EXCERPT (repost): “Tolstoy’s Theories & Questions (soooo many questions)” **updated w/extra link** September 9, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Love, Meditation, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Art, Aylmer Maude, Books, Leo Tolstoy, Louise Maude, Mindfulness, Questions, Religion, Writing
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone fasting and/or planting and nourishing the seeds of friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom.
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
“It once occurred to a certain king that if he always knew the right time to begin everything; if he knew who were the right people to listen to, and whom to avoid; and, above all, if he always knew what was the most important thing to do, he would never fail in anything he might undertake.”
— quoted from the short story “The Three Questions” (originally published in the short story collection What Men Live By) by Leo Tolstoy (b. 09/08/1828, according to the Gregorian calendar), translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE ABOUT LEO TOLSTOY.
FTWMI: Tolstoy’s Theories & Questions (soooo many questions)
Please join me today (Wednesday, September 9th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom (featuring “Three Questions,” one of Tolstoy’s short stories). 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.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09092020 Tolstoy’s Theory”]
NOTE: The YouTube playlist includes a video in the before/after section that is not available on Spotify. The Spotify playlist includes an instrumental version of the same song.
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 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 need 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.
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
### ??? ###
FTWMI: A Quick Note & EXCERPTS: “A Little Maintenance & A Little Playful Inquiry” & “The Art of Moving Meditation” September 6, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, Meditation, Minneapolis, Minnesota, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Suffering, Tragedy, Twin Cities, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Books, Buddhism, pirsig, Robert Pirsig, Writing, Zen
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone working to maintain friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
For Those Who Missed It: The following notes and excerpts were previously posted. Class details, some formatting, and links have been updated/added.
“It occurred to me that maybe I was the odd one on the subject, but that was disposed of too. Most touring cyclists know how to keep their machines tuned. Car owners usually won’t touch the engine, but every town of any size at all has a garage with expensive lifts, special tools and diagnostic equipment that the average owner can’t afford. And a car engine is more complex and inaccessible than a cycle engine so there’s more sense to this. But for John’s cycle, a BMW R60, I’ll bet there’s not a mechanic between here and Salt Lake City. If his points or plugs burn out, he’s done for. I know he doesn’t have a set of spare points with him. He doesn’t know what points are. If it quits on him in western South Dakota or Montana I don’t know what he’s going to do.”
— quoted from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig
Since today is the anniversary of the birth of Robert Pirsig (b. 1928), we play and maintain and sit — which, in this context, is all the same.
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLES BELOW FOR MORE.
“I might have thought this was just a peculiar attitude of theirs about motorcycles but discovered later that it extended to other things — .”
— quoted from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig
“The real cycle you’re working on is a cycle called yourself. The machine that appears to be ‘out there’ and the person that appears to be ‘in here’ are not two separate things. They grow toward Quality or fall away from Quality together.”
— quoted from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig
Please join me today (Sunday, September 6th) 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 “09062020 The Art of Moving Meditation”]
NOTE: The before/after music is slightly different on YouTube and Spotify.
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 need 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.
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
LIMITED SPACE FOR HOTEL DISCOUNTS!
“The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.”
— quoted from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig
### BREATHE: You need air in your tires and wind in your sails. ###
How You Can Use What is “Happening” to Un-Cage Yourself (a compilation post with excerpts & a video) September 5, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Abhyasa, Art, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Japa, Japa-Ajapa, Life, Meditation, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Vairagya, Vipassana, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 8 Limbs of Yoga Philosophy, 988, Abhyasa, Allan Kaprow, Art, Bhagavad Gita, dance, elephants, Happening, I Ching, Japa-Ajapa, John Cage, kriyā yoga, La Monte Young, Merce Cunningham, music, Philosophy, Richard Kostelanetz, samskaras, samskāras, silence, tapas, Vairagya, vasana, vāsanā, Walt Whitman, Writing, yoga, Yoga Sutra 2.1, Zen Buddhism
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing Apodosis of the Dormition; offering prayers for forgiveness on Leil Selichot; and/or awakening friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
May you be safe, protected, and appreciated.
“The past is not fact. The past is simply a big field that had a great deal of activity in it. I asked a historian once, ‘How do you write history?’ and he said, ‘Oh, you have to invent it.’ Well, the way we invent history is by doing what we do; and the more we do, the more we look into the past to see if there is anything that is like what we are doing. If there is, we get interested; and if there isn’t, we don’t.”
— quoted from “Three: His Own Music (to 1970)” in Conversing with Cage by Richard Kostelanetz
What we are doing right here, right now, in this present moment, is based on our past moments and our past experiences. What we do next is based on those past moments and experiences as well as whatever we do (are doing) in this present moment. It seems really obvious, right? And, yet, if we are not mindful, intentional, and deliberate, we will continue doing the same things over and over again — even when those things no longer serve us (or we realize they never served us). Even when they are the same mistakes and/or the same bad behavior, over and over again.
Change requires discipline. Tapas (“heat, discipline, austerity” and the practices that cultivate them) is such an important part of the Yoga Philosophy it is one of the niyamas (internal “observations”) and the first element in kriyā yoga (“union in action”). (YS 2.1) It is described in the Bhagavad Gita as a purification tool and defined as “‘to melt’, as in refining ore.” (BG 17.14)
Tapas is a part of the practice that requires repetition.
“And this repetition of the exercises, which resemble print more than electronics, which resemble classing dancing more than Happenings, is nevertheless physically necessary if [Merce Cunningham] is to dance at all. I think this is his principal problem at the present moment. Were he to give up the daily class, all the dancing, as he has lived to do it, it would become impossible, because the things that are done are athletic in character and are not possible unless you maintain a daily discipline in the same sense that one cannot high jump unless the body is physically disciplined.”
— quoted from “Nine: Dance” in Conversing with Cage by Richard Kostelanetz
Because of the discipline involved, a yoga practice has a lot in common with dance (and other athletic endeavors). Yet, a yoga class can also haves a lot in common with a “Happening”: a performance or art event that may be lightly scripted, but/and is ultimately a collaboration between the performers, the audience, the time, and the place. The term (“happening”) is attributed to Allan Kaprow, who studied with John Cage.
Born today in 1912, John Cage played around with musical happenings in the 1950s, while also studying Buddhism and collaborating with his partner Merce Cunningham, the choreographer. He also experimented with prepared instruments and explored silence and chance, while grappling with his ever-evolving feelings about repetition (particularly in music).
“[The composer La Monte Young] is able either through the repetition of a single sound or through the continued performance of a single sound for a period like twenty minutes, to bring it about that after, say, five minutes, I discover what I have all along been thinking was the same thing is not the same thing after all, but full of variety. I find his work remarkable almost in the same sense that the change in experience of seeing is when you look through a microscope. You see that there is something other than what you thought there was.”
— quoted from “Ten: Successors” in Conversing with Cage by Richard Kostelanetz
In some ways, our yoga practice is like a lab or a microscope, giving us the opportunity to “see things [like our habits] in a special way”.
Ancient and modern sciences agree that if we repeatedly do something enough times, we will continue to do that thing. In other words, it will become a habit. It doesn’t matter if we look at this paradigm through the lens of modern science (which focuses on how neural pathways are formed and hardwired) or if we think of it through the lens of ancient sciences like Yoga and Āyurveda (which highlight samskara [a “mental impression”] and vasana [a literal “dwelling” place of our habits]). Do something enough and doing it begins to feel instinctual. This is true whether we consider the behavior good, bad, or neutral.
Regardless of the value we place on a behavior, most of the things we are in the habit of doing are things that we may not have intentionally set out to do. The Yoga Philosophy, however, encourages us to cultivate the habit of cultivating habits. Abhyasa is the “[continuous and deliberate] practice, [engaged with sincere devotion]”. Paired with vairagya (“non-attachment”), abhyasa is a mindful, intentional, and deliberate way of creating habits that serve you — on and off the mat. (YS. 1.12-1.14) This practice highlights the fact that, although we may find ourselves trapped in habitual behaviors, we forget (or never learned) that we can change our habits.
We just have to do the new thing again and again… and again.
“If something is boring after 2 minutes, try it for 4. If still boring, then 8. Then 16. Then 38. Eventually one discovers that it is not boring at all.”
— John Cage
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLES BELOW FOR MORE.
First Friday Night Special #59 — Invitation for “How to Get Out of Your Cage” (with excerpt & video)
“Get yourself out of whatever cage you find yourself.”
— John Cage
Please join me today (Saturday, September 5th) 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 by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09052020 The Cagey Truth About Nothing”]
FAIR WARNING: The volume on these tracks is quite dynamic, especially on the Spotify list. I love this music, however, I know some folks hate it; so, feel free to “randomly” pick another list or…practice in “silence.”
If you are interested in John Cage, and need something a little less dynamic, another playlist is also available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09052025 How to Get Out of Your Cage”]
Pure Cage
Extreme heat (and a lot of changes) 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 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 need 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.
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
LIMITED SPACE FOR HOTEL DISCOUNTS!
### LIVE UNCAGED ###
[FTWMI] 2 EXCERPTS: “Re-Introducing SOPHIE” & “How Do You Love Ye?” (the post-practice Monday post) August 24, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Love, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Art, avidya, Books, Goth, Intolerance, music, Paulo Coelho, Sophie Lancaster, Sophie Lancaster Foundation, Sylvia Lancaster, Writing, yoga, yoga philosophy
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Dormition (Theotokos) Fast; and/or working to cultivate friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside) — on the International Day Against Intolerance, Discrimination, & Violence Based on Musical Preference.
Stay hydrated & be kind, y’all!
For Those Who Missed It: This post-practice post for Monday, August 24th, was originally posted in 2025. Some formatting, links, and retreat information have been added/updated. The 2026 prompt question was, “What is your favorite kind/genre of music?” You can request an audio recording of these practices 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.
“. . . the great aim of every human being is to understand the meaning of total love. Love is not to be found in someone else, but in ourselves; we simply awaken it. But in order to do that, we need the other person.”
— quoted from Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho (b. 1947)
Click on the first excerpt title below to “meet” Sophie Lancaster and the second excerpt title for a mini-post about Paulo Coelho.
“During the long hours at hospital, Sylvia decided that when Sophie was better, they would go into schools and talk to young people about difference, and how it is ok to be who you are and express yourself in your own way. Sadly, Sylvia never got a chance to do this with Sophie.”
— quoted from the “Welcome” page for the Sophie Lancaster Foundation
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices; however….
You can find music referenced in the practice and in the excerpted posts on the playlist available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08242021 A Day for SOPHIE”]
NOTE: The YouTube playlist contains this video with a graphic depiction of violence.
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 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 need 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
### “Love is looking at the same mountains from different angles.” ~ Paulo Coelho ###
EXCERPT (repost): “All These Easter Eggs Are About Hope… Not Blind Optimism” August 23, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Abhyasa, Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Depression, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Loss, Music, Pain, Philosophy, Poetry, Suffering, Tragedy, Vairagya, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Adrienne Wilkinson, Books, Captain Lexxa Singh, Fitness, mental health, Philosophy, Stoicism, William Ernest Henley, Writing
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Many blessings to you all. Make sure to rest, relax, hydrate, and smile (when you can) — especially if you are observing the Dormition (Theotokos) Fast.
Stay hydrated & be kind, y’all!
“Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.”
— quoted from the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley
Click on the excerpt title below for more about William Ernest Henley (b. 1849) and how his life and work continues to inspire billions.
FTWMI: All These Easter Eggs Are About Hope… Not Blind Optimism
“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
— quoted from “The Sermon on the Mount,” in The Gospel According to Matthew (7:14)
“It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.”
— quoted from “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley
Please join me today (Sunday, August 23rd) at 2:30 PM for a “spirited” 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 “08232020 Henley’s Invictus Day”]
(NOTE: The playlists have slightly different before/after practice content. Both include the poem, but the YouTube playlist has a little more!)
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 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 need 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.
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
### YES! I WILL LEAVE A LIGHT ON!! ###
roj vay’ potlh ngIq (“Peace is an important part of the process”) [the “missing” Wednesday post] August 19, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Depression, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, Love, Movies, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Poetry, Science, TV, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Alexander Courage, American Sign Language, ASL, BSL British Sign Language, Dorothy Miles, Dot Miles, Gene Roddenberry, Google Doodle, Howie Seago, Jonathan Frakes, klesha, Klingon, klishtaklishta, klişţāklişţāh, Leo Damian, Marnie Mosiman, music, Passion/Warrior, peace, Philo T. Farnsworth, Riva, Scholar/Dreamer/Artist, Science Fiction, sign language, sign languages, Star Trek, Television, Thomas Oglesby, universal translator, William T. Riker, Woman/That Which Binds Them, Writing, yoga philosophy, Yoga Sutra 1.5, Yoga Sutras 1.30-1.32, Yoga Sutras 2.2-2.11, Youmee Lee
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Second “Feast of the Saviour” (in August) and/or exploring friendship, peace, freedom, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay hydrated & be kind, y’all!
Pardon me, while I catch up!
This “missing” (and backdated) compilation post for Wednesday, August 19th, includes new and re-purposed content, an extra poem, a previously posted video, and a series of excerpts. 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.
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.
“RIKER: So none of the background which we have provided would be helpful in understanding why they continue to fight?
SCHOLAR: The portfolio will indicate that the conflict is over a piece of land, or wealth, or some other tangible asset. But we both know that is not the case.
RIKER: They’ve been at war for so long, it has become personal.
SCHOLAR: Exactly. The basis for peace must also be personal….”
— quoted from Star Trek Deep: Next Generation, “Loud as a Whisper” – (season 2, episode 5, aired January 9, 1989), conversation between First Officer William T. Riker (played by Jonathan Frakes), Riva (played by Howie Seago), and the Chorus (played by Thomas Oglesby as Scholar/Dreamer/Artist, Marnie Mosiman as Woman/That Which Binds Them, and Leo Damian as Passion/Warrior)
Understatement of the Day: There is a lot of conflict in the world.
Most of the conflict in the world is not new. We may point to something that happened yesterday or two weeks ago or two years ago or six (or ten or twenty) years ago as being the beginning of the conflict. However, more often than not, the roots of the conflict go much deeper than whatever we can point to at this moment. I think this is true about global conflicts, as well as about individual conflicts — and this idea is highlighted in the Yoga Sūtras.
According to the Yoga Sūtras (1.5; 1.30-1.32; 2.2-2.11), everything we think — and, therefore, everything we say and do — is a seed that can be described as klişțāklişțāh (“afflicting/dysfunctional or non-afflicting/functional”). (That which is klesha (an “affliction”) grows into suffering. Every seed (regardless of how it is colored) can be dormant, attenuated/weakened, intercepted, or fully activated/rooted through our actions. Part of the practice is about being very mindful of what we “plant” in the world and very deliberate and intentional about what we uproot versus what we nurture. One of the ways we do this is by practicing peace.
“Shanti Shanti Shanthi Om”
“Peace [within us], Peace [all around us], Peace [to and from everything and every one we encounter] With our conscious, subconscious, and unconscious mind and on every plane of existence.”
— Sanskrit and English, quoted from the end of the shantipats
There are, without a doubt, a lot of pithy, poignant, and even meaningful quotes about peace. However, again and again, I come back to a reminder found at the end of every shantipat. The importance of peace is emphasized by the fact that the word shanti (“peace”) is repeated three times.
That final “peace” is drawn out and can be translated as an emphatic “Peace, because I said so!” or “Peace, because I demand it!” However, more often than not, I translate the three repetitions as, “Peace within us, peace all around us, peace to and from everything and everyone we encounter.” Then, I tack on a little reminder: “Peace, like [insert quality of the day] begins within.”
In other words, peace is personal and [finding your personal] “roj vay’ potlh ngIq (peace is an important part of the process).”
Since our experiences are different, the details of our conflicts are difference. So, if we want peace, we have figure out “qaStaH nuq jay (What the bleep is happening?)” and the best way to communicate with ourselves and others [i.e., “Holchaj yIjatlh. (Speak in their language).”]
August 19th is the anniversary of the birth of three people who changed how we consume media and what media we consume.
Click on the excerpt titles below for the 2020 post and the 2023 note related to Philo T. Farnsworth (b. 1906) and Gene Roddenberry (1921), and the related 2025 post that connects their television innovations to the work of Dorothy “Dot” Miles (b. 1931).
“…people meet and part.
The word becomes the action in this language of the heart.”
— quoted from the English translation of the poem “Language for the Eye” by Dorothy Miles
“I gave a lot of thought this year to my own Christmas list
I think these should be given to all, and no-one should be missed;
The first and most important is that we should learn to Love…
Ourselves — and then each other as we will in ‘heaven above’.
And after that Intelligence., growing like a seed;
And then a little Discipline, a scolding when we need!
And last of all, when all these are working as they should.
The right amount of Humour to make life good.”
— quoted from the English translation of the poem “Christmas List” by Dorothy Miles
Wednesday’s “Courage filled” playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08192020 To Boldly Go with Courage”]
Playlist Note: The YouTube playlist includes an interview with Gene Roddenberry and the Dorothy Miles poem “Language for the Eye” (which is also below).
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 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 need 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
### roj ###
**A Practice Video** & FTWMI: A Quick Note & Excerpts RE: The Cornerstones of Friendship, Liberty, & Justice August 5, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Music, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Art, Books, Emma Lazarus, friendship, Gertrude Rush, Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, peace, Poetry, Statue of Liberty, Writing
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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, y’all!
For Those Who Missed It: The following note and excerpts were originally posted in 2025. A practice video, class details, plus some formatting, links, and excerpt content have been updated/added.
“I submit it, then, to those best acquainted with the man personally, whether the following is not Nathaniel Hawthorne,–to to himself, whether something involved in it does not express the temper of this mind,–that lasting temper of all true, candid men–a seeker, not a finder yet:–
A man now entered, in neglected attire, with the aspect of a thinker, but somewhat too rough-hewn and brawny for a scholar. His face was full of sturdy vigor, with some finer and keener attribute beneath; though harsh at first, it was tempered with the glow of a large, warm heart, which had force enough to heat his powerful intellect through and through. He advanced to the Intelligencer, and looked at him with a glance of such stern sincerity, that perhaps few secrets were beyond its scope.”
— quoted from “Hawthorne and His Mosses” [a review of the Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story collection, Mosses from an Old Manse] by Herman Melville, published pseudonymously by “a Virginian Spending July in Vermont” (as printed in The Literary World on August 17 and 24, 1850)
Every edifice (or physical structure) has a cornerstone. As I mentioned in one of the excerpted posts below, it is the reference point for everything that is built. In other words, it makes the building possible.
What is true about a physical structure is also true about everything else we build — including friendships, communities, and nations. The cornerstones and foundations of all of those make them possible.
A Possible Friendship
Herman Melville and Nathaniel Nathaniel Hawthorne met today in 1850.
Click on the excerpt title below for more.
A Note, Links, & Excerpt On The Cornerstones of Friendship & Liberty (a post-practice Monday post)
“Impossible” Ladies
While the foundations of some friendships are easily set, setting other cornerstone can seem impossible.
The cornerstone of the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal was placed on a rainy Bedloe’s Island on August 5, 1884. Mrs. Gertrude E. Rush was born in Texas today in 1880.
Click on the excerpt title above to discover why Lady Liberty and a Lady of Justice are today’s “Impossible People.”
“Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.”
— quoted from the poem “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus
Please join me today (Wednesday, August 5th) 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 by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06172020 The Lady’s Power”]
Check out this vinyasa practice inspired by liberty, justice, friendship, & 2 “impossible” ladies!
NOTE: The practice video is set to the same playlist as the Zoom practices!
“In 1919 Mrs. Gertrude Rush, a prominent black lawyer and [WC] delegate from a Baptist church in Des Moines, Iowa, posited that the vote would enable women to fight for better working conditions, higher wages, and greater opportunities in business. Through suffrage, Rush maintained, women could better regulate moral and sanitary conditions, end discrimination and lynch law, obtain better educational opportunities, and secure greater legal justice.”
— quoted from “Religion, Politics, and Gender: The Leadership of Nannie Helen Burroughs” by Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham (Chapter 8 of This Far By Faith: Readings in African-American Women’s Religious Biography, edited by Judith Weisenfeld & Richard Newman)
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 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 need 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.
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
### MAKE PEACE YOUR CORNERSTONE ###
FTWMI: A Quick Note & EXCERPT: “The Stories Behind the Music (or The Vibration Behind the Vibration)” July 21, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Life, Men, One Hoop, Philosophy, Science, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Books, Bret Anthony Johnston, Buchi Emecheta, Ernest Hemingway, fiction, reading, Rebecca Gross, samskāras, Toni Morrison, Writing, writing-tips
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Many blessings to everyone, everywhere.
For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted in 2025 (with the prompt question was, “If you were going to write a story, what would be the subject of your story?”)
Class details, some links, and some formatting have been updated/added.
“I may be wrong about this, but it seems as though so much fiction, particularly that by younger people, is very much about themselves. Love and death and stuff, but my love, my death, my this, my that. Everybody else is a light character in that play.
When I taught creative writing at Princeton, [my students] had been told all of their lives to write what they knew. I always began the course by saying, ‘Don’t pay any attention to that.’ First, because you don’t know anything and second, because I don’t want to hear about your true love and your mama and your papa and your friends. Think of somebody you don’t know. What about a Mexican waitress in the Rio Grande who can barely speak English? Or what about a Grande Madame in Paris? Things way outside their camp. Imagine it, create it. Don’t record and editorialize on some event that you’ve already lived through. I was always amazed at how effective that was. They were always out of the box when they were given license to imagine something wholly outside their existence. I thought it was a good training for them. Even if they ended up just writing an autobiography, at least they could relate to themselves as strangers.”
— Toni Morrison, quoted from the American Theatre interview “Write, Erase, Do It Over: On Failure, Risk and Writing Outside Yourself — Learning how to fail well is as crucial a part of a writer’s craft as putting words on a page. With other kinds of failure, you have less control.” by Rebecca Gross (dated March 10, 2015)
Writers are often taught, “Write what you know.” Some authors and creative writing teachers think that is the best advice ever. Others, as noted above* and below, think this old standard it is not so great advice. But, have you ever considered that (on a certain level) writers have no choice? Have you ever considered that every writer writes from their own experience — even when they are writing about the experience of others and even when they are writing about places that are not their home?
Storytelling is part of being human. Before we are born, our brains start processing all the sensations/information around us and communicating a story about the present moment. (YS 2.18-20) From an early age, we tell stories about how our day went and how we wish our day had gone. We make up stuff, embellish stuff, and tell lies. Or, we tell stories about things that randomly pop up in our head. Sometimes, those stories can be pretty fantastical. But, every time we tell a story, we are telling the story based on our understanding of the world, which is based on our past experiences and our samskara (“mental impression”).
In other words, we write what we know (and what we understand).
Now, take a moment to consider that much of what we read is available for us to read (and interests us) because of our previous experiences and, also, the experiences and identity of the writer — no matter their subject matter. This is why two writers can tell very different stories even when they are writing about the same things and the same places.
This is also why you may hear about one great author and not another.
Click on the excerpt title below for the very different stories of two writers born on July 21st.
The Stories Behind the Music (or The Vibration Behind the Vibration)
“Every Wednesday, I teach an introductory fiction workshop at Harvard University, and on the first day of class I pass out a bullet-pointed list of things the students should try hard to avoid…. The last point is: Don’t Write What You Know.”
“The idea panics them for two reasons. First, like all writers, the students have been encouraged, explicitly or implicitly, for as long as they can remember, to write what they know, so the prospect of abandoning that approach now is disorienting. Second, they know an awful lot. In recent workshops, my students have included Iraq War veterans, professional athletes, a minister, a circus clown, a woman with a pet miniature elephant, and gobs of certified geniuses. They are endlessly interesting people, their lives brimming with uniquely compelling experiences, and too often they believe those experiences are what equip them to be writers. Encouraging them not to write what they know sounds as wrongheaded as a football coach telling a quarterback with a bazooka of a right arm to ride the bench. For them, the advice is confusing and heartbreaking, maybe even insulting. For me, it’s the difference between fiction that matters only to those who know the author and fiction that, well, matters.”
— quoted from The Atlantic (Fiction 2011 Issue) essay, “Don’t Write What You Know: Why fiction’s narrative and emotional integrity will always transcend the literal truth” by Bret Anthony Johnston
Please join me today (Tuesday, July 21st) at 12:00 Noon 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 me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07212020 A Tale of Two Writers”]
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 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 need 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.
You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!
September 25 — 27, 2026
*NOTE: The Toni Morrison quote (above) is from a section of the interview titled, “Failures In Contemporary American Literature”
### LIVE YOUR STORIES ###
A Quick Note & EXCERPTS: “Make a Commitment to Imagination” & “More Stories and Music [the 2025 version]” (*revised*) March 22, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, 9-Day Challenge, Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Lent / Great Lent, Life, Music, One Hoop, Religion, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Ananta Ripa Ajmera, Andrew Lloyd Webber, B. Alan Orange, Billy Collins, Chaitra Navaratri, equality, Hugh Wheeler, James Patterson, Keegan-Michael Key, Kushmanda, Lent / Great Lent, Maty Ezrarty, Navaratri, Season for Nonviolence, Stephen Sondheim, storytellers, Writing
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“Nowruz Mubarak!” Happy New Year to those who are celebrating! “Nine days and nine nights of blessings and happiness if you are celebrating Chaitra Navaratri!” Many blessings to all, and especially to those observing Lent or Great Lent!
Peace, ease, and equality to all, throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!
“Practicing yoga is a privilege. And with this privilege comes a duty to be kind, to share a smile, and to offer yoga from the mat into the rest of your life.”
— Maty Ezraty
Everyone has a series of stories — and each of our stories make up part of other people’s stories. These collections of stories overlap and converge with each other and with the stories of the community. Every community has a collection of stories. How we tell those stories makes a difference — and our experiences (i.e., our stories) play a part in how we tell our stories.
For years, I have told stories about storytellers born on this date. I would, of course, make room for sacred stories when they overlapped this date. For example, today is the fourth day of Navaratri, the Hindu festival of “nine nights” celebrating divine feminine energy in various manifestations. While some people see the manifestations as nine different women, they are also seen by some as the same woman at different points in her story.
Click on the excerpt below for a short post about the Goddess Kushmanda who, it is said, “created the world with her divine smile” — a smile that also powers the sun.
“[Kushmanda] also lives in our hearts. The fact that she is smiling reminds us that we too are our most creative when we are smiling and feeling positive, courageous (a quality of heart), and strong. The fact that this goddess, like Chandraghanta, rides a lion shows that the power of love is just as potent as the fire of transformation. It reminds us that the ability to love comes from inner strength. When we feel clouded by fear, anger, and grief, it can be difficult to imagine one day having the strength to love again. But Kushmanda is here to remind us that, no matter how brokenhearted we may feel at time, the power of love lives within us, and we can tap into it and become our creative best at any time.”
— quoted from the “Knowing Kushmanda” section of “Chapter 4 — The Art of Loving Your True Self” in The Way of the Goddess: Daily Rituals to Awaken Your Inner Warrior and Discover Your True Self by Ananta Ripa Ajmera
So, for years, even when I made room for other stories, sacred stories, I kept coming back to four storytellers. As I mentioned in the post excerpted below: These storytellers tell/told their stories in different ways. However, the storytellers themselves have something in common — other than the fact that they are all, as it turns out, the same gender and race and share the same profession and birthday. They all know/knew how to tell a good story.
Last year, I added a storyteller. Same gender, profession, and birthday. Different racial identity. Different way of telling a good story.
Again, as noted below (and since someone asked after the 2025 class): While there are other storytellers I could have highlighted, the original focus was always the last 4 storytellers referenced above. I didn’t replace anyone, just added a storyteller and adjusted the narrative accordingly. Similarly, the playlist has room, time, and space, for another song (or two).
“Don’t you love farce?
My fault, I fear
I thought that you’d want what I want
Sorry, my dear
But where are the clowns?
Quick, send in the clowns
Don’t bothеr, they’re herе”
— quoted from the song “Send in the Clowns” from the musical A Little Night Music, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE OF THE STORY.
More Stories and Music [the 2025 version] (the “missing” Saturday post)
NOTE: In the March 22nd post excerpted above, the principle for the “Season for Nonviolence” was advocacy. The 2026 principle is equality, which also fits the story.
“A poet can feel free, in my estimation, to write a poem for himself. Or a painter can paint a painting for himself. You can write a short story for yourself. But for me, comedy by its nature is communal. If other people don’t get it, I’m not sure why you are doing it. I think the same can be said for being offensive, for no other reason than being offensive. Me personally, it boggles my mind.”
— Keegan-Michael Key, quoted from the (Feb 1, 2012) MovieWeb interview entitled “Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele Talk Key & Peele Series Premiere [Exclusive]” by
B. Alan Orange
Please join me today (Sunday, March 22nd) 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 in 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 “03222020 Storytellers”]
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.
### Enjoy & Share Your Stories ###
EXCERPT (2026): “Do You See What I See? & Your Presence Is Requested” January 6, 2026
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Bhakti, Books, Changing Perspectives, Christmas, Dharma, Faith, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Love, Music, Mysticism, New Year, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Art, avidya, Epiphany, Epiphanytide, faith, inspiration, Johann Sebastian Bach, magi, Rev. Ed Trevors, Reverend Ed Trevors, Three Kings Day, Twelvetide, Whitney Houston, Writing, Yoga Sutra 2.20, Yoga Sutras 2.12-2.14, Yoga Sutras 2.16-2.18, Yoga Sutras 2.3-2.9
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“Happy New Year!” to everyone. “Merry Little Christmas, Epiphany, Theophany, Three Kings Day, & Twelfth Day of Christmas (for some) or Eve of the Nativity of Christ (for others)!”
May you be safe and protected / May you be peaceful and happy / May you be healthy and strong!
“What I really want to get to today is why the Magi came. What was it that brought them to Bethlehem? What was it that brought them to find Jesus and his family?”
— quoted from “The Epiphany Light: Another Reflection” by Reverend Ed Trevors (dated Jan 6, 2022)
Click on the excerpt title below for more about the holidays being observed, a little insight into why people may see the same things in different ways, & the video quoted above.
Yoga Sutra 2.20: draşțā dŗśimātrah śuddho’pi pratyayānupaśyah
— “The sheer power of seeing is the seer. It is pure, and yet it sees only what the mind [brain] shows it.”
Please join me today (Tuesday, January 6th) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM (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 by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “01062021 Epiphany & Theophany”]
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 