2026 EXCERPT: “What You Will See” January 5, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Christmas, Faith, Healing Stories, Mantra, Meditation, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, William Shakespeare, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 12 Days of Christmas, 988, Art, Books, entertainment, Epiphanytide, Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ, Nativity Fast, New Year, St. Philip's Fast, Theophany, Twelfth Night, Twelvetide, William Shakespeare, Yoga Sutra 1.28, Yoga Sutras 1.32-1.39
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“Happy New Year!” to everyone. “Merry Christmastide/Twelvetide!” to anyone observing. Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Nativity Fast / St. Philip’s Fast and the Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ.
May you be safe and protected / May you be peaceful and happy / May you be healthy and strong!
“If this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction.”
— Fabian (a servant for the Countess Olivia) in Act III, scene iv of Twelfth Night, or What You Will by William Shakespeare
Click on the excerpt title below for more.
Please join me for a 75-minute (virtual or in-person) yoga practice today (Monday, January 5th) at 5:00 PM**. You must be registered and confirmed to attend in person. 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.
Monday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “01052021 and Twelfth Night” or “01052021 aka Twelfth Night”]
“I’ll do my best”
— Viola (a twin in disguise) in Act I, scene iv of Twelfth Night, or What You Will by William Shakespeare
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.
**NOTE: This practice is at a special time!
### Yoga Sūtra 1.39 ###
A Quick Note & EXCERPT: “The Power of a Good/Meaningful Push” January 4, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Abhyasa, Art, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Christmas, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Meditation, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Pema Chodron, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 12 Days of Christmas, 988, Books, Caroline Myss, David Brewster, Dr. Robert Hooke, Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ, inspiration, laws of motion, master teachers, Nativity Fast, New Year, Poetry, precious jewels, relationship, Sir Isaac Newton, St. Philip's Fast, Stacey Flowers, Twelvetide, Yoga Sutra 4.29, Yoga Sutras 1.12-16
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“Happy New Year!” to everyone. “Merry Christmastide/Twelvetide!” to anyone observing. Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Nativity Fast / St. Philip’s Fast and the Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ.
May you be safe and protected / May you be peaceful and happy / May you be healthy and strong!
“Every body continues in its state of rest, or uniform motion in a right line, unless compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it.”
— “Law 1” quoted from “Axioms, or Laws of Motion” in Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Sir Isaac Newton (b. 1643)
NOTE: Some editions use the term “straight line.”
Once upon a time, a young woman — that would be me, about twenty-odd years ago — took a temporary job. Four weeks turned into four months. Four months turned into four years. Someone I met at the beginning of my assignment was surprised to see me (still) at the same desk four years after we met. When he asked what happened, I just shrugged and said, “Inertia.”
Born today in 1643, Sir Isaac Newton (and his name) are closely associated with his “Laws of Motion” and, yet, that first law is also known as the “Law of Inertia”. Isn’t it funny how one name resonates with people — and sticks in their memory — more than the other?
Isn’t it interesting that most of us focus on what pushes us?
Click on the excerpt title below for the post about Sir Isaac Newton and how his “Laws of Motion” affect us on and off the mat (in surprising ways). The post includes a video by Stacey Flowers!
“I most gladly embrace your proposal of a private correspondence. What’s done before many witnesses is seldom without some further concerns than that for truth; but what passes between friends in private, usually deserves the name of consultation rather than contention; and so I hope it will prove between you and me….
But in the mean time, you defer too much to my ability in searching into this subject. What Descartes did was a good step. You have added much several ways, and especially in considering the colours of thin plates. If I have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
— quoted from a letter marked “Cambridge, February 5, 1675-76” from Sir Isaac Newton to Dr. Robert Hooke, as published in Memoirs of the Life, Writings, and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton by David Brewster
Please join me today (Sunday, January 4th) at 2:30 PM, for a 65-minute (virtual or in-person) yoga practice. You must be registered to attend in person. 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 “01042022 New(ton’s) Beginnings”]
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.
### “Every relationship you develop, from casual to intimate, helps you become more conscious. No union is without spiritual value.” ~ Caroline Myss ###
First Friday Night Special #63 — Invitation & EXCERPTS: “The Purpose of Naming [the Business]” & “Nom de Destiné” January 2, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in 7-Day Challenge, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Mantra, Meditation, Mysticism, New Year, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 12 Days of Christmas, 988, Art, Books, Cornelius Eady, James Baldwin, Jhumpa Lahiri, Johannes Mercurius, mantra, New Year, Oscar Hammerstein II, Pope John II, Richard Rodgers, sankalpa, shabda, Swami Vivekananda, travel, Twelvetide, William Shakespeare, Yoga Sutra 3.17, Yoga Sutra 4.1
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Happy 2026 to Everyone!
May you be safe and protected / May you be peaceful and happy / May you be healthy and strong!
“The power of words. There are certain sacred words called Mantras, which have power, when repeated under proper conditions, produce these extraordinary powers. We are living in the midst of such a mass of miracles, day and night, that we do not think anything of them. There is no limit to man’s power, the power of words and the power of mind.”
— commentary on Yoga Sūtra 4.1 from Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda
Shabda (“Word”) is one of the six siddhis (“powers” or “abilities”) described in Yoga and Sankhya as “unique to being human”. According to the Yoga Sūtras, our words have an external vibration and an internal vibration that leads to internal/external reaction — meaning their power is layered. They are also described as one of the things that can lead to someone attaining great powers. For instance, we can focus/concentrate/meditate on a word to gain insight and a deeper understanding of words and language in general. In fact, there is a practice — and a sūtra (YS 3.17) — for that. However, when we talk about the power of words, we don’t always recognize or appreciate that a name is a word that has power.
Oh, sure, we may consider a (surface level) meaning of a name if we are naming a child or a pet and/or a business. People who choose a new name or nickname for themselves may, naturally, choose something that sends a message. However, most of us don’t deliberately and intentionally choose a name to send a message. Most of us are not like Johannes Mercurius — even though we are living in a time that is as interesting as his time.
Today in 533 AD, Johannes Mercurius quite literally made a name for himself. He changed his name to John II and, in doing so, became the first pope to change his name at the beginning of his papacy. Pope John II was very deliberate in his decision to change his name and in the name he chose. He understood the power of words and was sending a message about how he was planning to move forward as a leader. He was also sending a message about what he would not tolerate.
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE FOR MORE.
Nom de Destiné (the “missing” Sunday post *with and update*)
“Me, a name I call myself”
— quoted from the song “Do-Re-Mi” by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Today is a day when I usually suggest you contemplate a name you would use to indicate how you plan to show up in this new year. Normally, the suggestion focuses on a personal name. This year, however, I want you to (also) consider a business name. As you go about your business this year — the business of living your life, what is a name that reflects the alignment of your deepest desires, beliefs, and actions? What is a name that sends the message, as Pope John II sent, about what no longer serves a purpose?
Just imagine the name that is proof of what you will do this year.
“You have to imagine it.
Who said you must keep quiet?
Who heard your story, then rolled their eyes?
Who tried to change your name to invisible?
You’ve got to imagine.
Who heard your name and refused to pronounce it?
Who checked their watch and said, ‘Not now’?
James Baldwin wrote,
‘The place in which I’ll fit will not exist until I make it.’”
— quoted from the poem “Proof” by Cornelius Eady, recited at the New York mayoral inauguration of Zohran Mamdani (01/01/2026) and dedicated to the poet’s “…trans, queer, foreign, students of color at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. So they have, so they can see this is possible.”
Please join me (tonight) Friday, January 2, 2025, 7:15 PM – 8:20 PM (CST) for “The Purpose of Naming [the Business]” for a (virtual or in-person) yoga practice. You must be registered and confirmed to attend in person.
You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
This practice is scheduled as a Yin Yoga practice. If the room is heated (as it was last night), it will be a Restorative Yoga practice. Either is accessible and open to all.
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.
Music Note: You can start with Track #1, #2, or #3 (which will include #4). Track #24 is also an option.
Prop wise, this is a kitchen sink practice. You can practice without props or you can use “studio” and/or “householder” props. Example of “Studio” props: 1 – 2 blankets, 2 – 3 blocks, a bolster, a strap, and an eye pillow. Example of “Householder” props: 1 – 2 blankets or bath towels, 2 – 3 books (similar in size), 2 standard pillows (or 1 body pillow), a belt/tie/sash, and a face towel.
You may want extra layers (as your body may cool down during this practice). Having a wall, chair, sofa, or coffee table may be handy.
“In Bengali the word for pet name is daknam, meaning, literally, the name by which one is called , by friends, family, and other intimates, at home and in other private, unguarded moments. Pet names are a persistent remnant of childhood, a reminder that life is not always so serious, so formal, so complicated. They are a reminder, too, that one is not all things to all people.”
— quoted from The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
### Trusting, Aligning, Releasing ###
The Day (& the Night) Before Christmas (w/excerpts) December 24, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Christmas, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Charles Dickens, Christmas, Christmas 1914, Christmas Truce, Clement Clarke Moore, family, Frank Capra, Henry Livingston Jr., holiday, holidays, Johann Pachelbel, New Year, Peter Hooton, Philip Van Doren Stern, Richard Rohr, Steve Grimes, The Farm, World War I, Writing
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“Peace and good will!” to all. “Happy Holidays!” and “Merry Christmas!” to all who are celebrating.
May you be safe and protected / May you be peaceful and happy / May you be healthy and strong! May you be nourished!
“I know because it’s Christmas, you’re surely hoping for some very special sermon. I don’t think I have one, really, [because] there’s really only one message. And there’s nothing new to tell you. It’s the same message that if you’re praying (and that isn’t always true of Christians), it goes deeper and deeper and deeper. If you’re quiet once in a while (and that isn’t always true of Americans), it goes deeper and deeper and deeper.”
— quoted from “Christmas 2016: Really only One Message” homily by Richard Rohr, OFM (delivered on Sunday, December 25, 2016)
For many people around the world, it is the day — and soon will be the night — before Christmas. This is a time immortalized by the stories, songs, poems, ballets, and movies I have referenced over the last few days. Just like all of the protagonists in the stories, we have no idea who may visit us (in person or in our dreams). Just like the narrator in “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (also known as “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”), which was originally published as “Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas” on December 23, 1823, we may have expectations and little something extra to do before we settle in for “long winter’s nap”; but, we have no idea what will happen next.
In telling the story of Christmas during yesterday’s practices, I mentioned that, the actual night before Jesus was born was not significant to everyone around Mary and Joseph. No one knew it was “the night before Christmas”. It seems obvious, I know: There was no “Christ” and therefore there was “mass for Christ”. But, really think about for a moment. Think about the fact that, even though some of them had received messages from the Angel Gabriel, Mary, Joseph, the Magi, and the unnamed people around them had no idea how lives would change… how the world would change.
Even if you look at the story historically (or allegorically) instead of spiritually and religiously, most people involved would not have imagined that the story would still be celebrated and told centuries later.
Similarly, soldiers fighting along the Western Front in World War I, today in 1914, would not have imagined that people living over a hundred years later, would still remember their Christmas Truce. They could not have imagined that there would be stories and songs and movies about their football games, their exchange of gifts, and their caroling. Stuck in their present moment, and all it entailed, they could not have known how so many would find inspiration in their actions of peace and human solidarity.
“The boys had their say, they said no (all together now)
Stop the slaughter, let’s go home
Let’s go, let’s go (all together now)
Let’s go (all together now), let’s go home
All together now (together, together)
In no man’s land (together, together)”
— quoted from the song “All Together Now” by The Farm (composed by Johann Pachelbel, lyrics by Peter Hooton and Steve Grimes)
Even if you are not in the middle of a war or a conflict, you have something in common with those World War I soldiers. Even if you are not an immigrant and/or expecting a child during (these) uncertain times, you have something in common with Mary and Joseph. Even if you do not have Ebenezer Scrooge’s “bah humbug” attitude, George Bailey’s despair, or the the Christmas cheer of the characters around them, you have something in common with them and the papa who is visited by St. Nicholas. Even if you do not celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday and/or a cultural holiday — and even if you do, just at a different time — you have something in common with those who do celebrate (and those who do not).
We all have doubts and fears mixed in with hopes and dreams and wishes and prayers. We all have expectations mixed with an awareness — even if it is just a tiny bit of awareness at the very back of our minds — that we cannot know all of the wonderful things (and people) to come. Neither can we know what a difference we will make in the world and in the lives of those around us. And that, finally, is the thing we also all have in common with everyone mentioned above:
Every single one of us can do something that brings a little more peace and a little more joy into the world.
“‘Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.’”
— quoted the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”1
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLES BELOW FOR MORE.
Here’s A Little “something, something” for the Holi-daze (the “missing” Sunday post)
A Quick Note & EXCERPTS RE: Light & Living “A (SAD) Wonderful Life” (the “missing” Saturday post)
CLICK ON THE EXCEPTS BELOW FOR THE STORIES.
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”
— quoted from the poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost
Zoom classes are cancelled today. I have sent audio recordings to people on the Wednesday class list. You can check the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes. You can also request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
For those who are interested, the December 24th playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “12242023 Christmas 1914”]
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.
CHECK OUT THE CALENDAR! You can kick off New Year’s Day 2026 in two ways (and in two spaces): with the very active practice of 108 Sun Salutations at 10:00 AM or with the very “chill” practice of a Restorative Yoga+Meditation practice beginning at 5:00 PM. All times are Central Standard.
Register to practice in-person (or join us via Zoom). Details are posted on the “Class Schedules” calendar.
1NOTE: “A Visit from St. Nicholas” was originally published anonymously. It has been since been credited to Henry Livingston Jr. or Clement Clarke Moore.
### PEACE ON EARTH! ###
Think Twice & FTWMI: A Reminder About Separating the Baby from the Dirty Bathwater (w/an excerpt) December 14, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, Loss, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Advent, B.K.S. Iyengar, Chanukah, David Wilton, ethics, light, Nativity Fast, New Year, niyamas, Saint Lucy, St. Philip's Fast, Thomas Murner, yamas, yoga
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing Advent, the Nativity / St. Philip’s Fast, Chanukah, and/or sustaining kindness, friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, gratitude, and wisdom.
May you be safe and protected / May you be peaceful and happy / May you be healthy and strong! May you be nourished!
“Yoga is for all of us. To limit yoga to national or cultural boundaries is the denial of universal consciousness.”
— quoted from Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health by B. K. S. Iyengar
You may not think twice about how you sit or stand. However, how you sit and how you stand (on and off the mat) informs how you move through the world;, how you interact with people and how people interact with you; as well as how people perceive you and how you perceive a moment. Just as we can “cultivate a steady and stable; easy, comfortable, or joyful seat or pose” (YS 2.46) on the mat, we can work to do the same off the mat. Of course, to do this, we must keep in mind that none of this is just about the physical body and/or the mind.
The Yoga Philosophy is an 8-limbed practice that includes an ethical component, the elements of a physical practice, and an awareness of something spiritual, something energetic — something more than an individual person and their body. Even when we just focus on the asana and pranayama — the third and fourth limbs that make up hatha yoga, the physical practice of yoga (regardless of style or tradition), we cannot escape that there is something more, something deeper.
Practicing without the ethical components has the potential to create great harm — sometimes to ourselves and sometimes to others. This truth has, unfortunately, been demonstrated again and again by some of the greatest teachers and practitioners in the world. (See post excerpted below.) I would also argue that practicing without the awareness of the spiritual and energetic elements makes it easier to ignore the ethical components and, therefore, easier to create harm. (Again, see post excerpted below.)
Yesterday, while talking about Saint Lucy, I mentioned:
“When we practice āsanas (“seats” or poses), a significant amount of energy and awareness goes into how we sit (or stand). This deliberation and intention allows us to pay attention to our breath (which is a symbol of our spirit and life force) and also to extend and direct our breath (and therefore our spirit and life force). In a sense, we are careful about how we stand specifically so that we can be intentional about how we use our energy. Another way to think of this is that how we move and hold our body, as well as how we breathe and pay attention to our breath, allows us to very intentionally, deliberately, and mindfully start to focus on our inner light. When we focus-concentrate-meditate on our inner light, it appears to get brighter. In fact, over time, our inner light begins to shine out into the world – but, first we have to be able to see it.”
Sometimes, we do not see the light because we are focusing on the darkness. That is a very real danger here in the United States and overseas where, even as people began celebrating light, darkness encroached. Tragic and traumatic events can lead us to even darker places and, if you find yourself being drawn into the dark, seek out some help.
Help can come from many sources. Just as light can come from many sources.
“Yoga is a light which, once lit, will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter the flame.”
— quoted from Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health by B. K. S. Iyengar
For Those Who Missed It: The following reminder and excerpt were previously posted.
“Throw the baby out with the bathwater (or more accurately das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten) is a German proverb that dates to 1512. It was first recorded by Thomas Murner in his satire Narrenbbeschwörung (Appeal to Fools), in which he uses it as a chapter title. Murner uses the phrase several times in his chapter and the original manuscript even has a woodcut of a woman tossing a baby out with the wastewater.”
— quoted from Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends by David Wilton
B. K. S. Iynegar was born today in 1918, in Pune, India. Click on the excerpt title below for a related post (which includes a popular word myth).
Please join me today (Sunday, December 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 is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04192020 Noticing Things”]
NOTE: These are double playlists. You can start with Track #1, Track #11, or Track #12
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).
I will offering in-person classes during January 2026. Click here for more details and to reserve your spots now. Let’s start the 2026 together!
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.
### PRACTICE & TEACH RESPONSIBLY ###
January 2025 Thank Yous (Re-Addressing the State of the “Union” — Part II) with excerpts January 10, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Minneapolis, Minnesota, New Year, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Texas, Twin Cities, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 612 Jungle, 988, Center for the Performing Arts, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, giving thanks, gratitude, Lundstrum Performing Arts Center, Meraki Community & Events, New Year, Open House, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Richard Nixon, Roosevelt High School, Simone de Beauvoir, State of the Union, yoga
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Happy New Year! May your mind-body-spirit be well, be great, and be in harmony with your thoughts, words, and deeds.
The following is Part II of the January 8th post, with some previously posted content. Click on the excerpt title below for Part I. There is also an excerpt related to January 9th. There are no Zoom practices until Sunday, January 13th. You can request an audio recording of previous practices via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
“It is our task to perfect, to improve, to alter when necessary, but in all cases to go forward. To consolidate what we are doing, to make our economic and social structure capable of dealing with modern life is the joint task of the legislative, the judicial, and the executive branches of the national Government.”
— quoted from “Annual Message to Congress (1934)” by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (delivered Wednesday, January 3, 1934, making it the second U. S. “State of the Union” delivered in January)
As established by Article II, Section 3 of the U. S. Constitution, the State of the Union address is a re-cap of and reflection on the recent past and a look forward with hope, expectation, and a plan. Since it generally happens as early as January 3rd and as late as February 12th, it is pretty much the same thing individuals do at the beginning of the year — and, also, what we have the opportunity to do every time we step on the mat: look at what’s worked and what hasn’t worked in the past and propose on a way to move forward.
This year, my personal State of the Union again finds me back in Minnesota simultaneously looking forward and back, reflecting on what worked (or didn’t work) over the last 15+ years, the last almost 5 years, and the last week. Like the presidents of yesteryear, I am not going to spend a bunch of time recounting the negative stuff, I am just going to use it to provide a little context for the good stuff.
“A tranquil and one-pointed mind is purposefully creative. With such a mind you get more done in less time, and what is more, because it is done with clarity and purpose, the work you undertake is not a burden and does not become a source of misery.
A confused mind is not fit to follow any path. It is not even in a position to tell the body and senses what is good for them and what is not. That is why we go on complying with the urges of the body and senses, even when these urges serve no useful purpose. Such a mind has no way of deciding what it should unite with or what it should separate from; this confusion is what causes a person to live a purposeless, meaningless life.”
— quoted from “Yoga: Union with What?” (a Q&A response) by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD
When my 2024 “hostess with the most-est” first suggested the idea of me returning to Minnesota for a couple of weeks, she had said that she had (and I quote), “no expectations”. That could be a way to describe the practice of non-attachment in the modern world: speak a plan into exist, do some work to make it happen, and be open to the way it unfolds.
I, however, had a bit of an agenda and some expectations — if only because I normally offer some special practices on New Year’s Day and on the First Friday Night of each month. I also had some hopes and desires about reconnecting — uniting, if you will — with some people I had seen in awhile. Then, too, I had the awareness that it had been a long time since most of us had practiced together (let alone together-together) and that some things about each and everyone of us are different. My desires, hopes, agendas, expectations, and even fears could all be considered forms of attachment and afflicted/dysfunctional thinking. In other words, they could all lead to suffering… and, on a certain level they did.
They also led me to come back to Minnesota two years in a row!
Both years, I had moments of frustration and disappointment. I know others also had similar moments (for different reasons). However, when everything was said and done, I was (and am) overwhelmed by gratitude. After almost four (now five) years of practicing together-while-apart, I am so very grateful that so many people were able to join in “Yoga Week” (as some of you started calling the first week of January) two years in a row. This year, I appreciated the presence of everyone who physically practiced in our five-plus (4+) studios — as well as to those who Zoomed in (including those who Zoomed in last year from as far away as Portland and the Middle East) and those who did their best and could only make it in spirit.
I am forever grateful to my 2025 host family for welcoming me as if I was just another member of the family. I am forever grateful to my 2024 hostess for planting the seed, nourishing that seed and, doing so much to make that first visit happen (including sharing her family and her practice). Similarly, I am grateful for the people who suggested possible spaces and the lovely four lovelies who connected me and helped me get situated in our “pop up” studios. An extra special burst of gratitude to one of those lovelies (KC) for going above and beyond in facilitating the 2025 rentals. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thank you to the staff members at Meraki Community & Events, Lundstrum Performing Arts Center, and Center for the Performing Arts and Lu; Kenna, Gabrielle, Angel, Natasha, Gaby, Amber, and the other teachers at 612 Jungle; and the teachers and staff at Roosevelt High School. Thank you for those who offered technical support (even before I arrived) and thank you to everyone who offered me a ride (even if I didn’t take it), fed me, offered to feed me, and/or made a donation (so I can feed myself when I get back to Texas)! Thank you, in advance, for those who will make it to the Open House on Friday and thank you to JK who opened her heart, home, and hearth to us exactly four years (to the date) from the last time we gathered together before the pandemic — and is doing it again in 2025.
NOTE: I will send out an Open House reminder to those on the mailing lists.
Looking forward, I hope this week has reignited you and your practice. I hope it has given you some insight into what comes next for you. I hope it has allowed you to let go of some things that no longer serve you, so that you can move it the new year with a little more unencumbered purpose and determination. I hope that purpose and determination inspires you to plan… something. I hope you are safe and protected, peaceful and happy, healthy and strong, and that you have ease and well being from this day forward.
As for me: I am open to coming back… for a visit. Maybe it will be another New Year Yoga Week; maybe it will be a series of workshops and/or a retreat. Maybe it will be in another place all together, but we will be back — together — again.
“In contrast, a peaceful, one-pointed mind has a natural ability to see itself, its role, and its place in relation to both body and soul. This ability allows the mind to command the body to discharge its duty to hear and heed the voice of the soul. The practices that help us acquire a one-pointed mind are called yoga. Reaching that state is the goal of yoga.”
— quoted from “Yoga: Union with What?” (a Q&A response) by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD
Click on the excerpt title below for the a post related to January 9th.
EXCERPTS: “Who Is Minding the Store?” & FTWMI: Nom de Destiné, Part “Deux” (the surprise part)
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.
### UNION ###
EXCERPT: “What You Will See” January 5, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Christmas, Faith, Healing Stories, Mantra, Meditation, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, William Shakespeare, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 12 Days of Christmas, 988, Epiphanytide, New Year, Theophany, Twelfth Night, Twelvetide, William Shakespeare, Yoga Sutra 1.28, Yoga Sutras 1.32-1.39
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“Happy New Year!” to everyone. “Merry Christmastide/Twelvetide!” to anyone observing.
May you be safe and protected / May you be peaceful and happy / May you be healthy and strong!
“If this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction.”
— Fabian (a servant for the Countess Olivia) in Act III, scene iv of Twelfth Night, or What You Will by William Shakespeare
Click on the excerpt title below for more.
FTWMI: What You Will See
Please join me for a 65-minute for a (virtual or in-person) yoga practice today (Sunday, January 5th) at 2:30 PM. You must be registered and confirmed to attend in person. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “01052021 and Twelfth Night” or “01052021 aka Twelfth Night”]
“I’ll do my best”
— Viola (a twin in disguise) in Act I, scene iv of Twelfth Night, or What You Will by William Shakespeare
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.
### Yoga Sūtra 1.39 ###
EXCERPT: “The Power of a Good/Meaningful Push” January 4, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Abhyasa, Art, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Christmas, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Meditation, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Pema Chodron, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 12 Days of Christmas, 988, Caroline Myss, David Brewster, Dr. Robert Hooke, laws of motion, master teachers, New Year, precious jewels, relationship, Sir Isaac Newton, Stacey Flowers, Twelvetide, Yoga Sutra 4.29, Yoga Sutras 1.12-16
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“Happy New Year!” to everyone. “Merry Christmastide/Twelvetide!” to anyone observing.
May you be safe and protected / May you be peaceful and happy / May you be healthy and strong!
“Every body continues in its state of rest, or uniform motion in a right line, unless compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it.”
— “Law 1” quoted from “Axioms, or Laws of Motion” in Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Sir Isaac Newton (b. 1643)
NOTE: Some editions use the term “straight line.”
Click on the excerpt title below for the post about Sir Isaac Newton and how his “Laws of Motion” affect us on and off the mat (in surprising ways). The post includes a video by Stacey Flowers!
FTWMI: The Power of a Good/Meaningful Push
“I most gladly embrace your proposal of a private correspondence. What’s done before many witnesses is seldom without some further concerns than that for truth; but what passes between friends in private, usually deserves the name of consultation rather than contention; and so I hope it will prove between you and me….
But in the mean time, you defer too much to my ability in searching into this subject. What Descartes did was a good step. You have added much several ways, and especially in considering the colours of thin plates. If I have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
— quoted from a letter marked “Cambridge, February 5, 1675-76” from Sir Isaac Newton to Dr. Robert Hooke, as published in Memoirs of the Life, Writings, and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton by David Brewster
Please join me today (Saturday, January 4th) at 12:00 PM, for a 90-minute (virtual or in-person) yoga practice. You must be registered to attend in person. 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 “01042022 New(ton’s) Beginnings”]
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.
### “Every relationship you develop, from casual to intimate, helps you become more conscious. No union is without spiritual value.” ~ Caroline Myss ###
A Reminder About Separating the Baby from the Dirty Bathwater (mostly the music w/an excerpt) December 14, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, Loss, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, B.K.S. Iyengar, David Wilton, ethics, New Year, niyamas, Thomas Murner, yamas, yoga
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone sustaining kindness, friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, gratitude, and wisdom.
May you be safe and protected / May you be peaceful and happy / May you be healthy and strong! May you be nourished!
“Throw the baby out with the bathwater (or more accurately das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten) is a German proverb that dates to 1512. It was first recorded by Thomas Murner in his satire Narrenbbeschwörung (Appeal to Fools), in which he uses it as a chapter title. Murner uses the phrase several times in his chapter and the original manuscript even has a woodcut of a woman tossing a baby out with the wastewater.”
— quoted from Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends by David Wilton
B. K. S. Iynegar was born today in 1918, in Pune, India. Click on the excerpt title below for a related post (which includes a popular word myth).
Practice Responsibly
Please join me today (Saturday, December 14th) 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 “04192020 Noticing Things”]
NOTE: These are double playlists. You can start with Track #1, Track #11, or Track #12
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).
I will offering in-person classes during January 2025. Click here for more details and to reserve your spots now. Let’s start the 2025 together!
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.
### PRACTICE & TEACH RESPONSIBLY ###
First Friday Night Special #39: An Invitation to “Being Rested for What You Will See” January 5, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Christmas, Faith, Healing Stories, Life, Meditation, Music, Mysticism, New Year, Philosophy, Religion, William Shakespeare, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 12 Days of Christmas, Epiphanytide, New Year, Restorative, Theophany, Twelfth Night, Twelvetide, William Shakespeare, Yoga Sutra 1.28, Yoga Sutra 1.29, Yoga Sutras 1.32-1.39
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“Happy New Year,” to everyone! Happy Twelfth Night, to those who are celebrating!
“O time, thou must untangle this, not I.
It is too hard a knot for me t’untie.”
— Viola (a twin in disguise) in Act II, scene ii of Twelfth Night, or What You Will by William Shakespeare
People sometimes get twisted up, tangled up, knotted up, and confused about how to unravel themselves. Do we stretch? Do we strengthen? Do we rest? The answer, typically, depends on what you’ve done (or haven’t done) and what you are preparing to do. In the Yoga Sūtras, however, there are no qualifiers. Patanjali recommended meditation to alleviate the nine obstacles and their related maladies (YS 1.29-1.32) and listed several objects on which we can focus, concentrate, and meditate. Included in the list is “a well-considered object of one’s choice” (YS 1.39) — which I sometimes refer to as “whatever”… or, on January 5th as “what you will.”
There is a lot, and I mean, a lot of confusion in William Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night, or What You Will. There is confusion as part of the plot and there is confusion about the purpose of the play. Is it twelfth night entertainment for people awaiting a moment of “striking appearance” or for people celebrating AFTER they have seen what they are prepared to see? The answer to that may depend on whether you started counting the Twelve Days of Christmas on Christmas Day or on Boxing Day.
And that brings us to the song… which can also get confusing. In fact, there’s so much confusion, let’s just rest our heads (and all the rest of us) and see what we will see. And be what we will be.
Click here to read the Twelfth Night post.
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.”
— Malvolio (a steward for the shipwrecked twins) in Act II, scene v of Twelfth Night, or What You Will by William Shakespeare
Please join me on Friday, January 5, 2024, 7:15 PM – 8:20 PM (CST) for “Being Rested for What You Will See” for a (virtual or in-person) yoga practice. You must be registered and confirmed to attend in person. 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.
Please note that the studio may be heated.
This Restorative Yoga practice is accessible and open to all.
Prop wise, this is a kitchen sink practice. You can practice without props or you can use “studio” and/or “householder” props. Example of “Studio” props: 1 – 2 blankets, 2 – 3 blocks, a bolster, a strap, and an eye pillow. Example of “Householder” props: 1 – 2 blankets or bath towels, 2 – 3 books (similar in size), 2 standard pillows (or 1 body pillow), a belt/tie/sash, and a face towel.
You may want extra layers (as your body may cool down during this practice). Having a wall, chair, sofa, or coffee table may be handy.
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
A Joyful Practice 