Air & FTWMI: More Ways to Breathe (the Tuesday post) December 5, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Abhyasa, Books, Fitness, Health, Life, Meditation, Philosophy, Science, Vairagya, Yoga.
Tags: asana, Franz Xaver Kappus, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, pranayama, Rainer Maria Rilke, Swami Jnaneshvara, Walt Whitman, Yoga Sutra 2.48, Yoga Sutra 2.49, Yoga Sutra 2.50, Yoga Sutra 3.15
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May you be safe and protected / May you be peaceful and happy (and curious about all the ways you can breathe), during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence (November 25^th – December 10^th) and on all the other days of your life.

“Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs.”

— Walt Whitman writing about the new game, baseball, in the Brooklyn Eagle (07/23/1846)

Today‘s practice begins with the question at the end of yesterday‘s blog post — “What Helps You Breathe Deeply In and Breathe Deeply Out?” — and it becomes another opportunity to live, breathe, and explore questions about how we breathe and what helps us breathe deeply, every time we inhale and every time we exhale. It is, also, another opportunity to consider the situations when we shallow breathe and/or hold our breath due to situational or chronic stress, trauma, and grief (or even breathtaking beauty); to notice when those little moments become conditioned habits; and to begin playing around with different ways to break bad habits and/or change habitual patterns that no longer serve us. Finally, it is part of the process that allows each of us to more fully engage the vitality of our mind-body and the wisdom of our heart and spirit.

While we can do this together, it is very much an individual practice. Each of us has to acknowledge our own history and sore spots; each of us has to figure out what works for us based on what we have experienced in the past; and each of us has to put on our own (metaphorical) oxygen mask.

For Those Who Missed It: The following is a slightly revised version of a post from Saturday, December 5, 2020. The playlist has been updated with more “air” (so that the timing is the same, but it may feel different). Some embedded links will direct you to another site.

“There are thousands of postures. In order to heal our physical and psychological injuries we must learn to select the postures suitable to our specific needs and arrange them in the proper sequence. Sequencing of asana is crucial because, as with anything else, a change in sequence drastically changes the result. (YS 3:15). Next, we have to practice these properly sequenced postures while staying within the boundaries of our comfort. Then, we must take our practice to the point where we are able to feel and touch the threshold of our discomfort. We refine our practices as we apply the principle of effortless effort described in the previous sutra.”

— commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.48 from The Practice of the Yoga Sūtra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

All the cues on moving into and activating a pose can be really overwhelming. It can seem constant and continuous… because it is. I often tell beginners not to worry about doing what they don’t understand — or even, to an extent, what doesn’t make sense. Do what you can do, as much as you can do it, for as long as you can do it (to paraphrase a very wise man) and eventually things start falling into place. Literally, the more you practice, the more parts of you start aligning. Yes, it’s true, that you can practice incorrectly — and you can do it for a really long time. It’s also true that when doing something wrong becomes the habit (and the practice) things don’t fall into place… things fall apart. We see that in our mind-bodies and we see it in the world.

Do you ever wonder where all this information came from? Do you every think about that first yogi, Adiyoga, and those first seven students? Initially, no one told anyone how to do anything. The first seven were inspired by seeing someone else do something they thought had value — and then they listened to their own mind-body! The question is always: How can I breathe deeply here? Or, what can I do to breathe more deeply here? And the answer is already inside of us. We just have to “listen,” which in the case of our mind-body requires paying attention to sensation, to how we’re feeling and how we are responding to what’s happening inside of us and all around us. That’s the practice.

“You are so young, so much before all beginning, and I would like to beg you, dear Sir, as well as I can, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don‘t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.”

— quoted from Letter #4 (dated July 16, 1903) addressed to 19-year old officer cadet Franz Xaver Kappus, published in Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

Being human, we have the ability to play, explore, and experiment; to see what works, when and where it works; and to notice for how long something works. Thus, someone started moving their body into different shapes and then breathing into those different shapes, which had different effects. Then they would move into the shapes in a different way, breathe into that different way, and noticed the different effects. Then they saw other people could do the same and experience similar effects. Then people, like Patanjali and Vyasa, started to codify the practice by writing it down. And this whole process and practice comes back to the breath, the spirit, the life force — and different ways to breathe, engage the spirit, and expand life.

Yoga Sūtra 2.49: tasminsati śvāsapraśvāsayorgativicchedaḥ prāṇāyāmahaḥ

— “Prāṇāyāma, which is expanding the life force by controlling the movement of the inhalation and exhalation, can be practiced after completely mastering [the seat or pose].”

Yoga Sūtra 2.50: bāhyābhyantarastambhavṛttirdeśakālasasaṃkhyābhiḥ paridṛṣṭo dīrghasūkṣmaḥ

— “The breath may be stopped externally, internally, or checked in mid-motion, and regulated according to place, time and a fixed number of moments, so that the [pause] is either protracted or brief.”

In the commentary for Yoga Sūtra 2.50, Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati is quick to point out that while stambha (“cessation” or “transition”) is often translated into English as retention and therefore equated with kumbhaka (which is retention), there is a subtle difference in the usage here. First, the practice involves awareness of three parts of the breath: inhalation, exhalation, and the transition (or pause) between the first two parts — which is repeated twice. Next, there is the slowing or expansion of the breath (as described in YS. 2.49). Finally, there is awareness and regulation of the breath in different places in the body — even directing it to those places; controlling the time (or length and duration of the breath); and counting (or numbering) each part of the breath.

Breath regulation in place, time, and by numbering can involve the practice of kumbhaka, which is breath retention achieved by holding the breath on the inhalation or exhalation, and/or stambha vŗitti kumbhaka, which is breath retention achieved in the middle of an inhalation or exhalation. Notice that the breath retention highlights transition.

Any breath retention is considered an advanced practice and, just as is instructed with more “basic” types of prāņāyāma, should only be practiced after mastering previous elements. Some teachers advise only practicing kumbhaka after it naturally arises in your practice. This does not mean that you are ready to practice breath retention when you finding yourself holding your breath or shallow breathing because you are overly challenged in a pose or sequence. In fact, it means quite the opposite.

“Patanjali assumes that aspirants who reached this level of yoga sadhana are familiar wth the practice of the seven pranayamas, which together constitute the practice of prana anusandhana. Therefore, these aspirants have built a strong foundation for practicing the three advanced pranayama techniques he is presenting here.”

— commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.48 from The Practice of the Yoga Sūtra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

The practicing of connecting the breath — and connecting to the breath — is broken down into the following seven steps:

Aharana prāņāyāma – which is “to bring back” and revolves around awareness of the breath and how it feels in the body, as well as positioning the body so there is no shakiness, interruption, or abnormal breathing.
Samikarana prāņāyāma – which is “to equalize,” and involves maintaining an equal calmness in the breathing and in the mind-body. There is also focus on certain areas of the mind-body.
Dirge-prashvasa prāņāyāma – which is “long exhalation,” and involves focus on certain areas of the mind-body.
Nadi shodhana prāņāyāma – which is alternate energy channel or alternate nasal breathing, and involves alternating the exhale and inhale between nostrils.
Anuloma prāņāyāma – which is “to follow the same path,” and involves rapidly inhaling and exhaling through only one nostril.
Viloma prāņāyāma – which is “to follow the reverse path,” and involves exhaling through one nostril and then inhaling through the other.
Pratlioma prāņāyāma – which is “to switch paths back and forth,” and is only practiced after the previous two are mastered.

Note that the last three are practices only intended for people who are healthy and have no underlying conditions. Additionally, please note that these terms are also sometimes used when referring to a specific pattern of breathing related to length and duration of each part of the breath.

Please join me today (Tuesday, December 5^th) 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 (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10272020 Pranayama II”]

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

### To live is to breathe. To breathe with intention is the practice. To live with intention is the goal. ###

Gazing into the Heart, redux…again (a “missing” and “long-lost” post) December 3, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.
Tags: 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, Anna Freud, Beau Lotto, Elisabeth Young-Bruehl, Friedrich Nietzsche, James Baldwin, Joseph Conrad, Matisyahu, Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Mwikisa PhD, Raoul Peck, Twilight Zone, Yoga Sutra 2.52, Yoga Sutra 3.21, Yoga Sutra 3.26, Yoga Sutra 3.35, Yoga Sutra2 3.33-3.34, Yoga Sutras 3.19-3.20
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May you be safe and protected / May you be peaceful and happy, during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence (November 25^th – December 10^th) and on all the other days of your life.

This “missing” post for Sunday, December 3^rd (2023) includes information related to the 2022 practice on this date and a 2021 excerpt (as well as some information from 2014). You can request an audio recording of a related practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.

Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.

“Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

— James Baldwin (as quoted from the movie I Am Not Your Negro, directed by Raoul Peck)

Part of what appeals to me about the Yoga Philosophy is that I find it very practical: there are steps and step-by-step progressions. Another thing that has always resonated with me about the Yoga Philosophy is the idea that we all have an inner light and that we can tap into that inner light or (as Patanjali put it in Yoga Sūtra 2.52) uncover the light in a way that removes obstacles. In fact, according to Patanjali’s Yoga Sūtras, focusing on our inner light clears the mind and enables us to utilize the tool of samyama (the combined effort of focus, concentration, and meditation), which leads to all sorts of supernormal abilities. These siddhis (“accomplishments”) or powers include the ability to make oneself invisible (YS 3.21); the ability to see really small things, obstructed things, and things that are far away (YS 3.26); the ability to see those who have reached a higher plane of awareness (YS 3.33); and the ability to know… anything and everything (YS 3.34).

Keep in mind that those are just some of the abilities associated with light!

But, before we go any further into the light, I want to back up a little (as we did in 2022) — in order to better understand what comes next.

Yoga Sūtra 3.19: pratyayasya paracittajñānam

— “By making samyama on the distinguishing marks of another’s body, one obtains knowledge of the nature of the other’s mind.”

Yoga Sūtra 3.20: na ca tatsālambanaṃ tasyāviṣayãbhūtatvāt

— “But not of its contents, because that is not being the object of the samyama.”

Yoga Sūtra 3.35: hṛdaye cittasaṃvit

— “By making samyama on the heart, one gains knowledge of the content of the mind.”

Now, I’m not going to get into the physics, metaphysics, and logistics of the aforementioned supernormal abilities associated with light. Instead, let’s turn our awareness to something we can all do right now: Pay attention to our thoughts, words, and deeds — as well as the thoughts, words, and deeds of others. Because, as I often say, what is in the heart will be in the mind; what is in your mind (your thoughts) will become your words; and your words will precede your actions… which reflect what is in your heart.

Having said all that, again and again, it is really easy to look at what’s happening in the world and see more darkness than light. It’s really easy to think a lot of people are just running around with hearts of darkness — which is a really, super scary thought. However, I don’t completely believe that. Neither do I believe that most people are all sunshine and light. I believe we all have both light and darkness in our hearts.

I also believe that it is important to gaze into the places inside of ourselves where the light becomes the darkness… and the darkness becomes the light. I think that doing so allows us to engage our own light (more than our own darkness) and, also, to better help others engage their own light. Or, at the very least, this practice allows us to better understand why some people seem to consistently engage their shadow selves instead of the brighter parts of themselves.

Of course, we have to do this light (and dark) work mindfully, because…

“146. Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”

— quoted from “Fourth Chapter. Apophthegms and Interludes” in Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future by Friedrich Nietzsche

The following includes (revised) excerpts which were originally posted in 2021 and some new content. If you are interested in the original context, please click here for the post entitled “First Friday Night Special #14: ‘What’s at the Edge of Your Light?’”

“I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence but it comes from within. It is there all the time.”

— Anna Freud, psychoanalyst and teacher

Many people might think of Anna Freud (born December 3, 1895) as living in her father’s shadow. Really, as the youngest of six, some might think that she lived in her whole family’s shadow. It’s possible that being in everyone’s shadow gave her the perspective needed to see possibilities for other children. Either way, she didn’t stay in the shadows for long. She made a name for herself — first as a primary (or elementary) school teacher and then as a psychoanalyst. Her work as a psychoanalyst was slightly different from that of her illustrious father. She focused on the functions and benefits of a healthy ego and was able to parlay her experience in as an educator to become one of the pioneers of child psychology.

In her late twenties, Anna Freud presented a paper to the Vienna Psychoanalytical Society and then became a member. Within a year of joining the society, she was serving as its chairperson and had established her own practice (for children). In 1925, she started teaching her techniques and approach at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Training Institute. In 1927, she published her system. She spent nine years as the Secretary of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Training Institute and then, ten years after she started teaching, she became the institute’s director. A year later, in 1936, she published her groundbreaking study, The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defence, which postulated the ways by which humans protect themselves. Her ideas around these methods — including repression (which she said develop naturally and unconsciously in children); projection (of one’s own feelings onto another); directing aggressive behavior towards one’s self; identification with an overpowering aggressor; and divorcing ideas from feelings — became one of the cornerstones of adolescent psychology.

After the Nazi’s annexed Austria in March of 1938, Anna Freud was interrogated by the Gestapo. Being a Jewish woman and an intellectual, she had good reason to fear the worst and was prepared to protect herself using one of the same methods she had described in her work. She was eventually allowed to return home and, when her father was offered a way out of Vienna, she organized the Freud family’s immigration to London. In England, she not only continued her work, she broadened it. First she focused on the effects of war on children and their development. Later, after she had spent some time traveling and lecturing in the United States, she broadened her horizons and began studying the effects of being emotionally and/or social deprived and/or disadvantaged. She also did some work around how crime affected children’s development and published her collaborations with regard to laws and policies that could help children thrive.

“When she was eighty-five, a depressed young man sent her a lament about the chaotic state of the world, and she sent him a succinct statement of her credo: ‘I agree with you wholeheartedly that things are not as we would like them to be. However, my feeling is that there is only one way to deal with it, namely to try and be all right oneself, and to create around one at least a small circle where matters are arranged as one wants them to be.’”

— quoted from “Preface to the First Edition” of Anna Freud: A Biography (second edition) by Elisabeth Young-Bruehl

Just as was the case during Anna Freud’s lifetime, the world is in a chaotic state and “‘…things are not as we would like them to be.’” While many have created the small circle she suggested, it gets harder and harder as people get more and more isolated, siloed, and marginalized. In some ways, taking her suggestion begins to highlight the edge of the light… which is also the edge of the darkness. It does not, in and of itself, however, spread the light — neither does it prevent the darkness from spreading. For that we have to look at cause and effect.

We can absolutely look back and see how we got here. However, I think it is also important (and necessary) to look at where we are in order to see where we are going — especially when we find ourselves heading into the darkness. Maybe we find ourselves engaging our shadow self and the darkness inside of our own heart and mind, because someone pushes our buttons (and/or physically pushes us) and we feel like we must defend ourselves. Maybe, instead of fear or anger, it is doubt or grief that distracts us from our own light.

Either way, there are a lot of situations (and people) in the world that activate our sympathetic nervous system, compelling us to fight, flee, or freeze/collapse. One of the things of which we must be mindful is when we go from instinctual actions related to survival — including those highlighted by Anna Freud — to actions that are more related to our darkness than our light.

“Darkness. Few things frighten us more. The fear it creates is a constant in our existence: The living darkness of our bedrooms after our parents turn out the lights. The pregnant darkness beyond the glow of the bonfire as we listen to ‘spooky’ stories. The ancient darkness of the forest as we walk past deep shadows between trees. The shivering darkness of our own home when we step inside wondering if we’re alone.

Darkness is a fundamental, existential fear because it contains all the fears that we carry with us in our brains — fears both real and imagined, engendered from living life and from the life lived in stories, from culture, from fairytales.”

— quoted from “Chapter 9. Celebrate Doubt” in Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently by Beau Lotto

As you consider your light — and what it symbolizes — you must also consider the dark. After all, we don’t really appreciate the light, until we contrast it with the dark. During a 2021 class I shared a little fear I experienced driving my old truck in the city (where there were so many bright lights that I couldn’t see my own headlights) and how that fear was, ironically, alleviated, when I was driving in the country where there were less cars and street lights. It’s a weird scenario, I know; but in the latter case I had a better understanding of my reference points, a better (and more consistent) understanding of where the light ended and the darkness began. You can think of it as a better understanding of the safety of what is known/seen versus the danger of what is unknown/unseen.

This holds true with all the different paradigms: good and evil, life and death, love and hate, knowledge and ignorance, kindness and anger/frustration, hope and despair, wisdom and fear; etc. We appreciate what we have more when there is the possibility of not having it. However, we can’t truly appreciate what we don’t have (or can’t see ourselves having).

Another way to look at this idea is vis-à-vis proprioception. Remember, when the “brain finds the body in space” and realizes it has more room, it stretches out. When the mind-body bumps into an obstacle, it pulls back. Similar to the defense mechanisms described by Anna Freud, when we are faced with the danger that we perceive as failure (or other people’s judgements), we pull back.

When we feel safe, we shine. However, when we only feel safe in a small sphere, our understanding of ourselves and our light (including our potential) changes. So, too, does that narrow frame change our understanding of others (and their light).

“‘Destiny. My destiny! Droll thing life is – that mysterious arrangement of merciless logic for a futile purpose. The most you can hope from it is some knowledge of yourself – that comes too late – a crop of inextinguishable regrets. I have wrestled with death. It is the most unexciting contest you can imagine. It takes place in an impalpable greyness, with nothing underfoot, with nothing around, without spectators, without clamour, without glory, without the great desire of victory, without the great fear of defeat, in a sickly atmosphere of tepid scepticism, without much belief in your own right, and still less in that of your adversary. If such is the form of ultimate wisdom, then life is a greater riddle than some of us think it to be.’”

— the character Charles Marlow speaking of Kurtz’s death in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski in Berdychiv, Russian Empire (in what is now Ukraine, but was originally part of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland) in 1857, Joseph Conrad was known as “Konrad” by his Polish family. If you look at his family history, you might think that he was fated (or destined) to be a writer. Given the cultural interactions and socio-political clashes that he experienced growing up, perhaps he was even destined to write the dark plots and twisted characters that are found in his novellas. His dark plots and twisted characters are often the subject of criticism and debate* and sometimes analyzed through a (Sigmund) Freudian lens. Personally, I wonder what Anna Freud might have said about how his experiences informed his topics; but she was only three when the Heart of Darkness was serialized in Blackwood’s Magazine (February, March, and April of 1899) and only five when the last portion of Lord Jim appeared in the same magazine.

When Anna Freud said, “Creative minds have always been known to survive any kind of bad training,” she could have easily been talking about the “Prince of Darkness,” John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne. Born in December 3, 1948, the lead singer of Black Sabbath has a reading disorder, was abused as a child, dropped out of school at 15, spent some prison (as a young man), and discovered late in life that he was suffering from an undiagnosed central nervous system disorder. He worked at a variety of trades, but was inspired to be a singer at a very young age. Despite (or maybe because of) his childhood trauma, he persevered. But, there was a cost and a toll and a lot of darkness that played out in the music and on the stage. That cost, toll, and darkness have included years of substance abuse, mixed in with periods of sobriety, and criticism about how his music and behavior have (negatively) impacted young people. That criticism has included him being banned from certain cities and several lawsuits related to death and violence that people have attributed to his music.

“People look to me and say
Is the end near, when is the final day?
What’s the future of mankind?
How do I know, I got left behind

Everyone goes through changes
Looking to find the truth
Don’t look at me for answers
Don’t ask me, I don’t know”

— quoted from the song “I Don’t Know” by Ozzy Osbourne

At the end of the day, each of us to focus on our own inner light; figure out how we ~~show up~~ shine in the world; notice the situations that enable us to shine our brightest; and also notices “what’s at the edge of [our] light.” There are a few more questions in this rubric, but consider how the answers start pointing you in certain directions. Notice how the questions and their answers can start opening up your field of possibilities.

Sometimes it may seem like you are wearing a head lamp (or heart lamp) and you’re moving in a way that changes your field of awareness. And that’s fine, that happens — it’s part of life and part of the practice. But, sometimes, we experience a brightening and a widening of our field. Sometimes we find that what we couldn’t imagine was actually just outside our field of vision: It was always there, waiting for us.

Yes, eventually, what is waiting for us all is Death. But, prior to that, there is an opportunity, “one tiny moment in time / For life to shine to shine / Burn away the darkness /”

“An old woman living in a nightmare, an old woman who has fought a thousand battles with death and always won. Now she’s faced with a grim decision—whether or not to open a door. And in some strange and frightening way she knows that this seemingly ordinary door leads to the Twilight Zone.”

“There was an old woman who lived in a room. And, like all of us, was frightened of the dark. But who discovered in a minute last fragment of her life that there was nothing in the dark that wasn’t there when the lights were on. Object lesson for the more frightened amongst us in, or out of, the Twilight Zone.”

— “Opening” and “Closing” narrations, quoted from “Episode 81 (3.16) — ‘Nothing in the Dark’” of The Twilight Zone (premiered January 5, 1962)

Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “12032022 Gazing into the Heart, redux”]

*NOTE: As I mentioned in 2014 (see asterisked link above), Joseph Conrad wrote his short novel after his own experiences in Africa in the late 1800’s and while his own words best describe the world he sees, I think the world he sees is the world in his own heart.

I initially resisted the book and the birthday, in part because literary greats like Chinua Achebe criticize Conrad and his work as racist and xenophobic — and I don’t think there’s any way to get around that. Neither did I want to seem to celebrate a depiction of racism given currents events in Ferguson, Missouri and around the United States in 2014. However, Dr. Peter Mwikisa said Heart of Darkness can be “…the great lost opportunity to depict dialogue between Africa and Europe…” and that made me wonder: Are we, right now, losing an opportunity for dialogue in the U. S.? As I asked in 2014, are we just not ready for dialogue?

Or, is it possible that we have made our circles too small to dialogue?

“‘Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge? He cried in a whisper at some image, some vision – he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath:

“‘” The horror! The horror!’

“I blew the candle out and left the cabin….”

— the character Charles Marlow describing Kurtz’s death in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

### Be The Light ###

First Friday Night Special #38: An Invitation to “(True) Stories Before You Sleep” & An Excerpt December 1, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Loss, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: #LetCommunitiesLead, Claudette Colvin, Larry Kramer, Laura Barcella, monomyth, Phillip Hoose, Rosa Parks, Rosa Parks Day, story, World AIDS Day
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On World AIDS Day, Rosa Parks Day, and every day: May you be safe and protected / May you be peaceful and happy / May you be healthy and strong!

“Once upon a time…”

— the English phrase that begins many fairy tales and folktales

According to the monomyth or Hero’s Journey paradigm, stories from all over the world have similar features: like heroes and heroines who overcome challenges in order to bring a boon to make the world better. Different cultures and languages may begin their stories in different ways. (“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” and “It was long long ago. If I was there at that time I would not be here now. But, as I am, I have one small story…” being among my favorites.) However, since at least the 14^th century, most stories in the English language have the same beginning and (in modern times) a common ending… a happy ending.

Although, if you go back far enough, you may find that “…and they lived happily ever after” was originally “…and they lived happily until they died” or that the (quote-unquote) happy ending might be considered a fate worst than death (e.g., being forced to live a life devoid of all the character valued). In fact, many ancient stories were darker and more realistic than modern tales. They had endings that were contingent and temporary. They were closer to real life and were intentionally meant to parallel real life in order to give us insight into how we can live our lives.

In real life, we find ourselves in the middle of the story… sometimes even in the challenging and heartbreaking parts of the story. Sometimes, we fall asleep before the end. Sometimes, we must dream up the happy ending in order to wake up and make it come true. So, for this month’s First Friday Night Special, prepare to tuck yourself in and dream of happy endings (to stories that begin in scary and heartbreaking ways).

“If this article doesn’t scare the shit out of you, we’re in real trouble. If this article doesn’t rouse you to anger, fury, rage, and action, [we] may have no future on this earth. Our continued existence depends on just how angry you can get.”

— quoted from “1,112 and Counting” by Larry Kramer, printed in the New York Native (Issue 59, March 14 – 27, 1983)

The following revised excerpt is from the 2020 post entitled, “Stories for the Living.”

“Today I have two stories for you. Both are fables, in that they are stories with a moral. Both are also true — in that they actually happened (and both stories contain a multitude of other stories). Finally, both stories are open ended… in that we are still living with the ramifications of the stories and their lessons. There are some other overlaps (like the fact that both involve people who changed the world). However, ultimately, one of the stories is a dark and twisted fairy tale, while the other is a bit of a horror story. You can decide which is which.”

Click here to read the stories.

“‘Mine was the first cry for justice, and a loud one. I made it so that our own adult leaders couldn’t just be nice anymore. Back then, as a teenager, I kept thinking, Why don’t the adults around here just say something?’”

— quoted from Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose

Please join me for the “First Friday Night Special #38: ‘(True) Stories Before You Sleep’” tonight (December 1^st) at 7:15 PM – 8:20 PM (CST), for a virtual Yoga practice on Zoom. 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.

This “Bedtime Yoga” / Restorative Yoga practice is accessible and open to all.

Prop wise, I recommend your pajamas and bed (plus your pillows and blankets). Seriously. Additionally, 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 if you are not using a bed.

Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “12042020 Bedtime Yoga”]

NOTE: The playlists contain a different variety of musical selections and you will only need one track/album for the practice. With one exception, the tracks play without interruption. There are more options on the YouTube playlist, but there is a different Sigur Rós option on the Spotify playlist. The December 202 practice is a good one to do without music. If you are using the music for this practice, I recommend the “sleep” tracks (i.e. #5, 6, or 7 on YouTube or #3 or starting with 4 on Spotify).

“I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free… so other people would be also free.”

— Rosa Parks, as quoted in Fight Like A Girl: 50 Feminists Who Changed the World by Laura Barcella

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.)

### Let Communities Lead ###

Birds, Monkeys, Trees, & Behavior (w/an excerpt) November 15, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Science, Yoga.
Tags: America Recycles Day, Dr. Gordon R. Stephenson, Dr. Wolfgang Köhler, Merrick Rosenberg, Tree Day (Sri Lanka)
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Reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle, and plant a tree on America Recycles Day and Plant a Tree Day (in Sri Lanka)!

“There seems to be a single starting point for psychology, exactly as for all the other sciences: the world as we find it, naïvely and uncritically. The naïveté may be lost as we proceed.”

— quoted from “Chapter I: A Discussion of Behaviorism” in Gestalt Psychology: An Introduction to New Concepts in Modern Psychology by Dr. Wolfgang Köhler

We may not have control over how a studio space is set up; however, when we make our way into the space — and/or if we have the luxury of creating our own home space — most of us put some effort into the space we are going to occupy. It may not be a lot of space, but it is ours while we are there and most people have some sense of what they need to be stable and steady, comfortable and at ease. (YS 2.46) Similarly, we don’t have any control over our genetics and the body into which we are born, but we can make an effort to be healthy and strong — or, at the very least, comfortable in our own skin (which is yet another environment). Then we get on the mat and the whole practice is about very intentionally and mindfully creating our internal (physical-mental and emotional-energetic) space… as opposed to just passively receiving the space we’ve been given.

Of course, as one of my first teachers used to say, how we do yoga is how we do life. As children, we all start off like someone entering the studio. We learn what works for us and what doesn’t (i.e., what serves us in alleviating our suffering versus what causes more suffering). However, we don’t always do the things that create steadiness, stability, ease, comfort, and maybe even joy. Sometimes, we remain a “passive recipient” instead of becoming a “co-creator” of your culture and environment?

Thanks to Merrick Rosenberg, I went down the rabbit hole almost ten years ago and came across the research of Dr. Wolfgang Köhler (a German researcher in the 1920’s and 30’s) and Dr. Gordon R. Stephenson (at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in the 1960’s). Here’s an excerpt from a 2021 post about what I found:

“Dr. Wolfgang Köhler believed (a) that subjective experience matters; (b) that the human mind and behavior have to be considered as a whole (and that whole includes subjective experience); (c) that, like chimpanzees, humans are capable of problem solving through insight learning; and (d) that people could – and one can argue should – stand up for what they believe to be right and, in doing so, actively co-create the world in which the live.”

Click here to read the entire 2021 post entitled, “The Sum of the Whole Is Our Behavior.”

Throughout the year, there are different days when people from different countries (and/or of different cultures) focus on be active co-creators of this world in which we all live. Today, November 15^th, is one of those days. In Sri Lanka, it is Plant a Tree Day. In the United States, it is America Recycles Day (and this year’s theme is all about innovation).

“Problems may be found which were at first completely hidden from our eyes. For their solution it may be necessary to devise concepts which seem to have little contact with direct primary experience.”

— quoted from “Chapter I: A Discussion of Behaviorism” in Gestalt Psychology: An Introduction to New Concepts in Modern Psychology by Dr. Wolfgang Köhler

Please join me for a virtual yoga practice on Zoom, today (Wednesday, November 8^th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.

(My apologies to the 4:30 folks for not getting this posted earlier.)

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.)

### Be Like the Birds (who reuse everything they can get their beaks on). ###

The Mo You Know (a mini-post w/ music) November 5, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Fitness, Food, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, Men, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: Bryan Adams, cancer, chakras, colon, Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes Day, J. B. S. Haldane, Jonny Greenwood, Men's Health, mental health, Movember, Muladhara, No(shave)mber, rectum, Sam Shepard, Svadhisthana, Thom Yorke, vegan, vegetarian
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May you be peaceful and happy / May you be healthy and strong!

“I wish I had the voice of Homer
To sing of rectal carcinoma,
Which kills a lot more chaps, in fact,
Than were bumped off when Troy was sacked.

Yet, thanks to modern surgeon’s skills,
It can be killed before it kills
Upon a scientific basis
In nineteen out of twenty cases.”

— quoted from the poem “Cancer’s a funny thing” by J. B. S. Haldane

Today, Movember 5^th, is a day when I typically sport a mou’ that is a cross between one associated with Guy Fawkes — because he was arrested today in 1605, making today Guy Fawkes Day — and one similar to the ones in pictures of J. B. S. Haldane (b. 1892), who died of colorectal cancer at the age of 72. For slightly different reasons, I associate both of these people with their fabulous facial hair and with the first two chakras or energetic “wheels” as they come to us from India. First is the root chakra (which is symbolically and energetically connected to the lower body) and then there is the sacral chakra (which is symbolically and energetically connected to the hips and lower abdominal cavity). Today’s practice features poses from a sequence recommended for the colon and highlights the feeling of being grounded/supported.

Today is also the anniversary of the birth of Sam Shepard (b. 1943), as well as the birthday of Bryan Adams OC OBC FRPS (b. 1959) and Jonny Greenwood (b. 1971) — three mostly mou-less guys (two of whom are featured on the playlist)!

“So do not wait for aches and pains
To have a surgeon mend your drains;”

— quoted from the poem “Cancer’s a funny thing” by J. B. S. Haldane

Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, Movember 5^th) 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 “Movember 5th 2022”]

“A spot of laughter, I am sure,
Often accelerates one’s cure;
So let us patients do our bit
To help the surgeons make us fit.”

— quoted from the poem “Cancer’s a funny thing” by J. B. S. Haldane

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

Revised 11/05/2023.

### The mo you know, the betta! ###

UPDATED 2023: I Moustache You An Important Question November 3, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Depression, Fitness, Food, Healing Stories, Health, Karma Yoga, Life, Men, Science, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: Amelia Karraker, breast cancer, Charlotte Morabito, gender, melanoma, Men's Health, mental health, Movember, No(shave)mber, prostate health, testicular health, yoga
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May you be peaceful and happy / May you be healthy and strong!

“‘As long as records have been kept in all countries, women have lived longer than men,’ said Amelia Karraker, a program official at the National Institute on Aging. ‘Across, basically, almost every major cause of death, men are more likely to die than women are.’”

— quoted from the March 2023 CNBC Health and Science article entitled, “Here’s why American men die younger than women on average and how to fix it” by Charlotte Morabito

The following was originally posted in 2020. The post has been revised, with some statistics updated (or added) to reflect more recent data. NOTE: Some links will direct you away from this site. WARNING: This post discusses physical and mental health issues.

Today is a big day. Not just in the United States, but all over the world, today is a day for changing and also for gaining insight. Today is Movember 3^rd — also known as the 3^rd day of No(shave)mber, a month dedicated to “changing the face of men’s health.” This month of awareness started in Melbourne, Australia in 2004, but has its origins in a 1999 story about a group in Adelaide, South Australia that coined the word “Movember.” The Adelaide group, of about 80, spent the month “growing whiskers for whiskers” (possibly while drinking whiskey, since they started in a pub) while also raising money for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) by selling Movember t-shirts.

When Adam Garone, Travis Garone, Luke Slattery, and Justin (JC) Coughlin started the Melbourne group — of 30 “Mo bros” raising awareness for prostate cancer and men’s mental health (specifically depression) — they didn’t realize that they were starting a movement. In 2005, almost 500 people joined the original 30 and raised over $40,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, the PCFA’s largest donation at the time. Today, the Movember Foundation is an official charity in Australia and the movement has spread all over the world. Furthermore, the movement now includes “Mo sistahs” and other “Mo folks” and the focus has shifted to all aspects of men’s health and the discrepancies between men’s health and women’s health.

“Globally, men die an average of six years earlier than women, and for reasons that are largely preventable. Which means that it doesn’t have to be that way: we can take action to live healthier, happier and longer lives.”

“Mo your own way….”

— quoted from the (US) Movember website

Statistics (for 2019) showed that the average life expectancy for men was 76.3 years, versus 81.4 years for women. Estimates related to COVID-19 indicated that men would lose an average of 2.8 years versus 2.1 years lost by women. In any given year, 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer (versus 1 in 3 women) and studies show that a third of all cancers are preventable through diet, exercise, and other lifestyle choices. Those same lifestyle choices also benefit everyone’s cardiovascular systems, digestive systems, and mental health.

Despite all the statistics and research about lifestyle choices, a large percentage of men are overweight (with 42.4% of Americans, in general, dealing with obesity and 9.2% with severe obesity). Note, however, that the term “obese” is tricky, especially in the United States, because our metrics can diagnose a very fit and muscular person as “obese.” Consider this then: 13.6% of men over the age of 18 consider themselves in fair to poor health — and many suffer from diabetes and heart disease without even knowing it.

Skin cancer is on the rise for all genders and is the most common cancer diagnosis for men, followed by prostate cancer. While melanoma is treatable and recoverable, the 2023 mortality rate for men is over twice that of women.

In 2020, over 1.4 million men (globally) were diagnosed with prostate cancer — which is treatable and recoverable — while testicular cancer (which is also treatable and recoverable) is the most common cancer in men between the ages of 15 and 35. There’s over 70,000 new cases of testicular cancer every year (74,500 in 2020), with a little over half a million men (worldwide) living with (or beyond) it. The risk of both prostate cancer and testicular cancer increase if someone has a brother or father who has had that particular cancer; if a person has African-American ancestry; and (in the case of testicular cancer) if they have previously had that type of cancer. To make matters worse, men can also get breast cancer — which also has a genetic component.

All of the physical aspects of poor health take a mental health toll in a typical year. Keep in mind, however that 2020 was anything but typical (and the same can be said for 2021 – 2023) — especially when it comes to mental health. Then consider that, at the beginning of 2020, about 51.5 million Americans adults reported experiencing mental health issues within the previous 12 months and that that was an increase from previous years. In previous years, 15 million Americans (in general) were specifically diagnosed with depression. In 2018, an estimated 11.4 million people attempted suicide — with 48,344 Americans reported as dying from suicide. However, men die by suicide almost 4 times more than in women, and the highest rate of suicide is in middle-aged white men (who accounted for 69.67% of the suicides indicated above). In 2021, the number of deaths went down, but the percentage of middle-aged white men in that count was slightly higher. Additionally, veterans are at a high risk for suicide, regardless of gender.

And, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: gender. One set of stats that is only recently being tracked is the physical and mental health of transgender people. Just as diet and exercise affect physical and mental, so too does everyone’s level of hormones — which means hormone treatments could increase or decrease risk of certain illnesses. Additionally, physical and mental health improves when people have emotional support on their life’s journey. In my opinion, the high rate of suicide within the transgender community — as well as the high rate of violence against transgender people — indicates a lack of support and awareness. Thankfully, this is changing; however, as our perceptions change we need to make sure we do not leave transgender (or even non-binary) people out of the conversation.

Spend time with people who make you feel good.
Talk, more.
Know the numbers. (If you are male and over 45, ask your doctor if you need a PSA test.)
Know thy nuts. Simple.
Move, more.”

— quoted from the (US) Movember website

According to the (US) Movember website, “70% of men say their friends can rely on them for support, but only 48% say that they rely on their friends.” This is always a wild (and frankly ridiculous) staticstic to me — but it points directly to the stigma and social mores or norms that make it challenging to be a healthy man in today’s society. Don’t get me wrong, as Dr. M. Scott Peck pointed out, “Life is difficult” for everyone. The individual aspects of each person’s life come with distinct physical and mental health risks. However, life is easier and people are healthier when we pay attention to what we’re feeling and also share what we’re feeling with people who respect us and treat us well. If you can’t count five people (or even three people) with whom you can have a mutually beneficial conversation — and between those five or three conversations cover every subject under the sun — you might want to consider how that lack of support translates into your quality of life and general well-being.

Get your annual physical.
Don’t smoke.
Stay active.
Eat heart healthy foods.
Manage your stress.
Drink in moderation.
Know your family history.”

— Tips printed in Men’s Health

This is a supplemental posted related to the First Friday Night Special (as well as to some upcoming practices). Click here for details about the Movember 3^rd practice in 2023.

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

### MO BREATH, MO BETTA ###

More 1.34, on 10.25 (the “missing” Wednesday post) October 25, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Japa-Ajapa, Life, Mantra, Meditation, Music, Oliver Sacks, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Suffering, William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: Anne Tyler, Battle of Agincourt, Battle of Balaclava, Henry V, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, pranayama, prānāyāma, Saint Crispin, Saint Crispin’s Day, Saint Crispinian, William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, Yoga Sutras 1.30-1.34
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Peace to all, every day and especially on Saint Crispin’s Day!

This is the “missing” post Wednesday, October 25^th. It features some previously posted information (with links to the related 2020 posts). WARNING: This post and the linked post reference historical battles and individual challenges. You can request an audio recording of the 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.)

“This day is call’d the Feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Crispian.’”

— quoted from Act IV, Scene iii, of Henry V by William Shakespeare

Today, October 25^th, is Saint Crispin’s Day, also known as the Feast Day of Saint Crispin — although, technically, it is the feast day of Saint Crispin and his twin brother* Saint Crispinian. The brothers were reportedly Roman noblemen who gave up their riches and became cobblers when they converted to Catholicism. They initially escaped religious persecution by fleeing to Soissons, in northern France; however, their success as cobblers and lay preachers ultimately led to them martyred today in 286 (or, possibly, 285).

Saint Crispin and Saint Crispinian are the patron saints of cobblers, curriers, glove makers, lace makers, lace workers, leather workers, saddle makers, saddlers, shoemakers, tanners, weavers. I would wager, however, that outside of those industries, most people don’t think about the saints, themselves, so much as they think about the day — which is ironic when you consider that their feast day is a black letter day in most Christian traditions.

Prior to the invention of the printing press, calendars in the Roman Republic used red ink for special holidays. The Roman Catholic Church continued this tradition for their liturgical calendar and printed the dates of lesser holidays, those that were not part of the liturgy, in black letters. I am unclear if Saint Crispin’s Day was ever a red-letter day; but, it was (temporarily) removed from the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar shortly after Vatican II.

Up until recently, I had also removed it from my calendar.

I do not remember the exact moment I decided to stop focusing on Saint Crispin’s Day. However, the reason I took it off my calendar is probably the same reason it was even on my calendar in the first place. It is also the reason most people remember the day (if not the date): William Shakespeare and the day’s association with war.

“This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispine Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembred;”

— quoted from Act IV, Scene iii, of Henry V by William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare’s play Henry V (originally titled The Cronicle History of Henry the fift and The Life of Henry the Fifth in the Frist Quatro and First Folio, respectively) is a history play and — like William Wordsworth’s poem about Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem about Paul Revere — it is a great example of myth building. The play is all about King Henry V of England just before and after the Battle of Agincourt, which took place on October 25, 1415. A significant part of the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453), a Middle Ages conflict between England and France over land, titles, power, and nationalism, the Battle of Agincourt was memorable for several reasons.

First, the Battle of Agincourt was an unexpected victory for the English and it gave them control of the disputed area for 14 years. Second, King Henry was actually (physically) involved in the battle; while Charles VI of France was plagued by extreme mental health issues and did not (directly) command the French army. Finally, William Shakespeare memorialized England’s victory — and King Henry V’s leadership — with the play that, some would argue, features one of the most inspirational call–to–arms in literature and theatre: the Saint Crispin’s Day speech.

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;”

— quoted from Act IV, Scene iii, of Henry V by William Shakespeare

Parts of Hal’s speech have been used in relation to other armed conflicts — like the Battle of Balaclava which was fought on October 25, 1854 — as well as in relation to political battles in the British parliament and the United States government. Shakespeare’s words have also been quoted and/or paraphrased in movies, television shows, video games, music, and books. They have been used by people on the right side of history, as well as by those who have ended up on the wrong side of history.

The powerful words above have bolstered people, for sure; but, I can’t help wondering if they have also mislead people. After all, we are all connected before a single drop of blood is shed. We have all been connected through shared challenges and traumas, especially over the last few years — and can “strip [our] sleeve and show [our] scars” to prove it. But, even before all that, we are brothers, sisters, and siblings in and of the Spirit. We are all connected through breath and the act of breathing.

Here are a couple of excerpts from a related 2020 post entitled, “First Step: Breathe In, Second Step: Breathe Out”:

“As different as our circumstances, our appearances, and personalities — and therefore our lives — may be, there are certain things we all have in common. We all live and die, love and are loved, experience great wins and great loss. We are also, to paraphrase First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, all in this together — even when we feel alone, isolated, and going through things we can’t imagine anyone else understanding. Yet, here we sit and stand and lie — here we are, struggling together and apart; finding our way together, even though we are apart.”

“Then there were more changes, more challenges, more conflicts, and more compromises. And, through it all, I did the same thing you did — I kept breathing. What was helpful (and continues to be helpful), above and beyond everything else, was knowing how to breath and being surrounded by people who also were focused on knowing how to breathe. Breath, after all, is life. It’s not enough just to breathe, however, because how we breathe determines how we live.”

Click here to read more about the breathing lessons inspired by the novelist, short story writer, and literary critic Anne Tyler, who was born today 1941.

None of us can survive without breathing. Just as it is important to put on our own oxygen mask first when there is an emergency (so that we can help others), I think it is important to remember how our breath is connected to our minds and bodies. Breathing into that connection with awareness can reinforce our connections to each other. In the first part of the Yoga Sūtras, Patanjali breaks down a list of obstacles, distractions, and ailments that hinder someone’s ability to be the best version of themselves. (YS 1.30 – 1.31) Then he gives examples of ways to meditate in order to clear the mind and remove the obstacles, distractions, and ailments. One of those suggestions is to focus on the breath — specifically, on the exhale and the extension of the breath. (YS 1.34)

Another way to look at the practice is to consider how using the breath to reinforce the mind-body connection, as well as our connection to all of humanity, also has the power to — as William Shakespeare put it — gentle someone’s vile condition.

“Mindfulness of breathing takes the highest place among the various subjects of Buddhist meditation. It has been recommended and praised by the Enlightened One thus: ‘This concentration through mindfulness of breathing, when developed and practiced much, is both peaceful and sublime, it is an unadulterated blissful abiding, and it banishes at once and stills evil unprofitable thoughts as soon as they arise.’ Though of such a high order, the initial stages of this meditation are well within the reach of a beginner though he be only a lay student of the Buddha-Dhamma.”

— quoted from the commentary on the Satipatthana Sutta (The Foundations of Mindfulness) by Nyanasatta Thera

Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10272020 Pranayama II”]

“‘Breathing lessons – really,’ [Fiona] said, dropping to the floor with a thud. ‘Don’t they reckon I must know how to breathe by now?’”

— quoted from Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler

Looking for more? Click here for the post entitled “Third Step: Repeat the First & Second Steps” (which features commentary for the video below).

The practice begins ~5 minutes in….

“‘Oh honey, you’re just lucky they offer such things,’ Maggie told her…. ‘I mean you’re given all these lessons for the unimportant things–piano-playing, typing. You’re given years and years of lessons in how to balance equations, which Lord knows you will never have to do in normal life. But how about parenthood? Or marriage, either, come to think of it. Before you can drive a car you need a state-approved course of instruction, but driving a car is nothing, nothing, compared to living day in and day out with a husband and raising up a new human being.’”

— quoted from Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler

*NOTE: Some scholars describe Saint Crispin and Saint Crispinian as twins; some simply as brothers; and some indicate that they were brothers in Spirit.

### Breathe In (Know That We Are All Breathing In); Breathe Out (Know That We Are All Breathing Out) ###

FTWMI: Getting the Light On October 21, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Abhyasa, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Life, Loss, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Vairagya, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: A. H. Wilson, Alfred Nobel, Atma Kripa, Epiphany, epiphany., Ian Fleming, Menlo Park, Sharada Navaratri, Theodore Dreiser, Thomas Edison, Three Magi
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“Nine days and nine nights of blessings and happiness if you are celebrating Sharada Navaratri!” May everyone have peace and happiness. May everyone be healthy and strong; may everyone be peaceful and happy. May everyone follow through on a good idea!!

For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted today in 2020. Even though I will talk about elements of this post, today’s practice is REALLY not about the lightbulb (or dynamite). Class details have been updated.

“‘I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my inventions come indirectly through accident, except the phonograph. No, when I have, fully decided that a result is worth getting, I go about it, and make trial after trial, until it comes.’”

— Thomas Edison, as quoted in “A Photographic Talk with Edison” by Theodore Dreiser (printed in Success Magazine, Feb. 1898)

We often think of “ah-ha” or “eureka” moments, light bulb moments, and epiphanies as being sudden and unexpected. In fact, the word “epiphany” comes to us from Greek (by way of Middle English, Latin, and in some sense Old French) from a word that means “reveal.” And, one of the definitions is “a moment of sudden revelation or insight” – reinforcing the idea that something is happening in the snap of a finger. The reality, however, is that there is a back story to ah-ha moments, epiphanies, and even the Epiphany.

Consider that The Three Magi wouldn’t follow the star from the East to honor “‘the child who has been born king of the Jews’” if there wasn’t a foundation of faith. Theoretically, without his background in science, Ian Fleming would have returned to his lab and thrown out the culture plates he had forgotten to clean when he left for his 2-week vacation in 1928. Without all his previous years of research, he wouldn’t have known what he was looking at and he wouldn’t be credited with discovering penicillin. Then there is Thomas Edison, who had a lot of “light bulb moments.”

Thomas Alva Edison, born February 11, 1847, didn’t invent electric lights (or even light bulbs). They already existed when he set up his Menlo Park, New Jersey lab in 1876, but electric lights were too bright for household use, burned too quickly, and could be dangerous when they melted. So, most people just stuck with gaslights. The problem with gaslight was that it was also dangerous and didn’t provide consistent light (because it flickered). Edison decided he could do better… he just had to invent the infrastructure to safely bring electricity into people’s homes, interior fixtures, and some kind of cost-effective and efficient bulb. The bulb, it turned out, was the rub.

“I have not failed 10,000 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”

— (attributed to) Thomas Edison

Edison and his team spent several months working 16 – 18 hours at a stretch and testing at least 1,600 different materials – including fishing line, coconut fibers, beard hair, and platinum wire. The platinum wire was moderately successful in that it typically had a high melting point. However, additional research showed that air absorption weakened the filament causing it to melt at lower temperatures than expected. Edison, resolved the issue with a vacuum bulb, but ultimately deemed the design (with its low electrical resistance) too expensive. So, back to the drawing board they went; breaking up their hours upon hours of work with beer and music played (by Edison) on the lab’s pipe organ.

Some would say that the “ah-ha” moment came to Thomas Edison one night when he was “absent mindedly” rolling a piece of lampblack (or black carbon) between his fingers. But such a depiction ignores all the previous experiments, his scientific knowledge, and the fact he had used lampblack in his telephone transmitter. Such a premise also discounts the additional changes that would be made before the bulb was commercially viable. Either way, at some point late on the evening of October 21^st, or sometime in the wee early morning hours of October 22^nd, 1879, Thomas Edison, age 32, tested what we now consider the first successful (commercially viable) electric light bulb. The carbonized cotton could burn for up to 14½ hours. Later, Edison would switch to bamboo fiber, which lasted for 1,200 hours.

During his lifetime, Thomas Edison would be granted over 1,083 patents for things like the phonograph, the carbon transmitter, the motion picture camera, and the commercial electric light bulb. He was married with children, had influential friends in high (and low) places, and successfully ran an industry that provided for his family and the families of others. Then, at an age that was considered significantly old at the time, he lost “everything. At around 5:20 PM on December 9th, 1914 an explosion ripped through the lab, destroying ten buildings, thousands of prototypes, and years of research. By the time the fire was contained, a little after midnight on December 10th, the damage was estimated at over $2 million dollars and affected over half of the plant’s property. The loss was even bigger when people realized that the insurance wouldn’t even cover a half of the damage.

While those around him were devastated, the 67-year old was in awe of the fire produced by all the different chemicals, fibers, fabrics, and elements in the labs. He was also energized about the possibility of starting over the very next day! His resilient attitude was contagious and, thanks in part to a loan from his friend Henry Ford, the plant was back in operation within three weeks. By the end of the following year, the plant had almost $10 million dollars in revenue.

“It’s all right. We’ve just got rid of a lot of rubbish.”

— Thomas Edison (to his son Charles), as quoted in a 1961 Reader’s Digest article

“There’s only one thing to do, and that is to jump right in and rebuild.”

— A. H. Wilson, vice president and general manager of Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park

Speaking of resilience and starting over: Today is the anniversary of the birth of the chemist, engineer, inventor, and philanthropist Alfred Nobel. Born today in 1833, the founder of the Nobel Prizes was flabbergasted when his brother Ludvig died (in 1888) to discover that all of his efforts to make gunpowder safer had been completely misunderstood and condemned. A French newspaper erroneously reported the wrong brother’s death and proclaimed Alfred “The merchant of death” who “became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before.” Losing (yet another) sibling, reading your own obituary, and having your “death” celebrated by people who considered your life’s work to be evil would be devastating to most. And, it probably was to Dr. Nobel. It was also, however, the catalyst that led to the Nobel Prizes, which are given to “to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.”

Officially presented on the (actual) anniversary of Dr. Nobel’s death, December 10^th (1896), the prizes in physical science, in chemistry, in medical science or medicine, in literature are presented at a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden; while the Peace Prize, given to someone who has “done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses,” is awarded in Oslo, Sweden. In addition to the original five prizes established by Dr. Nobel’s will, there is a “memorial” prize in Economics, which is also presented at the Stockholm ceremony. Nobel Laureates receive a gold medal, a diploma, and a substantial monetary award.

“If I have a thousand ideas and only one turns out to be good, I am satisfied.”

— Dr. Alfred Nobel

Please join me today (Saturday, October 21^st) at 12:00 PM, for a 90-minute yoga practice on Zoom. 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.

Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10212020 Lightbulb Moments”]

“Go get your mother and all her friends. They’ll never see a fire like this again.”

— Thomas Edison (to his son Charles), as quoted in a 1961 Reader’s Digest article

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.)

### KEEP YOUR LIGHTS ON ###

A Kindness of Rhythm (mostly a snippet, the music, & links) October 17, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Abhyasa, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Love, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Vairagya, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: 988, Donna Garrett, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, John O'Donohue, Joseph Wresinski, Navaratri, Sharada Navaratri
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“Nine days and nine nights of blessings and happiness if you are celebrating Sharada Navaratri!” May everyone have peace and happiness. May everyone be healthy and strong; may everyone be peaceful and happy on this International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

“It is far more creative to work with the idea of mindfulness rather than the idea of will. Too often people try to change their lives by using the will as a kind of hammer to beat their lives into proper shape. This way of approaching the sacredness of one’s own presence is externalist and violent. It brings you falsely outside yourself, and you can spend years lost in the wilderness of your own mechanical, spiritual programs. You can perish in a famine of your own making. If you work with a different rhythm, you will come easily and naturally home to yourself. Your soul knows the geography of your destiny. Your soul alone has the map of your future, therefore you can trust this indirect, oblique side of yourself. If you do, it will take you where you need to go, but more important it will teach you a kindness of rhythm in your journey. There are no general principles for this art of being. Yet the signature of this unique journey is inscribed deeply in each soul. If you attend to yourself and seek to come into your presence, you will find exactly the right rhythm for your life.”

— quoted from Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom by John O’Donohue

Here’s a little snippet from a 2021 post about finding the right rhythm for the present moment:

“… we condition ourselves to feel, think, and be a certain way. In other words, we get into a groove, very much like a needle on a record.

Then something happens, our metaphorical record gets scratched and we skip a beat. Sometimes there’s enough momentum for the music to continue. But, sometimes, we get stuck. The groove becomes a rut or a rake (or a record that skips) and we resist the change that would alleviate our suffering. We find ourselves ‘stuck’ even though we are doing the things that have helped us or others in the past. My yoga buddy Dave has a great joke about a groove, a rut, and a rake. What’s the difference? Perspective. Or how long you’ve been in it.”

Click here to read the entire 2021 post.

Please join me today (Tuesday, October 17^th) 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 (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10172021 Do It, But Differently”]

NOTE: This playlist contains Easter eggs! Did you find them. The three birthday ones are stacked together — and one is actually a double. But there’s one I didn’t mention in the practice. (They are all related to the date, and the theme, but don’t be surprised if you notice there’s one or two that are obviously missing.)

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

### Wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated. To come together to ensure that these rights be respected is our solemn duty.” — Joseph Wresinski, Text Engraved on Original Commemorative Stone [for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty] in Paris, France ###

The Right to Be Well (mostly the music and links) October 10, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Depression, Faith, Fitness, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, Loss, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: #OurMindsOurRights, 988, Dr. Reena Kotecha, human rights, humanity, mental health, mental illness, World Mental Health Day
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More peace and more ease for everyone on World Mental Health Day!

“World Mental Health Day 2023 is an opportunity for people and communities to unite behind the theme ‘Mental health is a universal human right’ to improve knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right.

Mental health is a basic human right for all people. Everyone, whoever and wherever they are, has a right to the highest attainable standard of mental health. This includes the right to be protected from mental health risks, the right to available, accessible, acceptable, and good quality care, and the right to liberty, independence and inclusion in the community.

Good mental health is vital to our overall health and well-being. Yet one in eight people globally are living with mental health conditions, which can impact their physical health, their well-being, how they connect with others, and their livelihoods.”

— quoted from the 2023 World Mental Health Day message by the World Health Organization

Click here to check out my 2021 post about World Mental Health Day (and scroll to the end if you just need to PAUSE).

Please join me today (Tuesday, October 10^th) 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 (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10102021 World Mental Health Day (redux)”]

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

### “Our Minds, Our Rights” ###

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A Joyful Practice

Air & FTWMI: More Ways to Breathe (the Tuesday post) December 5, 2023

“Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs.”

— Walt Whitman writing about the new game, baseball, in the Brooklyn Eagle (07/23/1846)

— commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.48 from The Practice of the Yoga Sūtra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

— quoted from Letter #4 (dated July 16, 1903) addressed to 19-year old officer cadet Franz Xaver Kappus, published in Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

Yoga Sūtra 2.49: tasminsati śvāsapraśvāsayorgativicchedaḥ prāṇāyāmahaḥ

— “Prāṇāyāma, which is expanding the life force by controlling the movement of the inhalation and exhalation, can be practiced after completely mastering [the seat or pose].”

Yoga Sūtra 2.50: bāhyābhyantarastambhavṛttirdeśakālasasaṃkhyābhiḥ paridṛṣṭo dīrghasūkṣmaḥ

— “The breath may be stopped externally, internally, or checked in mid-motion, and regulated according to place, time and a fixed number of moments, so that the [pause] is either protracted or brief.”

— commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.48 from The Practice of the Yoga Sūtra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

### To live is to breathe. To breathe with intention is the practice. To live with intention is the goal. ###

Gazing into the Heart, redux…again (a “missing” and “long-lost” post) December 3, 2023

“Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

— James Baldwin (as quoted from the movie I Am Not Your Negro, directed by Raoul Peck)

Yoga Sūtra 3.19: pratyayasya paracittajñānam

— “By making samyama on the distinguishing marks of another’s body, one obtains knowledge of the nature of the other’s mind.”

Yoga Sūtra 3.20: na ca tatsālambanaṃ tasyāviṣayãbhūtatvāt

— “But not of its contents, because that is not being the object of the samyama.”

Yoga Sūtra 3.35: hṛdaye cittasaṃvit

— “By making samyama on the heart, one gains knowledge of the content of the mind.”

“146. Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”

— quoted from “Fourth Chapter. Apophthegms and Interludes” in Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future by Friedrich Nietzsche

“I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence but it comes from within. It is there all the time.”

— Anna Freud, psychoanalyst and teacher

— quoted from “Preface to the First Edition” of Anna Freud: A Biography (second edition) by Elisabeth Young-Bruehl

Darkness is a fundamental, existential fear because it contains all the fears that we carry with us in our brains — fears both real and imagined, engendered from living life and from the life lived in stories, from culture, from fairytales.”

— quoted from “Chapter 9. Celebrate Doubt” in Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently by Beau Lotto

— the character Charles Marlow speaking of Kurtz’s death in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

“People look to me and say Is the end near, when is the final day? What’s the future of mankind? How do I know, I got left behind

Everyone goes through changes Looking to find the truth Don’t look at me for answers Don’t ask me, I don’t know”

— quoted from the song “I Don’t Know” by Ozzy Osbourne

“An old woman living in a nightmare, an old woman who has fought a thousand battles with death and always won. Now she’s faced with a grim decision—whether or not to open a door. And in some strange and frightening way she knows that this seemingly ordinary door leads to the Twilight Zone.”

— “Opening” and “Closing” narrations, quoted from “Episode 81 (3.16) — ‘Nothing in the Dark’” of The Twilight Zone (premiered January 5, 1962)

“‘Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge? He cried in a whisper at some image, some vision – he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath:

“‘” The horror! The horror!’

“I blew the candle out and left the cabin….”

— the character Charles Marlow describing Kurtz’s death in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

### Be The Light ###

First Friday Night Special #38: An Invitation to “(True) Stories Before You Sleep” & An Excerpt December 1, 2023

“Once upon a time…”

— the English phrase that begins many fairy tales and folktales

“If this article doesn’t scare the shit out of you, we’re in real trouble. If this article doesn’t rouse you to anger, fury, rage, and action, [we] may have no future on this earth. Our continued existence depends on just how angry you can get.”

— quoted from “1,112 and Counting” by Larry Kramer, printed in the New York Native (Issue 59, March 14 – 27, 1983)

Click here to read the stories.

“‘Mine was the first cry for justice, and a loud one. I made it so that our own adult leaders couldn’t just be nice anymore. Back then, as a teenager, I kept thinking, Why don’t the adults around here just say something?’”

— quoted from Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose

“I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free… so other people would be also free.”

— Rosa Parks, as quoted in Fight Like A Girl: 50 Feminists Who Changed the World by Laura Barcella

### Let Communities Lead ###

Birds, Monkeys, Trees, & Behavior (w/an excerpt) November 15, 2023

“There seems to be a single starting point for psychology, exactly as for all the other sciences: the world as we find it, naïvely and uncritically. The naïveté may be lost as we proceed.”

— quoted from “Chapter I: A Discussion of Behaviorism” in Gestalt Psychology: An Introduction to New Concepts in Modern Psychology by Dr. Wolfgang Köhler

Click here to read the entire 2021 post entitled, “The Sum of the Whole Is Our Behavior.”

“Problems may be found which were at first completely hidden from our eyes. For their solution it may be necessary to devise concepts which seem to have little contact with direct primary experience.”

— quoted from “Chapter I: A Discussion of Behaviorism” in Gestalt Psychology: An Introduction to New Concepts in Modern Psychology by Dr. Wolfgang Köhler

### Be Like the Birds (who reuse everything they can get their beaks on). ###

The Mo You Know (a mini-post w/ music) November 5, 2023

“I wish I had the voice of Homer To sing of rectal carcinoma, Which kills a lot more chaps, in fact, Than were bumped off when Troy was sacked.

Yet, thanks to modern surgeon’s skills, It can be killed before it kills Upon a scientific basis In nineteen out of twenty cases.”

— quoted from the poem “Cancer’s a funny thing” by J. B. S. Haldane

“So do not wait for aches and pains To have a surgeon mend your drains;”

— quoted from the poem “Cancer’s a funny thing” by J. B. S. Haldane

“A spot of laughter, I am sure, Often accelerates one’s cure; So let us patients do our bit To help the surgeons make us fit.”

— quoted from the poem “Cancer’s a funny thing” by J. B. S. Haldane

### The mo you know, the betta! ###

UPDATED 2023: I Moustache You An Important Question November 3, 2023

“‘As long as records have been kept in all countries, women have lived longer than men,’ said Amelia Karraker, a program official at the National Institute on Aging. ‘Across, basically, almost every major cause of death, men are more likely to die than women are.’”

— quoted from the March 2023 CNBC Health and Science article entitled, “Here’s why American men die younger than women on average and how to fix it” by Charlotte Morabito

“Globally, men die an average of six years earlier than women, and for reasons that are largely preventable. Which means that it doesn’t have to be that way: we can take action to live healthier, happier and longer lives.”

“Mo your own way….”

— quoted from the (US) Movember website

Spend time with people who make you feel good.

Talk, more.

Know the numbers. (If you are male and over 45, ask your doctor if you need a PSA test.)

Know thy nuts. Simple.

Move, more.”

— quoted from the (US) Movember website

Get your annual physical.

Don’t smoke.

“People look to me and say
Is the end near, when is the final day?
What’s the future of mankind?
How do I know, I got left behind

Everyone goes through changes
Looking to find the truth
Don’t look at me for answers
Don’t ask me, I don’t know”

“I wish I had the voice of Homer
To sing of rectal carcinoma,
Which kills a lot more chaps, in fact,
Than were bumped off when Troy was sacked.

Yet, thanks to modern surgeon’s skills,
It can be killed before it kills
Upon a scientific basis
In nineteen out of twenty cases.”

“So do not wait for aches and pains
To have a surgeon mend your drains;”

“A spot of laughter, I am sure,
Often accelerates one’s cure;
So let us patients do our bit
To help the surgeons make us fit.”

“This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispine Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembred;”

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;”