edits to daily sadhana text

.gitignore

@@ -171,3 +171,4 @@ codedb.snapshot
 /search.json
 /sitemap.xml
 /objects.inv
+TODO.md

docs/contributing/index.md

@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ icon: lucide/heart-handshake
 
 # Contributing to Tree of Ascension Docs
 
-Welcome! This guide will get you from zero to making your first edit — even if you've never used git before.
+Welcome! This guide will get you from zero to making your first edit or new post contribution to Tree of Ascension Docs.
 
-> **🔒 Registration is currently closed.** New contributor accounts are not available at this moment. If you'd like to get involved, solve the puzzle below to reveal the contact email and request access.
+> **🔒 Registration is currently closed.** Self-registration of new contributor accounts are not available at this moment. If you'd like to get involved, solve the puzzle below to reveal the contact email and request access.
 
 ---
 
@@ -70,12 +70,12 @@ Once you have access, read on below.
 
 ## 🛠 How it works
 
-| What             | Details                                                                                      |
+| What                      | Details                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
-| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
-| **Site host**    | [Forgejo](https://forgejo.org) — a friendly, self-hosted git platform                        |
+| **Code and file hosting** | [Forgejo](https://forgejo.org) — a friendly, self-hosted git (version control) platform that manages changes and files between many users. Git is a distributed open source tool that lets you work on a folder of files and handles the cases where two users have edited the same file (called merge conflicts). |
-| **Repo**         | [bali.krystl.org/aja/up](https://bali.krystl.org/aja/up)                                     |
+| **Repo**                  | [bali.krystl.org/aja/up](https://bali.krystl.org/aja/up)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
-| **Built with**   | [Zensical](https://zensical.org) — turns Markdown files into a beautiful docs site           |
+| **Built with**            | [Zensical](https://zensical.org) — turns Markdown files into a beautiful docs site                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
-| **Local editor** | [Tolaria](https://tolaria.dev) — a simple desktop app for editing Markdown with git built in |
+| **Local editor**          | [Tolaria](https://tolaria.dev) — a simple desktop app for editing Markdown with git built in                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
 
 ---
 
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ Go to **[bali.krystl.org/aja/up](https://bali.krystl.org/aja/up)** and sign in w
 
 ### Step 2 — Create your branch
 
-Every edit lives on its own branch. This keeps the main site safe while you work.
+Every edit lives on its own branch. A branch is a copy of the code that can be kept independent and later merged. This keeps the main site safe while you work and allows us to review and approve or comment on changes.
 
 - Click the **branch dropdown** (near the top of the page, it probably says `main` or `master`)
 - Type a short name for your branch — like `add-meditation-guide` or `fix-typo-daily-sadhana`
@@ -125,12 +125,13 @@ If you prefer to work on your own computer:
 
 ### You'll need
 
-- **[git](https://git-scm.com/downloads)** — the version control tool
 - **[Tolaria](https://tolaria.dev)** — a friendly Markdown editor with git support
+- You can also use any text editor together with **[git](https://git-scm.com/downloads)** — the version control tool
 
 ### Steps
 
 ```bash
+
 # 1. Clone the repo
 git clone https://bali.krystl.org/aja/up.git
 cd up
@@ -144,6 +145,9 @@ git checkout -b my-edit
 git add .
 git commit -m "Describe your changes"
 git push -u origin my-edit
+
+# At this point you'll be asked for your username and password.
+# You can also set up an SSH key which will mean you don't need to type these every time (you will need to email us your public key)
 ```
 
 Then follow Step 4 above ("Open a Pull Request") to open your pull request on Forgejo.
@@ -213,4 +217,3 @@ That's it — you now have your own Zensical-powered knowledge garden.
 ---
 
 Questions? Found a bug? **[Open an issue](https://bali.krystl.org/aja/up/issues)** on the repo.
-

docs/contributing/markdown.md

@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 ---
 icon: simple/markdown
 ---
+
 # Markdown in 5min
 
 ## Introduction to Markdown Language
 
-Markdown is a simple language to build web pages. It is easier to read and write than HTML (the language web browsers read) and so we use it to write articles. You can use this reference to help you write posts and pages directly in our repository where the source documents for this wiki are held. See [[docs/contributing/index]] for more.
+Markdown is a simple language to build web pages. It is easier to read and write than HTML (the language web browsers read) and so we use it to write articles and have a system called Zensical that will compile your Markdown into HTML. You can use this reference to help you write posts and pages directly in our repository where the source documents for this wiki are held. See [[docs/contributing/index]] for more and check the Zensical docs on authoring for a more complete set of markdown notations you can use with Tree.
 
 ## Headers
 
@@ -68,7 +69,7 @@ Ordered:
 function hello() {
   console.log("Hello, world!");
 }
-```
+```;
 ````
 
 ## Tables

docs/practices/daily-sadhana.md

@@ -9,20 +9,30 @@ icon: material/meditation
 <figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@jareddrice">Jared Rice</a> on Unsplash</figcaption>
 </figure>
 
-*Sadhana* means daily spiritual practice — not something you do when you have time, but the foundation you build everything else upon. It doesn't require a temple or a teacher. It requires showing up.
+_Sadhana_ means daily spiritual practice — not something you do when you have time, but the foundation you build everything else upon. The best time for spiritual practice is first thing in the morning, ideally waking 1 hour before sunrise. This is a time where the energy is more quiet as everyone is asleep. It allows you to be in a state of meditation during the 48 minutes surrounding sunrise, where the energy is in transition and so spiritual practice can have a greater impact.
 
 ---
 
 ## Meditation
 
-- [ ] Sit quietly for 5 minutes — a chair, a floor, anywhere
+- [ ] Sit quietly for 5 minutes — your bed, a chair, a floor, anywhere
 - [ ] Notice when the mind wanders and gently return to breath
 - [ ] Do this every morning for one week
 
-Start with five minutes. The mind will wander — that's what minds do. The practice is not emptying the mind but noticing when it has wandered and gently returning. Every return is a rep. Like any muscle, attention strengthens with use.
+Start with five minutes. The mind will wander — that's what minds do. The practice is not emptying the mind but noticing when it has wandered and gently returning. Every return is a rep. Like any muscle, attention strengthens with use. The real practice is noticing the mind has repetitive thoughts and then gently guiding it back to the breath.
 
 No app needed. No special cushion. A chair, a floor, a patch of grass — anywhere you can be still.
 
+### Zen
+
+The word zen comes from the Sanskrit word dhyan, which loosely translates to meditation. But this process was looked at with unparalleled attention by the ancient Indian sages and the depth of their insights can only be tangentially grasped at by today's minds. See Patantali's Yoga Sutras if you'd like to go deeper.
+
+#### Focus
+
+There are a multitude of targets for our focus in meditation. We suggested starting with the breath as it is a simple and direct link to your soul and the universe. Every breath is an interchange of your being and the greater infinite oneness.
+
+However you can also choose another singular focus to enable the mind to steady. These include a sound (mantra), a form (yantra). There are in total 108 ways to focus the mind and these are explored in the ancient text Vijnana Bhairav Tantra.
+
 ---
 
 ## Gratitude journal
@@ -34,21 +44,31 @@ Not generic blessings — specific moments. The warmth of sunlight through a win
 
 Gratitude is not toxic positivity. It is the deliberate practice of noticing what is already good, which rewires the brain away from its negativity bias over time.
 
+## Merit journal
+
+The merit journal is an exercise I learned from Buddhist teachers who used it to reinforce positive character. You can write down the positive things you've done and reflect on these at times, especially before leaving the body at end of life. Our character is the one thing we take with us when we leave the body and so its especially valuable to reflect and cultivate upon this.
+
+- [ ] Write an entry in your merit journal
+
 ---
 
-## Personality defect removal
+## Improvements journal
 
-This is the inner work few want to do: asking honestly where you are still reactive.
+This is the inner work few want to do: asking honestly where you are still reactive and have work to do towards cultivating a harmonious and balanced character.
+
+In almost all cases there is a time and place for an emotion or condition. Eg sometimes it is good to be lazy or impatient, and anger could be necessary to provoke action in certain cases. However in general we can reduce these distorted emotions (emotions can be considered energy-in-motion) and cultivate more their positive counterparts.
 
 - [ ] Ask yourself: Where am I still carrying anger?
 - [ ] Ask yourself: What am I afraid of?
 - [ ] Ask yourself: How can I be more patient today?
 - [ ] Replace one judgment with kindness today
 
-Don't fix it all at once. Pick one thread and follow it. The goal is not to become perfect — it is to become less defended, more available, more unconditionally loving. Not toward everyone else first — toward yourself.
+Pick the most impactful one to focus on to start, generally anger. The goal is not to become perfect — it is to become less impulsive, more available, more unconditionally loving. Starting with yourself is key. Look at your thought patterns, and how you speak to yourself. Do you scold yourself if you make a trivial mistake? How could you extend and deepen your patience towards yourself?
 
 ??? question "A simple evening practice"
-    Sit quietly and replay the day. Notice any moment where you contracted — irritation, defensiveness, avoidance. Don't judge the reaction. Just see it. Tomorrow, you'll have another chance.
+Sit quietly and replay the day. Notice any moment where you contracted — irritation, defensiveness, avoidance. Don't judge the reaction. Just see it. Tomorrow, you'll have another chance. If you like you can journal your reflections and over time you may see just by noticing them things have started to resolve.
+
+After reviewing the key area you'd like to work on you can use auto-hypnosis to improve it.
 
 ---
 
@@ -56,12 +76,12 @@ Don't fix it all at once. Pick one thread and follow it. The goal is not to beco
 
 The body needs two kinds of movement every day:
 
-**Energy practice** — yoga, tai chi, qigong, or simple stretching with breath awareness. This moves *prana* (life force) through the channels of the body. Even ten minutes shifts the nervous system from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest.
+**Energy practice** — yoga, tai chi, qigong, or simple stretching with breath awareness. This moves _prana_ (life force) through the channels of the body. Even ten minutes shifts the nervous system from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest.
 
 - [ ] Do 10 minutes of energy practice this morning (yoga, stretching, tai chi)
 - [ ] Do 20 minutes of cardio or strength work today
 
-**Cardio and strength** — walking briskly, running, bodyweight exercises, lifting. The body evolved to move against resistance. Without it, the mind stagnates too.
+**Cardio and strength** — walking briskly, running, bodyweight exercises, lifting. The body evolved to move against resistance. Without it, the mind stagnates too. There are two kinds of cardio, low intensity (eg the energy practice or gardening) and high intensity (eg running, cycling, swimming or playing tennis) and both are necessary. High intensity means it raises your heart rate and makes you sweat.
 
 Pair them. Energy practice in the morning to open; strength in the afternoon to ground.
 
@@ -69,7 +89,7 @@ Pair them. Energy practice in the morning to open; strength in the afternoon to
 
 ## Visualization: morning and night
 
-- [ ] Spend 2 minutes each morning visualizing the future you want — see it as real *now*
+- [ ] Spend 2 minutes each morning visualizing the future you want — see it as real _now_
 - [ ] Spend 2 minutes before sleep visualizing the same — feel the gratitude as if it arrived
 
 This is not magical thinking. It is the practice of orienting the subconscious toward what you are building, so that during the day, you recognize the doors when they appear.
@@ -78,4 +98,5 @@ This is not magical thinking. It is the practice of orienting the subconscious t
 
 **Related:** [Finding Your Purpose](../../strategies/finding-purpose.md) — when sadhana meets direction.
 
-*What practice will you show up for tomorrow?*
+_What practice will you show up for tomorrow?_
+

docs/stylesheets/extra.css

@@ -858,6 +858,8 @@ article h1, article h2, article h3 {
     min-height: 150px;
     padding: 1.1rem 1.1rem 3.2rem 1.1rem;
   }
+}
+
 /* ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
    Action Points — Interactive Checklist
    ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ */
@@ -978,3 +980,16 @@ h3[data-toa-complete="true"]::after {
 .toa-export:hover {
   color: var(--gp-primary, #4a8262);
 }
+
+/* ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+   Nav-drawer stacking fix (.md-overlay)
+   The backdrop-filter / transform / will-change rules in this stylesheet
+   spawn extra stacking contexts that let the drawer scrim (.md-overlay)
+   paint ON TOP of the open nav panel, blurring the menu and swallowing
+   its clicks. Dropping the scrim's z-index back to 1 puts it below the
+   drawer panel again, so the menu is visible and interactive.
+   (Verified: z-index:1 restores usable mobile nav.)
+   ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ */
+.md-overlay {
+  z-index: 1;
+}

pyproject.toml

@@ -7,13 +7,11 @@ name = "up"
 version = "0.1.0"
 description = "Add your description here"
 readme = "README.md"
-requires-python = ">=3.9"
+requires-python = ">=3.12"
 dependencies = []
 
 [tool.hatch.build.targets.wheel]
 packages = ["_extensions"]
 
 [dependency-groups]
-dev = [
+dev = ["zensical>=0.0.43"]
-    "zensical>=0.0.43",
-]