FTWMI: A Quick Note & Excerpt About Breathing and…. October 26, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Donate, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Meditation, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Vipassana, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Amnesty International, Betsy Driver, breath, breathing, Emi Koyama, gender, haṭha yoga, hatha yoga, Health, intersex, Intersex Awareness Day, Intersex Day of Remembrance, Intersex Solidarity Day, Laura Inter, Max Beck, meditation, Mindfulness, Morgan Carpenter PhD, Morgan Holmes PhD, Nyanasatta Thera, pranayama, sex, United Nations, yoga
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone cultivating friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom on Intersex Awareness Day.
May everyone be healthy and strong; may everyone be peaceful and happy; and may everyone recognize their whole self.
For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted in 2024. Class details have been updated.
“[A monk] then applies this perception to his own body thus: ‘Verily, also my own body is of the same nature; such it will become and will not escape it.’
Thus he lives contemplating the body in the body internally, or he lives contemplating the body in the body externally, or he lives contemplating the body in the body internally and externally. He lives contemplating origination-factors in the body, or he lives contemplating dissolution factors in the body, or he lives contemplating origination-and-dissolution-factors in the body. Or his mindfulness is established with the thought: ‘The body exists,’ to the extent necessary just for knowledge and mindfulness, and he lives detached, and clings to nothing in the world. Thus also, monks, a monk lives contemplating the body in the body.”
— quoted from Satipatthana Sutta (The Foundations of Mindfulness) translated by Nyanasatta Thera
Prāņāyāma — the awareness of breath (and the extension of breath) — is a big part of the physical practice of yoga (haṭha yoga, regardless of the style or tradition). As we bring awareness to our breath, on and off the mat, we may start to notice the things that take our breath away. We can experience things that take our breath away because they are surprising and beautiful. We can experience things that take our breath away because they are surprising and terrifying. Then there are things that take our breath away because they are just surprising, unexpected….
We may rush to qualify them with some adjective or another and, in doing so, rush to some conclusion about what we need to do… when, really, we just need to breathe (that’s today’s first step); recognize what is (that’s today’s second step); and repeat the first two steps (that’s the third step).
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR THE RELATED POST (& VIDEO).
For Those Who Missed It: Third Step: Repeat the First & Second Steps
“Myth 2: Being intersex is very rare
According to experts, around 1.7% of the population is born with intersex traits – comparable to the number of people born with red hair.”
— quoted from the Amnesty International article “Its Intersex Awareness Day – here are 5 myths we need to shatter”
October 26th is Intersex Awareness Day, which highlights and raises awareness about human rights issues faced by intersex people. It also raises awareness around the fact that there are people — all around the world — who are born with one or more sex characteristics that “do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies.” According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, these characteristics include chromosome patterns, gonads, and/or genitalia.
While there may be just as many people in the world with red hair as there are people in the world with intersex traits, the latter are not as easy to spot. Estimates on how many people are born with intersex traits may vary (depending on the traits and/or conditions) from 3% to 0.0009%. Aside from the fact that I’m referencing statistics related to over 40 intersex conditions, the wide variation in estimates is related to the fact that some people are not initially identified (medically) as intersex. Additionally, some people may never be identified as intersex. Lack of diagnosis can be the result of something relatively small — like the fact that a baby’s chromosome patterns (and/or gonads) are not typically tested. However, lack of diagnosis can also be the result of something fairly major — like the fact that sex (and gender) are typically assigned at birth based on the external appearance of a baby’s genitals.
And, here’s the kicker: If a baby’s genitalia appears ambiguous (to a medical practitioner) and/or atypical, a common practice has been to surgically alter the genitalia. Sometimes, even a baby’s internal sex organs (gonads) will be altered. Again, these surgeries and medical treatments happen to babies, as well as to children and young adults, who are too young to consent and/or may not be informed about their options. Sometimes, even their parents are not informed!
Medical attitudes and practices related to people with intersex characteristics are changing, in part because of people like Morgan Holmes and Max Beck, who both participated in the first public demonstration of intersex people (and their allies) in North America, today in 1996. Dr. Holmes (a Canadian sociologist) and Mr. Beck (who died in of cancer in 2008) attended the American Academy of Pediatrics annual conference in Boston, Massachusetts, with the intention of delivering a presentation on the long-term outcomes of “fixing” intersex infants through cosmetic surgery. However, they were met with what they described as “hostility” and escorted out of the venue. They later returned, outside of the venue, to demonstrate and advocate for better medical awareness. In 2003/2004, Betsy Driver (who was mayor of Flemington, New Jersey, January 2, 2019 – January 3, 2023) and artist and activist Emi Koyama organized the first official Intersex Awareness Day on the anniversary of that first public protest. Since then, people like Morgan Carpenter and Laura Inter have advocated for self-determination, while also providing peer support and education for and about people who have intersex traits.
For the next two weeks — up until November 8th, which is Intersex Day of Remembrance (also known as Intersex Solidarity Day) — grassroots organizations around the world will host events related to intersex visibility. Some of these events will be celebrations and opportunities for networking. Some of these events will be moments of reflection and remembrance. Some of these events will be all about political action and advocacy. All of these events will be about putting an “end [to] shame, secrecy and unwanted genital cosmetic surgeries on intersex children.”
“The flag is comprised of a golden yellow field, with a purple circle emblem. The colours and circle don’t just avoid referencing gender stereotypes, like the colours pink and blue, they seek to completely avoid use of symbols that have anything to do with gender at all. Instead the circle is unbroken and unornamented, symbolising wholeness and completeness, and our potentialities. We are still fighting for bodily autonomy and genital integrity, and this symbolises the right to be who and how we want to be.”
— quoted from the creator statement entitled “The intersex flag” by Morgan Carpenter, PhD.
Please join me today (Sunday, October 26th) at 2:30 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10272020 Pranayama II”]
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
### O ###
First Friday Night Special #60 — Invitation for “Another Liminal (& Auspicious) Friday Night” (the “missing” invitation w/excerpts) October 3, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Healing Stories, Health, Life, Meditation, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Science, Suffering, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, breathing, Christopher Isherwood, Frederick Manchester, Health, meditation, Mindfulness, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, pranayama, Prasna Upanishad, prāṇāyāma, Swami Prabhavananda, Upanishads, yoga, Yoga Sutras 2.46-2.50, Yoga Sutras 2.49-2.50
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone cultivating friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom.
This “missing” invitation for the “First Friday Night Special” on October 3rd includes some extra (related) excerpts. 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).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
“Man is composed of such elements as vital breath, deeds, thought, and the senses—all of them deriving their being from the Self. They have come out of the Self, and in the Self they ultimately disappear—even as the waters of a river disappear in the sea.”
— quoted from “IV Prasna” in The Upanishads — Breath of the Eternal: The Principal Texts Selected and Translated from the Original Sanskrit by Swami Prabhavananda and Frederick Manchester
The Upanishads (“sitting near devotedly”) are a collection of sacred texts conveying teachings from teachers to students. Although the original number of texts is unknown, there are 108 that have been preserved and studied. Adi Shankaracharya (or Adi Shankara), the 8th century Vedic scholar, philosopher, and teacher, recognized 16 of the texts as authentic and 10 (of those 16) are usually what people mean when they speak of the Upanishads. Prasna, the fourth text, is exactly what the title indicates: a “task, lesson [and] short section or paragraph” in the form of a “question, query, inquiry“. (NOTE: The italicized definition is the modern translation.)
Prasna Upanishad features six (6) sets of questions. The second set of questions are “Holy sir, how many several powers1 hold together this body? Which of them are most manifest in it? And which is the greatest?” These questions lead to a story and direct the focus of our practice.
“‘Prana, to justify himself, made as if he intended to leave the body. But as he rose and appeared to be going, all the rest realized that if he went they also would have to depart with him; and as Prana again seated himself, the rest found their respective places. As bees go out when their queen goes out, and return when she returns, so was it with speech, mind, vision, hearing, and the rest.’”
— quoted from “IV Prasna” in The Upanishads — Breath of the Eternal: The Principal Texts Selected and Translated from the Original Sanskrit by Swami Prabhavananda and Frederick Manchester
The story referenced above highlights a moment when all the powers or forces in the known universe, recognize the power of Prana. In the commentary for Yoga Sūtras 2.49-2.50, Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood (in How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali) pointed out that while we may translate the Sanskrit word prana as breath, it has a much broader meaning. This is why I sometimes reference breath as a symbol of our spirit and a symbol of our life force. It is the vital energy that fuels everything we do and, if we pay attention, it can inform everything we do.
Prāṇāyāma, the awareness of breath and the extension of breath, is the fourth limb of the Yoga Philosophy and one of the cornerstones of the physical practice of yoga (regardless of the style or tradition). It is the way we pay attention (and the way we get in the habit of paying attention) to the thing that is essential to our very existence.
Focusing on the breath is also a way to “cultivate a clear, calm, tranquil, and one-pointed mind.”
Yoga Sūtra 2.49: tasminsati śvāsapraśvāsayorgativicchedaḥ prāṇāyāmahaḥ
— “Prāṇāyāma, which is expanding the life force by controlling the movement of the inhalation and exhalation, can be practiced after completely mastering [the seat or pose].”
The excerpt below is from a 2020/2021 post:
Think for a moment, about all the things you want in your life and all the things you need. Make sure you are clear about what is a desire versus what is a necessity. Now, slowly, start thinking about your life without some of the things you desire. If you are honest with yourself and clear-minded, you know you can live your whole life without those things you desire. You may even live a happy life without those things.
Notice how you feel about that.
Now, slowly, go through the list of things you need. How long can you live without some form of protection from the elements? (It depends on your environment, climate, and other external factors.) How long can you go without some form of food? (On average, a relatively healthy and well hydrated adult can survive up to two months without food – although extreme symptoms of starvation kick in about 30 days.) How long can you live without water? (A typical adult could survive about 100 hours, or 3 – 4 days without any kind of hydration; but, again, this can be time line is dependent on temperature.) How long can you go without sleep? (I don’t have a definitive answer for this one. While people have been recorded as going without sleep for almost 2 weeks, the nervous system will drop a person into “microsleep” states. Microsleep may only last a few seconds, but those few seconds keep the body functioning.) Finally, how long can you go without breathing? (Again, there are some variables, but if the average person holds their breath, their body is going to force them to breathe within 3 minutes. If external circumstances cut off breathing, irreversible brain damage occurs after 5 – 10 minutes – unless there are other variables, like temperature.)
Notice how you feel about that.
Click on the excerpt title below for more of the post excerpted above.
For Those Who Missed It: Third Step: Repeat the First & Second Steps
Yoga Sūtra 2.50: bāhyābhyantarastambhavṛttirdeśakālasasaṃkhyābhiḥ paridṛṣṭo dīrghasūkṣmaḥ
— “The breath may be stopped externally, internally, or checked in mid-motion, and regulated according to place, time and a fixed number of moments, so that the [pause] is either protracted or brief.”
Click on the excerpt title below for more about prāṇāyāma practices.
Air & FTWMI: More Ways to Breathe (the Tuesday post)
“As a student of raja yoga, our goal is to cultivate a clear, calm, tranquil, and one-pointed mind. We then turn this calm and one-pointed mind inward and allow it to bathe in the luminosity of our core being. The longer our mind is infused with the luminosity of our core being, the less change we have of being affected by our deep-seated habits. We recapture our innate power of discernment and gain the strength to face and conquer our most dreaded samskara—avidya [ignorance].”
— quoted from the commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.50 from The Practice of the Yoga Sutra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD
This Restorative Yoga practice is accessible and open to all.
(NOTE: There will be a little bit of quiet space in this practice.)
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “10042024 A Liminal & Auspicious Friday Night”]
Start with Track 1; Track 11; Track 12; or Track 13]
Prop wise, we will start with a chair, sofa, or coffee table and this is a kitchen sink practice. You can practice without props or you can use “studio” and/or “householder” props. Example of “Studio” props: 1 – 2 blankets, 2 – 3 blocks, a bolster, a strap, and an eye pillow. Example of “Householder” props: 1 – 2 blankets or bath towels, 2 – 3 books (similar in size), 2 standard pillows (or 1 body pillow), a belt/tie/sash, and a face towel.
You may want extra layers (as your body may cool down during this practice). Having a wall, chair, sofa, or coffee table will also be handy.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
NOTE: 1In the context of the questions in the Prasna Upanishad, Deva can be translated as “gods, deities, or powers” — with the underlying understanding being that there is something Divine inside all human beings.
### Breathe Easy, Y’all ###
[Given t(w)o] Fly (W)right (the ~11-minute “missing” compilation post for Saturday) September 20, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Abhyasa, Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Maya Angelou, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Science, Vairagya, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Amos I. Root, anxiety, Contemplation, Jane Hirshfield, Maya Angelou, meditation, mental health, Mindfulness, Orville Wright, Pearl Jam, personal-growth, Pink Floyd, Resilience, self-improvement, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Toni Morrison, Victor Hugo, Wilbur Wright
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone who is given to fly with friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom.
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
This “missing” post for Saturday, September 20th is a compilation post featuring content that was previously posted (in a slightly different context). Some contextual (holiday-related) information, links, and formatting have been added/updated. You can request an audio recording of this practice or a previous practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
“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 weekend feels like a particularly auspicious time since next week is the beginning of the High Holidays and Navaratri — 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 excerpts were posted during Rosh Hashanah (2020/5781); Sukkot (2021/5782); and the High Holidays (2023/5784).
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?
“More and more I have come to admire resilience.
Not the simple resistance of a pillow, where foam returns over and
over to the same shape, but the sinuous
tenacity of a tree: finding the
light newly blocked on one side,
it turns in another.”
— quoted from the poem “Optimism” in Given Sugar, Given Salt by Jane Hirshfield
“Resilience” is defined as “the power or ability to return to the original form or position; to recover readily from; the ability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after; buoyancy.” It comes from a Latin phrase meaning “to spring” or “leaping back” and, as some of friends can attest, it is one of my favorite subjects. I love the beauty and the power of resiliency. I’m also a big fan of stories, especially true stories, about people who fall down and then pick themselves back up — or even of stories, especially true stories, about people who have been pushed down and somehow, almost miraculously, pick themselves back up. Those stories are inspiring because we have all been there.
We have all tried something that didn’t work out the first or second (or even the thousandth time), but we kept going. Like Thomas Edison. Or, maybe like Alfred Nobel, we’ve spent our time working on things we thought would make the world a better place… only to discover that people thought of us as the epitome of evil — and then we have to go back to the drawing board in order to leave a different legacy. We have all battled our personal obstacles and readied ourselves to put our best foot forward… only to find someone else has found their groove before us. Like Ella Fitzgerald. Or, maybe in battling our personal demons, we just fell down… and had to get back up. Then too, we have all been the underdog (like David and Michelangelo) and we have all had to figure out a way to rise from “a past rooted in pain.” Like Maya Angelou.
I could go on. But the point is we all have to find our wings.
“Be like the bird, who
Pausing in his flight
On limb too slight
Feels it give way beneath him
Yet sings
Knowing he has wings.”
— “Be like the bird” poem by Victor Hugo
Some people believe resilience is all about attitude and perspective; others believe it is physiological (and genetic). Still others believe it is a combination of the two. Either way, there are keys to mental, emotional, energetic, and physical resilience. You could even call them secrets (although we all know them). These keys (or secrets) can be highlighted by the inspirational stories (like the ones linked above).
For example, a cursory look at the story of the Wright brothers and their quest to fly includes a little note on sleep; being in good company (which is also having a supportive community); being mindful, especially of what works and what doesn’t work; letting go of what doesn’t work; and getting good momentum. The Wright brothers’ story also pays tribute to what happens when you wake up with a little grace and a little faith.
Click on the excerpt title below & scroll down to Wilbur Orville’s quote about “[getting] up in the morning” for a reflection on what energizes you; what inspires you to get up when you fall down; and how you change your inner dialogue.
“The airplane stays up because it doesn’t have the time to fall.”
— Orville Wright
I mentioned before that rest is one of the keys (or secrets) to resilience and to the success of the Wright brothers. Another key (or secret) is to have a plan and, as Orville, implied, to keep going.
So, take a moment to go deeper and make it personal. Make a plan — and invite yourself to be the best version of yourself, fully present in your own life — by turning these 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 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
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09182021 Joe (& Rosie’s) Goal”]
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
“‘Too much tail. All that jewelry weighs it down. Like vanity. Can’t nobody fly with all that shit. Wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.’”
— quoted from Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
### Be Like The Bird (but not like the Song of Solomon peacock) ###
[Given t(w)o] Fly (W)right (mostly the music) *UPDATED w/excerpt* September 20, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Abhyasa, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Music, One Hoop, Science, Vairagya, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, anxiety, meditation, Mindfulness, Orville Wright, Wilbur Wright
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone who is given to fly with friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom.
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
“We could hardly wait to get up in the morning.”
— Wilbur Wright
Click on the excerpt title below for the related post.
[Given t(w)o] Fly (W)right (the ~11-minute “missing” compilation post for Saturday)
Please join me today (Saturday, September 20th) at 12:00 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09182021 Joe (& Rosie’s) Goal”]
“The airplane stays up because it doesn’t have the time to fall.”
— Orville Wright
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
### 
###
EXCERPT: “On Being Curious” September 16, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Japa-Ajapa, Life, Meditation, Music, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Vipassana, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 90 seconds, 988, Curiosity, Gabrielle Roth, H. A. Rey, Health, insight, Kelly Bartlett, Margaret Rey, meditation, mental health, Writing, yoga, Yoga Sutras 1.2 - 1.4
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone curious about how we can have friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom.
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
“The object of meditation is to still the mind, and the fastest way to do that is to move your body.”
— Gabrielle Roth
Today is the anniversary of the birth of Hans Augusto Reyersbach (better known as H. A. Rey) (b. 1898).
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE ABOVE IF YOU ARE CURIOUS ABOUT THE PRACTICE.
“After the day is gone we shall go out, breathe deeply, and look up – and there the stars will be, unchanged, unchangeable.”
— quoted from The Stars: A New Way to See Them by H. A. Rey
Please join me today (Tuesday, September 16th) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07112020 An Introduction”]
NOTE: This is an instrumental playlist. Click on the excerpt title above for a puppy-related playlist (with lyrics & ~45 dogs)
If you are struggling, thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
### BE MINDFULLY CURIOUS ###
A Quick Note & EXCERPT: “How Do You Respond…?” September 14, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Abhyasa, Changing Perspectives, Food, Healing Stories, Japa-Ajapa, Life, One Hoop, Philosophy, Science, Vairagya, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Dr. Ivan Pavlov, healing, meditation, Pavlovian, samskāras, Swami Jnaneshvara, vasana, yoga, yoga philosophy, Yoga Sutra 1.12
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Happy Church New Year, to those who are celebrating. Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone responding with friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom.
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
“If a certain stimulus has lost its influence, it can recover the latter only after a long resting that has to last several hours.
The lost action, however, can also be restored with certainty at any time by special measures.”
— quoted from the Dec. 12, 1904 Nobel Lecture “Physiology of Digestion” by Dr. Ivan Pavlov, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
A “Habit Loop” — the connection between a trigger, behavior, and reward — can also be considered “the Pavlovian response”, which was named after Dr. Ivan Pavlov (b. 1849).
Click on the excerpt title below to discover why Dr. Pavlov might have been in the habit of celebrating his birthday today (rather than on September 26th).
The post excerpted above includes a link to my video series about cultivating habits!
“abhyāsa vairāgyābhyāṁ tat nirodhaḥ” (YS 1.12)
abhyāsa Practice over a long period/without interruption
vairāgyābhyāṁ Non-attachment, without attraction or aversion
tat Those (referring to the “fluctuations of the mind” as described in previous sutras)
nirodhaḥ Ceases, controls, quiets, stills, regulates, masters
Please join me today (Sunday, September 14th) at 2:30 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09042021 Experiencing the Mind”]
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
### How Do You Respond In 2025? ###
Quick Notes & 3 Excerpts RE: Work & Listening (the post-practice Monday post) September 1, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Abhyasa, Bhakti, Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Japa, Japa-Ajapa, Karma, Mantra, Meditation, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Vipassana, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Dharma Singh Khalsa M. D., Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa, Eugene V. Debs, Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Nanak, history, Japa-Ajapa, Japji Sahib, John Metcalfe, Labor Action Tracker, Labor Day, meditation, Pullman Strike, sikh, Sikhism, Song of the Soul, spirituality, stillness, unions
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone cultivating friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
The following post-practice compilation post is related to Monday, September 1st, which was Labor Day in the United States and parts of Canada. Some of the excerpted posts include videos.
The 2025 prompt question was, “What part of your mind-body or life does a little, but gets a lot of your attention & what part does a lot of work, but doesn’t get commensurate attention?” You can request an audio recording of this practice or a previous practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
“I am opposing a social order in which it is possible for one man who does absolutely nothing that is useful to amass a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while millions of men and women who work all the days of their lives secure barely enough for a wretched existence.”
— Eugene V. Debs, quoted from his statement to the Federal Court (Cleveland, Ohio), after being convicted of violating the Sedition Act, September 18, 1918
The first Monday in September is Labor Day in the United States and parts of Canada.
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE.
2025 Update:
Between September 1, 2024 and September 1, 2025, the Labor Action Tracker counted strikes in 586 locations, plus additional labor protests in 683 locations; bringing the labor actions total to 1296 locations.
(NOTE: The total locations matches the same total locations as last year, however, the summary mechanism has changed.)
Click on the excerpt below for more details about the Labor Action Tracker and how modern day strikes and protests can lead to better working conditions.
FTWMI: Working Together (a post–practice Monday post w/ an extra excerpt)
“Deeply Listening,
Yoga
And the hidden systems
Of the body
Make themselves known.
Deeply Listening,
The wisdom
Of all sacred scriptures in the world
Is revealed.
Oh my soul,
Those who surrender themselves in Love
To the Divine
Continuously blossom and bloom.
Deeply Listening
Sorrows
And errors
Depart.”
— quoted from Japji Sahib: The Song of the Soul by Guru Nanak (Translated by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa)
Our practices, on and off the mat or cushion, give us the opportunity to pay attention to how the mind-body works — and to really listen, deeply.
Listening deeply is one of the important lessons in the Japji Sahib (known in English as The Song of the Soul) an ancient Sikh text at the beginning of the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the Adi Granth or primary sacred text / scripture in Sikhism. Originally compiled and printed by Guru Arjan, the fifth Sikh guru, on August 29, 1604, it was placed in the Golden Temple in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India, today (September 1st) in 1604.
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE.
FTWMI: Deep Listening (*Revised) – the post-practice Friday post
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
The following (2) playlists include the Japji Sahib:
MUSIC NOTE: The playlist contains John Metcalfe’s album Tree (with the remixes); however, one track has been moved. The story behind the album is beautiful (and it is about working). Additionally, I encourage you to deeply listen to Track #11 (which is the Japji Sahib).
- A First Friday playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09012023 Trusting, Listening… Deeply”]
MUSIC NOTE: You can start with Track #1, #2, #3, or #5. These are instrumental tracks. Track #4 is the Japji Sahib.
“If you
Trust what you hear
When you listen,
Then you will know
What you see,
How to understand
And act.”
— quoted from Japji Sahib: The Song of the Soul by Guru Nanak (Translated by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa)
Extreme heat can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, it can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
NOTE: The translation by Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa is the foundation for The End of Karma: 10 Days to Perfect Peace, Tranquility, and Joy by Dharma Singh Khalsa, M. D., which I quote during the practice.
### BREATHE, WORK, LISTEN, REST (& do it all over again) ###
A Quick Note & Excerpts RE: Reflecting & Remembering + Cause & Effect (*revised) August 6, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Love, Meditation, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Abraham Lincoln, Alan Watts, Bockscar, breath, breathing, Civil War, COVID-19, Death, emancipation, Enola Gray, George Floyd, Hiroshima, John Hersey, Kaushik Patowary, Lyndon B. Johnson, meditation, memory, Nagasaki, Nobus Tetsutani, OM, pandemic, pranayama, Reiki, Sadako Sasaki, Shinichi Tetsutani, slavery, svadyaya, Tatsuharu Kodama, Voting Rights Act, yoga philosophy, yoga practice
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone cultivating friendship, peace, freedom, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay hydrated & be kind, y’all!
“Your thoughts are happening, just like the sounds going on outside and everything is simply a happening and all you’re doing is watching it.”
— quoted from “2.5.4 Meditation” by Alan Watts
There is a story for everything that happens. Every story and every practice involves cause and effect. Every story and every practice can be an opportunity to reflect and remember and/or to practice a little svādhyāya (“self-study”) . On some days, all of that is just beneath the surface. Other days, like today, it is all front and center.
Today, I will tell you some stories. Some of the stories are directly connected; some of the stories are indirectly connected. Some are obviously horrific and tragic. In the end, it all comes to a “peak” with the story of an “impossible” girl and her wish.
Click on the excerpt title below for a little more about the practice and (some of) the stories.
FTWMI/EXCERPTS: Reflecting & Remembering + Cause & Effect (a compilation post)
“I have heard there are at least 8 Japanese words that translate into the English word ‘dedication’. Some of those words also translate into English as devotion, offering, gift, and consecration. At the beginning of the practice, there are two dedications. The second one is most definitely an offering, a gift, and a consecration — especially on the anniversary of a tragic event.”
— quoted from my blog post for August 9, 2020
Please join me today (Wednesday, August 6th) 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 “08062022 Cause + Effect”]
NOTE: A practice video is coming soon! Subscribe to my YouTube channel if you want to be the first to practice with me!
Extreme heat can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, it can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
### WILL YOU WISH & WORK FOR PEACE ###
FTWMI: Saying Yes to Life and to the “Impossible” & EXCERPT: “The Powerful Possibilities That Come From ‘A Brother’s Love’” (w/practice video) August 2, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, James Baldwin, Life, Loss, Love, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Suffering, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wisdom, Writing, Yin Yoga, Yoga.Tags: 988, Aimee Lehto, Allan Warren, America, Beau Lotto, being present, Boyd Croyner, Civil Rights, courage, Emily Dickinson, Health, inspiration, James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, meditation, Mindfulness, PRIDE, Richard Avedon, samskāras, truth, vasanas, wellness, yoga
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone cultivating peace, freedom, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside). Stay hydrated, y’all!
For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted in 2024 as the invitation to First Friday Night Special #46. You can check out that practice in the video below. Class details, music links, the video, and a picture (visible to those on WordPress) have been added/updated.
“The light that’s in your eyes / reminds me of the skies / that shine above us every day—so wrote a contemporary lover, out of God knows what agony, what hope, and what despair. But he saw the light in the eyes, which is the only light there is in the world, and honored it and trusted it; and will always be able to find it; since it is always there, waiting to be found. One discovers the light in darkness, that is what darkness is for; but everything in our lives depends on how we bear the light. It is necessary, while in darkness, to know that there is a light somewhere, to know that in oneself, waiting to be found, there is a light. What the light reveals is danger, and what it demands is faith.”
“What a journey this life is! dependent, entirely, on things unseen.”
— quoted from the essay “Nothing Personal” by James Baldwin (b. 1924), original published as part of a collaboration with Richard Avedon
Born today in Harlem, New York, in 1924, the author James Baldwin was — by his own words (see excerpt below) — an impossible person. He was someone who said yes to life and yes to the light inside of himself. He was someone, as Maya Angelou pointed out, who lived with his whole heart and encouraged others to do the same.
To live with one’s whole heart is the original meaning of “courage,” a word James Baldwin put in the same category as words like “artist,” “integrity,” “nobility,” “peace,” and “integration.” Words that, he said (in the speech “The Artist’s Struggle for Integrity”), “[depend] on choices one has got to make, for ever and ever and ever, every day.”
Of course, to make those choices wisely, we need to have some semblance of balance — especially as it relates to the heart.
Click on the excerpt title below for more.
FTWMI: The Powerful Possibilities That Come From “A Brother’s Love”
“I have slept on rooftops and in basements and subways, have been cold and hungry all my life; have felt that no fire would ever warm me, and no arms would ever hold me. I have been, as the song says, ‘buked and scorned and I know that I always will be. But, my God, in that darkness, which was the lot of my ancestors and my own state, what a mighty fire burned! In that darkness of rape and degradation, that fine flying froth and mist of blood, through all that terror and in all that helplessness, a living soul moved and refused to die. We really emptied oceans with a home-made spoon and tore down mountains with our hands. And if love was in Hong Kong, we learned how to swim.
It is a mighty heritage, it is the human heritage, and it is all there is to trust. And I learned this through descending, as it were, into the eyes of my father and my mother. I wondered, when I was little, how they bore it—for I knew that they had much to bear. It had not yet occurred to me that I also would have much to bear; but they knew it, and the unimaginable rigors of their journey helped them to prepare me for mine. This is why one must say Yes to life and embrace it wherever it is found—and it is found in terrible places; nevertheless, there it is; and if the father can say, Yes. Lord, the child can learn that most difficult of words, Amen.”
— quoted from the essay “Nothing Personal” by James Baldwin (b. 1924), original published as part of a collaboration with Richard Avedon
Please join me today (Saturday, August 2nd) at 12:00 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Langston’s Theme for Jimmy 2022”]
Can I interest you in James Baldwin & a little Yin Yoga!
The Yin Yoga playlist is also available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08022024 A Brother’s Love”]
NOTE: The tracks on the Yin Yoga playlist are slightly different in length and duration, depending on the platform. Start with track 1, 8, or 10.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
### MORE LOVE ###
FTWMI: A Quick Note & Excerpt: “Sitting in Grace & ‘A center of stillness surrounded by silence’” July 29, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Abhyasa, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Fitness, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Life, Meditation, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Vipassana, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Dag Hammerskjöld, Daniel Goleman, Health, Joseph Goldstein, Mahāṭīkā, Mahāsī Sayādaw, meditation, Mindfulness, Theraveda Buddhism, United Nations, Vipassana, Vipassanā Mettā Foundation Translation Committee, wellness, yoga, yoga practice
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone working for peace, freedom, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside). Stay hydrated, y’all!
For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted in 2024. Class details and some links have been updated. The original post also included an earlier playlist.
“The Mahāṭīkā says that the delight leads to jhāna [meditation] in certain cases. However, this does not mean that it cannot also give rise to insight concentration. Some Pāḷi texts explicitly mention that spiritual delight leads to the wholesome arising of other mental states such as rapture, calm (passaddhi), happiness (sukha), concentration, and knowledge of things as they really are (yathābhūtañāṇa). In the context of insight practice, every time one notes an object well it gives rise to delight. As a result of this, practice becomes enjoyable. This enjoyment in turn supports the progress of insight knowledge, step by step, until noble ones are liberated from the cycle of suffering. This is why delight is regarded as a cause of liberation for the noble ones.”
— quoted from the “Delight and laziness” section of “2. Purification of Mind: Liberations and Hindrances” in Manual of Insight by Venerable Mahāsi Sayadaw, translated and edited by the Vipassanā Mettā Foundation Translation Committee (Forwards by Joseph Goldstein and Daniel Goleman)
One of the things I find delightful and amazing about mindfulness-based practices — and particularly about my yoga and meditation practices — is that they meet you where you are, accept you as you are, and embrace all that you are.
Then, the practices encourage you to do the same for yourself (and, eventually for others).
I appreciate that this means we can practice even when we don’t feel super motivated to do anything (including a practice). I also appreciate that this means we can adapt and adjust the practice as needed — based on how we’re feeling, where we are, and/or what else we need to do in the course of the day. Finally, I appreciate that regardless of how any one of us feels about props, music, teachers, and other practitioners (all of which I love), we don’t need them to practice.
All any one of us needs to practice is our breath and our awareness of our breath.
Which means we can practice anywhere — including at the United Nations Headquarters.
Click on the excerpt title below for more.
Sitting in Grace & FTWMI: “A center of stillness surrounded by silence”
“…delight will arise spontaneously when one’s mindfulness, concentration, and insight mature. There is generally no need to try to deliberately develop it. However, when laziness is an obstacle, one should arouse delight by contemplating the virtues of the Triple Gem, the benefits of insight, how much one has purified one’s moral conduct since beginning to practice, or the pure and noble quality of the noting mind.”
— quoted from the “Delight and laziness” section of “2. Purification of Mind: Liberations and Hindrances” in Manual of Insight by Venerable Mahāsi Sayadaw, translated and edited by the Vipassanā Mettā Foundation Translation Committee (Forwards by Joseph Goldstein and Daniel Goleman)
Please join me today (Tuesday, July 29th) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07292023 Still Breathing, Noting, Here & at the UN”]
“The more faithfully you listen to the voices within you, the better you will hear what is sounding inside.”
— quoted from Markings by Dag Hammerskjöld
Extreme heat can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, it can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
A Joyful Practice 