2 Quick Notes & EXCERPT: “Can You Be Like The Bird?” (the 6-minute post-practice Monday post) September 15, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Love, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Pema Chodron, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Suffering, Vairagya, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, change, compassion, faith, Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows, habits, Happiness, Hope, lojong, niyamas, niyamās, Pema Chödrön, Poetry, svadyaya, svādhyāya, Victor Hugo, Writing
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows and/or responding to life’s challenges with with friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom.
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
This post-practice compilation post is related to Monday, September 15th, and features some new and reposted content, as well as an excerpt. The 2025 prompt question was, “What is on your mind, on your heart, and how are you dealing with it?” You can request an audio recording of this practice or a previous practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
“11
When the world is
filled with evil,
Transform all mishaps
into the path of bodhi.”
“16
Whatever you meet unexpectedly, join with meditation.”
— quoted from Always Maintain A Joyful Mind: And Other Lojong Teachings on Awakening Compassion and Fearlessness by Pema Chödrön
In Tibetan Buddhism, lojong (“mind training”) techniques are used to cultivate compassion and awaken the heart. These can be challenging endeavors on our best days — let alone on days when, as one of my yoga buddies very aptly stated tonight, “There’s a lot of heavy stuff going on right now.”
I find the second aphorism (quoted above) the easier of the two to engage; because, whether we realize it or not, we bring all of that heavy stuff onto the mat or cushion and, therefore, into the practice. The challenging part is what we do with it all once we are there — which takes us back to the first aphorism (above).
We are advised to breathe into it all — everything we are feeling, everything we are thinking — and to practice a little tonglen (“giving and taking” or “sending and receiving”), if that is in our practice.
In our yoga practice, we might even practice a little svādhyāya (“self-study”), which is the fourth the niyama (internal “observation”) in the Yoga Philosophy. Sometimes, I suggest putting yourself in another (regular) person’s shoes. Classically, however, svādhyāya is practiced using sacred text and/or scripture and putting one’s self in the shoes of a sacred person — which many people around the world did today as they observed the Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows.
The Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows is a Marian feast day in the Roman Catholic tradition. Observed annually on September 15th, it is a day when people contemplate and reflect on the suffering of Mary as the mother of Jesus and the only person (as some Christian scholars note) who “remained completely faithful to Christ, from his birth to the Cross.” This type of (Marian) contemplation dates back to the Middle Ages and was extended to the entire Catholic Church by Pope Pius VII in 1814. The focus of this liturgical commemoration is on the length, as well as the depth, of Mary’s devotion and highlights the Seven Sorrows of Mary.
Perhaps, if we were to put ourselves in the shoes of a parent like Mary — facing the joys and sorrows that she faced — we would speak up as Victor Hugo did today in 1848.
For Those Who Missed It: The following was previously posted in 2024. (Although the excerpt has been revised.)
“Gentlemen, there are three things which belong to God and which do not belong to man: the irrevocable, the irreparable, the indissoluble. Woe to man if he introduces them into his laws! (Movement.) Sooner or later they cause society to bend under their weight, they disturb the necessary balance of laws and customs, they deprive human justice of its proportions; and then this happens, think about it, gentlemen, that the law terrifies the conscience. (Sensation.)”
— quoted from Victor Hugo’s address to the French Constituent (General) Assembly, September 15, 1848
Live long enough and you will find yourself in a situation that is simultaneously beautiful and… well, icky. You will meet someone who is not who they presented themselves to be. You will find yourself needing to break a habit that once served you; because it is no longer useful — or, in fact, because you finally realize that it never really served you.
I liken these moments to finding a beautiful lotus… only to realize you are standing in the muck from which it grew. Or, we can compare them to the poison pill that heals. Or, we can see them as being on a bough that gives us a beautiful view of the landscape… just as the bough breaks.
In these moments, we can appreciate the beauty and also acknowledge the muck. We can use the amount that heals and also be mindful of the danger. Or, we can be like the bird….
“Be like the bird, who
Pausing in his flight
On limb too slight
Feels it give way beneath him
Yet sings
Knowing he has wings.”
— “Be like the bird” poem by Victor Hugo
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE.
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
NOTE: If you are interested, you can click on the excerpt above for a related playlist.
If you are struggling, 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).
### SING! ###
Another Quick Note & Excerpts About Living (& Knowing) September 10, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Books, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Love, Music, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Poetry, Suffering, Vairagya, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, grandmother, Mary Oliver, Molly Malone Cook
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone getting rooted in friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom.
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
“Today is a day like any other: twenty-four hours, a
little sunshine, a little rain.”
— quoted from the poem “Black Oaks” by Mary Oliver
How do you know you are sitting here (even if you are lying down), breathing here?
This is a variation of a question that keeps coming up in (what I’m calling) continuing education courses on mindfulness. I love this question, because it sharpens your awareness, your attentiveness.
Another thing that keeps popping up in these courses is the eloquence of Mary Oliver, in the form of the following quote:
“Ten times a day something happens to me like this — some strengthening throb of amazement — some good, sweet empathic ping and swell. This is the first, the wildest and the wisest thing I know: that the soul exists and is built entirely out of attentiveness.”
Lovely, right? And, it sounds like Mary Oliver, right?
There’s just one problem: Not a single person (or book) provides a source for this quote!
The lack of a source makes me wonder: Is this Mary Oliver? Or is this Molly Malone Cook?
For Those Who Missed It: A variation of the following was previously posted.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?”
— quoted from the poem “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver
Born today in 1935, Mary Oliver — along with her love and life partner Molly Malone Cook (b. 01/05/1925) — definitely lived a “wild and precious life.” Around this time last year, my yoga buddy Julie sent me what she described as a “mobster/Mary Oliver parody.”
The text made me smile. What made me giggle was thinking, “ Well, if we’re being honest, Mary Oliver was kinda gangsta; she was all about that life.”
CLICK ON THE FIRST (slightly ironic) EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE ABOUT MARY OLIVER.
Click on the second excerpt title below for a 2018 eulogy dedicated to one of my other favorite “wild and precious” people born today!
“You do not have to be good
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.”
— quoted from the poem “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver
Please join me today (Wednesday, September 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 “09012024 Deep Listening”]
NOTE: Check the first excerpt for the playlist used in prior to 2024.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
### LISTEN TO YOUR BREATH: SO HUM, HAM SA ###
EXCERPT: “Tolstoy’s Theories & Questions (soooo many questions)” September 9, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Love, Meditation, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Art, Aylmer Maude, Books, Leo Tolstoy, Louise Maude, Mindfulness, Questions, Religion, Writing
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone planting and nourishing the seeds of friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom.
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
“It once occurred to a certain king that if he always knew the right time to begin everything; if he knew who were the right people to listen to, and whom to avoid; and, above all, if he always knew what was the most important thing to do, he would never fail in anything he might undertake.”
— quoted from the short story “The Three Questions” (originally published in the short story collection What Men Live By) by Leo Tolstoy (b. 09/08/1828, according to the Gregorian calendar), translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE ABOUT LEO TOLSTOY.
FTWMI: Tolstoy’s Theories & Questions (soooo many questions)
Please join me today (Tuesday, September 9th) 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 “09092020 Tolstoy’s Theory”]
NOTE: The YouTube playlist includes a video in the before/after section is not available on Spotify. The Spotify playlist includes an instrumental version of the same song.
If you are struggling, thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
### ??? ###
The Devil of a Thing & EXCERPT: “Still Focused On the Outside? [But, What’s On the Inside?]” September 8, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Depression, Donate, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma Yoga, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Volunteer, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Alecia Beth Moore, Books, David, education, George Eliot, International Literacy Day, literacy, Mary Ann Evans, Michelangelo, P!nk, PEN America, shabda, Star Trek, UNESCO, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization
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Happy International Literacy Day! Happy Star Trek Day! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone carving out space for a mighty good heart, friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom.
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
This is the post-practice post related to Monday, September 8th. The 2025 prompt question was, “What is a book or story that left an impression on you (and do you think someone would be interested in it just from the cover?” You can request an audio recording of this practice or a previous practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
“‘“The History of the Devil,” by Daniel Defoe,—not quite the right book for a little girl,’ said Mr Riley. ‘How came it among your books, Mr Tulliver?’
Maggie looked hurt and discouraged, while her father said,—
‘Why, it’s one o’ the books I bought at Partridge’s sale. They was all bound alike,—it’s a good binding, you see,—and I thought they’d be all good books. There’s Jeremy Taylor’s ‘Holy Living and Dying’ among ’em. I read in it often of a Sunday’ (Mr Tulliver felt somehow a familiarity with that great writer, because his name was Jeremy); “and there’s a lot more of ’em,—sermons mostly, I think,—but they’ve all got the same covers, and I thought they were all o’ one sample, as you may say. But it seems one mustn’t judge by th’ outside. This is a puzzlin’ world.’”
— quoted from “Chapter III. Mr Riley Gives His Advice Concerning a School for Tom” in “Book First. Boy and Girl.” of The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
You’ve probably heard the old adage about not judging a book by its cover. However, you may still do it. Previous experiences (and marketing people) may have taught you — or conditioned you to believe — that the stories that interest you will have certain things on the cover, while the stories that are not worth your time will have other things on the cover. Of course, as George Eliot’s Maggie eventually pointed out, it goes both ways.
Every once in a while, you may find yourself reading something that doesn’t interest you. No harm, no foul.
On the other hand, unless someone tells you otherwise, you may miss out on a great story.
But, what if you were one of the millions of people around the world who lack basic literacy skills? What if you didn’t read because you have an undiagnosed learning disability and it was exhausting? You might be thinking, “Well, now there’s Audible and other technology that can read for you.” Sure, but even that requires a certain amount of access and digital literacy, which millions of people are also lacking.
Additionally, as our reliance on technology increases, proficiency can decrease. For example, I can verify the spelling and meaning of a word, because I know where to start. I also know how to verify if an image (and the accompanying information) is real and accurate, slightly altered, or completely fabricated. I can do those things (and more), because I can read.
But, some people can’t.
“‘Well,’ said Mr Riley, in an admonitory, patronizing tone as he patted Maggie on the head, ‘I advise you to put by the ‘History of the Devil,’ and read some prettier book. Have you no prettier books?’”
— quoted from “Chapter III. Mr Riley Gives His Advice Concerning a School for Tom” in “Book First. Boy and Girl.” of The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
According to UNESCO, “… at least 739 million youth and adults worldwide still lack basic literacy skills in 2024. At the same time, 4 in 10 children are not reaching minimum proficiency in reading, and 272 million children and adolescents were out of school in 2023.” And, while you may think that’s a THEM problem, it’s actually an (all of) US problem.
In 1967, UNESCO designated today, September 8th, as International Literacy Day (ILD). It is a day that highlights “the critical importance of literacy for creating more literate, just, peaceful, and sustainable society.”
The 2025 ILD theme is “Promoting literacy in the digital era.”
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW
FOR MORE ABOUT THE INSIDE
(& TO DISCOVER WHY THESE POSTS ARE SO PINK)!
“‘Oh, yes,’ said Maggie, reviving a little in the desire to vindicate the variety of her reading. ‘I know the reading in this book isn’t pretty; but I like the pictures, and I make stories to the pictures out of my own head, you know. But I’ve got “Æsop’s Fables,” and a book about Kangaroos and things, and the “Pilgrim’s Progress….”’
‘Ah, a beautiful book,’ said Mr Riley; ‘you can’t read a better.’
‘Well, but there’s a great deal about the Devil in that,’ said Maggie, triumphantly, ‘and I’ll show you the picture of him in his true shape, as he fought with Christian.’”
— quoted from “Chapter III. Mr Riley Gives His Advice Concerning a School for Tom” in “Book First. Boy and Girl.” of The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
NOTE: If you are interested, you can click on the excerpt above for a related playlist.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
### “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” ~ Michelangelo ###
A Quick Note & EXCERPTS: “A Little Maintenance & A Little Playful Inquiry” & “The Art of Moving Meditation” September 6, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, Meditation, Minneapolis, Minnesota, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Suffering, Tragedy, Twin Cities, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Books, Buddhism, pirsig, Robert Pirsig, Writing, Zen
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone working to maintain friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
“It occurred to me that maybe I was the odd one on the subject, but that was disposed of too. Most touring cyclists know how to keep their machines tuned. Car owners usually won’t touch the engine, but every town of any size at all has a garage with expensive lifts, special tools and diagnostic equipment that the average owner can’t afford. And a car engine is more complex and inaccessible than a cycle engine so there’s more sense to this. But for John’s cycle, a BMW R60, I’ll bet there’s not a mechanic between here and Salt Lake City. If his points or plugs burn out, he’s done for. I know he doesn’t have a set of spare points with him. He doesn’t know what points are. If it quits on him in western South Dakota or Montana I don’t know what he’s going to do.”
— quoted from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig
Since today is the anniversary of the birth of Robert Pirsig (b. 1928), we play and maintain and sit — which, in this context, is all the same.
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLES BELOW FOR MORE.
“I might have thought this was just a peculiar attitude of theirs about motorcycles but discovered later that it extended to other things — .”
— quoted from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig
“The real cycle you’re working on is a cycle called yourself. The machine that appears to be ‘out there’ and the person that appears to be ‘in here’ are not two separate things. They grow toward Quality or fall away from Quality together.”
— quoted from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig
Please join me today (Saturday, September 6th) 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 “09062020 The Art of Moving Meditation”]
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
“The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.”
— quoted from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig
### BREATHE: You need air in your tires and wind in your sails. ###
[What Comes With…] Spaghetti 2024/2025 (mostly the music) September 3, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Food, Healing Stories, Life, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Happiness, Howard Moskowitz, Malcolm Gladwell
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone seeking friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
“That is the final, and I think most beautiful lesson, of Howard Moskowitz: that in embracing the diversity of human beings, we will find a surer way to true happiness.”
— quoted from the 2004 Ted conference TedTalk entitled, “Choice, happiness and spaghetti sauce” by Malcolm Gladwell (b. 1963)
Please join me today (Wednesday, September 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 “09032022 What Comes With”]
“Economists often talk about the 80/20 Principle, which is the idea that in any situation roughly 80 percent of the ‘work’ will be done by 20 percent of the participants. In most societies, 20 percent of criminals commit 80 percent of crimes. Twenty percent of motorists cause 80 percent of all accidents. Twenty percent of beer drinkers drink 80 percent of all beer. When it comes to epidemics, though, this disproportionality becomes even more extreme: a tiny percentage of people do the majority of the work.”
— quoted from the introduction of the Law of the Few in “One: The Three Laws of Epidemics” in The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
Click here to check out a 2016 post about someone who does the work and also defies categories.
“I think a lot of people [have misunderstood] a little bit of what I was arguing and have overstated the argument in ways that I had… I had not anticipated. … And also, people have felt that that number is hard and fast and in truth it’s a kind of – it’s supposed to, it symbolizes the fact that the amount of time necessary to develop innate abilities is longer than you think. So, it’s – it’s a metaphor for the extent of commitment that’s necessary in cognitively complex fields.”
— Malcolm Gladwell talking about the 10,000 hours / 10 years idea to HeavyCheff and CliffCentral reps at BCX Disrupt Summit
Extreme heat (and a lot of changes) can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, they can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
### 
###
Quick Notes & 3 Excerpts RE: Work & Listening (the post-practice Monday post) September 1, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Abhyasa, Bhakti, Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Japa, Japa-Ajapa, Karma, Mantra, Meditation, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Vipassana, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Dharma Singh Khalsa M. D., Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa, Eugene V. Debs, Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Nanak, history, Japa-Ajapa, Japji Sahib, John Metcalfe, Labor Action Tracker, Labor Day, meditation, Pullman Strike, sikh, Sikhism, Song of the Soul, spirituality, stillness, unions
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone cultivating friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
The following post-practice compilation post is related to Monday, September 1st, which was Labor Day in the United States and parts of Canada. Some of the excerpted posts include videos.
The 2025 prompt question was, “What part of your mind-body or life does a little, but gets a lot of your attention & what part does a lot of work, but doesn’t get commensurate attention?” You can request an audio recording of this practice or a previous practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
“I am opposing a social order in which it is possible for one man who does absolutely nothing that is useful to amass a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while millions of men and women who work all the days of their lives secure barely enough for a wretched existence.”
— Eugene V. Debs, quoted from his statement to the Federal Court (Cleveland, Ohio), after being convicted of violating the Sedition Act, September 18, 1918
The first Monday in September is Labor Day in the United States and parts of Canada.
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE.
2025 Update:
Between September 1, 2024 and September 1, 2025, the Labor Action Tracker counted strikes in 586 locations, plus additional labor protests in 683 locations; bringing the labor actions total to 1296 locations.
(NOTE: The total locations matches the same total locations as last year, however, the summary mechanism has changed.)
Click on the excerpt below for more details about the Labor Action Tracker and how modern day strikes and protests can lead to better working conditions.
FTWMI: Working Together (a post–practice Monday post w/ an extra excerpt)
“Deeply Listening,
Yoga
And the hidden systems
Of the body
Make themselves known.
Deeply Listening,
The wisdom
Of all sacred scriptures in the world
Is revealed.
Oh my soul,
Those who surrender themselves in Love
To the Divine
Continuously blossom and bloom.
Deeply Listening
Sorrows
And errors
Depart.”
— quoted from Japji Sahib: The Song of the Soul by Guru Nanak (Translated by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa)
Our practices, on and off the mat or cushion, give us the opportunity to pay attention to how the mind-body works — and to really listen, deeply.
Listening deeply is one of the important lessons in the Japji Sahib (known in English as The Song of the Soul) an ancient Sikh text at the beginning of the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the Adi Granth or primary sacred text / scripture in Sikhism. Originally compiled and printed by Guru Arjan, the fifth Sikh guru, on August 29, 1604, it was placed in the Golden Temple in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India, today (September 1st) in 1604.
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE.
FTWMI: Deep Listening (*Revised) – the post-practice Friday post
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
The following (2) playlists include the Japji Sahib:
MUSIC NOTE: The playlist contains John Metcalfe’s album Tree (with the remixes); however, one track has been moved. The story behind the album is beautiful (and it is about working). Additionally, I encourage you to deeply listen to Track #11 (which is the Japji Sahib).
- A First Friday playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09012023 Trusting, Listening… Deeply”]
MUSIC NOTE: You can start with Track #1, #2, #3, or #5. These are instrumental tracks. Track #4 is the Japji Sahib.
“If you
Trust what you hear
When you listen,
Then you will know
What you see,
How to understand
And act.”
— quoted from Japji Sahib: The Song of the Soul by Guru Nanak (Translated by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa)
Extreme heat can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, it can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
NOTE: The translation by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa is the foundation for The End of Karma: 10 Days to Perfect Peace, Tranquility, and Joy by Dharma Singh Khalsa, M. D., which I quote during the practice.
### BREATHE, WORK, LISTEN, REST (& do it all over again) ###
EXCERPT: “From the Office of the Scholar (for those who didn’t get the first note)” August 31, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Life, One Hoop, Philosophy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, American Scholar, Harvard College, Phi Beta Kappa Society, Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone cultivating friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
“There is some awe mixed with the joy of our surprise, when this poet, who lived in some past world, two or three hundred years ago, says that which lies close to my own soul, that which I also had wellnigh thought and said.”
— quoted from the 1837 “The American Scholar” speech by Ralph Waldo Emerson
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE.
From the Office of the Scholar (for those who didn’t get the first note)
“The old fable covers a doctrine ever new and sublime; that there is One Man,—present to all particular men only partially, or through one faculty; and that you must take the whole society to find the whole man. Man is not a farmer, or a professor, or an engineer, but he is all. Man is priest, and scholar, and statesman, and producer, and soldier. In the divided or social state these functions are parceled out to individuals, each of whom aims to do his stint of the joint work, whilst each other performs his. The fable implies that the individual, to possess himself, must sometimes return from his own labor to embrace all the other laborers. But, unfortunately, this original unit, this fountain of power, has been so distributed to multitudes, has been so minutely subdivided and peddled out, that it is spilled into drops, and cannot be gathered. The state of society is one in which the members have suffered amputation from the trunk and strut about so many walking monsters,—a good finger, a neck, a stomach, an elbow, but never a man.”
— quoted from the 1837 “The American Scholar” speech by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Please join me today (Sunday, August 31st) at 2:30 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into 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.
Sunday’s playlist available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Emerson Thinking”]
Extreme heat can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, it can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
### KEEP BREATHING ###
A Quick Note & EXCERPT: “I Can’t Say That… Can I?” August 30, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Life, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Suffering, Tragedy, Vairagya, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, environment, journalism, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Molly Ivins, Moscow-Washington Direct Communication Link, politics, SCOTUS, Second Battle of Bull Run, Second Battle of Manassas, Supreme Court, Technology, Thurgood Marshall, Washington-Moscow Direct Communication Link
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May you be safe, peaceful, healthy, and hydrated.
“‘You are in the wrong,’ replied the fiend; ‘and instead of threatening, I am content to reason with you. I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all…? Shall I respect man when he condemns me? Let him live with me in the interchange of kindness, and instead of injury I would bestow every benefit upon him with tears of gratitude at his acceptance. But that cannot be; the human senses are insurmountable barriers to our union. Yet mine shall not be the submission of abject slavery. I will revenge my injuries; if I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear, and chiefly towards you my archenemy…’”
— quoted from Chapter 17 of Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (b. 1797)
I stand by the statements I made in the post excerpted below and yet… and yet. While I do not ever choose the monster’s path, I do recognize that any of us could be the monster. I recognize that it is a choice and that recognition can make all the difference in the world.
Part of this practice is noticing our choices and, also, noticing cause-and-effect — as well as our samskara (a “mental impression”) and vasana (a literal “dwelling” place of our habits). Part of this practice is noticing the conditioning and habitual patterns that make us, in a moment, forget that we have a choice. It is natural to run, hide, and/or come out swinging when backed into a corner by someone that means us harm. However, take note of what happens when the danger is passed. Are you still running, hiding, or swinging?
Now, take note of the times when you back yourself into a corner.
Are you still running, hiding, or swinging?
And, if you are not swinging, what are you doing?
“Nothing is more painful to the human mind than, after the feelings have been worked up by a quick succession of events, the dead calmness of inaction and certainty which follows and deprives the soul both of hope and fear.”
— quoted from Chapter 9 of Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Click on the excerpt title below for the short post related to this date.
“I do know that for the sympathy of one living being, I would make peace with all. I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.”
— quoted from the movie based on Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Please join me today (Saturday, August 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 “10202020 Pratyahara”]
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
### THE LIGHT IS STILL ON & THE LINE IS STILL OPEN!! ###
AN EXCERPT: “All These Easter Eggs Are About Hope… Not Blind Optimism” August 23, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Abhyasa, Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Depression, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Loss, Music, Pain, Philosophy, Poetry, Suffering, Tragedy, Vairagya, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: Adrienne Wilkinson, Books, Captain lexxa Singh, Fitness, mental health, Philosophy, Stoicism, William Ernest Henley, Writing
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Many blessings to you all. Make sure to rest, relax, hydrate, and smile (when you can) — especially if you are observing the Dormition (Theotokos) Fast.
“Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.”
— quoted from the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley
Click on the excerpt title below for more about William Ernest Henley (b. 1849) and how his life and work continues to inspire billions.
FTWMI: All These Easter Eggs Are About Hope… Not Blind Optimism
“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
— quoted from “The Sermon on the Mount,” in The Gospel According to Matthew (7:14)
“It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.”
— quoted from “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley
Please join me today (Saturday, August 23rd) at 12:00 PM for a “spirited” 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 “08232020 Henley’s Invictus Day”]
(NOTE: The playlists have slightly different before/after practice content. Both include the poem, but the YouTube playlist has a little more!)
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
A Joyful Practice 