In Wholistic Fitness™; we aim to be like Shiva…or perhaps a bit more reasonable: the Warrior Arjuna in the Bhagavad-Gita…a versatile, fit, and conscious spiritual warrior…a spiritual warrior who is devoted to his Guru and is extremely capable, enduring, compassionate, and fearless to toe the Start Line; be it of an inner or outer battle, a race, or…the Bardo.
Cross-training has now morphed so heart-achingly away from what i had envisioned and produced by my initial Ripple thrown and forwarded back in 1982, that these days, i just have to breathe through all the sophomoric, body-oriented bs and just stay safe and loved within our WF Sangha where we truly still Practice the art of Wholeness. Thank God!
The most difficult part of being a Wholistic Fitness™ student for me is being Brave, Honest, and Humble enough day after day, decade after decade, to walk my Path’s continual prodding at our personal weaknesses, imbalances, negative tendencies, and pyschospiritual blockages.
Maintaining the inner devotion toward the glacially-slow opening of my hips is truly – for me – a Deva-Mandira (‘abode of God’). Temples are to be understood as replications of the cosmos and as Feurstein* puts it, ‘manifestations of the Divine.’ For feeble ilg? The past-life pains and fears accumulated within my hips from eons of being a warrior is far higher than any mountain i’ve climbed…far, far more difficult than any ultra-endruance race i’ve won, and cultivating the internal energetic techniques toward Enlightenment as put forth by the Ancient Enlightened Masters? Requires a brand of steadfast, rigorous inner seeking and commitment that bewilders me each day.
Mulabandhasana has Taught me many lessons over the decades…as i am sure those of you who have attempted this posture can validate. For within this single posture lies layers of meeting places within my inner guides, voices, egoic shrieks, and emanations of deities. As i struggle to free myself of struggling within this pose, all my hours of cardio and strength training seem pitted to thwart any progress. My ankles scream. My toes rebel. My lack of command at Mula Bandha, Uddiyana Bandha, and steady Ujjayi seem an impossible orchestra to orchestrate.
Yet, paltry as i appear, i continue to work at this pose.
It’s one thing to work on opening your hips…and not to quit. It’s another thing to do so while also being able to produce and maintain a versatile elite endurance racing bio…and not to quit.
And then, another thing to do so while running self-owned businesses, being a Conscious, Present Father of a 3 year-old, a loving Partner…and…
well, that’s just it, isn’t it?
Wholeness.
No matter what.
Wholistic Fitness.
To Dance our Inner Dragons.
To Destroy Avidya.
To Balance our Weaknesses.
To Toe The Start Lines…
To one day,
one lifetime…
Win The Human Race…
To BecOMe
Enlightened.
HOW TO (ATTEMPT SAFELY) MULABANDHASANA:
1) Learn Mula Bandha and apply without loss, this inner technique throughout the following description.
2) sit in Vajrasana (sitting on sit bones, place legs into a diamond (vajra) shape). interlace fingers around the feet. fold forward until your Third Eye (ajna chakra) can ‘sleep’ within the arches of your feet. if this is not yet attainable, continue with your asana practices until it is.
3) bring torso upright and engage Uddiyana Bandha.
4) engage Jalandhara Bandha
5) SLOWLY worm both feet toward the groin until both heels point at Father Sky and both forefeet/toes press into the womb of Mother Earth.
6) Sustain the biomechanics and internal locks of the posture while contemplating your Guru and/or God for as long as your Ujjayi can remain smooth.
Go(o)d Luck and Dharma Blessings
photo: Mulabandhasana taken during my Practice this morning in the WF Temple H(om)e Zendo…each year, after i compete in the Mt.Taylor Winter Quadrathlon, i test myself against this horridly painful asana (for me)…this posture has a tremendous inner spiritual life which brings up so much for me as i attempt to sustain it. One day, one year, one lifetime, ilg WILL accomplish this posture and do so within days of reaching another Overall Podium at Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon…or die…or reach Enlightenment while trying…WF Yogis…among the most versatile on this plane(t)…
* The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga, by Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D
These teachings are the "Rasas" or "sap" of Wholistic Fitness. You’ll find insights to ponder, student chi to keep your own chi topped off, and plenty of proven training techniques to test on your own body, mind, and spirit! Also, you’ll find my very popular Race Reports, and news of our Sangha’s (community’s) latest transpersonal fitness adventures!