A Joyful Practice

Balancing Dreaming and Santosha on the 7th & EXCERPT: “Space and the Power of Hearing(s)” [the “missing” Saturday post] February 7, 2026

Happy Carnival (to those who are already celebrating)! Peace and ease on the final day of World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW) and throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!!!

May your dreams come true.

This is the “missing” post & excerpt for February 7^th. My apologies for the delay and for not posting music before the practice. You can request an audio recording for a related practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra   (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

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“It is necessary that we dream now and then. No one achieved anything, from the smallest object to the greatest, unless the dream was dreamed first, yet those who stop at dreaming never accomplish anything. We must first see the vision in order to realize it; we must have the ideal or we cannot approach it; but when once the dream is dreamed it is time to wake up ‘get busy.’ We must ‘do great deed, not dream them all day long.’

The dream is only the beginning.”

— quoted from the “1918: Make Your Dreams come True ~ February 5, 1918” by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. 1867), published in Laura Ingalls Wilder, Farm Journalist: Writings from the Ozarks, Edited by Stephen W. Hines

“Dreaming” is the “Season for Nonviolence” principle of the day and, according to the Yoga Sūtras, can be the source of wisdom. However, some types of dreaming can also be a form of grasping or craving — which is  antithetical to the practice. So, as is so often the case, the practice becomes about finding balance.

It can be challenging to find the balance between dreaming and that “trustful surrender” that is letting go and having faith in your efforts (and in what has already been written). In our physical practice, it can be the balance between effort and relaxation. In our philosophical Yoga practice, it is the balance between abhyasa (“[continuous and deliberate] practice, [engaged with sincere devotion]”) and vairagya (“non-attachment”). (YS. 1.12-1.14) In a spiritual and/or religious practice, it is having faith in yourself and in God (whatever that means to you at this moment).

When we find that balance, things get done. According to the Yoga Sūtras, the process by which we find that balance leads to mental and physical vitality, as well as freedom and liberation from suffering. (YS 1.2 – 1.4; 1.12 – 1.15; 1.29 – 1.40; 2.18) This process — which is the Yoga Philosophy — includes the practice of santoşā (“contentment”), which leads to “…happiness without equal.” (YS 2.42)

And there’s the twist: How do you dream or desire (which can be a form of craving) and also be satisfied/content? How do you find balance when you may think of contentment as “settling” — as if there is something more and you are missing out?

“At this second Carol realized that for all Guy’s love and dead elegances his timidity was as depressing to her as the bulkiness of Sam Clark. She realized that he was not a mystery, as she had excitedly believed; not a romantic messenger from the World Outside on whom she could count for escape. He belonged to Gopher Prairie, absolutely. She was snatched back from a dream of far countries, and found herself on Main Street.”

— quoted from Main Street by Sinclair Lewis (b. 1885)

I think of both santoşā and the Zen Buddhist practice of shoshin (“beginner’s mind”) as practices that encourage us to stay in the present moment — with a sense of awe and wonder about what comes next. These practices also create the opportunity for us to be grateful for what we have been able to do in the past, present, and in the future.

During the practice, I reference several people born on February 7^th; people who dreamed of “something more”. Three of them found their something more by writing about what they knew and about what they dreamed. Like their father, the fourth birthday person also worked to create the world of which they dreamed, a more just world, a more equitable world… but (unlike the others) their writing was “brief”.

“In the early seventies, blacks argued for bifurcated jury trials, and this Court today has mandated such for the State of Alabama. In the seventies, blacks asked that sentences for rape and other offenses be not discriminatorily and freakishly imposed.”

— quoted from the special concurrence opinion for Beck v. State, 396 So. 2d 645 (1980) by Alabama Supreme Court Justice Oscar W. Adams (b. 1925)

CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE.

Space and the Power of Hearing(s) (a special Black History note, w/a Tuesday link)

“Are you happy in this modern world?
Or do you need more?
Is there something else you’re searchin’ for?

I’m falling
In all the good times, I find myself longin’ for change
And in the bad times, I fear myself”

— quoted from the song “Shallow” written by Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt, Stefani J. Germanotta

Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07092022 Awareness of the Mind’s Awareness”]

Music Note: There are two (going on three) playlists on YouTube and Spotify with today’s date. However, due to circumstances beyond my control, I decided to substitute the playlist highlighted above.

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 Still Dream of The Dance ###