Wholistic Fitness

It is said that “Transmission matters more than Teaching.” If so, then my beautiful HP Yogi Ben “Patki Dass” Sullivan is a shining example of ‘getting it.’ After riding and racing bikes for years with dozens and dozens of other cyclists, it required only one long training ride together on some Sacred Terrain for this young, noble warrior to assimilate a far more productive, elegant, and powerful bike position. Perhaps the most underacknowledged trait of a Teacher in the West is their capacity to Transmit. You can easily tell when a Teacher truly embodies the Path which They teach or represent. Whenever i was/am around my own Teachers, i Sense that They are allWays “on”…endlessly radiating Lessons that i can absorb if my Awareness is keen and sincere enough. photo: during the Sandia Crest HillClimb last year where i won the 40+ division. Heidi Snell Photography

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on a mountain bike training ride up Abineau with Patki Dass last summer. our goofy grins could be attributed to the fact that we were hammering up past 10,700′ and i know that i could barely see straight. photo/patki dass

Before moving to Flag from Montana, a mutual friend and former racing partner of mine – State Champion Mike Longmire – told young Ben,
“You listen to that crazy ilg when you get to Flag, you hear me? he will help your cycling.”

Ben listened.
He emptied his cup.
He took my yoga classes.
He signed up with BioBuilde.
He trusted me when his cycling friends said his muscles were getting “too big” from the yoga he was doing with me. they told him to quit wasting his training time doing yoga when he outta be on his bike. Ben trusted me when i encouraged him to just keep coming to yoga.

The result? Within a year PatkiDass went from mid-pack to top ten Nationals in Mountain Biking and recently turned Pro.

His cycling friends? Well, let’s just say their sport performances have not been nearly as dramatic.

What will it take for the Light of Yoga to penetrate the muck of conventionally trained athletes stuck-in-specificity?

Here is an exchange that Patki Dass and i enjoyed this morning. May it bring Tapas to your Training,
coach ilg

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Namaste El Coache,
once again, you hosted a BEAUTIFUL yoga class last night. i love when we do old positions that feel new all over again – like gecko pose – it’s been a couple of weeks, and it felt totally different.

COACH:
i love my Patki Dass!
that is such a beautiful description of the never ending, allWays beginning process of asana!

PATKI DASS:
FYI, since riding wupatki {a training route near Flagstaff} with you in december and watching your great cycling position, my front end {Pakti here refers to his upper torso position on the bicycle) is SO much lower – it’s allowed me to trade pulls with lovedog {nickname for local pro/Cat 1 State Champion, Doug Loveday} on the saturday group rides while everyone else is coming apart.

humbly,
patkidass.

COACH:
it’s all yoga, baby.
you listened. you Trusted in the Path. you stayed steady on the Path when the outer world tried to convince you to swerve away.
now, you See just how important Abhyasa truly is!

oh, and the improved sport performance that you are enjoying?
it’s just the tip of the iceberg, baby!

let’s ride soon.

spine elegant, breath low,
ec