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April 25, 2002 Thursday 9:23PM

...a good Yoga Workout Day

Today was a very good workout day.

7:45 AM - 20 minutes on the stair climber
then start work
1:00 PM - 60 minutes on weights (lunch break)
then back to work
5:00 PM - 90 minutes of Yoga

If everyday can start and end this way, I just might make it to one of those Eco-Challenges. With the exception of the Olympics, I guess every serious fitness buff dreams of participating in it one day.

Starting my day with a cardio program jump-starts it without the downside of caffeine. I notice a bounce on my stride for the remainder of the day. Amazing how a mere 20 minutes can change the next 24 hours.

I'd been doing Ashtanga Yoga weekly now for nearly 7 months and Hatha Yoga for nearly a month. I am fortunate to have Kiran Sohal, a certified yoga instructor, as my yogi. What used to be a curiosity is by now a lifestyle choice. Something to complement a well rounded fitness routine. At the gym, I satisfy my endurance with the stair climber and the ropes and my strength with weight training. With yoga, I add flexibility and relaxation, but more importantly, I get to train my mind - the most maverick component of them all. This came as a surprise. Ask any endurance athlete and they'll say the mind component is extremely essential in any sports activity. It spells the difference between quitting and taking one more step. Just ask John Stamstad. The climax of yoga is in the last 10 minutes when after exerting, twisting and holding a position, you get to lie flat on your back aided by proper breathing control. There is that collected feeling of oneself. Almost like a cleansing process where you awaken with renewed freshness...able to continue what remains of the day placidly amid the noise and haste (DESIDERATA).

Achieving a sense of heightened awareness through yoga perks my curiosity. Maybe yoga is a means to something more....not an end to itself. I feel a compelling urge to take it one step further. Going back into my high school days, the concept of astral projection was HOLY GRAIL. While there are several documented accounts, I'm still wary and skeptical if there is such a thing. However, if it exists, then I have to try it. Like online trading, the tragedy is not in failing but not having tried - life is too short. That beats the rush out of any 24 Hour Adrenaline race I can imagine. Imagine leaving your physical body behind and assuming a cosmic existence...even for only a short while. Wow! Sounds like stuff you just read about some enigmatic-esoteric-mystic-eastern transcendentalism.

Could it really happen? Well, there's only one way to find out.

--- TheLoneRider