March 29, 2003
Beautiful Fitness Warriors -
i am away from internet access until tuesday, so please enjoy your Practice, review our archives, and release into the Dance of the Moment..
i bow to you from out and about...
coach ilg
March 27, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
man, are my thighs pumped!
a fireplace to my right crackles and the play of snowflakes fall outside my window. all of Creation seems potent and right at hand as i type these words to you from one of my old mountain yogi haunts; Taos, New Mexico.
i wanted to take my Beloved wife Kathy, here, to show her another fragment from my old life. we just got back from snowshoeing 1,300' up double diamond ski runs. as our heart rates seemed to reach the quadruple digit range, the hallmark soft, dry southwest snow fell sweet as sugar among the pines as if to dye them a garment of vanilla instead of green.
i must leave you now, faithful DL readers, for the Abundance of each moment is firm while i am here and there is much i wish to revisit. know that ilg is being refueled by his high altitude like a night bird being roused by moonlight. i leave you with some recent Student input as i get psyched to telemark ski the hell out of this mountain tomorrow!!!
May Your Practice be strong and sincere...
from the Land of the Dry Snows...
coach ilg
���
"Namaste, Steve
I have found in my yoga practice that the right side of my spine is somehow stiffer than the left. Still can't get it to balance. What's up with that? >>
- Linda
Beautiful Linda,
why are they different?
unconscious postural patterns that you have done for decades.
for example, when 'wiping' yourself after going to the bathroom, how long has it been since you wiped with your non-dominant hand?
how long has it been since you opened your car door handle with your non-dominant hand?
vacuumed your carpet with your non-dominant hand?
this is how we become Unconscious...and...imbalanced.
yoga irons out the differences and makes it fun to become more coordinated and more balanced in the body, breath, and even....the mind.
enjoy the Journey
coach ilg
��
March 26, 2003
�Between truth and the search for truth, i opt for the second.�
- Bernard Berenson
Namaste Noble Warriors!
i never know what i am going to come home to on my phone machine...but THIS message from Student Kendo of CT had me laughing out loud. you want Real Life Yoga? you want Zen Flesh, Zen Bones? you want to hear just HOW effective WF training can be when you start applying her Teachings into your life? then just listen to these words from fellow Tribesman Kendo....enjoy:
�Dear Coach Ilg -
i am calling to tell you about my experience of recent. i think we are making some REAL progress in my training!
i have never been an �animal person� too much. never had a pet as a kid. what has happened that through my family it has ended up that i have been in charge of a 12 week old puppy which i have been with now every day all day long along and...with a cat.
when it all started i decided to really use this new situation with animals as a new form of training, just as you have instructed me to do with the circumstances of life. �welcome them all as Teachers,� as you have told me. so i said to myself, i am really going to work on Patience with these animals. i am really going to do my best to learn from my new puppy friend �Brody.� i am really going to work on everything to try to really learn FROM my new friend Brody.
well, Brody and i have had lots of fun, we have spent hours and hours together. and yesterday it finally came time to clean up all his poopies in the backyard. and i said to myself, all right i am really going to get into this. this is my Cleaning Ritual, my morning Cleaning Ritual. and i got down with my little shovel and picked up 47 poopies and.... enjoyed every minute of it!
i just wanted to share that with you {laughter} and tell you how far along i am coming under your training and that you might enjoy that story.
i hope you did!
a great day to you and Kathy and
Namaste!
Warrior Student Kendo
CT
{WFS Kendo is one of our nations most respected professional golf teachers and brings his understanding and practice of WF and SR herbs to hundreds of people each year.}
March 24, 2003
�True growth takes root in that deep place of
emptiness
and
out of this depth
sprouts great strength...�
- j. stone
����
the taxi just left taking within it
my Master WF Student, Fit Kit...
his 3-Day Private Intensive over
and another - deeper - Layer of his WF Training begun
again
and again
and again.
Fit Kit, 59 years young, said that this Intensive - his fifth - was the �best one yet.�
as i watched Fit Kit�s taxi turn toward the freeway, i fell to wondering how many other personal training systems have even been around for 20 years and then, how many of those systems still have students learning new tenets, techniques, and are practicing their workouts of that system with as much enthusiasm and inner reward as Fit Kit.
not many, i reckon.
within waves of sage smoke, i did my ritual etheric cleansing of our home. i do this whenever a Student leaves. this is done for several reasons, not the least of which is to make certain the departing Student keeps all of their empowered energies, and not leave valuable Vibrations behind! assuming a meditation posture, i felt Kit�s heart merge within my own, though not without a surprising degree of pensiveness. it�s difficult to describe the love a teacher has for his most devoted and long-time students. so many students come seeking, stay for a taste, and then go. few students truly remain over the years to even start the real Work of this Path which requires several years of study. all the excuses from those who do not remain consistent feel the same to me, �the herbs are too expensive,� �my schedule changes too much,� �i don�t have the time.�
that�s okay. there are many Paths of Awakening. WF is just one that focuses on creating a fit body as well as a fit mind. if my Path does not feel appropriate, that is cool. nobody should feel guilty for changing Paths so long as their study has been sincere. a world class Path of self transformation through multi disciplined lifestyle fitness is NOT for everyone! i promise! it�s okay to study within our Temple for a taste...if that is what you want. no pressing need to stay and get �uncomfortable� as the Work begins pressing your ego buttons. just leave. no problem. there are no handcuffs in your WF training package! just be sure to enjoy the rest of your Journey. i and my staff of Teachers are glad and honored to have had you!
over the decade i have trained Fit Kit, he - like myself - has had to confront all those same excuses and count in injuries and illness as well. but he and i have learned to transform �excuse energy� into something more useful. it is not easy, but a spiritual warrior doesn�t fight the ever present energy of excuses. he learns to use it wisely and skillfully. this is why Fit Kit is training and competing in Ironman Triathlons and 36-hour Adventure Races as he approaches his 60th birthday. in fact, he and i may even team up and do the 75 kilometer Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon next February in New Mexico.
hey, when i tell you that saturating your body with SUNRIDER HERBS and practicing Wholistic Fitness disciplines and principles are REGENERATIVE, i am not kidding.
meanwhile, other sixty year old grandfathers probably will not be racing Ironmans or doing winter quadrathlons. hec, most thirty year olds don�t even have close to Fit Kit�s incredible level of health which saw him just this morning up early to do his newly modified meditation and pranayama practice before going out with Kathy for an hour of trail running in the Santa Monica Mountains!
you see, Noble Warriors, never forget; Physiologic Aging is categorically different than Chronological Aging. and the former has endless capacities for regeneration. you just gotta know and practice a wise Path. instead of practicing lifestyle fitness, most sixty year olds have already given up...their CHI buried under the rubble of their excuses over the years.
WF Teacher Q, who now works in elderly health care, sees the people who realize too late the necessity of lifestyle mind/body training. it ain�t pretty. Q says he can see the lost of CHI in their eyes as they stare vacantly from their bed of tubes and blinking monitors. what a fucked up way to enter the most spiritually important phase of life! how we die is the most important thing to Train for while we are here! to die with elegance and strength and consciousness requires living the same way.
so, when the Divine comes to take your Hand into the Next, do you really want hear Her say to you; �so, I trust you enjoyed the McDonalds and the beer and the TV and the furniture and cars! ooops! time to go! lights out, party�s over! hope you had fun!�
most people forget what a privilege - what a wonderful, wonderful privilege it is to enjoy breathing and moving in their bodies. when we forget the beauty of being in the body, we allow excuses to erode our Sacred Joy. we live in a society that makes it easy for years and even decades to pass by while we are entertained. WF Warriors are instructed in inter-trainment...not entertainment. we enjoy training the internal so the external soars and dances with meaning and opportunity to learn fresh ways to deepen our Faith in what Is.
as i began to take the recycling out from the kitchen, i see that a notecard has appeared on our refrigerator door. on the front is the quote that opens my entry of today.
inside is Fit Kit�s handwritten message,
�Steve and Kathy,
when words fail
all i can say is...
THANK YOU
FOR BEING IN
MY LIFE.
Ai Imawa,
Fit Kit�
it�s hard to describe the love a teacher has for his long-time students.
but it�s even harder to practice being patient with excuses from the newer ones.
Fit Kit,
may tailwinds grace your upcoming races and may we continue to enjoy and share the Cosmic Breath within our Wholistic Fitness Journey.
i love you.
Ai Imawa,
coach
March 23, 2003
Day Three of Fit Kit's Private Intensive...
off to the beach, baby!!!!
enjoy your fitness today,
we are all so Blessed!
namaste,
ilg
March 22, 2003
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors!
i am in Day Two of a Three Day Private Training Intensive with one of my Master Students; �Fit Kit� Johaneson of Vernon, B.C. Fit Kit is approaching 60 years old, is still incredibly fit, is a wonderful husband and granddad and operates three thriving business shops and even directs his own Sprint Triathlon. check out
www.bagsnall.com
that�s Fit Kit�s business!
Fit Kit is standout Master Student of mine and i am deeply honored to share my EarthWalk with him!
i could go on and on about how great it has been and is to work with �Fit Kit,� but our schedule together is full of WF fun and focus so i better scoot and do my job! If you would like to see exactly how I have designed Kit�s Intensive, it follows below. sign up for yours today!
�����
oh, and be SURE to check it out:
now all of your friends and family can easily join you in studying WF...there is now an ONLINE WF TRAINING APPLICATION
available through our online catalog, just go to Training Programs, and click on our main Correspondence Program and you�ll see the Application link within the text.
����
here are some words from DL readers before i close with Kit�s schedule...
in-Joy your workout today
because its
everywhere!
love,
coach ilg
����������
����������
Hey Bro,
Once again it takes me a couple of days to get back.... Both with a massive snow (68" at eldora) and the avalanche of feeling that has come up as a result of bush's war.
Thank you for writing such nice things about me and about my company. Your reminiscence about the early eighties was on point and how wonderful to remember not just what we did but how we felt about things. How intensely important it all seemed.
I am glad we have both found a path that has kept us true to those things, which while risking or necks kept us alive.
May the mountain spring of our youthful inspiration run pure and undiluted to the seas of infinity.
that last bit would be too fluffy for nietzche.
I wont for get about our pant project!
Yours,
CG
{Christian �CG� Griffith is the owner of VERVE clothing and a old rock climbing friend of mine from Boulder. i wrote about CG and VERVE in a recent DL entry.}
����
�Steve, you are a vector of focus, sanity, compassion and TRUE warrior intensity within a media storm of spin, spam, and political bullshit. I am progressing to the point where I look forward to daily mediations more (or at least as much) as I look forward to my am caffeine. Please keep it coming! I continually reread the intro passages in Winter Athlete and eagerly await your next book. thank you so much for the cyber gratuity of your thoughts and encouragement. You are building huge karmic momentum.�
Rick Strong
����
�Intervals are God's middle name! That is why you sometimes see the divine there.�
- WF Teacher Joseph Sheader
���
�Thank you so much for introducing me to the SUNRIDER HERBS!!!! i feel terrific. A day without SR, is like a day without the sun. I normally and daily drink an ILG's Supreme.�
Student Fusano
�����
Fit Kit�s Intensive Itinerary
Based upon your input, here�s how i�ve designed your personalized Wholistic Fitness Intensive for optimal body/mind training during your Intensive:
Friday, March 21
Afternoon Arrival
6:00 pm
Upper Body Workout with Steve
A shared workout to reunite our CHI! Focus will be on Shivaya Technique, so get ready!
Location: PowerHouse Gym
8:00 pm
Zazen/Pranayama
Go over your posture, review fundamentals, dharmatalk
Location: Home Zendo
8:30 pm
Homemade Dinner
Herbed Tofu, steamed broccoli, brown rice, a �Teacher Q Special Salad�, organic red wine, and of course, Calli Night! We�ll probably �have to� watch the Lakers beat up on your Celtics...
Chef: Lovey
Saturday, March 22
7:00 am
Morning Zazen & Pranayama
clears and stabilizes mind/enhances awareness/deepens uptake and control of prana.
Location: Zendo
8:00 am - Breakfast/Cleaning Ritual/Free Time
10:30 am
HP Yoga with Kathy
what a perfect start to another perfect WF day!
Location: PowerHouse Gym
12:30 pm
Strength Training; Lower Body & Midsection with Steve
Focus will be on midsection; getting ripped baby!
PowerHouse Gym & Home Zendo
4:30 pm
Mt. Running & Outdoor Taoist Yoga with Steve and Kathy
clears mental & emotional clutter while fortifying heart & lungs..enjoy breathing and moving!
Route: �Hectic/Helluva Hill Loop� a rather abrupt 1.3 mile climb from the floor of the San Fernando Valley up a steep hill of the Santa Monica Mountains to a ridge overlooking the Pacific Ocean where we will do some Taoist Yoga before a pristine but technical descent back to the Valley.
6:00pm
High Prana Bodywork
A final release to bring your first official day to a sweet surrender!
8:30 pm
Dinner
Ethiopian! Yeah baby!
Chef: Mimi
Sunday, March 23
7:30 am
Morning Zazen & Pranayama
clears and stabilizes mind/enhances awareness/deepens uptake and control of prana.
Location: Zendo
8:30 am
Santa Monica Stairs with Steve and Kathy
no LA intensive is complete without experiencing
the urban fitness zen scene of running the Santa Monica stairs! Keep your eye out for loose stairs, tv starlets, and killer views of the Pacific!
Location: Santa Monica
10:00 am
Farmers Market/Breakfast
Southern California, fresh fruit, first days of spring...what else is there to love?
Location: Venice, CA
12:00 - 2:00 pm
Venice Beach Scene
inline skating on the boardwalk, hanging out on the beach getting a sun tan, a WF henna tattoo, power drills on Muscle Beach...all in a very non-Canadian temperature!
c�mon, it�s the mecca of fitness! let�s jump in!
Location: Venice, CA
4:00 pm
Steve�s HP Yoga, Level 1 with Meditation
easy asana and a final meditation to set you clear, supple, and tapped in!
Location: PowerHouse Gym
8:00 pm
Departure Dinner
it�s out to our favorite neighborhood spot for a delightful farewell...
Location: Paul�s Cafe, Tarzana
March 21, 2003
The only true war is the one we allow into our consciousness.
The only true Reality is what is happening, right now, within your cells.
You are in charge of facilitating the degree of peace or war within you.
No one but yourself can declare a state of peace
or war.
Which do you choose?
Who needs peaceful worriers?
The world is need of Peaceful Warriors.
May all beings everywhere feel peace.
May all beings only fight their lower mind (ego)
not each other.
May all beings - one day - reach Enlightenment.
Keep your Practice strong and sincere and focused.
Prayer requires sweat to become empowered and effective.
i bow to you,
coach ilg
March 19, 2003
Namaste Peaceful Warriors!
well, as promised, here is my �Emergency WF Technique for Dying; for those who are unsure of how to die� as a conclusion to my past three entries.
i need to preface however, that WF was born from my work as a Karma Yogi and an extreme athlete that needed to maintain a calm, controllable mind when climbing very difficult rock routes, ice routes, and high mountain peaks. doing such things without a rope or a team was my chief hallmark. so, i needed to learn a way to be comfortable with the notion of dying in a rather spectacular way in order to be comfortable and relaxed enough in my mind to make a 5.11+ or WI4 move 500 feet off the ground without a rope. Tibetan Death Meditations were a staple Practice of mine for several years. many of the meditation practices assigned to formal online WF students came from my need to �die each day in Meditation so that physical death is but a gateway toward spiritual life,� as Ram Dass puts it.
May all beings be safe, free, and enjoy the privilege of a human incarnation...
let�s say a nuclear bomb is heading for us.
gather your loved ones if possible.
get to Nature or the place where you meditate, if possible.
if you meditate or pray regularly, just do your usual Practice. don�t attempt anything fancy or different unless you�ve been formally instructed otherwise.
remaining calm as possible is important.
upon the explosion or the death moment, invoke a white Light radiating OUT from Anahata...your heart chakra (center).
exhale into the explosion or the death moment...feel Love...
the above technique, one i used during extreme sport and other �death� moments and Practice as a WF Dharma meditation, will unite you and i and our Tribe of WF Warriors, and your Loved Ones two-gether again in the next Level.
here is again:
1) gather Loved Ones if possible
2) White Light radiating from your Heart
3) Exhale into your Last Gasp...feel Love...
(note: Extra Credit Karma Points might possibly be Awarded if you can Smile INTO that Last Exhale!...why not be Brave in the attempt? What do you have to lose?!)
Godspeed, everyone.
May you be Brave in your Practice today...
what a wonderful, wonderful privilege it is to be a human being...
love,
coach ilg
founder/Wholistic Fitness & High Performance Yoga
March 18, 2003
Namaste PEACEFUL Warriors!
we�re not going to war.
we are retreating from peace.
stop forwarding me email spam about the �War.� i don�t care about it.
i am more interested in the delightful antics of an �Audubon�s warbler� that has recently been playing around my office birdfeeder. he is very cute. i love him. he seems quite nonchalant about the piffles of our warring ways.
he must be a yogi warbler.
you see, to a yogi, war is nothing but extreme discomfort manifested through spiritual ignorance or �avidya.� the opposite of war - extreme luxury - is another manifestation of avidya...it�s spiritually ignorant to crave and hold onto material wealth far beyond one�s spiritual and physical needs.
yogis are devoted to Practice self cultivation without attachment to what Krishna calls in the Bhagavad Gita, �the fruits of our labor.� Yogi�s don�t get too caught up with the Drama of the World�s Storyline because there is enough Work to do by being of helpful Service to others quite nearby.
if we go to war and are going to be killed, then the Highest Way to enter the next Whatever is to enter it Consciously and while engaged in compassionate, helpful Service. if we don�t go to war and continue to elevate the luxuries of life then the Highest Way to enter the next Whatever is to enter it Consciously and while engaged in compassionate, helpful Service.
see? no difference. our inner Work remains the same; stay Present, baby! when i meet you during peace, i bow to you in Namaste. when i meet you during war, i bow to you in Namaste. no difference. same Work, different stage. our Last Exhale as we see Father Sky ignite in a nuclear holocaust, should be no different than the exhale which follows this sentence; As Conscious As Possible. no difference.
remove yourself from the Wag The Dog Drama and do your yoga of treading and nourishing the Middle Way...the place between the highs and lows of life; regardless of the caliber of dramatics. like stars unseen during the day, each moment shudders with brilliance. we just miss the miracle of the moment, because of avidya...we think too much...we are stuck in our lower mind (what yogis observe as �manas�). it�s our inability to See that creates wars. the actual fighting is nothing but our own karma slapping us across our collective souls, trying to get us to Awaken.
like yourself, i have preferences for this body. i would prefer not to be sitting in an enemy�s concentration camp next to President Bush telling him, �See....see...you SHOULD have been practicing YOGA and you probably wouldn�t have gotten our country into this situation!� But, sometimes, until something really, really hurts us...we just don�t care enough to get the spiritual teaching. we prefer the superficial intellectual gymnastic s of the ego. we all do it. Bush is not different than you or me. Neither is Saddam. Poor guy. I sure would not want to be him or Osama for that matter. Let us feel compassion for those three men. Allison Manheim says that her yoga teacher put it this way, �Sometimes if you need to learn something, you will hear the message whispered in your ear. If you still don�t get it, you will feel a tap on the shoulder. And if you still don�t get the message, it will break your arm.�
the yogic principle of ahimsa or non-violence is a tricky one. there are many Layers to being non-violent. the best qualities to practice non-violence are tolerance and neutrality. it�s like your hamstring muscle. you don�t want a hamstring to be too tight or overly loose. you do yoga to make your hamstring feel �just right�.
apply that inner Teaching to your outer life.
don�t get too tight worrying about the war or you�ll miss the majesty (and Teachings) of the moment and your child or plant or coronary tissues will pick up on your stress and you will be damaging y(our) UniVerse.
do you See how worrying about War contributes to it? do you See how worrying can be violent? tricky, huh?
but, don�t get so apathetic about the outer World that you miss an opportunity to be Noble with your life! Be Brave with your thoughts! think Higher and with more metta (lovingkindness).
make your thinking about the outer World �just right.�
a peaceful hamstring, a peaceful life, and a peaceful world all begin with each of us becoming more Conscious...more Awake.
in WF, we do this by constantly returning over and over again, our chattery minds toward Conscious Breathing and Posture.
coming up tomorrow in DL:
i give my
Emergency WF Technique for Dying
for those who are unsure of how to die
because we might need it the Way things are going.
WF Warriors are trained to
prepare for the worst
visualize the best
and
utterly
enjoy the present...
love,
coach ilg
March 17, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
i know you know that i am attempting to update this Online Journal every day throughout March. i missed the last two days. the reason was a technical - not spiritual - malfunction. there is a Teaching in the missed days. the Teaching that is in there, falls under what I call, Life Judo.
LIFE JUDO -
too many fitness athletes are too obsessive in their fitness endeavors. since moving to LA, i now hang out with recreational �fitness� warriors instead of sponsored athletes. i swear recreational athletes (non-professionals) are way harder on themselves about missing workouts than are professional athletes!
there is no need to get so uptight about missing a workout, or eating poorly on a particular day, or not meditating for a week. don�t friggin� worry about it! just pick up the flow with the New, the Now. attachment to consistency over quality causes us to miss many subtle Teachings in both our workouts and our life. obsessed with being consistent makes us inconsistent with Dharma or the Flow of Higher Life.
all things Change.
we must allow ourselves as well, to Change. to adapt. to evolve. to grow.
WF Students are taught to breathe into the rhythm of life. don�t stress about missing workouts just do your noble best to dance with the flow of life. use forces wisely instead of fighting them. this, i call �Life Judo.�
the world we live in today will change in the very next moment. so relax into difficulty! Dharma flows even when you break a promise to yourself or to someone else. so be very quick to forgive yourself. do not take yourself so grandly, so arrogantly, that you mistake Ego (Individual) for Atman (Individual Reality).
it is your spiritual endeavor within the present that erases the past and prepares the future.
����
coming up tomorrow in DL:
why War �doesn�t matter� to a yogi.
so, if you insist on watching Bush tonight on his Made For Prime Time TV Speech announce his Big Texan Plans To Bomb The Brat Next Door Simply Because He Can
then go ahead,
watch the Unawakened World grow more insane.
but at least pause during the telecast to do this:
mute the TV during the commercials, sit elegantly on the floor, close your eyes, and Breathe Consciously.
And may you be Brave at least once, today
i bow - however inconsistently - to you,
coach ilg
March 14, 2003
Dear Coach Ilg,
I am trying to start a meditation practice. I am curious about the origin of the sitting position used in meditation. A friend said that he finds sitting cross-legged to be very uncomfortable - he feels that lying down is more comfortable and also gives him a greater feeling of connection with the earth. I talked to him about doing yoga, and how the use of specific postures will help him with his sitting, but admitted that I did not know why sitting cross-legged was "the position of choice".
- Kevin, OR
Student Kevin -
There is tremendous science behind the appropriate meditation posture. Essentially, a strong meditation posture such as Siddha-asana (accomplished posture) conditions the structural and energetic aspects of the lower urogenital diaphragm which both sparks and seals the vast fields of interior and cosmic energy within the pelvic base.
Meditation, like the spiritual Journey itself, has little concern with what feels "comfortable" to our ego or our current state of physical fitness. It's about training the mind and moving us Higher.
Through asana, the body is made strong and supple to sustain the meditation posture. Along the way of making the body open and strong, the mind learns how to concentrate. Thus, concentration (dharana) precede meditation (dhyana) in Classical or Ashtanga Yoga.
Meditation is but a training effect from a concentrated and manageable mind.
i bow to you,
steve ilg, RYT
wholisticfitness.com
March 13, 2003
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors!
i am giving you a day more to print out and digest all of the fun things for our 2003 Spring/Summer Special Events...Kathy and i can't wait to see you at these events!
coming up next here in DIRECT LINES: the appropriate Meditation posture!
special THANK YOU to WF Master Student and WF Website Director, John "Hakado Ru" Kuhlman for the NEW LOOK to DIRECT LINES!! if ANY of you have website needs, keep in in the WF Dharma and contact John at:
www.kreativwerks.com
May your Practice be Powerful,
coach ilg
March 12, 2003
Steve Ilg's High Performance Yoga
- a branch of Wholistic Fitness -
2003 Spring/Summer Special Events
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get more information at www.wholisticfitness.com or call 818�345�9027 today!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RETREATS!
August 25-31st- Red Mountain Spa - Ivins, Utah
High Performance Yoga Retreat Week!
with Steve & Kathy Ilg
YOUR IDEAL SUMMER FITNESS RETREAT!!!!!
check out the stunning beautiful and acclaimed Adventure Resort at:
www.redmountainspa.com
and then JOIN Kathy and I there for an unforgettable week of hiking, mountain biking, climbing, relaxation, meditation,spa treatments, fantastic meals, and lots of HP Yoga!!!
Contact Karen Cheever at:
Red Mountain, the Adventure Spa
1275 East Red Mountain Circle
Ivins, Utah 84738
435-652-5716
For All General Questions or
Room/Spa Reservations:
Toll-Free: (800) 407-3002
email: reservations@redmtn.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------************
HP YOGA TEACHER TRAINING
AUGUST 11-17:
HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA TEACHER TRAINING: LEVEL 1
Powerhouse Gym, 20914 Nordhoff, Chatsworth, CA, 91311.
by popular request, Kathy and I offer this intensive one week Teacher Training for those who wish to teach as well as for those students who just want to deepen their own Practice.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
Monday-Friday from 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am - 8:00pm
COURSE FEE:
$900/per student
visa/mc accepted
CLASS LIMIT:
12
No Guarantee of Certification
$150 nonrefundable deposit by July 31st, 2003
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WORKSHOPS - OUT OF TOWN:
- April 13th - Sunday - Chicago Peninsula Club - Chicago, IL
voted "The Top Hotel in the US" -
come and join Steve and Kathy Ilg at this AMAZING hotel for a fun day of HP Yoga classes, meditations, discussions, spa treatments, and healthy meals. treat yourself (and your loved one?) with this opportunity to enjoy world class yoga at a world class hotel! ALL ability levels welcome!
Very intimate setting; limited to 12 people.
visit
www.peninsula.com
then contact
Robyn Grieve at:
312.573.6865 or
Email: rgrieve@peninsula.com
******
- April 14th - Woman's Athletic Club of Chicago - Chicago, IL
HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA WORKSHOP
"World Class Yoga by a World Class Athlete."
Discover a proven Path of Transformation which creates a strong, lean body and a calmer mind.
presented by Steve Ilg, R.Y.T.
assisted by Kathy Ilg
9:00-5:00pm
Introduction, Taoist Yoga, Yoga Basics: Energy Anatomy and Key Practice Points , Yoga Breathing & Meditation, Lunch, What is Wholistic Fitness? (lecture, Q&A), High Performance Yoga Master class, Advanced Breathing & Meditation.
Take half day, full day or just Lunch and Lecture.
contact:
Anne Pringle/Athletic Director
Woman's Athletic Club of Chicago
626 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: 312.944.6123 x138
Email: fitness@wacchicago.com
*******
$10 WORKSHOPS (LOS ANGELES)
with Steve Ilg
All the following workshops cost only $10 and will take place in the "grotto" at Powerhouse Gym (PHG), 20914 Nordhoff Chatsworth, CA, 91311. 818-775-0300. Workshops limited to 20 students. No reservations accepted; arrive early. Please bring a sitting cushion.
- APRIL 6th - Sunday, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
"The Barbell Buddha Workshop"
"This workshop has forever changed the way I workout in the gym...I had no idea the amount of time and energy I was wasting in the gym before this workshop!"
- Frank De Cortez, world-class runner, Boulder, CO
Topics:
� integration of yogic postural and breathing principles with gym workouts
� how to to make muscles more lean, powerful, and functional
� how to eliminate the root of all training induced injury
� rhythmic lifting; the yin and the yang of strength training
� my top 5 strength training techniques
� Questions & Answers (time permitting)
*******
APRIL 6th - Sunday, 5:45 - 7:00 pm
"An Evening of Herbs and Ilgs"
Back by popular request, this talk describes the SUNRIDER Herbs - the perfect yogi food! Learn how these herbal whole foods can help you lose fat, gain energy, stay youthful, and regenerate your body from within using whole foods, not synthetic or engineered 'substances'!
This is an opportunity to learn why, for 20 years, these whole food, regenerative herbs and products repeatedly have earned my endorsement as "The Official Nutritional Program of Wholistic Fitness." We'll have plenty of Calli Tea, Fortune Delight, and sample herbal products and materials so you can explore what i consider to be the finest nutrition on the planet and the top reason why i was able to heal a spinal injury and get on top of podiums in so many sports. Remember, this is an opportunity, not a sales pitch, so come prepared to learn! Three main areas covered: Daily Nutrition, Fat Loss, and Skin/Personal Care.
******
MAY - 3rd - Saturday, 4:00 - 5:15 pm
"Yoga 101"
this lecture and clinic is PERFECT for beginning/intermediate Yoga students and briefly covers:
� Yoga Philosophy - What the hec is yoga, anyway?
� Yoga Energy Anatomy - What yoga is supposed to do?
� Yoga Aims - Where can i take my Practice?
� Up Dog, Down Dog, and that �damned Chaturanga!�
*******
MAY - 3rd - Saturday, 5:30 - 6:45 pm
"Yoga Breathing; A Pranayama Workout"
Your relationship with your breath determines the power of your spiritual potential.
The fourth limb (the one above posture or �asana� practice) in classical yoga is Pranayama - the science of the breath. Learn fundamental breathing techniques for relaxation, physical power, stress release, and emotional well being. Pranayama illuminates your inner energy system and ignites the potential of your life force. Realize what the ancient Yoga practitioners taught: through conscious breathing comes sacred Joy.
*****
JUNE - 8th - Sunday, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
"Taoist Yoga"
it is my honor to share with you the 12 best friends of my life...12 ancient Taoist Yoga postures taught to me by Sensei Kishiyama. these simple, elegant postures require but a minute to learn, and only a few lifetimes to master! these healing postures are the precursor to Tai Chi Chuan and teach you how to recognize and develop a relationship with your �chi� or life force. come, feel the chi and enjoy the peaceful presence of these postures which bring inner harmony within an often chaotic world.
*****
JUNE - 22nd - Sunday, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
"Coach Ilg�s Hour (and a half) Of Power"
NOTE: this class is NOT SUITABLE for people with less than one year of consistent strength training! �Studio yogis� are hereby forewarned; there will be explosive and deep fiber training movements in this class!
when i taught this weekly class in Boulder and Durango, it was packed with athletes from all type of sports...why? because they KNEW that all other factors being equal, optimal performance comes down to POWER, baby! come and experience this toned down version of my elite class and feel some genuine fast-twitch fitness in your bones! includes a warm up, power yoga, plyometrics* , power chain strengthening, and meditation.
* in 1985 i helped write and edit the book �Plyometrics; Explosive Power Training For Athletes� by James Radcliffe and Bob Farentinos, Ph.D. The latest version of this book is called, High-Powered Plyometrics, available through Human Kinetics Publishers.
******
JULY - 13th - Sunday, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
"Zen Meditation"
�We must not lean either right or left, and we must not worry about leaning right or left. Balance is what is important, and that is what I teach. What matters most is always to remain beyond categories.�
Zen Master Taisen Deshimaru
Of all my �secret� tools as an extreme athlete, the one quality i found most valuable (and life-saving) over the years had little to do with physical training and everything to do with mental training. That�s where my training in Zen paid off...In the popular media, the phrase "zen-like" is abused and has become trite and trendy. Come to this class. Help restore some nobility to its genuine tradition.
� opening words
� sitting clinic
� zazen (seated meditation) with kin-hin (walking meditation)
Bring a cushion to sit upon and wear yoga-type of clothes. Handouts so you can begin a solo practice.
******
AUGUST - 10th - Sunday, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
"The Yamas and the Niyamas"
A discussion of Patanjali's first (Yama) and second (Niyama) "limbs" of Classical Yoga. The five Yamas ("restraints") coupled with the five Niyamas ("observances") can be thought of as "The 10 Commitments" of Yoga practice. These ethical and moral guidelines are non religious and only intend to modify our behavior so that all imperfections are transformed into virtues. Yama and Niyama, when combined with Asana (postures) and Pranayama (breath control) constitute "Hatha Yoga." includes handouts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------************
Steve Ilg is a mountain yogi and desert critter from the American Southwest. A licensed USCF (United States Cycling Federation) Expert Coach, a certified personal trainer (NHCA), and a RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher) with over 5,000+ teaching hours, Steve is an acknowledged healer having been a student of several Eastern Masters in such facilities as esteemed Naropa University to secret Ute shaman mountain caves. Steve has authored six books in 13 languages. As an outdoor athlete, Steve helped pioneer extreme and outdoor sports in the eighties and has over seventy first ascents and difficult free solos in the high peaks, big walls, and in sport ice and rock climbing. Steve used yoga to overcome a devastating pelvis and spinal injury to compete in an unprecedented 5 World Championships in 4 different sports and is a State Champion in road cycling. The founder of Wholistic Fitness� and High Performance Yoga �, Steve�s next book, TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION is due out next year by Hyperion Press.
learn more about Steve�s unique work at wholisticfitness.com
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Get more information on the above events at the UPCOMING EVENTS at www.wholisticfitness.com or call 818 345 9027 today!
March 11, 2003
thank you God (Ishvara, Ram, Shiva, Allah, Great Mystery)
for today...
thank you God
for being God
thank you God for giving me two legs and lungs so i could ski today with my sister, Connie.
thank you God for gifting me the ability to coach my sister into skiing with better compression and greater angulation into her turns.
thank you God for allowing me to watch my sister smile and laugh and feel Loved.
thank you God for fitness...for letting me live these many years while doing so many fun things for so long within your Palace of Presence....Your Abundance is Beyond, Beyond, Beyond the Great Beyond...thank you!
thank you God for Your wonderful creation of Father Sky and Grandfather Sun and Mother Earth blanketed with spring snow,
thank You for the head bopping antics of Nuthatches and Chickadees among tall pines.
thank You for all the snowboard punks who know nothing of where their sport began - telemark skis - but at least they appreciate from whom their music began;
Bob Dylan, baby!
thank you God for the gift of a body which seems to me to be like the soil of Your Spirit.
thank you God for the Breath
which cultivates the richness of Your soil.
this body must give the soil back,
but
on days like today
i now know
how the Breath
becomes
Endless.
thank you God for barbells to keep me grounded
for Cardio workouts to empower my breath and thus my being
and for ...wow...the Three Kings:
yoga, meditation, and nutrition ...
so i have half a chance in this short lifetime
to keep pace
with the evolution of Whatever is this self...
thank you God for Wholistic Fitness students that read DIRECT LINES
and for those students who leave phone messages for feeble me
like the one Student Dorman did today:
�Dear Coach,
i am sitting in another traffic jam
thinking of you
and Wholistic Fitness and observing my breath...
suddenly i realized this,
�I am doing less
so that i can be more.�
�I am doing less
so that i can be more.�
thank you for being you,
and for creating Wholistic Fitness...
i love you,
Student Dorman.�
so here i sit,
sunlight streaming in
computer cursor blinking
legs saucy from skiing
heart wide open
knowing It�s all okay..
another call comes in...
someone is dying and wants to talk to me...
what shall i say?
�
Workout well today,
so you may work better within Now...
May Your Practice be Potent, Powerful, and full of Presence...
i bow to you,
coach ilg
March 10, 2003
�Is there value in fear? Panic and dread have no virtue, but in fear is there not the force which gives equilibrium to action? Is it not the source of motivation for assessing ones weaknesses? Action without consciousness can bring spectacular successes but are they not equally fleeting? Fear should never master action but should be an alloy to it, tempering it and lending it greater value and strength.�
�
�There are things we all must do to forge our path through the senseless. Things which cannot be be judged from the outside. Moments when decision creates a door we can swiftly pass through. It is our fate, our lot; to move, to unlock doors, to peer forward into the loom with energy and with optimism!�
�
these words adorn the tags from from clothes manufactured by Christian Griffith, my Boulder, Colorado high school rock climbing bro.
many of you in our Tribe may know his fame. It was with outlandish flair, ability, and unmistakable charisma that Christian led the charge into the sport climbing explosion of the early 1980�s. Christian�s routes like poetry made granite (sandstone as the case may be!). his routes are aesthetically beautiful lines hallmarked with bewilderingly difficult gymnastic sequences.
�CG� and i both lived and lusted to free climb hard routes that our elders employed pitons and rope ladders to ascend. i was already a multisport athlete when i met CG and our competitive, anti-authority natures were in tune. we�d got fueled by reading Nietsche and starving ourselves to improve our strength-to-weight ratio. as ritual, we�d never pass through a doorway without first cranking off several fingertip pull ups. we�d practice our autographs and company logos for when we�d get famous.
to chill from our high-risk, high-adrenalin days, we�d use the night to paint our fingernails, cut symbols into our neon colored hair, and hang out to the music of Dylan, the Police, and Aerosmith. late nights were spent skateboarding to our buildering (climbing up walls of buildings) problems around town. we wore lycra constantly (see my first book, THE OUTDOOR ATHLETE, for proof!). quarters were often stolen to play more Centipede and Galga.
we felt wealthiest when clinging onto terrain few others could. we felt most at home hundreds of feet off the canyon floor surrounded only by Colorado sky and the darting antics of cliff swallows pestered by occasional hawks. during belays, we�d debate things like Bruce Lee�s philosophies versus Ninja warriorism principles. chasing feeble pine shade on Flagstaff mountain, we�d wait for fingertip blisters to soothe before attempting another flesh-eating bouldering problem. during long approach hikes to South Platte or Lumpy Ridge routes, we�d discuss whether moral goodness was truly required to facilitate genuine happiness.
i think we both agreed it was not.
The scrapbook of my mind sways with recollected laughter, fear, and omnipotence from those days with him along with our other adolescent rock climbing punks, many of whom are now dead in one way or another. it requires extra-ordinary perseverance to keep climbing in life. most people don�t have the gumption nor resolve to do so and thus wither into atrophied aspects of their Divinely given potential. CG and i figured that most people died spiritually long before their hearts stopped to beat. rappelling into a streaming Eldorado sunset, he and i vowed not to live a life marred by regret at not risking it.
CG�s physicality - not just his philosophies - were just as fetching. he had all the bodyfat of bamboo and moved in a catlike manner with muscularity that seemed ideally suited to his way of being. CG climbed with an inherent lyricism that was fluid, regardless of danger or difficulty. rarely did he hesistate..hesitation implies and fosters self doubt and that would be too, well, too un-Nietschesque! i would spend hours mimicking Christian�s athletic elegance and bravado on the rock, as if his genetic polish would somehow rub off on my own.
�
�The dance of climbing is based upon movement guided by nature. By flowing working with natural elements, we are able to find the inner core strength, balance and rhythm that brings one closer to the natural being of the self.
The rock cannot be conquered without first being given respect and understanding. Once this relationship has been established, can you further experience the beauty of rock climbing. And the desire to conquer to conquer is replaced by the quest for unity.�
- Christian Griffith
�
CG and i went on to establish our own Paths in life. i created WF and followed yoga. CG kept climbing and created a successful company, VERVE, that makes the finest rock climbing clothes in the world.
kathy and i pretty much live in VERVE clothes non-stop. they are as ideal for yoga and the gym as they are for granite, though CG is shy to market that fact. however, this summer he and i are working together to produce a yoga specific pant for his company.
do yourself a favor. call CG for a catalog. he doesn�t have a website. like anything genuine, you gotta work to gather those things that are truly beneficial for the Ascent Ever Higher! Pro golfer and WF Student, Ken Doyle, says that VERVE clothes are the absolute best for golf. Fore!
phone: 303 443 7010
email: cgverve@aol.com
May your Practice be strong and sincere today..
�That which kills me not, makes me stronger.�
Nietsche
ilg
March 09, 2003
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors!
���
Welcome to professional cyclist, Bradley Saul of Tucson, AZ, who has just signed on for formal WF Online Study. He will be taking his basic training under Teacher Sheader.
Beyond his obvious physical fitness,
Bradley is a definite Dharma brother of our Tribe...i encourage you to visit and bookmark his most noble and beautiful Vibe that he puts out into the UniVerse:
www.organicathlete.com
please subscribe to his endeavor,
it is symbiotic with WF...
speaking of WF...
here is a refresher for all our new subscribers:
���
WF 101
the study of Wholistic Fitness (WF) focuses upon 5 Fitness Disciplines:
strength training, cardio, yoga, meditation, nutrition
then,
to merge the necessity of these long-term Fitness Disciplines
into daily life,
we integrate 4 Lifestyle Principles:
breath & posture, mindfulness, appropriate action, and practice
the result of this body/mind and lifestyle Practice
produces two qualities
each and every WF practitioner enjoys;
1) excellence in every workout performed
and
2) nobility in the pursuit of self transformation
{can you Hear that music that just hit you?
that is the Sound your Soul makes whenever It
encounters a Gateway...it�s nice, isn�t it?}
there are many Ways to enjoy WF...
you can read my books
listen to the audio tapes
come to LA and study privately with me
or with any of my Certified WF Teachers
or
sign up for Online Training
or
just keep coming here,
to DIRECT LINES
until WF keeps itching at your Soul
so much
that you realize,
it�s time to Rise Above...
i bow to you,
coach ilg
founder/WF
���
HERE I ANSWER A NEW STUDENT�S QUESTIONS:
Dear Coach,
Just to update you on my online training. Actually I am doing real well. I am staying pretty close to the program even when I was on the road in Kauai. I need to refer to the books to make sure I am doing the right exercises.
� yes, this is part of the Learning; i need you to cross reference...dig through the pages, make sure you WANT this work enough to cross reference...to do the necessary homework. this is by Design...it makes the Teachings go deeper.
RE: I need to get some equipment for the squats. The upper body workouts are going well. What are twist crunches? I have not found that in your books. Elbow to opposite knee?
� yes, but keep the UPPER LEG BONES PERPENDICULAR during the exercise...
RE: If I fell behind on anything it is the cardio. I am x-country skiing on weekends but just ding the treadmill during the week.
� i am more concerned about your SPELLING (ding) than your Cardio...
"How you do ANYthing is how you do EVERYthing."
Pay attention to the details.
RE: I like the meditation and yoga. It is helping me understand that I am always working out and to maintain my awareness.
� well said.
pace yourself.
many Realms to travel
RE: I am also rereading your book, THE WINTER ATHLETE, first five chapters. It reads simple but I now know more the depth of the words.
� in every book i write, it�s the Space between the words that count for more than the words...feel the CHI, baby!
RE: Any other books you recommend.
� i will suggest books for Svadhyaya (self study) when it is appropriate.
i don't want you to get too intellectually stimulated by the Spiritual Growth process. people get too new-agey too quick by intellectualizing spiritual growth blah, blah, blah without friggin� riding their bicycle to work or doing intervals or jump squats. without hard physical training, spiritual growth becomes ungrounded, flaky.
RE:
I am in Alaska next week and in Germany two weeks after that. Also,
you had some good mediation CD's. Any recommendations for the top 5?
� not until you learn how to spell: �Meditation.�
RE:
I tried to re-register with Sunrider. But I am lock in with a SS
number and no log in. I still need to call your contact.
� sign up as PREFERRED CUSTOMER
you will need my name:
steve ilg
or
steve h. ilg
if one doesn't work, use the other
and my email:
all lowercase:
ilgtrain@aol.com
my sponsor ID#:
000081735
or call SUNRIDER DISTRIBUTOR REPS...they will walk you through the sign up process to get the herbs...call: 310-781-8096
see if you can get LARRY BURR...he�s great: ext; 3016
the SUNRIDER TEMPLE a difficult one to enter
hang in there...it�s worth it...trust me.
RE:
I am looking to get a Mt. bike since that would be easy to do where I
live once the snow melts.
� spend at least $750; get at least Deore XT for the rear deraileur
RE: Anyway, I have started with a couple of steps.
� yes,
yes
you have...
proud of you,
coach
���
March 08, 2003
Within the rest of today
is a moving meditation
here is what is valuable
to take with you today -
You enjoying being in your body
You, just choosing to practice being soft in the face of tension and aggression
You, knowing that daily fitness endeavor is necessary to draw from within us, our Higher Self
You, realizing the space between the Heart and the Mind is the space of your Highest Fitness
You, allowing and trusting your Breath and Posture to cultivate your Highest Workout
And you,
doing what you love doing
and being brave and noble enough
to keep following
what you love doing
i bow to you on this Magnificent Day...
- ilg, 3/8/03
March 07, 2003
���
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors!
here are some bits and pieces from today�s email.
i�ve now let myself miss my morning mountain run...i can feel my spirit itching inside my body, so i�m off to the gym...
enjoy today�s update..
love,
coach ilg
ps; Happy Birthday to one of my local heroes and training bros; Steve Marlowe...now forty-something and still a ZERO TOLERANCE bicycle commuter...feeble ilg bows to YOU big TIME! you amaze me with your dedication, effort, and sweat to live lightly between our beautiful Father Sky, Mother Earth. Once i become President, i am appointing YOU Secretary of Transportation! then our national obesity rate will plummet! i cherish our riding together...let�s do Reseda to the Sea this weekend and burn off some more �old man� fat together! stay hungry baby!
���
Tight Hips, Tight Mind
Dear Coach -
My only question today is that because of the tightness in my hips my spine does not seem totally straight during my daily zazen. I try to lengthen during it as best I can. The tightness in my hips becomes a tightness in my mind after about seven minutes. I try to breath into my hips but sometime lose my count. I switch leg crossing every day so I won't get lopsided. I then do another 10 mins with a cushion for comfort. Suggestions?
- Student Mackel
New Student Mackel -
you hit the mark on how tightness in the body during meditation = tightness of the mind. this is the ENTIRE purpose of the 600+ yoga asanas...all those yoga poses are designed to do ONE THING: equip the physical body with enough supple strength to sustain more advanced (longer) meditation sessions. if the body is not comfortable, the mind is not comfortable and thus, cannot be adequately explored. along the way of learning the yoga postures, our minds learn how to concentrate better, which is the other vital component required for advanced meditation.
so,
do this:
take your time.
i prefer it if you switch leg positions at precisely halfway through prescribed sitting times, not session by session. this will help.
thank you and may your Study be fruitful today...
love,
coach ilg
���
El Coache,
I was reading the newest copy of BICYCLING MAGAZINE today. In the Editors column (page 16) there is a side bar talking about plyometric training. Your book, THE WINTER ATHLETE, was recommended as a reference for plyometric training. In case you were not aware.
I pray that all is well with You and Kathy, and that your new book is coming along OK. I miss you.
Love,
warrior clay
���
Dear Ilg Master -
from Canada i just wanted to say,
Thank you for YOUR PRESENCE,
YOUR WORDS.
YOUR TRUTH.
- Lance Zein
���
When Do I Breathe?
Dear Coach -
One other question. In terms of breathing when strength
training, can you remind me of the ying and the yang. Is it to exhale
on muscle contraction?
Student Bannister
New Student B -
well, working muscles are ALWAYS in various states of contraction. when strength training, you�ve GOT to give your mind an accurate picture of how you want your body to look like and function. for now, i need you to practice this during your gym workouts;
1) picture the bodypart you are training
2) picture how the muscle fibers in that bodypart SHORTEN AS THEY CONTRACT (i.e., when the bicep 'rolls up' the upper arm bone...the bicep is SHORTENING as it contracts)
3) USUALLY, the Yang Phase (explosive, exhale) occurs during this SHORTENING CONTRACTION (i.e, as you RAISE the barbell during a bicep curl).
4) the Yin Phase (more controlled and done on an inhale) USUALLY occurs during the LENGTHENING part of the CONTRACTION.
WF makes you CONCENTRATE and LEARN ABOUT YOUR BODY in the gym!
this is PERFECT!
proud of you...
i'm off to the gym temple myself to listen
to the dance between the lengthening
and the shortening
and apply my breath
to facilitate both...
inner study = inner joy
love,
coach ilg
���
All Who Wander...
Dear Coach Ilg -
this may sound a little daft but what do you do if your not sure what your goals are? all i seem to read about is setting goals for your self (ie Bill Phillips) but i dont know what i want,other people tell me why don't you do this or try that that would be good for you,i don't know what sport i want to do. Sometimes I like running sometimes I hate it then again I can throw my self into biking then just stop and I don't know why I can't be bothered will it any more.
thanks,
Chris
Dear Fitness Warrior Chris -
you are ripe to become a formal student of Wholistic Fitness...you fluctuate between your desires because your mind fluctuates and thus, your spirit can�t settle onto any one thing for very long.
but, this can also be perfect, especially for Wholistic Fitness. you see, sport specialization leads to imbalance. so it can be a source of wisdom not to attach yourself for very long to any one sport. why not find the Dance of ALL Sports?
finding the Dance which unites ALL fitness disciplines is where the Fun and the spiritual gateways lie...
but in the meantime, don�t get upset about �not knowing� what you want right now. it is your Soul�s way of waiting for the most Appropriate Path to arise....it�s like waiting for the breath to arise while holding a yoga posture...don�t push it, just stabilize where you are and wait for the breath (spirit) to arrive...
"All who wander, are not lost."
- Neruda
enjoy your fitness wandering...
it is a Path unto itself...
as valid as any other...
in strength & spirit,
coach ilg
���
Dearest Coach -
Your yoga class on Sunday was awesome as usual. I look forward to that special time each week. Thank you for your words of wisdom during each class and your encouragement. I felt like a strong yogi on Sunday.
-Alisha
Yogini Alisha -
yes, you came to HP Yoga in need of more strength, you were �frightened� by the �strength element� of my style of yoga teaching...BUT, you overcame your fear, came to class, breathed into the fears and realized your fear was just illusion...
and just LOOK at how FAST your body is becoming stronger AND more supple. your body looks SO MUCH MORE POWERFUL!
strength first, suppleness second.
strong, supple body = strong, supple mind.
keep up your Practice, you are looking ever more RADIANT!
i am pleased you enjoy and benefit from my humble path of Service...head bowed in Namaste,
coach ilg
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
March 04, 2003
NEW FOR MARCH:
"DAILY MEDITATIONS; Actually Become DAILY MEDITATIONS....
that's right;
my goal for March; update DIRECT LINES EVERY DAY!
today is a long and glorious entry based upon actual counsel to New Student Ludgate,
but in the month ahead?
might not be but a few words...
so make it at point of YOUR PRACTICE
to visit this forum every day for all sorts of body/mind teachings...
here is the first entry for this month;
my coaching dialouge with New Online Student Ludgate.
enjoy the Teachings and thank YOU, New Student Ludgate
for sharing our Work two-gether for the benefit of our Sangha!
New Student Ludgate!
RE: Halfway through cycle 1 seems a good time to let you know how things are
going.
� actually, it is optimal for my ability to facilitate your Practice if you contact me EVERY week...or even EVERY DAY with questions as they Arise
instead of waiting for longer periods...it is best for me to answer one or two questions from students each day than waiting for a longer multi-leveled communication from you.
does that make sense?
ask me questions/comments
as they arise...don't store them up
thank you!
RE:
Doing the work is its own reward: The greatest achievement these two
weeks has been completing all of my assignments and workouts.
� ALL OF THEM!??!?!
damn!
even 50% provides a significant training effect....
i might have a WF Lama on my hands!
Lama Ludgate!
RE: A lot of
distractions were thrown my way the past couple of weeks, from having
house guests to traveling to Maine to visit Mom to madness at work to
dealing with the vagaries of New York real estate. Through it all, I got
my butt out of bed and did the work, something I'd have been unlikely to
do in the past.
� okay, this is fantastic,
but i don't want you to get overzealous right off the start
"There are none so righteous as the newly converted."
pace yourself for an ultra marathon in this Path,
not a sprint
you and i will be traveling the Realms together
for a long time,
so pace yourself!
RE:
Ironman watch - my new best friend: A couple of months ago REI had a sale
on Timex Ironman watches - I picked one up with a heart monitor. It has
been great for this work!
� i have Students offer to make WF Watches complete with timers specific for our ST, Cardio, and Lifestyle assignments...
one Student even said he could integrate my voice into the watch so i could alert you to things like your Breath and Posture!
RE: I use the chrono for timing my workouts (and
limiting recovery to 30 seconds!), the timer for my 1 minute ab sets and
meditation, and the heart monitor for cardio. Great tool.
Allan, meet the dragon. Dragon, this is Allan: At the end of week 1, my
body has threatening to go on strike. I did Lower body on Thursday, then
drove to Maine on Friday, which caused my legs and lower back to tighten
up. My calves also started to burn. On Saturday, I was extremely sore,
� okay STOP
in WF
we don't say "sore"
we say we are feeling "well trained"
this is a more productive and conducive Word Choice
to interpenetrate your subconsciousness.
thank you.
RE:
but did 60 minutes of Minutes are Forever on the back roads by Mom's
house. My legs opened up during the run, but when I got home and
showered, they started to hurt like hell. For the rest of Saturday, I
could barely walk.
� welcome to our Temple,
New Student Ludgate!
"He who limps
is still walking."
besides,
studying WF will keep you humble
and off the streets!
(and Mom's meals will taste EVEN more precious!)
RE: Sunday was a little better,
� STOP
don't judge days as "better" or "worse"
instead tell me the non dualistic version such as,
"by Sunday, my legs were feeling more recovered."
do you Feel the difference, vibrationally, in what i am asking from you?
RE: but after the EE-GAD
workout things started tightening up again. To top it off, on Monday, my
"off day", I shoveled snow for my Mom for 2 hours and then drove back to
New York. By the time I got home, I was a wreck.
� i would imagine so!
ahhhh...New Student trials and tribulations!
i love it!
RE: However, further
evidence that the body is an amazing thing: did the same cycle in Week 2
(minus the shoveling) and felt nothing more than a little "good" soreness
� see my above counsel combined:
not good, not bad
not sore, just well trained
RE:
(i.e. could tell I worked hard and well, but that's all). I assume this
is normal lactic acid build up and to be expected. Is there anything I
can do to speed recovery if this happens again?
� keep Practicing
recovery capacities increase
with steadfast training
recovery capacities increase
with steadfast training
recovery capacities increase
with steadfast training
hang in there!
RE:
Cardio: Big learning here came from my heart monitor. When I did my
interval run, I quickly found that my "recovery" pace was too fast (I
thought of you talking about people going too hard when they should go
easy, and too easy when they should go hard). When I backed off a bit, I
was able to get real change between my Zone 1/2 pace and my Zone 3/4 pace.
� superb learning!
well done!
RE:
Strength training: Starting to feel a good rhythm and groove here, as I
get the choreography and flow down and my level of focus up. The Ku
bottom technique on V pulldowns was, shall we say, illuminating. And
everything I have read on Direct Lines about jump squats has been verified
- they're a bitch.
� i'll pretend you said that Jump Squats are the Goddess of WF Strength Training
and that you are enjoying your courtship with Her Highness.
just wait till i prescribe you 1:00 Gunther Hops after a 10 x 20 Back Squats!
WF is NO JOKE!
are you SURE you want to study this Path?!
RE:
Meditation: Enjoying my zazen sessions very much,
� oh geez,
i must have mis-coached you if you "enjoying" your first Zazen studies!
:-)
RE: although the mind does
tend to wander (in particular, after I reverse leg position, it is hard
for me to quiet back down and stay in my breath).
� i know,
but in WF overall balance
is most important in our Work
not lopsided hips from addiction to sitting only one way
RE: Beeper guru has been
just fine (thanks to activating the hourly beep on my Ironman watch).
� you should write Timex for a sponsorship contract....you are doing great dropping their name!
RE:
3X30, interestingly, has been the most difficult piece of the whole
program. Despite my efforts to keep it front of mind as I prepare my
food, I almost invariably forget to do it when I sit down to eat. Either
I forget completely, or I get half way through, remember I forgot, and say
!@@$$%%#@. I take this as a message about awareness. I am invariably
doing something else when I eat - talking to my wife, playing with my son,
catching up on reading, etc. I need to eat when I eat, and stay present
to what I am doing (reminds me of the zen parable on your stream entry
tape about the monk who couldn't remember where he put his umbrella).
� 3 x 30 is a tough Nutrition/Meditation assignment...
i feel sincerity in your words
and this is what matters most...
RE:
Yoga: I've been taking it easy here, either doing Medium Flexibility (on
the strength training days) or a few rounds of sun salutations. Lots of
room still for opening.
� a lifetime
or more!
RE:
Nutrition: I have been faithful in my herb intake, with one caveat. For
household budget reasons, my Ilg Supreme is missing Quinary and VitaFruit.
� absolutely fine! Vitashake and Fortune Delight are your two main go-to SR herbs throughout the day.
RE:
I am not so concerned about VitaFruit - I eat lots of fresh fruit, which
I assume is giving me what I need.
� good, yes, no pressing need for VitaFruit in that case
RE: Would like to add Quinary, but need to
get some other bills out of the way first.
� i hear you
RE: There is a steady stream of
VitaShake, Sunny Dew and Fortune Delight going into (and out of) my body.
� THAT is PERFECT! keep it up!
RE:
On the three restrictions (caffeine / dairy / meat),
� i LIKE that, New Student Ludgate -
- The Three Restrictions of WF Nutrition; dairy, meat, and caffeine!
very, very nice ring to it...
damn, the things a "Master" can learn from his New Students!
thank you!
RE: I'm dong
� wow...your FIRST
WF Spelling Guru (WFSG)
finally caught up with you...
you have been VERY Mindful about your spelling up until now!
RE: well on two
out of three. The only caffeine I have had the past two weeks was borne
of desperation - I was driving to Maine, it was late at night and I was
tired, and I was afraid it was either caffeine or wrap my car around a
tree.
� WHOLISTIC FITNESS VARIATION:
you crack and eat
David & Son's
SUNFLOWER SEEDS
next time you are driving when feeling tired
it's an old professional rock climbing (a.k.a; good for nothing bum
driving trick i used back in the day...
always keep a package in the glove compartment for this reason
RE: While I miss the flavor and the ritual of coffee, this has not been
that hard. On the dairy front, I have had no dairy by design, but have
found cheese tough to avoid when ordering out.
� that is okay...you are doing great...don't force too much change at once
RE: Finally, my carnivore days
are not yet behind me. I have cut way back (out with the sausages for
breakfast and the chicken wraps at launch),
� WFSG
RE: but still have meat for dinner
~5 days a week. Changing this one is going to be a long and slow process,
both because of my own desires and attachments and because of how
ingrained it is in my family life (my wife, my parents, and my in-laws are
all enthusiastic meat eaters).
� me too.
don't worry.
just do this:
1) take your SR herbs during the day
then,
2) just keep bringing Awareness
to the quality of the FEEL of the corpses upon which you feed.
3) trace the decaying flesh energy throughout your internal body until the flesh of the corpse has been eliminated.
4) smell and feel the texture of your eliminations from flesh eating
5) compare #'s 2-4 above to the feeling of the SUNRIDER (SR) herb energy.
(you will find this Assignment very hard,
flesh foods 'cement' themselves onto vesicular tissues and don't get eliminated adequately...this is why most American's have so much bacterial filth throughout their intestines causing all sorts of dis-ease.)
doing this Assignment
will help move you Higher
Happier
Lighter
and
more
Vibrant!
RE: That is all (enough) for now. No real questions about the workouts - the
wisdom of the design shines through. This does seem an appropriate time
to ask what I need to do and when I need to do it to get my first program
update.
� did i email you a Cycle Summation yet? if not, let me know.
this is a Test to see if you are
truly ON the Path...
RE: Finally, I have been thinking a lot about something you wrote in Direct
Lines last week: "when I go, WF goes". I do not agree. To me, WF is
three things: a teacher, a sangha, and dharma. Of these, (no offense),
the teacher is most replaceable. As you have noted several times, WF has
become a sangha, with the message radiating out like ripples from a stone
from you to your teachers to your on-line students to your yogis to anyone
who clicks on the site or reads your books. This sangha was always
there, searching for something they couldn't find. What you did was help
them (us) open the door of the temple. That community should be strong
enough to survive the loss of any one member, even if it is the stone in
the middle. Finally, WF is dharma. As you have said, "there is plenty of
Ilg out there". In this digital age, that will continue to be true. As
long as the dharma is accessible, the sangha will find it. I guess what I
am saying is that in a post-Ilg world, WF would continue to morph and
change (no venerating stone tablets here), but as long as it stays true to
the core of mind/body fitness, it should continue to grow.
� well,
i hate to pop your intellectual bubble regarding WF futurity,
but...
for WF to actually "grow"
it would require someone to navigate the "body" or "physical" terrain
in which WF was borne;
i.e., compete in 5 World Championships in 4 physiologically diverse sports
this is my Base Level body/mind fitness that i attained through WF and from which my teachings were born..
pretty rarefied air
( i won�t bring up the fact of my fractured spine and healing it without drugs or surgery)
the Buddha only needed 6 years of fierce asceticism (tapas)
and seven days of meditation
to become Awakened....
shit,
it took me 10 years just to qualify for my FIRST World Championship
and to even start LINKING my physical effort with spirituality!
if the Buddha were an athlete
which type of athlete would He have been?
or Jesus?
or Ramakrishna?
endurance?
strength?
agility?
or...
would He have been a MULTI-SPORT Athlete
across a continuum of physiologically diverse sports?
hmmmmmm....
how come no one has asked this Question?
all major Traditions agree;
one cannot master the Mind or certainly the Spirit
without
first
mastering the lowly Body!
so,
of all the Masters...
who has the most control of the Body?
interesting stuff to reflect on
for a New Student of WF....
don't be so quick to predict
WF's ability �to grow�
too flippantly until my same terrain has been negotiated by at least someone else in the world...
which has yet to happen!
the body/mind fitness that i attained
will be
required
if WF - in its original sense -
is to actually
"grow"
without this Base Level of Body/Mind Fitness Attainment
WF teachings will not "grow"
but will rather just become 'dispensed' and 'stylized'
throughout my Certified Teachers and Students
because,
you See,
New Student Ludgate,
WF
- for it to be True -
is rooted with the mastery of the body
through the mind.
there are NO shortcuts around the body
don't over intellectualize or predict the fate of
my LifeWork
until you
or someone else has attained what i've done
at the Physical Level...
okay?
thank you,
just want to clarify
the very GROUNDED NATURE
of
WF...
we are not New Agey flakey types...
we are Warrior Athletes
devoted to staying grounded
and using the Body as a Vehicle.
good luck...
and Godspeed in your WF Studies...
love,
coach ilg
March 02, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
i interupt this regularly scheduled new entry into DIRECT LINES
in order to invoke a 48-hour tribute to 22 year-old Johnny Spillane
of Steamboat Springs, CO
who, this month, over in Italy, became the first American
to win an World Championship Nordic Combined Medal
and the first American in 22 years
to win a World Championship Nordic Medal.
So, here is to Johnny Spillane, baby,
on behalf of old Nordic racing farts like myself who struggled to represent
the United States in the worlds most difficult sport - Nordic Ski Racing -
ilg says,
"YEAH,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Johnny won a GOLD FRIGGIN' MEDAL in the Nordic Combined Sprint!
In the morning of the Championships, Johnny jumped on the Large Hill to 4th place,
then,
in the afternoon during the 7.5 kilometer Freestyle (cross country, skate style) event,
it was,
See Johnny cross country ski?
Ski Johnny ski!
See Johnny kick Scandanavian ass?!?!!?!??!?!
Kick it Johnny, you go kick that Norwegian, Austrian, Italian, Finland, Swedish, German, et. al., ASS!!!!!!!
YEAH BABY, YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
See that podium?
That is Spillane on the top spot!
okay,
phew.
geez.
wow.
Johnny Spillane...
ilg bows to you.
thank you for the Gold, baby!
wow.
Gold
in
Nordic.
Hell has now officially frozen over in Scandanavia
and the Devil in Charge goes by the name of Spillane
maybe feeble ilg comes out of retirement to
race with Spillane in the 4 x 10 Nordic Relays in the Olympics?
you see Johnny, you see what happens when you are brave enough
to "jump" into your Highest dreams?
you inspire everybody Higher!
poor Europe.
they got Lance winning their bicycle races
now they got Johnny Spillane winning their Nordic races
Bode Miller winning their Alpine races...
Agassi and the Williams sisters taking their tennis competitions
and Tiger feasts upon their treasured golfing titles...
oh well..
guess that leaves Europe with...uh...
rugby,
i guess.
cricket anyone?
you gotta love American athletes,
we are scrappy sonsabitches
if nothing else.
thank you Johnny...
i just wish ALL NATIONS would fight out wars
with skis and bikes
instead of missiles and bombs.
Oh, and thank you NBC for choosing to air
the Nordic World Championships.
anyway, i'm feeling stoked and just wanted to share the moment with you all.
check back in a couple days...my book cover photo shoot was TOTALLY COOL and
photographer Wayne Williams (www.waynewilliamstudio.com)
and his crew did a FANTASTIC JOB! i'll tell you about it next update
along with NEW STUDENT INPUT and much, much more!
enjoy the breath
and train hard to find the Softness,
coach ilg
{note: steve ilg has 2 Nordic Combined National Championships to his list of national class competitions in several outdoor sports}