vrkasana
Those of you that live in Durango and take our weekly HP Yoga™ classes, you already know that we begin our practice with a recitation of this most ancient of prayers which all Buddha’s of the past have reportedly prayed. By doing so, we connect ourselves with that astonishingly relevant Tribe of Awakened Spiritual Athletes which goes back in time for eons.
Warriorship is about being brave enough (read; fearless) to be gut honest with ourselves every step of the Way. When our own mOM is encountering a possible Bardo Entry, it’s a pretty interesting Mirror in which to watch our mind, our ego, and our emotional waves. The egoic default system in place seems unflappably fastened to our Being; “Oh, poor me…having to clean up this diarrhea again when i could be out riding my bike or skiing or doing asana…” How many seconds, minutes, hours, days, lifetimes does it take before our Higher Self rises above the ego and emotions to herald, “This IS your yoga! This IS your Practice…so PRACTICE!”
If any current WF Student comes closest to my definition of a Wholistic Fitness Yogi, my Precious Online Student and old friend from Santa Fe, Josh Schrei currently is on the podium. i am currently training this highly skilled, experienced, and tapped in ashtangi for an ultra-distance trail race this spring in New Mexico. Not many yogis that i have met thus far in my life, display such fitness across the physiologic spectrum matched by such a high level of spiritual ripeness.
For ANYONE in our Tribe who can get to Santa Fe this Saturday night, do so. Student Josh is going to crank off a chi-filled presentation: The Lake of Nine Devotions: A Photographic Journey Though India
As promised, here’s a free streaming version of my new Medium Form™ video. You might still want to order the DVD so you can play it on a DVD player, and it also makes an IDEAL Gift for that athlete or friend you know that is too “scared” of yoga, but needs flexibility and stress reduction!
OFFICIAL TEMPLE DOCUMENT: Attention All Members, the TRIGGER NOTES for steve ilg’s MEDIUM FORM FLEXIBILITY™ DVD is now posted in the WF SanghaLounge, under PRODUCTS/Medium Form i’m gonna try to upload the FREE MEDIUM FORM emovie for all Members by Wednesday so you’ll have it for the holiday! Keep Cranking Within, coach ilg photo; Joy […]
Like vapors of the Ancient One’s ujjayi breathing, in the HP Yoga™ tradition, the Iron-fisted Chaturanga still remains a pranically-potent catalyst of all principles sacred to the High Mountain Yogi Tradition…the “Ilg Loincloth” exclusively by www.verveclimbing.com Below, i describe how to safely enter, sustain, and exit this nadic-firing posture of the Ancient Ones and describe the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits.
This is THE CLASSIC Flexibility Routine of Wholistic Fitness™ since 1982! Originally appeared in Coach’s old, “4 Kinesthetic Teachings of WF” VHS video! Watch and flow with Coach as he enjoys demonstrating this ultra-classic sequence in only 3 1/2 minutes which back in the 1980’s helped usher in the acceptance of “yoga for athletes” before even the word “Yoga” was acceptable by mainstream athletes!
taking asana (seat) within the gloriously rigorous (for me & most other cardio/strength athletes) Bharadvajasana at my Temple H(om)e zendo. each yoga asana is intended as a meditation enhancer, so the Instructions are simple; strike a pose, and meditate in it. below i describe how after a couple of decades of practice, i was finally able to ‘take seat’ in this majestic posture…
Bharadvajasana (variation)…
Traditional Benefits – lumbar and dorsal spine mobility igniting all the chakral fields (when Mula, Uddiyana, and Kantha Mudras are engaged). MahaYogi Iyengar says it treats arthritic and stiff spines. FeebleYogiIlg knows from Direct Experience that this posture really solidified the fact that i WAS going to self heal from my spinal paraylsis and smashed pelvis…i recall quite a Chakral M(om)ent practicing this posture in my sweatlodge of a trailer home on the Poaquque Reservation, NM. Bharadvaja was a father of warriors in the Mahabharata. This posture honors him.
How To Do It…
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
