March 06, 2003
INJURY & WAR
�Sometimes, in order to reach untroubled waters, we must brave turbulence. As long as humanity is governed by ignorance, greed, hatred, and indifference, we must expect such turbulence. Only a fully operational higher mind can guarantee safe passage in those moments.�
- georg feurstein
there is no need to email me anything else on the �war�
we need only look within our own lives to examine the roots of injury
outer wars are manifestations of injury to our higher mind
which increases our spiritual ignorance (avidya).
personal injury can often lead us to fresh new Doors of Awakening
but we must be brave enough to Listen
and loving enough to embrace the Teachings of the injury.
I created Wholistic Fitness to serve as a personal training system
that serves the whole being...
not fragments of who we are, but the totality of where we are.
thus, WF embraces injury and illness (and yes, wars) as Teachers.
circumstances arise during life.
some are challenging
others are easy
one cannot escape this Dance of complementary opposites
though many try
there will always be conflict because there will always be harmony
there will always be hot because there will always be cold
moist/dry
pleasure/displeasure
injury/health
my throat was sore yesterday.
(note; i did not say, �I HAD a sore throat, yesterday�...the difference between the two self-talk statements is the difference between sickness and health)
i skied hatless in cold wind the day before
and did a long stretch of teaching/healing work afterward
my energy grew tired and depleted
i felt soreness arise within my throat
so, i tripled dose my ILG SUPREME herbs from SUNRIDER
and
went into my special room at home
to do asana, pranayama, and meditation.
after 60 minutes of asana and 20 minutes of pranayama practice,
i used the sore throat as my meditation object
i then �swallowed the soreness�
into my well heated and opened
sushumna (main energy channel within the spine)
and brought it into muladhara (root chakra)
whereupon
i watched the throat soreness
disappear without drama
it simply melted into the apana vayu ( life force which abides in the lower spine)
just because i chose yoga to treat my sore throat
instead of VICKS SORE THROAT MEDICINE
doesn�t mean that one is better than the other.
but one USES the sore throat as a Vehicle Higher,
while the other
is an external crutch which does not support internal healing or spiritual growth.
Self Healing takes personal effort
it requires
inner
Listening
to the Wisdom
that comes through your higher mind.
sometimes,
when we are too quick to reach out for external medicines
we give away and diminish the potency of our internal medicine; pran! chi! life force!
so question everything that happens to you...
WF Warriors are trained not to jump into outward accepted terms and beliefs
for instance,
how many people are quick to get treatment for �herniated disks�
who TOLD you that you �had� a �herniated disk?�
why didn�t that person tell you that you have a
�compacted spine�
that simply needs to be lengthened and relaxed
so the impinged nerves
can be freed?
becoming a Noble Fitness Warrior
means seeing �injury�
as just that:
an �in-Jury�
an inner manifestation of energy
asking you to WITNESS
and LISTEN
to your life energy
when i fractured my back
i had enough mental training by my Teachers
so i did not identify myself with the injury...
Sabbe Dhamma Nallam Abhinivesha
�Nothing Whatsoever Should Be Clung To As �I� or �Mine�
thus, beyond the drama of the pain
and the self-pity of being unable to move
i accepted the in-Jury
and witnessed my new life Vehicle of Chronic Pain
as a Pathway Higher...
injury is not a problem
nothing
ever is
unless we mistake where our genuine Nature (atman)
truly is.
May Your Practice be full of fun and focus today...
i�m sitting here in my cycling clothes waiting for my bro, Steve Marlowe
to come by...
i think we�ll ride Old Topanga Canyon today..
and enjoy the sun, wind, and the growth of green upon the trees
and warmth in the sky...
i�m Thankful for the Masters and my Teachers
for teaching me how to �swallow� sore throats
so i can more fully in-joy
today on my bike and do other fun
and Blessed things
with my heart rate high
and my breath low...
maybe tomorrow i�ll get sick...
who knows?
but at least i have today
and
today
is all we ever need
to be
happy!
i bow to you,
coach ilg