Wholistic Fitness

“To imagine that Zen is mysterious is the first grave mistake which many make about it.”
– D.T. Suzuki

photo by Ananda; ilg stops while fitness walking with Ananda to consider the far-better-than-perfume fragrance radiating from a rose in our neighborhood. Postural note; most ‘grown ups’ make the same fatal mistake in smelling flowers as they do with animals and small children; they don’t SQUAT DOWN close enough to the other Being’s level and thus keep separation instead of yoga (union) between themselves and the flowers (or animals, or children). Remember, the Namaste Space means; SHARED SPACE! do not be lazy; SQUAT CLOSE TO MOTHER EARTH as often as possible today!

To see and feel the beauty of a rose in the most mundane of daily ‘things’ is truly a hallmark of a Wholistic Fitness® yogi. Early morning light displays the juxtaposition of another WF Temple Day beginning; freshly laundered cycling clothes are backdropped by the Temple Gym.

Coach’s Commentary;
In ilg’s formative years of studied Zen, it was not the Head Monks and Teachers that carried on with strict, formal attitude. Hell, they were usually wearing an omnipotent, Tibetan like smile and carrying laughter alongside them as the day rolled by. It was us (newer) Students that were lugging around our heavy baggage of ‘wow-i’m-studying-at-a-real-live-Zen Center-i-am-really-doing-something-special’ attitude. blech. there is nothing more practical to one’s Wholistic Fitness study than a background in Zen training. that is why ilg has included at least small dosages of practicing Zen in the WF Online Training Path. Why? not because it brings ‘something special’ to our understanding of genuine fitness, rather, it develops the most practical Wisdom of all; the faculty of attention and appreciation of each m(om)ent.

for a beautiful display of someone who really knows how to appreciate the myriad gentle miracles of life; WF Teacher Joy’s new Blog entry should be enjoyed by all:

The JoyFul Breath

* Note; D.T. Suzuki’s classic book; Zen Mind; Beginners Mind has been required reading for WF Online Students since my first introduction of WF in 1982. Want a ‘head start’ on your Online Training that you are still too scared to sign up for? At least read D.T.’s book, okay? Then, fill out an application for WF Online Study. ilg probably will not accept you (at first) anyway, so what’s the big deal?

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BEGINNER QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

QUESTION:
why do you call your home, Two Tree Manor?

ANSWER:
because the two very large ponderosa trees which grace our home (their names are Yab/Yum) were prophesized by our spiritual reader, thus Ananda and i KNEW immediately when we first drove up to Two Tree Manor that, “Yup, this is it!”
photo by ilg; yesterday afternoon m(om)ents after a most enchanting hail/rain storm sailed over; such PURE PRAN beneath the Sacred Peak!!

QUESTION:
why are you always putting up naked and half-naked pictures of yourself while meditating or doing yoga on your blogs and emails?

ANSWER:
ilg is bound by the Ancient Mountain Yogi Tradition. ilg grew up running around the San Juan Mountains naked and half naked with my First Teacher; Apache, my black wolf-hybrid. ilg just never chose a lifestyle that required the conventions of ‘grown up’ clothes. on a more yogic Level; study the Scriptures and the answer will arise about clothes. in the meanwhile, ilg asks you, “Who was it that Taught you to meditate and do solo yoga with clothes on?” Imagine a sign at the Bardo Entry Gate. it reads;
“Welcome (once again, you unEnlightened dweeb) to the Bardo Realm Entry Point. Before attempting to navigate the nearly fifty intense Realms beyond this point here are a few rules: No Clothes, No iPods, No contact lenses, No food, No water, No alcoholic beverages or drugs, No family, No house, No bikes, No skateboarding (well, okay, MAYBE skateboarding), No nothing allowed beyond Here save for your accumulated strength of Consciousness developed from solo, silent Practice hours. Now, get as naked as you were when you started your latest incarnation…and…enjoy your SoulRide! May the SpiritHorse bless your crossing and may you be reborn to parents that both Practice yoga so you can continue your Inner Work quickly and steadily.”

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QUESTION:
why are you so pissed off about the use of iPods?

ANSWER:
what was so horrible about the use of “iSilence” before the add-vent of “iPods”?
ilg is only bringing Awareness to the iPod’s endangerment of Dharma based training and their tendency to
develop weakness of mind addicted to entertainment during Practice instead of innerAttainment.
the i in iPod stands for Ignorance; spiritual ignorance (avidya).
how can one concentrate upon their Mantra with so much music pumped into the ears?
how can one appreciate the sound of beautiful foot caressing Mother Earth with iPods?
how many more times does ilg need to Teach you to “Just Listen.” not to external entertainment; but to the
sound of gunic circumstance – that prase Gunic CircumStance means: the Stances of the waves of nature which circumnavigate around the Awakened Athlete in each m(om)ent.
iPods pollute the Soul while training.

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QUESTION:
why do you so often speak of yourself in third person? it’s weird.

ANSWER:
study this Ancient Mantra of Traditional Mountain Yogis to find your answer:
“Sabbe Dhamma Nalam Abinesavaya”
if that doesn’t work;
Just Listen.
Read Sacred Scripture; compare often the Master’s words from various spiritual traditions and the answer will
ring as clear as a Tibetan Gong.

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QUESTION:
why are you so tough on answering Beginning Students questions? you should be more nice to us!

ANSWER:
ilg loves your Highest Self.
providing easy answers in a Dharma Based Path is doing disService to your capacity in Self Cultivation. Nothing is easy about the spiritual journey until Awakened Consciousness starts to permeate your Speech, Body, and Mind. until then? it’s all Grunt Work and ilg is not here to make things easy for you. ilg is here to sharpen your own Dharma Sword and teach you how to cut through the first few blockages of Avidya.

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QUESTION:
How can you tell if your Amino Acid supplementation is providing you a Positive Nitrogen Balance that you speak about so much?

ANSWER:
the yogi -well trained by his or her Teacher- has learned Ancient Shatkarma Practices that easily provide the answer without modern equipment, such as testing and tasting it in our urine.

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QUESTION:
how excited are you about your Baby Girl?

ANSWER:
sometimes very excited!
at which point, ilg must develop equanimity; no telling what God has in store. ilg and Ananda are merely Conduits. my Baby Girl is not “mine” at all; she is God’s Baby Girl. ilg and Ananda are merely CareTakers and Appreciators of the Miracle and Gift.

Besides, like anything ilg does, ilg must train twice or three times as hard as others it seems due to my VERY average genetic inheritance of intelligence and fitness…

so,
ilg is training hard for the Delivery Day:

practicing “sschussing” to calm Temple Cat Being, Jasper…

…practicing diaper changing on Teddy…

…practicing swaddling on Teddy…

oops, gotta go accompany Ananda to the Baby Doctor…have only missed 1 appointment with her so far…

doing the Do as best as a feeble WF Warrior like ilg can do!

May your Practice Radiate and may this DL have helped inspire some Warrior, somewhere, in some Realm…

om so ti,

el coache