Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone praying, wishing, hoping, and working for peace, freedom, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside). Stay hydrated, y’all!
“If I am to confess what drove me, as a woman, to become a rabbi, two things come to mind. My belief in God’s calling and my love of my fellow man. God has bestowed on each one of us special skills and vocations without stopping to ask about our gender. This means each one of us, whether man or woman, has a duty to create and work in accordance with those God-given skills.”
— quoted from the doctoral thesis entitled “May a woman hold rabbinic office?” by Rabbi Regina Jonas
Rabbi Regina Jonas was born today in 1902. Click on the excerpt title below to discover why she is one of my “impossible” people (and someone once Overlooked*).
“She told Berna, a Swiss women’s newspaper: ‘For me it was never about being the first. I wish I had been the hundred thousandth!’”
— quoted “First Officially Ordained Woman Rabbi Regina Jonas 1902–1944” by Gabriel Popkin, published in Overlooked: A Celebration of Remarkable, Underappreciated People Who Broke the Rules and Changed the World by Amisha Padnani and the [New York Times] Obituaries Desk
Please join me today (Saturday, August 3rdh) 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 available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08032022 Always Answering the Impossible Call”]
*NOTE: The second quote above is one I did not find (or overlooked) when I first did my research almost a decade ago. So, there is a good chance I will expand the 2022 post, just a little bit, thanks to my yoga buddy Julie, who gave me a copy of the book Overlooked (cited above). The book features obituaries for people who made history, but were not always recognized (because they were part of marginalized communities). It is full of amazing — and sometimes “impossible” — people like Rabbi Regina Jonas, who is featured in the “Paddling Their Own Canoes” section. My thanks to Julie (and the authors)!
“Nothing can hold you back—not your childhood, not the history of a lifetime, not even the very last moment before now. In a moment you can abandon your past. And once abandoned, you can redefine it.
If the past was a ring of futility, let it become a wheel of yearning that drives you forward. If the past was a brick wall, let it become a dam to unleash your power.
The very first step of change is so powerful, the boundaries of time fall aside. In one bittersweet moment, the sting of the past is dissolved and its honey salvaged.”
— quoted from the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory; words and condensation by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman.
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.
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.
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone cultivating peace, freedom, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside). Stay hydrated, y’all!
“The light that’s in your eyes / reminds me of the skies / that shine above us every day—so wrote a contemporary lover, out of God knows what agony, what hope, and what despair. But he saw the light in the eyes, which is the only light there is in the world, and honored it and trusted it; and will always be able to find it; since it is always there, waiting to be found. One discovers the light in darkness, that is what darkness is for; but everything in our lives depends on how we bear the light. It is necessary, while in darkness, to know that there is a light somewhere, to know that in oneself, waiting to be found, there is a light. What the light reveals is danger, and what it demands is faith.”
“What a journey this life is! dependent, entirely, on things unseen.”
— quoted from the essay “Nothing Personal” by James Baldwin (b. 1924), original published as part of a collaboration with Richard Avedon
Born today in Harlem, New York, in 1924, the author James Baldwin was — by his own words (see excerpt below) — an impossible person. He was someone who said yes to life and yes to the light inside of himself. He was someone, as Maya Angelou pointed out, who lived with his whole heart and encouraged others to do the same.
To live with one’s whole heart is the original meaning of “courage,” a word James Baldwin put in the same category as words like “artist,” “integrity,” “nobility,” “peace,” and “integration.” Words that, he said (in the speech “The Artist’s Struggle for Integrity”), “[depend] on choices one has got to make, for ever and ever and ever, every day.”
Of course, to make those choices wisely, we need to have some semblance of balance — especially as it relates to the heart.
“I have slept on rooftops and in basements and subways, have been cold and hungry all my life; have felt that no fire would ever warm me, and no arms would ever hold me. I have been, as the song says, ‘buked and scorned and I know that I always will be. But, my God, in that darkness, which was the lot of my ancestors and my own state, what a mighty fire burned! In that darkness of rape and degradation, that fine flying froth and mist of blood, through all that terror and in all that helplessness, a living soul moved and refused to die. We really emptied oceans with a home-made spoon and tore down mountains with our hands. And if love was in Hong Kong, we learned how to swim.
It is a mighty heritage, it is the human heritage, and it is all there is to trust. And I learned this through descending, as it were, into the eyes of my father and my mother. I wondered, when I was little, how they bore it—for I knew that they had much to bear. It had not yet occurred to me that I also would have much to bear; but they knew it, and the unimaginable rigors of their journey helped them to prepare me for mine. This is why one must say Yes to life and embrace it wherever it is found—and it is found in terrible places; nevertheless, there it is; and if the father can say, Yes. Lord, the child can learn that most difficult of words, Amen.”
— quoted from the essay “Nothing Personal” by James Baldwin (b. 1924), original published as part of a collaboration with Richard Avedon
Please join me tonight (Friday, August 2, 2024), 7:15 PM – 8:20 PM (CST) for “Saying Yes to Life and to the ‘Impossible.’” You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
This Yin Yoga practice 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). Having a wall, chair, sofa, or coffee table may be handy for this practice.
NOTE: The playlist tracks are slightly different in length and duration. Start with track 1, 8, or 10.
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.
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.
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone practicing peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside). Stay hydrated, y’all!
For Those Who Missed It: The following post-practice post (related to the practice on Monday, July 22nd) was originally posted in 2020. Some formatting, quotes, and date-related information have been updated or added. Some links direct sites outside of this blog. The 2024 prompt question was, “What is your perfect taco?”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.
“I like it when a man puts thought into the kind of restaurant we’re going to. That doesn’t mean it needs to be fancy — some of the best meals of my life have been having a taco on a street corner.”
— Meghan Markle (now, Duchess of Sussex) quoted in an Esquire Magazine article dated Dec. 15, 2016
“I like to take a day off and enjoy fast food for what it is. I have to say that in New York I’m really partial about taco trucks. I mean I really can’t handle it. There is something about catching all those ingredients piled on top of each other it puts me in a tizzy. I love it. I’m kind of a taco truck junkie.”
— Alex Guarnaschelli (when asked if she eats fast food, TooFab 03/01/2011)
Imagine the perfect taco. “‘What is “The perfect taco?” Alex.’” What makes it perfect? Is it the outside? I mean, I know people who will throw down over hard shells versus soft. (And, just for the record, there’s no such thing as an “open-faced taco” — that’s a chalupa or a tostado, for goodness sake!)
So, maybe, what makes your perfect taco is what’s on the inside. Hmmm… given that everyone has different tastes, different needs, and desires, it seems that there could be a different taco for every person in the world (and two tacos per person on Tuesdays). The poet Emma Lazarus was born today (July 22nd) in 1849, so think about what “all your huddled masses” have been seeking over the years. I once heard Bryan Kest say that there’s at least one version of a pose for every person in the world. He estimated 8 billion ways to do every pose. And, it turns out that practicing yoga is a lot like searching for “the perfect taco.”
“Never underestimate how much assistance, how much satisfaction, how much comfort, how much soul and transcendence there might be in a well-made taco and a cold bottle of beer.”
— quoted from Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
I’m not much for beer, but I’m a huge fan of a well-made taco and I’m a huge fan of Tom Robbins’s fourth novel, Jitterbug Perfume. Born today in 1932, in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, Robbins is a self-described “hillbilly” who grew up in a Baptist household, went to a military college prep school, studied journalism in college, enlisted in the Air Force, and spent a year as a meteorologist in Korea and two years in Nebraska before being discharged. He returned to Richmond, Virginia (where his family had moved during his early childhood) and started reading poetry in a coffee shop.
Mr. Robbins returned to school and also put his journalism degree to good use, while (occasionally) hitchhiking, researching a book on Jackson Pollack, and (eventually) hosting a weekly alternative radio show for KRAB-FM, Seattle. All the while, Tom Robbins was writing — searching for his perfect writing style, his voice. He found it and used it to write Another Roadside Attraction, a novel that you could theoretically say is “just” about a kind of wacky couple who open a hot dog stand. His first novel had all the elements you will find in most of his novels: wacky, bohemian characters; strong-willed women; animals; religion; existential philosophical musings; science; food (always food); and the occasional mythical character.
Jitterbug Perfume definitely has all of the elements described above and, to me, it is one the most visceral novels by Mr. Robbins. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and yet, when I look at “Nighthawks” by Edward Hopper (who was born today in 1882), I may feel a lot, but I smell very little. On the flip side, I can’t even think about Jitterbug Perfume without smelling it. I know, I know, you’re thinking well, of course, the word “perfume” is in the title and it’s all about perfumers trying to capture this magical essence. That’s the way the brain works.
Yeah, no. When I think of this particular novel, I’m thinking about another element that shows up in all of Tom Robbins’s work: s-e-x. And Pan.
“The word desire suggests that there is something we do not have. If we have everything already, then there can be no desire, for there is nothing left to want. I think that what the Buddha may have been trying to tell us is that we have it all, each of us, all the time; therefore, desire is simply unnecessary.”
— quoted from Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
As we’ve discussed before, suffering is a part of the human condition. We can say, as the Buddhist and Yoga philosophies instruct us, that suffering comes from attachment; however, what we are really saying is that suffering comes from desires. There are lots of different kinds of desire, and they can lead to all different kinds of attachment (rooted in pleasure or rooted in pain); but, Mr. Robbins suggests in Jitterbug Perfume that the desire itself isn’t the problem. He suggests that maybe we suffer because “we do not desire wisely.” It’s an interesting thought — especially if you consider that we are psychologically and physiologically wired to desire, to want certain things and to not want other things.
Considering that there may be a better way to desire, makes me think of certain Buddhist and/or Yoga practices. For instance, shoshin is the Zen Buddhist practice of “beginners mind” and I often liken it to santosha, the practice of contentment, which is the second niyama (internal observation in Yoga). Just as Mr. Robbins says (above) the practice focuses not on the idea that we are missing out on something but focuses instead on the fact that in this moment there is something, something extraordinary, something… perfect. In Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, Shunryu Suzuki explains that “in the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the experts mind there are few.” When we show up and practice shoshin and/or santosha we open ourselves up to find something perfect in the moment, be it the perfect scent, the perfect quantum physics equation, the perfect taco… or the perfect pose.
“If you lack the iron and the fuzz to take control of your own life, if you insist on leaving your fate to the gods, then the gods will repay your weakness by having a grin or two at your expense. Should you fail to pilot your own ship, don’t be surprised at what inappropriate port you find yourself docked. The dull and prosaic will be granted adventures that will dice their central nervous systems like an onion, romantic dreamers will end up in the rope yard. You may protest that it is too much to ask of an uneducated fifteen-year-old girl that she defy her family, her society, her weighty cultural and religious heritage in order to pursue a dream that she doesn’t really understand. Of course it is asking too much. The price of self-destiny is never cheap, and in certain situations it is unthinkable. But to achieve the marvelous, it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought.”
— quoted from Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
Go back to the questions at the beginning of this post and think about them in terms of the “perfect” yoga pose. Even better, think about your pursuit of the perfect expression. Do you think about the inside first, or is your primary focus on the outside? Do you recognize that there are hundreds of thousands of elements, which translate into millions and billions of expressions? Do you recognize that there is no one way to do something and so, therefore, there can be billions of perfect poses? There is, however, an even more important question (inspired by one of my yoga teachers). Seane Corn said, “It’s not about the pose. It’s about the purpose. Be In Yours.” So, the better question as you seek your so-called perfect pose, is “What’s the purpose?”
When we get around to asking that question, we find that sometimes the perfect pose isn’t a taco at all… It’s a chalupa (or a tostado).
“When we accept small wonders, we qualify ourselves to imagine great wonders.”
— quoted from Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
As a former meteorologist, Tom Robbins would be familiar with chaos theory (the idea that small changes in initial conditions can translate into big outcomes) and it’s those little things that make a difference, unexpected differences, in his stories. Those little changes can also make a difference in your yoga practice…and in your meal preparation.
In the TV show Ugly Delicious, David Chang says, “The dishes that we’re making… it’s about telling a story.” The practicing yoga is also about telling stories, it’s about your body and mind telling your story. It’s about finding your voice, your themes, your ingredients, and then (as Tom Robbins has done all his life), putting it out there. It is, also, about listening — really, truly, deeply listening to your own heart, your own soul, and your own story. If you really listen, you can also hear the stories around you. And, it is delicious (even when it smells a little ripe).
“He was becoming unstuck, he was sure of that – his bones were no longer wrapped in flesh but in clouds of dust, in hummingbirds, dragonflies, and luminous moths – but so perfect was his equilibrium that he felt no fear. He was vast, he was many, he was dynamic, he was eternal.”
— quoted from Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
2024 NOTE: Today marked the beginning of Dà shǔ (大暑, “Great heat” or “Major heat”), which is the twelfth solar term and the last part of summer according to the traditional Chinese calendar (also known as the Agricultural Calendar). While I did not mention this in the practice, this season inspired the Yin/Yang sequence. Throughout this practice, you can follow the good advice of a guru: “‘Breathe properly. Stay curious. And always eat your beets.’” [Ibid.]
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
The playlist used in previous years is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07222020 The Perfect Taco”]
“‘Their breathin’ was deep and smooth and regular. When they brought air into their bodies, they visualized suckin’ in as much energy and vitality as possible; when they expelled air, they visualized blowin’ out all the staleness and flatness inside o’ them.’”
— quoted from “Air” in Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
In case you were confused or missed it (above), only one of the Alex’s mentioned above is was born today in 1940!
ERRATA: Original post contained type-o related to Edward Hopper.
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone putting together the pieces for peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
This is the “missing” note and excerpts related to the practice on Saturday, July 20th.You can request an audio recording of this practice or a related 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.
“Today Is all I really need to find the answers
I’ll find the constant flow Of all the harmony”
— quoted from the song “All the Love of the Universe” by Carlos Santana (b. 07/20/1947), written by Carlos Santana / Neal Schon
This present moment is the culmination of all our previous moments and — whether we recognize it or not — it is informed by our previous moments So, right here, right now, we all come into this present moment with stuff. Without judging or categorizing the stuff, just recognize that it is a lot of stuff and because we bring this stuff into the moment — and into the practice — each moment and each practice is unique. Even when we repeat a sequence and/or a theme, there is something that is new and different.
Yes, the fact that different people show up at different times means that some things will be different. Plus, I often tweak the sequence, how I cue it, and/or which parts of the theme to share. I may even remix the music or use a different playlist. All of that is part of “the stuff.” So too is how our bodies change as we practice and as we age. So too is whatever is going on in our lives and in the world. All of that (plus how we feel about all of that and how we process all of that) is “the stuff” that makes this present moment different from all the other moments.
All of the aforementioned stuff is the energetic and symbolic purview of the Sahasrara (“thousand-petalled”) chakra. Also known as the crown chakra, the seventh chakra is associated with the top of the head; thought, consciousness, and self-knowledge. Some teachers also associate it with our connection to the Divine/Source (whatever that means to you at this moment). Finally, it is associated with this present moment and one’s ability to be present in (any given) moment.
Of course, our ability to truly be present and to truly comprehend the present moment — as well as understand how this present moment is informed by previous moments and will inform future moments — can be hampered when we get “hooked” because something or someone pushed our buttons. Throughout this last week, as we practiced with Pema Chödrön’s teachings related to the the R’s, I have mostly referenced “the hook” in a negative way. However….
Click on the excerpt titles below to learn about a different kind of hook and how past experiences that hook you can also motivate you to create change in the world.
“Like diabetes, deafness, polio or any other misfortune, [intellectual disabilities] can happen in any family. It has happened in the families of the poor and the rich, of governors, senators, Nobel prizewinners, doctors, lawyers, writers, men of genius, presidents of corporations – the President of the United States.”
— quoted from a September 22, 1962 article by Eunice Kennedy Shriver printed in The Saturday Evening Post
“Everybody needs a helpin’ hand
Everybody needs a helpin’ hand”
— quoted from the song “All the Love of the Universe” by Carlos Santana (b. 07/20/1947), written by Carlos Santana / Neal Schon
Saturday’s playlist available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07202021 Using the Hook”]
NOTE: The YouTube playlist has an extra track in the before/after section.
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.
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone creating peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
“The work of artists is to find what’s humanly possible — possibility’s furthest reaches. But perhaps the work of citizens is to find what’s immediately possible. I can’t tell you how your work as artists contributes directly to your work as citizens, if in fact art does contribute directly, if in fact certitude and directness are not as inimical to art as despair is to politics. I’ve been writing plays for nearly two decades and I only know, or at least I think I know, that only in activism — organizing, arguing, fundraising, electioneering — can one exercise with some small degree of certainty one’s agency as an actor in politics, on the historical stage. Politics, as they say, is the art of the possible.”
— quoted from the School of Visual Arts commencement speech (in New York City, May 14, 2010) by Tony Kushner (b. 1956)
Please join me today (Tuesday, July 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 “07162023 Hooked by the Classics”]
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.
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone practicing peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
“Somebody says a mean word to you and then something in you tightens — that’s the shenpa. Then it starts to spiral into low self-esteem, or blaming them, or anger at them, denigrating yourself. And maybe if you have strong addictions, you just go right for your addiction to cover over the bad feeling that arose when that person said that mean word to you. This is a mean word that gets you, hooks you. Another mean word may not affect you but we’re talking about where it touches that sore place — that’s a shenpa. Someone criticizes you — they criticize your work, they criticize your appearance, they criticize your child — and, shenpa: almost co-arising.”
— Pema Chödrön
For the record, I am not going to say, practice, teach (or preach) anything I haven’t been teaching, practicing, and saying (or preaching) for years. Maybe I will tweak the phrasing. Maybe you will hear/see/understand things in a special way — thereby gaining new insight. Either way, regardless of all that is happening in the world, it still comes back to this: Sometimes the only thing you can do is not make it worse.
Yes, sometimes we can do things that make our life and the lives around us better. Sometimes we can write legislation, vote for legislation, and/or vote for people who write and/or vote for legislation that creates more opportunity for peace, freedom, prosperity, and wisdom. Sometimes we can create organizations or work, volunteer, and/or donate to organizations that cultivate peace, freedom, prosperity, and wisdom. There are, however, times when we are too poor — in spirit, heart/courage, skills, and/or material resources — to do anything other than send “thoughts and prayers.”
All that being, I am of the mindset that we can not know what we are able to do and/or what is the best way to respond — rather than react — until we sit down, get still, get quiet, and get honest about our intentions. Once we are grounded and centered, then we can act accordingly. In other words, practice the four R’s:
RECOGNIZE (that your buttons have gotten pushed and you have the urge/impulse to react).
REFRAIN (from doing anything, especially that knee jerk reaction).
RELAX (maybe breathe peace in and breath peace out, or do use a centering prayer).
RESOLVE (to move forward with mindfulness and intention).
This is the practice taught by the American Tibetan Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön, who was born today in 1936. I often add another R (or two):
REMEMBER (your intention and why you are doing the thing you are doing).
RECOGNIZE (again, that sometimes the only thing you can do is not make it worse).
You may be thinking, I don’t have time for all that “navel gazing” and introspection. And, yes, there are definitely times that require a quick response. At the same time, if you make this practice a habit, it only takes a split second to engage when you really need it.
“By trying this, we learn exactly where we are open and where we are closed. We learn quickly where we would do well to just practice abiding compassionately with our own confused feelings, before we try to work with other people, because right now our efforts would probably make a bigger mess. I know many people who want to be teachers, or feed the homeless, or start clinics, or try in some way to truly help others. Despite their generous intentions, they don’t always realize that if they plan to work closely with people they may be in for a lot of difficulty—a lot of feeling hooked. The people they hope to help will not always see them as saviors. In fact, they will probably criticize them and give them a hard time. Teachers and helpers of all kinds will be of limited use if they are doing their work to build up their own egos.”
— quoted from “Unlimited Friendliness: Three steps to genuine compassion” (Winter 2009 issue of Tricycle) by Pema Chödrön
Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, July 14th) at 2:30 PM.Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07142020 Compassion & Peace for Pema”]
“Prince Guatama, who had become Buddha, saw one of his followers meditating under a tree at the edge of the Ganges River. Upon inquiring why he was meditating, his follower stated he was attempting to become so enlightened he could cross the river unaided. Buddha gave him a few pennies and said: “Why don’t you seek passage with that boatman. It is much easier.”
— quoted from Matt Caron and from Elephant Journal
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.
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.
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone making memories full of peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
“We are able to find everything in our memory, which is like a dispensary or chemical laboratory in which chance steers our hand sometimes to a soothing drug and sometimes to a dangerous poison.”
— quoted from The Captive, Volume 5 of Remembrance of Things Past (or In Search of Lost Time) by Marcel Proust
It is super ironic that I have a hard time remembering that today (July 10th) is the anniversary of the birth of the French author Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust, who was born today in 1871 (in Auteuil, Paris, France). This lapse in memory is not new. In fact, I could weave in a little Yoga Philosophy — see Yoga Sūtras 1.6, 1.11, 4.9, and maybe 1.43 — and tell you a long and funny story about the origins of this gap in my mind. However, my long story wouldn’t be nearly as long as the Marcel Proust’s most well-known tome: À la recherche du temps perdu. Known in English as Remembrance of Things Past or In Search of Lost Time, it is 1,267,069 words and was printed in 7 volumes over 14 years (1913-1927). At the time of its publication, it was the longest novel every written. Today, I believe it ranks as the 6th longest novel. (Although that ranking annoyingly places it behind The Blah Story by Nigel Tomm, which includes pages with just one word: Blah.)
Marcel Proust wrote all about the origins of our memories and how we recollect things, at will and involuntarily. In doing so, pointed out that we have fool hearted memories, whimsical memories, and memories that have gaps. That is just part of being human. We have faulty memories. Strong emotions (and preconceived notions) can sharpen our awareness of certain things, causing us to forget things, remember things in the wrong order, and/or misremember things all together. Another thing that can create faulty memories is the way we learn about things — especially things about which we (or our teachers) have strong emotions. Throw in a situation none of us were around to witness and watch the sparks fly.
“We will now discuss in a little more detail the struggle for existence…. I should premise that I use the term Struggle for Existence in a large and metaphorical sense, including dependence of one being on another, and including (which is more important) not only the life of the individual, but success in leaving progeny.”
— from On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life by Charles Darwin (pub. 1859)
Today in 1925, The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, better known as “The Scopes Monkey Trial,” kicked off in Dayton Tennessee. Click the excerpt title below for more.
“It has often and confidently been asserted, that man’s origin can never be known: but ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.”
— from The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex by Charles Darwin (pub. 1871)
Please join me today (Wednesday, July 10th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom.You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07102024 ‘Scoping’ Memories”]
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.
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone planting seeds for peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
For Those Who Missed It: This following was originally posted in 2023 as a “missing” post for July 5, 2023 (and also for 2022). It includes playlists for both sets of practices, some slight revisions, and some additional context related to the First Friday Night Special #45: “Seats for a ‘Rigid Body.’”You can request an audio recording of either 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.
“Every body continues in its state of rest, or uniform motion in a right line, unless compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it.”
— “Law 1” quoted from “Axioms, or Laws of Motion” in Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Sir Isaac Newton
NOTE: Some editions use the term “straight line.”
Take a moment to relax, maybe place your hand(s) on your belly, and observe what happens if nothing gets in the way. Notice how your tension-free belly rises and falls as the breath enters and leaves the body. Notice how the “force” of the breath, which is a symbol of our life and a symbol of our spirit, is an agent of change — physically, mentally, emotionally, and even energetically.
You can use your breath, forcefully, to break up and/or release tension. Similarly, lengthening the breath and observing the breath (all of which can be described as prāņāyāma) change things when we are practicing on the mat. The way we breathe and the awareness of our breath can also be an agent of change off the mat. We just have to pay attention and stay focused to things that are naturally occurring.
However, paying attention, staying focused, and even breathing deeply in and breathing deeply out can be challenging in certain situations… especially situations involving challenging people… rigid bodies, if you will.
“I most gladly embrace your proposal of a private correspondence. What’s done before many witnesses is seldom without some further concerns than that for truth; but what passes between friends in private, usually deserves the name of consultation rather than contention; and so I hope it will prove between you and me….
But in the mean time, you defer too much to my ability in searching into this subject. What Descartes did was a good step. You have added much several ways, and especially in considering the colours of thin plates. If I have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
— quoted from a letter marked “Cambridge, February 5, 1675-76” from Sir Isaac Newton to Dr. Robert Hooke, as published in Memoirs of the Life, Writings, and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton by David Brewster
Sir Isaac Newton was just a 43-year old “natural philosopher” when he published the first edition of his Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) today in 1687. The treatise included definitions of terms, his laws of motion, and a law of universal gravitation. It was partially based on Sir Isaac Newton’s own observations of the natural world and partially based on the theories, definitions, and observations of others. Those others, which Sir Isaac Newton referred to as “giants,” included Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler — whose laws of planetary motion were themselves modifications of the observations and heliocentric theory of Nicolaus Copernicus, yet another giant.
All of the aforementioned natural philosophers — or scientists, as we now call people who study matter and the mechanics of matter in space and time (i.e., physics) — started with phenomena that was naturally occurring; could be observe in nature; and could be duplicated on some level. Then they went deeper… or farther, depending on your perspective. For Sir Isaac Newton, going deeper and farther meant having discussions with some his peers and even with some people who were skeptical of his work. He even had an ongoing correspondence with one of his master teachers and precious jewels — someone we might refer to as a “rigid body.”
An object at rest remains at rest, and object in motion remains in motion (at the same speed and in the same direction, unless acted upon by an unbalanced force).
The acceleration of an object is dependent upon two variables – the net force acting upon the object and the mass of the object.
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
— Sir Isaac Newton’s Laws of Motion
In physics, a “rigid body” (or “rigid object”) is a solid collection of matter that (a) does not change in size or shape or (b) changes at such a miniscule level that it is not perceptible. In quantum mechanics, the focus is on a collection of points — which, on a very rudimentary level, takes us back to the original definition. Focusing on a collection of points means highlighting a consistent distance between points that allows for the external appearance of stillness. In Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity, nothing is absolutely rigid and, therefore, something is only considered “rigid” if it is not moving at the speed of light. This latter understanding means that the issue of something (or someone) being rigid becomes an issue of perception (and relativity).
Just like with the laws of motion — and, in particular with “The Law of Inertia” (i.e., the first law), the idea of a “rigid body” is physical science that can be observed on and off the mat. We can observe it in the way we move — physically, mentally, emotionally, and even energetically. We can observe it in the way holding a pose is perceived as “stillness,” even though there is movement and change. If we just go a little deeper, we start to notice cause-and-effect and how the laws of motion are also the laws of karma. For example, if we do something nice for someone, they can do something equally nice for someone else. When we really pay attention, we start to notice the the ways things (and people) change over time — even when they appear not to change.
“Every relationship you develop, from casual to intimate, helps you become more conscious. No union is without spiritual value.”
— quoted from “Morning Visual Meditation” (Chakra 2) by Caroline Myss
According to Eastern philosophies, like Yoga and Buddhism, everything is an opportunity for practice. In fact, the Yoga Sūtras include many reminders that everything is an opportunity to learn more about ourselves, about our true nature, and about the universe. Yoga Sūtra 2.18 specifically states that everything is an opportunity to liberate ourselves. Additionally, more than one Yoga teacher has made the connection between stiff minds and stiff bodies, as well as to how being too mechanical in our practice can lead to stagnation in the practice. This is basically the first law of motion (and a little bit of the third)
So, what do we do when we interact with someone who seems resistant to change and/or to seeing things from different perspectives?
We could view them as master teachers, precious jewels, and/or rigid bodies.
Master teachers give us a master classes in ourselves. Precious jewels — like a grain of sand or salt in the shell of an oyster, clam, or other shelled mollusks — can be that irritating source of something we eventually view as valuable. It’s all a matter of perspective. One way to cultivate this perspective is by viewing another person as our reflection. If we are interacting with someone who appears to be “hooked,” we might recognize that we are (possibly) also “hooked” — which is the first step in getting “unhooked.”Similarly, if we feel like we are banging our head up against a brick wall and start seeing someone as a “rigid body,” we might ask ourselves: What/where is the change we are not perceiving?
Remember, according to Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, nothing is absolutely rigid. Ergo, change is always happening… somewhere.
It is happening inside the mind-body of people we may consider rigid; it is also happening inside of our own mind-body. We are not responsible for the change that is happening (or not happening) inside of someone else. However, when we notice the possibility of change inside of ourselves, the question then becomes, do you resist the change or embrace the change? Answering that question does not mean that we give up on our ideas or conform to the way someone else thinks. No, it means going deeper and farther… like Sir Isaac Newton.
“‘But this I immediately discovered in him,’ adds [Dr. Henry Pemberton*], still further, ‘which at once both surprised and charmed me. Neither his extreme great age, nor his universal reputation had rendered him stiff in opinion, or in any degree elated. Of this I had occasion to have almost daily experience. The remarks I continually sent him by letters on his Principia, were received with the utmost goodness. These were so far from being anyways displeasing to him, that, on the contrary, it occasioned him to speak many kind things of me to my friends, and to honour me with a public testimony of his good opinion.’ A modesty, openness, and generosity, peculiar to the noble and comprehensive spirit of Newton. ‘Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty,’ yet not lifted up by pride nor corrupted by ambition. None, however, knew so well as himself the stupendousness of his discoveries in comparison with all that had been previously achieved; and none realized so thoroughly as himself the littleness thereof in comparison with the vast region still unexplored.”
— quoted from “Life of Sir Isaac Newton” by N. W. Chittenden, as published in Newton’s Principia: The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy; To which is added, Newton’s System of the World by Isaac Newton, translated into English by Andrew Motte (first American edition; New York: published [1848] Daniel Adee, c1846)
*NOTE: Dr. Henry Pemberton edited the third edition of the Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy).
Up until the twentieth century (and the publication of Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity), the Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) was the starting point for many scientist as they observed and explored the natural movement of the world. In many ways, that first edition was also Sir Isaac Newton’s starting point.
After sharing his ideas and theories, Sir Isaac Newton went back, reviewed his work, and published a second edition of the Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), with annotation and corrections, in 1713. He published a third edition in 1726. Eventually, he was recognized as one of the world’s greatest mathematicians and physicists and his Principia became the foundation for classical mechanics — one of the cornerstones of modern physics.
Eventually, Sir Isaac Newton became one of the “giants.”
“A short time before his death he uttered this memorable sentiment: ‘I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, while the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.’ How few ever reach the shore even, much less find ‘a smoother pebble or a prettier shell!’”
— quoted from “Life of Sir Isaac Newton” by N. W. Chittenden, as published in Newton’s Principia: The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy; To which is added, Newton’s System of the World by Isaac Newton, translated into English by Andrew Motte (first American edition; New York: published [1848] Daniel Adee, c1846)
The July First Friday Night Special features a Restorative practice (** with a chair, table, or bench**). It is accessible and open to all.
Prop wise, as noted above, I recommend using a chair, table, or bench for this practice. It can also be 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 onYouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07052024 Seats for a ‘Rigid Body’”]
NOTE: The first tracks are slightly different in length and duration on each platform. I set the practice to the YouTube track. Additionally, the YouTube playlist includes an extra video.
EXTRA MUSIC NOTES:
The playlist for Wednesday, July 5, 2023, is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10202020 Pratyahara”]
It’s National CROWN Day (unofficially, of course)! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone cultivating peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted in 2022. Class details, the playlist (plus some formatting), and a video have been updated/changed or added.
“… 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
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.”
Today in 1776, John Adams wrote a letter to his wife Abigail about how (and why) the “Second Day of July 1776” would be remembered and celebrated for all times.
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).
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 noted last year: “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.” You can click the previous link for the history and/or click here for more (con)text(ure).
Please join me today (Wednesday, July 3rd) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom.You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07032024 More Freedom(s)”]
NOTE: This playlist is a remixed (and is different from what we used in previous years). 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.
“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
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.
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.
Happy Pride! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Third Day Of the Holy Spirit, and/or cultivating peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
“Anne Frank kept a diary from June 12, 1942, to August 1, 1944. Initially, she wrote it strictly for herself. Then, one day in 1944, Gerrit Bolkestein, a member of the Dutch government in exile, announced in a radio broadcast from London that after the war he hoped to collect eyewitness accounts of the suffering of the Dutch people under the German occupation, which could be made available to the public. As an example, he specifically mentioned letters and diaries.
Impressed by this speech, Anne Frank decided that when the war was over she would publish a book based on her diary.”
“The last entry in Anne’s diary is dated August 1, 1944. On August 4, 1944, the eight people hiding in the Secret Annex were arrested. Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl, the two secretaries working in the building, found Anne’s diaries strewn all over the floor. Miep Gies tucked them away in a desk drawer for safekeeping. After the war, when it became clear that Anne was dead, she gave the diaries, unread, to Anne’s father, Otto Frank.”
— quoted from the Foreword to The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition by Anne Frank (edited by Otto H. Frank & Mirjam Pressler, translated by Susan Massotty)
Diary of a Young Girl was first published today in 1947. CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW for the philosophy-based 2020 post.
Please join me today (Tuesday, June 25th) 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 “06252022 A Young Girl’s Thoughts”]
NOTE:The opening tracks are slightly different as some music was not available on Spotify. Click on the excerpt title above for the entire “Anne No Nikki” soundtrack.
“The cheerful Anne laughs about it, gives cheeky answers, shrugs her shoulders indifferently, behaves as if she doesn’t care, but, oh dearie me, the quiet Anne’s reactions are just the opposite. If I’m to be quite honest, then I must admit that it does hurt me, that I try terribly hard to change myself, but that I’m always fighting against a more powerful enemy.
A voice sobs within me: ‘There you are, that’s what’s become of you: you’re uncharitable, you look supercilious and peevish, people dislike you and all because you won’t listen to the advice given you by your own better half.’ Oh, I would like to listen, but it doesn’t work; if I’m quiet and serious, everyone thinks it’s a new comedy and then I have to get out of it by turning it into a joke, not to mention my own family, who are sure to think I’m ill, make me swallow pills for headaches and nerves, feel my neck and my head to see whether I’m running a temperature, ask me if I’m constipated and criticize me for being in a bad mood. I can’t keep that up: if I’m watched to that extent, I start by getting snappy, then unhappy, and finally I twist my heart around again, so that the bad is on the outside and the good is on the inside and keep on trying to find a way of becoming what I would so like to be, and what I could be, if there weren’t any people living in the world.”
— quoted from the last entry by Anne Frank, written in her diary (“Kitty”) on Tuesday, August 1, 1944
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.
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 Joyful Practice 