Wholistic Fitness

Special Thanks to Shishya Leslie for provision of the killer quotes for this entry.

***

okay,
i’ll take you Extreme Skiing with me tomorrow,
today is just a LITTLE TOO BEAUTIFUL of an Emerging Early Spring Day
not to honor.

and how – exactly – does a WF Master Student honor a beautiful early spring day?

glad you asked…

Teaching #1:do Puja outdoors . Start your day with sacred gratitude for your health, your Teachers, all Beings in all Six Realms…
we are soooo Blessed!
Ananda doing Puja before “Shaky” our Temple Backyard Buddha.

Teaching #2: Practice “Om So Ti”. watch like a wolf your day for auspicious, happy omens.

“In these things (of nature)
there is deep meaning,
but if we try to express it,
we forget the words.”
– Toenmei

though this aspen tree has yet to bud,
deterred not was this butterfly getting the hole shot on spring.
Father Sky provides a mesmerizing backdrop.

Teaching #3; Do the DO!

“How can you come to know yourself?
Never by thinking; always by doing.
Try to do your duty, and you’ll know right away what you amount to.
And what is your duty?
Whatever the day calls for.”
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

i spend my Recovery Weeks doing things that keep my Heart Rate RELATIVELY low…
although my adrenalin spikes while doing some ‘high ball’ bouldering might beg to differ.
just days after winning the Worlds Highest Nordic Ski Race, my WF Conditioning allows me to
enjoy non-endurance sports such as climbing and bouldering at a terrifically fun and meaningful level.
the WF Master Student can change his or her body within a matter of days to whatever he or she wants.

the philosophy of WF is excruciatingly simple:
one must develop and be able to control the body (in all physiologic realms)
before ever even HOPING to control the mind or, certainly,
the spirit!

this bouldering area is located about five minutes from the WF Temple H(om)e.
it’s a wonderful, special little textured basalt outcropping next to the Rio de Flag.

let me introduce you to my two bouldering friends on this spring day;

that is 9-year old Josh bouldering above his older brother by five years, Justin.
these two live very close to the 5th dimension; they are truly special souls.

the little one was ‘recognized’ by Tibetan Lamas already. in fact, the Lamas, having Recognized
him, asked him to take up Monkhood for he was to be a Dharma Teacher for many.
the young Josh, grew silent for a long while.
wow, he must have thought, i could be like a Prince! that’s pretty cool!
more silence.
then, looking up to his mom and dad the little one with the big Dharma Light said,
“Mom? Dad? i would like to be a Lama but then i couldn’t snowboard too much. that would bum me out.”

smart kid. no wonder why i dig him.

oh, and his older brother is quite the Light himself; not only did he school me on two boulder problems yesterday,
he taught me a thing or two about Shakespeare, Riparian environments, and practiced politeness like
no other 14 year-old i’ve seen.

they each had just won Gold Medals in snowboard and ski racing this past weekend.

it’s vital for ‘grown ups’ to hang out and do cool things with cool kids. especially in spring!

Teaching #4: Just Observe

“It would imply the regeneration of mankind,
if they were to become elevated enough
to truly worship sticks and stones.”
– Henry David Thoreau

after a long winter, relishing the arc of Grandfather Sun in his slow dance across Father Sky is truly vital
for the human soul nourishment. Ananda feeding her soul on Red Fox Deck as the Ujjayi of Ponderosa wind
kisses her skin.

Teaching #5: Engage Your Meditation

“A vigorous five-mile walk will do more for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult
than all the medicine and psychology in the world.”
– Paul Dudley White, M.D.

i Taught you many, many years ago about Passive and Active forms of meditation.
it is no go(o)d to leave your meditation on the zafu cushion.
the WF Master Student must bring out his or her zen into the fresh, clean air.
make it dance with the body cells in movement and productive, helpful work!
as Gibran said, “Work is Love made visible.”

Teaching #6: ReMind Yourself Often

like my story of my early childhood sartori in my book, THE OUTDOOR ATHLETE,
i still create dozens of WF Lifestyle Principle Re-Mind-ers for myself such as
inscribing the WF Sacred Mantra and OM symbol on my garden rake.
this helps to Re-Mind me to dedicate my emptiness of form to Brahman.
it helps also to Re-Mind me to bring Sacred Gratitude for all the things i am raking up and upon and within.
it helps also to Re-Mind me to switch back and forth between my Dominant and NonDominant hands (and hip stance…see above photo; i am practicing sinking into my Stance). at the Master Student Level of WF; truly, “Our Workout is Everywhere.”

Teaching #7; Breathe, Breathe, BREATHE!

“Breathing in,
be one with your own breath.
Breathing out,
be one with your own breath.”
– Instructions on Sitting.

Ananda, a WF Master Student and Teacher of this beautiful, unique, powerful Path of Transformation,
knows well the myriad benefits of the WF Temple Teaching of “Pranayama Appetizers” given to WF Online Students
during their Intermediate Level of Studies.

next to the warm fire,
beneath the cold blast of stars,
one simple day lived
along the precious Path of WF
is more than just a simple, precious day.

and that,
my Noble Sangha,
is just the point.

Tomorrow; EXTREME SKIING IN TELLURIDE WITH ME!!!!!!