August 29, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
another update from our HP Yoga Summer Retreat at www.redmountainspa.com
"True renunciation of worldly desires is a mental state; it does not necessarily need to be a physical act of renunciation. But success is possible only with constant and intense practice, always keeping in mind that the ultimate aim is perfection and bliss. Without nonattachment, no spiritual progress is possible."
- Swami Rama
i do my best to mine yogic principles out of as many circumstances in my life as possible. you might well imagine my delightful dilemma when i visit places like this five star resort in the strikingly poignant beauty of the southwest.
i've lived most of my adult life as an barely sponsored outdoor athlete. and, as a mountain yogi, i have little need for money unless it can be used to help others. i am still quite content to subsist on rice, herbs, and a few PowerBars here and there.
so here i am, the featured entertainment for the week, at a posh adventure spa resort. this place kicks truly kicks ass in its category. you must come sometime. Red Mountain Spa ranks consistently in the top ten in the world for hiking, fitness, yoga, scenery, and service. i have no idea what it costs to stay here for one night, let alone seven. quite frankly, i am afraid to find out. i think it would pressure my teaching. The Spa has sported not just a week for me but also for Kathy. my guilt severs admittance of our spa treatment perks.
in return for all of this poshness, all Kathy and i need to do is to give love through the Light of HP Yoga to the people who gather here. we are the recipients of unspeakable Abundance. our classes and my lectures have been packed. i gave a WF Road Warrior award to Clay Clymore who road tripped here in his pickup from LA, and a very honorable mention goes to WF online Student Patrick Bannister, who flew in from Montana with his beautiful wife Bernadette. i bow to these WF Warriors who are filled with the burning desire to Rise Higher.
being immersed in Wealth makes the spiritual journey even more clever and tricky. i say this because the first stage of the spiritual Path is to make a sincere and ongoing attempt not to allow the mind to dwell on sensual objects. i reflected on this today as i lie naked and supine, bathed in water being sprayed over me in a private, red lit room by a very fetching young woman before she massaged (rather skillfully i must say) my scalp with a variety of special oils, followed by a facial cleansing, full body exfoliation and massage.
did the ancient Masters really have to deal with this? as my therapists hands rolled and rubbed over my body with hands like lather, i did my yogi best to repeat mantra like: "the first stage of the spiritual Path is to make a sincere and ongoing attempt not to allow the mind to dwell on sensual objects."
tough stuff.
the highest state of meditation is not too far from the first state; making the mind one pointed, free from attachments and worldly desires. but the enchantments of the world are quite very sensual sometimes. very alluring. seductive. the spiritual warrior must engage sharp inner vision to cut through the thick layer of their illusion.
our daily habits are very strong. our attraction to entertainment instead of inner-attainment must be steadfastly whittled down through a lifelong process of introspection using what one Teacher of mine called, "the mirror of mindfulness."
tough stuff.
so let's keep gathering together here on DIRECT LINES...feed me your dharma and i'll keep being honest with you as i travel my journey through the ups and downs of life.
our human life is a precious opportunity for spiritual development. let us not waste this life on selfishness...no matter how posh, no matter how seductive, no matter how entertaining the forces may be.
sweat is better.
silence is more pure.
strength is the Way Higher
and
sincerity gets us there...
i gotta go...i think i'm late for my pedicure treatment...
i bow to you from the land of dusk soaked bats and snake etched dunes,
coach ilg
August 27, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
a report from our HP Yoga Summer Retreat at Red Mountain Spa, Utah (www.redmountainspa.com):
"Summer is beginning to give up her fight. And every thought is a possibility. Voices are heard but nothing is seen. Why do you spend this time with me? Maybe an equal mystery."
- lyrics from Indigo Girls
yesterday;
woke up early to do solo pranayama and asana Practice before Kathy and i taught a High Performance Yoga Strong Flow class for the spa guests. it was a packed house which included WF Student Cly Claymore who road tripped here from LA for our week long retreat. i sense someone gunning for their Master Student Inka! several students said that their first ever HP Yoga experience was, "The best yoga class I have EVER taken!" Yeah, baby!
after a great vegan lunch with some of the class attendees, a private, and a siesta, Kathy and i went to the gym for a strength workout. we lasted about five minutes on the various weight machines before creating our own yogi/gymnastics using the machines, balls, and apparatus as tools for fun bodyweight functional fitness stuff.
yoga will do that to a person.
after that i, yes i steve ilg, actually swam (as in w-a-t-e-r) for four, count 'em FOUR laps in the big outdoor pool! that is a personal record! now, don't think that i actually did like a real freestyle stroke, no sirree. i do what could be distantly related to what real swimmers call a 'breaststroke.' but my version is more like a half dog paddle and half floundering about. us mountain yogis are not known for dolpin like poise in water. in fact, the only way i can perform in the water element is if it is frozen. so, i am quite taken with my pushing of my edge. phewwww.
fresh from my victory in the pool i met Kathy for another gorgeous vegetarian mealtime in the mist-surrounded patio of the Canyon Breeze restaurant. everything was all quite very fetchin until 6:45 pm...that is when all hell broke loose.
the trouble started when i agreed to have Kathy sign us up for "pottery class"...oh good Lord Buddha above, take it from me dear and faithful Fitness Warriors...do not ever, ever go near those damned pottery people! they are crazy with a capital K! throwing clay on a wheel is NOT anything like those sleek, sexy, seductive scenes in the movies (i.e, Ghost.) i've never worked so hard in my life. the only thing i can recall being harder on my arms and shoulders and back was mountain biking from Ouray to Telluride over 14,000' Imogene Pass - before suspension mountain bikes were invented! jack hammering concrete is also similar to pottery making. eventually, at the end of what felt like eternity tripled, i had fashioned some sort of a bowl type affair that makes Anasazi ancient pottery look like fine china.
anyway, thanks to my elite level of Wholistic Fitness mastery, i managed to survive the pottery ordeal to live another Red Mountain Adventure Spa day...
from among a tassel of red rock cliffs and lingering raven notes on desert air,
i bow to you,
coach ilg
���
August 24, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
part 2 of "Being Rushed"...
"We only rush
when we are being weak."
- coach ilg
over ten years ago, while speaking at a conference for climbers in NYC, i worked with a well known man in the international climbing community. he was a correspondence student of mine who hired me to get him more fit for mountaineering. he was a very busy man. he rushed a lot. because he rushed a lot i discovered much weakness in his life. because he rushed a lot he didn't eat wisely and thus was fat. because he rushed he was inflicting damage to his passions; climbing, training, his sense of peace, and even his marriage. in fact, his wife suffered so much from his choice to be rushed all the time that we sat zazen together, she Connected with the necessity of silence, and gosh dang it if she just didn't up and leave to go study zen in a desert far away! he was my 'student' but she, a pupil of Wholistic Fitness. she could feel a Layer of my Work he could not. he rushed right past the many Layers of Wholistic Fitness seeing only me.
the same thing happens to all of us when we rush.
we miss the many Layers of life.
we miss the Teachings for the teacher, who really - unless the teacher is a Sat Guru - is nothing more than a 'front man' for the real Stuff...the Teachings, the dharma, the Work.
whenever we rush, we see only the superfical layer.
we miss the deeper Layers of life.
and that is how we grow weak; by missing so much of life.
it's deceptively easy to rush. stand up. stretch your arms out to the sides for balance. lift your left foot off the earth as high you are able, as if you are stepping up onto a very high step. hold it there. don't rush. flatten out the bottom of your foot. spread your toes. lift your knee even higher. don't rush. now, slowly extend the left foot straight out in front of you, generating the slow motion of extension right from the knee. don't rush. there is no precise place of extension for you. just listen inwardly for the spokes of your knee extension strength to radiate your leg out into space. go slowly so you don't rush past your strength. your ego will want you to rush. i am asking you to override your ego for sake of strength. keeping your left leg extended in front of you and while keeping all five toes facing skyward, draw the left leg laterally, that is, draw it centimeter by centimeter out to your left side. much kinesthetic data will be encountered. don't rush. work with your genuine strength by not rushing. we only rush when we are being weak. after a little while more of exploring the stillness in this movement, draw the leg back to center, bend the knee back to the high step position, and set it back down.
hmmmmm. interesting going slow, isn't it? a significance in my style of HP Yoga is this notion of what i call, "Hold and hovering"...which is another tool for not rushing through our weak areas. this is why HP Yogis grow so strong and so open so quickly. strength of transformation requires a study of slowness.
in gyms most conventionally trained people rush Bench Presses too much. they rush pull ups. they rush yoga postures. in daily life, those who have not had the grace of wise teachers, tend to rush their conversations as if talking was some sort of a race. i know many people who even rush their rushing. i know i do. on quality days, i will recognize i am rushing and, breathing, i slow down.
try this your next workout in the gym. hang at arms length beneath a pull up bar. raise both legs out in front you so they are parallel to the earth. now, slowly do a pull up and stall out the top position keeping the legs in this parallel-to-the-earth position. it's a yin thing. at the top of the pull up, "glue" the pull up bar onto your collarbone. stay there. don't rush. if you have it in you, bend both knees slowly so your toes now point down toward the earth beneath your butt. then, slowly, extend them out front again. repeat for a few more non-rushed reps before lowering back down with legs in parallel position. then release the legs and drop onto the earth again.
hmmmmm. interesting going slow, isn't it?
true strength is cultivated from the yin, the female, the expanding success of mind/body control. it's about what yogis know as 'mula bandha' or the root lock. not letting our inner power leak out of us unconsciously.
incorporating the necessity of silence into fitness training through meditation reaffirms inner vision. it is this inner eyesight (insight) which enables us to see and endlessly enjoy the multitudinous Layers of life interwoven within the fabric of our being. as Lame Deer, a Sioux medicine man said, "It's what you see with your eyes closed that matters."
this week, kathy and i leave for Utah. you've read about it DIRECT LINES, i am sure. a sweet week in the red rock country of Utah...mountain biking, yoga, rock climbing, spa treatments, hiking, that type of thing.
we are going there to practice. the practice involves not being rushed.
until we meet here on Direct Lines again,
slow down
and
let your genuine strength
radiate
and
melt
weakness
out of your being...
in strength, spirit, and slowness...
coach ilg
founder/Wholistic Fitness
August 22, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors -
"You are only as strong as you are when you are barefoot."
- coach ilg
there is a reason why yogis do their practice barefoot. it keeps us grounded. it makes us slow down.
today, WF Online Teacher, Grant "Heikosan" Couture , embarked on a six week solo vision quest in the desert near Las Vegas. last i heard from him was a gleeful confirmation that he could get his SUNRIDER HERBS shipped to a fellow WF Student in LV. so right about now, Heikosan is merging into desert wilderness with nothing but a backpack of SR herbs!
what a classic WF Master Student. i love my Heikosan.
nobody is going to know where Heikosan is for six weeks.
we could not find him if we wanted.
but he is finding him by letting go of himself.
Jesus; to find yourself you must first lose yourself.
that is why both Jesus and Buddha wandered in deserts.
when was the last time someone could not find you for six weeks?
you want to be Christ like? Buddha like?
then take off your damn shoes and walk through a desert, baby!
that's a real churchgoing. that's the real temple.
how often does your Preacher/Teacher/Therapist/Physician take his naked foot across the dusty skin of Mother Earth for more than 15 minutes?
talk about a disconnected society with disconnected 'leaders.'
your Connection is up to your personal effort in fitness training. fitness of body and mind.
we've become so un-grounded we think taking a pill or making ourselves look younger will somehow ground us more than a simple mountain hike or run along the beach. our addiction to entertainment instead of inner-attainment has our natural senses slip ever more quickly through our consciousness. not long ago, we spent our entire lives barefooted, never even knowing what 'shoe' is...we padded about nature like wolves across damp pine needles, silently strong and with focused poise.
my old rock climbing bros and i used to outmatch each other in barefooted feats of endurance and strength. i once climbed a rock climbing route that had a technical difficulty rating of 5.12. i climbed it barefoot. and ran down the talus afterward barefoot as well. i miss those naked days climbing, simian like, upward under the sun. by night, i fell asleep gazing at a moon just as nude, just as crude, as my body upon the earth.
now growing older and doing time in city life, my toe strength and foot toughness is but a mere shadow of its former tenacity.
makes me kinda pissed, i must admit. because in my book, you are only as strong as you are when you are barefoot. everything else is fake. that is why Arnold used to squat barefoot. he knew.
Heikosan repeatedly goes to great lengths to spend time by himself. he loses money, lots of it, just to be al(l)-one. but he is a spiritual warrior and is going hard after the Higher Wealth. as he has learned the importance of creating space within his bodily joints and tissues through his yoga practice, he has also learned the need for creating space between the waves of his thoughts. yoga citta vrtta nirodha.
in the way yoga postures stretch the body giving it much needed space, so do solo retreats create space between the thoughts of the mind. a solo retreat can be as simple as a committed savasana at the end of a yoga class or as deep as a Heikosan desert walkabout. your choice. you are in charge of your yoga of silence.
don't take a chaotic mind to heaven. most folk couldn't recognize heaven if they were living it right Now. why? they are too busy being rushed! oh, there is going to be a Judgment Day, don't worry. the Judgment is on how well you've controlled the thoughts of your mind. your ability to do so has been called, The Pearly Gates.
our society teaches us to medicate instead of meditate. that's fine. we are free to hang out for as long as we desire in chaotic mind governed by externals. we can push away solo inner work for as long as we like. a nervous breakdown or a stroke or cancer will eventually ground you into confronting your mind. that is just the Way of Life. it's not bad or good. but for personal fitness training to be genuine, i must train you for that moment of encountering your own mind regardless of how much you may not like sitting still.
i take this time over these years to write about stuff like this in so many different ways because i deal with much of the suffering that comes from not following a path of body/mind fitness.
let us know what Heikosan knows; the necessity of silence.
do not feel bad if you are not being as brave in cultivating the yoga of silence as Heikosan.
he is a professional.
he is a WF Master Student.
he is a role model for many/including me.
the wise Teacher all-ways learns from his Students.
let us know the value of refusing to be rushed.
no matter what.
today i rode my bicycle with my bros.
i didn't have the time, trust me.
i created it.
i know the value of refusing to be rushed.
next week the last thing i need to is to take a week off
to hang out in a red rock desert. i'm too busy.
but, next week Kathy and i are hanging out in red rock desert.
we invited you.
are you coming?
no?
why?
let me guess...
too busy, right?
tomorrow, i will speak more about this 'being rushed' thing.
i "hope"
i "have" the time...
i am very rushed these days...
guess it will boil down to my Love for you
to create the time
which is the same as
creating the time
for me to Love me...
today, let's do this together:
slow down.
love,
coach ilg
August 20, 2003
Ilg:
Congratulations on the new studio � it sounds wonderful. I�m going to have
to drag my ass over to the Valley to check it out.
I started a WHOLISTIC FITNESS and SUNRIDER practice in July of 2002.
I did a lot of your HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA video tape
(and attended a couple of your classes in person), I did your three-phase strength
training in your book, THE WINTER ATHLETE and dropped 17 pounds and 2 inches from my waist, getting
into the best shape of my life at age 41.
Kept up the training 6 days a week for the better part of a year,
culminating in an awesome spring ascent of Mt. Whitney via the Mountaineer�s
Route. I couldn�t have done it without your wisdom and guidance. You
inspired me to do the climb when we chatted about the mountains before one
of your classes, and I heard your voice in my head at 14,000 ft. (�Breath!
Through your nose!�). Thank you.
One quick question � after training for a year and accomplishing my goal, I
am finding it hard to get motivated to resume training with the same
consistency. I�m still eating the SR herbs every day and it�s keeping me in
good general health, but my exercise volume has gone way down. Any thoughts
on how to get the fire back?
I also wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your blog. I know it must
take a lot of your time and effort, but it really provides inspiration for
those of us who can�t get a direct hit of Ilg energy in person.
--Mitch
Dear Mitch -
Yes, DIRECT LINES does take a lot of my time and effort but i consider a form of meditation and an offering aspect of my Path as a karma yogi...i am VERY pleased to hear my feeble words helped inspire you on your fantastic victories!
Do not worry about your training motivation. Perhaps your great success in the mountains and on the fitness front was enough for one lifetime.
You should feel go(o)d about your efforts. You have already done more in your life than many, many people.
However, if you begin to feel restless for more training...a part of you that itches knowing that you could do more with your life...then that motivational fire (what yogis know as 'tapas') will burn off your current lethargy. Once you experience this Shift, i just want you to keep bringing Awareness to the restlessness. Why? In restlessness, agitation arises. Agitation is very go(o)d because when things are stirred then transformation is easier. That is why shamans shake rattles and yogis chant...it stirs the pranic vibration making transformation more accessible.
So my counsel to you is enjoy the lack of motivation.
In fact, i want you to milk it for all it's worth.
Because something tells me
- and i'm pretty good at spotting spiritual athletes these days
because I am even older than you! -
that you are destined to Rise Higher.
You are a member of our Tribe...
and our Tribe NEVER quits the Path!
So keep bringing Awareness to your laziness until one of two things happen:
1) you become a lazy fat slob and risk reincarnating as slime on the back of a trash can in NYC
or
2) you become so pissed off at being lazy that you realize you do not want to waste
one
precious
moment
more of your human lifetime.
The choice is yours,
not mine.
i just write and say feeble words
that come to me during my own Practice.
Just remember, it's called the Human Race
so
pass somebody before you die.
Oh, and i just wanted to thank you...i needed your letter. Right before yours I had to deal with a Student who is stuck in the whole money drama and was accusing me of being dishonest and a spiritual charlatan...your letter got me back my faith in my own feeble self. So, thank you. Once again, the Teacher learns from the Student...
love,
coach ilg, RYT
founder/Wholistic Fitness
August 19, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
Each day Devotee Diaz, Teacher Q, and i
along with several Host Angels such as Kim, Wayne, Lillian, E-Dawg, & Bruce
are at work hollowing out our new Practice Cave on Ventura Blvd.
Each day miracles unfold from the slumber of concrete and dust
People stop and stare
They feel the unmistakable buzz of...
something happening
something go(o)d happening.
We still have over half a month until we open and
folks already prod their head through my front door
like kids
looking into a cool new fort.
"Hey, whassup with THIS place?"
"Yoga," I reply.
"DUDE!!!! No WAY!!!!! YOGA!!?! EXceLAWNT!
That is soooo rad, dude! i'm so totally there...my girlfriend is totally
into yoga and like i did a class, and i was like, duuuuuude! dis shit is tight!"
Thankfully a pause, like a Divine time out, gives me a moment to manufacture a response
in hopes of damming his verbal momentum he seemed intensely building,
"Yep, yoga is definitely pretty tight shit," I agree with him shielding
the reflective glare skittering off his plethora of body piercings.
"Dude, but check this out man...
i totally cannot fucking meditate man...i mean, shit, the yoga babe make us like, meditate,
you know, and i was like awl over the fucking place, you know whaddya mean?"
"I know what you mean, bro," I said agreeing once more.
"I mean dude, what is UP with dat shit? How come i can't sit like still, dude? My mind is
all fucked up."
"Well, don't stress about meditating, bro. I hate to tell you, but I've been meditating
for most of my life and you know what, bro?"
He nodded, so i continued, "The struggle of awareness is difficult for everybody."
"Dude, that was cool, the 'struggle for awareness'...you mean like everybody's mind
is fucked up?"
I laughed. Couldn't help it. It was funny, the way he said it.
"Hell yeah...that's exactly why most people don't meditate! They can't stand to sit still and listen
to how fucked up
their mind chatter is. Even the Buddha had a helluva a hard time
overcoming the struggle of awareness."
"Dude, the fucking Buddha struggled?"
"Yeah bro, the fucking Buddha fucking struggled BIG TIME before he attained Enlightenment.
You know the story of Buddha?"
"No dude, whassup with the Buddha?"
And that's that Way each day miracles
are already unfolding from the slumber of concrete and dust
People stop and stare
They feel the unmistakable buzz of...
something happening
something go(o)d happening.
People want to hear spiritual stories
People want to learn proven ways to overcome the difficulty in their lives
People want to be good
regardless of their appearance or actions...
People just need skillful loving and nonjudgmental embrace
People want to be moved
People want to Rise Higher
they just need more people willing to brave enough
to love them...to spend time with them...
this is yoga...
High Performance Yoga...
Enjoy some more Wholistic Fitness dharma talk below and
keep checking www.HighPerformanceYoga.com...
we're getting closer to launch the text and tentative Teaching Schedule.
May your Practice be strong enough
to spend some dharma time with a 'stranger'...
i bow to you,
coach ilg
����
Dear Coach Ilg
re; Direct Lines and SUNRIDER chi hits
the clarity and depth
of these words..
is..is...like....
well..
i get the same feeling
when i see a pine
being bent
by the wind
from the ocean...
a lesson in every gust.
thank-you,
dan
����
Coach -
I am finding a lot of learning and a lot of joy in the new program. Thank
you. A couple of questions on the new meditation exercises:
Counting: In the instructions for the Blue Light Healing Meditation, you
write: 12 Ujjayi breaths (1 round of hand counting). What is the technique for "hand counting"? Having but
10 fingers, I wasn't sure how to get to 12.
� well, you get to use the creases of the fingers as a hint. but disregard this...
just do 21 Ujjayi breaths (not 12).
RE:
Chanting: I never used chanting mantras before. Should this be linked
consciously to my breath (i.e. say the mantra on a complete exhale, then
inhale and repeat) or just take it as it comes?
� no just chant
RE:
Mala Beads: As a New England Protestant, I have little experience with
prayer beads. Is there a recommended hand position for holding the beads?
� feed the bead from thumb to middle finger without using index finger.
index finger represents ego because it is the pointing finger.
RE:
Do I consciously try to count as I go, or just slide the beads along?
� just slide. have fun. a Mala is nothing more than a mental leash. the point is to focus.
RE:
What do I do when I get to the end of the string (the beads I ordered have
108 beads).
� thank Lord Buddha above! you got the "right" kind! phew!!!!!
upon reaching the Meru (middle) bead you should have become Enlightened...
if not, well, then, keep going.
RE: Sorry to be so anal, but this is new territory for me, and I am trying to
be precise.
� God cares more for intent than technique. relax thy anus sphincter.
:-)
have fun.
i won't steer you toooooo far off the Way!
love,
coach
���
Dear Coach ILG:
When I saw the Interval description that came with Green Tara program my ego said no way!
I was seeing stars doing the Composure Intervals, this is to big of a step up at once.
well my ego was wrong, I breezed through the new program even though my
(fat head) ego kept chattering two mins is enough stop here, it felt great,
it's a small thing but it's a step forward for me.
the ego is a funny dude, It tells me i can't or don't want to do the training
but as my body is coming around he's the first one to want to go show it off.
talk to ya later
love Student B.
���
Dear Coach:
I read Wayne's words {See DIRECT LINES 8/10/03}
and it blows me away, his gains and insight have come so fast
far faster than mine, he inspires me as do you.
I hope to be as worthy a student of WF and
will do what I can to help spread the WF/SR word.
going deeper
student John
�����
Dear Coach,
Physique harder, more defined. Dropped another two pounds - down to 153.
Had to buy new pants - the 33" waist pants I bought a year ago will no
longer stay up. Moved down to 31" for the first time since early days of
high school. Lots of people asking "how did you lose the weight - did you
do Atkins"? My usual answer is "I lost weight by not trying to lose
weight, but by living better".
Student Ludgate after finishing The Frugal Realm training program
������
Coach -
Thank you.
Just returned from Alamosa...big Track and Field-XCountry reunion. Slews of
Olympians. Took third in the alumni race. Yes, people were "Oh my God!
You're fit"
...WF baby!
Love,
Haku
Haku -
CONGRATULATIONS podium boy!!!!!!
and i KNOW you were also the STRONGEST and MOST SUPPLE ONE
ON THAT PODIUM!!!!
...WF baby!
- love,
ilg
������
Steve,
Ok, so I walked away from the computer after reading in DIRECT LINES
once again about your relationship with your childhood wolf, Apache
and I'm getting into bed and it hits me.
My name is Wayne, and I was raised in the Jewish faith.
My name in
Hebrew is Zehev.
Guess what Zehev means in Hebrew, one of the oldest
languages in the world?
Wolf
Go figure.
WW
August 16, 2003
August 25-31
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 me 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
e-mail: reservations@redmtn.com
�
August 15, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
"Master Students of Wholistic Fitness learn to eat like mice, and play like whales."
- WF Teacher Grant "Heikosan" Couture
In 1991 a very polite young man approached me. His name was Sean Madine and he lived near Boulder, CO where I too, once lived. Sean was an avid outdoor athlete. Like many outdoor athletes, Sean had used my books to give greater focus to his love and performance of outdoor sports. But now he came to me seeking the real thing; the customized Dharma juice straight from the Teacher. Particularly, Sean was interested in improving his skills in rock and ice climbing. Specifically, he needed to improve his mental composure when it came to leading (going up first) rock and ice climbs. Success in technical climbing after all, is all in your head, but it is not what you think. It's what you don't allow yourself to think. It's about prioritizing the Dance over the chattery ego and shivering fear struck limbs. Mountain yoga very different from studio yoga. In studio yoga, if you fall out of a pose, you giggle self-consciously. In mountain yoga, you can lose half a thumb or break your back...i speak from experience. Teachings come hard in mountain yoga.
I accepted Sean because well, he passed the most important criteria I use when contemplating accepting a new Student: He didn't bug me.
Sean had several other qualities that lured me into accepting him; he was stunningly polite. His eyes were soft and his voice as alluring as topaz. Great genetics he had; athletic, lean...an uncarved block, I thought to myself. Very smart as well. He's a brainy act for NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Something Or Other) laboratories. A physicist. No wonder he had trouble on the sharp end of a climbing rope...he is too smart to be there. Far as I could tell, Sean had but one thing going against him. Okay two things: He was tall and he was handsome. Feeble fitness gurus like me don't like being upstaged. It makes our Mula Bandha go limp.
I took him anyway. For the next several years I trained him in the intermediate and advanced studies of Wholistic Fitness. Sean and I shared several Private Intensives together, some of which you've read about here in DL. I love Sean. Amazing kid. Makes me feel a bit old though, since whenever I hang out with him he insists on telling me new generation rock climbing stories from Boulder, where it seems, the feeble Ilg name still simmers among the rocky heights. Last year, I handed Sean's immediate training to Teacher Grant "Heikosan" Couture who is also a HP Yoga Teacher and Mountain Guide. I wanted Sean to engage a deeper study of yoga, meditation, and pranayama and dovetail it into his mountaineering performance. Teacher Heikosan's handling with Sean has been exemplary. I still oversee all Sean's training.
So now Sean is ready to begin learning the stuff beyond what most people "see" and "read" about Wholistic Fitness. Sean is ready to receive his WF Master Student Inka. I told Sean to write a poem as an Assignment for a possible Master Student Inka. Here it is. This is what personal fitness training is all about. These are not words manufactured from a studied poet. These are words from a Fitness Warrior, just like you:
"A poem about my Practice:
A rather unremarkable place on a trail
Admiring the long shadows of a beautiful sunrise
Wilting in the heat of a summer afternoon
Finding the calm in the center of the storm
while my chest explodes
Watching in awe as the hawks hunt
Jumping away from a coiled rattlesnake
Ignoring the moment with distractions of the past
Dreaming of the mountains to the west
Laughing as the prairie dogs warn of my passing
Flying along without effort
Slowing to notice the fresh blooms of spring
Searching for the trail buried under a foot of snow
Faltering as my eyes fill with tears
for our young horse that died just the day before
Struggling to just lift my feet
Remembering myself
Forgetting myself
A rather unremarkable place, really
- Sean Madine, WFS"
Words from a physicist? Hell yeah...a WF trained physicist! I don't how many Personal Trainers out there have Students like Sean...but I wish more of them did because they, like me, their professional work would elevate. In Tibet, it is said that the faith and devotion of the Student melts the mountaintop snows which are likened to the Guru. The warmth generated by the Student's faith and devotion melts the snows and the Guru's Teachings can trickle down lovingly toward all beings because of the Student's integrity. When a Student's Practice is inconsistent and tepid in willingness and devotion, there are clouds and very little sun can get through. This is why all Students should do their Practices with as much sunny faith and heated devotion as has Student Sean...so all beings benefit from the good will and karma generated by the inner work being done on oneself. The Teacher just points. The Student must journey.
Years ago, when I strained to help fold Sean's stiff legs into his first awkward meditation posture, how was I to know I was actually opening a precious gift....the gift of an amazing being called Sean Madine.
I bow to you Student Sean. Thank you for your years of faith, devotion, willingness to travel to see me, and your courage for being soft on the sharp end, baby!
I would have liked to have ended this nice DL devotion to you with a word of congratulations on your Master Student Inka.
But after speaking with Teacher Heikosan, we both are in agreement. Can't be done. Two Reasons. You're just too damn tall and too good looking. Now get out of our Temple...I hear Oprah's trainer has an availability! jao!
;-)
My office will be sending your Inka soon, with your WF Master Student name.
Congratulations. I honor your Presence along my side as we travel this amazing Path of WF...
Endlessly yours,
coach ilg
�
(Note: This entry concludes with excerpts from Sean's most recent Cycle Summation with Teacher Heikosan. You'll quickly see how an elite WF Student has reached a body/mind fitness state that is light years ahead of conventional personal fitness training. Enjoy this rare glimpse into the Practice of a seasoned WF Student and his Teacher. There are gems for our own Practice to be found within it:)
�
Teacher Heikosan's commentary is preceded by a double asterisk (**).
I began to feel overwhelmed by all of the stuff that had to be done in all aspects of my life.
**this is when Yoga starts...
I almost felt paralyzed by this change.
**Ego gets paralyzed, in process we are just watching and acting without attachment...
I often times had to change my training schedule or skip a workout altogether to keep the focus of burning the task completely .
**what is it that sparks your Heart, follow that.
By the end of the cycle, I had missed a lot of the
formally scheduled training. It did feel Appropriate to do it this way.
**Appropriate Action comes from a calm mind unhindered by attachment...
I continue to work through that stuff and I can feel the stress
evaporating.
**nice, in the 'process of life' not the 'what of life', as you discovered, there is no stress. under the watchful eye of awareness stress dissolves into the illusion that it is...
I was fortunate to be humbled by a friend on a bike ride recently. He is
a former pro cyclist that invited me along on a ride with one of his
training partners. We went early on a Sunday morning before the heat of
the day. After a softening period of about two hours, the ride
culminated with a climb up Lee Hill road, a short but particularly steep
climb. My riding partners, having been gentle with me up until that
point, hit the hill hard. My standout reaction is that I should keep my
day job! Since that ride, I have become aware of some opportunities for growth in my cycling technique.
**yes use all things to Bring you back to the Self...
In something seemingly mundane like riding a
bike , there is incredible depth for exploration.
**From the Eyes of the Divine there is Only the Divine...your insight is In-Deed a Seed for your Awareness apply this to the times you feel 'Stress'. for example "In something seemingly mundane like 'stress', there is incredible depth for exploration.' this is using All things as your Teacher, nothing to push away and nothing to hold on to...
My climbing partner brought me an old copy of Climbing magazine from
1993. He wanted to show me some photos of a Mt. Huntington climb. I was
actually more interested in a profile of Duncan Ferguson. The theme of
the article was & you guessed it & composure. Strangely, my answer to
the above question is equanimity. & but how can one run after equanimity?
**by Being Still in the Field of Movement...
The HP Yoga Composure Series was fluid and strong. One evening, on a whim, I opened a Mark Blanchard {1} Ultimate Yoga tape that I bought some time ago but had never
used. That session was very challenging! I was a quivering mess by the
end, but I did stick with the entire workout. The heat built and my body
opened very well. After the session, I noticed a distinct change in my
posture. There was a twist/resistance in my spine of which I was
unaware. My left shoulder was naturally pulled measurably back into a
more relaxed, balanced posture. The hinge point of the twist was in
the middle of my spine. I would say that it is about even with my solar
plexus. In my postural awareness, I am concentrating on this change.
**nice work Here. keep me posted on any movements or sensations that come from this area of your body. untwisting a lifetime of emotional, mental and spiritual debris can be tricky business with many obstacles...keep me posted
8) How was the pranayama practice? What are you noticing?
9) What are the effects of Nadi Shodanam on your body and mind?
The Nadi Shodanam continues to center and calm my mind before zazen.
Kapalabhati tend to clear and awaken my body and mind.
**try kapalabhati BEFORE zazen, let me know what you find.
15) Describe exactly what you ate and drank yesterday and the manner in
which you consumed it. Include supplements, drugs, everything.
Ilg Supreme
Fruit meal (my new recipe & figs, dates, almonds, bananas, blueberries)
Fruit, bagel and small soy smoothie lunch
Falafel, humus vegetable wraps, glass red wine for dinner
FD all day
**WF Warriors eat like Mice and play like Whales..watch the fruit intake keep it balanced with veggies. keep feeling inward for outward action.
17)Are you ready to continue in your study?
Most definitely.
�
{1} Coach Ilg graduated with top honors from Mark Blanchard's Teacher Training in Beverly Hills in 2000. In Blanchard's words, "Teaching yoga to Ilg was like teaching singing to the Beatles." Check out Mark Blanchard's new DVD Series by visiting
August 13, 2003
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors!
�If you are true to your practice, complexity will dissolve.�
- Khandro Rinpoche
Student input time...enjoy the WF Dharma and feel the POWER of our humble Tribe!
It is through YOUR devotion, YOUR sweat, YOUR strength, and YOUR spirit that accounts for the amazing and very tangible quality of excellence which permeates our workouts and our lives through Wholistic Fitness and her sub branches of High Performance Yoga and Sunrider herbs.
thank you for reading DIRECT LINES and keep those Dharma letters coming...your insights can empower many! Remember, ripples make waves!
i bow to you,
coach ilg, RYT/USCF
���
Again... WOW, what you wrote on Direct Lines blew me away...
My heart is open and full.
- WW
��
The following WF Online Students have each earned their Student Inka's under Teacher Grant Couture recently: Shelli Stein, Fremont, CA. Tasha Wright, Vancouver, CANADA. Igor Shindel, Stamford,CT. Next up: WF Warrior Inka! Go for it Noble Students!
��
Dear Coach,
1) What you were going to change in your nutrition and training to gain a few pounds of muscle for your next photo shoot?
� my mind.
seriously...to gain lean, ripped muscle tissue you MUST visualize HOW you want your body to look, feel, and move.
the body is but a mere shadow of the mind as Swami Rama said.
so you must give the mind (citta) a very accurate image of how you want it to look.
many people's bodies look sloppy, out of alignment, and out of balance.
reflections of their citta qualities.
the WF Master Student constantly carves for him or herself an image of a body fit for living life fully, lightly, and aware.
constant re-iteration of this image is required.
a few moments here and there will not do it.
calories, diet changes, supplements all very, very distant in importance when it comes to shape shifting your body.
it's the citta that creates a fit, balanced, symmetrical body.
it's the citta that can put muscle pounds on you or off you.
change your mind, and the body changes with it.
RE:
2) What recommendations do you have for someone interested in a
vegetarian-based eating lifestyle but is worried about adequate protein
intake?
� don't worry about it.
drink 2 Ilg Supremes per day.
make sure your solid food is wholesome and natural and each meal is 2 parts complex carbs to one part protein.
that is all.
love,
coach
���
Coach ILG
Every Wednesday I go biking at the top of Reseda with a group of guys. Being the classical type-A personality I find myself fully emerged in competition with the fasts guy of the group, constantly fighting to surpass his skill and often losing focus of any other benefit from the experience. Flashing back for a moment to my new awakening with Yoga, I have been learning much about dancing with the breath, walking your own edge and moving only with those two elements. Returning to my regular Wednesday ride, as I am beginning my ascent up the hill for the final segment, my body seemed to be asking me to slow down and instead of focusing only on the competition I listened to the request. As I fell back from the front I met up with another member of the group and finished the ride out with him. The two of us ended up having a great conversation, discussing much making the ride equally if not more enjoyable.
- Student B
��
Dear Coach,
you are not kidding about the SUNRIDER Chi hits. the Sangha here in Indiana is feeling rumblings of WF and SR -- . i'm getting emails daily from students currently on the herbs and from others wanting to know "what is that stuff".
Keep on Herbin',
TTR
��
So far, I am loving my Sunrider Journey!!! I have been drinking FD twice a day (1 morning, 1 afternoon) since June....and I can honestly say I have kicked my caffeine addiction!!! I am no longer craving my coveted Dr. Pepper. And even on the rare occasion when I thought I wanted a pop, it hasn't tasted good to me at all and I don't end up drinking it. And THAT is a FABULOUS feeling!!! The few times that I have had pop, I've really noticed how all of the sugar makes me feel...very bloated. I haven't been craving junk food as much lately either. When I do indulge, I tend to eat smaller amounts. I feel like I'm craving healthier foods too. Lots of salads lately. Don't know what this means, but I've been craving goat cheese a lot too?? I've definitely had more energy, have been sleeping more soundly (fewer dreams about work), and I'm running to the bathroom more than usual.
Last week I ordered VitaShakes (they haven't arrived yet). I've had them a few times at the Schaubs and have loved them! Am I ready to move on to that stage? I don't want to progress too quickly.
I would still like to study Wholistic Fitness under you. I have seen the results/effects WF has had with the Shawna girl....it's contagious!! I want to feel that well rounded too.....mind/body/spirit. ( I can tell that it's happening already!!) I can't tell you how many times Shawna has said that I need to get to one of your yoga classes!
Kari :)
(written to WF Teacher In Training, Chris Roche)
��
Am i ready to continue on...............i did some soul searching these
last few days as to why i am studying WF. It is not to please coach ilg
or my teacher g both of whom i am thrilled to have on my side. It is to
continue to learn and deepen my own understanding of my self, my truth
and why and what i was put on the earth to give. In order to do this i
have to participate and observe over and over again. It really is quite
simple...........you are assisting me to see the universal picture, the
big truths and i am the adventurer, the explorer........shelli
columbus......entering or re-entering a brave new world and figuring out
my own truths.
yes i am ready to continue
Student Shelli under TG
��
Teacher Sheader's Reflections On His WF Journey:
"Early on it seems that what one believes is what is most important. (Many
get stuck here and never move on...stuck in the multiplication of dogma)
Then as maturity happens it occurs to one that what one does is most
important.
Finally in time the path brings one to realization that what is most
important is HOW TO BE. And all comes from that...like fruit off a branch.
love,
Haku"
��
Toby Leeson (a.k.a. Warrior Tobe) of
Steamboat Springs, CO
just nabbed his WF Student Inka
under Coach Ilg
congratulations!
��
Beautiful Student H -
how is the tension in your little toe compared to your big ones at this moment?
Dear Coach,
Interesting question. No noticable difference, but if I start thinking
about it, my little toe "vibrates" more or is numb. Something akin to a
mild anesthesia if I CONCENTRATE. Otherwise, no real difference is felt.
� keep bringing Awareness to your toes.
important 'energetic vents'
must remain soft, open
in fact, after several weeks of digging my fingers into some "sen channels' between my little and second little toes while holding pasciomottonsasana, i experienced a rush of pran and a sudden and significant release of decades old tension from years of endurance sport abuse. in that one moment, perhaps 10% more range of motion came into my right hip and probably 110% more nutrient, oxygenation, blood flow and pran now enjoys fluid residence in my right hip.
these Shifts happen in the flicker of a moment...
but only after years of devoted practice...
jao!
love,
coach ilg
��
Dearest Steve,
I just wanted to share with you how much I appreciate your guidance and inspiration in my life.
For the first time, I truly enjoyed and felt connected to nature as I hiked with my family through the Cascade mountains to Otter Lake. It is a physically and emotionally challenging trail, made more so due to the company, but it was also a tremendous joy! This trip allowed me to really understand and experience how the SUNRIDER herbs and the Wholistic Fitness have affected my life. I soared up that mountain, feeling strong and beautiful the whole way! My mother was also very successfull (she has been on the herbs for about 2.5 months). I nearly fell off the boulder I was perched precariously on when my father asked to try my Ilg Supreme and reported, "hmm, that's not bad, maybe I'll start drinking those when Mom and I get home." Miraculous!
Much love and light to you!
Namaste, Heather
��
Ilgbro,
You've been throwing it down on Direct Lines ! Good stuff man. Viva la garra!!!
RJ
����
August 12, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
man, i love waking up in the morning...i never know what Blessings arrive in my email...check out these two...and may they inspire your Practice today...they did mine!
�
Letter #1:
Dear Teacher -
I apologize about not letting you know about the change in my email address sooner.
� Beautiful HP Yogini R -
no worries...it's jus that my email lists are huge and hard to keep updated, so the faster you are at letting me know of changes, the better.
RE: By the way, I've missed you sooo much.
� i know...me too!
that is because we are spiritual family (sangha)!
RE: I miss your class on Thursday nights and of, course, I am starting to go on Sundays as well and now you are not going to be teaching anymore, what a disappointment, but I do appreciate Kathy. She is great. I understand
that you are opening your own Yoga Studio. It's this so?
� absolutely!
www.HighPerformanceYoga.com
RE: Well, if it is I wish you lots of success and I have a feeling that that studio is going to be packed. I am really happy for you, but feel a sense of loss that we are not going to enjoy you at Powerhouse. Where is your studio by the way?
� 18663 Ventura Blvd, #120
intersection of Ventura and Yolanda
one block West of Ventura and Reseda
Wall Street Plaza, on the north side of Ventura.
2 hours free parking
staffed by all the High Performance Yogis and Yoginis you've come to love
and sweat with!
RE: Regarding the SUNRIDER herbs, I am so happy with them. I ordered Calli tea regular and started taking this about 1 week 1/2 ago and I am amazed on how quickly it started to work on me cleaning my insides and making it really easy for me to poop. (Remember my pooping problem).
� you and about 95% of America
RE: I didn't even have to take the other stuff you recommended because Calli has been enough and believe me it's working. Now my problem is I try to not take too much during the day because I'm in the bathroom quite a bit. I think it's pretty funny I was complaining of not being able to poop and now I am trying not to spend my whole day in the restroom. That stuff is great.
� just back off a little bit.
we used to joke in the eighties that Dr. Chen (owner of SUNRIDER)
should sell his own brand of toilet paper with his image on it!
don't worry, this is a stage of your cleansing (bahya in yoga)
that will soon...uh...pass!
RE: I drink it throughout the day by itself. I also drink a cup of FD, a couple of cups of VitaFruit. I add the SunnyDew to either my VitaFruit or to food I eat. I have to admit that ever since I started taking the Calli tea oh and I forgot to tell you that I am also taking 8 Slip Caps a day and will be doing this for two weeks like you recommend and then order the Action Caps.
� oh CRAP!
no WONDER why you are crapping so much!
BACK off the Slim Caps, now!
reduce them by half
do this for four days and update me
RE: I feel leaner, stronger. In fact, the other day, I was at the gym working out with weights and a friend of mine came up to me and said that I look very lean. He said you must work out with weights all the time because you look strong and lean. I said that's funny that you say that because I haven't worked out with weight for about two months. This is the first time in two months. He was amazed and said, well maybe it's because you take Yoga don't you? I said yes I do try to take Yoga at least twice a week and it's given me lots of strength.
� i trust you told him it was HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA!!!!! big difference between yoga styles, make sure you know what style got you where you are, baby!
RE: I didn't mention anything about the Herbs, but I knew deep inside that the herbs are working in my body and, of course, along with the exercise and especially the Yoga.
� Wholistic Fitness is no joke.
for 20 years, we've been enjoying a way of body/mind fitness that truly is for Finders, not Seekers.
RE: Thank you for introducing me to a higher level of growth in my health and spirit. I feel really good, and the best part of it is that the craving for sweets and junk food, has subsided substantially from what it used to be. I don't desire junk food as much and if I do, I don't indulge like I tended to do. I also get full quicker, which amazes me because I used to eat a lot.
� i hate to tell you i told you so, but...
;-)
RE: What an amazing things we have. Thank you.
� yes, are so Blessed to have such great body/mind tools available as friends for our sacred Journey of discovering our Higher Self. great letter! thank you for taking the time to share it!
love everyone,
coach ilg
Lettter #2
In a message dated 08/11/2003 6:43:56 PM, chazelion@yahoo.com writes:
<< Dear Coach Ilg,
I am interested in your Sunrider products, and though I've logged onto your website, I cannot seem to find out how to get them, am I missing something, Please advise.
Thank you
Namaste, Chasey >>
Noble Warrior Chasey...
you have stumbled upon one of the many side entrances into the Temple of Wholistic Fitness!
The SUNRIDER herbs are the Official Nutrition Program for Wholistic Fitness students.
i consider these cruelty free, intensely potent whole food herbs and skin care the ideal herbal whole foods for yogis and noble body/mind fitness warriors like you! SUNRIDER has not disappointed me or my worldwide tribe of sincere students who have jumped into them in nearly 20 years.
to intellectually learn more about these herbs visit
www.sunrider.com
click on the TOUR
spend some time on the site
then get back to me with your thoughts.
to intuitively feel the wisdom and power of these herbs,
let me know that you are ready to jump in...i'll guide you faithfully.
membership into SUNRIDER costs only $23 and gets you all the
herbs and skin care at wholesale plus the ability to distribute them
to further decrease their cost to you or provide a great business opportunity.
you should truly not miss the unique opportunity to enjoy these herbs in your life. truly, truly powerfully transforming in so many ways!
head bowed,
coach ilg, R.Y.T.
founder, WHOLISTIC FITNESS
www.wholisticfitness.com
August 10, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
"Wholeness is peace."
- WF Teacher Sugiyukako (Quentin Vaughan)
every once in a while
a GREAT while
more like it...
comes a certain student
with a certain Light
carrying a certain energy
carved from negativities and/or habits overcome
to Rise Above.
let me preface what i am about to write to you,
DL readers:
i am not an easy person to get along with
just ask my wife
i'm a retired World Class athlete
but still focused
and determined
to reach the podium in whatever i do
including life and death
i want Enlightenment
in THIS precious lifetime
for there is
no guarantee of another
and so,
my filter is thin
who i let in
to ride bikes with me
regularly
to workout with me
regularly
to breathe and discuss the Dharma with me
regularly
my first Teacher was a wolf named Apache
he was as black as pitch
and as light as the sky
i learned most of me through him
so people and particularly my students
have a very High standard to attain
- black wolves that move like unthought thoughts
or pine trees glimmering with early morning snow -
before they capture my deeper attention...
not because i am some great TEACHER
but because i am a feeble one
unable to keep pace with the Seekers
who wish to Find through my humble
but powerful
Way.
Wayne Williams is one of those special students...
here is his own WF experience
in his own words
i dedicate my friendship with Wayne
to all beings
for the benefit of our merit gained
through our Daily Practice...
Wayne (WW)...
i bow to you
my Tribal Brother...
let's ride!
love,
coach ilg
�
My name is Wayne Williams and I�m a professional photographer born and
raised in Los Angeles, CA. I had the good fortune to be introduced to
Steve Ilg back in March of this year by Hyperion Books of New York. My
client at Hyperion, Phil Rose, called me and asked me to shoot the
cover photography for Steve�s newest book �Total Body Transformation,�
due out early next year.
To make a long and interesting story short, I�ll just let you know that
I was very impressed with Steve during the shoot and his attitude and
awareness, willingness to work with me and Phil, and produce the images
that are now the cover of the book. But that�s not why I�m writing
now, you see, I�ve found a good friend and alive spirit in Steve and
his practice of Wholistic Fitness. I�ve been fortunate to have spent
more time with Steve since the initial cover shoot. While doing more
images for the book I�ve learned a good deal about not only his
strength training and high performance yoga programs, but have had the
pleasure of riding (as best I can) on mountain and road bikes with
Steve as we discuss health, fitness, as well as plans and goals for
taking Wholistic Fitness to as many people who are interested and are
willing to seek it out for themselves.
While I�m pushing 50 years young (my grandmother is 103 and my parents
are in their early 80�s) I�ve been aware of a sense that my mortality,
levels of fitness and nutrition, involvement in my own health were
fairly good, That considered, I�d been feeling I was missing something.
I wanted to find a way to up the awareness and focus in a more
disciplined direction for not only myself but for my wife and family as
well... if they are interested.
So this mountain yogi shows up in my life and a path and direction
starts to unfold, funny huh?
You see, it�s been a little over 4 months now, and life is very
different indeed.
The time I spend meditating, the time I spend riding Andrew, Steve�s
championship road bike he gave me for working hard with him on over
200+ inside shots for the book (I was well over paid indeed) and the
lessons I�ve learned doing a feeble form of HP Yoga and strength
training have given me great satisfaction. Please understand that for
me, prior to April of this year, a bike ride was maybe 7-12 miles
around a park or up in the hills 2-3 times a week, a 20 minute weight
lifting session maybe 2 times a week, and no yoga or meditation to
speak of.
I�ve always been a conscious being, awake and thoughtful, kind and open
minded, hard working and a light hearted student of eastern thought and
awareness, heck my life as a photographer puts me in touch with many
different people and places, so I�ve always wanted to be aware and
knowledgeable. But nowhere had I found a complete package that worked
for the whole body and mind. Well... now one journey is over and
another has begun.
Higher awareness of ones life seems to require many things, patience,
being awake and aware, and the discipline and follow through that comes
with everything you do. These have become more clear to me than ever
before when I started doing Sunrider herbs as a part of my nutrition.
While on a short 1/2 day ski trip this spring in our local mountains,
cruising up a chair lift for our 7 or 8th run on a stunningly beautiful
day, I asked Steve how he eats to stay in such good shape. After a
long pause he said quietly that he eats herbs. Whaaa? HERBS? Humm,
well, I want to know more about this.
And so it began... first with the explanation of Dr. Chen�s philosophy
of nutrition and cleansing which combines ancient chinese herbal lore
with high quality modern western technology. Hey, sounds like me, an
photographer using the most advance photographic and computer systems
to create my art. Then the start of the practice... with Fortune
Delight and Calli teas for almost 2 months, cleansing my system and
weaning myself off much of the red meat foods I usually would consume a
few days a week. Nothing serious, but the problem was, my wife Marsha
you see is a good cook, who loves to prepare good healthy food, and I
love to eat it and often would do what was necessary to clean my plate
and sometimes go back for seconds.
Well, if I�m really going to do change my life for better health, I
felt I would need to move slowly and bring Marsha along with me. So we
agreed to give it a try. Taste for her was important, and the first
hurdle was Fortune Delight... that was easy... so now the fruit juices
in the fridge are gone. The Calli tea�s were no problem as we�re big
green tea consumers anyway... first phase accomplished. Now what?
What about these Ilg Supreme�s... Action Caps, when do we head down
that road? Ah, Steve kept the reigns on lightly to make sure the
cleansing process was well underway, and besides, I�m now riding Andrew
some 30 + miles every other day, even climbing hills 3-4 times a
week... Green light time.
We�re now doing at least one if not two Ilg Supreme drinks a day, and
I�ve dropped over 10 hard to lose pounds and built up muscle in the
process. I�m excited about getting on my bike, doing yoga, strength
training and meditating when I wake up every morning but most
importantly, I�m looking at food in a completely different way.
You see, food is necessary to consume just enough to give you the
energy to do the things you need to do, and herbs are the most pure
form of what the body needs. You find this out when you look at that
piece of pizza or hamburger after doing Sunrider herbs each day and you
listen to your body and it says... well, do you really need that? BUT
I LIKE EATING IT... so you have some, maybe even eat like you did
before, and you sit there and say to yourself.... hey, what was that
all about? Was it really that good for me? Did I really like it as
much as I thought I would again? Humm... and the quantities? Over
time, it all starts to go way down.
I have Calli Mint tea with Marsha in the morning, perhaps with a half
bagel or oatmeal in the morning along with 3-4 Action Caps. A Fortune
Delight with a little squirt of Sunny Dew usually in a sports bottle
with some ice, and often when I�m on a ride before my day starts. When
I get hungry, I make up an Ilg Supreme and find myself drinking it over
a 2 or 3 hour period, no chugging here... when the body wants
nutrition, it says drink a bit now, so I do.
It�s all about listening to your body, an awareness you�d expect when
following the wholistic fitness path. There have been times when I
wanted more to eat in the day, and I�ve found something as simple as a
spoonful of peanut butter does the trick... and Calli tea on ice kills
hunger in its tracks as well. On occasion I�ve had a second Ilg
Supreme for my evening meal... but a light salad with salmon or sushi
has been a real joy to savor... something I find myself doing more and
more, really tasting what I�m eating, and eating less as a result.
People who know me are noticing the physical changes as well, my face
is thinner, my stature is taller, and my mind is more focused and
peaceful. Oh, and I�ve had to buy some new clothes as the others are
frankly, just falling off. Which brings me to the discussion of
financial costs to doing Sunrider Herbs.
Aside from the need for a new wardrobe, the initial cost at first is
daunting, your first purchase seems like, WOW, that�s a lot for food
now isn�t it? OK... Lets do some math and see.
Old way of eating? Cheap... McDonnald's... Burger, Shake, Fries....
$4-$6... fat, clogged arteries. Not wise but cheap right?
Newer Old way? Health food store, upscale restaurant lunch $6-$12
and an old fashioned USDA approved diet of veggies, protein and
starches... Better but is it really?
Oh, and then there is breakfast... cereal with milk or Silk, some
fruit... eggs? bacon? toast or Bagel..., and then you hit Starbucks
and blow a total of $5-10 on all consumed.
Throughout the day you drink water right? Naw, it�s bottled water at
$18 a gallon, or a Coke, Snapple, expensive juice drinks... come on,
we�re talking at least $2-$4 dollars a day between meals, heck I won�t
even count snacks in this.
Then there is dinner... the feast... most expensive meal eating out,
ok, lets hit another fast food place, or have a pizza.... or eat at
home... $6-$10.
OK, I�m going to be conservative here, you are spending about $17.00 a
day on food... likely more like $20-25... but lets compare that to
eating your herbs instead.
A Calli tea can run $.95, Calli Night is $1.25. FD $.80 tops. An Ilg
Supreme? $5.80 including Soy Milk. Action Caps? $1.00 a day, all with
tax and shipping costs included.
SO... I spend how much for Herbs a day? $16.50. That�s right, and if I
make a light healthy dinner at home or eat out, at worse I�m going
maybe $6 to $10.00 over what I spend otherwise for cheap unhealthy
food. And if you live with someone who is on the same path, you share
your Calli and save more. There are so many other benefits that come
as a result that it�s hard to put a price tag on good health. Hey, and
I�m still getting those valuable airline miles on my Master Card too.
I�ve always loved life, you can see it in my photos...
( http://www.WayneWilliamsStudio.com ) and been blessed with all one
would want in material means. Now I have a complete package to bring
it all together... Nutrition, cardio, strength and yogic fitness, and a
sense of completing the circle that is no longer out of reach but a
part of my being.
And so it comes back to awareness, being conscious and having the
discipline to stay on the path all while being willing to be the other
things that make us who we are... spontaneous and alive beings.
That means, when you go out with friends and they want to eat a cow,
you can honestly say to yourself, I�ll have something I want, and not
feel the pressure to consume, because, well, you just don�t need to
anymore. Sure you may still want to give the old way a try... and do
at times, but the experience is different and so are you.
Last summer, one of my clients, an amusement park company, asked me to
shoot at one of their water park facilities in the midwest for their
advertising and promotional brochures. It was a fun shoot, and we had
young healthy models in and under the water... but I can only tell you
that I have never seen so many beached whales of all ages in my life.
Our nation has become so over weight it�s sad. We have stopped having
concerns for our health and become a society of mass consumption.
Quite frankly, it�s sad.
In a world that has long since past it ability to sustain itself with
the quantity of people we have on the planet... eating and consuming as
we do, each one of us has to start doing something. So... think
globally and act locally, start with yourself and know that you are not
alone.
We all can do our part by looking for ways to lessen our impact on the
planet and increase our consciousness and awareness of our place here.
After all, it�s all we�ve got.
Eating herbs is one sure way to be a viable part the process of life.
Stay fit in mind, body and spirit, follow your own path and practice
wholistic fitness... the rest will come.
With love,
Wayne Williams
Author, Photographer, and distributor of
'America's Vanishing Landscapes, The Western States'
Wayne Williams Studio
15423 Sutton Street
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403-3809
(818)905-8097
FAX: 995-6888
Email: wwclick@earthlink.net
http://www.WayneWilliamsStudio.com
August 08, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
"There is nothing higher than Purusha (spirit). He is the culmination; He is the highest goal."
- Katha Upanishad
The task of a yogi for the first several years of Practice is primarily one of cleansing and accountability. In asana poses, this cleansing comes from learning how to 'let go' into the postures while trusting the breath. The accountability comes from making sincere effort to sustain challenging poses while keeping alignment.
Yogi's never blame others for the difficulties of life that we must all endure but work to clear out their own negative habits and lazy tendencies. This takes tremendous spiritual strength, far greater strength than is needed to do a Bench Press or a Chaturanga or even doing Hill Repeats on your bicycle. But, regular fitness training helps us rise out of mediocrity and is a form of purification that can help burn away our negative and feeble habits and tendencies.
Yogi�s rely upon the Yamas and Niyama as techniques to whittle slowly away at our habits and tendencies so as to remove the auto-pilot mode of human doingness and get us to arrive at the place of true human beingness. They help unveil the causes of our 'problems' and sufferings in our daily life. They steer us through the calvacade of paradoxes which tumble our way as we hit stride on the Path of living spiritually while enjoying the many delights of a worldly life.
DON'T MISS COACH ILG's talk on the Yamas and Niyamas
THIS SUNDAY!
August 10
L.A. Workshop Series: The Yamas and the Niyamas
Powerhouse Gym
10:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
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.
All workshops in the L.A. Workshop Series cost only $10 and will take place in the "grotto" at Powerhouse Gym, 20914 Nordhoff Chatsworth, CA, 91311, (818) 775-0300. Workshops limited to 20 students. No reservations accepted; arrive early. Please bring a sitting cushion.
Nama Shanga Ya,
steve ilg, R.Y.T
author/Total Body Transformation
www.highperformanceyoga.com
August 07, 2003
Namaste Noble Herb Eaters!
Ilg SUNRIDER DOWNLINE update
AUGUST, 2003 UPDATE
���
In case you have not noticed, our humble Ilg Downline has consistently generated podium results in overall Group Sales Volume in SUNRIDER INTERNATIONAL for the past several months. The funny thing is that I do not push these herbs from a sales perspective. I am a retired outdoor athlete, fitness trainer, and yoga teacher. I just tell people when asked that yes, I use SUNRIDER herbs in my Path. I do not follow the heavy-handed Earn Money By Selling These Herbs approach that today, SUNRIDER pushes.
I still follow what Dr. Chen first told me nearly twenty years ago when I felt the impact of these powerful herbs on my sport performance and emotional attitude. Back then, Dr. Chen would just say, "Just eat the herbs." That's all. He said, if we just ate the herbs consistently, our life would change for the positive. We would enjoy a more empowered realm of beingness. Which, as you now know, is precisely what happens when you start drinking even one Ilg Supreme Sunrider shake per day and Fortune Delight throughout the day.
Back then, Dr. Chen was essentially bestowing an ancient spiritual teaching, "To enkindle others, you must first glow yourself." If you yourself glow, people will comment about your radiance, your fitness, your energy, or your general sense of well being.
Then, you can share the herbs.
Going against the current SUNRIDER marketing, I still hold fast onto that ancient and yogic manner; do not push the herbs on anyone. I actually tell people that they may not be ready for SUNRIDER's tremendous effect on their lives, which I have found to be true. Most people are scared stiff of success. Most run the other way. So I don't push them. Let them go back to eating at El Pollo Loco and watching Sex In The City. No worries. I just practice being kind and strong in my own life and not worry about where other people are on their own sacred journey. I know what feels go(o)d to me and trust others do as well. Sooner or later.
I use these herbs to help me overcome my weaknesses and negative habits. But, because the herbs are so good at quickly creating lean, strong bodies and happy dispositions it will be your body and mind fitness that inspires people to switch from less superior "foods" to SUNRIDER herbs, not your words. So, really, you don't ever really sell these herbs. You just share them with the right people who are ready to truly Shift Higher.
This is the Tibetan Way; do not tell...show.
My Tibetan teachers taught me that we should not step in and try to change people's lives. We have to be careful when we think of helping others, otherwise we may interfere with their spiritual Awakening. Don't just go up to people and say, "Hey, I got these great Chinese herbs that make you lose weight and give you lots of energy. You should get on them, too." This type of approach is to me, a nuisance. I say, work on yourself. Eat the herbs for your own health. As you become more radiant in your life, people will ask for help. Then give. Offer them Fortune Delight, show them Calli Beverage. Learn and use my 3-Phase method of purify the cells first, empower the cells second, and then maintain. In my experience, this is more meaningful to people than trying too hard to get people to change.
Everybody wants to be happy. When we have found a Path that is truly helpful for us, such as Wholistic Fitness, High Performance Yoga, or Sunrider Herbs we enjoy the travel of such a Path and feel grateful for it in our lives. From this appreciation, we grow more radiant and, if we persevere, we end up helping others which is the best form of nutrition and health in the long run.
Thank you for enjoying the SUNRIDER herbs and skin care products. May your enjoyment be radiant and may you find beautiful opportunities to share your ever growing presence!
For those SUNRIDER members in the Ilg downline, you will receive various SUNRIDER 'dharma emails' throughout the rest of this month. Some of which are truly weird and some very essential. Enjoy the dance. Don't quit. Never quit the herbs. Quit working out if you must, but don't ever quit the herbs. Cell fitness the most important of all fitness.
For my DIRECT LINES readers who are not on SUNRIDER herbs, don't worry about it. You'll enjoy them sooner or later after you've exhausted your nutritional research and come to the understanding that SUNRIDER herbs truly are the most amazing and effective nutrition on the dang planet! You can contact me or any of my certified WF Teachers at the Instructor icon at wholisticfitness.com to join SUNRIDER and be included in the Ilg Downline. We would love to share these herbs with you!
May your Practice be strong and sincere. Eat an herb...
i bow to you,
coach ilg
director/SUNRIDER INTERNATIONAL
August 05, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
"There is no greater challenge than to challenge yourself."
- Coach Ilg
Habits & Tendencies
For those of us who sense the importance of self-cultivation through fitness, we must quickly arrive at point in our understanding the need for examining our habits and tendencies. Why? Because, from a yogic perspective, within our habits and tendencies lie the fertilizing agents for our Awakening and possible Enlightenment.
When beginning a spiritual practice, like Wholistic Fitness or High Performance Yoga training, we must not rush. When we rush, my Tibetan teachers told me, the grip you get on the Teachings is shallow. In spiritual work, we want to go for depth, not superficiality.
The task of a spiritual warrior is primarily one of cleansing and accountability. Warriors never blame others for the difficulties of life that we must all endure. We must clear out negative habits and slothful tendencies in order to gain our true nature which lay beyond the impact of habits and tendencies. This takes tremendous spiritual strength, far greater strength than is needed to do a Bench Press or a Chaturanga or even doing Hill Repeats on your bicycle. But, the great thing about using fitness training for spiritual work, is that doing those things - Bench Presses, Chaturangas, and Hill Repeats - all empower your spiritual tenacity out of mediocrity. Doing those things with spiritual intent is a form of purification that can help burn away our negative and feeble habits and tendencies. In the Katha Upanishad; "There is nothing higher than Purusha (spirit). He is the culmination; He is the highest goal."
In Wholistic Fitness practices, I have created many techniques for understanding and gaining control of our habits and tendencies that mar our spiritual strength and delay our Awakening. Some of these techniques are very high in caliber such as Tapasaya. If I prescribe Tapasaya for you on a given day, that means you must look squarely in the eye a negative habit you have and sever it on that day with the fierce Warriorism of Manjushree. For instance, if you drink coffee in the morning and stay up late at night watching TV as a habit, a good Tapasaya for your on that day is not to drink coffee in the morning and go to bed early. That is fantastic spiritual work. You have generated some significant positive energy for your spiritual self. Other more gentle techniques that I have created in the science of Wholistic Fitness are things like the Breath and Posture Beeper Guru and the Eating Elegantly Assignments. Each of these techniques are intended to whittle slowly away at our habits and tendencies so as to remove the auto-pilot mode of human doingness and get us to arrive at the place of true human beingness.
The Path of Wholistic Fitness and High Performance Yoga can help us see the causes of the 'problems' and sufferings in our daily life. Our humble but powerful Path helps us track ourselves onto a spiritual way of living while enjoying the many delights of a worldly life. We need the same determination of our spiritual practices and conscious daily workouts - as we have for going to work to earn money. The reward of a spiritual life is not shown too quickly on the outside. Upon our dying breaths however, it is to he who has studied well inwardly that no fear comes. If we overcome our habits and tendencies during this lifetime, we can possibly navigate the Bardo (dying) realms without fear engaging the same skillfulness and determination cultivated in our Practices.
Thus, ultimately, death becomes just another inner workout in the amazing and sacred life of a WF Warrior. But we all must study very hard and do our Practices with great enthusiasm to gain this type of mastery in our brief lifespan.
Well, I'm off to do some Hill Repeats to do my best to empower my feeble self ever Higher. Maybe it will help me be brave in some way today and help the quality of my mind. If not, at least I've got another workout deposited in my good karma "bank account."
And that, to me, is always enough.
May your Practice be strong and sincere today...
love,
coach ilg
August 04, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
Mark your calendars today for this weekend:
August 10
L.A. Workshop Series: The Yamas and the Niyamas
with Steve Ilg, RYT
Powerhouse Gym
10:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
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.
All workshops in the L.A. Workshop Series cost only $10 and will take place in the "grotto" at Powerhouse Gym, 20914 Nordhoff Chatsworth, CA, 91311, (818) 775-0300. Workshops limited to 20 students. No reservations accepted; arrive early. Please bring a sitting cushion.
August 01, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors -
still on my mountain yogi personal retreat
deepening my austerities
revisiting Rocky Mountain haunts
whereupon the Wholistic Fitness and
High Performance Yoga
chi
began
and was nurtured
and now blossoms
in each of you
whose devoted WF workouts and HP Yoga Practice
remains strong and sincere.
through my high altitude austerities
the fragile beauty of Self
arises
suddenly
but changes like the colors of a New Mexico sunset
each breath in meditation
devoted to ego-erasure
changing, dissolving, dying...
ethereal residue imprints my soul's effort
to linger with the Divine
and the pain of surrender
Ishvara pranidhana
is achingly intense
growth demands pain
invisible raindrops shatter shallow water
a mesa stock pond's contribution to ripples everywhere
whittled barbed-wire fences sprouts creation;
sagebrush and gramma grasses in parched profusion
seem to look skyward
as platters of cirrus scrape the dry sky
here i am h(om)e
so easy to say forget it to the big city
stay here in my cave
my ego begins to outchirp
the nuthatches
signaling me it's time to
regain padmasana
continue
looking within
but my Practice is feeble
and my lower mind searches
to find one sliver of evidence
proof so i can stay here away from folks of thunder
addicts of entertainment
charlatans of egoic disguise
these pinyons and ravens
do not deceive
the quiet of their air
seems inconceivable
so i sit
like fossilized stone
listen to the roar of my blood
the song of my stilling
ever stilling
breath
relaxed into the gentle throb of Higher mind
waiting without waiting
for Atman's Awakening...
be true to yourself, Noble Fitness Warriors
i breathe up here
for all of us
who choose to swim upstream
i'll be back in LA on Sunday...
to work on hollowing out
our new urban cave
to mimic this one
so we can all Practice
in an environment like this...
one
without
qualm
only
presence
of
self and truth.
i bow to you,
coach ilg