Wholistic Fitness

A TALE OF SELF HEALING; PART ONE
by Coach Ilg

The genuine notion of Yoga means to find Union with Daily Circumstances…even if those Circumstances mean injury, illness, or mental dis-ease. Above, i grimace with Pain at the feet of my most recent Teacher of Yoga; a re-inflammed radial collateral ligament at my medial epicondyle. Photo by Ananda.

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“Ain’t no chance if you don’t take it.”
– Guy Clark

Yoga teaches us to learn about our bodies, our minds, and our spirits with unadulterated verve. Yoga cares little about our personal dictates. Yoga is synonymous with Self Healing. If we give our Yoga away too quickly to pills, doctors, and other external forces, we lose chances at Self Realization.

I have a student who came to me recently for help in healing his biceps. The thing was torn years and years ago. The mass of the poor biceps had literally rolled up like a curtain shade and now lies like a golf ball near the apron of his inferior deltoid. Since he ignored the rather dramatic injury for so long, his entire body began to shift out of alignment in a futile effort to compensate for the injured limb. Now, years later, the resultant serial distortion was causing all sorts of other aches and pains. God only knows what glandular and energetic damage was already being done on the inside. I see in this Student, much of myself. My tendency to use my stubborn Germanic Barbarianism to just ignore pain until…well..you know. This genetic flaw of mine is just one of many others, which is why i must do spiritual Practices. I have much inner cleaning to do in this lifetime.

Though i am primarily a Teacher of Personal Fitness, like a tight hamstring the relationship between Personal Fitness and Self Healing seems inextricably linked. It’s like being a SUNRIDER Herb Distributor. You eat the herbs and your body gets lean, your skin starts glowing, your energy skyrockets, and pretty soon your chronic aches and pains and mental dis-eases start dissolving like red dust into a setting sun. People start asking how they too, can lose fat and make their skin glow. So, you tell them, “Get on the herbs.” After your ears stop ringing, you will have survived an acoustical barrage from them about everything that is “wrong” with their bodies. It’s a funny thing, isn’t it, when you discover how fun it is having gained mastery over food and enjoying balanced fitness. Yet, when you attempt to share your ‘fun’ with others, all you hear is how people suffer.

So, anyway, as most of you realize, i recently moved back to my Beloved Southwest with my partner, Ananda. We moved to Flagstaff to be exact, though i prefer the town’s Native name; Kinlani. I have never understood why Native names are replaced by Anglo names. They were here first, not us. Typical Anglo arrogance; goin’ round re-naming mountains, states, countries, rivers, after senators, outlaws, dead people, etc. Oh well…back to my little ditty about Self Healing.

When i was a professional rock climber, I used to be able to fit all my possessions into a sport pickup. It is said that Gandhi could fit all of His possessions into a shoebox. (What’s He doing with a shoebox anyway? Didn’t He always walk barefoot?)

Well, it took a 37′ Budget Semi Truck with a Car Trailer to hold all of this yogi’s possessions. So much for my skills in Renunciation. Okay, granted, it was also WF Temple stuff, and Ananda’s stuff, but still…geez! It was in the “Bardo Realm of Moving” that i re-aggravated an old bouldering injury in my elbow.

Great, my ego chattered away at me for days, here i am moving to one of the premier rock climbing towns of the world and i can barely move my right arm. As the Bardo turned Hell Realm continued, my right arm grew less and less functional. Finally, after not even being to cut open one more cardboard box, i finally sat in meditation and asked Brahman what to do…

“Most Beautiful and All OmniPotent One,” i began (it is always wise to win the favor of the Gods by embellishing Their Divinity), “my elbow. Should i get an MRI and just see what’s up with it? Will i need surgery? Will i ever be able to climb again? It hurts really bad even during mountain biking!”

The Voice came instantly from Within as She replied…

“Silly, silly mountain yogi. Walk your Talk! Why give up on this little inJury so fast? Did we not work Two-gether when your spine was fractured, your pelvis smashed, and you could not walk? People come to you precisely because you know the Art of Self Healing. Vishnu has Sustained this InJury in you so that you will know how to help your Student with the badly torn biceps. Have Faith. Do this; Ask me to help you after your morning Pranayama when you are closest to the Ether state. I will Guide you in that Realm.”

“Oh Most Beloved Shiva, I am sorry for being such a feeble yogi. Of course, i realize i am just being lazy and not willing to go directly into the Pain in my elbow. I realize how many years i have been avoiding this Fear of going into this acute Pain. i will do as you say and call for your Divine Guidance starting tomorrow during my Pranayam.”

COMING UP SOON IN DL:
PART II of
A TALE OF SELF HEALING