Wholistic Fitness

WW: One Last Ride With His Coach and An Awakening To What Is REAL!

Since shooting the cover of my book, TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION, i have had the indelible honor to tap out the delicate Dance of both Fierce Teacher and humble friend to Wayne Williams, shown above in his WF Chi Cap with his AMAZING wife, Marsha. These two are True Blue Friends to me and Angels to the Path of WF. Their work, behind the scenes of WF, has helped keep my humble Temple from toppling in this city of Hard Knocks. Below is WW’s account of our bicycle ride yesterday. The DharmaTeachings ring loud and far from this Brahman/Warrior of the WF Way. Enjoy and may your Practice benefit from WW’s sweat and spirit.
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El Coach�,
Every once in a while I awake and know I’d rather stay in bed. Oh, I know you get that feeling too. Doing my morning practice of Toilet Yoga followed by Neti and Pranayama usually wakes me up. Humm, but not this morning. Every once in a while I’ll have my Calli before a light breakfast, read my emails and catch up on the news that often makes my heart fill with sadness at the stupidity and cruelty going on. This usually wakes me up… But not this morning.

We live in a society filled with deception, distraction and entertainment filled with so called “Reality” based programs that are fully edited, or intense evening TV dramas mirroring our fears with obscene violence… They are anything but reality, they are unreality! No wonder sometimes we don’t want to wake up.

Now I’m always one to carry on, and since I don’t drink caffeine to clear the fog that seems to site just a few feet from my head, this morning I’ve just got to get going… it’s time for some real reality to kick in… Its time for Intervals! There is nothing like the all out intense exertion, recover, exertion, recover repetition of intervals to clear the fog and allow the day to pop in all it’s wonderful glory.

*** ‘Poipu Sunrise’ one of WW’s prints available at www.waynewillamsstudio.com

I’ve had the pleasure of not only maturing as a cyclist under your gentle guidance, I have had the joy of riding with you a number of times a month here in Los Angeles during the last 2 years. You have seen me struggle and grow, climb hills with good cadence that years ago I could barely walk up, let alone ride a bike over. Strength, Cardio, Yoga, Meditation and SR whole food herbs are all a part of the breath and posture, mindfulness, appropriate action and practice that no matter how long it takes… works!

This weekend, I clearly had a breakthrough (a birthday as you call it) when doing the 70 mile Simi ride. We climbed a number of 1-3 mile hills, and I stayed on your wheel, keeping my back flat, feeling my legs doing all the pushing and pulling as my breath stayed calm and determined. There was finally a rhythm to it all, I finally felt the concept of ‘no chain…’ no ego. In rides past I’d blow halfway up a climb at best, but not this time, and not since, for I found ‘myself,’ and not the struggle of it all on the hill. What a gift.

But now back to this morning… Its time to take one last ride with you before you leave LA. For this morning I’m facing the reality of Stunt Rd. ‘intervals’… and I’m in a fog, trying to wake up.

Doing intervals always makes me nervous, I’ll think about it the night before… woof! Intervals! Last week before I started them, I pulled up to a guy at a signal, we said our hello’s and upon his asking me how I was doing I told him I was nervous, cause I was about to start doing a set of intervals. You know what he said? “Don’t take it so seriously.” Brilliant indeed. He set the tone, and I reminded my self of his advice again as the time approached. Stunt Rd. is a steep climb, doing it is like doing a full speed run out of the Grand Canyon. No flat interval for this WF warrior anymore.

It was now time to say good bye to you as you take your cross bike up a separate dirt ridge road and I look at my cycle computer, we’ve been riding for 1:14:45 and I’ve got 15 seconds… 14… 13… 12……. just hit it… just GO… for 1 minute, out of the saddle, pushing, standing, open heart, abs tight, deep full 3 part breathing. Zone 4 kicks in and Stunt vaults up before me, MAN, 26 seconds in I’m still pushing as I sit down and continue to climb hard… I’m thinking, “no matter what… even if you are going slow, push as hard as you can, even if it’s only in your mind…” that’s it, fool your mind out of the fog of unreality… stand up, gear up and go, keep pushing.

Recovery for 1 1/2 min. arrives and I’m still climbing, slowly now, deep calming breaths, settling down… what’s this? I’m waking up… time to go again… STAND UP, Kick it up again…. head clearing, fog lifting… recovery, exertion, recover, exertion, recover… and all I can see and feel is my breath, blood pounding through my heart, my body, my head… the road, the hills all around glow with clarity and color, the sky and oh yes, off in the distance on the opposite ridge I hear you yell out, “YEAH, GO WW!!!”

I’m awake now baby, I’m alive, this… this is reality! My head is clear, the fog is gone, the sun has really come out, funny that… the ride home, the hills and all are sweat with sweat, staying low, calm & strong on my bike. I’m no pro-cyclist, but I’m alive and loving it… 135 miles in 4 days. I know you remember that 2 years ago, 14 miles on the flats for me seemed like an difficult time. There is no substitute for doing the work, and the more you do it, the more fun you have!

***Student/Teacher, Friend/Friend, Tribal Brothers of the Breath. Wayne and Coach before a ride. ***

I’m awake and alive… and I’m not going to let my ego tell me this is important or hard, it’s just reality and I’m thrilled you and your WF teachings have opened this wonderful door to me and so many others.

As you often say, “Ain’t so bad”… not at all. There is so much more fun to have today, work to do, tasks to accomplish, and now, I’m awake to really enjoy it.

With deep love and appreciation…

Your friend,

WW