Wholistic Fitness

click pics to really set the Prana pumping…
photos, captions, and text by one of my most resplendent Flagstaff Yoginis; Julie Mueller.

“Maybe this was just a vision…”

***
Most Noble Sangha of MultiDisciplined Yogis,
now, before i release unto Thee this most beautiful “love letter” from the Himalaya courtesy of my “Petticoat Yogini” Julie, i need to say this, “Go LAKERS!…Go PENNS!”

Well, besides that, i also need to say this,
we do NOT ever need to feel obligated to go trekking to the Himalayas or bathe in the (w)holy river Ganga in order to experience deep m(om)ents of Realization of the True vs. the Untrue…the Real vs. the Unreal. sure, it is GREAT BLESSING to travel outward to seek inner richness and then use those experiences to progress more inward and upward. No geographic travel however, is more important than traveling our inner energetic workshop which essentially lies within the subtle anatomy of our spine (which in WF is an Acronym; SPINE = Spiritual Principal Intersection (for) Nadic Evolution). In fact, it was due to Julie’s hard, consistent WF Practice BEFORE her journey to the Himalaya which assisted her big, beautiful experience over in the the big, beautiful H(om)eland of Shiva. i don’t think she missed one PROP WORKOUT in the long months before her trekking to the Himalaya.

As Kripalu (where TBT resides in their bookstore, influencing many modern yogis) Yoga Instructor and Pyschologist, Stephen Cope writes,

“When we begin to see clearly who we really are, we feel a natural friendless toward all beings. Beneath the surface of our separation, we feel the hidden, unseen threads that link us We know that we’re exactly alike inside. We’re the same being.

“Our everyday ladder experiences, then, are perfectly predictable. If awakeness is our true nature, why is it so surprising that we should have powerful moments of direct realization of awake mind? Why shouldn’t enlightened mind break through in the oddest moments, precisely when we’re not looking for it? And why is it surprising that we should experience in these particular moments a deep sense of coming home?”
– writing in a WF-prescribed book for more advanced Online Students; Yoga and the Quest for the True Self.

without further ado;
i give to your Practice today, most Noble and Cherished WF Yogini Julie…fresh from the Himalaya:

namasteji coache:

i am still processing my trip…
my WF training helped me immensely on the journey as our “strenuous” trek took on expedition qualities in a 3 day blizzard at 16,000ft, (we had no ropes, ice axes or crampons). it helped me focus on the matter at hand–stepping carefully but aggressively into the snow, foot by foot, instead of the what ifs (sliding down 300meter drops into frozen alpine lakes with the closest “village” a three day walk).

“…at Mayali Pass…”

all this with a swollen, purple sprained ankle. i also managed to keep a sense of calm inside Kedarnath, the temple devoted to our beloved Lord Shiva. after being blessed by a Hindu priest beside the ganga, and going through the small temple literally filled to the brim with nearly hysterical pilgrims, i realized that Shiva wants me to remember that God is in my heart. and God is everywhere–in the tops of the highest mountains in the world and in the piles of human and mule excrement on the pilgrims’ pathway to the temple.


“…with a family by the holy Ganga…can you see Shiva in the top left pic of the boys?”

i have never had more heightened awareness of the opportunity provided by my birth…and my experience there has spurred a deeper questioning within myself–am i doing enough???? the truth can also seem cliche– my sweet four-legged friend (Om Mani Padme Hung) sleeps in a bed with a down comforter and has unlimited access to fresh water and food, while millions of children fight for space under plastic tarps and line up for hours at pumps with dirty water. they didn’t choose to be born that way, and i didn’t get to choose to be born of such wonderful parents. i find myself with eyes occasionally filled with tears of thanks. and for now–riding, swimming and propping, preparing my spiritual vehicle for my next venture to the omland (this life or next).

in deepest and most sincere gratitude for my guruji ilg,
py

ps. however, i’ve been on the bike and am planning on riding the taylor century. when i get back, let’s talk about more bodywork, MAP, and some training!

COACH’S NOTE:
the “PY” stands for Petty Coat. my nickname for Julie is, “my Petty Coat Yogini” because she often Cardio Commutes to class riding her bicycle wearing a petticoat. not until i just typed these sentences did i just realize that petticoat is NOT spelled Petty Coat…err..maybe it is…who cares when you just Love your Tribal Sister like ilg does PY!?!