July 30, 2002
WHAT ABOUT NOW?
A Tribute To Stephan
Beautiful Body/Mind Fitness Warriors...
I had planned, and was penning, a piece about family fitness, based upon my first Family Reunion up in Pismo Beach this weekend. Coming home, i got word that one of my best friends and spiritual fitness mentors, Stephan Frease, had been found dead in his apartment in Boulder, Colorado.
Life is like that. A lot of change. Or, as i have learned to see It, a lot of Dance. The Dance continues whether or not we know or enjoy some of the steps.
One does not make ones Way in life as a professional extreme athlete without coming to terms with the varied Dances of Death. I only have a few friends...friends that knew me as extreme athlete, each day never knowing if my skin touch coffin or couch come night. I have only a couple of friends that really know me...Stephan was one.
An acclaimed pioneer of Pilates, Stephan became an artist after his son, Devon, died from cancer at age 13. I there through the whole hauntingly quick transformation from healthy, adorable kid to cancer victim. Steph never really recovered. My correspondence with him afterward turned ever more poetic, visceral, and Divine. There are very few spiritual fitness artists, self made men devoted to finding their own Soul Way in a commercialized and corporate world.
In fact, any quality you might find enjoyable about my own style of fitness teaching and counsel was surely influenced largely by the charismatic genius and beauty of Stephan. His body was extraordinary; legs of a sprinter, torso of a dancer. His blonde, flowing locks turned mystic silver after Devon passed on...he was so perfect, a lover, father, fitness warrior, poet, and painter.
The next time you come to LA for an Intensive, i�ll show you the paintings Stephan did for my marriage to Kathy last November. I�ll take you over to Beverly Hills where i lived with him and assisted his Pilates teaching to movie stars, celebrity, and playmates. Once, i nearly burned down his condo on Gregory Drive after leaving for a Hollywood party and forgetting to put out the candles (Stephans insisted form of household light). Upon looking at his scorched carpet and walls, he lifted his pale blue gaze toward me, kissed me saying,
�Darling...you should have let me known i was not giving you enough attention!�
I�ve studied under some very High Teachers, but none with as much panache, as much human authenticity as Stephan...
�Dear Diane -
i opened your email about the death of my best friend
while the coastal mountains were sustaining a sunset
and the Pacific lapped methodically at a sandy
foam lipped edge...
pelicans were flying into elsewhere...
but Stephan�s passing is here, now
so too, is my grief...
my bewilderment holding hands with yours...
tears
breath barely squeezes past contracting heart...
lungs tightened by
memories of Stephan and i
my legs nearly give way,
and my whole body sways in the manner of palm fronds.
i opened your email about the death of my best friend
before my Beloved wife could ever meet
my most Beautiful Teacher,
Lover
Father
Friend
Artist
Poet
and
perhaps the most Brave and Noble Spiritual Warrior this world has ever known...
i will call you
as your grief settles
into a certain
implacable Darkness
the same as mine
Love has lost a most
creative arm
the Great Song has lost a most
treasured chorus
our World has lost
another Buddha
but maybe,
just maybe
upon a Higher Realm
Devon,
son of Stephan dead from cancer at age 13,
has regained his Father in heaven...
I recall these words from Stephan
as i was editing his manuscript,
"Whispers From A Dewdrop."
I wrote to him of my beautiful new wife...and of our wedding
which he could not attend because of his artistic poverty...
these words from him linger
as does this ocean twilight
seemingly scared of the inevitable Darkness;
"i shall float through the rest of my evening with the image of you, bathed in candle light and kathy, reading my nonsense to her."
the night that
i opened your email about the death of my best friend
melancholy
pensiveness
but also a deep sense of abiding calm...swept over me
Stephan is within
i feel the genius of his amazing Light
after shedding so many selfish tears
i took Kathy
hand in hand
we walked to the ocean in Santa Barbara
lying in moist sand
beneath a shudder of stars
poetry - Stephan's Voice -
spilled from my lips
and continued
for a moonlit eternity
his channeled verse endured
long after Kathy had fallen asleep
to the thumping of the waves...
i
shall work harder and Higher than ever before
to make sure Stephan�s essence remains a part of
It
All...
love and inner Light,
steve ilg
July 25, 2002
OF WHISPERING SHADOWS, SCURRYING LIZARDS, & IMMUNOLOGY
Early morning shadows spill across El Caballero trail like whispers of a day yet to be. I like riding Grunt (my mountain bike) before breakfast. I enjoy the feeling of what yogis know as Laghutva or the �sensation of bodily lightness.� I�ve always preferred to �run on empty.� I feel the power of the Universe pour through me when there is little food in my gut. It�s a vibratory thing, but i also enjoy the physiological benefit from knowing i am burning bodyfat by the boatload whenever i do pre breakfast cardio workouts. Get the metabolism kick started early, the day just rolls.
After ascending the steep, stony path of �El Cab�, Grunt and I turn right on dirt Mullholland where we head deeper into the Santa Monicas. Today, i will see but two other cyclists and only five hikers. This is common during the weekdays. This mountain range is a rare and precious gem, one which is glittered by the Pacific on one side and mega-cities on all others. But rare is the time Grunt and i see more than a dozen people. Instead, we encounter company that I actually prefer over humans anyway; lizards, ravens, wind, and trees.
The people that i do meet up here however, are brothers and sisters of mine... we are all fitness warriors. Today, I smile through my sweat at an adorable elder man wearing an outfit from what looked like the Scottish Highlands. His wrinkled skin in contrast with the sinewy strong appearance of his legs. We cast furtive glances as we pass each other and sense our Namaste space...our sacred kinship. �Hills make all men brothers,� said a mountain sage, and it is true. But our love for one another, sacred or not, is too well tempered by the illusion of separateness as well as the need to complete our early aerobic dance and return to the grumble of daily life.
Completing my circuit among the chaparral and serpentine singletrack, i descend �El Cab� at high speed down concrete dirt. To my right, a small deer explodes out of the way from Grunt who is just flying down the final headwall. I just hold onto his handlebars and breathe softly into his beauty. We are One: Grunt and i. Our yoga is go(o)d together.
Now off the dirt, rolling toward home. With head down, crouched low, i time trial past angry car drivers and overbuilt mansions that use way too much water for far too many superfluous things. Overhead, Father Sky builds his heat with wave upon wave of blue into blue.
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Here, I answer a Question from an ultra cycling student regarding his use of SUNRIDER herbs:
Dear Coach -
You mentioned a Sunrider herb that I could be taking for respiratory ailments. You said it was one of the components of Quinary...is it also available on its own?
� yes, but i want you to do two herbal formulas...the same two i used with fantastic success in my 15+ years of ultra racing/multisport competing.
RE: If so, would it be beneficial for me to take additional quantities than what I get in 2 packets of Quinary per day?
� yes. Quinary is wonderful food that supports all five organ systems. however, add the following herbal formulas everyday for the next 6 months and get back to me:
HERBAL FORMULA #1)
ALPHA 20 C
get the 1/2 lb Bulk Container: #1911500
$103.20
it comes with a little scoop. just SMELL the POWER of the concentrated CHI when you open it! KABOOM!!!!!! tremendous support for the T-Cell component of your immune system.
HERBAL FORMULA #2)
CONCO
100 caps per bottle: #192501
$23.40
this supports the respiratory system specifically.
you can read about these products at http://www.sunrider.com
i've also closed this email with some additional info on these tremendous herbs! you will NEVER feel as strong as you will, once your immune system(s) aren't forced to work triple overtime!
RE: Watching all these amazing guys (and gals) work that hard on the bike just inspired me to get back on the bike and try to overcome this hellish season of allergies.
� totally bro! we GOTTA get those allergies behind you! keep with the yoga; the compression of the glands will balance the respiration hormones and the Ujjayi breathing will fight fire with fire! you'll get purified, strong, and clear baby!
Namaste,
Coach ilg
July 24, 2002
Namaste Noble Warriors -
below i answer driving directions to my West LA yoga classes which begin tomorrow and are every Tuesday & Thursday from 6:00 pm to 7:30...
following the directions, i answer a common question from a student regarding his bewildering infatuation with yoga...
See you in class, keep your Practice strong...
coach ilg
www.wholisticfitness.com
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Most Noble Yogi Joey -
RE:
?? Can you send me directions to Tuesday/Thursday evening class in Westwood????
� sure, you can visit:
www.MarkBlanchardsPowerYoga.com/locations.html
or here are some quickie directions:
FROM THE VALLEY:
405 South.
Exit I-405,San Diego Fwy via ramp at sign reading "Olympic Blvd / Pico Blvd" and go South for 600 feet
Turn right on Sawtelle Blvd and go Northwest for 700 feet
Turn right on W Olympic Blvd and go Northeast for 0.7 miles
Turn left on Westwood Blvd and go Northwest for 130 feet to 2180 Westwood Blvd
...immediate Right into underground parking at the mall located at 2180 Westwood Blvd. the MARK BLANCHARD POWER YOGA studio is on the upper story.
FROM THE WESTSIDE...
take your pick...but just get to the intersection of Westwood and Olympic and you will see the studio on the NorthEast corner, 2nd story of a small mall.
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WHY, AM I SO PSYCHED ABOUT YOGA?
Dear Coach Ilg -
My name is todd bishop. I live in Oregon and have all your books and your unbelievable HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA video!
i'm not sure why i want to know the Wholistic Fitness way so bad but i'm hooked."
�
Dear Warrior Todd -
the intense inner fire that you feel toward doing your yoga and fitness Practice is what yogis know as mumukshutva or 'desire for liberation'. basically, the Higher Self of you, Todd, is longing for escape from your egocentric habits and conditioned patterns of thought. your inner fire to transcend the voluminous chains of your ego personality senses the need for intense commitment to a genuine Path of Self-realization, in this case, Wholistic Fitness (and it's sub-discipline; High Performance Yoga).
you are 'hooked' because fitness is your natural or 'karmic' Yoga..or union. you are mumukshu...one who is aspiring to liberation as opposed to the 'pleasure seeker' (or bubhukshu).
most of the mass of men are addicted to comfort and pleasure and chase it for the rest of their lives, never realizing that pleasure is to be transcended through discipline and commitment in order to find eternal and true Joy.
pleasure and happiness is fleeting, but Joy is sacred and eternal. read this from the Taittirya Upanishad:
"From Joy all beings are born.
By Joy they are all sustained.
And into Joy they again return."
May your Practice remain strong and sincere,
namaste!
coach ilg
wholisticfitness.com
July 22, 2002
Namaste Noble Herb Eaters!
As if by Divine Design, the very moment I sent off my most recent SUNRIDER herb update to you all of you, the postman delivers two gems:
Gem #1)
"Dear Coach Ilg -
Sunrider Herbs are working great! On July 4th I ran in a 4-mile road race and had a personal best time of 30:38! Before the race I had consumed an 'Ilg Supreme" like we did at the Wholistic Fitness Summer Retreat. I feel this had favorable results in my performance. It was so cool Coach, at the third mile marker I started to close the gap on this guy who always beats me and at 3.5 miles, I passed him! I ended up 1:30 ahead of him and finished 2nd in my age division, 6th overall! I don't know Coach, herb and a Zen thing I guess! Thanks again, I continue to work on my practice and am looking forward to our next meeting. 'May your practice remain strong.'"
Namaste,
Student Scott Adams, ME.d, LPC
Gem #2) My SUNRIDER monthly check arrives...ah! Rent is paid again! THANK YOU SUNRIDER!!!!!
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For those of you SUNRIDER'S in or near LA...
on Wednesday, August 7th at the Hilton in downtown LA, kathy and I get to see my old friend and SUNRIDER upline angel; TRISH CHILDERS!!! Want to learn more about herbs? Want to learn how to have SUNRIDER pay YOUR rent or mortgage or more? Then please come too! Just let me know!
���
For those of you interested in SURNIDER HERB Product Info or Business Building, TRISH CHILDERS holds a MONDAY NIGHT SUNRIDER CONFERENCE CALL! SUPERB WAY to learn about the HERBS! I'd be all over it, but i teach yoga on that night...here is the number: so 978/431-1111
ext 553.
the call is every monday evening, 8 PM EST. contact TRISH directly at: innersearch@earthlink.net
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Special Acknowledgments to the following SUNRIDERS in the ILG downline for helping others Higher through Herbs...
Dorman Baltazar
Joseph Sheader
Quentin Vaughan
Blair Lyon
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Eat An Herb and Be The Beauty You Are!
namaste!
coach ilg
wholisticfitness.com
HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA
World Class Yoga by a World Class Athlete
� NEW CLASSES
� NEW WESTSIDE LOCATION!
� PRIME TIME!!!
� BEAUTIFUL STUDIO!
Tuesdays & Thursdays; 6:00 - 7:30 pm!
CLASSES BEGIN THURSDAY, JULY 25th!
HP YOGA NOW OFFERED EXCLUSIVELY IN WEST LA
AT MARK BLANCHARD'S POWER YOGA!
Westwood Blvd & Olympic
Steve Ilg's HIGH PERFORMANCE (HP) YOGA is a fitness based approach to a totally focused, fun, progressive, and challenging Practice. HP Yoga classes prioritize structural and physiologic integrity of joints, organs, and mind and are sequenced from twenty years of professional fitness training and elite multi-sport experience. Now you can experience this 'secret weapon' of body/mind fitness that propelled Steve to five World Championships in four different sports! Steve is an international fitness trainer, licensed USCF coach, top selling book author, and Senior Teacher with Mark Blanchard's Power Yoga system.
Come to class and Rise Above!
2180 Westwood Blvd., Suite 2A
NE corner of Olympic and Westwood
underground parking
(310) 441-3773
www.MarkBlanchardsPowerYoga.com
www.WholisticFitness.com
July 21, 2002
NAMASTE NOBLE WARRIORS!
I am sitting here with Wholistic Fitness Master Student John 'Hakado Ru' Kuhlman, our website angel. He is attempting to teach me how to use this 'Blog' so I can more regularly update all my most beautiful students of Wholistic Fitness and High Performance Yoga. I will also be using this forum for my Sunrider Nutrition Updates. So, visit here often for all the latest updates regarding the amazing world of Wholistic Fitness! I bow to you and may your Practice remain strong and sincere!
- Coach Ilg