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afield since 2003 · michael joel hall
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TODAY
Saturday
October 10, 2026
The Read
dazeddigital.com‘Do you smell like a bi millennial?’: Everyone is talking about gay perfumeDerek Deng explores how queer people use perfume as identity signaling and community recognition, triggered by a Grindr encounter where someone's Dior Sauvage matched their aggressive vibe. The piece examines scent as a form of queer semiotics and embodied communication beyond verbal language.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
✎ Essay · Shala Digest
Thirty Minutes a Day
A Johns Hopkins review of 47 clinical trials with 3,515 participants found that 30 minutes of daily meditation improved anxiety and depression symptoms, with effects lasting at least six months.
Read the essay →TRAILS
Threads
Yoga2487Practice2211Teaching1212Ashtanga1090Reading1049Humor781Reflections767Reflection756Travel697Washington dc674Music562India539Philosophy531Community528Food492Family440Indoors371Nature352Celebration333Mysore319Art291Stretching284Politics271Writing245Friends236Love236Dc212Photography210Talking192Milestones186Living room182Twitter179Usa178Health175Asana171Home interior170Gym161Speaking161Home159Yoga studio153Posing137Goa134Work128Outdoors128Strength training118
On this day
October 10 in years past
October 10, 2025 · 16 entries
ONE CULT AT A TIME
in imageI ALSO ALWAYS THINK ABOUT WHAT ARTIST
AND CRITIC JENNY ODDELL WROTE IN HER
BOOK HOW TO DO NOTHING: RESISTING THE
ATTENTION ECONOMY (ONE OF MY FAVORITE
PANDEMIC READS THAT I STILL THINK ABOUT
OFTEN TO THIS DAY)--
AS MORE AND MORE OF OUR LIMITED
ATTENTION IS AGGRESSIVELY HARVESTED BY
BIG CORPORATIONS AND ONLINE ALGORITHMS,
OUR OFFLINE INNERMOST THOUGHTS AND
IMAGINATIONS ARE ONE OF THE LAST
REMAINING WILDERNESSES THAT WE HAVE IN
OUR CONSTANTLY ONLINE SHARED REALITY.
YUMI SAKUGAWA
AND CRITIC JENNY ODDELL WROTE IN HER
BOOK HOW TO DO NOTHING: RESISTING THE
ATTENTION ECONOMY (ONE OF MY FAVORITE
PANDEMIC READS THAT I STILL THINK ABOUT
OFTEN TO THIS DAY)--
AS MORE AND MORE OF OUR LIMITED
ATTENTION IS AGGRESSIVELY HARVESTED BY
BIG CORPORATIONS AND ONLINE ALGORITHMS,
OUR OFFLINE INNERMOST THOUGHTS AND
IMAGINATIONS ARE ONE OF THE LAST
REMAINING WILDERNESSES THAT WE HAVE IN
OUR CONSTANTLY ONLINE SHARED REALITY.
YUMI SAKUGAWA
way better than my essay
on spiritual rot tbh
on spiritual rot tbh
in imageBUT JUST FOR
way better than my essay on spiritual rot tbh
WHERE I BUY
I GOTTA IGNORE
way better than my essay on spiritual rot tbh
WHERE I BUY
I GOTTA IGNORE
the inspo for my reel.
I have not listened to the album, thanks for asking (nobody asked ).
I have not listened to the album, thanks for asking (nobody asked ).
in imagethe inspo for my reel.
have not listened to the
allbum, thanks for asking
(nobody asked).
@incorrectmethod
Me realizing I don't have to
practice six days a week in order
to practice yoga every day
@incorrectmethod
have not listened to the
allbum, thanks for asking
(nobody asked).
@incorrectmethod
Me realizing I don't have to
practice six days a week in order
to practice yoga every day
@incorrectmethod
in imageWhy great minds change
their own
These examples remind us that
true critical thinking begins at
home. To interrogate our own
assumptions, to stay open when
experience, dialogue, or
suffering presses against us —
that is philosophy at its deepest.
In our polarized age, where
doubt is mocked as weakness,
their lesson is urgent. Can we
welcome change in our own
thinking - even delight in it?
@bigthinkers
their own
These examples remind us that
true critical thinking begins at
home. To interrogate our own
assumptions, to stay open when
experience, dialogue, or
suffering presses against us —
that is philosophy at its deepest.
In our polarized age, where
doubt is mocked as weakness,
their lesson is urgent. Can we
welcome change in our own
thinking - even delight in it?
@bigthinkers
in image2
Immanuel Kant
In his early work, Kant embraced
German rationalism. In 1781, Kant
stepped back onto the stage with the
Critique of Pure Reason: shifting
the center of knowledge from the
world to the mind that knows it.
No longer was the mind a passive
mirror of reality. Instead, reality
always appeared through the
architecture of our perception.
@bigthinkers
Immanuel Kant
In his early work, Kant embraced
German rationalism. In 1781, Kant
stepped back onto the stage with the
Critique of Pure Reason: shifting
the center of knowledge from the
world to the mind that knows it.
No longer was the mind a passive
mirror of reality. Instead, reality
always appeared through the
architecture of our perception.
@bigthinkers
in imageStart viewing EXERCISE as a privilege instead of a punishment.
Be GRATEFUL each day for the ability and opportunity to move your body.
As there are people out there who'd do anything to be able and active.
"I GET TO" instead of "I HAVE TO"
It's time for a PARADIGM shift.
Start viewing EXERCISE as a privilege instead of a punishment. Be GRATEFUL each day for the ability and opportunity to move your body. As there are people out there who'd do anything to be able and active. "I GET TO" instead of "I HAVE TO" It's time for a PARADIGM shift.
Be GRATEFUL each day for the ability and opportunity to move your body.
As there are people out there who'd do anything to be able and active.
"I GET TO" instead of "I HAVE TO"
It's time for a PARADIGM shift.
Start viewing EXERCISE as a privilege instead of a punishment. Be GRATEFUL each day for the ability and opportunity to move your body. As there are people out there who'd do anything to be able and active. "I GET TO" instead of "I HAVE TO" It's time for a PARADIGM shift.
Appreciating Ashtanga yoga as an indigenous insight practice means understanding that the practice is interconnected to the place that its from, those people, that topography, and that culture. These practices have to be adapted so they are honest and efficacious as part of your culture/community— and what works in one place won’t work in another. Lots on this subject at dcashtanga.com
in imageDAY NOT WITHOUT INTERRUPTION FOR 10 YEARS THEY'RE CUCKOO
AND IT DOESN'T
AND IT DOESN'T
in imageJOY IS NOT FRIVOLOUS IN THESE
TIMES. LET IT FUEL OUR
DETERMINATION TO LIVE,
CONNECT, RESIST, DESTROY,
CREATE, BREATHE.
0.
0
vo
N
0
1
4
• •
YUMI SAKUGAWA
@yumisa kugawe
TIMES. LET IT FUEL OUR
DETERMINATION TO LIVE,
CONNECT, RESIST, DESTROY,
CREATE, BREATHE.
0.
0
vo
N
0
1
4
• •
YUMI SAKUGAWA
@yumisa kugawe
in imageI UNDERSTAND THE CONNECTIVE
TISSUE OF JOY / GRIEF / RAGE
AND OTHER FEELINGS THAT BIND
US ALL TOGETHER IN THIS BRIEF
AND FRAGILE HUMAN EXISTENCE.
A
E
8
ч
1.0
YUMI SAKUGAWA
@yumisa kugawa
TISSUE OF JOY / GRIEF / RAGE
AND OTHER FEELINGS THAT BIND
US ALL TOGETHER IN THIS BRIEF
AND FRAGILE HUMAN EXISTENCE.
A
E
8
ч
1.0
YUMI SAKUGAWA
@yumisa kugawa
in imageMY JOY KEEPS ME ATTUNED TO
MY RAGE AND MY RAGE KEEPS
ME DEEPLY ATTUNED TO MY
JOY.
„ .)
с
%
0 0g
BT
-
• 7
YUMI SAKUGAWA
@yumisa kugawa
MY RAGE AND MY RAGE KEEPS
ME DEEPLY ATTUNED TO MY
JOY.
„ .)
с
%
0 0g
BT
-
• 7
YUMI SAKUGAWA
@yumisa kugawa
in imageAND I CAN SAY THE SAME FOR
JOY AND RAGE AS WELL.
A
YUMI SAKUGAWA
@yumisa kugawa
JOY AND RAGE AS WELL.
A
YUMI SAKUGAWA
@yumisa kugawa
in imageJOY KEEPS ME OPEN TO DEEPER
CONNECTIONS, AND CREATES A
DEEP KNOWING, ON A SOMATIC
LEVEL, WHY WE CAN STILL SING,
SHARE MEALS, LAUGH, LOVE,
AND DREAM AS OUR ANCESTORS
DID DURING TIMES OF
UNBEARABLE SUFFERING WITH
NO END IN SIGHT.
7
*
YUMI SAKUGAWA
@yumisa kugawa
CONNECTIONS, AND CREATES A
DEEP KNOWING, ON A SOMATIC
LEVEL, WHY WE CAN STILL SING,
SHARE MEALS, LAUGH, LOVE,
AND DREAM AS OUR ANCESTORS
DID DURING TIMES OF
UNBEARABLE SUFFERING WITH
NO END IN SIGHT.
7
*
YUMI SAKUGAWA
@yumisa kugawa
in imageJOY KEEPS ME FIERCELY
PROTECTIVE OF MY MOST SOFT
AND TENDER PARTS.
ve
YUMI SAKUGAWA
@yumisa kugawa
PROTECTIVE OF MY MOST SOFT
AND TENDER PARTS.
ve
YUMI SAKUGAWA
@yumisa kugawa
in imageMY LITTLE WELL-TENDED
GARDEN OF JOY KEEPS ME
GROUNDED, RESILIENT, AND
CONNECTED.
()
А g"
YUMI SAKUGAWA
@yumisa kugawa
GARDEN OF JOY KEEPS ME
GROUNDED, RESILIENT, AND
CONNECTED.
()
А g"
YUMI SAKUGAWA
@yumisa kugawa
in imageJOYFULNESS IN THESE DARK
TIMES IS NOT A CONTRADICTION
OR A FRIVOLITY.
1
SA.
YUMI SAKUGAWA
@yumusa kugawe
TIMES IS NOT A CONTRADICTION
OR A FRIVOLITY.
1
SA.
YUMI SAKUGAWA
@yumusa kugawe
October 10, 2024 · 3 entries
✎ Essay · Culture
The Employee vs. Contractor Debate in the Yoga Industry
In the United States, the debate over whether yoga teachers should be classified as employees or independent contractors is complex and fraught with challenges. The truth is, the role of a yoga teacher often aligns more closely with the responsibilities and characteristics of a contractor…
Read the essay →
in imageme trying to send telepathic love to other
queer people i see in public
ur doing great
@gayunclemario2
queer people i see in public
ur doing great
@gayunclemario2
in imageРЕНЕНЕН MY WHOLE
NO EGO TRIP WAS JUST
ANOTHER EGO TRIP
AND SO
WAS THAT..
@ raminnazer
@raminnazer
NO EGO TRIP WAS JUST
ANOTHER EGO TRIP
AND SO
WAS THAT..
@ raminnazer
@raminnazer
October 10, 2023 · 6 entries
in imageInsight from my yoga teacher @michaeljoelhall
WOULDN'T IT BE AMAZING IF THE MINUTE THAT WE
michaeljoelhall
Insight from my yoga teacher @michaeljoelhall
INTERVENTION IN OUR YOGA PRACTICE, ALL OF THE BENEFIT OF THAT
WOULDN'T IT BE AMAZING IF THE MINUTE THAT WE
michaeljoelhall
Insight from my yoga teacher @michaeljoelhall
INTERVENTION IN OUR YOGA PRACTICE, ALL OF THE BENEFIT OF THAT
Youthful Enthusiasm and Ashtanga Yoga - Discover the parallels between a novice photographer's journey and an Ashtanga Yoga beginner. Learn the lessons of overconfidence, adaptation, and continuous learning. 📸🧘♂️
----
Link in bio. Get it in your inbox, sign up to my newsletter.
----
Link in bio. Get it in your inbox, sign up to my newsletter.
Lessons from Led Intermediate - In the world of Ashtanga, the road to Led Intermediate is a unique and transformative journey. It's a path that offers profound lessons—lessons that reflect our mindset, challenge our limitations, and encourage us to embrace the long view.
----
Link in bio. Get it in your inbox, sign up to my newsletter.
----
Link in bio. Get it in your inbox, sign up to my newsletter.
in image@BSIDETONGUE
happy halloween to baby clifford
dressed as a ghost
@beigecardigan
happy halloween to baby clifford
dressed as a ghost
@beigecardigan
✎ Essay · Practice
Lessons from Led Intermediate
In the world of Ashtanga, the road to Led Intermediate is a unique and transformative journey. It's a path that offers profound lessons—lessons that reflect our mindset, challenge our limitations, and encourage us to embrace the long view.
Read the essay →🧘♂️Exploring Time Delays in #AshtangaYoga 🕰️
Did you see my article (link in bio)
🔄 I intertwine the practice of yoga with systems theory, emphasizing that the fruits of yoga bloom subtly and gradually, embodying a crucial time delay between practice and noticeable benefits.
🌱 It’s like a garden, little changes are a big deal over time— consistent practice nurtures physical strength, flexibility, and mental focus, forming a continuous cycle of growth and discovery. You can’t rush the crop.
🔄 Practice becomes a holistic exploration, intertwining physical, mental, and emotional spheres.
🚶♂️ Navigating through the complexities and time delays in yoga involves embracing vulnerability, seeking personalized guidance, and cultivating patience and compassion.
📝 Strategies like maintaining a practice journal and engaging in community practice are highlighted as vital in navigating through the subtle, continuous progress that unfolds over time.
🌟 Remember: The journey through Ashtanga Yoga is not merely about mastering poses but a holistic exploration that unfolds patiently and subtly over time.
🔗 Link to the full in bio
#YogaJourney #Ashtanga #YogaPractice #HolisticGrowth #Patience #Consistency #YogaLife #YogaCommunity #Mindfulness #MentalHealth #PhysicalHealth #EmotionalHealth #SustainableProgress #YogaBenefits #SystemsTheory #TimeDelay #YogaMastery #YogaPhilosophy #YogaWisdom #YogaForLife #YogaEveryday
Did you see my article (link in bio)
🔄 I intertwine the practice of yoga with systems theory, emphasizing that the fruits of yoga bloom subtly and gradually, embodying a crucial time delay between practice and noticeable benefits.
🌱 It’s like a garden, little changes are a big deal over time— consistent practice nurtures physical strength, flexibility, and mental focus, forming a continuous cycle of growth and discovery. You can’t rush the crop.
🔄 Practice becomes a holistic exploration, intertwining physical, mental, and emotional spheres.
🚶♂️ Navigating through the complexities and time delays in yoga involves embracing vulnerability, seeking personalized guidance, and cultivating patience and compassion.
📝 Strategies like maintaining a practice journal and engaging in community practice are highlighted as vital in navigating through the subtle, continuous progress that unfolds over time.
🌟 Remember: The journey through Ashtanga Yoga is not merely about mastering poses but a holistic exploration that unfolds patiently and subtly over time.
🔗 Link to the full in bio
#YogaJourney #Ashtanga #YogaPractice #HolisticGrowth #Patience #Consistency #YogaLife #YogaCommunity #Mindfulness #MentalHealth #PhysicalHealth #EmotionalHealth #SustainableProgress #YogaBenefits #SystemsTheory #TimeDelay #YogaMastery #YogaPhilosophy #YogaWisdom #YogaForLife #YogaEveryday
in imageI REALIZED
FLEXIBILITY, MENTAL FOCUS,
AND
FLEXIBILITY, MENTAL FOCUS,
AND
October 10, 2022 · 7 entries
in imageWhat do you think the
prompt was?
Type something....
prompt was?
Type something....
in imageT
Q0
M
Q0
M
I used dall-e to make some art.
Try and guess the prompt.
Try and guess the prompt.
h/t: @ada_moves_plants who inspires me constantly.
in imageBe kind about the names
Your friends give to their children
Praise their haircuts
Love their tattoos
It doesn't really matter
If that's what you would do
Like every selfie
All of them
Clap their songs
Cheer them on
You were born with a limitless
Supply of encouragements
Use every one of them
Don't wait for the eulogies
To speak out loud
That your friends are precious
And they make you feel proud
@davidgate_
h/t: Cada_moves_plants who
inspires me constantly.
Your friends give to their children
Praise their haircuts
Love their tattoos
It doesn't really matter
If that's what you would do
Like every selfie
All of them
Clap their songs
Cheer them on
You were born with a limitless
Supply of encouragements
Use every one of them
Don't wait for the eulogies
To speak out loud
That your friends are precious
And they make you feel proud
@davidgate_
h/t: Cada_moves_plants who
inspires me constantly.
October 10, 2021 · 1 entry
October 10, 2020 · 1 entry
an article on the gayatri mantra and one of my favorite postures
in imagean article on the
gayatri mantra and
one of my favorite
postures
@michaeljoelhall
gayatri mantra and
one of my favorite
postures
@michaeljoelhall
October 9, 2018 · 1 entry
lessons from my applied anatomy course!
in imagelessons from my applied anatomy course!
THANKS @MICHAELJOELHALL 🍑
lessons from my applied anatomy course! THANKS @MICHAELJOELHALL 🍑
THANKS @MICHAELJOELHALL 🍑
lessons from my applied anatomy course! THANKS @MICHAELJOELHALL 🍑
October 10, 2017 · 1 entry
Marichiyasana... eh?! What're you doing over there? #ashtangadadjokes
October 10, 2016 · 23 entries
So I read all the fact checking pieces-- no quotes from God on whether Trump's assertion that Hillary was the literal Devil or nah. Guess I'll have to go to work not knowing... Get your shit together NPR.
Fact Check Second Presidential Debate: Hillary Clinton And Donald Trump Meet Again : NPR
http://www.npr.org/2016/10/09/497056227/fact-check-clinton-and-trump-debate-for-the-second-time?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=202609
http://www.npr.org/2016/10/09/497056227/fact-check-clinton-and-trump-debate-for-the-second-time?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=202609
Flashback: Donald Trump Called Bill Clinton's Accusers 'Terrible' and 'Unattractive' and Former President 'Terrific' - ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/flashback-donald-trump-called-bill-clintons-accusers-terrible/story?id=42686582
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/flashback-donald-trump-called-bill-clintons-accusers-terrible/story?id=42686582
I'll gladly vote for the one who can grow and learn and apologize.
So, an audience of undecided voters... and it was stocked with Bill Clinton's accusers? No way. Thats a lot.
These commentators
"Fiesty presidential debate" -- hm.
"Most contentious debate in american history" -- uh, are you out of your mind? People got shot.
"Fiesty presidential debate" -- hm.
"Most contentious debate in american history" -- uh, are you out of your mind? People got shot.
Yeah. The kids.
Am I actually gonna have to go to HillaryClinton.Com to fact check this 1000 years of energy from coal? Clean coal? Thats gotta be some made up shit, right? Brandon T. !
"Exercise your franchise" -- finally, Hillary. A good, organic catch phrase.
So you can't be a good person with a sex tape? Uh oh.
Yes, lets take a look at Washington, DC, Donald. Lets talk about why we're divisive.
"How stupid is our country?" Bro, you're the nominee. I think we know.
What info do you have on the rebels that she doesn't have, Donald?
"I voted to close the loophole you took advantage of" -- will this get the traction it deserves?
Give them a history lesson, Hillary. Lincoln 'em.
"I'm gonna force them back into their countries," Donald Trump. Tell me how, buddy.
Yes, lets look at Orlando, Donald. Tell me more.
Anderson is being steam rolled and its not as hot as I had hoped.
oh my god. this debate. oh my god.
October 10, 2015 · 9 entries
My oasis is a barbershop.
My oasis is a barbershop.
Go @shelbsthomcat !!
Go @mroike !!
Go @mroike !!
Go @shelbsthomcat !!
Go @mroike !!
Go @mroike !!
I really just don't know what to wear.
I really just don't know what to wear.
October 10, 2014 · 1 entry
"What other people think of you is none of your business." ~RuPaul
October 10, 2013 · 2 entries
October 10, 2011 · 3 entries
Oooh-- hey guys, the 6:15 class is totally on today at Balance Gym. Come play!
Am I silly in thinking the Occupy DC stuff is a little off-the-mark by staging something when the Fed is on Holiday?
This fascinates me! Can you imagine?!
http://blog.google.org/2011/09/from-desert-to-web-bringing-dead-sea.html
http://blog.google.org/2011/09/from-desert-to-web-bringing-dead-sea.html
October 10, 2010 · 1 entry
October 10, 2009 · 1 entry
wants to go out and play. Who's in?
October 10, 2008 · 2 entries
fucking loved Of Montreal
October 10, 2007 · 1 entry
dancing naked in his apartment. New Brit, New Kylie.
FIELD LOG
By the numbers
13,224entries logged
24years afield2003–2026
81on this day
37doodles
165pickings
Dec 2003logbook opened
FROM THE DESK
Writing
- PracticeWhat Do You Enjoy Doing?Oct 9, 2026
- Personal NotesSafety Is Not Real: Why the Alarm Is Not a FireOct 7, 2026
- Personal NotesHalf Cocked in the Fuck You RoomOct 5, 2026
- Personal NotesPostal PeopleOct 3, 2026
- Yoga ProfessionalsAccess Is the PracticeSep 29, 2026
- PracticeWhat Happens When I Leave the RoomSep 27, 2026
FROM THE SHALA DAILY
Digests
In This Issue
- Thirty Minutes a DayOct 10, 2026
A Johns Hopkins review of 47 clinical trials with 3,515 participants found that 30 minutes of daily meditation improved anxiety and depression symptoms, with effects lasting at least…
- Vinyasa Yoga: Breath & MovementOct 4, 2026
Brahmari Pranayama: The Bee Breath Technique for Calm and Clarity This video introduces Brahmari Pranayama, also known as Bee Breath,...
- One Session, Better MoodOct 3, 2026
A single 1-hour yoga session increased positive engagement, revitalization, tranquility, mindfulness, and body consciousness in 144 participants.
- Making Yoga InclusiveSep 27, 2026
Research identified specific teaching practices, including authentic leadership, inclusive language, and health focus, that make yoga spaces more welcoming for all body types.
- Transformation Through Consistent EffortSep 20, 2026
In this video, Michael Joel Hall discusses the transformative power of consistent effort in yoga practice, particularly during the early...
- Depression Scores Cut in HalfSep 19, 2026
A German study found that two yoga classes per week for three months cut depression scores by 50% and improved overall well-being by 65% in emotionally distressed women.
- The Yoga Executive: A Useful Frame, Not a BrandSep 17, 2026
"Yoga executive" sounds like a LinkedIn invention. It half is. The frame is useful as a side door — until people stop at the door and never get…
- Six Months Changed Everything for SeniorsSep 13, 2026
A 6-month randomized trial of 135 seniors found yoga improved balance, flexibility, well-being, and energy compared to both exercise and wait-list control groups.
FROM THE FEED
The Read
dazeddigital.com‘Do you smell like a bi millennial?’: Everyone is talking about gay perfumeDerek Deng explores how queer people use perfume as identity signaling and community recognition, triggered by a Grindr encounter where someone's Dior Sauvage matched their aggressive vibe. The piece examines scent as a form of queer semiotics and embodied communication beyond verbal language.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
sciencedaily.comVagus Nerve Stimulation Could Help New Skills StickResearchers at Tohoku University found that stimulating the vagus nerve in mice after motor training sessions strengthened long-term skill retention, even though it did not improve performance during practice itself. The effect appears to work through rhythmic changes in brain blood volume rather th✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
popville.comEND OF AN ERA: DUKEM Ethiopian Closing after almost 30 Years on U Street next month.Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant on U Street NW in Washington, D.C. is closing permanently after nearly 30 years, with final service on November 7. The closure marks the end of a longstanding community institution in a neighborhood that has undergone significant transformation over the past three decades.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
popville.com“The African American Civil War Memorial Museum Is Reopening!”The African American Civil War Memorial Museum reopens September 30, 2026 in the renovated historic Grimke School building in DC's U Street Corridor. The museum honors the 209,145 United States Colored Troops who fought in the Civil War and explores the journey from Civil War to Civil Rights through✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50FROM THE FEED
The Listen
The NASM-CPT Podcast With Rick RicheyHow personal trainers can create their own career opportunitiesRichey reframes career-building as a series of low-stakes experiments rather than high-stakes gambles — practical, non-precious, and immediately actionable for anyone in the fitness industry sitting on an opportunity they're too scared to take.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
Uncanny Valley | WIREDKevin Roose Didn’t Use AI to Write His Book About AIRoose offers a rare calibrated take on AI — neither doom nor hype — while being unusually candid about how he actually used the technology to write the book about the technology. The meta-layer makes this essential.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
Next Question with Katie CouricThe Art Of Aging: The Heart Of The MatterDr. Stacey Rosen dismantles decades of cardiac mythology with precise, actionable science — this is the rare interview where every segment contains something a woman's doctor probably never told her. Essential and corrective.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
The Next Big Idea DailyYou’re More Than What You Do for Other PeopleTwo sharp thinkers tackle the same wound from different angles: Miles on how systems strip you of intrinsic worth, Burgess on how groups quietly replace your self with theirs. The frameworks are actionable without being self-helpy.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
RadiolabA 4-Track MindA neurologist puts a ragtime pianist in an MRI and proves he can simultaneously track four full symphonies in his head — a controlled experiment that forces you to rethink the upper limits of human cognition. The spatial, cinematic way Bob describes his inner ear is unforgettable.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50FROM THE FEED
The Watch
TEDIs AI Turning Us All into the Same Person? | Sandra Matz | TEDMatz reframes the AI risk conversation away from jobs and misinformation toward something quieter and harder to argue with: the slow algorithmic erasure of the self. The 'dial' proposal is genuinely actionable, not just rhetorical.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
Washington Week PBSWashington Week with The Atlantic full episode, Aug. 28, 2026A sharp, sardonic dissection of Trump's inversion of alliances — hating Canada, respecting Kim Jong-un — with a Canadian reporter at the table and real trade mechanics underneath the absurdity. The Dolly Parton coda lands harder than expected.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
TODAYMeet the Couple Behind Panda ExpressA rare look at the Cherngs' unsentimental, clear-eyed philosophy on building an empire — immigrant grit meets shrewd business candor. The orange chicken origin and their unapologetic 'American Chinese food' framing alone make this worth returning to.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
StarTalkHow The Brain Perceives Time, with David EaglemanEagleman dismantles the brain's greatest myths — that memory records, that senses are fixed, that slow-motion fear is real — with experiments wild enough to match the claims. The dream-as-real-estate-defense theory alone is worth the price of admission.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
Tale FoundryThe Book of Dead FairiesA genuinely weird artifact — pressed fairy corpses as Victorian psychosexual metaphor — that earns its darkness and lands a quietly profound point about preserved imagination and the shame of looking back at who you were.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50FROM THE LEDGER
Pickings
FROM THE FIELD
Latest dispatches
Doodles
№ ?
Unearthed
How is indentured servitude an appropriate way to keep costs low? Where is the labor union? The workers rights advocates? How are "bonuses" for numbers a way to encourage practice for underserved populations? Or to encourage advancement? Where are the professional standards? Shameful.
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13,225 entries · 2003–2026 · filter & browse below
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October 2026
✎ Essay · Shala Digest
Thirty Minutes a Day
A Johns Hopkins review of 47 clinical trials with 3,515 participants found that 30 minutes of daily meditation improved anxiety and depression symptoms, with effects lasting at least six months.
Read the essay →dazeddigital.com‘Do you smell like a bi millennial?’: Everyone is talking about gay perfumeDerek Deng explores how queer people use perfume as identity signaling and community recognition, triggered by a Grindr encounter where someone's Dior Sauvage matched their aggressive vibe. The piece examines scent as a form of queer semiotics and embodied communication beyond verbal language.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
✎ Essay · Practice
What Do You Enjoy Doing?
The first twenty minutes go the same way every time. A new client comes in and we inventory the damage. Where it hurts, how long it's been hurting, what they've tried, what failed, what the doctor said. It's useful information. I need it. But after…
Read the essay →End-range strength for the axial line.
Spine Extension
Spine Extension PAILS & RAILS
Spine Extension Passive Range Hold
Spine Extension
Spine Extension PAILS & RAILS
Spine Extension Passive Range Hold
sciencedaily.comVagus Nerve Stimulation Could Help New Skills StickResearchers at Tohoku University found that stimulating the vagus nerve in mice after motor training sessions strengthened long-term skill retention, even though it did not improve performance during practice itself. The effect appears to work through rhythmic changes in brain blood volume rather th✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
✎ Essay · Personal Notes
Safety Is Not Real: Why the Alarm Is Not a Fire
If you feel unsafe, you’re either in danger or your alarm system is broken — and it helps to know which.
Read the essay →The NASM-CPT Podcast With Rick RicheyHow personal trainers can create their own career opportunitiesRichey reframes career-building as a series of low-stakes experiments rather than high-stakes gambles — practical, non-precious, and immediately actionable for anyone in the fitness industry sitting on an opportunity they're too scared to take.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50Uncanny Valley | WIREDKevin Roose Didn’t Use AI to Write His Book About AIRoose offers a rare calibrated take on AI — neither doom nor hype — while being unusually candid about how he actually used the technology to write the book about the technology. The meta-layer makes this essential.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50Next Question with Katie CouricThe Art Of Aging: The Heart Of The MatterDr. Stacey Rosen dismantles decades of cardiac mythology with precise, actionable science — this is the rare interview where every segment contains something a woman's doctor probably never told her. Essential and corrective.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50The Next Big Idea DailyYou’re More Than What You Do for Other PeopleTwo sharp thinkers tackle the same wound from different angles: Miles on how systems strip you of intrinsic worth, Burgess on how groups quietly replace your self with theirs. The frameworks are actionable without being self-helpy.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50✎ Essay · Personal Notes
Half Cocked in the Fuck You Room
On burnout, compassion fatigue, and the slow return to cavalier — a reflection on holding a family through hard seasons and the karma yoga of starting over.
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✎ Essay · Shala Digest
Vinyasa Yoga: Breath & Movement
Brahmari Pranayama: The Bee Breath Technique for Calm and Clarity This video introduces Brahmari Pranayama, also known as Bee Breath,...
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✎ Essay · Personal Notes
Postal People
On mail slots, burning buildings, a dog in a mail truck, and why knowing your mail carrier matters more than you think.
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✎ Essay · Shala Digest
One Session, Better Mood
A single 1-hour yoga session increased positive engagement, revitalization, tranquility, mindfulness, and body consciousness in 144 participants.
Read the essay →popville.comEND OF AN ERA: DUKEM Ethiopian Closing after almost 30 Years on U Street next month.Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant on U Street NW in Washington, D.C. is closing permanently after nearly 30 years, with final service on November 7. The closure marks the end of a longstanding community institution in a neighborhood that has undergone significant transformation over the past three decades.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50RadiolabA 4-Track MindA neurologist puts a ragtime pianist in an MRI and proves he can simultaneously track four full symphonies in his head — a controlled experiment that forces you to rethink the upper limits of human cognition. The spatial, cinematic way Bob describes his inner ear is unforgettable.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50Rapping in my 40s is a different act than it was in 2001. What remains is my feistiness – it still comes out when it needs to. But this time I am present. I don’t have anybody breathing on my neck, saying: “We’ve got to sell these records.” I also have a total sense of wonder about my life, that it’s taken me this far. I wake up and think, “Damn. How did a girl from Philly get here?”
All of which led to the success of Scorpion. I was a huge fan of all genres of music, from Biggie Smalls to No Doubt, and when I wrote Let Me Blow Ya Mind I knew we should get Gwen Stefani to feature on it. I was the only girl in the boardroom in those major label meetings and that Philly girl often had to come out. They were initially resistant because I was a rapper and she was a rock star, but I said: “Guys, this will work. Trust me.”
Even though I won that particular fight, the response to a lot of my suggestions was often: “Oh, that’s cute. We’re not doing that.” I felt I couldn’t be my full, excited self because there were so many miserable motherfuckers around me in those boardrooms. The atmosphere made me feel like I had to suppress myself and stay small. Decades later, my old A&R actually called up and apologised. He said: “I really wish we listened to you a little bit more – you had some good ideas.” That was validating.
All of which led to the success of Scorpion. I was a huge fan of all genres of music, from Biggie Smalls to No Doubt, and when I wrote Let Me Blow Ya Mind I knew we should get Gwen Stefani to feature on it. I was the only girl in the boardroom in those major label meetings and that Philly girl often had to come out. They were initially resistant because I was a rapper and she was a rock star, but I said: “Guys, this will work. Trust me.”
Even though I won that particular fight, the response to a lot of my suggestions was often: “Oh, that’s cute. We’re not doing that.” I felt I couldn’t be my full, excited self because there were so many miserable motherfuckers around me in those boardrooms. The atmosphere made me feel like I had to suppress myself and stay small. Decades later, my old A&R actually called up and apologised. He said: “I really wish we listened to you a little bit more – you had some good ideas.” That was validating.
✎ Essay · Essay Drafts
The Coercers Are the Ones Who Fear Being Seen
I was trying to describe someone — a teacher, a manager, the kind of authority figure who issues a lot of direction without doing much of it themselves — and I kept landing on a word that surprised me. Not incompetent. Not lazy. Afraid. Fear…
Read the essay →September 2026
popville.com“The African American Civil War Memorial Museum Is Reopening!”The African American Civil War Memorial Museum reopens September 30, 2026 in the renovated historic Grimke School building in DC's U Street Corridor. The museum honors the 209,145 United States Colored Troops who fought in the Civil War and explores the journey from Civil War to Civil Rights through✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
dazeddigital.comI tried Readme, the dating app for book loversReadme is a dating app from the Co-Star team that matches users based on their relationship to language and literature, not just book lists. It builds a 'taste profile' from how people relate to writing, framing connection through literary sensibility rather than conventional swipe mechanics.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
stevedylan.devThe Nuance of ToleranceSteve Simkins examines the paradox of tolerance through Karl Popper's original formulation and a community moderation case, arguing that popular discourse flattens nuance into binary thinking. He explores how Popper's actual position was more conditional and context-dependent than the meme version s✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
✎ Essay · Yoga Professionals
Access Is the Practice
What it really means to build access as a yoga teacher inside institutions that were never built for you.
Read the essay →TEDIs AI Turning Us All into the Same Person? | Sandra Matz | TEDMatz reframes the AI risk conversation away from jobs and misinformation toward something quieter and harder to argue with: the slow algorithmic erasure of the self. The 'dial' proposal is genuinely actionable, not just rhetorical.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/comments/vuocs9/netflix_drops_40minute_video_of_dave_chappelle/
CaribbeanDahling
•
4y ago
And not even making Netflix money! His specials have horrible ROI. This was why that Netflix employee was fired, because he leaked that intel to Bloomberg.
“The comedian’s popularity comes at a cost. Netflix spent $24.1 million on the “The Closer,” slightly more than the $23.6 million it paid for Chappelle’s 2019 special, “Sticks & Stones.” By comparison, the streaming service spent $3.9 million for “Inside,” Bo Burnham’s recent hour-and-a-half special. The nine-episode “Squid Game,” which delivered the best debut in Netflix history, cost $21.4 million.
By Netflix’s own measurement, “Sticks & Stones” had an “impact value” of $19.4 million, meaning it cost more than the value it generated, according to internal documents reviewed by Bloomberg. The company also evaluates its programs by “efficiency,” which balances a show’s reach with its price-tag. On that scale, Chappelle’s special scored 0.8 — less than the break-even score of 1. By comparison, Burnham’s “Inside” scored 2.8.”
CaribbeanDahling
•
4y ago
And not even making Netflix money! His specials have horrible ROI. This was why that Netflix employee was fired, because he leaked that intel to Bloomberg.
“The comedian’s popularity comes at a cost. Netflix spent $24.1 million on the “The Closer,” slightly more than the $23.6 million it paid for Chappelle’s 2019 special, “Sticks & Stones.” By comparison, the streaming service spent $3.9 million for “Inside,” Bo Burnham’s recent hour-and-a-half special. The nine-episode “Squid Game,” which delivered the best debut in Netflix history, cost $21.4 million.
By Netflix’s own measurement, “Sticks & Stones” had an “impact value” of $19.4 million, meaning it cost more than the value it generated, according to internal documents reviewed by Bloomberg. The company also evaluates its programs by “efficiency,” which balances a show’s reach with its price-tag. On that scale, Chappelle’s special scored 0.8 — less than the break-even score of 1. By comparison, Burnham’s “Inside” scored 2.8.”
stevedylan.devThe Nuance of ToleranceSteve Simkins examines Karl Popper's paradox of tolerance—that unlimited tolerance enables intolerance—but argues the common "don't tolerate the intolerant" slogan misses crucial nuance. Popper advocated suppression only when rational argument fails and violence begins, not at the first hint of disa✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
✎ Essay · Practice
What Happens When I Leave the Room
There is a student I have in mind. She’s been practicing for three years. In class, she’s steady. She follows the sequence. Her breath is mostly even. She adjusts when I adjust her. When I watch her, I see someone who knows what she’s doing.…
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✎ Essay · Shala Digest
Making Yoga Inclusive
Research identified specific teaching practices, including authentic leadership, inclusive language, and health focus, that make yoga spaces more welcoming for all body types.
Read the essay →dazeddigital.comI tried Readme, the new dating app for book loversThe article reviews Readme, a dating app designed for book lovers, contrasting idealized bookstore meet-cute fantasies from romantic comedies with the reality of modern dating. It explores whether shared literary interests can serve as a foundation for romantic connection in an app-based dating land✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
✎ Essay · Philosophy
Capacity Isn’t Character
Rachel had been practicing eleven years when she hurt her shoulder. Doctor said no advanced poses for six weeks. Standing postures. Sun salutations. Basics. She came back to the mat and cried for three days. Not from pain. The pain was manageable. She cried because…
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✎ Essay · Practice
Pain Is Not Progress
There's a moment most practitioners know. Something in your shoulder says stop. The teacher calls the next vinyasa. You go anyway. That choice — made in a fraction of a second, almost without noticing — is the entire problem. Not the shoulder. The going anyway.…
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wtop.comCan ‘A Different World’ sequel change lives like the original series? Hillman is back in sessionNetflix's sequel to 'A Different World' returns to the fictional Hillman College, following Deborah Wayne (daughter of original characters Dwayne and Whitley) and a new generation of students. The original series (1987-1993) influenced viewers' college choices, career paths, and self-perception; the✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
tadaima.bearblog.devI tried Pedro Almodovar's recipe for creative energyA writer tests Pedro Almodovar's recipe for creative energy—double espresso cooled with sugar plus a full Coke, consumed like medicine. The experiment yields a brief buzz followed by a hard crash, prompting reflection on stimulant shortcuts versus sustainable energy sources like Peru's coca tea or p✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50
✎ Essay · Science and Tech
The Best Dumb Phone Is Already Strapped to Your Wrist
The cellular Apple Watch gives you everything a phone is for and none of what makes it toxic.
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✎ Essay · Shala Digest
Transformation Through Consistent Effort
In this video, Michael Joel Hall discusses the transformative power of consistent effort in yoga practice, particularly during the early...
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✎ Essay · Practice
Meditation, the Limb I Kept Skipping: Building a Method for Stillness
For years I treated meditation as the part of the practice you get to eventually. Here is why I finally built it a real curriculum, on a platform I own — and who it is for.
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✎ Essay · Shala Digest
Depression Scores Cut in Half
A German study found that two yoga classes per week for three months cut depression scores by 50% and improved overall well-being by 65% in emotionally distressed women.
Read the essay →The Next Big Idea DailyYou’re Not Too Sensitive—You’re Paying AttentionTwo researchers — a psychiatrist and a physicist-turned-science-writer — converge on the same counterintuitive claim: feeling deeply isn't a liability, it's a cognitive superpower, and the science now backs that up.✦ Read ad free and get the full MichaelFilter · $5.50Get MichaelFilter
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