quoted from “25. Faith, Part IV: What’s Love Got To Do with It?” in We Know How This Ends: Living while Dying by Bruce H. Kramer with Cathy Wurzer
The 2023 playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06142020 World Blood Donor Day”]
NOTE: Not all rare diseases are blood-based, but the playlist contains a blood-borne subliminal message.
*NOTE: A follow-up article by Jessica Fein was also published by Huffington Post [on] February 28, 2023.
**NOTE: According to the Julian calendar, Leap Year is every four years. On the Gregorian calendar, which is used by most people who will come across this post, it’s not that simple.
“A year is a leap year if it is divisible by 4 and is not a century year (multiple of 100) or if it is divisible by 400. For example, 1900 is not a leap year; 2000 is.”
— quoted from “2 — The Gregorian Calendar, 2.1: Structure” in Calendrical Calculations by Nachum Dershowitz, Edward Reingold
### SHARE YOUR COLOURS ###
EXCERPT: “Uncovering Layers to Reveal Truth” February 27, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Books, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Lent / Great Lent, Life, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Suffering, Wisdom, Women, Yoga.Tags: Abraham Lincoln, Anna O, Bertha Pappenheim, Cooper Union, Elizabeth KOULTON, Gene Knudsen Hoffman, Josef Breuer, psychoanalysis, psychology, samskāras, Samyama, Season for Nonviolence, Season of Non-violence, Sigmund Freud, slavery, Stephen Douglas
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Many blessing to anyone observing (or getting ready to observe) Lent. Peace and ease — and more listening — to all, throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!
“An enemy is one whose story we have not heard.”
— the title of a 1997 essay by Gene Knudsen Hoffman
The following excerpt is from the 2023 revision of a previous post:
“Imagine that, at a very early age, you are exposed to an idea. It doesn’t have to be a big idea, stated and codified in a systematic way. It could just be a simple statement. It could be an idea (or a statement) about age, gender, race, ethnicity, religious and/or political beliefs — it could even be an idea about height or weight or hair texture (or length) or skin and/or eye hue. Or maybe it’s a statement about ability. Either way, the moment that you are exposed to the idea, some part of you questions whether it is true and even considers the validity of the idea/statement based on the source. You may not be conscious of this questioning, but it happens – sometimes quickly, in a blink — and then, as you move forward, other things (and people) either confirm the veracity of the idea or invalidate the idea.
Now, imagine that you grow up with this idea and this idea, whether you feel it is directed at you or at people around you, becomes — on a certain level — the lens through which you view yourself and the world. You may not be conscious of this lens. In fact, in most cases, this bias (whether we view it as positive or negative) is unconscious… subterranean. In the Yoga Philosophy, saṃskāra is a Sanskrit word for mental “impressions,” that can also be defined as “idea, notion, conception.” Saṃskāra are the foundation or roots of our thoughts, words, and deeds. Neurologically speaking, we can think of them as hard-wired pathways that are sometimes such an integral part of us they make habitual responses to certain situations appear instinctual. They are the beginning of the best of us… and also the worst of us.”
CLICK HERE for the entire post about Bertha Pappenheim (born today in 1859) and about a speech given by Abraham Lincoln today in 1860.
NOTE: The linked post contains information about mental health and United States history. It also includes links to a different playlist.
“This can already be seen in the different reception given a new citizen of the world. If the father or someone else asked what ‘it’ was after a successful birth, the answer might be either the satisfied report of a boy, or—with pronounced sympathy for the disappointment— ‘Nothing, a girl,’ or ‘Only a girl.’”
— Bertha Pappenheim (b. 1859) as quoted in The Jewish Woman: New Perspectives, edited by Elizabeth Koultun
Please join me today (Tuesday, February 27th) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08282021 The Heart’s Wildest Dream”]
“If any man at this day sincerely believes that a proper division of local from federal authority, or any part of the Constitution, forbids the Federal Government to control as to slavery in the federal territories, he is right to say so, and to enforce his position by all truthful evidence and fair argument which he can. But he has no right to mislead others, who have less access to history, and less leisure to study it, into the false belief that ‘our fathers who framed the Government under which we live’ were of the same opinion — thus substituting falsehood and deception for truthful evidence and fair argument. If any man at this day sincerely believes ‘our fathers who framed the Government under which we live,’ used and applied principles, in other cases, which ought to have led them to understand that a proper division of local from federal authority or some part of the Constitution, forbids the Federal Government to control as to slavery in the federal territories, he is right to say so. But he should, at the same time, brave the responsibility of declaring that, in his opinion, he understands their principles better than they did themselves; and especially should he not shirk that responsibility by asserting that they ‘understood the question just as well, and even better, than we do now.’”
— quoted from Abraham Lincoln’s address at Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, February 27, 1860, (during which he repeatedly quotes a statement made by Senator Stephen Douglas)
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
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Between Heaven & Earth (the “missing” post for Sunday the 18th) February 24, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Bhakti, Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Food, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Lent / Great Lent, Life, Music, Mysticism, New Year, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Taoism, Vairagya, Wisdom, Women, Yoga.Tags: Ardhanaranari, Ardhanarishvara, Banlam, Durga, Elvin Xing Yifu, Funkensonntag, Great Lent, Gupta Navaratri, Hokkien, Hoklo, Jade Emperor, kriya yoga, kriyā yoga, Lent / Great Lent, Magha Navaratri, Minnan, Navaratri, Nina Simone, Parvati, Season for Nonviolence, Season of Non-violence, Shiva, Siddhidhatri, Soon Su-Chuin, Spring Festival, Sri Panchami, Swami Vivekananda, Tong Chee Kiong, Vasant Panchami, Year of the Dragon, Yoga Sutra 2.1
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“Happy New Year!” “Happy Spring Festival!” Many blessings to everyone observing (or getting ready to observe) Lent. Peace, ease, and acceptance to all throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!
This is the “missing” post for Sunday, February 18th. It includes some previously posted information (updated for 2024) and links to related posts. You can request a recording of the related practice(s) via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice. Donations are tax deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
“Think of a space in your heart, and in the midst of that space think that a flame is burning. Think of that flame as your own soul and inside the flame is another effulgent light, and that is the Soul of your soul, God. Meditate upon that in the heart. Chastity, non-injury, forgiving even the greatest enemy, truth, faith in the Lord, these are all different Vrittis. Be not afraid if you are not perfect in all of these; work, they will come. He who has given up all attachment, all fear, and all anger, he whose whole soul has gone unto the Lord, he who has taken refuge in the Lord, whose heart has become purified, with whatsoever desire he comes to the Lord, He will grant that to him. Therefore worship Him through knowledge, love, or renunciation.”
— quoted from “Chapter VIII: Raja-Yoga in Brief” in The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 1, Raja-Yoga by Swami Vivekananda
For some people (even some people observing Lent, the Spring Festival, and/or Navaratri), Sunday, February 18th was, once again, just another Sunday. For some people, however, there were celebrations and observations that have particular significance for people in certain regions. They are rituals and traditions that mark a change in season and, in the last two cases, the beginning of peace.
In Belgium, northern France, and parts of Germany and Switzerland, the first Sunday of Lent is referred to as Funkensonntag. Sometimes translated as “Spark Sunday” or as “Bonfire Sunday,” it is a day when people build Lenten (bon)fires in order to burn their Christmas trees and other debris left over from winter. Effigies of the Winter Witch and Old Man Winter are also tossed into the bonfires, making this tradition a way to welcome — even hasten — the arrival of Spring.
Since the Orthodox and Western Christian traditions use a different calendars, there have been times when the First Sunday of Lent in the Western Christian traditions is Shrove Sunday, the last Sunday before Great Lent. It is also known as “Cheesefare Sunday” and “Forgiveness Sunday,” which puts extra emphasis on fasting, prayers, and letting go of past transgressions, sins, animosity, and rivalries. Even this year, when the Christian calendars do not overlap in the aforementioned way, people in all the traditions are engaged in the elements of kriyā yoga (“yoga in action”): that combination of tapah (“heat, austerity, or discipline”), svādhyāya (“self-study”), and īśvarapraņidhāna (“trustful surrender to [God]”).
“Those Samâdhis with which we ended our last chapter are very difficult to attain; so we must take them up slowly. The first step, the preliminary step, is called Kriya-yoga. Literally this means work, working towards Yoga.”
— quoted from the commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.1, in Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda
In 2024, Funkensonntag overlapped with the ninth day/night of Navaratri. The Hindu celebration of the nine feminine manifestations of the Divine is also a story about Durga/Parvati in different stages of life. Each manifestation is a symbolic milestone (and a reminder that women “contain multitudes”). The final day is devoted to Siddhidhatri, whose name literally means “land/earth of achievements.” She is “Giver of Perfection,” believed to be endowed with all the siddhis (“abilities”) in the Universe and, also, to be able to bestow all of them. However, She typically only gives nine of the multitudes. In art and literature, she is sometimes depicted as being half of Shiva (with Him being half of Her), meaning that they are the embodiment the yin/yang symbol. When they are shown together in this way, they are each known as Ardhanarishvara, Ardhanaranari, or similar names that all highlight the fact that They are partially a woman.
During the big celebrations of Navaratri (in the Spring and Fall) the final day is a double celebration — which may mean more feasting in some regions and more fasting in others. Magha Navaratri is one of the celebrations referred to as Gupta Navaratri meaning it is “hidden/secret” — again, not because no one knows about it, but because it is not as obvious as the bigger celebrations. Even one of the biggest days during this particular Gupta Navaratri is hidden in the middle! Vasant Panchami or Sri Panchami, a festival marking the beginning of Spring, occurs on the fifth day of Magha Navaratri.
“On the eve of the ninth day, a pair of sugarcane plants are usually placed one on each side of the offering table or the front door of the house. This pair of the sugarcane symbolises unity, cooperation and strength. The cane itself is a symbol of harmony and a token which can bring good ‘sweet’ results.”
— quoted from “SECTION ONE: CHINESE – Chapter 2. Chinese Community and Culture in Singapore (Variation of Practices during Chinese New Year: Hoikkien) by Soon Su-Chuin, Elvin Xing Yifu and Tong Chee Kiong, as published in The Singapore Ethnic Mosiac: Many Cultures ,One People edited by Mathew Matthews
The ninth day of the Lunar New Year is the birthday of the Jade Emperor, who is known as the “Ruler of Heaven and Earth.” While he is a prominent figure some religious traditions and is honored throughout in the Lunar New Year celebrations, most people — even people who celebrate the 15-day Spring Festival — have gone back to business as usual by the ninth day of the Lunar New Year. People may do something in private, especially if they are hosting their son-in-law(s); but, for most people, it is not a special day off. There are, however, some people whose celebrations of the Jade Emperor’s birthday are so significant that they rival the festivities at the beginning of the Lunar New Year and the end of the Spring Festival.
The following (revised) excerpt is from a 2021 post:
“Legend has it that the Hokkien people (also known as Hoklo, Banlam, and Minnan people) found themselves under attack. The Hokkien were not warriors, but they came in close proximity with warriors because they were known for building great ships. One version of their story states that the events occurred while they were being hunted and killed during the Song Dynasty (between 960 and 1279 CE). Another version indicates that they were caught between warring factions. Ultimately, to escape the carnage, they decided to hide in a sugar cane field — which, in some versions of the story, just miraculously appeared. The whole community hid until there were no more sounds of horses, warriors, or battle. Legend has it that they emerged on the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, which is the Jade Emperor’s Birthday.Sometimes referred to as ‘Heavenly Grandfather’ and ‘Heavenly Duke,’ the Jade Emperor is recognized as the ruler of heaven and earth in some Chinese religions and mythology. In Taoism, he is one of the Three Pure Ones or the Three Divine Teachers. Fujian province (in China), Penang (in Malayasia), and Taiwan are three areas where there is a large concentration of Hokkien people and, therefore, places where the ninth day of the Lunar New Year is a large celebration. In some places the celebrations begin at 11 PM on the eighth night and can be so large that they eclipse the celebrations of the first day of the Lunar New Year (in those areas). In fact, the ninth day is actually called ‘Hokkien New Year.’
Those who are religious will go to a temple and engage in a ritual involving prostration, kneeling, bowing, incense, and offerings. For many there is a great feast full of fruits, vegetables, noodles, and (of course) sugar cane. The sugar cane is an important element of the Jade Emperor’s birthday celebrations and rituals — not only because of the aforementioned story of survival, but also because the Hokkien word for ‘sugarcane’ (kam-chià, 甘蔗) is a homonym for (or sounds like) a Hokkien word for ‘thank you’ (kamsiā, 感谢), which literally means ‘feeling thankful.’
Every version of the Hokkien people’s survival story is a great reminder that we can give thanks no matter how hard, how challenging, how infuriating, and/or how tragic our situation. Take [2020, or last year], for instance: When we look back at all the hard stuff, all the grief, all the fear, all the anger, all the disappointment, and all of the trauma, we can get distracted and forget that there were moments of sweetness. There were moments of kindness, moments of love, moments of birth and rebirth, moments of compassion, moments of hope, and moments of joy. In other words, in spite of all the hard stuff, there were moments of sweetness. Take a moment to remember one of those moments; and feel thankful.”
CLICK HERE for the entire post (including a tie-in to the Yoga Philosophy).
“‘Although we may not have an image of this deity in our temple, as long as devotees have the Jade Emperor in their hearts, their prayers will be heard,’ said [the Kwan Imm Temple’s] principal Shi Fa Zhuo.”
— quoted from The Star article entitled “Legend Behind Hokkien New Year emphasizes unity and solidarity” by Grace Chen (2/24/2018)
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Lunar New Year Day 9 & Funkensonntag 2024”]
CLICK HERE for a 2021 post about the “leftovers” from the Hokkien New Year celebrations.
A Joyful Practice 