Memories, Reason, & Progress (the “missing” Wednesday post, with an excerpt) April 9, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Changing Perspectives, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Lent / Great Lent, Life, Marian Anderson, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, William Wordsworth, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: 988, Alan Bergman, Appomattox, Civil Rights, Civil Rights Act of 1866, Civil War, Eleanor Roosevelt, George Santayana, Gregory Allen Kurstin, history, John Legend, John Roger Stephens, Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, Lincoln Memorial, Mahalia Jackson, Marian Anderson, Marilyn Bergman, Martin Luther King Jr, Marvin Hamlisch, Mind Body Solutions, Robert E. Lee, Sarah Aaron, Ulysses S. Grant, William Shakespeare, Yoga Sutra 4.9, Yoga Sutras 1.5-1.11
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Peace and many blessings to everyone and especially to those celebrating and/or observing Lent & Great Lent!
This is the “missing” post for Wednesday, April 9th. The practice and the excerpted post include references to the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. The excerpted post also includes a little something extra. 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.
“Continuity necessary to progress.
Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. In the first stage of life the mind is frivolous and easily distracted; it misses progress by failing in consecutiveness and persistence. This is the condition of children and barbarians, in whom instinct has learned nothing from experience.”
— quoted from “Chapter XII — Flux and Constancy in Human Nature” The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress (1905-1906) — Vol. I, Reason in Common Sense by George Santayana
Memories are funny things. They always “Light the corners of [our] mind” — whether we realize it or not. They also inform and motivate our thoughts, words, and deeds — whether we realize it or not. They are the “retentiveness” of which people speak when they quote (or paraphrase) George Santayana — and they are big part of how we make history.
In the Yoga Sūtras, Patanjali identified memory as one the five types of thoughts patterns (along with correct knowledge, incorrect knowledge, imagination/fantasy, and dreamless sleep) which can manifest as afflicted or not afflicted, functional or dysfunctional. (YS 1.5-1.6) Remember, the afflicted/dysfunctional thoughts patterns are the ones that lead to suffering.
After defining each of the five thought patterns (YS 1.7-1.11) — and after breaking down the practice of yoga — Patanjali outlined siddhis or “powers” that come from the practice. Some of these abilities are related to cause-and-effect, including the ability to understand consequences based on past outcomes (i.e., knowing history.) According to Yoga Sūtra 4.9, “Because memory (smriti) and the deep habit patterns (samskaras) are the same in appearance, the chain of cause and effect is not broken, even though there might be a gap in species [or state of life], location, or time.” Which means, there is power in seeing patterns and understanding [our] history, individually and collectively.
Today, April 9th, is one of those days rich with history — and, in particular, history related to the progress and maturity of a nation. There are some moments that happened today in United States history that, if I removed the names and year, sound like they happened this year! There are also some full circle moments, lessons in persistence, and examples of people who were committed to being changemakers.
“You had an opportunity to lead in an enlightened way and it seems to me that your organization has failed.”
— quoted from a Daughters of the American Revolution resignation letter written by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in the Spring of 1939
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE.
“Everybody’s talking
Nothing real is happening,
’Cause nothing is new
Now when all is tragic
And I just feel sedated
Why do I feel numb?
Is that all I can do?
Yeah
And heaven knows
I’m not helpless, yeah
But I’m only human
I can’t see the use in me crying
If I’m not even trying to
Make the change I wanna see”
— quoted from the song “Preach” by John Legend [Written by John Roger Stephens, Gregory Allen Kurstin, Sarah Aaron]
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04092022 Memories”]
NOTE: I completely remixed this playlist [in 2022], because while I own a copy of the Marian Anderson’s Lincoln Memorial concert with the speeches, it was not available on YouTube. It is available on Spotify; search for “Marian Anderson Let Freedom Ring.”
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).
“We all were sea-swallowed, though some cast again,
And by that destiny to perform an act
Whereof what’s past is prologue, what to come
In yours and my discharge.”
— Antonio, Prospero’s brother, the usurping Duke of Milan, in Act I, Scene i of The Tempest by William Shakespeare
### PERSIST & SING! ###
9/11, We Will Remember (mostly the music) September 11, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Healing Stories, Loss, Music, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Suffering, Tragedy, Yoga.Tags: 9/11, Laurence Binyon, Yoga Sutra 1.11, Yoga Sutra 1.6-1.11, Yoga Sutra 4.9
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May you be safe and protected. May you be healthy and strong. May you be peaceful and happy.
“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”
— from “Ode of Remembrance” taken from “For the Fallen” by Laurence Binyon
Please join me today (Wednesday, September 11th) 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 (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09/11”]
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.
### PEACE In, PEACE Out ###
A Quick Note & Excerpts About Origins and Memories July 10, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Life, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: Charles Darwin, Clarence Darrow, Code of Hammurabi, creationism, evolution, First Amendment, John T. Scopes, Marcel Proust, Nigel Tomm, Scopes Monkey Trial, William Jennings Bryan, Yoga Sutra 1.11, Yoga Sutra 1.43, Yoga Sutra 1.6, Yoga Sutra 4.9
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone making memories full of peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
“We are able to find everything in our memory, which is like a dispensary or chemical laboratory in which chance steers our hand sometimes to a soothing drug and sometimes to a dangerous poison.”
— quoted from The Captive, Volume 5 of Remembrance of Things Past (or In Search of Lost Time) by Marcel Proust
It is super ironic that I have a hard time remembering that today (July 10th) is the anniversary of the birth of the French author Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust, who was born today in 1871 (in Auteuil, Paris, France). This lapse in memory is not new. In fact, I could weave in a little Yoga Philosophy — see Yoga Sūtras 1.6, 1.11, 4.9, and maybe 1.43 — and tell you a long and funny story about the origins of this gap in my mind. However, my long story wouldn’t be nearly as long as the Marcel Proust’s most well-known tome: À la recherche du temps perdu. Known in English as Remembrance of Things Past or In Search of Lost Time, it is 1,267,069 words and was printed in 7 volumes over 14 years (1913-1927). At the time of its publication, it was the longest novel every written. Today, I believe it ranks as the 6th longest novel. (Although that ranking annoyingly places it behind The Blah Story by Nigel Tomm, which includes pages with just one word: Blah.)
Marcel Proust wrote all about the origins of our memories and how we recollect things, at will and involuntarily. In doing so, pointed out that we have fool hearted memories, whimsical memories, and memories that have gaps. That is just part of being human. We have faulty memories. Strong emotions (and preconceived notions) can sharpen our awareness of certain things, causing us to forget things, remember things in the wrong order, and/or misremember things all together. Another thing that can create faulty memories is the way we learn about things — especially things about which we (or our teachers) have strong emotions. Throw in a situation none of us were around to witness and watch the sparks fly.
“We will now discuss in a little more detail the struggle for existence…. I should premise that I use the term Struggle for Existence in a large and metaphorical sense, including dependence of one being on another, and including (which is more important) not only the life of the individual, but success in leaving progeny.”
— from On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life by Charles Darwin (pub. 1859)
Today in 1925, The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, better known as “The Scopes Monkey Trial,” kicked off in Dayton Tennessee. Click the excerpt title below for more.
“It has often and confidently been asserted, that man’s origin can never be known: but ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.”
— from The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex by Charles Darwin (pub. 1871)
Please join me today (Wednesday, July 10th) 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 (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “07102024 ‘Scoping’ Memories”]
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.
### [What] Will You Remember? ###
The Beginning & the Cost of Faith (mostly the music and links) April 16, 2022
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Faith, Healing Stories, Karma, Life, Music, Philosophy, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: Jackie Robinson, samskāras, Stuart Chase, vasanas, Yoga Sutra 4.10, Yoga Sutra 4.8, Yoga Sutra 4.9, Yoga Sutras 4.1-4.7
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“Chag Sameach!” “Happy Festival!” to anyone celebrating Passover. “Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramadān!” to anyone who was observing the holy month of Ramadān. Many blessings to all, and especially to those celebrating or observing Holy Saturday, Lazarus Saturday, and/or Hanuman Jayanti!
“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who do not believe, no proof is possible.”
*
– Stuart Chase
**
Please join me for a 90-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Saturday, April 16th) at 12:00 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.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04112020 LSPW”]
Here’s a little excerpt from my 2020 post on this date: “Most people, I think, would agree that freedom is priceless. I mean, at least, I think we can all agree about that when we are talking about our own freedom. Things get a little twisted when we are talking about someone else’s freedom. How much do we value the freedom – or even the life – of someone we perceive as different from us? How much do we value the freedom – or even the life – of someone with whom we disagree about even the meaning of freedom?” Click here for to read the rest of the post .
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.)
### 🎶 ###
Do You Remember? Yes, even when you don’t know it. (mostly the music and links) April 9, 2022
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Faith, Healing Stories, Karma, Life, Music, Philosophy, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: Eleanor Roosevelt, Marian Anderson, memory, samskāras, vasanas, Yoga Sutra 4.8, Yoga Sutra 4.9, Yoga Sutras 4.1-4.7
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“Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramadān!” to anyone who was observing the holy month of Ramadān. Many blessings to all, and especially to those celebrating Chaitra Navaratri or observing Lent or Great Lent!
“You had an opportunity to lead in an enlightened way and it seems to me that your organization has failed.”
*
– quoted from a DAR resignation letter written by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in the Spring of 1939
**
Please join me for a 90-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Saturday, April 9th) at 12:00 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.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.
(NOTE: I completely remixed this playlist, because while I own a copy of the Marian Anderson’s Lincoln Memorial concert with the speeches, it is not available on YouTube. It is available on Spotify; search for “Marian Anderson Let Freedom Ring.”)
Here’s a little excerpt from my 2019 post on this date: “Sometimes triumph comes because someone surrenders; sometimes it comes because someone persisted. If you go back in history you will find examples of both happening on any given day – including this day.” Click here for to read the rest of the post and to practice the featured pose.
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 