Wholistic Fitness

Merry Fitness Christmas, Oh Noble WF Tribe!



May All Beings Enjoy Their Breath and Posture on this tremendous day of opportunity to spread deep rooted Joy and Peace! After a very long and challenging year which Gifted me greater forbearance and patience than i knew existed within my cells, it was finally time for me to visit biologic and spiritual family nested along the Rio Grande. So it came to pass, Ananda and i took only a few simple weapons of the Wholistic Fitness Way…



�…a few simple weapons of the Wholistic Fitness Way.� Skis, snowboards, snowshoes, all Tools that i use to mine ever deeper appreciation of the Lord�s exquisite Creation. As Franco Columbo, the great Sicilian bodybuilder used to say, �Why travel light, when you are strong?�



Road Warrior. during my years as a sponsored climber, i would travel the highways and backroads of Turtle Island (aka; North America). during long drives i would apply yogic internal locks such as Mula Bandha and practice Pranayamic (breath control) exercises to control my mind. this mental and energetic management was required for me to stay alive in the high mountains as well as perform at world class levels. Give me an open road and i will quiet my chattering mind. As my mind quiets, God�s Beauty dances within and without!



Red Rocks, alpenglow. Window Rock, New Mexico. Capital of the Navajo Nation. H(om)e for feeble ilg. among these mystic rocks and mystic People i have several first ascents and many podium finishes in all sorts of outdoor sports. i cherish God by cherishing my love of fitness. Abuse of the body is God abuse. Under conditioning of the body is under appreciation of God�s Gift to you; Yourself! To love God, love yourself enough to get and remain Wholistically Fit; strength, cardio, yoga, meditation, and nutrition!



Some of my Teachers. The remaining head Feline Upaguru of my family; Mr. Hobbes. Mr. Hobbes is 130 years old in estimated comparative human physiologic terms. Mr. Hobbes is a living embodiment of Zen Flesh, Zen Bones. He is nothing but Love, Chi, and Bones. i bow to Mr. Hobbes. one of my Sadhanic Kriyas (Practice Goals) is to age in my body as gracefully, as lovingly, as CHI-fully as Mr. Hobbes. He still has more energy than most kittens and he knows and follows only Loving Kindness. Merry Christmas, Mr. Hobbes! (i used to take Mr. Hobbes around Boulder, Colorado with me in the eighties in a mussette while riding my motorcycle. I also used to take him rock climbing…he�d hang out at the bottom of the cliffs waiting for me! This cat has lived a life than most humans only dream of! Action within God�s world keeps us youthful and appreciative!)



This is Bonnie, second in the Ilg Feline Lineage. At 13 human years old herself, Bonnie teaches me poise, gracefulness of movement, and forbearance. a noted �nip nose�, Bonnie remarkable EarthWalk includes dozens of epic adventures inspired by her endless curiosity that inevitably invites, �trouble.� Some highlights include a solo high desert survival because she sneaked into someone elses car! Three months later, torn by coyotes, barely 5 pounds from lack of food, and nearly dead from dehydration, she managed to escape the wilderness and someone found her, close to death on a backporch which looked a little bit like ours, except that it was thirty miles away from our home! She developed a variety of illnesses from that adventure; her Chi kept her alive. Once, trapped in a chimney in Colorado, Bonnie survived for three and half days without food or water and without the ability to even move. Covered with soot, barely alive, the person living in the home opened the damper of his fireplace to start a fire, and a barely recognizable �Bonnie� dropped out! Into the hospital she went…nearly dead, Chi keeping her alive. �Curiosity kills the cat,� is a saying only for mediocre cats, not Bonnie! Why do you think i coach so much from Chi Development? Personal fitness is not so much about muscles and �correct� eating �habits�…it�s about developing the CHI, baby!!!!!! i bow the venerable Bonnie! Merry Christmas, Bonnie!



This is my boy, Spencer Sandis Smith. i love him. he teaches me; Love and Acceptance of who we are. he is big, he is a bit fat (big boned, really…okay, fat.), and the most kind Being i have ever met. i bow to Spencer. Merry Christmas, Spencie!



Abby, the youngest on the Ilg Feline Lineage. A deeply abused kitten (all of our Animal Companions come from the Humane Society), Abby has taught me deep lessons about Skepticism, Karmic Impurity, and the Power of Love. I bow to Abby. Merry Christmas, Abby!



My mom�s 51-year old styrofoam church that is somehow still standing.



God�s 300 million year old church; Sandia Mountain, south crest. i took this shot the day before yesterday during a backcountry ski.



my mom�s manger scene…with me my whole life…i used to play with the figures until i broke one of the three wise men. guess he wasn�t so wise after all!



God�s manger. Snow, slopes, & sky; the three wise men in my bible!



mom�s 14 year old gingerbread house. another Christmas Chi Miracle somehow still standing…



God�s gingerbread house; Father Sky above, Mother Earth below, the four Directions are His four walls. His House never stands still, yet never crumbles.



Ahhh…New Mexico green chile, huevos rancheros, and Calli tea, baby! with an Ilg Supreme made from SUNRIDER HERBS, you kiddin� me?!?! it�s time to PLAY ALL DAY out in Christ�s Mass….let�s go!



the ol� coach still showing some Nordic skate skiing form at 10,700� along Sandia Crest. my once National Nordic Team fitness may not still be around, yet my enjoyment of dancing upon a white canvas of the Lord�s World is deeper than ever before!



why you should not eat yellow snow…



where the Nordic skate skiers stop, the Wholistic Fitness Warrior keeps going; upwards on snowshoes now…toward the summit…Christmas is to me, about the intensity of what yogis know as IshvaraPranidhana…Surrender to the Lord! Gotta be empty, gotta sweat, gotta BREATHE with NO MIND, gotta Surrender baby, to FEEL His Grace Flow THROUGH us! Ananda, at heart rate 200? plows through some luscious southwest powder enroute to the summit!



a little bit of bouldering on snowshoes before the summit ridge…



�Understanding can come,

Spontaneously clear

As daylight in a cave.

Stay the path.�

– j.kilpatrick

Here then, is where the spirit of Christmas sings loudest to my soul! Ananda, after over 2 hours of High Performance Yoga applied to the Snow Studio…stands atop the Sandia Crest at over 11,350�…yeah baby! Merry Christmas Ananda!



and to all…go(o)d Night!