We cannot hope to die peacefully if our lives have been full of violence, or if our minds have mostly been agitated by emotions like anger, attachment, or fear…
Noble Sangha,
slowly, slowly the West attempts to grok what Eastern Masters have smilingly lived, died, and have been reborn with for generations…
Meet James
I can’t say that “i’ve always dreamed of skiing with a daughter on winter afternoons in my hometown..” However, ilg’s gotta admit; this works too. I’ve lived in Durango most of my life…yet, sometimes, in mOMents like this one? i gotta pinch myself to see if i’ve not already ascended to some Heavenly Realm of the Buddha…i swear, in Durango the rivers, creeks, trees, snow, and birds all seem to me to sing the Dharma in the most seductive of ways…
Though our skin may be of pink or red or brown hues,
though our age may be young or old,
though our personal hills may be covered by snow,
or pavement,
or dirt,
or maybe our steepest hills are emotional…
Riding the glide, baby! if you woulda asked me 20, 30 years ago if i’d be still be winning Overall victories at age 48? I probably woulda replied with youthful chi-fire in my eyes, “Hell Yeah!” and dat’s precisely what is still happening! THANK YOU, Wholistic Fitness™ for imparting such longevity to national class fitness across the physiological spectrum! photo of ilg during last weekend’s 10k Freestyle Pursuit courtesy; Durango Nordic Club. Each time the pain grew more intense, i relaxed into it…
Each time the Voices in my head screamed to ‘back off,’ i saw your face (yes, YOU!) and ventured deeper into the Voices until the Voices lost their voice and i found myself in a Higher Realm…
Remind me again why the hell i should NOT raise my daughter to be a nordic ski racer? futilely yet steadfastly chasing last year’s champion, Clay Moseley – a world class cyclist – during last Sunday’s 10k Chama Ski Classic. elevation; close to 10,000’. remember, this the day AFTER racing a 15k Freestyle race at the same elevation! as you can see, i’ve at least manufactured a big gap between myself and third place…more importantly, i’m trying to put seconds between myself and anyone else in the King Of The Mountain (KOM) competition which goes to the fastest Classic 10k skier and 5k Snowshoer…as you’ll soon read, i would lose my KOM title by 40 seconds. photo by Pat Hogan.
i can do it, i can do it…i kept telling myself…up and over a short roller, we went..we passed a lap racer…Tim was in the finishing straight, the people were cheering, nordic bells were ringing…this is why we race…i stabbed my ski poles in a vicious manner, pumping out my V2 cadence with as much Warrior verve as i could muster.
i finished 2 seconds behind him, 7th Overall…3rd in my Age Group.
tomorrow would be another day; MY DAY TO DEFEND MY KING OF THE MOUNTAIN TITLE! could i do it…especially after wasting myself on this brutally beautiful 15k? hmmm….
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Coach’s Teachings
Most teachings are for Wholistic Fitness Members only. Some are complimentary.
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!
You have access to thousands of posts going all the way back to 2002. The Archives makes for ideal Svadhyaya, and if you don’t know what that important term means ... all the more reason to dive into these amazing WF Scriptural Recordings!
Checking out one or two archived teachings every day or so is an AMAZINGLY EFFECTIVE way to stay connected with your Tribe AND maintain consistency and motivation in what matters most: your own practice.
Note: We'll be fixing broken image links, and cleaning up the categorization of archived posts, over time.
Photo of Coach and daughter Dewachen, living the Path (upside down!) by www.jamesqmartin.com