A Quick Note & (2) EXCERPTS RE: “The Roots of Your Story” and “Exploring & Having Our Say” (a 2-for-1 post-practice Monday post) August 18, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, First Nations, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, One Hoop, Philosophy, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 19th Amendment, 988, adventure, Alex Haley, Andre Dubus II, chakras, exploration, Febb Burn, Harry Burn, Harry T. Burn, Healing Stories, Mardy Murie, Margaret Murie, Matthew Sanford, Meriwether Lewis, Phoebe Burn, travel, yoga
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Dormition (Theotokos) Fast, and/or exploring friendship, peace, freedom, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay hydrated & be kind, y’all!
The 2-for-1 post practice post contains excerpts related to Monday, August 11th and Monday, August 18th. The August 11, 2025, prompt question was, “How many generations back can you trace your family and have you shared any stories of the previous generations with younger family members?”
The August 18, 2025, prompt question was, “If you have had the chance to travel, do you like to travel (and if so, why)?”
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.
“Healing stories guide us through good times and bad times; they can be constructive and destructive, and are often in need of change. They come together to create our own personal mythology, the system of beliefs that guide how we interpret our experience. Quite often, they bridge the silence that we carry within us and are essential to how we live.”
— from Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence by Matthew Sanford
Every person, every group of people, and everything in the universe, has a story. Actually, we all have multiple stories — and some of those stories overlap and/or run parallel to each other in oddly specific ways.
Telling one of your stories can be just as important as listening (or reading) someone else’s story; because the telling — as well as the listening — takes us all a little deeper into ourselves and into the world.
“When you start talking about family, about lineage and ancestry, you are talking about every person on earth.”
— Alex Haley
Click on the excerpt title below to discover the stories of two storytellers born on August 11th: Alex Haley (b. 1921) and Andre Julian Dubus II (b. 1936).
“I love short stories because I believe they are the way we live. They are what our friends tell us, in their pain and joy, their passion and rage, their yearning and their cry against injustice. We can sit all night with our friend while he talks about the end of his marriage, and what we finally get is a collection of stories about passion, tenderness, misunderstanding, sorrow, money….”
— quoted from the essay “Marketing” in Part III of Broken Vessels: Essays by Andre Dubus
The more you travel, the more you explore, the more stories you will discover.
Click on the excerpt title below to explore a story about how (some) women were able to tell their stories and the stories of explorers born on August 18th: Captain Meriwether Lewis (b. 1774) and Margaret “Mardy” Murie (b. 1902).
“If we allow ourselves to be discouraged, we lose our power and momentum. That’s what I would say to you of these difficult times. If you are going to that place of intent to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or the wild lands in Utah, you have to know how to dance.”
— quoted from Two In the Far North by Margaret “Mardy” Murie
There are no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
NOTE: If you are interested, you can click on the excerpts above for the playlists related to each date.
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).
### Tell Me One of Your Stories ###
Having a Say on a Moon Day (mostly the music and links) June 4, 2023
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Buddhism, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Women, Yoga.Tags: 19th Amendment, Buddha's Birthday, Harry T. Burn, Jyeshtha Purnima, Phoebe Burn, Tiananmen Square, Vesak, Wesak
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Many blessings to all and especially to those who are celebrating Vesak and/or Jyeshtha Purnima.
“Don’t forget to be a good boy and help Mrs. Catt put the ‘rat’ in ratification.”
– quoted from a note Phoebe E. Burn (“Miss Feeb” or “Feeb” to her friends) gave to her son, Harry T. Burn, Sr., the Republican Representative from Tennessee in 1919
Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, June 4th) at 2:30 PM. Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.
NOTE: The YouTube playlist includes speeches that are not available on Spotify.
Click here to read my 2020 post about two significant anniversaries related to June 4th and you can consider how your experiences affect your perceptions.
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.)
### HAM, HAM, HAM ###
First Friday Night Special #8: “Having Our Say / Let’s Get Loud” June 4, 2021
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Books, Healing Stories, Music, Philosophy, Women, Yoga.Tags: 19th Amendment, Anodea Judith, Caroline Myss, chakras, David Feinstein, Donna Eden, Febb Burn, Harry T. Burn, Phoebe Burn
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“This is a vulnerable place, because the throat chakra is where the inside comes out.”
– quoted from “Chakra Five: Sound – The Communication Chakra” by Anodea Judith, PhD
“The throat chakra has been referred to as the Holy Grail of the chakras because it holds information from all the chakras…. Within the sacred container of the throat chakra, all of this energy and information is ‘metabolized’ – broken down and put back together into a form that becomes your unique expression in the world.”
– quoted from “chapter 5: The Chakras – Your Body’s Energy Stations” in Energy Medicine: Balancing Your Body’s Energies for Optimal Health, Joy, and Vitality by Donna Eden with David Feinstein, Ph.D.
“Surrender Personal Will to Divine Will”
– Fifth Chakra Sacred Truth, quoted from Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing by Caroline Myss, Ph.D.
The throat chakra is obviously and often associated with communication – “having one’s say,” saying something, speaking truth to power, “using your words,” etc. Interestingly, Caroline Myss also associates it with personal will (and determination) and, in particular, the constant balancing act (she sometimes uses the word “struggle”) between Personal Will and Divine Will (you can also think Universal Will or Immanent Will). While we can see the balance in the person who always seems to say the right thing at the right time and in the right way (wise speech and all), we are more likely to notice the imbalance inherent in someone who doesn’t speak up for themselves, is silenced by others, or speaks too much. We may notice, in ourselves, tightness in the neck and/or throat when we are dealing with certain situations and/or people. Additionally, we see evidence of fifth chakra imbalance when someone is negatively characterized because they say what’s on their mind.
The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which gave women the right to vote, was approved by Congress today in 1919. It was passed with 56 “ayes” and 25 “nays,” in large part because of 24-year old Harry T. Burn, Sr. of Tennessee, the Republican Representative from Tennessee who was the youngest congressman and who was expected to vote against the amendment. Mr. Burn voting “nay” would have killed the legislation; however, if anyone had gone deeper than what was being communicated on the outside (by the red carnation on his lapel), they would have known that Mr. Burn’s vote was inspired by the strong-willed words of his mother: Febb E. Burn.
“Your every choice, thought and feeling has biological, environmental, social, personal and global consequence. Actions motivated by personal will that trusts Divine authority, gives you the richest power.”
– quoted from “Morning Visual Meditation” (focus for Chakra 5) by Caroline Myss
Please join me for a very vocal “First Friday Night Special” tonight (June 4th), 7:15 PM – 8:20 PM (CST) that focuses on the neck and throat (chakra). Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You will need to register for the 7:15 PM class if you have not already done so. Give yourself extra time to log in if you have not upgraded to Zoom 5.0. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
If you are using an Apple device/browser and the “Class Schedules” calendar is no longer loading, you may need to upgrade your browser, or you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com at least 20 minutes before the practice you would like to attend.
This practice is accessible and open to all. We will “warm up” the body with poses, mantras, and a little “guided inquiring/journaling.”
Prop wise, this can be a kitchen sink practice. It will be especially handy to have something you can sit upon; a blanket or towel; and extra layers (as your body may cool down during this practice). I also encourage you to have something with which you can take notes.
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. (NOTE: The YouTube playlist features video footage not available on Spotify. The Spotify playlist currently contains extra tracks added by the app.)
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 to Common Ground are tax deductible; class purchases and donations directly to me are not necessarily deductible.)
### HAM, HAM, HAM ###
A Joyful Practice 