A Joyful Practice

Noticing Things, Again (on April 19th) [the “missing” Sunday post] April 19, 2026

Happy Poetry Month! Happy Bicycle Day! Peace and many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone Counting the Omer and/or celebrating and observing Second Sunday of Pascha: Antipascha, St. Thomas Sunday!

This “missing” (backdated) post for Sunday, April 19^th ,is an expanded version of a 2020 post. Click here for the original post, which includs links to Kiss My Asana offerings!  WARNING: There is a passing reference to a past act of terrorism during the practice and in the notes section of this post.  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.

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“An analogy will be helpful in explaining these two aspects. Let’s sat we are setting out from New York City to drive to Los Angeles. Every evening we check into a motel for the night and perhaps do a little sightseeing before continuing our journey. Eventually we reach Los Angeles. Once there, we enjoy experiencing the city. Depending on our goal, we stay for a week or two, a month, or perhaps permanently.

Los Angeles represents samadhi as a final state. The journey from beginning to end represents samadhi as a process.”

— quoted from the commentary on Yoga Sūtra 1.17, in The Secret of the Yoga Sūtra: Samadhi Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

According to Yoga Sūtra 1.17, we have four levels of conscious awareness: gross, subtle, bliss or joy, and the feeling of i-ness. One of my favorite analogies explains these levels by using the example of walking into a room where music is playing. (I have also used the example of going to your first yoga class.) When you first enter the room,  you notice something is happening. Maybe you hear the music. Maybe you just feel the vibration. Either way, that is the gross level of awareness. When you start to recognize the lyrics and/or the melody — or, you actually start practicing, you move into the subtle level of conscious awareness. From there you move into the bliss or joy state, which is when you start to sing or dance (or really get into the practice). This is the point when things start to feel good. The final stage of conscious awareness is a state of absorption, Samadhi (which is also the final limb of the Yoga Philosophy).

In the commentary for Yoga Sūtra 1.17, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD, uses another great example: going on a road trip from New York to Los Angeles. I think this is a great example, because it highlights the fact that the process of reaching/experiencing Samadhi is a journey, as well as a state of being. He also points out that how we travel determines how experience the process/journey and how quickly we reach the destination.

“Lower samadhis is the journey leading to the higher samadhi. It consists of a series of interim destinations, which are largely determined by the quality of the objects employed in meditation and the quality of the mind using those objects. If we walk from New York City to Los Angeles, our final destination is the same as if we drive, but there will be many more interim destinations—and the distance between them will be much shorter. But the number of interim destinations and the distance between them change drastically when we travel by bicycle or by airplane. In the same way, in Yoga sadhana each of us has our own starting point, a uniquely trained mind, and a particular object we use to remain one-pointed. ”

— quoted from the commentary on Yoga Sūtra 1.17, in The Secret of the Yoga Sūtra: Samadhi Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

Before we go too far down this road, remember (as I pointed out in the original 2020 post), conscious awareness is just one part of our mind’s awareness.

“For me ‘plus tôt’ is a piece that talks about the sort of space and time that you’re in before things happen to you. The sort of calm you can feel when you don’t know that some events are about to change you. It’s the beginning of the trip. It’s the beginning of the inscape.”

— Alexandra Stéliski explaining the inspiration for the first piece on her album Inscape (the song title translates to “earlier”)

When do you notice things? And what do you notice?

Our sense organs are always picking up information and, unless something goes wrong, they are always sending that information to the brain in the form of sensation. The brain sifts through the information, works on the puzzle, and then sends back more sensation, more information. Sometimes we add a layer of judgment and a layer of story — especially when we don’t feel we have enough information or when the pieces are starting to fill in the gaps.

Our minds like a good story.

However, a lot of the mind’s processing is purely unconscious and subconscious. Someone will bring our awareness to something and we will say, “Oh, I didn’t notice that.” The reality is that some part of us did notice — otherwise we wouldn’t be able to recognize whatever it was that someone brought to our attention. (See Yoga Sūtra 2.20.) What we notice ourselves noticing, when we bring our awareness to our awareness, is something in the subconscious and/or unconscious parts our consciousness being brought forward into the conscious part of our mind.

Take a deep breath in; open your mouth, sigh it out.

Deep breath in through your nose; deep open mouth sigh.

Take the deepest breath you’ve taken all day; open your mouth and sigh it out.

As you inhale through your nose, and exhale through your nose, notice what you notice. Bring your awareness to your awareness.

There are certain times in our lives where we seem to notice — be conscious of — everything. At other times, it seems our conscious mind shrinks down and we are only aware of one thing. This can, and does, happen all the time without us ever thinking about it. But, what happens when we think about it?

A meditation practice, whether you are moving, sitting, or lying down is sometimes referred to as a mindfulness practice. Mindfulness being the state of conscious awareness. In that state of conscious awareness there can be peace and calm; but not always. There are times when conscious awareness is neither peaceful nor calm (even though the peace and the calm are why so many people meditate). The fact that mindfulness practices can be uncomfortable — on multiple levels — is why some people also associate compassion with mindfulness. More than anything, mindfulness, how ever you get to it, involves clarity and an understanding of cause-and-effect.

It also involves noticing things.

“When the Present has latched its postern behind my tremulous stay,

And the May month flaps its glad green leaves like wings,

Delicate-filmed as new-spun silk, will the neighbours say,

‘He was a man who used to notice such things’?”

— quoted from the poem “Afterwards” by Thomas Hardy, set to music by Lon Lord

Sometimes we notice things because of tragedy¹, which can heighten our awareness (even when we are just watching events unfold on our screens). Sometimes we notice things because they are too beautiful to miss. Sometimes we notice things because we are, like the person in the Thomas Hardy poem, someone who just notices things. Sometimes we notice things because we choose to notice things.

Other times we notice things because we are “trippin’”.

While it can be used as a slang term to refer to someone saying or doing something ridiculous or unbelievable, trippin’, technically speaking, refers to someone who is using a controlled substance — specifically, a psychedelic. Some sources attribute the latter usage to US Army scientists who were experimenting with LSD in the 1950s. However, the first recorded “acid trip” was an actual trip that Dr. Albert Hofmann took (on a bicycle) in Basel, Switzerland, on April 19, 1943. Decades later, he would write about a childhood experience (near Baden, Switzerland) that forever altered his awareness of awareness.

“Suddenly, the familiar view of our surroundings is transformed in a strange, delightful, or alarming way: it appears to us in a new light, takes on a special meaning. Such an experience can be as light and fleeting as a breath of air, or it can imprint itself deeply upon our minds.

One enchantment of that kind, which I experienced in childhood, has remained remarkably vivid in my memory ever since. It happened on a May morning—I have forgotten the year—but I can still point to the exact spot where it occurred, on a forest path on Martinsberg above Baden, Switzerland. As I strolled through the freshly greened woods, filled with bird song and lit by the morning sun, all at once everything appeared in an uncommonly clear light. Was this something I had simply failed to notice before? Was I suddenly perceiving the spring forest as it actually looked? It shone with the most beautiful radiance, speaking to the heart, as though it wished to encompass me in its majesty. I was filled with an indescribable sensation of joy, oneness, and of blissful security.”

— quoted from the “Foreword” in LSD: My Problem Child — Reflections on Sacred Drugs, Mysticism, and Science by Albert Hoffman Ph.D., Dr. Pharm. (Hon.), Dr. Sc. Nat. (Hon.), Head of the Pharmaceutical-Chemical Research Laboratories, Division of Natural Products (Retired), Sandoz, Ltd., Basel, Switzerland (Translated by Jonathan Ott)

Dr. Albert Hofmann was a Swiss chemist who first synthesized lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in November of 1938. He set his experiment aside for five years, to work on other things, and then, on April 16, 1943, he accidentally dropped some LSD on his exposed skin. He wasn’t overly concerned about the little drop. Later, however, after he was home, he felt intoxicated, a little dizzy, restless, and overly sensitive to light. He laid down for a bit, closed his eyes, and experienced about 2 hours of colorful images playing out behind his closed eyelids.

Three days later, on April 19^th, Dr. Hofmann intentionally ingested what he thought was a small dose of LSD: 250 micrograms. That dose was way too large — actually ten times a threshold dose — and, within the hour, the drugs kicked in. Instead of having the dreamy, highly imaginative, and slightly pleasant experience he was expecting, the chemist found himself in a living nightmare. People around him turned into wild creatures and witches; furniture moved around of their own volition; and he felt possessed. He also felt anxious and paranoid, and feared that he had poisoned himself. He asked his laboratory assistant to help him get home and, because of World War II restrictions, they had to bicycle.

I always imagined Dr. Hofmann riding on the back of the bicycle or on the handlebars as they rode home from Sandoz Labs; however, it turns out that Susi Ramstein (his lab assistant) simply rode beside him. He later wrote that “everything in my field of vision wavered and was distorted as if seen in a curved mirror. I also had the sensation of being unable to move from the spot. Nevertheless, my assistant later told me we had traveled very rapidly.” Eventually, a doctor made a house call; but, the only physical symptom the doctor identified was dilated pupils. So, Dr. Hofmann decided to enjoy what turned out to be a six-hour ride.

The next morning he felt refreshed and had a new perspective about the world. He also had a greater sense of well-being, perceived his food as tasting better, and basically enjoyed his life more. While Dr. Hofmann recognized the possibility/danger of having a bad experience. He believed that similar “trips” (like the ones he had) could heighten consciousness — and modern psychiatry is backing him up! Today, psychiatrists around the world are administering LSD and other psychedelics, in controlled settings, in order to help people unpack trauma, overcome anxiety, and cultivate awareness. Some people, in clinical settings, describe feeling more compassion, more empathy, a deeper connection to others, and a dissolution of their ego. Others describe experiencing more confidence and what has been described as “ego construction” (i.e., a deeper sense of Self/self).

“There is today a widespread striving for a mystical experience, for visionary breakthroughs to a deeper, more comprehensive reality than that perceived by our rational, everyday consciousness. Efforts to transcend our materialistic world view are made in various ways, not only by the adherents to Eastern religious movements, but also by professional psychiatrists, who are adopting such profound spiritual experiences as a basic therapeutic principle.”

— quoted from the “Foreword” in LSD: My Problem Child — Reflections on Sacred Drugs, Mysticism, and Science by Albert Hoffman Ph.D., Dr. Pharm. (Hon.), Dr. Sc. Nat. (Hon.), Head of the Pharmaceutical-Chemical Research Laboratories, Division of Natural Products (Retired), Sandoz, Ltd., Basel, Switzerland (Translated by Jonathan Ott)

The first commemoration of Dr. Albert Hoffman’s first trip, was hosted by Dr. Thomas B. Roberts in 1985. The Northern Illinois University professor wanted to host a small gathering at his home in DeKalb, Illinois on the anniversary of Dr. Hoffman’s accidental exposure. The year he decided to expand the celebration, April 16^th fell midweek and, so, the professor decided to host a gathering on April 19^th: the anniversary of the first intentional “trip”. He called it “Bicycle Day”.

Today, Bicycle Day is an annual celebration of the psychedelic revolution and of Dr. Albert Hoffman’s first (bicycle) trip. Some people ingest psychedelics and ride bicycles on April 19^th, while others simply enjoy the parades, wear tie-dye, and/or attend educational events, art gatherings, or wellness-focused activities. Some folks also learn about the history of “trippin’”, discuss the work of Dr. Albert Hoffman, and/or do what we do in every practice — explore consciousness and mental health.

“I share the belief of many of my contemporaries that the spiritual crisis pervading all spheres of Western industrial society can be remedied only by a change in our world view. We shall have to shift from the materialistic, dualistic belief that people and their environment are separate, toward a new consciousness of an all-encompassing reality, which embraces the experiencing ego, a reality in which people feel their oneness with the animate nature and all of creation.

Everything that can contribute to such a fundamental alteration in our perception of reality must therefore command earnest attention. Foremost among such approaches are the various methods of meditation, either in a religious or a secular context, which aim to deepen the conscious reality by way of a total mystical experience.”

— quoted from the “Foreword” in LSD: My Problem Child — Reflections on Sacred Drugs, Mysticism, and Science by Albert Hoffman Ph.D., Dr. Pharm. (Hon.), Dr. Sc. Nat. (Hon.), Head of the Pharmaceutical-Chemical Research Laboratories, Division of Natural Products (Retired), Sandoz, Ltd., Basel, Switzerland (Translated by Jonathan Ott)

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.

‘plus tôt’

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

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

September 25 — 27, 2026

NOTES: ¹The Oklahoma City bombing took place today in 1995.

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