Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Bright Wednesday, Counting the Omer, and/or working for peace (inside and outside) on World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day and White Lotus Day.
Please join me today (Wednesday, May 8th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom.You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.
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).
FelizCinco de Mayo!Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Great and Holy Pascha, Counting the Omer, and/or working for peace (inside and outside).
“One must first learn to know himself before knowing anything else. Not until a man has inwardly understood himself and then sees the course he has to take does his life gain peace and meaning; only then is he free….”
— quoted from a journal entry #5100 “Gilleleie, dated August 1, 1835” by Søren Kierkegaard
The following excerpt is from a 2023 “First Friday Night Special” post:
“Even though he shares a birthday with some great people I know, I hardly ever mention the existential philosopher Søren Kierkegaard on his actual birthday. That’s because he was born today, May 5, 1813. Sure, he was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Denmark–Norway, 49 years before the Battle of Puebla — which took place on Cinco de Mayo, 1862 in Puebla de Zaragoza, Mexico (almost 9.5 thousand kilometers away from Copenhagen, where Kierkegaard died, seven years before the battle). And, yes, he lived almost 150 years before Cinco de Mayo became a celebration of Mexican heritage in the United States. However, for me, that celebration of heritage is crucial and a great opportunity to breathe and to share the music of Mexican-Americans.
Despite what some people think, Cinco de Mayo has absolutely nothing to do with Mexican Independence Day (September 16th) and everything to do with the spirit, the will, and the determination of the people in Puebla, Mexico in 1862. The Battle of Puebla took place during the second Franco-Mexican War (also known as the Second French Intervention in Mexico). This was forty-plus years after the Mexican War of Independence….”
“Kierkegaard was a Christian existentialist and yet his thoughts on love, living a life with purpose, honoring community while also knowing your own mind, and connecting with the Divine may be very meaningful to people of different faiths and belief systems. I don’t agree with all of his conclusions. Yet, some of his words definitely resonate with me — especially right now, as we find ourselves alone together and not only having the time to really get to know ourselves, but also having the need to know our own minds. Kierkegaard’s deliberations warn about the ease in which we may be swept away by the crowd, and not only the danger of that, but also the importance of that.”
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
— Søren Kierkegaard (b. 05/05/1813)
Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, May 5th) 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 [baile/dancing] playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Cinco de Mayo 2020”]
An instrumental playlist is also available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Cinco de Mayo Viernes 2023”]
“Yo tengo Patria antes que Partido.”
— “I have a Homeland before a Party.” quote attributed to General Miguel Negrete (after switching back to the Mexican side during the Second French Intervention in Mexico)
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).
Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone observing Great Lent on Great Friday and/or Counting the Omer.
This is the “missing” post for the “First Friday Night Special” on May 3rd.You can request an audio recording of this Restorative Yoga 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).
“The brain—like life—does not search to live, but to not die.”
— quoted from the “Acknowledgements” in Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently by Beau Lotto
Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain and the nervous system to change and grow. We can see this at work when we look at how neural pathways, samskara (a “mental impression”), and vasana (a literal “dwelling” place) create habits and a “space of possibility.” However, those same elements that create change can cause us to resist change and to hold on to things.
The paradoxical way the mind-body works makes sense when you consider that (a) known and controlled quantities have been the key to our survival since the beginning of recorded history; (b) the unknown (and uncontrolled) can be uncomfortable and scary, and (c) since everything around us is changing — i.e., potentially becoming unknown and uncontrolled — we have to change in order to survive.
But we don’t have to like it. And free will means that we can resist it.
“‘Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it.’ — Ann Landers”
— quoted from “Day 11 / MARATHON MAN: ENDURANCE IN DISCIPLINE נצח שבע גבורה” in The Kabbalah Sutras: 49 Steps to Enlightenment by Marcus J. Freed
Since change happens / shift happens, our inability to shift and change can be a detriment. Consider that all the major philosophies point to some form of attachment as the cause of suffering. Additionally, all the major philosophies — and religions, for that matter — offer a solution to that suffering: Letting Go.
It’s always about letting go. Even when it is phrased as “letting go and letting God,” we are advised to do our best, recognize what is out of our control, and then engage some form of “trustful surrender.” Trustful surrender is a critical part of why people are observing Great Friday today (which would be the equivalent of Good Friday in Western Christianity) and it is so crucial to the Yoga Philosophy that Patanjali stated it in two different sūtras and it is reiterated in the Bhagavad Gita. (YS 1.23 & YS 2.45, BG 2.48 & BG 6.30)
In the aforementioned cases, there is some awareness of the Divine — something more than one’s self — and that requires a certain amount of faith. However, Eastern philosophies diverge from the religions when they also recommend letting go of the path that leads to freedom.
In the Tao Te Ching, in some of the Buddha’s sutras, and in the Yoga Sūtras, there are warnings about holding on too tightly to anything — even the practice. In the Tao, it says, “This is a path of letting go so there will be room to live.” (TTC 9) In the Diamond Sutra, the Buddha explained that the words were simply words or “‘a figure of speech’” meant to be used as a tool to “‘bring one to the other shore of Enlightenment.’” (DS 13) Even one of the lojong (“mind training”) statements in Tibetan Buddhism, advises us to “Self-liberate even the antidote.” (9)
Finally, in Yoga Sūtras 1.14 – 1.15, Patanjali specifically indicated that the longer one practices the Yoga Philosophy, the more one is inclined to practice and the less one is inclined to crave, desire, and form attachments that lead to suffering. That last part is hopeful, but does not change the fact that it is challenging to balance the practice of non-attachment with the discipline needed to practice over a long period of time, without interruption, and with passion, devotion, and reverence — which is the definition of abhyāsa. In the commentary for Yoga Sūtras 1.12 – 1.16, Swami J highlights this balancing act with an illustration of a scale, above which abhyāsa (a dedicated and devoted “practice”) and vairāgya (“non-attachment”) are described as “two of the most important foundation principles of Yoga.”
Again, it is helpful (and hopeful) to know that abhyāsa and vairāgya can balance each other out; however, some times we need to look at things in a different way. Sometimes, we need to do it differently.
“Do it differently So it won’t come out the same Step up, be strong, Get yourself out of pain.”
— quoted from the poem “DIFFERENTLY” by Donna Garrett
Doing things differently — when the thing you are doing seems to be working — can seem just as counterintuitive as letting go of the path that leads to freedom. On the other hand, it makes perfect sense: When you reach your destination, you get off the road on which you traveled. This does not mean that your journey in life is over; nor does it mean that you won’t use other tools. It is simply acknowledging that what you needed at one point in your journey may not serve you — or may not serve you in the same way — during the next part of your journey.
You can think of using a different paradigm as being similar to someone getting a new set of prescription eye glasses, using a different set of sunglasses to watch the eclipse, or using a phone or a microscope to enhance something you can no longer (or never could) see with the naked eye. The way we practice is simply a tool to bring things into focus. For this month’s First Friday Night Special, we used our bodies and “attributes of the Divine” to consider where we are holding on to discomfort, dis ease, and things that no longer serve us — or maybe never served us.
“This path accepts that developing an ego is an essential element in human growth. But it also suggests that this development might be a stage of human development rather than its end product.”
— quoted from the commentary for “Chapter 9” in A Path and a Practice: Using Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching as a Guide to an Awakened Spiritual Life by William Martin
The Bahá’í Faith and Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) highlight different aspects of the Divine on a daily basis.
The following practice-related breakdown is based on content posted on a different date and time. Details and links have been updated accordingly.
As I previously mentioned, the Bahá’í calendar has 19 months with 19 days — each named for one of the 19 names/manifestations/attributes of God. There are 4 or 5 intercalary days that occur just before the final month and these days are considered “transcendent” in nature. (The days of the week also follow this nomenclature.) This calendar starts around the Vernal (Spring) Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere with the month of Bahá, which can be translated into English as “Splendor,” and we are currently in the third month, Jamál (“Beauty”). Since each day begins and ends at sunset, this First Friday Night Special overlapped the end of Istiqlál (“Independence”) and the beginning of Jalál (“Glory”), in Central Standard Time.
Splendor, beauty, independence, and glory also show up as manifestations of the Divine in Jewish mysticism. According to Kabbalah, the Tree of Life has ten sefirot (“eminations,” attributes, or manifestations) of the Divine. On the second night of Passover, some people within the Jewish community begin the ritual of Counting the Omer — which involves prayer and reflection around 7 of the 10 sefirot. People count every day for 7 weeks (for a total of 49 days, plus a 50th day as commanded). Each day and week is associated with a different aspect of the Divine — which means that, on any given day, people are focusing+concentrating+meditating on how two aspects of the Divine interact and manifest in their lives.
Since days on the Hebrew calendar also begin and end at sunset, this First Friday Night Special overlapped the end Day 10 and the beginning of the Day 11 — both of which occur in the week devoted to the second sefirah: Gevurah. This second attribute can be defined as “strength” and “discipline.” Before sunset on Friday (Day 10), the focus was Tiferet She’b’Gevurah — with Tiferet meaning “balance,”“compassion,” “beauty,” “harmony,” and “justice” (which is also an attribute on the Bahá’í calendar). After sunset (Day 11), the focus became Netzach She’b’Gevurah — with Netzach meaning “endurance,” “sustainability,” “victory,” and “persistence.”
Additionally, the seven highlighted sefirot can also be associated with with different parts of the body. Gevurah is associated with the left arm; Tiferet is associated with the upper abdominal cavity (solar plexus) and torso; and Netzach is associated with the right hip in thigh. As teachers like Marcus J. Freed and Sandra Razieli* point out, we can explore different aspects of Divine interaction (and interrelationship) by exploring the different ways parts of our bodies interact. For this practice we referenced all seven attributes and parts of the body; considered how they are connected, and addressed how those connections can serve us.
“Developing a cocoon is a natural and essential part of being a caterpillar. But the time comes when the cocoon softens, wears out, and opens up. What if this is the case for all our opinions, possessions, and even for our ego? What if, when the cocoon of ego opens, instead of the feared abyss we find a butterfly?”
— quoted from the commentary for “Chapter 9” in A Path and a Practice: Using Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching as a Guide to an Awakened Spiritual Life by William Martin
The May First Friday Night Special features a Restorative Yoga practice. It is accessible and open to all.
Prop wise, this is a kitchen sink practice. You can practice without props or you can use “studio” and/or “householder” props. Example of “Studio” props: 1 – 2 blankets, 2 – 3 blocks, a bolster, a strap, and an eye pillow. Example of “Householder” props: 1 – 2 blankets or bath towels, 2 – 3 books (similar in size), 2 standard pillows (or 1 body pillow), a belt/tie/sash, and a face towel.
You may want extra layers (as your body may cool down during this practice).
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05032024 Balancing Holding On & Letting Go”]
The playlist tracks are slightly different in length and duration; however, the overall content is the same.
Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone observing Great Lent on Great Friday and/or Counting the Omer.
“‘Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it.’ — Ann Landers”
— quoted from “Day 11 / MARATHON MAN: ENDURANCE IN DISCIPLINE נצח שבע גבורה” in The Kabbalah Sutras: 49 Steps to Enlightenment by Marcus J. Freed
Please join me tonight (Friday, May 3, 2024), 7:15 PM – 8:20 PM (CST) for “The Beautiful Balancing Act of Holding On & Letting Go” You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
This Restorative Yoga practice is accessible and open to all.
Prop wise, this is a kitchen sink practice. You can practice without props or you can use “studio” and/or “householder” props. Example of “Studio” props: 1 – 2 blankets, 2 – 3 blocks, a bolster, a strap, and an eye pillow. Example of “Householder” props: 1 – 2 blankets or bath towels, 2 – 3 books (similar in size), 2 standard pillows (or 1 body pillow), a belt/tie/sash, and a face towel.
You may want extra layers (as your body may cool down during this practice).
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05032024 Balancing Holding On & Letting Go”]
NOTE: The playlist tracks are slightly different in length and duration.
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).
Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone observing Great Lent (& Palm Sunday)! “Chag Sameach!” to everyone celebrating Passover and/or Counting the Omer! “Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Happy National Poetry Month!
“Sometimes in my tears I drown But I never let it get me down So when negativity surrounds I know someday, it’ll all turn around because
All my life, I’ve been waitin’ for I’ve been prayin’ for, for the people to say That we don’t wanna fight no more There’ll be no more wars, and our children will play
One day (one day), one day (one day)”
— quoted from the song “One Day” by Matisyahu (written by Bruno Mars / Philip Lawrence / Ari Levine / Matthew Miller)
Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, April 28th) 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 “04242024 PRGL Stories”]
MUSIC NOTE: I slightly changed this playlist, but the remix does not affect the overall timing of the class music. Again, the before/after music is slightly different since I could not find “Oneness” on Spotify.
“A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth—that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which a man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of human is through love and in love. I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for the brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when a man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way—an honorable way—in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment.”
— quoted from “I. Experiences in a Concentration Camp” (pgs. 35-36) in Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
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).
“Chag Sameach!” to everyone celebrating Passover and/or Counting the Omer! Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone observing Great Lent! Happy National Poetry Month!
“Everybody knows a hundred stories, you know, a thousand stories — the question is: Why does this story pick on you? Why this story and not that story? My guess is now this: the story or poem you find to write is the story or poem that has some meaning that you haven’t solved in it, that you haven’t quite laid hands on. So your writing—it is a way of understanding it, what its meaning, the potential meaning, is. And the story that you understand perfectly, you don’t write. You know what the meaning is; there’s nothing there to nag your mind about it. A story that’s one for you is the one you have to work to understand.”
— quoted from “A Conversation” (with John Baker, 1989) in Talking with Robert Penn Warren, edited by Floyd C. Watkins, John T. Hiers, and Mary Louise Weeks
A portion of the following is a revised and updated version of a 2023 post:
Today, April 24th, is a day when I always tell a story…or two (or three). Or, sometimes, I tell an old favorite in a slightly different way. For instance, in 2020, I focused on telling the story of the Library of Congress, which was established today 1800, and preserves by (and about) people like including Anthony Trollope (b. 1815), Carl Spitteler (b. 1845), Robert Penn Warren (b. 1905), Sue Grafton (b. 1940), Eric Bogosian (b. 1953), and Kelly Clarkson (b. 1982). In 2021, I focused on telling the story of Robert Penn Warren. I sometimes reference holy and auspicious stories (as I did in 2022 — and will today). I have been known to tell the story about telling stories (as I did in 2023).
In every case, however, the practice is an opportunity for svādyāya (“self-study”) and is all about how our minds and bodies tell stories.
Whether we realize it or not, we are constantly telling stories. We tell stories verbally, visually, and viscerally. We tell stories in the ways we move and, also, in the ways we don’t move. We tell stories about where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going — and we do this on and off the mat. Whether we realize it or not. On the mat, the storytelling is done through the poses and sequences. Since our bodies are different, we can each tell (and understand) the same “story” in different ways. Since our bodies change over time, we can learn different things about ourselves each time we tell the “story.”
“Social tensions have a parallel in the personal world. The individual is an embodiment of external circumstances, so that a personal story is a social story.”
— Robert Penn Warren quoted from “A Conversation with Robert Penn Warren [with] Frank Gado / 1966 (From First Person: Conversations on Writers and Writing, by Frank Gado” as printed in Conversations with Robert Penn Warren, edited by Gloria L. Cronin and Ben Siegel
Today, I am sharing some auspicious and holy stories, stories that are sacred in one or more religious tradition. They are stories about suffering and the desire for one’s suffering to be alleviated. For some people they are simply that and nothing more: just some of the over 168 million items, in over 460 languages, that can be found in the Library of Congress. For some people, however, these stories are very personal stories. They are they stories that give people hope. They are the stories that give people strength and inspire them to work for a kinder, more peaceful, loving, and cohesive world.
“The asking and the answering which history provides may help us to understand, even to frame, the logic of experience to which we shall submit. History cannot give us a program for the future, but it can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves, and of our common humanity, so that we can better face the future.”
— quoted from The Legacy of the Civil War by Robert Penn Warren
Please join me today (Wednesday, April 24th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom.You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04242024 PRGL Stories”] Music Notes: One track in the before/after music is different on each platform, because I was unable to find the track below on Spotify.
“Chag Sameach!” to everyone celebrating Passover and/or Counting the Omer (tonight)! Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone observing Great Lent! Happy National Poetry Month!
This is the “missing” post for Tuesday, April 23rd. It is a compilation post, which includes a little bit of new content mixed with previously posted content. 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.
“First and foremost, we believe creation of the world, G-d created a world in which he wanted the human being to actually be able to do something – that is to say, to exercise free will, to be like G-d, meaning to be a creator, not to be lab rats…. He wants us to have a relationship with Him. But to have a relationship with G-d requires that I have an exercise of my free will…. Free will means an environment in which not necessarily do I always have pleasure when I make the right decisions and not necessarily does someone always suffer when they make the wrong decision. Free will is having real power to create stuff. Free will is having real power to alleviate suffering.”
— Rabbi Mordechai Becher, in vlog explaining one of several reasons why suffering exists
Take a close look at every major religion and philosophy, as well as all medical sciences, and we find the same two ends of a common thread: people suffer and people want their suffering to end. In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali outlined the 8-Limbed Yoga Philosophy as a way to alleviate current suffering and prevent future suffering. He also described several obstacles and ailments from which people may suffer (YS 1.30-1.31); dysfunctional/afflicted thought patterns that lead to suffering (YS 2.2-2.9); and specifically pointed to meditation as a way to overcome the (YS 1.32 and YS 2.10-2.11).
Unfortunately, the caste system in India prevented some people from practicing Yoga. I have heard that Siddhartha Gautama was aware of the Yoga Philosophy, and probably practiced it, but — in large part because of the caste system — found that it wasn’t practical. So, he sat under the Bodhi tree and was determined to wait there until he awakened to the nature of reality. In some suttas, it says that the Buddha (“the Awakened One”) sat there for an additional seven days. Eventually, he started teaching from this enlightened state. Some say that he only ever taught about two things: suffering and the end of suffering. His teachings were codified in the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism and the Noble Eightfold Path. According to the former:
Suffering exists
Suffering is caused by attachment, clinging, craving
There is an end to suffering
The Noble Eight-fold Path is the way to end suffering
Following these paths includes some sitting… and waiting. What is promised at the end of the sitting and waiting is freedom from suffering. What we find in the middle is hope.
If we take another look at the major religions and philosophies, we find sacred stories about people suffering and waiting for the end of suffering; hoping for the alleviation of suffering. Just as it is interesting to note what people did (in the stories) to maintain hope and keep the faith while they were “waiting,” it is interesting to note how people observing Passover, Riḍván, and Great Lent find hope in these stories.
“What makes this night different from all [other] nights?
1) On all nights we need not dip even once, on this night we do so twice? 2) On all nights we eat chametz or matzah, and on this night only matzah? 3) On all nights we eat any kind of vegetables, and on this night maror? 4) On all nights we eat sitting upright or reclining, and on this night we all recline?”
— The Four Questions (“Ma Nishtana”)
“How is this practice different from all the other practices?” is a question you can ask before any practice. It is also a question that sounds a lot like “The Four Questions” traditionally asked by the youngest person at a Passover Seder. The word seder is a Hebrew word that means “order” or “arrangement,” and it refers to the ritual feast that people in the Jewish community have on the first night of Passover (or first two nights for Orthodox and Conservative communities outside of Israel). The meal is a symbolic celebration of the Exodus story, which is the story of how the Jews were freed from slavery in Egypt. Really, the meal is the story — beginning with the questions, which are also symbolic.
Passover, which is also called Pesach and The Feast of Unleavened Bread, is considered a spring festival. In ancient times, it was directly connected to the harvesting and offering of barley — which was the first grain to ripen and harvest in the Holy Land. For seven days (eight days for the Orthodox and Conservative communities, especially in the diaspora), people commemorate the story of Exodus, which is a story of faith, suffering, and hope.
The ritual observation actually begins before the Passover Seder, with the removal of chametz (“leavening”), as it is forbidden to consume, keep, or own chametz during Passover. Some forms or chametz will be burned; other forms can be given away or even sold. Keep in mind that the agents of “rising” or fermentation are not forbidden. In fact, wine is a required part of the celebration. However, the action of rising is symbolic and part of the story (NOTE Question 2: Where the Jews have to flee so fast their bread doesn’t have time to rise.)
Another part of the story and another ritual that occurs before the Passover Seder is the Fast of the Firstborn, which falls on the day before the evening of the Passover Seder (with adjustments made when Passover begins on a Saturday night — which is the end of the Sabbath). Again, this is a symbolic element of the story as first-born sons (and “newborn” sons) play critical roles in the Exodus story.
“The Lord saw that he had turned to see, and God called to him from within the thorn bush, and He said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am!’”
— Shemot – Exodus 3:4
The Passover story comes with a backstory — and is, itself, the backstory (and the backdrop) for the Passion/Easter story. According to Shemot / Exodus, an Egyptian pharaoh first oppressed and then enslaved the Jewish people. He also ordered all Hebrew newborn sons to be killed. For a while, the midwives and the Jewish mothers circumvented Pharaoh’s order. Then, he ordered all the newborn sons to be thrown in the river. Jochebed, Moses’ birth mother, hid her son for three months. Then, she very cleverly placed him in a basket in the river and sent her daughter, Miriam, to watch the baby in the basket. When Pharaoh’s daughter scooped up the baby — who she would eventually name “Moses… ‘For I drew him from the water’” — Miriam offered to secure a wet nurse (who was, of course, Jochebed, their mother). In this way, Moses grew up as the Pharaoh’s grandson and, also, grew up knowing he was Jewish.
At the age of 40, Moses stepped in to protect a Jewish man who was being beaten by an Egyptian and had to flee his home. When he was 80, he was confronted by G-d (in the form of the burning bush) and commanded to return to Egypt and speak to Pharaoh about freeing the Jewish people. Theoretically, Moses was also 80 when he received the Torah, G-d’s truth for his people, and he was 120 when he died – but that’s a story for a different day.
“And He said, ‘For I will be with you, and this is the sign for you that it was I Who sent you. When you take the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.’”
— quoted from Shemot – Exodus (3:12)
“God said to Moses, ‘Ehyeh asher ehyeh (I will be what I will be),’ and He said, ‘So shall you say to the children of Israel, “Ehyeh (I will be) has sent me to you.’””
— quoted from Shemot – Exodus (3:14)
In some ways, Moses was the perfect person to be the (human) hero of the story. However, he was humble to the point of lacking confidence. He did not want to give the Jewish people false hope and so he repeatedly asked who/what was commanding him. Rabbi David Fohrman, quoting Shlomo Yitzchaki, the medieval French rabbi known as Rashi, points out that when G-d initial spoke to Moses and Moses asked for G-d’s identity, Moses was told three times that the One who spoke was the One who would always be with Moses and the Jewish people. Regardless of what they experience, Rashi explained, G-d will be with them. This is the very definition of compassion, which literally means “to suffer with.”
Moses’ humility and lack of confidence led him to seek the assistance of his brother Aaron. Of course, the Pharaoh did not believe in the G-d of Abraham and Moses. As a show of power, Aaron’s staff was turned into a snake. Pharaoh was not impressed and pointed out that he had magicians who could do the same “magic trick.” Even the fact that the brothers’ snake ate the other snakes was not enough for Pharaoh.
When the initial show of power didn’t convince Pharaoh of the authority of G-d, everyone was subject to nine plagues: blood, frogs, lice, wild beasts in the streets, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, and day(s) of darkness. Remember: It was not only Pharaoh and the Egyptians who suffered. The Jews, who were already suffering the hardship of slavery, also had to endure the additional hardships. In other words, they were asked to endure more suffering, but to have faith that this period of more suffering would end with the alleviation of their suffering. Perhaps they found hope in a critical — but not often highlighted — aspect of the Ten Plagues: they not only started on command, they also ended on command.
On the evening of the tenth plague, the death of the first born male child, the Jewish families were told to smear lambs blood on their doors — so their households will be passed over. They were also commanded to celebrate and give thanks for their freedom — even though they are still slaves.
Yes, it is a little mind boggling; but, what passes as the first Passover Seder happened in Egypt and during a time of slavery. Considering Pharaoh had changed his mind before, they had no way of knowing (with any certainty) that they would be freed immediately after the tenth plague. See where this is going? In that moment, the Jewish people who chose to believe and celebrate were like the quantum mechanics Cat: simultaneously free and not free.
“When you pass through water, I am with you, and in rivers, they shall not overflow you; when you go amidst fire, you shall not be burnt, neither shall a flame burn amongst you.”
— quoted from Yeshayahu (Isaiah) (43:2)
“So said the Lord, who made a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters.”
— quoted from Yeshayahu (Isaiah) (43:16)
The people in the Passover story were told that the must have faith and follow the instructions of G-d in order to to be passed over and saved. They also had free will. So, it is important to note that not everyone celebrated the first Passover — neither did everyone flee when given the opportunity. It is also important to remember that celebrating freedom that had not yet been given/experienced was not the last time people in the Passover story had to keep the faith, hope, believe, and (with free will) act accordingly. There was a moment, after Pharaoh was compelled by the tenth plague to release the Jewish people (and after his heart hardened once again), when the Jewish people were between the tumultuous sea and Pharaoh’s army. According to the Midrash, talmudic commentary, Nahshon, believed that G-d would save the Jewish people and, therefore, waded into the water. It was his faith and his faith-based actions that caused G-d to turn the tide.
In modern times, this second night of Passover is when people begin Counting the Omer in Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah). Counting the Omer is a 49-day observation which reflects the days the newly freed Jews were in the desert and segues into the commemoration of the people receiving the Torah. When people Count the Omer there is an extra element of prayer, of offering, and also of contemplation on two connected elements of the Divine (from the Tree of Life). One the first night, the connected elements are Chesed She b’Chesed (“Lovingkindness in Lovingkindness”).
Divine love and the observation of Passover link the Jewish observations with the Christian observations of Lent and Great Lent, because, historically speaking, Jesus was a Jewish teacher or rabbi, who returned home to Jerusalem for Passover. The Gospel According to Saint John (12:1) is the only New Testament gospel that specifically refers to Passover as a reference point for the beginning of the last week of Jesus’ life. However, all four of the canonical gospels mention preparation for the festival, feast, or first day (depending on the translation) of “Unleavened Bread” and describe a jubilant and memorable moment where Jesus rode into town on a donkey (a symbol of peace) and was greeted by people who honored him by laying down palm fronds (and possibly coats) to cover his path. In Christian communities, Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent / Great Lent and marks Christians’ final preparation for Easter.
In addition to people around the world observing Passover, Counting the Omer, and Great Lent, there are people around the world celebrating the twelve-day festival of Riḍván, one of the holiest times within the Bahá’í community, is celebrated during the second month and begins exactly one Gregorian-month after the new year. This “Most Great Festival” in the Baháʼí Faith commemorates the time that the founder of the Bahá’i Faith, Bahá’u’lláh, waited in the original garden of Riḍván prior to being exiled to Constantinople. His declarations in the garden gave people hope and, during these modern day celebrations, the Universal House of Justice issues an annual Riḍván message and holds elections. These messages are reflections meant to inspire hopeful, faith-based actions.
“The urgency of the present hour must not obscure the special joy that comes from service. The call to service is an uplifting, all-embracing summons. It attracts every faithful soul, even those weighed down by cares and obligations. For in all the ways in which that faithful soul is occupied can be discovered deep-rooted devotion and a lifelong concern for the well-being of others. Such qualities give coherence to a life of manifold demands. And the sweetest moments of all for any enkindled heart are those spent with spiritual sisters and brothers, tending to a society in need of spiritual nourishment.”
— quoted from the Riḍván 2022 message from the Universal House of Justice “To the Bahá’is of the World”
“People ask me how I find hope. I answer that I don’t believe in hope, and I don’t believe in hopelessness. I believe in compassion and pragmatism, in doing what is right for its own sake. Hope can be lethal when you are fighting an autocracy because hope is inextricable from time. An enduring strategy of autocrats is to simply run out the clock.”
— quoted from Hiding in Plain Sight by Sarah Kendzior
Serendipitously, I received two texts from the same Austin suburb (on April 11, 2020). One was from a friend, sharing the Sarah Kendzior quote (above). The other was from my brother, asking why people were celebrating the same thing at different times. The short answer to my brother’s question is that it comes down to calendars and how people tell their stories (i.e., what is emphasized). A longer answer is all of these blog posts and classes, which come back to the fact that not everyone finds hope in the same place and/or in the same way.
At the end of the day (and often at the end of the practice), there are people whose faith and hope comes not from religion or spiritual philosophies, but from nature and even from other people. Just as some people are inspired by stories in sacred texts, scriptures, and history, there are many who are inspired by stories in songs — and/or the backstory of songs. While I typically offer a playlist with songs that, in and of themselves, tell the stories, this Tuesday’s playlist is a little different. Instead of songs that tell the story, it is a playlist mostly comprised of music by sigur rós.
On some albums, jónsi, who was born today in 1975, sings in Icelandic. On the third album, however, he sings in an imaginary language known as Vonlenska. Vonlenska, as identified by a journalist, first appeared in the ninth track of the band’s debut album. The song is called “Von,” the Icelandic word for “hope.” Hence the name: Volenska. Hopelandic.
Hopelandic. How can you not love that name, or the idea of a place where the native language is hope?
Just like the track “18 sekúndur fyrir sólarupprás” (“18 Seconds before Sunrise”), the music and the language remind me of Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s thoughts on free will, suffering, and being creators. They remind me that in between the suffering and the end of suffering, there is an empty space that we can fill with hope or with more suffering. That hope can be the silence of meditation or it can be the “gibberish” that serves as a placeholder for the beauty to come.
“it’s of course not an actual language by definition (no vocabulary, grammar, etc.), it’s rather a form of gibberish vocals that fits to the music and acts as another instrument. jónsi likens it with what singers sometimes do when they’ve decided on the melody but haven’t written the lyrics yet.”
“Chag Sameach!” to everyone celebrating Passover and/or Counting the Omer (tonight)! Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone observing Great Lent! Happy National Poetry Month!
“First and foremost, we believe creation of the world, G-d created a world in which he wanted the human being to actually be able to do something – that is to say, to exercise free will, to be like G-d, meaning to be a creator, not to be lab rats…. He wants us to have a relationship with Him. But to have a relationship with G-d requires that I have an exercise of my free will…. Free will means an environment in which not necessarily do I always have pleasure when I make the right decisions and not necessarily does someone always suffer when they make the wrong decision. Free will is having real power to create stuff. Free will is having real power to alleviate suffering.”
— Rabbi Mordechai Becher, in vlog explaining one of several reasons why suffering exists
Please join me today (Tuesday, April 23rd) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTubeand Spotify. [Look for “04232023 The Language of Hope”]
NOTE: This is not the music we typically use for the aforementioned holidays. Please let me know if you are looking for a different playlist.
“People ask me how I find hope. I answer that I don’t believe in hope, and I don’t believe in hopelessness. I believe in compassion and pragmatism, in doing what is right for its own sake. Hope can be lethal when you are fighting an autocracy because hope is inextricable from time. An enduring strategy of autocrats is to simply run out the clock.”
— quoted from Hiding in Plain Sight by Sarah Kendzior
This is the “long lost” post related to Sunday, June 5, 2022. It is the third post related to Bill Moyers (and the second one being posted for the first time). Links for the 2021 post are embedded below. 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.
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.
“Joseph Campbell said that all the great myths, the primitive myths, the great stories, have to be regenerated if they’re going to have any impact…. Are you conscious of doing that?”
– Bill Moyers, quoted from the transcript of “The Mythology of Star Wars, with George Lucas”
Let’s talk about heroes, heroines, and great adventures. I love them! I can’t say I was a huge fan of The NeverEnding Story, but I did appreciate the idea and, when I was a kid, I always got a kick out of “choose your own adventure” books. I also loved Star Wars, Star Trek, Italo Calvino’s If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler, and almost any series of books with reoccurring characters who went places I had never gone, had experiences I never had, and met people I had never met. Part of what I loved was that I recognized the places, the experiences, and the people. How could I not? After all, they were all the same – just using different names, and dressed up in different clothes and faces.
I don’t remember exactly when I first heard about Joseph Campbell or Harold Bloom, but their works around literature, mythology, and anthropology (as it intersects literature and mythology) seem to be like long shadows towards the end of the day. They’re always there, you just can’t always see them. Towards the end of college, I took a publishing course and one of the people in my small group ended up working at a major publishing house. A few months later, he sent me a big box full of books. Joseph Campbell’s A Hero with a Thousand Faces was one of those books. I knew about it, but had never read it.
If you watch movies, read comics and/or books, or just like listening to someone weave a good adventure, odds are you fall into one or more of the following categories: (1) you love heroes because you’re always looking for someone to save you; (2) you love adventure and fancy yourself as someone who could save yourself or someone else – given the right means and opportunity; and/or (3) you love the life lessons found within a good story. After all, every good story comes with at least one life lesson. That’s one of the boons of living vicariously through a fictional or historical character.
“LUCAS: I guess it’s more specific in Buddhism, but it is a notion that’s been around before that. When I wrote the first Star Wars, I had to come up with a whole cosmology: What do people believe in? I had to do something that was relevant, something that imitated a belief system that has been around for thousands of years, and that most people on the planet, one way or another, have some kind of connection to. I didn’t want to invent a religion. I wanted to try to explain in a different way [than] the religions that have already existed. I wanted to express it all.
MOYERS: You’re creating a new myth?
LUCAS: I’m telling an old myth in a new way. Each society takes that myth and retells it in a different way, which relates to the particular environment they live in. The motif is the same. It’s just that it gets localized. As it turns out, I’m localizing it for the planet. I guess I’m localizing it for the end of the millennium more than I am for any particular place.”
– quoted from the Time Magazine article “Of Myth and Men” by Bill Moyers; George Lucas (published April 18, 1999; based on “The Mythology of Star Wars, with George Lucas”)
Born on June 5, 1934, in Hugo, Oklahoma (and primarily raised in Marshall, Texas), Bill Moyers is more than a journalist who has spent a lot of time talking to and about heroes. He is even more than a journalist who has also spent a lot of time talking to and about people who create heroes. But, he has done all of that… and more.
In addition to being an ordained minister, he served as the 13th White House Press Secretary (working with both Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson). Along with his wife, Judith Suzanne Davidson Moyers, he has produced a variety of programming, including Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth (filmed on George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch, in 1988); The Mythology of Star Wars, with George Lucas (also filmed at Skywalker Ranch, in 1999); Faith and Reason; and Healing and the Mind. He has also produced and facilitated conversations about a wide range of topics, including evil, racism, prayer, democracy, poetry, art, and the experiences of U. S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. His many books include Listening to America: A Traveler Rediscovers His Country, A World of Ideas : Conversations With Thoughtful Men and Women About American Life Today and the Ideas Shaping Our Future, A World of Ideas II: Public Opinions from Private Citizens, The Language of Life (which is a conversation with poets), Genesis: A Living Conversation, and the book based on the series Healing and the Mind.
More often than not, when I lead a practice on Bill Moyers’s birthday, it centers around Joseph Campbell’s monomyth and references superheroes from comic books and movies. My intention is to highlight how we are all the hero(ine) of our own story – and, additionally, how we can also be someone else’s hero. Sometimes, I even reference a specific historical and/or religious figure. Someone like Moses.
I mentioned Moses, specifically, because sunset on Saturday (June 4, 2022) marked the beginning of Shavuot. Known in English as the “Festival of Weeks,” Shavuot is the anniversary, the celebration, and the commemoration of the Jewish people receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai. It occurs on the 50th day after the 2nd night of Passover – making it a moveable feast – and is the culmination of the counting of the weeks, which is observed by the Counting of the Omer. Since the 49 days of counting make up a spiritual journey of preparation, Shavuot marks the end of one journey and the beginning of a new journey. Or, you could think of it more specifically as the beginning of a new time.
Technically speaking, the Hero’s Journey is always about moving into a new time, a new era, or a new season of life. It’s about coming out of an old season, shedding the old skin, and moving forward with that “Ultimate Boon” – that life lesson that serves the heroine and their community. While I often compare Moses’ hero journey to the hero journey of the Buddha (or Jesus), the parallels do not stop with the beginning of their lives and their “calling” to alleviate the suffering of the people in their community. In fact, an additional parallel is found in what some might consider the end of the journey: a path (i.e., a set of instructions or commandments), which can be seen as their own calling/journey.
“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come.”
– quoted from A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living by Joseph Campbell
Every adventure begins in the “Ordinary World.” It’s not a perfect world; it’s just the everyday, mundane world. If everything and everyone were perfect, there would not be a “Call to Adventure.” But there is a call. In real life, individual people have things they are called to do and then there is a philosophical call issued to everyone who is exposed to systems like the the Noble Eightfold Path (in Buddhism); the 8-Limbs of the Yoga Philosophy (as codified in Patanjali’s Yoga Sūtras); the various paths of yoga (as described in the Bhagavad Gita); and/or the teachings in the Torah, the Christian New Testament, and/or the Qur’ān.
Of course, in the monomyth, the hero or heroine initially refuses the call. The “Refusal of Call” happens everyday in modern times and in biblical history – and for the same reasons. It is a refusal to give up the status quo. It is the rejection of a new way of living. Think of Moses (and Joshua) returning from the Mount to find that the newly freed Hebrew people are actively breaking their newly established covenant. According to Shemot – Exodus (32:1), the people were motivated by fear – specifically, fear of the unknown and fear of loss. If we go deep inside ourselves, we may find that similar fears cause each of us to stray from our chosen path. In Buddhism, all clinging leads to suffering. In the Yoga Sūtras, Patanjali described five types of attachment that lead to suffering. The final type, described in Yoga Sūtra 2.9, is fear of loss/death – and getting beyond that is part of the practice and, also, another practice from another year.
“GEORGE LUCAS: What happens is that no matter how you do it, when you sit down to write something all other influences you’ve had in your life come into play. The things that you like, the things that you’ve seen, the things — the observations you’ve made. That’s ultimately what you work with when you’re writing. And you — you are influenced by the things that you like. Designs that you like, characters you like, moments that you remember, that you were moved by. It’s — it’s like trying to compose a — a symphony in a way.”
– George Lucas responding to a question Bill Moyers asked about the creative process, quoted from the transcript of “The Mythology of Star Wars, with George Lucas”
In some ways, every mindfulness-based practice is like sitting down to write: things come up and all of those things, in the moment, become part of the practice. In fact, one of the lojong (“mind-training”) aphorisms in Tibetan Buddhism is “Whatever you meet unexpectedly, join with meditation.” (16) Additionally, the theme is that “localizing” that George Lucas referenced when talking about how Star Wars fit into the rubric. The theme details, the poses and sequences, even the duration of the practice are simply the unique details of the moment. But, every practice is the same journey.
For every mindfulness-based practice, our breath is the “Supernatural Aid” that facilitates our transition from the external to the internal and then back again. Every practice takes us deeper into our own belly – which can also be that metaphorical “Belly of the Whale.” While they may not all be physically challenging, the practice is a “Road of Trials” with the opportunity to experience the deep love and acceptance of the “Goddess” and the “Atonement of the Father.” There is always the “Temptation” to stay in Śavāsana (“Seat of the Corpse” or Dead Man’s Pose); to give up mid-way through the practice; or to just not show up. There is also the temptation to do more simply because it is suggested.
Finally, every practice has that final Śavāsana-moment – and, even if we are not actually in Śavāsana, that moment symbolizes the death of the practice: an “Apostasis.” All the preparation, all the getting ready leads to a moment of meditation that, ultimately, brings an understanding of every plane of existence and freedom from suffering: that’s the “Ultimate Boon” – that is what allows someone to be “Master of Two Worlds.
That mastery or stewardship leads to the ultimate freedom: “Freedom to Live.” The final stage of the journey is partially defined as the freedom to live “in the moment, neither anticipating the future, nor regretting the past” – which is also one of the goals of Eastern philosophies like Yoga and Buddhism, to be fully present in the moment.
“…really pay attention to what’s happening internally…. Meditation is learning how to get so still, and so calm, tranquil, through the directing of the attention, to this present moment, that we begin to see really deeply…. And so we go more and more and more deeply into the nature of things, and when that happens, and reactivity ceases, then responsiveness arises.”
– Gina Sharpe, Suffering and the End of Suffering
The playlist for this practice is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06052022 Hero(ine)’s Journey”]
GEORGE LUCAS: […] The average human being has much more awareness of the other cultures that exist — co-exist with them on this planet, and that certain things go across cultures, and entertainment is one of them. And film and the stories that I tell cut across all cultures, are seen all around the world.”
– quoted from the transcript of “The Mythology of Star Wars, with George Lucas”
Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone Counting the Omer!
“‘Anything I can sing,’ he observes, ‘I call a song. Anything I can’t sing, I call a poem. Anything I can’t sing or anything that’s too long to be a poem, I call a novel. But my novels don’t have the usual story lines. They’re about my feelings at a certain place at a certain time.’”
– quoted from the liner notes by Nat Hentoff (from Bob Dylan’s album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan)
This is a footnote with links. If it were longer (and written by him), Robert Allen Zimmerman (born today in 1941) might call this a novel; because, it’s about how today feels weird to me.
First, it’s kind of a weird day in rock and roll. Tina Turner, the legendary Queen of Rock and Roll, just passed away today at the age of 83. Meanwhile, Bob Dylan, the rock and roll poet, turned 82 today. Yes, there are other things that make today weird – even sad and tragic, when you consider that it is the first anniversary of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. However, in the middle of all the sadness, tragedy, and even confusion (over why certain things aren’t changing in a way that makes us all safer), there are some joyful memories and some persistent reminders.
The memories include ones of my mom taking me to see Tina Turner’s Private Dancer tour (in 1985). It was my very first rock and roll concert. Another such memory is finding the mantras and chants that Tina Turner recorded after she started practicing Buddhism. Listening to those mantras and chants, I remember that the human spirit is divine, beautiful, and able to persevere. I find different, but equally persistent, reminders in the poetry – and music – of Bob Dylan, who is quoted in the liner notes for The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan as saying, “The most important thing I know I learned from Woody Guthrie…. I’m my own person. I’ve got basic common rights-whether I’m here in this country or any other place. I’ll never finish saying everything I feel, but I’ll be doing my part to make some sense out of the way we’re living, and not living, now. All I’m doing is saying what’s on my mind the best way I know how. And whatever else you say about me, everything I do and sing and write comes out of me.”
I think the same philosophy applies to Tina Turner.
Sometimes, I compare Bob Dylan and his career to winning the lottery with that elusive Powerball® of talent, drive, and other people’s perceptions. My comparison is not meant to take anything away from his talent and hard work. Quite the opposite. It’s just meant to highlight that sometimes people have things working in their favor. On the flip side, Tina Turner had the talent and the drive, but that last piece – other people’s perceptions (not to mention her own at certain times in her life) – worked against her. If you look at her life, where she started and the abuse that she endured early on, you’ll find there were a lot of things working against her. Yet, she survived. She thrived. She succeeded.
Tina Turner became one the best-selling recording artists of all time; won 12 Grammy Awards (including three Grammy Hall of Fame awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award); was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two times (in 1991 and 2021) and became the first woman and the first Black artist to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone. She appeared in movies and had a movie and a musical based on her life. Her accolades also include being a recipient of the 2005 Kennedy Center Honors.
She survived. She thrived. She succeeded. More importantly, she continued making beauty in the world.
“Nothing last forever. No one lives forever. The flower that fades and dies. Winter passes and spring comes. Embrace the cycle of life that is the greatest love. Go beyond fear.
Go beyond fear.
Beyond fear takes you into the place where love grows.
When you refuse to follow the impulses of fear, anger, and revenge. Beyond means to feel yourself. Start every day singing like the birds. Singing takes you beyond.
Beyond. Beyond. Beyond.”
– excerpted from “Beyond: Spiritual Message By Tina Turner” on the album Beyond: Buddhist and Christian Prayers by Tina Turner, Dechen Shak-Dagsay & Regula Curti
Please join me today (Wednesday, May 24th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You will need to register for the 7:15 PM class if you have not already done so. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05242022 Bob’s Poems”]
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
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A Joyful Practice 