April 29, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors...
it is my visualization that ALL of you get to meet Alejandra and Fidel Espinosa de la Garza
of Monterrey, Mexico.
maybe at our First Annual International Wholistic Fitness Tribal Powwow in Milan, Italy?
or maybe not.
our humble Path is quite powerful, but i would hold your kumbhaka waiting for that to occur.
i'm too busy.
doing the Real Guts of the Work...teaching.
and after Alejandra and Fidel left Kathy and myself after sharing an AMAZING intensive i was left wondering, 'whose paying who?' Fidel is a very handsome mountain biker and outdoor athlete whose been following my programs since my first book, "THE OUTDOOR ATHLETE" a long, long time ago and into "THE WINTER ATHLETE." he had just finished PERFECT POWER routine when he and his adorable and beautiful wife, 'Ally' - who also follows WF programs - arrived at our doorstep for their intensive.
their physiques proved their allegiance to my programs.
both were lean, muscular, and the symmetry of their bodies was flawless...a hallmark of the "WF physique." it's just the training effect from "performing excellence in every workout!"
the spiritual component of their WF training was clearly evident in their eyes...Fidel's eyes were cherishingly blue - as if heaven itself was spilling forth from his riveting gaze. Ally had eyes that shone like disks of obsidian glimmering beneath a siesta sun. She was very nearly the split image of my Beloved wife...even smaller at a height of 156 cm and her bodyweight barely registered on an American scale at just 45 Kg.
but she, like her husband, had CHI!
or, 'Garudo'!!!!!!!...clawlike tenacious energy that you just DON'T want to be on the receiving end of!
no wonder these two warriors thrived on WF programs!
we shared with them what we did with many our Intensive students; we woke early to meditate, i lectured, we did yoga, we hiked up nearby mountain trails, we did pranayama, we busted our butts in the gym, i did bodywork and energywork, we shared beautiful, low fat vegetarian meals (y un pequeno rojos vino!) while enjoying very human conversation...a difference in spoken language means little when one is in the family of those who enjoy breath and movement and the 'espiritu' which animates both!
i don't know precisely why i've been so fortunate to become the feeble Messenger of a body/mind Path that is infinitely more Powerful than what i am hooked up to and am able to convey...
but i do feel immeasurably Graced to be able to be the recipient of such consistently beautiful souls like Alexandra y Fidel...
Gracias mi hermano y hermano de los gardudo!
y saludar a usted...
el coache
ps: have YOU scheduled YOUR own WF Private Intensive with Coach and Kathy this year? it's the best deal on the planet as far as a genuine body/mind experience! sign up for yours today at wholisticfitness.com, online tribal catalog!
coming up NEXT ON DL:
YOUR INPUT and COMMON QUESTIONS, ZEN ANSWERS straight from Coach Ilg's active student facilitation!
April 27, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
Kathy and i woke up surprisingly early after our day of shooting the yoga photos for my new book.
i say "surprisingly" because we consumed a couple of celebratory
"cosmopolitans" that Wayne and Marcia made for us after we wrapped our shoot.
the drinks were good,
the photo shoot was utterly fantastic (wait till you see what a great photographer can do with a feeble yogi!)
but it was our friendship that we cemented between the pics and after the sips
that mattered most.
anyway, we woke up early and ran my secret "Hardy Boyz" trail...
gotta get in the Cardio workout, can't let those slide by!
it was the first time i took Kathy up this 1.3 mile trail which links up Caballero Trailhead with Dirt Mulholland. Kathy is getting so strong in trail running! what's that line from ROCKY?
"I think i teached you too good!"
me - having marrying this Fitness Princess - is a decision that is either going to
1) kill me or,
2) keep me younger and fitter than i really should be!
this new, secret trail of mine is steep and curvy - having been fashioned from thirsty deer heading toward Caballero Creek. it laces itself gleefully over and over again through manzanita and wild mustard atop a thunderous carpet of pink and indigo wildflowers. she rises with verdant, riparian appeal to ridgetop masculinity 1,100' feet higher. each twig and rock along her snakish, skyward rise seems mysteriously subdued, perhaps from the nonstop caress of ocean wind?
engrossed as i could be with a heartrate of 183
running upon this carpet of floral sanctity
i looked not at specific blossoms
but a myriad of precious faces looking up at me...
why,
i could barely stand to run upon
such beautiful luminosity!
this miraculous trail (just having manifested itself to me this past week), has gifted Coloradoan mountain energy into my LA neighborhood.
i cannot believe i've lived here over 4 years and just this week have found this incredible mountain trail!
(the Lord works in mysterious ways.)
then, back at home, it was time for some solo HP Yoga
and pranayama
after the sweaty asanas
i sit,
legs folded
until my breath stood still
and calm
i watched my mind
patient as an oyster
until
i lost interest in my solitude
united in the quiet infinity of Cosmic mind
then, my ego began its waving
and winking for my attention
like an adolescent girl desperate to flirt.
why should a chattery mind
be so resistant to become calm?
i don't know
that's why i keep Practicing...
and do my best to inspire others to do the same...
�
"The Heart is the hub of all
sacred places.
Go there and
roam in it."
- Sri Nityananda
�
i bow to you,
thanks for reading...
i'm now in a two-day Private Training Intensive with two new students from Mexico. i feel Blessed to be able to share what i love
with how i live.
coming up next in DL...YOUR input and quotes!
May your Practice be fun and focused, simple and powerful...
coach ilg
April 25, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
okay, i think i'm okay.
phew.
shooting the yoga photos, all 94 of them, today over in Sherman Oaks with famed photographers, Wayne Williams...wish me luck! check out Wayne's work at:
www.waynewilliamsstudio.com
hope you'll like the results...i'm confident that Wayne will make me look far better than i actually am!
then, within two weeks, i'm going to hit the gym hard and put on a couple of pounds of muscle and then shoot an equal amount of photos for the strength training section of the new book...
shape shifting; a WF specialty!
i'll close this entry with a SUNRIDER herb question that came in this morning that may be relevant for many of you with kids and with less then optimal skin fitness...skin fitness is huge for those of who who workout in particular!
enjoy your Practice today and send some spiritual good luck vibes to me today! we have the chance to help many people today if we can shoot inspirational photos!
i bow to you,
coach ilg
���
Warrior Todd
RE: I hope all is well with you.
� all is cranking. shooting the interior Yoga pics today for the new book.
RE:
Whats in the premo? drink,
� the "Ilg Supreme"?
i'll close this email with the recipe.
RE:
what SR products work on acne for teenagers with worse then average skin.
� Beauty Pearls #360402 nourish their skin from the inside out
� in the shower, have girls use: # 350104 Warm Facial Scrub (Oi-Lin) and guys can use: #370603 Warm Facial Scrub (Dr. Chen)
� outside the shower, use #330414 Balancing Splash, or for really difficult acne use #330504 Astringent
RE: I'm off to central OR this weekend to spend some time with the Snake Dog solider spirits and smith rocks, meditation is very strong for me over there, anyhow, thanks for your help.
� the Pacific Northwest is a definite vortex...powerful energy up there. have fun. here is the ILG SUPREME recipe...the standard core nutrition of WF Warriors the world over...drink 1 per day, 2 if feeling stressed or if you want to feel like Brahman!
As WF Warrioress Fusano just wrote me,
"I ORDER MY SR HERBS EVERY MONTH. I FEEL GREAT AND NOTICE IF I MISS A DAY. I'D LIKE TO REITERATE, A DAY WITHOUT SUNRIDER IS A DAY WITHOUT THE SUN!"
enjoy feeling GREAT!
namaste,
coach ilg
�����
SUNRIDER Whole Food Herbs and Personal Care
The Official Nutrition of Wholistic Fitness
�����PRODUCT USE�����
here is my main SUNRIDER formula for Wholistic Fitness and High Performance Yogic Warriors the world over.
drink one or two ILG SUPREME�s per day. this drink empowers, balances, and strengthens your body/mind.
In between, drink FORTUNE DELIGHT (#101029-that is Lemon flavor, but there are four other flavors to enjoy)
with a squirt of SUNNY DEW (#103011). this drink metabolizes impacted bodyfat and detox�s the cells via enhanced cellular respiration giving you a stable run of energy all day.
THE ILG SUPREME
I've listed the herbs in order of cost-effective priority...
Into your Sunrider Shaker Bottle (code#53011) mix:
� pour 10 - 16 oz of filtered water into your SR Shaker Bottle. this suspends the herbs from the bottom of the bottle...
� add another 4-12 ounces of soy milk (i prefer SILK, Vanilla flavor). this adds a great texture/flavor plus more protein...
� 1 package of Strawberry Vitashake (#155020) to supply main nutritional core: vitamins, minerals, amino acids, carbs, proteolytic enzymes, in whole food form.
� 1 moderate squirt of Vitafruit (#102011) for a major dosage of concentrated fruit, antioxidants, vitamins, etc.
� 1 moderate squirt of Sunny Dew (#103011) to stabilize blood sugar and to sweeten
� 1 five-gram package Quinary (#190509) to support, balance, and empower all five organ (or element) systems of the body; endocrine, digestive, t-cell immunity, respiratory, and circulation.
� shake it up.
� chug it or sip from it...and bingo; another day of feeling KING OF THE WORLD BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!
i drink at least one, but sometimes two ILG SUPREME�s per day...especially if training hard, working hard, or travel stressed
THROUGHOUT THE DAY:
Your SR Shaker Bottle should constantly be at your side throughout the day. If it doesn�t have an Ilg Supreme in it, then it should have this:
�filtered water
� 1 five-gram package of Fortune Delight (see above)
� 1 moderate squirt of Sunny Dew ( see above)
or
� have a cup of Calli Beverage (#500300) with Fortune Delight
(Calli is a BEAUTIFUL beverage that is prepared and drunk like hot tea...it functions similarly to Fortune Delight, but is designed to pull heavier toxins from the cells.) This is a far better option than coffee in the morning!
AT NIGHT :
� have a cup of Calli Night (#100149) while reading a good book to achieve cell cleansing and bodyfat loss during the night, while enjoying a peaceful rest...really calms your nervous system and induces rest.
���� EAT YOUR HERBS and SHIFTS HAPPEN!
when i first started Sunriding, my body craved the Ilg Supreme constantly for several months before my body started to cleanse and balance. i would drink the recipe 3 x daily. couldn�t get enough of it. it was like my body KNEW and it would not let ANYTHING stand in its Way toward achieving cellular purity which results in a Higher Vibrating state of being and awareness. it just felt WAY too good! that was twenty years ago...and this morning�s ILG SUPREME felt JUST as powerful!
�����SHARE THE HERBS!
Drinking your herbs throughout the day is a great way to help other people get healthier. Sure enough people will ask you,
�What the hell is that stuff you are drinking?�
�Herbs.�
�Herbs? What do they do?�
�They give me energy and health while burning bodyfat.�
They�ll want to get on the herbs, believe me. Who wouldn�t?
If you are a SR Distributor, they can easily join online under you and pretty soon, your monthly check completely pays for your personal use of the herbs! It takes about 4-6 people under you who consistently take the ILG SUPREME and FORTUNE DELIGHT to pay for your personal use of the herbs. That is NOT a lot of effort to eat the best herbs in the world for �free�!
����� QUESTIONS ON JOINING or BUILDING A SR BUSINESS ?
let me know!
April 23, 2003
i am sorry
but DIRECT LINES
is temporarily stalled
due to the fact that i must somehow deal
- as elegantly as possible -
with the fact that my Colorado Avalanche
are no longer in the Stanley Cup Playoffs...
this may take some time.
thank you for your patience
and may all beings be fit and happy
(except for members of the Minnesota Wild hockey team)
(kidding)
i bow to you in shock,
feeble ilg
April 21, 2003
Namaste DIRECT LINES Readers!
i'd like to thank the growing readership over in Germany, where it seems, through the years, feeble ilg has become nearly as popular as David Hasselhoff (sp?)! Germans are always interested in physical training and they become very interested, in my experience, when physical training is linked with mental or spiritual training...thus explains their attraction to WF, baby! Anyway, thank you over there and Gooden Tag!
Discovered ANOTHER new hidden mountain trail just up the street! Not one human footprint, yet the trail was perfectly groomed as if by Divine Design! Unreal how Mother Earth's abundance just keeps giving, giving, giving! A rattlesnake at the trailhead spurred my Awareness to new heights and low and behold, a most perfect sandstone boulder appeared on this new trail about 19 minutes up the ridge! i will develop this 13' boulder this summer for my very own private bouldering sessions! thank you God, for being so magical in Your abundance! while power hiking up a very steep pitch on my new, hidden trail, i startled a huge deer who crashed through the manzanita at about about 35 mph! shortly after this encounter, i also very nearly stepped on what appeared to be a weasel! or perhaps an escaped ferret?
and people say LA is overcrowded!
not for those of us who get out and explore! my LA is filled with wilderness and wonder...right in my backyard!
what i love about the Practice of WF: it in-courages us to develop the mind/body fitness that ignites our willingness to explore fringes of convention.
speaking of exploring the lunatic's fringe...it's always such an honor to hear input from new online Students of formal WF Study...in the words that follow, i'll grant you permission to "listen in" to my actual coaching counsel to an update from New Student Allan Ludgate of NYC. Allan is going to be a fine Student of WF...perhaps even a Master Student one day...his Awareness is sharp and more importantly, there is a distinct sense of pacing to his insights.
please, enjoy this privilege of listening in, but USE his and my Work together to deepen your own Practice so that all beings may benefit from this type of inner and outer work that WF is so amazing at developing...
i bow to you,
coach ilg
founder/Wholistic Fitness & High Performance Yoga
����
Dear Coach-
Impressions and questions from week 1 of Green Tara:
Impressions:
Overall: Holy Up the Ante Batman! You officially had my attention by 7:00
AM last Tuesday, as I worked my way through the upper body workout.
Definitely felt a step up in intensity, with associated shocks to the
system (let's just say my calves, chest, and back have never felt so "well
trained"!). All in all, it was my best week of practice. Things were a
little light on the work front, so I could really put in the time, and
more importantly, the focus, into my work. Comments on specific elements
as follows:
Strength training: Best job to date of matching resistance to reps - I'm
starting to get a feel for the "colors" of the weight room. Good
confidence boost doing dips and pull-ups, as I was able to do more of both
than expected.
� yes, good. "He who has no expectations shall never be disappointed." i want you to enter each workout with what Suzuki terms, "Beginner's Mind." start each workout anew!
RE: Very important lesson in humility on bench press, as by
the last set I had almost nothing left.
� YES!
that is the way the Game is played, baby!
mean people are mean because they don't train hard enough!
when we Practice properly,
who has enough energy to waste on being angry or mean?
RE: However, rather than worry about
how "98 pound weakling" I looked, I went and grabbed a 35 lb. barbell and
squeezed one final, great set.
� this is classic WF:
"Less is More!"
RE: Was dealt some "life judo" yesterday, my
EEE-GAD day. I pulled by butt out of bed at 6 AM, so I could get my
workout in before my many Easter commitments began, only to get to the gym
and find...they were closed for Easter!
� ha!
humor of the UniVerse;
don't be overly attached to anything...even workouts!
RE: Wanting to get
in some work, I improvised the following home workout (call it the uh-oh):
3 sets pull-ups
3 sets push-ups (tried two sets of plyo push-ups, although my hangtime was
something short of Jordanesque!)
3 sets squats with dumbbells
3 sets overhead press with dumbbells
3 sets triceps extensions
3 sets dumbbell curls
To finish off, had my wife and son join me on the floor for 3 repetitions
of navasana pose
� WONDERFUL ad lib!
RE:
Cardio: My biggest barrier here is really letting go and pushing all the
way to the edge on my intervals.
� it is go(o)d that you recognize your barrier.
now, dance the edge...
RE: While my heart monitor and lungs tell me
I'm working plenty hard, at least part of me is thinking "remember, you
have four more of these - leave something in the tank".
� screw the tank...GO!!!!!!!
RE: I also notice I
slow noticeably over the course of the minute,
� that's because you are finding a fundamental Truth which makes itself known to all WF Students....
MINUTES ARE FOREVER!
;-)
RE: and from the first interval
to the last.
� yes, this is known as your training amplitude...many athletes can go hard for the first few intervals, but then, as they go on and on...their quality of mind and intensity deteriorates.
a year from now, you will be sooo much stronger in both body and mind.
know this.
RE: Finally, I found it difficult to calibrate my 3:00 minute
interval pace, unsure whether to go out as fast as possible and try to
hold on, or to pick a brisk pace I can sustain over the full three
minutes.
� training is ART...
most people have no idea of the Anaerobic Chess playing that is quality cardio training...the art of pacing!
RE:
Yoga: Here the challenge is finding the flow for the Green Tara and Ai
Imawa series. In both cases, I found the descriptions and advice in LOY
and your Ai Imawa inspiring and helpful. However, while I have done most
of these postures before, I don't have immediate recognition when I see
the names. Therefore, on both Ai Imawa and Green Tara, I ended up with
pieces of paper arrayed all around my mat to remind me what each pose
looks like. Processing that, plus trying to remember all the
instructions, plus trying to remember to breathe, made for mechanistic,
rather than soulful, workouts. I state this as a fact, not a concern, as
I know the flow will come with practice.
� yes, you will be grateful when my new book comes out in January, yes?
until then, KNOW that your RESEARCH and digging about and mechanistic ways are VITAL for the DEPTH of teaching...hang in there...
RE: Also had entertaining
experiences with the two postures I hadn't done before. The first was
malasana, in which I brought my feet together, spread my knees apart,
and...fell on my ass (REPEAT)! The fun continued in bakasana, where I was
pleasantly surprised to find I had the strength to hold my weight on my
arms, but less pleasantly surprised to repeatedly face plant on my yoga
mat. I guess I have some balance work to do.
� and perhaps a helmet to buy?!?!
;-)
RE:
Nutrition: Herbs continue to go in and out like clockwork - I'd say I've
fully integrated them into my daily life. On your recommendation, bought
a copy of Three Bowls, and have started to incorporate that into the family meal plan. Also made
my first batch of Ilg granola (from TWA) - have eaten it both as a
breakfast cereal (with soy milk, berries, and wheat germ), and as an
afternoon snack. Good stuff. Had a bummer of an experience on Saturday.
I stopped by GNC looking for a carb recovery drink to have after my
intervals. Couldn't find one (carbs really are a dirty word these days!)
but did find another drink that said it was indicated for "energy and
recovery". Did my workout, drank it down, then looked at the ingredients
and found...it was loaded with caffeine and ephedra! In an hour, I was
definitely buzzed, and not in a good way. Next time I read before I
drink.
� you are learning again, Grasshopper!
RE:
Meditation / Pranayama: Adjusting to the change from counting breath to
focusing on the sound. Continue to find zazen a great way to start the
day. Still finding my place in pranayama. Sitting zazen, from the first,
I have felt like I was really connecting to something (even if only for a
second). In pranayama, I feel like...I'm breathing through one nostril,
then the other. Haven't yet been able to move past the mechanics. Again,
more a statement of fact than a concern, since I have now practiced
pranayama all of four times in my life! I did find it very interesting to
meditate / do pranayama after my Sunday workout. Two things happened:
Time moved much more slowly than in the morning
My arms tingled like crazy, especially from the elbows down
� perfect!
this is the base field energy (chi) beginning to flow throughout new channels (meridians or, for yogis, nadis).
RE:
On the barefoot rule: my son and I are going barefoot and digging it, but
my wife (after giving it a shot) will only go as far as socks (the bit
about toughening up the feet was opposed to her sense of femininity!)
� here is what is least feminine; brittle bones. go barefoot. blast through the adaptation phase. otherwise, arthritis and other joint-afflictions in later life will become quite un-feminine! going barefoot stimulates meridians and nourishes all five major organ systems. wearing shoes and socks suffocates the inner body.
RE: Questions:
Ujjayi in strength training: In my bench press instructions, you specify
"ujjayi breathing only". Should this hold true for all of my strength
training, or just the bench press.
� for now, just the bench press.
later, Ujjayi (the Victory Breath) will infuse all your ST sessions.
RE: I try hard to focus on my breath,
� don't ever try too hard
try softer
RE:
specifically on matching my breath to yin and yang, and keeping the breath
low. However, I generally inhale and exhale through my mouth to do this.
Is this incorrect? Per your instructions, I used nose breathing on my
bench press reps, but have not on other exercises.
� see my coaching counsel
RE:
Breathing low while running: I have had success keeping my breath low in
spinning class and in the gym. However, I find it extremely hard to do
while doing my intervals. In the Zone 3/4 segments, my breath doesn't go
below my rib cage, a function (I think) of the tension in my abs required
to hold my posture and power my legs. Is there anything specific you
recommend to work on this?
�yes, trust in the Path.
your Awareness is very high for a New Student.
you will go far in this Path...definitely Master Student potential, but pace yourself, don't push the river of your natural progress otherwise your learning with me will be shallow.
RE:
Hydration: I have been meaning to ask you how and when I should hydrate
while I do my prescribed workouts.
� this will change over the years ahead as your cells get more adept at assimilating pran.
RE: I typically drink a lot of water
before and after exercise, but not during. I have started carrying a
small bottle of water during my strength workouts, taking quick sips
between sets. I don't take in fluids during my cardio workouts.
� i'd reverse that.
sip during Cardio.
don't drink during ST.
you douse the pran whenever you drink.
to keep pranic energy on high, don't drink until after your ST session.
sip during Cardio is okay for now.
all those articles about "proper hydration" are written by those addicted to Western textbooks on physiology.
your Work with me is designed to take you much Higher than all of that regurgitated, sterile, hollow stuff.
buckle up...you're going Higher baby!
RE: Running
buddies of mine say you should take in fluids during any cardio workout
longer than 45 minutes. What do you recommend?
� see above.
the day will come when you will be able to do cardio for hours without taking fluids. but for now, sip every 20 minutes.
RE: I'll leave it there for now. Looking forward to getting back at it
tomorrow morning.
� the reward of good workouts are more good workouts.
proud of you...
head bowed from the humble Helm,
coach ilg
April 19, 2003
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors!
Spring is in the air. The other day when Kathy and i were in Chicago, we saw a Santa Monica type of scene; hundreds of noble fitness warriors running, inline skating, and cycling along Lake Michigan. The only difference was the shockingly lack of sun tans! Ouch! Some of those folks needed a dimmer switch for their snow white skin, let me tell you! Regardless, a sight like that - so many people enjoying moving and breathing in their bodies under Father Sky - gives this mountain yogi hope for humanity! Why? Because when people breathe together, people become brothers and sisters of the unifying force of all life; BREATH, baby!
in tribute to the oncoming spring and Cardio season, here is an edited version from one of my chapters of my next book, TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION (Hyperion Press) to be released next January.
Enjoy it's teachings by getting out and DOING IT! That which is not known by direct experience is not true.
May your Practice be strong,
coach ilg
����
Steve Ilg's
WHOLISTIC FITNESS PERSONAL TRAINING SYSTEM
WHOLISTIC NOTES: CARDIO - Cosmic Yang Style
�The arrow had best not be loosely shot.�
Henry David Thoreau
Cosmic Yang not only builds power for you in the gym, it does the same in its Cardio component as well. To impart power into your Cardio fitness during this cycle, you will be doing my classic �Minutes Are Forever� interval workout along with a special event 'weekend workout" that truly imparts POWER into your Cardio fitness! The next four weeks contain quite a few moments of high intensity hurtin� during both your gym and Cardio workouts. Because of that, I want to briefly make sure you know the WF warrior�s way to cope with high intensity workouts.
NATIVE ZEN
I once described Cardio training to a new age magazine interviewer as �A form of native Zen.� Why? Because the initial meditation instructions given by any good Zen teacher to their new students is to have them pay attention to their breath and to their posture. Their instruction would continue along lines like this, �When random thoughts intrude upon your meditation on breath and posture, pull your attention back to the breath.�
Does this sound familiar? It should. �Breath & Posture� is the first Wholistic Fitness Lifestyle Principle!
No better coaching counsel could be given for doing Cardio workouts as well. One moment of awareness is one moment of purity. The more consciously you follow your breath and pay attention to your posture, the more aware you begin to live. More awareness during Cardio workouts brings more and deeper meaning into other aspects of your life. You don�t need to �do� anything extra to become more conscious. Just bring awareness to whatever you are already doing, especially during Cardio workouts.
Do you see how all increased fitness always returns, over and over again, to the shining basics? Do you understand why coaches are driven nuts when their athletes don�t pay attention to �fundamentals?� What good is a fast mid fielder in soccer if he or she can�t control the ball? None. What good is it to become cardiovascularly fit if it doesn�t make your life more meaningful and wealthy? None. So what if doing Cardio makes you live longer if you are just surviving instead of thriving?
I�ve worked with a lot of elite Cardio athletes. Most are surprised, if not stunned, by my �unplugged� low tech, Zen based teachings. Here are well known professional or Olympic class athletes and I am adjusting their foot position as we stood in line together at the grocery market! I guess they think how they stand in line in the grocery store somehow doesn�t count as a �valid� part of their training regime like, say, a Max VO2 test in the human performance lab. In Wholistic Fitness it sure does. How you do anything is how you do everything!}
The effort inherent in any Cardio workout turns into suffering only when your ego pulls you away from conscious attention to the moment. Return your awareness to the breath, for example, and suffering dissipates. The ego that likes to attach to discomfort and drama drowns in breath and posture awareness. Purity, perspective (which includes performance strategy), and most of all, peacefulness, thrives in it.
Paying attention to our breath and posture during Cardio workouts is at first like training a puppy. We must sharply yang the leash to bring an undisciplined, frolicking dog to heel. After enough yanks, the dog eventually understands it is better just to do what we want. Once the dog becomes disciplined, we no longer need the leash. We trust that our dog will come when commanded. The dog is now free to run and be �free� while other less disciplined dogs must remain tethered to their leashes.
Trust and freedom can only be achieved through steady discipline and a wise, caring Master. Do you have the self discipline to become free? What is the leash that you use to discipline the unruly mind? In WF, we use Lifestyle Principle #1: Breath and Posture.
Kottitha, wrote a few millennia ago...
"...mind unruffled
shaking distractions away
like the wind-god
scatters a few
forest leaves."
Enough theory. Time for perspiration; your own. Only through your OWN sweat can spiritual truth be decoded from my WF teachings. Here is one of my classic WF Cardio workouts during which you can practice "Native Zen":
MINUTES ARE FOREVER
Simple and powerful. Here is how you do it.
Pick any Cardio activity of choice. Then,
� Warm up for 10 - 20 minutes at an easy level of intensity (zones 1/2)
� a) Go hard for one minute (zones 3/4)
� b) Recovery pace for one minute (zone 1)
� c) Keep doing this great idea for 10 minutes: 1 minute �gut wrenching hard� followed by 1 minute �guilt producingly easy.�
� After your tenth �hard� interval (if you make it there!), recover for 10 minutes at zone 1. Then, buckle up your Warrior belt and
� Repeat a through c if you have it in you. if not, that's cool, just call it a day and come back stronger next time.
� NOTE: always perform a Cool down for 10 - 20 minutes at zone 1.
ps: it is not dishonor to throw up during this workout. unless you use throwing up as an excuse to quit!
April 17, 2003
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors!
Kathy and i are off to sneak a few ski turns before the southern California winter ends...spring conditions are superb for beginning skiers like my wife. the snow is soft, turns are made easily, and skiing sleeveless under a sweet sun makes for ideal learning progress.
i wanted to send these tidbits off to you before carving a few turns...enjoy them, they are from you...the Students, friends, and fans of our Crazy Wisdom Way: WHOLISTIC FITNESS!
rock on, baby!
be impeccable today, in whatever you do...
love,
coach ilg
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For whoever seeks God in some special way, will gain the way and lose God who
is hidden in the way. But whoever seeks God without any special way, finds Him
as He really is and He is life itself.
Eckhart
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My website Angel; Hakado Ru, has completed the DIRECT LINES archives! that's right, just hit ARCHIVES at DIRECT LINES for the back entries of my journals....thank YOU HAKADO RU!!!!!!!!!
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"What could be a finer thing to live with than a high spirit attuned to
softness? "-Henry James
offered by Student Mackel, LA
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"Comedy brings happiness, tragedy brings wisdom, why push away either?"
- coach ilg
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CUSTOM RECIPES COMING SOON TO DIRECT LINES!!!!!
My ILGBro -
I miss you and Kathy very much. You are in my thoughts every day. I would like to extend an invitation to you both to join me in my home for an evening of good cookin' and a movie soon.
I would be delighted to submit monthly recipes to you to post on DL for WF as my participation in "the work." I am honored!
Welcome Home
ROD
(Rod Burks is a longtime friend, fan, and business associate of WF...his private training and bodywork services are in high demand in LA and his healthy, conscious mealtimes are sought by the elite tier of Hollywood. Rod comes into a client's home and prepares some of the most luscious, loving meals Kathy and i have ever had the honor to enjoy. for those of you living in LA who would like to take advantage of Rod's services you may reach him at: rburks1@socal.rr.com)
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Dearest Steve and Kathy,
Just wanted to say thank-you again for a wonderful workshop in Chicago. I much appreciate your instruction and guidance. I had lots of time to think about what I experienced on the drive home. Made it back to Ann Arbor safe and sound and slept like a baby as soon as I walked in the door. This morning I woke up and felt muscles I didn't know I had! Good thing Monday is a recovery day in the Green Tara program. I did enjoy the sitting Kata this morning from your whirlwind dancer video and that felt really nice. Now I am off and working on "staying hungry" and floating up to the pull up bar! What a process. Much love to you both and enjoy the rest of your time in the windy city.
Namaste, Heather
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What you have to do,
you have to do with play.
Opportunities
to find deeper powers
within ourselves
come when life
seems most challenging.
Joseph Campbell
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yipyipyipaaaaaroooooooooooooooooooooooooooo bro
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ACTUAL COACHING DIALOGUE WITH NEW STUDENT MACKEL:
RE: I work for that gym and they don't even own a V bar not to mention they have locked every pulldown bar on each pulldown station so there is no choice. 24 Hour Fitness doesn't like it when employees "rock the boat." I am going to talk to another gym about teaching a class there so I have ST options.
� yes, a Warrior finds a Way, not another worry.
RE: A testament to our teacher student relationship: Since becoming a WF Warrior I made it to the podium for the first time in my triathlon racing career but didn't know it. I found out on-line that my 5k time of 21:02, two weeks ago, was second in my age group. Obviously it was a weak field but 2nd is 2nd.
� 2nd is indeed 2nd...it takes a lot of work to arrange one's life just to SHOW UP at the start line...many other less focused athletes won't do what it takes in their life to even make it to that start line, so never ever doubt your performance just because of a shallow field...half the race is just getting to the start line!
RE: Last weekend I competed in a sprint triathlon at Bonelli Park and almost did it again. I came in 4th (in my age group) missing 3rd by only 8 seconds with a faster 5k time than the week before of 20:36. I was 1st out of the water, 6th in the bike and 6th in the run. My first transition was too slow and not being able to clip in on the bike out of the gate probably cost me 3rd.
� well then, now you know your next practice; clipping during the bike transition...don't make this mistake again. are you confident in your shoe/cleat set up?
RE: Once again I didn't stay around for the medal ceremonies because I have never been a factor before then found out how close I was on-line again. It was probably my last race for a while because I work or am out of town every weekend in May. It's all about August anyways.
� hard training, good teachings from this initial competitions...bring on August, baby!
R:E I started Green Tara last night and enjoyed the unique challenge. Every upper body muscle was shaking by the end of each set. I think I did more chest work than the entire Namaste phase combined. I can't wait to feel lower body followed by my Spinning class tomorrow.
� pre-fatigued training; greatest overlooked training tool by most conventionally trained athletes!
RE: Do I bend my knees to start the jump phase in Hang Cleans? I did last night.
� YES!!!! come get me after yoga class one of these times and i'll clinic them with you
RE: Michele and I looked at the cover picture of your new book and figured we are not great judges because we'll buy the book no matter what. Michele though it was cute and commented on how buff you looked. I like action shots more like "The Winter Athlete" but face time is important and adds to recognition when it comes around for the book tour.
� yes, this is my second "Mainstream" book...(Be Good To Your Body Therapy was my first Mainstream book and in it, i am a "caricature") and the traditional HIGH INTENSITY nature of ilg/WF frightens the hell out of most Americans, so, we had to temper the feel. worry not Tribal Brethren, ANYONE who follows the programs in my new book will see, feel, and be transformed by the Buddha Of Intensity: WF!
RE: Hell, I joined WF in Feb. so I would beat the rush when the book comes out and everyone recognizes you. Please don't take it wrong; I would give any of my friends a harder time. Please let me know if you don't appreciate it. We just don't know each other well enough yet or understand our sense of humors. You can't judge people and books by their covers. You can charge my credit card for an advance copy today.
� i love you! you and Michelle are such beautiful people and definitely members of our spiritual tribe!!!!
RE: If you are still having the March sale on HP Yoga Pants, I take a large and you can charge my card for that too.
� consider it March and consider it done...thank you!
RE: I could write more on how inspiring my run was this weekend but this is already long.
Thanks Coach!
New Student Mackel
April 15, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
it's late...
the lunar sky tugs at my back 18 floors over Lake Michigan as i do my best to fulfill online coaching duties to my devoted students before rising pre dawn to fly back to LA...the words from one noble student however stands out in particular finery tonight...Student Krakel, who now takes his online training under Teacher Couture. recently awarded a Pulitzer for his national coverage of reporting, my beautiful and faithful 'Student Krak' writes...
"coach,
tonight, sitting under the almost full moon i thought about what you asked me. how i thought WF had contributed to other areas of my life.
for one thing, i wouldn't have been sitting under the moon with incense burning and prayer flags and WF harmony now banners fluttering in the pine boughs.
WF, your teaching, changed my life. everyday is a new day of practice for me now, an opportunity to find that higher self. you have said the workout is everywhere and truly it is.
although i wasn't a zombie in my other life, without WF i do not think i would feel as alive as i do today. life is a blessed miracle and we are so fortunate to be in the current of it all. WF has allowed me to approach all as a teaching, a lesson, a challenge, an opportunity to smile in the face of difficulty, an opportunity to fail, and be thankful for it all.
WF saw me through the deaths of my father, mother, mother-in-law. it saw me through the columbine highschool shootings. it has shown me worlds, inner and outer that i would not have explored otherwise. finishing the 160 mile cochise classic under a full arizona moon.......snowshoeing through the aspens on kenosha pass.....rafting the canyon rapids of utah. taking up kayaking again. on and on and on.
i have been back to work now for a year. as you know, after fourteen years at the rocky mountain news i quit to teach yoga and pursue another path; and then i came back. the WF path is what gave me the clarity and courage to do all that, to create a complete life shake-up.
as far as winning pulitzer, it was a team effort. i am probably something like the team captain in the scheme of things. the wildfires started in april and didn't end until july; it was as if the whole state was burning up. photographers were everywhere. the days were long and intense and through it all i lived moment by moment, watching my breath and posture, doing yoga, teaching yoga, drinking supremo's morning noon and night. and when our own was threatened and we packed what we thought was valuable it filled only a few boxes.....and cutting down trees around our land i was mindful and in pain for the forest....but i also wore a HR monitor; woodcutting is most excellent CV. all of this is WF. recently when digging out from the seven foot snow dump in conifer i wore the HR monitor and practiced various WF ST techniques and even a little Minutes are Forever.
i know that everything is not beautiful on the path; i keep falling down in that hole. over and over and over.
but thanks to WF and the spirit of Ilg i keep climbing out again.
thank you for everything,
student krak"
no...
thank YOU
Student Krak
here's a website about the award; WF Student Krakel directed the coverage every day and night for eight weeks; and the fires were so close to his home that photographers transmitted photos back to the news from his living room.
in may he will go to new york and accept the pulitzer for his reporting team. like the true WF Warrior he is, one of the first things that occurred to Student Krakel when told he was going to new york was that he'd be able to take one of elana browers yoga classes and visit jivamukti too. :-)
here is the official pulitzer site. to Click Here: 2003 Pulitzer Prize Winners - BREAKING NEWS PHO�
one can also go to www.rockymountainnews.com and see a slide show of the images.
again, Student Krakel...thank you
for choosing to be who you can Become!
love from the Helm,
ilg
******
"Thanks for coming here and putting the "chi" in Chicago."
- Mark Burnell, Chicago, IL
Namaste Noble Warriors! -
okay, so i'm toast.
now i know why i trained all those years in ultra-endurance sports...it was performance conditioning for teaching workshops!
Kathy and i just finished two days of teaching HP Yoga and WF workshops here in Chicago. so much fun, great turnouts, and teary eyed transformations at both facilities; the Peninsula (www.peninsula.com) and the Women's Athletic Club.
after yesterday's full day workshop, Kathy and i power napped and then took off with our Event Coordinators, the dynamic duo of Robyn Grieve and Anne Pringle, to guest teach a HP Yoga class at an urban Chicago community center where Robyn volunteers her time and efforts to create and maintain a yoga program for the nonprofit center. it was such a Blessing to bring the HP Yoga experience to the wonderful people at the center.
a special "Wholistic Fitness Road Warrior" award certainly must go to long-time student, Heather Leu who drove four hours to take my workshop at the Peninsula. i bow to you, Heather! it was wonderful to see you again!
today, Kathy and i slept in (needed). now i'm about to take my beautiful wife for a drive up the North Shore of Lake Michigan to where i was born and spent the first several years of my life; Winnetka. should be a trip to see the house and school where my first memories come from...
more later...
keep your Practice strong...
from the Windy City...
coach ilg
April 10, 2003
WHEN THE STUDENT IS READY.....
"Persevere...and your Practice will re-fine you!"
- coach ilg
a Teacher is as good as is the quality of the student. if a student is not interested, teachings will appear uninteresting. like bananas, students come in varying degrees of ripeness. a student is Ripe for transformation when they have the willingness to Rise Above the density and entropic characteristics of their karma - the spiritual workload to be overcome during an incarnation. for a ripe student, each day shivers with spiritual insight and fun filled beauty. each breath taken by the sincere sadhaka (a spiritual seeker consciously embarked on an inward journey) blows away the dust of illusion. Sacred Joy leaps and dances within the rhythm of their day to day life.
it matters not what a sadhaka does for a living. what matters is how he or she chooses to live. a wise Teacher facilitates meaning within a Student's life.
ancient yogic texts curtly describe qualities of students as being of feeble, average, or ideal caliber. i've encountered and trained all three kinds many times. one type of student is not "better" or "Higher" than another. in my experience, students slip into astonishingly neatly folded archetypes, not unlike Jungian psychosomatics. an experienced Teacher not only re-cognizes the archetype of the sadhu, but can re-member precisely what is was like to "travel through" that particular incarnation! thus armed with direct knowledge, the Teacher adjusts and monitors the training in what appears to the sadhaka (and outer opinion) as strange, slow, difficult, quirky, and sometimes...mystical ways.
a feeble student lacks enthusiasm and awareness. their inadequate endurance and degree of avidya (spiritual ignorance) creates an unstable Practice. self-indulgency in the comforts, judgments, and entertainment of the outer world tends to dilute the inner fire required for self realization. life for such a student is often a resume of attachments and of time wasted by constantly chasing shallow and temporary pleasures.
the average student understands the importance of a mind/body journey but still prioritizes worldly and egoic desires. her or she rebels at solo austerities and the ceaseless determination needed to reprioritize conditioned patterns. spiritual work is great for the average student as long as it fits with convenience and flowery endeavor into established comfort zones of their ego and lower chakra adherence.
an ideal student arrives at the foot of a Teacher (or Teaching) ready, willing, and impassioned to overcome all obstacles in their Pathway Higher. they sense the notion that there are no actual obstacles in life, only Divine challenges that strengthen them to Rise Above their karma and Crank! this type of Student practices acceptance, embrace, and surrender while being able to "read between the lines" of the Teacher's words and actions to get the multilayered and hidden kernels of Higher Guidance.
the most significant difference which sets apart the ideal student is undying resolve. they realize that things are not what they seem and they trust in the Abundance of the Universe to provide Light for whatever comes along their spiritual Journey. they do not invest in dualities but seek only the h(om)efulness of any situation.
below is my actual coaching input to a first "Cycle Summation" from a new online Student from Montana. enjoy the layers...and
May your Practice be potent today...
love,
coach ilg
founder/Wholistic Fitness & High Performance Yoga
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Coach ilg's input on your Cycle Summation
my input is preceded by this symbol: �
<< After completing The Namaste Program, I now realize that Wholistic
Fitness
is...a every moment event. The workout goes for 24 hours. Feeding the
dogs is part of the workout by just picking up their bowls. Working
those hamstrings.
� YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS WF, BABY!!!!!!!!
STRENGTH:
1) Note your consistency during this discipline. Overall I think this
went well. The main challenge is to feel more fluid with the routines.
� fluidity will arrive later.
for now, get the mechanics!
RE:
At this point I still need to stop and do a lot of referencing back to
the manual. I also need to figure out the best weight for each
exercise. I think I will put together an Excel spreadsheet for a quick
reference.
� don't get too anal here...
your weights will change day by day as your body/mind changes day by day...WF Students are ARTISTS in the gym...use the palette of the barbells like an artists uses colors...change them frequently.
2) How did the Upper and Lower Body workouts go? OK although I do not
have some of the equipment here to do some of the sets. I just bought
some heavier dumbbells but still need to get a barbell. I have a
weight machine here and most of the hotels do as well. The bottom line
is that I feel that I made more progress with the upper body routine
than the lower body.
2b) And the EEE GAD DAYS? Here again I do not feel fluid with this. I
spend too much time reading to see how to do the specific routine. I
have almost decided to get another copy of the Winter Athlete so I can
cut out the appendix to serve as a quick reference. However, I
actually like the routine and will get to a fluid routine with practice.
� the trials and tribulations of the New Student...hang in there...you are doing just GREAT!
the amount of cross referencing that you must do in these early phases of training is making the Teachings go deep.
3) Which gym movements seem harder than others? I would guess the
Squat related things. It is more related to flexibility than weight.
� WF works the Weakest, not strongest, links in your body/mind. this intimidates the unAwakened athletes
and
inspires the Warriors!
3b) Which seemed easier? The upper body things seem easier but it is
because I have done most of these before and may be a little more
confident of the specific exercise.
3c) Any changes in physique? I do not sense any change in physique but
do sense changes. First, my feet do not hurt like before.
Incorporating your advice on walking has really helped.
�
it will get only better...and better, and BETTER!!!!!
WF works our ROOTS first...the foundation first!
feet getting stronger, less sensitive, and more supple is HUGE for long-term structural and organic health.
trust in this.
CARDIO:
4) Any standout reactions in this discipline? I did a number of things
here including cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, jogging, and hiking
a mountain side. I concentrated on arm movement and pace. That has
helped a lot.
� WF Lifestyle Principle #1: Breath and Posture...the best Cardio Mantra ever created perhaps!
4b) How did the Minutes Are Forever go? I like this routine. Once
again, I need to get smoother at incorporating this without almost
stopping to look at the time and my heart rate.
� the most accurate watch is invisible to the eye.
5) What was your average week in terms of Cardio hours? Three hours.
� perfect
YOGA:
6) How did Medium Form Flexibility Routine go? I think this went
well. I think I concentrated more on this than anything during this
period. This is easier to incorporate on travel.
� wonderful.
6b) How did the High Performance Sun Salutations go? Once again, I
did these almost daily. Still working to open up the hamstrings.
� settle in New Student B...those hams will be your study for decades...
not days...
6c) Were you able to maintain ujjayi breathing through the forms?
Sometimes.
� see new Update for ramping up your focus here with Ujjayi
6d) Finish this sentence:
My first excursion into yoga made me realize... that small things
count. Trying to keep my back flat for example.
� YES!!!!!!!!
MEDITATION:
7) How did the Zazen sessions go? Comment. Really good. I find it a
good way to start the day here or on the road.
� centered, strong, and calm is ALL-WAYS a better way to start one's day!
well done, Noble Warrior!
Sit and LISTEN and get AWARE!!!!!
8) Any residual lessons from the Beeper Guru Days? What I have found
is that I do not have a watch that has an hourly alarm. But I have
become more aware of how I sit, breath, etc.
� this is ideal WF learning!!!!!!!! well done!
NUTRITION:
10) Did you notice any changes in your dietary attractions during this
cycle? I think I have less of a craving for junk sugar. I am also
eating less. I guess that is me just getting old.
� NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
stop with Manjushree's Wisdom Sword this negative self-talk!
you are actually REGENERATING through WF and the herbs!
Chronologic aging is one thing..
Physiologic aging is another.
your Work with me is reversing the former and making more Vibrant the latter.
KNOW this!
Now!
and
forever
Slash your Doubt with the WF Sword of Sweat, Sincerity, and Spirit!
11) Describe EXACTLY what you ate and drank yesterday and the manner in
which
you consumed it. Include supplements, drugs, everything. Yesterday was
a bad day since I had a 24 hour intestinal bug.
� no "bad" days in WF
just learning ones
as your immune systems build through the herbs, such "bugs" will have no power over you.
TO WORK ON THE MOST:
Strength 2
Cardio 1
Yoga 3
Meditation 5
Nutrition 4
UPDATE ME ON ANY INJURIES/FEELINGS OF IMBALANCE: None.
ARE YOU READY TO CONTINUE IN YOUR STUDY OF WHOLISTIC FITNESS? Yes.
GOOD! BRING ON GREEN TARA!!!
April 07, 2003
"Unless freedom is gained in the body, freedom of the mind is not possible."
- B.K.S. Iyengar
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors!!!!
wow...what a FANTASTIC weekend of workshops! we had the BARBELL BUDDHA workshop into a HP Yoga class/meditation with over 30 students directly into an EVENING OF HERBS & ILGS... second only to enjoying practicing my love for them is being able to talk about my love of barbells, Buddha, yoga, and herbs with other body/mind fitness warriors!
we had a wonderful turnout for all the events and the WF Dharma was vibing big time in the "Grotto"... if you can, be SURE you make it to the rest of the workshops that Kathy and I are offering throughout the spring and summer...we are doing at least one special event per month! this weekend, we'll be cranking the WF and HP Yoga Dharma in Chicago, IL...
Happy Birthday to my Beautiful, Beloved wife, Kathy! i love you...
i'll close with some various input from all of you amazing WF and HP Yogic Warriors worldwide...
i bow to you...and may your Practice be strong and sincere today,
live peace
love peace...
coach ilg
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Whilst digging thru the bottom drawer of my nightstand, going thru back
issues of Yoga Journal, I came across one of your emails from about a year
ago. I had taken your advice to print it out. I read it (slowly this time)
and thoroughly enjoyed it's message of mental focus. It was the one about
Boone, and Sutra 1.35 (I hope memory serves). Anyway, I was glad I saved it.
Just letting you know your words continue to inspire. Thanks. All the best to
you & Kathy.
Love,
Jenny
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Teacher Sheader, could you share more specific info on how to use the SUNRIDER herbs..how much, what,..and what you feel is adequate caloric, carb, protein intake with this type of training volume?
TS:
With your present training:
FORTUNE DELIGHT (1 3 gm package) with Sunnydew: 2-3x a day
QUINARY : 1 packet a day in your FORTUNE DELIGHT or with:
VITASHAKE
To drop bodyfat fast:
Slim and Action Caps...very potent...anything from 1 a day (maintenance) to
2-3 per meal...they can ahmmm give you a 'run' for your money until your
body adjusts :-)
Review your nutrition guidelines from your first program as well as the
chapter in THE WINTER ATHLETE. don't get all anal about carbohydrate points vs. protein points, etc. I mean, enjoy the gift of eating.
With mindfulness and awareness you will learn to feel what is
appropriate...for instance each meal 1/3 food, 1/3 drink, 1/3 empty....each
meal the plate is 2/3 complex carbos, 1/3 protein (the fat will find its way
in). These guidelines will be in your first program. I will assist more if
necessary.
May this help,
Coach Sheader
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Dear Steve -
I'd like to hear your thoughts on yoga mats. Sticky vs. cotton
asthanga? What's up with all the different kinds? Thanks again.
- Jenn
ilg:
OBVIOUSLY you'll want to get a HP ULTRA YOGA MAT available at www.wholisticfitness.com's online catalog!
Sticky mats are generally more practical for most Hatha Yoga classes in America.
Ashtanga carpets are traditional and absorb sweat; good for high humidity regions.
putting a sticky mat UNDER an Ashtanga carpet is quite the spiritual materialist's luxury
i know of no Yoga Master throughout history whom has required any of the above to reach Samadhi (enlightenment)!
enjoy your Practice,
coach ilg
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Dear Steve and Kathy:
Thanks for the "best ever" intensive. Steve - your words in the Direct
Lines meant so much to me. I think that by staying on my wandering path I
will remain " Fit Kit" for a long time. I hope that you have not build me
up too much in the eyes of your other students but the attention is a little
flattering.
I have started on
the program and am rounding up my yoga props. It will be fun and rewarding.
Ai Imawa,
Fit Kit
ps. If you could have seen me walking through the LA airport,withs calves that were sooo sore and tight from all that up hill running, you would not have introduced me to any of your students as Fit Kit.
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dear Teacher -
i don't understand why losing fat is so important to yoga...you seem very focused on getting people to lose weight and get "lean" why is this?
- D.T.
Beautiful DT -
it's all about 'wearability'...we are only in this body for a short time before our Soul must travel ever onward in a new one. maintaining a lean, supple body offers for our short time here a softer, silkier ride.
a body that can adapt equally well to endurance, power, strength, and suppleness transcends more easily the ever-changing Dance of the Universal Pattern. it feels Great to feel Light. it feels dense to feel heavy. sink or swim. your choice. i've had (have) to work like hell to stay lean. but have loved and learned from every minute of it.
a WF style body offers a full range of motion to accommodate the many limbed
(ever seen a statue of Shiva?) spiritual branches of the Ascent Higher and a minimal profile to eliminate excessive baggage (angels can fly because they take themselves lightly).
besides,
a supple, slim body precludes gut bunching in crucial bending spots.
that's why.
eat herbs, stay hungry, be Light...it's way fun!
coach ilg
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coach,
i know you are way into the SUNRIDER herbs (your "drinking dirt" comment in DIRECT LINES was hilarious), but man, they seem so expensive...and what up with that multi level stuff?
namaste,
T.L
Yogi T -
first, SR is a Direct Marketing approach...not a multi-level, pyramid scheme. Dr. Chen designed SR this way because to retail these hugely concentrated products using such elite raw herbs enhanced by such expensive processes would just put these herbs out of financial reach for nearly everybody. it's difficult to explain the tremendous level of nutritional and processing integrity here. get the COMPANY PROFILE or take the TOUR at sunrider.com website to visibly see WHY no other company can come close to the intense concentration and purity of these foods.
basically, a simple 60 package box of Calli beverage would have to retail on grocery store shelves for like $150! ain't gonna happen! this is why SR is a Direct Marketing business; there is no reason why ANYONE cannot afford to enjoy and benefit from eating the best food on the planet. in fact, it's easy to earn money by doing something good in the world; sharing good food that makes people less fat, more energetic, and more balanced from an organ and cellular standpoint.
what do you value in your life? Calli, FD, and even Vitashake all cost far less than fast-foods...i see absolutely NO reason why anyone would refer to these chi-generating, life enhancing, workout empowering foods are "expensive."
to me?
NOT EATING SUNRIDER herbs is what is expensive! not eating these herbs each day costs way too much in terms of lost chi, energy, and FUN!
i bow to you and may your Practice feel empowered today!
namaste,
coach ilg
April 04, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
i never know what the hell is going to "hit" people's Awareness when it comes to body/mind coaching. so for me, to be an effective Teacher of Yoga and Wholistic Fitness, i have to force myself to be brave enough to just speak my Truth as it comes through me. i have to realize that God, not me, is in charge and my spiritual Duty is just to put it out there without attachment and with plenty of love for having people enjoy a body/mind fitness Connection. i guess my quote from yesterday's entry touched many of you. thank you for all your emails... that's great...two different media people contacted me in regard to that quote, so today's entry is another, deeper peek into the essence of that quote.
May your Practice be strong and sincere...
Live Peace baby...
coach ilg
�
"People get obnoxious when their heart rates remain unchallenged. They tend to get humble as their heart rates soar. Each day, people should elevate their heart rate through exercise and keep it elevated for at least 20 minutes. If they would do this, humility - not arrogance - would be the hallmark of human beings. War, both inner and outer, would be a thing of the past.
Intense breathing makes all men brothers."
- coach ilg as quoted on air by
Dr. Nita Vallens
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Host/Producer, InnerVision
KPFK, Los Angeles - 90.7 fm
Wednesday nights at 11:00
http://www.nitavallens.com
818.783.6258
�
steve,
that is quite an interesting statement. do you mean to imply that there is a correlation between heart rate and say, anger management?
SI: {laughter} "Anger Management"...i am sorry, but that is such a...a... WESTERN way of putting it! that's great though!
Q: is it accurate or am i way off base?
SI: no, you're not, but at a deeper Level the implication of heart rate and obnoxiousness is rooted in our Western addiction to comfort. for instance, when i have spent time with people who live in high mountain villages or say, in remote hamlets of the Northern Territories of Canada where physical discomfort and self reliance is commonplace when compared to the southern California lifestyle where i now live, i have found that the people in those physically challenging environments are far less arrogant, pill dependent, self absorbed, and false power addicted than people who live in very comfortable, non physically challenging lifestyle.
Q: wow...quite an implication...that so many of us are addicted to comfort...why is that?
SI: oh geez, you're making me sound like some type of a comparative culture expert! i'm not by any stretch of the imagination...it's just part of my yoga Practice to cultivate observing and just witnessing energy. i feel that people who live with extreme temperatures, isolated or more rural lifestyles, and who have to do moderate to hard physical activity just to "get the chores done" each day are generally less swayed by the external opinions of the outer world and these people - in my experience anyway - have a more genuine feel for their true character. it's not a good thing or a bad thing...it's just interesting. where i grew up, Durango, Colorado, for example, it was evident that when the snows and cold winter moved in, all the hot-rodding, macho gang guys that were so tough cruising Main Street in their muscle cars and beating up people in August cowered all winter long in front of their TV's like sissies. i don't know what they did all winter, maybe cut out paper dolls, but i sure didn't see them extreme skiing, nordic ski racing, or even having a snowball fight! it's probably just me, but condradictory character behavior stuff like that strikes me as damn funny. it's like, if you're so tough in the summer why are you such a wuss in the winter? if you're gonna be a macho guy, then at least be a balanced, year-round macho guy in ALL elements, right?
Q: i never thought of it like that but i suppose you're right...there is not a lot of graffiti on igloos or gang wars in Siberia.
SI: {more laughter}...well, you'd have to research that first, but you're probably right. besides, most of the highest spiritual teachings and Masters came from extremely harsh, high altitude mountain environments such as Tibet and throughout the Himalayas. In Wholistic Fitness study, i simply exchange challenging - some say brutal - daily workouts to erase some of our ingrained addiction to comfort. this, in my experience, has helped tremendously to spiritually transform my students into Higher levels of Awareness and Appreciation. it's a crazy wisdom type of thing.
Q: i could go on forever with you, but it's time to go! i am sorry!
SI: i bow to you, Namaste!
*******************
DON'T FORGET: THIS SUNDAY SEE COACH ILG LIVE at POWERHOUSE GYM in Chatsworth, CA for three different presentations:
10:45 am: THE BARBELL BUDDHA; exploring the connection between yoga and the gym.
4:00 pm: HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA: Level 1 with Meditation
5:45 pm: AN EVENING OF HERBS and ILGS; a presentation of the Official Nutrition Program of Wholistic Fitness - Sunrider Herbs!
visit UPCOMING EVENTS for more details
at
www.wholisticfitness.com
April 02, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
"People get obnoxious when their heart rates remain unchallenged. They tend to get humble as their heart rates soar. Each day, people should elevate their heart rate through exercise and keep it elevated for at least 20 minutes. If they would do this, humility - not arrogance - would be the hallmark of human beings. War, both inner and outer, would be a thing of the past.
Intense breathing makes all men brothers."
- coach ilg
4/2/03
thank you for your Practice of Patience while i and Kathy have been away.
yes, i will limp into the Grotto tomorrow night for my Level 2 HP Yoga class. though i've been sacredly beaten, bruised, battered, humbled, and again deeply Awakened within the very mountains i practiced many of my Yoga austerities, i am looking forward to seeing you all again.
though sad to leave once again my beloved southwest mountains, this trip has been Graced every moment it seems by Shiva's Dance...
non-attachment is the major theme of my own yogic work and time has come to again let go of my Power Source and return to the Big City.
it is my yoga to fully feel the sadness of leaving my true h(om)e
but not attach to it.
honestly, however, i cannot imagine going back to LA without two things waiting for me there:
my beautiful wife Kathy
and
you.
see you in class,
head bowed
spine straight
flying into the west coast sunset....
Om shanti, Sat nam and many, many blessings...
ilg
ps: i want to see you this Sunday for my BARBELL BUDDHA workshop in the morning, Level 1 HP Yoga in the afternoon, and AN EVENING OF HERBS AND ILGS in the evening!
check UPCOMING EVENTS for details at
www.wholisticfitness.com
ps 2: yes, the rumor is true...the (tentative) cover of my next book (release date; January 1, 2004) is available in a PDF format...if you'd like to see it, drop me an email.
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors -
am back to civilization and the internet.
what i have learned from revisiting my high mountain yogi austerities is that i am but a shadow of my former self in these beautiful peaks.
i am no longer king of any mountain higher than 3,000'
i cannot believe i am now one of those skiers that have to stop DURING the run to catch their breath!
hell, i used to tele ski double diamond runs all damn day at 12,000' without getting my heart rate above Zone 2...
it is so easy to compare low altitude ilg with the younger, high altitude version
but this is yoga...my yoga...not to be attached to former levels of physical fitness
actually yesterday i was feeling the old CHI returning big time...pranayama on the chairlifts helps a lot...
today is my final day among these high peaks of New Mexico...one more backcountry ski today and then it's back to LA...
all sorts of fun stuff coming up for DL in the next few days...come back daily!
oh, congratulations to my little brother Craig and his new bride, Gwen! May Buddha winds bless your marriage and your family and the Light of the Divine illuminate your Dance of Life two-gether!
i bow to everyone
and
especially
pine tree shadows lengthening across steep mountain snows...
from the high peaks,
ilg