"If you only believe that Buddha speaks no words,
Then the Lotus will blossom in your mouth."
- Sutra of Hui Neng
Namaste Noble Sangha!
oooof. my welcome back party to Flag took on the shape of a flying peleton this morning on the club road ride.
after a very full two weeks in LA, teaching and healing and meeting with uh, 'interesting' media type about a possible
Infomercial, i was tired this morning when my mental alarm went off (i do not need to set an 'alarm clock', i just set my internal one and inevitably i wake up within 5 minutes of the intended time).
do you recall my DL about, "Perpetuation of Rationalization"?
well, i had a ton of 'great' reasons (excuses) not to get my ass onto my bicycle this morning, however, i soldiered through the egoic cascades, and within moments of doing my WF Early Morning Ritual, the Pratyharic Drive drove me deeper into my internal fields and soon enough, i found myself feeling light, happy, and Sacred as i swung my leg over top tube and pedaled off into Blissful Paradise of a Flag early spring morning.
the local bros were gathered like birds at our meeting place downtown;
PAY N TAKE
which is also one of our new sponsors. totally local hang. the owner is a kickass multisport athlete devoted to supporting local outdoor athlete teams. please stop by for a brew when you are in town!
knowing that i have a lengthy list of suffering ahead of me if i am to just survive my first cycling race of the season at Durango's IRON HORSE BICYCLE CLASSIC over Memorial Day Weekend, i stretched my concentration into the pain as the swooping peleton took off on Lake Mary Road, building speed with each pedal stroke and dropping less conditioned riders out the back like a gigantic siphoning snake.
i took only two pulls at the nose of the peleton. i knew i needed to hurt and well, sure enough, the thrilling responsibility of pulling a 38-strong peleton of bicycle racers down the road is one sure way to hurt. i teamed up with current Arizona State Cat 1 Champion, JC, for my second pull. two months behind in my training put me into a significant 'spot of bother' as Paul Sherwyn might quip, as i tooled beside the Champ, head down, spine flat, Mula Bandha engaged, nose into the prevailing head wind, and up a roller. i knew my heart rate was approaching the Red Zone, a more advanced version of the Namaste space! i glanced at my computer which read my speed at 26mph...uphill and into the wind.
okay, enough.
"Sorry JC, i way behind in my training, i gotta peel."
"dat's cool," replied the Champ as if he i were sharing a cup of tea. it was the Champ's "off week," you see. whatever.
i peeled off and disappeared in the middle of pack, desperate to recover before 3.5 miles further when the treacherous three 'steps' would combust whatever remained of the peleton.
while in the relative (and i do stress RELATIVE) comfort of the pack, shaded from the monster wind, i mentally rehearsed Suzuki's dharma teaching about cultivating calmness in activity (see yesterday's DL). unfortunately for poor ilg, on this morning the Irish National Champion was in Flag training in the altitude. so, of course, whenever a 'big gun' is visiting town (which is often) the local big guns feel obligated to show off THEIR big guns, soooooo...for those of us who actually have jobs and don't race bikes for our income...well, we suffer like dogs even worse than usually on these rides. the pace was excruciating. my legs felt as if there were being torn from their sockets by a rabid Doberman. so i did what i allWays do in such Yoga moments; i went within. i defaulted to the Internal Locks, Trusted my Breath, and stepped by mind back to center.
then the Steps came.
by the end of the 8 minute slaughterhouse,
i felt fortunate and thankful for WF, BioBuilde, and the Secret Herbs of SUNRIDER to nail me an 11th place.
an hour fiftysome minutes and 53 miles later, i was back home, feeling fresh. not bad for a wheezing asthmatic who hadn't touched a bike since last October up until two weeks ago. God, i love this Path. the Yoga, the Dancing of the Body/Mind that it allows those of us who Practice her is such sweet magic.
tomorrow?
Around The Peaks mountain bike ride. 50+ miles with a groin popping 8,500' of climbing between 7,200' and 10,180'.
damn.
just writing that last sentence? kinda made me wonder why i didn't stay in LA a bit longer and just go to the beach.
oh yeah,
dat's right; i am a mountain yogi.
i walk my Path.
May you too, walk your own Path with sincerity, strength, and sacredness.
oh, and remember; i'll be on www.lime.com tomorrow as well as Sirius Satellite! see DL below for specifics.
finally,
before the weekend is over,
in case you have not read it yet,
my Beautiful Beloved has logged another exquisite Teaching in her blog...
be sure to read it as part of your Svadhyaya:
THE JOYFUL BREATH
as i close this,
Temple Cat Charlie just chased away two most STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL "Bullocks Orioles" who were pestering the nectar from our hummingbird feeder!
oh my Heavens! SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES!!!!!!!
YUM
YUM,
OM!!!!!!
be go(o)d,
do go(o)d...
love,
el coache
