Wholistic Fitness

Coach-
Why are women so completely non-existent in the upper echelon of Yoga- as teachers, as masters, as writers, as prophets, or in the traditional aesthetic practice of yoga? As a feminist who believes in gender equality, I have a hard time accepting such a complete marginalization of women. While I know that yogic tradition involves embracing the yin and yang of each person, to me that is just a different form of “separate but equal” treatment that many of us have fought against for a long time.
S

Most Noble Yogini S,
History is chock full of both Ancient and Contemporary Yogini Masters, Teachers, and Avatars. Some, like Mahatma Gandhi’s wife, chose to stay behind the scenes, so to speak, because of their innate understanding of Kali Yuga (the current spiritual dark age). Shri Ma Anandamayi, Amachi, Mother Teresa, Lillian Folan, Indra Devi (aka; Eugenie Peterson, who just passed over in 2002 at the age of 102 is pretty much the Root Teacher of Yoga in America since it was she who began teaching to the Hollywood set a looooong time ago!), Judith Lancaster, Ana Forrest, and even on the current cover of Yoga Journal, the seemingly omnipresent Shiva Rea are all but just a fraction of the world of female yoginis that have indelibly contributed to the global yogic Sangha. It might stun you to realize the number female spiritual Deities in Yogic Scripture…as you may remember, i devoted my basic Program in my recent book to Green Tara (the Protectress). For every “Male” Deity there is an equal or more powerful Female counterpart: White Tara (the Divine Mother), Ushnisha Sitatapattra (Thousand Armed Goddess of the White Umbrella) Kwan yin, Palden Lhamo (the Dark Goddess), and the incredibly sexy and consummately powerful Vajrayogini, the Enlightened Aspect of the Buddha…i could go on endlessly….

Of course, the 6,000+ year Yogic Tradition is based entirely on the Female/Male relationship expressed in its astronomical relevance; it is a solar/lunar science of self realization; the sun = pingala (right nostril) is male energies while the lunar = ida (left nostril) is the female conduit and both of which are intended by years of devoted skills and meditation to join in Sushumna the main energy channel within the spine whose Sanskrit name gives away yet another female allegiance; “She who is most gracious” in reference to the ultimate goal of a Hatha Yogin (Sun/Moon Union) which is the awakening and eventual direction of the supreme Goddess within all humans; the “Princess Kundala” also known as Kundalini which is meagerly described as the latent cosmic energy coiled at the base of Sushumna. Arousing, Seducing, and eventually entering into a ‘Marriage” with the Awakened Princess Kundala IS the ultimate goal of yoga.

So you see, even if you do choose to box your spiritual beliefs into a limit such as a “feminist,” you will quickly understand that Yogic Philosophy is based upon the Union of Male and Female energies (not “yin/yang”…that is a categorically different, Asiatic Tradition based upon Taoist, not Hindi, thought) while realizing that it is Female, not Male, energy that is ALL WAYS more powerful in the long run. a simple look at the basic biology of the sexual act proves this to be so; after an orgasm a male is completely in a female state of expansion, receptivity, and spaciousness. the penis is flaccid and the male vital force (retas) has been depleted and can never be replaced…the man who orgasms is a weaker being relative to the number of orgasms…his Shakti energy (female) is lost. Thus, the Ancient Masters realized the importance of Brahmacharya (Warrior Conduct) of which i have written often in DL.

in Yogic philosophy, we take a female or male incarnation in order to experience and learn certain, “soul lessons’…that is why it not advised in Yogic teachings to identify oneself with being either Male or Female, since both Male and Female energies wash continuously through us at many Layers (Sheaths) at every given Moment. Deeper states of Meditation make this Realization quite stark. Instead, the yogi focuses upon Atman/Paratman, Purusha/Prakriti, etc.

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Steve-
Just curious about how professional athletes determine their “best” competitive weight. Your comment in your recent DIRECT LINES that “at 148 lbs, i have not the firepower to turn over a big gear on gradual uphills…especially a 14 MILE UPHILL!” Is their some sort of way to determine what your best performance weight is, based on your primary sport?
In breath and posture-
AM

Namaste AM,
yes, that is why God created Online WF Teachers!

there is not a formula for basing your best performance weight off of your primary sport. you must live each sport deeply and wisely to learn and then attain the ideal bodymass for that sport.

as a WF Warrior Athlete, i have found that 148 lbs is my optimal bodyweight for enjoying high levels of physiologically divergent sports which, for me, create my internal yoga studio for the facilitation and development of vayus and internal locks, etc., critical for eventual stabilization of Enlightenment meditation parameters.

thus, my counsel is to ENJOY THE DANCE in as many different sports as possible; often that means quitting one sport almost entirely to create time and energy for exploring a new one. if, for example, you have achieved a certain Mastery in the Endurance Arts (running, cycling, etc) the Yogi whose goal is UNION of ALL FEMALE AND MALE ENERGETICS must then be willing to adpapt the Teachings of Endurance Arts into a Strength Sport or an Agility Sport or a Power Sport, etc.

in other words,
The Dance Must Go On!

head bowed,

coach ilg