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Getting Ready to Let Go September 24, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Mantra, Music, Mysticism, New Year, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Rosh Hashanah, Suffering, Vairagya, Wisdom, Yoga, Yom Kippur.
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Many blessings, to everyone and especially those celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi!! “Chag sameach!” to those observing the High Holidays and getting ready for Yom Kippur! 

This is a “missing” post for Sunday, September 24th. NOTE: Some information has previously been posted in a (slightly) different context. You can request an audio recording of either 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.)

“ॐ गजाननाय नमः।
Aum Gajānanāya Namaḥ।”

— This mantra honoring “the One who carries the elephant head” is a reminder that if Ganesha can carry the elephant’s head to survive and fulfill his duties, we can all put aside our egos and live dutifully.

When we focused on the little things yesterday, I emphasized how little things get us ready for the big things. Little baby steps add up and become (what appears to some to be) big giant leaps. Little changes in routines become big changes in habits. However, I also mentioned how some people — myself included — can get impatient when we decide we are ready for change. We want things to happen right away. We want to click our heels and magically appear at home, surrounded by those we love. Or, we want a worm hole or a car with fancy doors that allows us to fly through time.

Of course, life doesn’t work that way.

If you are familiar with Ganesh Chaturthi and/or you a different faith where God takes away your sins or absolves you of your transgressions — but are not actually rooted in those faiths — perhaps you think that those are the easy ways out. Let someone else remove your obstacles and barriers. Let someone else wash away your sins, past mistakes, and unfulfilled vows. But, that’s not how mysticism works. People still have to do some work.

You still have to do some work.

You still have to do something in order to let go of what no longer serves you. You still have to ask (through prayer, reflection, and offerings) to have your obstacles removed. You still have to ask and/or offer forgiveness — when you’re ready. But, only you can decide when you are ready. Similarly, asking for (and accepting) help to get out of a bad situation is work that only you can do… again, when you are ready.

Just like no one else can do your work for you, no one else can decide when you are ready. There are, however, tried and true methods for getting ready. There are rituals and traditions that I often describe as being forms of kriyā yoga, that combination of the final three niyamas (internal “observations”): discipline/austerity, self-study, and trustful surrender to a higher power (other than one’s self). Whenever and how ever we practice these elements, we are confronted with the question, “What’s ‘In There’ That’s So Important?”

Sometimes the answer is, “Nothing,” and we just need to realize that we are holding on to our baggage out of habit. Other times, the answer (and the process to reach the answer) is a little more nuanced than that. Either way, the practice takes us through the journey of WHY & WHAT:

  • WHY hold on to things that hold you back? and
  • WHAT happens when you let go?

The following (slightly revised) excerpt is from a 2021 post.

Click here to read the 2021 post in its entirety. 

Yoga Sūtra 2.39: aparigrahasthairye janmakathantāasambodhah

— “A person firmly established in the non-possessiveness gains complete understanding of the “why-ness” (or essence of why) of birth.”

Like everyone else, I have my favorite stories for each season; but, I don’t get the chance to tell every story every year…. There is, however, a story I make sure to tell every year, right at the end of the High Holidays. It’s a Charlie Harary story with a timeless message.

Some people may believe that I save today’s story for the one of the final days of the High Holidays because it is sometimes an intense physical practice. But, in reality, there is a bit of symbolism that plays out in the story and in the timing of the story. You see, even though I don’t talk about the significance of Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Awe / Ten Days of Atonement, and Yom Kippur until people are observing them; many people within the Jewish community start planning and observing (a time of contemplation and preparation) forty days before Yom Kippur. They listen for the call of the shofar and recite Psalm 27 twice a day. Some communities even begin a tradition of communal prayers for forgiveness (Selichot). For others, observation begins with Rosh Hashanah and the Ten Days of Repentance — even though, if they plan to go home and/or attend services, they have to make arrangements beforehand. Finally, there are people who may only fast and attend services on Yom Kippur.

There is merit to each person’s timetable. And I see this kind of timetable in other communities — including in the yoga community….

“Had I not believed in seeing the good of the Lord in the land of the living!

Hope for the Lord, be strong and He will give your heart courage, and hope for the Lord.”

— quoted from Tehillim – Psalms (27:13-14)

Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “High Holidays: Drop Your Bags”]

NOTE: The YouTube playlist includes the Charlie Harary story that originally inspired this practice.

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.)

### MAY YOUR NAME BE WRITTEN AND SEALED IN THE BOOK OF LIFE & MAY YOU HAVE FEW OBSTACLES ###

A Little Time for Little Things (the “missing” Saturday post) September 23, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Life, Music, New Year, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Rosh Hashanah, Science, Wisdom, Yoga.
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Happy Equinox and many blessings, to everyone and especially those celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi!! “Chag sameach!” to those observing the High Holidays. 

This is a “missing” post for Saturday, September 23rd. NOTE: Some information has previously been posted in a (slightly) different context. You can request an audio recording of either 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.)

“Because there’s a lot of work out there
Everything will be fine
And I’ll send for you baby
Just a matter of time”

— quoted from the song “A Matter of Time” by Los Lobos 

Do you ever wish for a little more time?

Or, for similar reasons, do you ever wish certain things didn’t take up so much of your daylight hours?

There are certain times of year — like at the beginning of a new year and/or the beginning of a new season — when I think about this quite a bit. When observations related to a new year overlap with a change in the astronomical seasons, I do more than think about how I actually spend my time. I also start considering what I could do with more time — even if the actual time is only a little more.

This year, the eighth day of the High Holidays (and the fifth day of Ganesh Chaturthi) overlapped the Autumnal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere on Saturday, September 23rd. Along with Winter Solstice, Vernal (or Spring) Equinox, and Summer Solstice, the Autumnal Equinox is one of four noteworthy (and marked) dates that are, theoretically, produced because of the angle of the Earth as it rotates around the sun. I say, “theoretically,” because the terms solstice and equinox refer to phenomena that don’t happen exactly as they are described.

While most people know that the sun does not, literally, “stand still” on the solstices, we still like to think that everyone around the world has equal amounts of day and night on the equinoxes — and that these appreciable moments in time are actually that: appreciable and notable. The truth, however, is that there is no sudden/automatic change in how much light and how much darkness we get. It’s not a dimmer switch. Additionally, we can notice changes much earlier than indicated by the celestial calendar. Furthermore, no one is really getting 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night on the actual equinox.

We perceive daylight long after the sun has moved below the horizon and, therefore, daytime is longer at latitudes above the equator than below. Here in Houston, I got 12 hours and 7 minutes (as did people in the Twin Cities; Cairo, Egypt; and Shanghai, China). On the flip side, someone in Anchorage, Alaska got 12 hours and 10 minutes (as did people in Helsinki, Finland). Even at the equator, a true 12-hour split doesn’t happen on the equinox: It happens on the equilux (“equal light”), which this year falls between September 25th and October 17th, depending on how close you are to the equator. The closer you are to the equator, the later the date.

So, for a few more days (or weeks) we all have more daylight than usual.

How could you spend your time?

“And then we spoke about Rosh Hashana… finally.

People always talk about making big changes – New Year resolutions.

‘I want to lose 50 pounds.’

‘I want to finish the entire Talmud.’

‘I’m going to spend 90 minutes of quality time with my daughter every night.’

It doesn’t work. It never does. And if it does, it peters out. You have no choice. You must start small.”

— quoted from “Preparing for Rosh Hashana: The secret to an inspiring new year” by Rabbi Yaakov Salomon

If you are anything like me, there’s a good chance that when you decide you want to do something (or stop doing something), you want one of those handy-dandy “time slips” — not because you don’t want to do the work, but because once you make up your mind you’re ready for the change. However, we can’t snap our fingers and “skip to the good part.” We do not have a magical, fantastical (theoretically possibly) way of skipping ahead. Even if we did, it wouldn’t be advisable, because we wouldn’t (necessarily) be ready on every level. Just because some part of our mind is ready, doesn’t mean our whole being is ready. We get ready during the time that we’re taking the steps to make something happen (or to make something stop happening).

Those steps — even when they are little baby steps — make a big difference.

The following excerpt was originally posted in 2021. Due to the sequences, the order of the “little things” is different each year. The order below is the 2021 order. Some embedded links connect outside of this blog.

“The key to getting the most out of any experience is preparation before the event. You cannot expect to leap from the shower to the shul and instantly feel holy. It just doesn’t work that way.”

— quoted from “Preparing for Rosh Hashana: The secret to an inspiring new year” by Rabbi Yaakov Salomon

Just as you can’t jump up off the coach and run a marathon, without some training, Rabbi Yaakov Salomon once pointed out that the desire for a deep spiritual connection requires some preparation. The means he mentioned included introspection, meditation, and prayer — all methods also mentioned in other traditions, including in Indian philosophies like yoga. A lot of people, however, aren’t familiar with all 8-limbs of the Yoga Philosophy; they just know about the two limbs that form the postural practice: āsana and prāņāyāma. But, just practicing those two little things can take you deeper into the overall practice and help cultivate big connections.

In many ways, hatha yoga (the physical practice of yoga, regardless of the style or tradition) is all about little things and about bringing awareness to the little things. The way we sit or stand determines how we breathe; the way we breathe in different positions determines how we feel. When we bring our awareness to how we feel we can go deeper into the pose as well as into ourselves. It all starts with little things. Little things, like how we place our hands or engage our core, can make the difference between going deeper into a pose and deeper into ourselves versus getting injured.

Although, sometimes we learn a lot about ourselves from getting injured; but that’s another story for another day.

Using the practice to notice little things can give us insight into why we think the way we think and do (and say) the things we do (and say) — on and off the mat. It can also help us bring awareness to how little things get us ready for the big things. For instance, next time you’re on the mat, give yourself the opportunity to notice these “little things” – one at a time and then all together:

  1. Make sure your legs are in a position that’s comfortable for your low back and that your arms are in a position that’s comfortable for neck and shoulders.
  2. Breathe deeply in and breathe deeply out.
  3. Notice the “L” of your hands, especially when you have weight in your hands and arms. (In grade school you might have learned that one “L” on your forehead means loser, but if you put two “L”s together you have a shot at a goal; if you tip the ends out, you have a “W” — which means winner.)
  4. For a vinyāsa practice, match the movement to the breath. For all practices, notice the natural internal movement that happens as you breathe.
  5. Press your shoulders down and squeeze the tips of your shoulder blades together. Notice how the engagement in the back body affects the front of the body.
  6. Engage the inside (starting at your feet and engage your core by squeezing into your midline).
  7. Focus on something that’s not moving so that your mind-body stays present. Remember, where your eyes go, your mind goes; where your mind goes, your body goes — especially in a balancing pose.
  8. SMILE!
  9. Notice what happens when you put it all together.
  10. Change your perspective and look at things in a slightly different way. (If you are working on a peak and/or advanced pose, practice a pose that looks and feels similar and, therefore, may require similar engagement.)
  11. Don’t panic! Be present and trust your practice in this moment.

This practice also featured the personal story from Rabbi Yaakov Salomon. It’s a story about little things and is a great reminder that while we may not always notice the little things until they become the big things, the little things matter. In fact, every little thing we feel, think, say, and do is the possibility of a big thing we’re in the habit of feeling, thinking, saying, or doing.

“Believe in what you’re doing”

— quoted from the song “A Matter of Time” by Los Lobos

Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “High Holidays: Little Things”]

### MAY YOUR NAME BE WRITTEN AND SEALED IN THE BOOK OF LIFE & MAY YOU HAVE FEW OBSTACLES ###

A Little Time for Little Things (mostly the music) September 23, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Music, Philosophy, Wisdom, Yoga.
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Happy Equinox and many blessings, to everyone and especially those celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi!! “Chag sameach!” to those observing the High Holidays. 

“And then we spoke about Rosh Hashana… finally.

People always talk about making big changes – New Year resolutions.

‘I want to lose 50 pounds.’

‘I want to finish the entire Talmud.’

‘I’m going to spend 90 minutes of quality time with my daughter every night.’

It doesn’t work. It never does. And if it does, it peters out. You have no choice. You must start small.”

— quoted from “Preparing for Rosh Hashana: The secret to an inspiring new year” by Rabbi Yaakov Salomon

Please join me today (Saturday, September 23th) 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 “High Holidays: Little Things”]

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.)

### 🎶 ###

New Year, New Wings II (the “missing” Wednesday post) September 20, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Music, New Year, Philosophy, Religion, Rosh Hashanah, Science, Wisdom, Yoga.
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“Chag sameach!” to those observing the High Holidays. “Many blessings,” to everyone and especially those celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi!

This is a “missing” post for Wednesday, September 20th. NOTE: Portions of the following were previously posted in a (slightly) different context. You can request an audio recording of either 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.)

“Well, some say life will beat you down
Break your heart, steal your crown
So I’ve started out for God knows where
I guess I’ll know when I get there”

— quoted from the song “Learning to Fly” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

“We could hardly wait to get up in the morning.”

— Wilbur Wright

Odds are, you can relate to the idea of life beating you down, of having your heart broken, and of feeling disappointed that some great achievement was within your grasp in one moment and then gone in the next moment. Maybe it was just a moment. Maybe it was a series of moments. Similarly, you’ve probably had a moment — hopefully, several moments in your life — when you were so excited that you couldn’t wait to get started. So, the important question isn’t whether you understand the emotions express above. The important question is: How do experience the latter every day?

Just imagine, for a moment, waking up every morning and being excited about the day ahead. Don’t discount the fact that no day is absolutely, 100% perfect and don’t ignore the fact that sometimes we all have to deal with those master teachers and precious jewels that push our buttons. Instead, keep those imperfections and obstacles in mind and envision a day full of things and people that energize you. Actually visualize yourself moving through a day when you not only learn from your mistakes and your obstacles, you’re excited about the implementing the knowledge that comes from your experiences.

What would such a day look like for you? For that matter, what would a whole year of days like that feel like to you?

“There’s no sensation to compare with this
Suspended animation, a state of bliss”

— quoted from the song “Learning to Fly” from Pink Floyd

Now, what would be the first step in a plan to have such a day, such a year, such a life?

It’s the step I just suggested you take: Envision it.

Personally, I think any time is a good time to “dwell in possibility.” This week feels like a particularly auspicious time since it is the middle of the High Holidays and the beginning of Ganesh Chaturthi — which means that, all over the world, there are people making plans for a new year and new beginnings with less obstacles.

So, I invite you to consider what it would be like to wake up as excited, energized, and motivated as the Wright Brothers were back in 1904. Keeping in mind, of course, that they were “given to fly” and, also, planned for their success by learning from what didn’t work, figuring out ways to overcome obstacles, and making adjustments as needed to always (re)turn to their goal.

“And he still gives his love, he just gives it away
The love he receives is the love that is saved”

— quoted from the song “Given to Fly” by Pearl Jam

Versions of the following excerpt were posted during Rosh Hashanah (2020/5781) and Sukkot (2021/5782). Some additional context has been added.

On September 20, 1904, in a cow pasture known as “Huffman Prairie,” just outside Dayton, Ohio, Orville and Wilbur Wright completed their 49th flight. They had moved their flights from Kitty Hawk and the Kill Devil Hills of North Caroline, in part because of the windy weather and in part because cutting their (land-based) travel time gave them more opportunities to fly. For the Flyer II, they used white pine instead of spruce and added weight to strengthen the frame. They also added a more powerful engine, shifted the center of gravity forward, and adjusted the plane’s wings configuration to create more pitch stability — all of which made it easier to fly. Finally, because they had less wind than at Kitty Hawk, they devised a catapult to pull the airplane down a wooden track. The catapult dropped a 1,000-pound (544 kilograms) weight from 20 feet (6.1 meters) in order to achieve a greater speed at takeoff.

Wilbur Wright was flying the newsworthy flight, which was remarkable not only because it lasted 1 minute, 36 seconds (covering 4,080 feet), but also because it was the first time they flew in a complete circle. 360 degrees! [In other words, they returned to their original position.] Amos I. Root, a beekeeper, drove 175 miles (from Medina, Ohio) just to see the Wright Brothers fly. He published his eyewitness account of that first circle in his magazine, Gleanings in Bee Culture.

“When it turned that circle, and came near the starting-point, I was right in front of it, and I said then and I believe still, it was . . . the grandest sight of my life. Imagine a locomotive that has left its track, and is climbing right toward you – a locomotive without any wheels . . . but with white wings instead. . . Well, now, imagine that locomotive with wings that spread 20 feet each way, coming right toward you with the tremendous flap of its propellers, and you have something like what I saw.”

— quoted from an article dated a January 1, 1905, in the Gleanings in Bee Culture by Amos I. Root

Amos Root’s words painted a vivid picture of a successful moment. He put the reader right smack dab in the middle of the moment. But what of all the crashes; what about all of the missed take offs and landings? Can we picture a moment some might consider a failure? What keeps someone going in those moments — especially when they are in the process of trying doing something that has never been done? What’s the secret to that kind of tenacity and resilience?

Now, go deeper and make it personal. As you make your plan for this next year of life — as you invite yourself to be the best version of yourself, fully present in your own life — turn those questions towards yourself.

  • Picture yourself during a moment some might consider a failure. How do you plan to learn from that moment?
  • What keeps you “up” (metaphorically speaking)? What keeps you motivated, and focused on (re)turning to your goal again and again?
  • With whom do you like to collaborate (and with whom do you make a good team)?
  • BONUS QUESTION #1: Who is “Root[ing]” for you? (Besides me; because “I Root” for you!)
  • BONUS QUESTION #2: What would a beekeeper write about your moment of success?

“The airplane stays up because it doesn’t have the time to fall.”

— Orville Wright

Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Rosh Hashanah 09202020 only”]

“The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times, looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through.”

— Orville Wright

### MAY YOUR NAME BE WRITTEN AND SEALED IN THE BOOK OF LIFE & MAY YOU SOAR OVER OBSTACLES ###

New Year, New Wings II (mostly the music) September 20, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Hope, Life, Music, New Year, Religion, Rosh Hashanah, Yoga.
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“Chag sameach!” to those observing the High Holidays. “Many blessings,” to everyone and especially those celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi!

“We could hardly wait to get up in the morning.”

– Wilbur Wright

Please join me for a virtual yoga practice on Zoom, today (Wednesday, September 20th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 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.

Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Rosh Hashanah 09202020 only”]

“The airplane stays up because it doesn’t have the time to fall.”

 

– Orville Wright

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.)

### 🎶 ###

Bending the Arc, redux (with an excerpt) September 19, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Bhakti, Books, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Kirtan, Life, Mantra, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.
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“Chag sameach!” to those observing the High Holidays. “Many blessings,” to everyone and especially those celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi!

“When marching along the gray road towards the tannery in a column raising clouds of dust, one saw the beautiful red light of the dawn shining on the white flowers in the orchards and on the trees by the roadside, or on the return journey we would encounter young couples out walking, breathing in the beauty of springtime, or women peacefully pushing their children in prams — then the thought uncomfortably bouncing around one’s brain would arise . . . swirling around, stubbornly seeking some solution to the insoluble question: Were we all . . . people?”

— quoted from The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery by Captain Witold Pilecki (Auschwitz Prisoner No. 4859), translated from Pilecki’s original 1945 Auschwitz Report by Jarek Garliński (with an Introduction by Norman Davies & a Forward by Michael Schudrich (Foreword)

It is all to easy to focus on our differences, but what happens when we focus on our similarities? What happens when we focus — or just take a moment to notice — the things we have in common? I think good things happen. I think it makes us more fully human and, possibly, more appreciative of what it means to human. This is why it always feels particularly auspicious when two or more completely different groups of people (from vastly different communities, faiths, and cultures) are celebrating and/or observing sacred times at the same time. It feels particularly notable (to me) when these “holy” times are the same length of time. Take right now, for instance, when two very different 10-day celebrations/observations are overlapping around the world.

Today is the fourth day of the High Holidays (and of the new year) according to the Hebrew calendar and, according to the Hindu calendar, today is the first day of Ganesh Chaturthi, the festival celebrating the birthday of Ganesha. I referred to these as “very different” — and it is true that the rituals, traditions, and faiths are different. However, underlying both holidays is something very human: a desire for new beginnings and less obstacles. Additionally, both observations require people to do something in preparation for the better days. Whether it is making an offering and/or offering (or asking for) forgiveness, these auspicious times require people to act. So, there is prayer, there is reflection, there is prayer, and there is a dissolution (or dissolving) or something.

In both cases there is also something sweet.

“ॐ गजाननाय नमः।
Aum Gajānanāya Namaḥ।”

— This mantra honoring “the One who carries the elephant head” is a reminder that if Ganesha can carry the elephant’s head to survive and fulfill his duties, we can all put aside our egos and live dutifully.

Ganesha is depicted as having a human body (with extra arms) and an elephant head. In Hinduism, he is the Remover of Obstacles and the God of New Beginnings. He is also associated with wisdom and intelligence, as well as the arts and sciences. For his birthday celebrations, people chant Vedic hymns and shastras (including sacred texts and scriptures). There will also be kirtan (chanting with music), which is a form of bhakti yoga or union through devotion/love. In addition to offering Ganesha his favorite sweets, people host Ganesha for one day, three days, seven days, or all ten days. They host him by displaying a clay statue of him in their homes and/or in public.

On the tenth day, the idols are carried to a nearby body of water and dissolved so that Ganesha can return to his heavenly home, carrying people’s obstacles/burdens away in the process. In some places, hundreds of thousands of statues are dissolved at the end of the festival. Over the years, people moved away from traditional materials and started using plaster of Paris (Gypsum plaster), which created environmental concerns. Some cities have now banned using plaster of Paris and encouraged people to return to using local clay (and sometimes clay and cow dung). There are also people who will dissolve their Ganesha statue in a barrel of water and then spread the dissolved clay in their garden — which may not seem like much, but can be way for a person’s actions and faith-based beliefs to make a difference in the world.

We can all do something little that makes a difference. Some, however, do big things that make a difference.

“I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice.”

— quoted from an 1853 sermon by abolitionist and Unitarian minister Theodore Parker

The following is a (slightly revised) excerpt from a 2020 post.

Click here if you want to read the entire post, which is also a tribute to “The Notorious R. B. G.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).

Calvary Captain Witold Pilecki (also known as Tomasz Serafiński) made such a big sacrifice and such a difference in the world that some believe he should be recognized by Yad Vashem (The World Holocaust Remembrance Center) as “Righteous Among Nations.” Today in 1940, he allowed himself to be captured by the Nazis. He did this in order to report the truth about what was going on in concentration camps like Auschwitz.

Captain Pilecki, served as an officer in the Polish Army during the Polish-Soviet War (1919 – 1920) and during World War II. As part of the Resistance to Nazi Occupied Poland, he co-founded the Secret Polish Army (along with Lieutenant Colonel Jan Henryk “Darwicz” Włodarkiewicz and Lieutenant Colonel Władysław “Stefan” Surmacki ), which eventually became part of the Home Army. When Germany invaded Poland at the end of 1939, very little was known about the concentration camps, but Captain Pilecki had a plan. His idea, which was approved by his Polish Army superiors, was to come out of hiding during a Warsaw roundup in order to be arrested and shipped to Auschwitz, where he could organize the resistance and report on the situation from the inside.

“I’ve been trying to live my life so that in the hour of my death I would rather feel joy, than fear.”

— Witold Pilecki’s statement to the judge after his sentencing, May 15, 1948

He was given a false identity card and was arrested on September 19, 1940. Arrested along with him were 2,000 civilians, including journalist and historian Władysław Bartoszewski (who was designated “Righteous Among Nations” in 1965). After being detained for two days, “Tomasz Serafiński” was assigned number 4859, and shipped to Auschwitz, where he documented the difference between the way the Nazis treated Jewish people versus non-Jewish people. He also documented the escalating move towards genocide.

During his two and a half years at Auschwitz, Witold Pilecki formed Union of Military Organizations (ZOW), a resistance organization within the camp, which set up intelligence networks; distributed extra food, clothing, and medical supplies; boosted morale; and prepared for a possible Home Army coup. At one point, ZOW was even able to construct and use a secret radio receiver and help at least 4 Polish men escape (with one of Captain Witold’s reports).

“Witold’s Report” (also known as “Pilecki’s Report”) was information that was regularly smuggled through the Polish resistance to London and even to the British government. It provided the outside world with the first “official” documentation of the Nazi’s atrocities. For much of the war, however, the reports of genocide were considered too unbelievable.  As the Nazi’s plans became more and more obvious, and as his calls for the Allies to bomb the camps were denied, Captain Pilecki realized he was running out of time. He was receiving news from the outside that the Allies supported the idea of a prisoner insurrection — which he too had suggested at one time. However, by 1943, the people inside the camp were too weakened to mount an attack. He thought could be more convincing in person, so he put a new plan into action.

After he escaped in April 1943, Captain Pilecki wrote “Report W,” outlining the conditions of the camps, as well as details about the gas chambers, the selection process, the crematoria, and the sterilization experiments. His report was signed by other escapees and included the names of ZOW members. He continued to work and organize the resistance, while also expanding “Report W.” He participated in the Warsaw Uprising and was reassigned to Italy, but eventually returned to Communist-controlled Poland. In May of 1947, he was arrested by the Communist government and tortured, but he would not reveal other members of the resistance. He was eventually “tried” and executed. His most comprehensive version of the “W Report” (from 1945) was published in 2012, as The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery, and his life has been the subject of a number of books, songs, and articles.

“Who will be calm and who will be tormented?
Who will become poor and who will get rich?
Who will be made humble and who will be raised up?
But teshuvah and tefillah and tzedakah [return and prayer and righteous acts]
deflect the evil of the decree.”

— quoted from the poem “Unetaneh Tokef” (“Let Us Speak of the Awesomeness”)

Please join me today (Tuesday, September 19th) 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 “High Holidays: Bending the Arc”]

NOTE: The YouTube playlist contains extra videos of some of the songs featured during the practice.

“Even when a man takes revenge on others who hate him, in spite of him not hating them initially, the pain caused by his vengeance will bring him inevitable sorrow.” (313)

“When a man inflicts pain upon others in the forenoon, it will come upon him unsought in the afternoon.” (319)

— quoted from the English translation of the Tamil lyrics of the song “Ahimsa” by U2 and A. R. Rahman, featuring Khatija and Raheema Rahman (translation from IntegralYoga.org)

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.)

### MAY YOUR NAME BE WRITTEN & SEALED IN THE BOOK OF LIFE  / MAY YOU HAVE FEW OBSTACLES AHEAD ###