A Joyful Practice

First Friday Night Special #67 — Invitation for “Healing Moments” & EXCERPT: “Healing and Dreaming on the 8th” (the “missing” invitation) May 8, 2026

Peace and many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone Counting the Omer and/or observing/celebrating the Feast Day of Julian of Norwich, the Fourth Week of Pascha, World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, and/or White Lotus Day.

This “missing” (expanded) invitation for the “SECOND Friday Night Special” on May 8^th, includes a related excerpt. You can request an audio recording of this Restorative Yoga practice (with some Somatic Yoga, Pranayama, & guided meditation) 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.

“Dukha-vighata-traya means ‘elimination of threefold sorrow—physical, mental, and spiritual.’ We are born with the capacity to understand both the cause and the cure of all our physical, mental, and spiritual diseases. We have the capacity to discover the tools and means to overcome our sorrow.”

— quoted from the commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.24 from The Practice of the Yoga Sutra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

There is no getting around the fact that there is a lot of suffering in the world. Neither can we get around the fact that, even when we have the best intentions, we can be the cause of our own — and someone else’s — suffering. However, we also have the capacity to heal and to eliminate suffering — physically, mentally, and/or spiritually/energetically. In fact, the Sāmkhya Karika describes six siddhis (“powers” or “abilities”) as “unique to being human”. While we can debate the idea that these powers are ours alone as human beings, I want to focus on the ability to eliminate three-fold sorrow — i.e., the power to eliminate suffering, which is also the ability to heal.

What happens in the body, happens in the mind; what happens in the mind, happens in the body; and both affect the breath/ spirit. Sometimes, to heal, we just need a little quiet moment, a moment of stillness, and a moment to breathe. Sometimes, we need a little movement in order to find that breath of stillness. And, while the mind-body-spirit are always (on a certain level) healing, we sometimes need to be proactive about healing ourselves and helping others to heal. This is especially true when we are dealing with great trauma.

“The moral sense of the importance of human life; the humane desire to lighten a little of the torments of all these poor wretches, or restore their shattered courage; the furious and relentless activity which a man summons up at such moments: all these combine to create a kind of energy which gives one a positive craving to relieve as many as one can. There is no more grieving at the multiple scenes of this fearful and solemn tragedy. There is indifference even…. There is something akin to cold calculation, in the face of horrors yet more ghastly than those here described, and which the pen absolutely declines to set down.

But then you feel sometimes that your heart is suddenly breaking—it is as if you were stricken all at once with a sense of bitter and irresistible sadness, because of some simple incident, some isolated happening, some small unexpected detail which strikes closer to the soul, seizing on our sympathies and shaking all the most sensitive fibres of our being.”

— quoted from A Memory of Solferino by Henry Dunant (English version, American Red Cross)

Born in Geneva, Switzerland, on May8, 1828, Jean-Henri Dunant witnessed a great trauma compounded by a great tragedy when he was in Solferino, Italy in 1859. What he witnessed after the Battle of Solferino and San Martino inspired him to facilitate healing and create a plan that kicked off the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It also led to the creation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), as well as to the Geneva Conventions.

The anniversary of Mr. Dunant’s birth is celebrated annually as World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day. In 2026, when the symbols meant to protect volunteers (and their efforts) are sometimes being targeted, the celebration is also marked by the tragic loss of volunteers and staff — “drivers, paramedics, first responders, community workers [who] wore the emblem.” . This year’s theme simultaneously honors their memories and reinforces the original intention expressed by volunteers in Solferino back in 1859: “United in Humanity. No Matter Where, No Matter When”.

“These losses are not isolated. They are part of a broader pattern of disregard for the basic norms of humanity. The dehumanization of others is becoming routine. It is increasingly claimed, more openly than before, that what matters is raw power, that principles are naïve, and that respect for the law is optional.

When we deny the humanity of another – through language, through indifference, through the careful architecture of policy – it becomes easier to destroy and degrade. It becomes easier to exercise power unrestrained by conscience. And in doing so, the world becomes more brutal for everyone in it.

Our Movement stands in direct opposition to that callous logic. We are driven not by what is convenient, nor by what is politically expedient, but by what is right. Our work begins each day with the same act the women of Castiglione performed almost 170 years ago: having the determination, and the courage, to recognize the humanity in others, despite all else.”

— quoted from the Message on World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day 2026, signed by Kate Forbes (Présidente de la Fédération Internationale), Mercedes Babé (Présidente de la Commission permanente), and Mirjana Spoljaric (Présidente du CICR) 

CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE.

Healing and Dreaming on the 8th (the “missing” post)

“To all volunteers and staff across the Movement: we see you, we thank you, we stand with you. Amid division, violence and disregard for human suffering, every day that you continue this work, you reaffirm that humanity matters.

Today, on this World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, as on all days, we remain united in humanity.”

— quoted from the Message on World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day 2026, signed by Kate Forbes (Présidente de la Fédération Internationale), Mercedes Babé (Présidente de la Commission permanente), and Mirjana Spoljaric (Présidente du CICR) 

In addition to being World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, May 8^th is also the Feast Day of Julian of Norwich (in Anglican and Lutheran Christian traditions) and White Lotus Day (see excerpted post above). Both of these celebrations are connected to spiritual healing and are also connected to physical symbols of healing — just like the symbols used by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

White Lotus Day is an annual celebration held on the anniversary of the death of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (née Hahn von Rottenstern). The Russian–born American mystic known as Madame Blavatsky or HPB, who was an author and co-founder of the Theosophical Society, died of the flu in 1891 (during pandemic of 1889 – 1890). A year later, her followers reported an extraordinary amount of white lotus on the anniversary of her death.

Julian of Norwich’s life was marked by so many outbreaks of the Black Death that, when she became ill in 1373, she (and those around her) did not believe she would recover. In fact, she was given last rites today in 1373. When she did recover, she wrote of what she experienced and what she was “shewn” about love — and the healing power of Divine love. Her words have given people hope and can be a balm to many experiencing suffering:

“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and (in) all manner of thing(s) shall be well.”

— quoted from Chapter 27 of Revelations of Divine Love (Revelations of Love in 16 Shewings) by Julian of Norwich

This Restorative Yoga (with some Somatic Yoga, Pranayama, & guided meditation) is accessible and open to all.

(NOTE: There is a little bit of quiet space in this practice.)

Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05032024 Balancing Holding On & Letting Go”]

NOTE: At the beginning of the practice, you will be prompted to pause and select a track. The playlist tracks are slightly different in length and duration; however, the overall content is the same.

Prop wise, I suggest using a chair, sofa, coffee table, or bolster at the beginning 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 also want extra layers (as your body may cool down during this practice).

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).

You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!

September 25 — 27, 2026

### BE WELL ###