Birthday Boy, at the Start Line of this morning’s .6 mile uphill Time Trial. The moment of utter Truth in 5…4…3…2..1…!
pics by Ananda.
“Even in the greatest yogi, sorrow and joy still arise just as before. The difference between an ordinary person and the yogi is how they view their emotions and react to them.
An ordinary person will instinctively accept or reject them, and so arouse the attachment or aversion that will result in the accumulation of negative karma.
A yogi, however, perceives everything that rises in its natural, pristine state, without allowing grasping to enter his perception.”
– Soygal Rinpoche
Here i am in line before the start…no more warm up…nowhere to go but within. look at us…we look like we feel; like cattle being led to slaughter…
***
Mars Hill Prologue
.6 of a mile
234 vertical feet
my time: around 2 minutes, 25 seconds
my average speed; 8.9 mph
my placing; uknown as of yet. lucky if i get near the top ten. huge field of racers.
my effort; cross-eyed 80% of the time, eyes closed the other 20%.
gearing; started in a 39/23 and stayed within two cogs of that range.
summary; one helluva way to start my Birthday. Love it.
***
When i got home from the Prologue, Ananda surprised me with some simple gifts and a wonderful, Love-packed Birthday Card signed by some of Flagstaff HP Yoga� Sangha…THANK YOU so much for your Love and Care!
well, i’ve done what i could to recover, now Sudhamani (my road bike) is repacked for the car transfer over to Williams, Arizona for Event #2 of the day; the Perkinsville Road Race. oh baby…it’s windy and it’s hot and it’s perfect for some Bardo Training…Warrior Up on Memorial Day Weekend…
below are a few of the Birthday Notes i found in my email today…thank you, all of you for your Metta.
i bow to you.
off to the races,
coach
***
Dear Steve,
happy birthday to you, and all the best for the race! and thank you for the
DL posting about it.
Yours,
Hans
Stuttgart, Germany
***
Happy Birthday
May each day be one of birth for you dear companion of the way. ?And may all your competitors ?see naught other than your backside!
I leave you with words to ponder for your race from a crazy old samurai who kicked ass, went and lived in a cave, and wrote about it all five centuries ago: “You win battles by knowing the enemy’s timing, and using a timing which the enemy does not expect.”
— Miyamoto Musashi // love, hakado ru ?Las Vegas, NV
***
Dear Coach,
�
sending you�Birthday Blessings and Chi for your Weekend of�Racing.
�
part of your Birthday Gift — dedicating my Weekend Practice to you.� may it benefit you,�especially during�your Race.� sending you Chi, Baby.� hey, just visualize my big-ass in front of you (riding 30= mph!!), creating one hell of a draft.
�
keep it tapped and wacked!!!�
�
bro, i feel for the rest of the peleton…
�
om mani padme hung.
�
Namaste,
ko
IN
***
Dear Coach,
��� My prayers and chi are with you today……. kick some ass !� It is an appropriate action — no?
�
Love,
student mc
NY
***
Steve,
May all your wishes and dreams come true 
Happy Birthday my Friend,
love ya
Trish
AK
***
most Noble coach ilg
i hope you raced and suffered well…gloriously.
i have had a little time to peruse and to ponder this Path.� i love what i read- especially between the lines and find that it speaks to me on a very deep level.��i must admit to some trepidation or fear.��i am out of balance- my body/mind/spirit/life feel out of synch…�and i� fear that i cannot pull this Path off- that it has gone too far- that it really might be too steep or that the determination and guts with which i have survived might have escaped me.� but i guess the only thing there is for me to do is to put one foot in front of the other/ one breath/ one asana�at a time, trusting in the Wisdom of the Universe contained in our cells’ Buddha Nature�and adopt Beginner’s mind/one mind in this Noble pursuit.��i can not remain where i am.� there are miles to go before i sleep and i want to travel with as much qi, Fitness,�and Consciousness as i can gather.� my journey and life’s works are too big and demanding for me to honorably or karmically consider anything less.�
i bow humbly and wait patiently at the venerated gates of your temple and seek admittance for study and guidance.� i am ready.� i will submit an application in the next days.�
in love and service,
steven w
whereabouts unknown
***
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!