EXCERPT: “The wings of ‘some kind of bird’ are not unlike a ‘face’ over ‘weft’” February 22, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, First Nations, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Poetry, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Art, body prayer, Books, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Writing, Zitkála-Šá
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Many blessings to everyone, and especially those celebrating Carnival and Maha Kumbh Mela!
Peace, ease, and prayer throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!!!
“Having gone many paces ahead I stopped, panting for breath and laughing with glee as my mother watched my every movement. I was not wholly conscious of myself, but was more keenly alive to the fire within. It was as if I were the activity, and my hands and feet were only experiments for my spirit to work upon.”
— quoted from “Impressions of An Indian Childhood – I. My Mother” in American Indian Stories and Old Indian Legends by Zitkála-Šá
Click on the excerpt title below for more about Edna St. Vincent Millay (b. 1829) and Zitkála-Šá (b. 1876).
“I thought, as I wiped my eyes on the corner of my apron:
Penelope did this too.
And more than once: you can’t keep weaving all day
And undoing it all through the night;
Your arms get tired, and the back of your neck gets tight;
And along towards morning, when you think it will never be light,
And your husband has been gone, and you don’t know where, for years.
Suddenly you burst into tears;
There is simply nothing else to do.”
— quoted from the poem “An Ancient Gesture” by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Please join me today (Saturday, February 22nd) 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 “022222 An Ancient Gesture”]
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.)
A Joyful Practice 