December 31, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
�Dance, when you�re broken open.
Dance, if you�ve torn the bandage off.
Dance in the middle of the fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance, when you are perfectly free.�
- Rumi
yes, that is your humble coach causing trouble again in the Letters To The Editor of the new issue of YOGA JOURNAL (February, 2004).
i figure it�s part of my mission as a mountain yogi to mess with the studio yogis. i say, screw �em if they can�t take a jab at their asana-inflated egos. i�m tired of all those studio yogis getting down on �weightlifters� and bodybuilders many of whom work damn hard getting a set of six-pack abs. i�m fed up with studio yogis poking fun at those of us who happen to understand that there is no difference between a chaturanga and a bench press. especially if you apply one of my WF Strength Training Techniques such as Staccato or 3-Stage. feeble ilg says; studio yogis don�t need to keep stretching so much to hunt around for their treasured �edge.� shit, just do a WF Hill Repeat interval workout and the next day their thighs would be so �well trained� that they couldn�t even touch their om-tatooed toes. why are studio yogis so damn scared to bring the edge toward them, instead of always stretching deeper to chase it?
well, YJ was going to review my new book next issue.
i probably screwed that up.
oh well.
at least i have you, devoted DL reader!
hello?
damn.
oh well. it�s always been rarified air us WF Warriors breathe. i reckon we prefer it that way, cuz we�re always scaring or pissing off conventionally conditioned people with our crazy wisdom warrior ways!
oh, speaking of crazy... tonight is New Years Eve.
i don't want ANY OF YOU to MAKE ANY "New Years Resolution" unless sweat is pouring off the tip of your nose or intimate silence pounds within your cells.
no genuine resolution should be made save in the presence of elevated heart rate animated by sweat-soaked effort or without great inner silence making deaf the ego layers of illusion. some WF options for your New Years Eve..all of which i�ve done in years past;
YANG OPTION:
�) Do 24 Intervals: Make a New Year�s Resolution after honoring the old year by doing 12 intervals for each month of the past year. Then, after your New Years Resolution, do 12 more intervals, cementing the Resolution into each month of the new year ahead. Sweat must precede a sworn inner statement.
YIN OPTION:
�) Sit Zazen for 24 minutes: Make a New Year�s Resolution after honoring the old year by sitting for 12 minutes for each month of the past year. Then, after your New Years Resolution, sit another 12 minutes, cementing the Resolution into each month of the new year ahead. Inner Stillness must precede a sworn inner statement.
MIXED OPTION:
�) Make a New Year�s Resolution after honoring the old year by doing each of the 12 Ai Imawa Postures for each month of the past year. Then, after your New Years Resolution, flow through the postures again, cementing the Resolution into each month of the new year ahead. Synchronization of body and mind must precede a sworn inner statement.
Until next year, i bid you deep thanks for all your support, strength, and spirit over this amazing year of deep fitness. May all your workouts of the new year ring with excellence and shine with playful joy.
i bow to you.
i close with a another review of TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION that has appeared at amazon.com..
love everyone, and
dance in your sweat...
have a happy, healthy, and a helluva fun New Year!
coach ilg
���
Total Body Transformation: A 3-Month Personal Fitness Prescription for a Strong....
Average Customer Review: 5 out of 5 Stars
A comprehensive summation, December 30, 2003
Reviewer: sblondeau from winder, GA Ilg's newest book is the fullest expression in print of his Wholistic Fitness teachings. Those familiar with his work may find this book a bit redundant but it's still worth the $$.
His editors have done a great job in tightening up his prose without losing his flavor. While it would be easy for a cynic to dismiss his philosophy as a watery distillation of various wisdom traditions combined with Western physical cultivation, a la muscle beach, this would be unfair to the genuine enthusiasm he brings to his work. Steve Ilg is the living embodiment of William Blakes aphorism, "Exhuberance is Beauty".
If you have struggled with making fitness an integral part of your life or would like to use fitness as a transformative tool then this is your book. The step by step yoga instruction, unique strength training routines and periodization of the programs will deliver any fitness aspirant to a place they never imagined... solidly on "the Path", walking "the Way".
December 29, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
The student asked the Master, �How can I practice in order to attain enlightenment?� The Master replied, �When hungry, eat; when tired, sleep.�
- zen
In a few hours i will jet away, once again, from my personal retreat in the high mountains of New Mexico. With a posture and presence uplifted to me by the grace of snow crusted pines, i�ll reset my aims for Los Angeles and continue my sacred duty of bringing the message of mountain yoga and fitness as best i can to those willing to listen and experience and support me.
It�s hard. I want to stay here. Here i feel at h(om)e. The power of my mind pulls me into emotion-studded ego traps whose function is to keep me here, to play again tomorrow upon my snowshoes, following coyote tracks beneath swaying, nude aspens.
So, over the next few hours, when my ego desires pull me toward depression of leaving and anxiety of big city bustles, i will practice what i teach my students: i will return to WF Lifestyle #1; Breath and Posture. The breath and posture reconnects me toward what the Buddhists term, �synchronization of body and mind.� Thus, my way out of anxiety or of sadness remains the same; upright, aware, but relaxed posture. What my Tibetan Teachers called, �strong back, soft front.�
I don�t know how successful i�ll be in this work of everyday yoga, but as that plane approaches LAX and i�m once again a world away from my power place...i�ll just trust that my Breath and Posture will keep me present with whatever is most appropriate for me to feel as i, like you, journey upward endlessly on my sacred travel within this life.
i bow to you,
coach ilg
December 27, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
�If you don�t have time for fitness, then make time for dis-ease�
from Amazon.com...two reviews on TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION:
5 out of 5 stars Genius, Genius Genius, December 25, 2003
Reviewer: Paul Mobley (see more about me) from Birmingham, Michigan United States
Having met Master Ilg over 10 years ago in Sante Fe, I can honestly say that no one I have ever met is as committed to fitness and "total" well being more than Steve Ilg. My experiences working with him have been life changing, and I highly recommend this "great read" to all. It WILL change your life.
���
5 out of 5 stars the best ilg book yet, December 23, 2003
Reviewer: dkrakel from Conifer, CO USA
This new book by Steve Ilg isn't for everybody, but chances are if you've gotten this far, it's for you. Steve once told me when I first approached him about becoming a Wholistic Fitness student in 1997, while he was hidden away in seclusion in New Mexico, "When the student is ready, the teacher appears." And so, student, the teacher has appeared for you manifested in book form.
Having been a student of Steve's ever since, I approach this book with some amount of bias. but...........all the programs we worked on (well almost all), his philosophy and teachings about the Wholistic Fitness path....are all here.
For the athlete, especially for outdoor athletes, this is a wealthy smorgasbord of knowledge. For those who have read Steve's other books, The Outdoor Athlete and The Winter Athlete, this is the book that takes the next and highest step, placing everything together between covers. One of the best things about Ilg is that he doesn't just talk the talk, he walks the walk. He's a superior athlete with numerous wins under his belt.....he cycles, both mountain bike and road, he runs trails, he snowshoes, he nordic skis, snowboards, in-line skates...and these are the programs he uses.
The disappointment is, after having spent so much money and invested so much time and climbing Ilgs challenging training ladder one step at a time, well, here for twenty bucks or so anyone can glean that hard won knowledge. For less then the cost of a good dinner you can change your life. Not just the fitness part of your life, your whole life.
This is the only book, to my knowledge, that blends the power of yoga with the power of the gym and goes beyond those two disciplines. way beyond, into cardiovascular training, into nutrition, meditation. This is truly a total fitness book. as Ilg often says, "Your workout is everywhere." Never again will you just merely stand in the checkout counter at the grocery store or sit at your desk.......under ilg's guidance you'll be working out, working inwards.
So, despite my bias towards Steve, despite my intimate knowledge of his programs, i still stayed up half the night last night reading this book and learning, learning, learning. Every movement in his strength training programs, every asana in his High Performance Yoga programs, all his cardiovascular training programs, all his nutrition information, everything is illustrated in step by step manner and the light shone upon it.
The one thing this book requires is an open mind. Whatever beliefs you may have about your current fitness or training programs, whatever you thought you knew about yoga, strength training or cardio work, will be challenged.
Buy this book and truly, you'll transform your life.
���
December 26, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift."
- Steve Prefontaine
(one of the numerous favorite quotes of mine that roll through my new book)
As some of you know, i am back in New Mexico, attempting to recharge my physiology and spiritology for the next few days. I, like many of you, shared Christmas with my family. I know, i know...talk about High Performance Yoga! Being around family requires constant cultivation of the Observing Self mixed with Compassion Practice. Often our family and their attitudes toward everything from food to "news" choices to you can trigger unfathomably deep emotions and shocking thrusts of anger, impatience, annoyance, guilt, etc. The Masters were quick to recognize this, thus They taught,
"The Way is easiest in the temple, more difficult in the marketplace, and most difficult in the home."
As your personal trainer, i consider it part of my duty to offer techniques and practices that i have found to benefit personal fitness. So, during this time of travel and family time, there is no better time to deepen your Practice by using the dynamics of family gatherings or holiday emotions as tools toward Self Transformation.
I offer you the following with the visualization of assistance to your own Practice.
�����
ilg's base level traveling or pre-competition morning Practice
The following routine covers all structural, physiologic, and energetic bases. I walk away from this routine feeling absolutely centered, energetic, and balanced. For athletes, it opens inner gateways that ignite sport performances. For non-athletes, it creates depth, dimension, and a degree of spiritual warriorism to daily routines and jobs. I often wonder just how our society would change if everyone followed such a routine. Modifications to the more advanced postures are easily done and just as effective. If we don't have the capacity to create 25 minutes in the morning to center our body and mind and breath, then we've pretty much lost our Way thanks to the thick and multifacted barrage of outer-directed illusions, desires, and entertainments.
Note: do not attempt this routine without the guidance of a qualified yoga teacher.
wake up
tongue scraping
brush teeth
neti wash (nasal wash)
= 5 minutes
pranayama (yogi breathing):
� nadi sodhana (alternate nostril breathing)
� variations of nadi sodhana
� surya bhedana
= 5 minutes
asana (stretching poses):
� dog tilt/cat tilt vinyasa to engage mula bandha (root lock) and ujjayi (victory breath which is then held throughout the following:
� downdog/updog vinyasa
� utthita vasisthana (extended side plank pose)
� crescent pose
� parivrtta adho mukha svanasana (revolved down dog)
� deep toe stretch into narrow stance malasana (garland pose/yogi squat)
� supta virasana (upward facing hero pose)
� malasana into revolved wrist padahastasana (hands under feet standing forward fold pose)
� sirsa salamba adho mukha svanasana (head supported down dog). here, i tuck my palms under my feet to release sen channels/energy meridian blockages)
� sirsasana (headstand)
� supta konasana sirsasana (this is an inverted hip opening while in headstand)
� variations of the above
� roll into sarvanganasana (shoulderstand)
� variations of the above
� roll into halasana(plow pose)
� karna pindasana (ear pressure pose)
� roll into supta pasciomottanasana (upward facing Western stretch)
� supine spinal twist variations
� roll backward and up into standing forward fold
� roll up into tadasana (standing mountain pose)
= 15 minutes
Grand Total Time for basic Morning Practice:
= 25 minutes
This routine is then followed by an "Ilg Supreme" whole food herbal drink from SUNRIDER herbs.
that is all.
may it help...
enjoy the HolyDays...i'm going snowshoeing to absorb high dosages of high altitude Rocky mountain air/pran...
i bow to you,
Feeble Ilg
www.HighPerformanceYoga.com
December 25, 2003
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors!
Merry Holidays
Peace on Earth
Goodwill (and workouts) to men (and women)
May all beings realize the sacredness of being healthy and working toward Wholeness...
thank you for your kind words and support of this humble but powerful Path...
from the southwest i offer you a Christmas gift:
"Oh Great Spirit of our Ancestors,
I bow my head to you.
To your messengers the four winds
And to Mother Earth,
Who provides for your children.
Give us the wisdom to teach our children;
To love, to respect, and to be kind to each other,
So that they may grow with peace of mind.
Let us learn to share all good things
That you provide for us on this Earth."
- Native American Prayer for Peace
love,
coach ilg
December 23, 2003
RECENT INPUT ON COACH's LATEST BOOK:
TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION!!
Coach-
Received my copy of Total Body Transformation today...what a beautiful book!
Peace and thanks-
Allan
���
I had a chance this afternoon to peruse your new book at Barnes and Nobel as I await my pre-ordered copy from Amazon.com. Congratulations! At the age of 55, I know that I am not in the prime demographic for the fitness industry, however, I do appreciate, from experience, your premise that yoga and lifting iron are complimentary. Your soulful book is in a league of its own for its expression of the principles of wholistic fitness in contrast to the more typical one dimensional attempts that pop up in the "new arrival" section and those that utilize the "wholistic" moniker simply as a sound byte.
I bow to YOU.
Rick Strong
��
dearest el coache bro,
the books finally arrived. i was just on the verge of calling the publisher this morning. so i guess my longing reached out as they arrived.
wow. so i've just spent the last few hours skimming it............holy cow. you and WF will always live on through this work. it is just amazing. i was honored to be quoted and included in a small way, and smiled when i saw the quote from mukunda. i am quite inspired to teach class in the morning...the holy water will be dripping. and then the family and i will go shoeing in the snowy woods.
during the summer we launched a new section, rocky mountain adventure, and i'm going to pitch it for one of the must reads, must haves items on the front page of the new year edition.
coach, i can't say enough about it. you've written the bible of WF.
blessings man,
- student dean
��
Steve: Got the book. It is great. Will elaborate on it later. I am going to frame the sun salutation stick figures to give to the Smithsonian museum someday.
- Student Pat
December 22, 2003
Namaste Coach Steve,
Thank you for the "back- breaking" experience last
evening. You" bent over backwards" to make my session
a wonderful experience. Everything you do is impeccable.
As i continue to slow down, i too will perform impeccably.
I awoke during the night breathing Ujjayi.
When the alarm went off, I awoke breathing Ujjayi.
What was that all about?
This a.m. I performed a round or two of
alternate nasal breathing. Today is my relaxation day,
but i love meditation, pranayama and anything which
sets the tone for the day.
I keep forgetting to purchase a Neti pot.
Using the Neti pot will be a big step for me.
Again, I can't believe how far I have come in 5 years.
If I can do it, anyone can and I will be just the person
who can convince by my appearance, change in personality
and calmness of mind and spirit.
In closing I would like to acknowledge the fact that you
have helped me so much in mind, body and spirit.
I hope to do the same down the road.
Something will happen, I feel it in my bones.
thank you again.
You are certainly special
Love to you,
Namaste,
Lenore
Noble Student Lenore -
your awareness of Ujjayi breathing during the subconscious and dreamless states is Big Stuff!
that means you are being Guided during the subconscious states to use the Pran (carried by your Ujjayi breathing) to whittle away at your karmic workload.
essentially, because of your above average devotion to daily meditation and yogic breathing and the SUNRIDER herbs, your ionic conductancy (Western perspective) is changing for the positive. Eastern speaking, the "yogic gods" (the Tibetans would allow me to tell you to study Manjushree...for He has befriended you for your astral fitness) are rewarding you..They are helping you demolish old aspect of your negative tendencies and downward patterns to lift your cells and spirit clearer and higher. you are experiencing the untying of a spiritual 'knot'...known in yoga a 'granthi'...
that is why it is sooooo important to eat well; get the cells clean and clear so that all the yoga and meditation and breathing work can take root within a pure cellular body.
absolutely superb High Peformance Yoga and WF and SR herbs at work!
all because of your simple but truly inspirational consistency in your Practice and listening to your feeble teacher and yourself...
i am honored to play a small part in your ongoing Awakening and to help your trajectory toward Enlightenment in this lifetime...you will teach and inspire many others...i want you in my Teacher Training this spring...
love and inner Light,
coach ilg, RYT
author/TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors!
"Listen to the voices of the wind
and the ceaseless message that
forms itself out of silence."
- Ranier Maria Rilke
I am entering another tough time for my Practice. As people start contacting me regarding my new book, these 'fans' tend to elevate me instead of the Work that comes through me. These people, most of them new to my notion of Wholistic Fitness, think that i am smart or something just because i've written books and stuff. make no mistake, it's not me...it is the Voice of the Divine that writes Itself through me. my sacred duty is to keep my body and mind as fit and clear as possible so as to do one marvelous thing that most people will not learn or pursue:
Listen To Their Life.
just drop in today...whatever you are doing Right Now
Listen To It
there are sparks and shards of the Divine Joy dancing within and about you
Right Here
Right Now
look no further than the wind sheering across the trees
the songbird landing upon the snow
the texture of your fingertips brushing the keypad
now
Be
Impeccable
In Any Action You Do
Learn to Listen
To the Language
of your Life
and
especially
to the refined Divine
within your workout today...
i don't write books, Noble Ones,
they write themselves through me.
all i have to do is my Practices
and a song sings itself through me.
just like you,
today
right now
Here.
pow.
i will close with this from one of our SUNRIDERS. staying clear on the inside through herbal nutrition is perhaps tantamount to being able to tap into our inner Languages...
he and she who is wise, will stock up on Calli and Fortune Delight before travelling to family or friends for the holidays.
that is all.
i bow to your devoted Desire To Rise Higher,
coach ilg, RYT/USCF
author/TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION
www.HighPeformanceYoga.com
•••
Hi,
I know that many of you have already chosen to switch soda drinks, like Pepsi, Sprite, or Coke, but how about your friends & family? This article below should be enough to open the eyes of all "non-SR-believers".
I learned many years ago that one can of pop contains 16 teaspoons of sugar. It also strips the liver of stored nutrition, especially calcium.
Did you know...
* Carbonated drinks are highly acidic and have the potential to damage a tooth's enamel. And Brushing right after you drink can exacerbate this. Instead, wait 30 to 60 minutes to brush, according to new research from dentists at Goettingen University in Germany.
* Waiting to brush after drinking a soda actually is three to five times more effective at protecting enamel from the erosive effects of carbonated drinks, reports Reuters.
Soda is so acidic that it can actually dissolve the upper layers of the tooth. Thomas Attin, director of the university's department for tooth protection, explained that waiting to brush allows the tooth enamel to mount its own defense against acidic erosion, typically through protective agents in the saliva that help repair and rebuild damaged tooth enamel.
Brushing too soon not only destroys this opportunity, but also brushes off the affected layers of the teeth.
* The research was presented at the annual meeting of the German Association for Tooth Protection. (Although these researchers used Pepsi products, the differences between them and other popular brands of soda--for the purposes of this test on dental health--are not significant.)
*For those who love Coke & Pepsi... Tips on good usage
To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl. Let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.
To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a crumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
To clean corrosion from car battery terminals; Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
To loosen a rusted bolt; Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
To remove grease from clothes; Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.
Coke & Pepsi For your info: The average pH of soft drinks, e.g. Coke or Pepsi is pH 3.4. This acidity is strong enough to dissolve teeth and bones!
Our human body stops building bones at around the age of 30. After that it'll be dissolving about 8-18% of the bones each year through the urine depending on the acidity of the food intake (acidity does not depend on the taste of the food, but on the ratio of potassium / calcium /magnesium / etc. to phosphorus).
All the dissolved calcium compounds accumulate in the
arteries, veins, skin tissue, organs. This affects the functioning of the kidneys.
Soft drinks do not have any nutritional value (in terms of vitamins and minerals). They have higher sugar content, higher acidity, and more additives such as preservatives and colorings.
Some people like to take cold soft drinks after each meal, guess what's the impact? Our body has an optimum temperature of 37 degrees for the functioning of digestive enzymes. The temperature of cold soft drinks is much less than 37, sometimes quite close to 0.
This will lower the effectiveness of the enzymes and put stress on the digestive system, digesting less food. In fact the food gets fermented. The fermented food produces bad smelling gases, decays and forms toxins which are absorbed in the intestines, get circulated in the blood and is delivered to the whole body. This spread of toxins can lead to the development of various diseases.
Put a tooth in a bottle of Pepsi and in 10 days it will be completely dissolved! Teeth and bones are the only human organ that stay intact for years after death. Imagine what the drink must be doing to your soft intestines and stomach lining?
Anyone for a nice, refreshing glass of Peach Fortune Delight?
Choices are great, but to choose people need to know they have a choice...feel free to share this article.
Thanks to Jalaine for sharing
_________________________________
Trish Childers
December 20, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
For you out of town fans and friends visiting LA over the holidays, please be aware of our Holiday Schedule. i've enclosed it below. I will be returning to my h(om)eland of high mountains and desert mesas in New Mexico from the 23rd - 28th for some much needed chi-replenishment. We will be doing something special at the Studio for New Year's Day.
please use this holy-day time to deepen, not dwindle, your Practices.
yogis never rush.
may all beings continue to discover the sweet scent of Awakening through daily body/mind Practice.
thank you for all the incoming great letters regarding my newest book now available overnight at www.amazon.com:
TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION
due to the national demand for the book, if you want a signed copy, you will have to ship the book to me and pay for return postage. i do not keep copies at home but my studio will soon carry them and make autographed copies available for shipment. stay tuned to the Online Catalog at www.WholisticFitness.com or www.HighPerformanceYoga.com for its appearance. thank you!
here is a meditation submitted by Wayne Williams for our Tribe:
A Keeper
It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that
re-fixing, reheating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste
meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be
more.
But then my mother died, and on that clear, hot afternoon in the warmth
of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that
sometimes there isn't any more. No more hugs, no more special moments to
celebrate together, no more phone calls just to chat...no more "just one
minute".
Sometimes , what we care about the most gets all used up and goes
away..never to return before we can say goodbye, say "I love you".
So...while we have it..it's best we love it..and care for it. and fix it
when it's broken..and heal it when it's sick. This is true...for
marriage...and old cars..and children with bad report cards..and dogs
with bad hips...and aging parents..and grandparents. We keep them
because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep.
Like that best friend that moved away. There are just some things that
make us happy, no matter what, or a classmate we grew up with.
Life is important, like people we know who are special...and so, we keep
them close!
I received this from someone who thought I was a "keeper"! Then I sent
it to the people I think of in the same way. Now it's your turn to send
this to all those people that are "keepers" in your life...like you!
Thank you for being a special part of my life!
You're a Keeper!
••
monday 22:
6 pm free flow w/greg
tuesday 23:
6 pm free flow w/greg
wednesday 24:
closed
thursday 25:
closed
friday 26:
6 pm free flow w/greg
sat 27:
9:30 am strong w/Michelle
sun 28:
9:30 am free flow w/HP Staff
mon 29:
9:30 am prop workout w/steve
7:30 pm slow flow w/Joy
tue 30:
9:30 am easy w/Quentin
6:00 pm strong w/steve
wed 31:
9:30 am slow w/Greg
thu 1:
8 am - 12 noon
special event: sign up at Studio!
NEW SCHEDULE BEGINS January 2nd.
watch www.HighPeformanceYoga.com
website for the new schedule!
December 19, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
To my fellow swimmers,
There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold on to the shore,
They will feel that they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly.
Know that the river has it's destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore,
Push off into the middle of the river,
Keep our eyes open and our heads above the water.
And I say, "See who is in there with you and celebrate!"
At this time in history we are to take nothing personally,
Least of all ourselves, for the moment that we do,
Our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.
The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves!
Banish the word "struggle" from your vocabulary.
All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
WE ARE THE ONES WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR.
Oraibi, Arizona
Hopi Nation
December 18, 2003
“Dear Steve,
Ahhh. My back (along with the rest of my mind, body and soul) thanks you wholeheartedly for composing such a graceful, yet challenging, class. Throughout the various expansions of each pose my thoughts and my breath continuously harkened back to words that you were very fond of using a long time ago:
They were something similar in nature to the following: "the body releases / lets go every seven seconds. Use the inhale to lengthen and the exhale to extend / or to go deeper."
On the occasions when I've practiced yoga over the past seven years, I've always kept this idea in my mind. It has always been a pivotal factor in maintaining my motivation. Believing in and visualizing the possibility of infinite openings, despite initial difficulties or reluctancies, is very inspiring. At the beginning of class this evening you asked us to formulate a dedication for our current state of practice and to remember our teachers. I've had many teachers from many disciplines and I have always been one to incorporate the "best" qualities from a multitude of philosophies into my own praxis, discarding aspects of lesser integrity. Steve, you remain a revered figure in my hall of teachers because of your dedication and your earnest investment in cultivating (in others) a life-altering passion for vitality. It was your style, your patience, and your ability to capture my curiosity and interest in yoga (when I was previously unexposed to the discipline) that provided an alternate avenue of expression for many of my future epiphanies--realizations that, up to that point, I sensed but did not possess the vocabulary, or the experience, to describe.
Talented yogi's are not always talented teachers and I believe that the inverse of this is also true. As an athlete you are incredible to observe. But for me, your gift for being able to share knowledge in an interesting and creative way is more impressive. It is only doubly impressive that you can actually execute the elegance of mind and body that you choreograph.
As a chronically optimistic skeptic, trust is a rare privilege that I enjoy bestowing once it has been well earned. There are a very limited number of people with whom I share my honest thoughts and intellectual pursuits (after 23 years they still number less than five and are therefore extraordinarily precious). These brilliant lights of personality serve as my foundation when I find myself unable to fully contend with or articulate my own insights. In the name of analyses that are often misread or interpreted outside of their intended context, I decided to dedicate tonight's practice--and all of the other areas of practice in my life which unite both mental and physical forms of reflection, opening and contemplation--to you.
I believe that you have earned my trust and admiration because you have demonstrated your ability to dialogue enthusiastically and straightforwardly with me. It is clear that you are intelligent and that you appreciate the value of a critical consciousness. These are the reasons why I so genuinely enjoy our exchanges. As a friend, a teacher, and a brother you keep my talents engaged, my heart compassionate, and my sense of humor soaring. Thank you for being such a wonderful part of my life in every sense. I love and appreciate you greatly and I hope you feel confident that the willingness with which you have articulated your loyalty will be forever reciprocated.
Bread and roses,
Jessica”
December 16, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
"First you must love your body, in games
in wild places, in bodies of others,
Then you must enter the world men and
learn all worldly ways. You must sicken.
You must must return to your Mother and notice
how quiet the house is.
Then return to the world that is
not Man
that you may finally walk in the
world of Man, speaking."
- Lew Welch
For FIRST you must LOVE your body enough to have FAITH in her...
and that means TESTING her day in, day out.
i mean REAL faith...the kind that is purified by perspiration, not perfumed pews.
then comes the tougher stuff...the Meditation...learn how to sit with the Great Silent Mother (meditation)...after becoming comfortable with the nature of your true mind...then the Test...the Great Test of being IN the world but not of it.
this is what i am learning in this Big City.
many love the mountains.
few actually have the balls to leave them
to one day,
eventually,
return to them.
knowing the Ways of the Marketplace.
this is what i am learning...
one vital Warrior of mine,
Teacher Q
Quentin Vaughan
has shared this type of Journey with me...
he lives near me to this day
sharing the Way Higher.
completely leaving his NYC power cords
to stay near me
and my humble Practice Cave where he now graces Students
with his sincere - if stumbling - efforts Higher.
Do yourself a favor read this from Teacher Q
to an awaiting Student like many outside my Online Training Temple:
"Hello Beth,
my name is Quentin Vaughan, otherwise known around WF Headquarters as Teacher Q. i am a fully certified trainer and teacher of Wholistic Fitness. i have studied and walked the Way with Coach Ilg for over a decade. and he's asked me personally to write you Beth and heart fully apologize for the delay in contacting you. with the prerelease of the new book, Total Body Transformation, thousands have responded to the amazing vibe this book is creating.
Coach Ilg has been so overwhelmed with the many wonderful new students entering our wonderful temple, that he has asked me if i would offer my services to the many he cannot himself respond to. if i may...allow me to properly introduce myself.
i am Teacher Q. i have been with Coach Ilg since 1992. i was the first certified teacher of Wholistic Fitness. i have been guiding students thru this work for� over 7 years. i moved here to the Headquarters of WF from NYC 4 years ago at the personal request of Coach Ilg to help him offer this new and amazing art called Wholistic Fitness to the world. it is my greatest passion to share with others the work that has truly saved my life and taught me how to live it to the fullest.
consider this. if you are still interested Beth, in this Path, and would allow me to guide you, may i offer this arrangement: waive the start up cost($295), and you can begin with just the $75 monthly fee. all you must do is order our new book Total Transformation(as this will serve as your ultimate guide book on how to do all of the techniques and unique principles). then we can begin.
again...we apologize Beth for the delay in reaching you.
you may contact me here at this e-mail or at (818) 576-1416.
Happy Holidays
Namaste,
Teacher Q"
now you, Fitness Warrior, tell ME why i love my Beautiful Q.
sure he stumbles. a lot.
don't we all?
sure he does not look like me, perform like me, talk like me.
i intimidate many because of the rarified Teachers i've studied under and the unique circumstances of my life. that does not make me better than you. far from it. but most will not see this. but in Q, they will see the true effectivemess of the Wholistic Fitness and High Performance Yoga Way. Q has the utterly karmic ingredient that is required to touch far more people than i.
i break my students down before Transformation begins.
Q can love them uniquely to invite Transformation to begin.
i bow as deeply as my best Padmasana allows to my first (technically second but who is counting) certified Teacher of WF:
Quentin Vaughan.
Do your life a Dharmic Blessing:
right now go to www.wholisticfitness.com
and hire Teacher Q as YOUR Online Personal Teacher.
i assure you; the opportunity will not long last.
Keep Your Practice Strong,
coach ilg
Namaste Noble Warriors!
"First you must love your body, in games
in wild places, in bodies of others.
Then you must enter the world men and
learn all worldy ways. You must sicken.
You must must return to your Mother and notice
how quiet the house is.
Then return to the world that is
not Man
that you may finally walk in the
world of Man, speaking."
- Lew Welch
For FIRST you must LOVE your body enough to have FAITH in her...
and that means TESTING her day in, day out.
i mean REAL faith...the kind that is purified by perspiration, not perfumed pews.
then comes the tougher stuff...the Meditation...learn how to sit with the Great Silent Mother (meditation)...after becoming comfortable with the nature of your true mind...then the Test...the Great Test of being IN the world but not of it.
this is what i am learning in this Big City.
many love the mountains.
few actually have the balls to leave them
to one day,
eventually,
return to them.
knowing the Ways of the Marketplace.
this is what i am learning...
one vital Warrior of mine,
Teacher Q
Quentin Vaughan
has shared a version of this Journey with me...
he lives near me to this day
sharing the Way Higher.
completely leaving his NYC power cords
to stay near me
through thick and thin...
devoted to me and my humble Practice Cave where he now graces Students
with his sincere - if stumbling - efforts Higher.
Do yourself a favor read this from Teacher Q
to an awaiting Student like many outside my Online Training Temple:
"Hello Beth,
my name is Quentin Vaughan, otherwise known around WF Headquarters as Teacher Q. i am a fully certified trainer and teacher of Wholistic Fitness. i have studied and walked the Way with Coach Ilg for over a decade. and he's asked me personally to write you Beth and heartfully apologize for the delay in contacting you. with the pre-release of the new book, Total Body Transformation, thousands have responded to the amazing vibe this book is creating.
Coach Ilg has been so overwhelmed with the many wonderful new students entering our wonderful temple, that he has asked me it i would offer my services to the many he cannot himself respond to. if i may...allow me to properly introduce myself.
i am Teacher Q. i have been with Coach Ilg since 1992. i was the first certified teacher of Wholistic Fitness. i have been guiding students thru this work for� over 7years. i moved here to the Headquarters of WF from NYC 4 years ago at the personal request of Coach Ilg to help him offer this new and amazing art called Wholistic Fitness to the world. it is my greatest passion to share with others the work that has truly saved my life and taught me how to live it to the fullest.
consider this. if you are still interested Beth, in this Path, and would allow me to guide you, may i offer this arrangement: waive the start up cost($295), and you can begin with just the $75 monthly fee. all you must do is order our new book Total Transfromation(as this will serve as your ultimate guide book on how to do all of the techniques and unique principles). then we can begin.
again...we apologize Beth for the delay in reaching you.
you may contact me here at this e-mail or at (818) 576-1416.
Happy Holidays
Namaste,
Teacher Q"
now you, Fitness Warrior, tell ME why i love my Beautiful Q.
sure he stumbles. a lot. he is, from a teaching standpoint, my most difficult Student of all...because there is so much of me, i see in him.
he, like me, stumbles.
a lot.
don't we all?
sure Teacher Q does not look like me, perform like me, talk like me.
i intimidate many because of the rarified Teachers i've studied under and the unique circumstances of my life. that does not make me better than Teacher Q or you.
far from it.
but most will not see this. they assume things about me, my past, my future. as if they know.
but in Q, they can easily see the true effectiveness of the Wholistic Fitness and High Performance Yoga Way.
Q has the utterly karmic ingredient that is required touch far more people than i.
i break my students down before Transformation begins.
Q loves them uniquely to invite Transformation to begin.
i bow as deeply as my best Padmasana allows to my first (technically second but who is counting) certified Teacher of WF:
Quentin Vaughan.
Do your life a Dharmic Blessing:
right now go to www.wholisticfitness.com
and hire Teacher Q as YOUR Online Personal Teacher.
i assure you; the opportunity will not long last.
Keep Your Practice Strong,
coach ilg
Yes, yogis and WF Warriors...it is damn hard for me to live in LA. Regardless of the fact that on days like today, when the Chi is so strong to outweigh the MILLION AND ONE REASONS WHY I SHOULD NOT RIDE MY BIKE to get my ass out and climb Tuna Canyon, the steepest of the steeps, and ride the entire 38.50 miles at an average speed of 16.50 mph in the face of her 20% relentless 7.5 mile climb!
NAMASTE NOBLE WARRIORS!!!!!
IT'S HERE!!!!!!!
my latest book that just might damn well change the entire Way most Americans workout:
TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION by Steve Ilg...
AVAILABLE FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!
order yours today at: www.amazon.com....ships overnight!!!!!!!
Hi Steve. I just wanted to let you know that I received your new book in the mail today. I wasn't expecting it until January. I guess Amazon Canada couldn't hold it back any longer!! What a great Christmas present! The book looks awesome and I am definitely looking forward to reading it. Thanks for putting in the effort in creating this book of wisdom and sharing it with us.
Namaste,
trevor, CANADA
���
Master Coach Ilg:
Just received my copy of Total Body Transformation from Amazon today. I
thought I was preordering it, but here it is. Tell Wayne W the cover is
beautiful.
Coach Haku told me to ask you about dark circles under the eyes. I have
them to the extent that people ask me if I have a black eye. Any SR
products that can help? A doctor told me the circles are probably allergy
related.
Good luck with the book; don't forget your humble students as you ascend to
the best-seller list.
- Mark, PA
��
Hello,
I have read your book. I would like to talk with you about the possibility of your participation in a Television show featuring health care professionals/fitness experts. Please feel free to contact me at your earliest convinience.
Blessings,
Chanteil
��
Dearest Steve:
I SUN SALUTE YOU MY FRIEND.
ALWAYS ON THE PATH-------PANTHER
��
Coach Ilg,
I thought you'd find this entertaining.
one of school students write:
" Dear Ms Fusano,
Me and my best friend wanted to tell you that you are the best
Assistant Principal.
you make people smile.
Thank you for everything.
Merry Christmas. "
Well coach, there it is Beeper Guru Smiling every hour in action. Now
it's Mulabhanda and Uddiyana bandha.
I'm constantly aware of my breath, posture, smiles
and 3X30 assignment. It's become 2nd Nature.
It's all those dang herbs.
Wait until JoAnn and I get the SR going in January.
We are going to have so many people feeling so good (GOD).
I'm so excited!
We have a template in the making
and a January meeting scheduled.
What stories we could tell !!!!
See you tonight.
Student Fusano
December 15, 2003
SUNRIDER MISSIVE: Coach Ilg Downline DECEMBER, 2003
SUNRIDER The Official Nutrition of Wholistic Fitness and High Performance Yoga since 1982
�My paw is holy
herbs are everywhere
my paw
herbs are everywhere.
My paw is holy
everything is holy
my paw
everything is holy.�
- James Koller
Namaste Noble Herb Eaters!
Well the herbs are REALLY about ready to hit the fan now!
With the January release of my new book, TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION (steadily climbing the prerelease charts already at amazon.com) those of you who were wise enough to become SR Distributors or Preferred Customers...get ready baby. For in my book i unconditionally speak my truth about the power of SR herbs. If the book does as well as i am visualizing it to do, there could be an entire shift in the fitness nation toward the SR herbs.
About time. Instead of us having to pull people�s teeth to get �em on the herbs, they will be coming to us! So, be sure you carry around your SUNRIDER water bottle, be it the cool new �sport� version or the traditional and larger, �shaker� bottle. SR also has baseball caps and shirts and stuff but mostly its goofy looking. Just carry around your water bottle and keep eating the herbs and i promise, people will be coming to you for more info on the herbs. Start em on Phase One first: Fortune Delight, Calli, Sunny Dew, Action Caps, and Slim Caps. Work with me or your upline to monitor your new person for several months before steering them onto Phase Two; the ILG SUPREME baby! They will be singing!
There is just waaaay too much stuff going on within our group for me to even give you a hint about how powerfully transforming the herbs have been within our group. My 3-Phase approach to the Sunrider Herbs has truly solidified itself as a very wise way to get people shifted fast into higher, cleaner, purer and more powerful ways of living and being. Read the testimonial below that i got this morning from a new Sunrider signed up under Wayne Williams:
�Hi Wayne -
I just realized this week that I'm not taking Prilosec, for my acid stomach, daily or twice daily anymore. In fact, I almost never take it. Prior to the teas and fortune delight (FD), I would have severe acid reflux if I missed even one dose. I thought the improvement was due to the dramatic decrease in my coffee consumption, and I do believe this is a factor, but I think the FD is a huge reason. Today at work, I opened my desk drawer to make a FD, and the box was empty!!! I was very upset about this, and I drank water instead. I was truly dragging ass by 3PM. I really felt a difference, as I usually drink 2 FD's while at work. When I got home, I needed a Prilosec, but I was Jonesing for a FD and made that right away. Soon, I didn't need a Prilosec anymore. I'm so happy about this change, and it was great to see the difference in going without FD during the day. I just ordered a fresh supply, as my supply at home is running low. Thanks again so much, and I will keep you updated.
Love,
Debra
Los Angeles, CA
Now that is very typical of the many letters I get. Prilosec. No one should regularly take things into their bodies that sound like planets from other solar systems. And, forget about how good Debra feels...how good do you think Debra�s better health makes ME feel? How about Wayne? We are truly making a positive difference in people�s lives! It is soooooo fun making other people healthier! Don�t watch TV, share herbs! I consider it not only a karmic, but a moral obligation to turn on as many people as possible to these herbs! The fact that SUNRIDER pays the rent on my 4 bedroom apartment each month plus some doesn�t hurt either. No grocery store I know would ever do that for me, let alone give me groceries for �free�! Where there is a will there is a way with SR! Jao!
Get ready Noble Herb Eaters...the world will be coming to you soon...as the planet continues to undergo depletion of pure food sources, Dr. Chen has cornered all the highest quality herbs in the world, both natural and grown in his own climate controlled multi million dollar facilities. We are blessed to have encountered SR in this lifetime. Let�s turn others on as well...especially for the holidays!
Print and save the following letter from SR Distributor, Wayne Williams. It is fantastic. It completely kills anyone�s comments about �how expensive� these herbs are.
Those of you signed up under the Ilg Downline will continue to receive my �secret� usage hints of the herbs plus all sorts of inspiring testimonials in my Sunrider specific email list. If you are a DIRECT LINES reader that wants to be plugged into my SUNRIDER email list...just drop me a line...no obligation to join!
That is all...enjoy the Holidays with Calli steaming and your skin beaming!
love from the humble helm,
steve ilg, RYT/USCF
www.HighPerformanceYoga.com
Director/SUNRIDER INTERNATIONAL
���
Dear Georgina,
I'm a friend of Steve Ilg's and saw your email to him about the cost of eating herbs the way he and many other do.
Let me give you some of my thoughts if you don't mind.
I met Steve about 8 months ago as I was hired to shoot the cover photography of his book from my client Hyperion Books. At the time I was impressed with him both as a person and the way he carried and conducted himself.
Now, I'm going on 50 years old next month, and at the time I considered myself to be about 20 lbs over weight, with high cholesterol blood levels, and knowing that I'd have to go on drugs soon to deal with the problem. Ah, the cost of drugs... keep that in mind.
One day I asked Steve, after shooting more images for his books interior (yoga and strength training shots) how he eats... I know you have to put in the time and the energy to exercise to get the body you want, ( and I thought I was doing all that, but with no real positive results ) but I wasn't lowering my blood levels and couldn't drop the weight either. The fact was, I enjoyed eating and eating too much. So... for the first time in knowing him he said he eats herbs. What? What do you mean herbs? Well, I practically had to pull it out of him. I never got a big sales pitch or push, and in fact, I'm still pumping him for info all the time... but that's besides the point.
We're going to talk about money in just a bit, but first I'm not benefitting from you in any way if you chose to take Sunrider herbs, but I think I can give you a financial perspective that may give you a different point of view on this. Why? Because it's not just about the dollars and cents for the herbs themselves, it's about the fundamental change in your approach to food that will radically alter you physical and mental health overall. The cost/benefit balance alone is why I chose to start and have keep going to this day. Also, I too am very skeptical about any multi level marketing company, and no matter how you lay it out, that is what Sunrider is, if you want to see it that way. Now, I chose not to look at it from a sales or profit perspective, but from a selfish health and well being perspective. If it worked for me, great, I'd continue to eat the herbs. If I didn't, screw it, so I gave myself 6 months to see results, but...
... First a bit more about me, 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 to 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.
And so it began... first with Steve explaining Dr. Chen�s philosophy of nutrition and cleansing which combines ancient chinese herbal lore with high quality modern western technology. Hey, sounds like me, a 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 my bicycle 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 20 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. BUT THE BIG DIFFERENCE IS... I've lowered my Cholesterol some 50 points! That's right, I don't need the drugs. I've lowered my Triglicerides too as a result of cutting out so much SUGAR! How much 350 points. So in fact I'm at normal or above excellent levels for my age and health as a result of both exercise and eating herbs. Add to that, my skin looks great, my dentist wants to know what I'm doing as I have so little plaque and my gums look GREAT!
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 sometimes 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. I've gone from a waist size of 34 to a 29. Shit, I've not been in a pair of 29 inch waste pants since I was 30 years old. 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.
So if eating less food and more herbs is just $5 a day more, that's $150.00 more in food a month, so yes, that's expensive, but what is the payoff? Better health, more energy, more fun, less depression, heck, some people blow that much on weekend nights at the movies each month. Do the math yourself. What do you spend? Consider if it's worth it for you, but don't lay the blame on your consideration on someone else. Remember, it's your choice.
Now one thing I can assure you of, if this country is going to be continuing to destroy the possibility of a Universal Healthcare system like all other western nations have, you cost of health care is going to continue to climb. $150.00 a month is going to be nothing! You are going to be paying for poor health big time if you don't take care of yourself and you know it.
I�ve always loved life, you can see it in my photos...
( http://www.WayneWilliamsStudio.com )
and I've been blessed with all one would want to enjoy life. 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 understanding,
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
http://www.WayneWilliamsStudio.com
December 14, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
"Just to be is a blessing.
Just to live is holy."
- Rabbi Abraham Heschel
Don't TAF (think and feel) for one moment that i don't know that many of you are disappointed in my recent inability to keep pace with the volume of items and services purchased from my humble Temple.
forgive my weakness.
please know that many are being served. those that are served are only prioritized before you because you vibrate at a Higher Level than those who i choose to serve before you.
the day may soon come when my humble Temple is taken over by a much larger and capable Force than i to serve you. until then, i can only squat before you like a zen mendicant, begging for your patience. my Highest students have said not a word. they know the pressure of which i am under...they compassionately choose not to press me.
soon, i will have more hands to assist, but WF and HP Yoga is not a McDonalds type of service. we are unique. we, in fact, stand alone in the depth, dimension, quality, and spiritual sounding of our Work. as my newest Teacher, WF Teacher Chris Roche wrote to a WF Student waiting for a Program Update:
"Dear Student I.S.,
greetings. �Teacher roche here. �Coach Ilg offers his deepest, most sincere, Heartfelt apologies for the delay in your program update. �many Shifts are occurring within the WF Temple. �i know first hand having just left WF Headquarters in LA. let me assure you, Coach is putting his Best Effort into guiding the WF Ship. �i believe we are all about to be amazed by what manifests from (t)his Work.
Coach has sent me to you. �i am Here Now and ready to serve as your WF Teacher. �if you choose to continue your Inner Journey through the study of WF i can create your update immediately. �as a karmic offering, and in recognition of your patience and devotion, Coach Ilg would like to offer your next month of training free of charge.
you may read my bio on the WF website, under "Instructors". �feel free to ask me questions. �
Namaste,
Teacher roche"
what you read here in DL is training (free of charge for years) that most personal trainers of my caliber would charge an arm and a leg for. you get it for free...every day, right here.
you already know the Way.
just stay Here Now
and in-Joy the fact that the longer you wait for direct word from me
many others are being helped.
i rarely sleep.
i am doing my best.
the moon is high, the north forests cry with snow.
to the south the ocean stretches into the Big Dipper
in ways far beyond my flimsy comprehension.
this morning in predawn zazen class i kept one student's mind from drifting.
�
in yoga class, later today, �one man's life shifted from restriction toward expansion.
the Light of my humble Work goes on.
one person at a time.
i must trust what my Tibetan Teachers taught me; Ripples make waves.
Still, on seductively cold wet days like this one,
the season's changes stir my heart.
i feel lonely for my high mountains
where notes of snow still cascade upon my asphalt surrounded spirit.
thank you for your patience with my feebleness...
this Work that comes through this mountain yogi is far, far too powerful.
i, like you in your own life,
am only doing what i feel is my best.
so it is
upon a night gust of leaf studded wind
i bow to you...
that is all.
love,
coach ilg ����
December 12, 2003
MEDITATION; The Science Of Poise Within Change
�When the soul rises into lips you feel the kiss you�ve wanted.�
- Rumi
Of course, here, the mystic Sufi poet/wanderer Rumi is speaking metaphorically about Shaktiput or the arousal of Kundalini up the spine...a culminating physio/spiritual effect preceding Samadhi or Enlightenment.
Unless, however, you are familiar with the 6,000 year old Vedic energetic sciences, you might just enjoy Rumi�s saying for its undeniable poetic and romantic charm.
Well, that is just it, isn�t it?
What we choose to see is what we get.
How many channels do you want to experience your life on?
Until our knowledge becomes wide ranging and our perspective equally wide, we limit our understanding of �normal� life because we cannot yet feel or see the deeper and multilayered dimensions. We are quick to pass by a tree but fail to feel the Pranic dance within her leaves, leaping into our very soul as if shouting, Wake Up! Come Play! Dance with us! Our ignorance what Thich Nhat Hanh calls, the Miracle of Mindfulness, is more than a shame, it is, according to Buddha, a symptom of a dis-eased mind...He called it, afflicted vision. Essentially, He said we take way too much for granted and assume the Unreal for the Real. Bad call, bucko...that is why we suffer so much restlessness in our lives. Afflicted seeing = afflicted thinking = afflicted soul.
What you see is what you get, baby! Heaven on earth or hell. Your choice.
Quality time must be spent developing our inner silence through meditation, for there is surely no way the outer world will provide clarity and depth or spiritual romance to our inner lives. �It is what we see with our eyes closed that matters,� say the Native American shamans.
Feeling things by direct experience however, helps curb assumption and incorrect ways of seeing your world. Here is a hint; if it is hard to describe, it�s probably full of soul nourishing potential. You�ll recognize spiritual Paths by their inherent difficulty to explain solely by intellectualization. Try describing High Performance Yoga strong flow classes to someone who has never exercised or to a gym-rat or cardio freak. They don�t get it. They won�t until they become courageous enough to open up and invite the yoga experience into their cells. Tension is suffering. You gotta release the tension in the body before the mind lets go of her grip on your soul. This is standard knowledge. Start with the body. That is why i created Wholistic Fitness...there is obviously no shortcut around the body in spiritual work. Yet nearly everyone tries. The unawakened love shortcuts. They think they are getting somewhere faster. They are. Backward. De-evolution. Oh well.
Same thing with herbs. i know many of you have now felt the deep effect of the SUNRIDER herbs within your body and mind. You want to share if not shout how much better your family member or friend would feel if only they would get on them. But it�s like pulling teeth, huh? So resistant. So many excuses. Don�t get frustrated. They are not ready yet. Their resistance is a Divine screening effect that separates the real warriors from the giver uppers or the wannabes. Just keep loving them. Attend to your own Light.
Same thing with Wholistic Fitness. try to get a sport-specific athlete to mix it up and cross train among several fitness disciplines instead of just one and they rebel. they are attached to running or pilates or golf or whatever. they don�t get it that if they would just study WF for even 3 months and THEN return to their sport or fitness activity...not only would they become a HELLUVA lot fitter, faster, more powerful, more supple, leaner, more focused...they would also become more WHOLE...more Wholistic. their entire attitude would change.
that is what scares the be-Jesus out of folk; change.
yet change is the Truth of the UniVerse.
if people are scared to change fitness disciplines or their eating patterns, just think how scared they are going to be when it is time to change lives!
talk about new dimensions!
in meditation, we learn to �die� each day. we learn how to give up and surrender and let go. we learn to cultivate the space between arising thoughts to dwell in a spaceless space beyond the coming and going of thoughts, emotions, attachments, and yes...change.
thus, meditation can be described as the science of stability and poise within ever present change.
the refinement of stability and poise within ever present change.
how rare a person practices THAT?!?!
we all want to be different, yet not alone.
meditation provides just that; the difference of finding stability and poise within the familiarity of change.
want to be different?
meditate.
want not to feel alone?
meditate.
tomorrow morning.
just start.
God will be waiting for you, i promise. She�s never missed one of my sessions! (and He is always There before me...) SHe will be very, very happy to see you Here Now.
5 minutes.
no excuses.
�All know the Way, few actually walk it.�
- Buddha
�Be still, and know you are God.�
- Jesus
�Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.�
- Patanjali
that is all.
may your Practice be strong and sincere,
coach ilg
December 11, 2003
Noble Herb Eatin' Warrioress Rosa -
RE:
I have just introduced my sister to Sunrider.com.� I signed her up yesterday and we are waiting for her kit to come in, then I am going to help her order the cleansing herbs.�
� EXCELLENT!!!!!!
RE:
She has a few extra pounds and wants to lose them.�
� SHE WILL..HEALTHFULLY!!!!
RE:
I told her that with Sunrider herbs, she will be able to accomplish that goal.� Just like you had me do the cleansing herbs for about six months, I am having her do the same thing.�
� YES...PHASE ONE..for between 3-6 months..keep in touch with me...
RE:
I suggested that she starts off with, FD, Sunny Dew, Vita Fruit, Calli tea.� I also told her that if she wanted to speed up the loss weight process to take Slim Caps and Action Caps.�
� that is correct. good girl!
RE:
One question I have from you, since she does want to lose a lot of weight, how many slim caps and Action Caps should she be taking per day
� okay listen closely and print this out..this is how Phase One Works:
Phase 1 = 3 - 6 Months
intent: cellular purification, fat loss
�
- Herbs -
Fortune Delight, Calli, Sunny Dew, Action Caps, Slim Caps
- Method -
1) Drink Fortune Delight throughout the day (at least 2, 3 gm packages per day in a SUNRIDER Sport Bottle or other water bottle.)
2) Drink Calli or Calli Night (at least 2 cups per day)
3) Take 4 Action Caps, 2 times per day
4) Take up to 2 Slim Caps before bedtime. Note: Slim Caps are powerful strengthening for sluggish lower digestive tracks...thus, start with just one or even half a capsule before working up to 2 caps before bed. it can take several weeks before the 'shifts' of SUNRIDER occur. these are just food, but extremely potent food. go slow! speak with your upline...let us guide you!
Other: squirt Sunny Dew into Fortune Delight & Calli
To drop bodyfat faster, replace one meal with a SunBar
RE: and also, I know that Quentin had mentioned to me that you can mix the FD and calli tea in the 32 oz. shaker and drink about two of those a day.� Is it correct to tell my sister to do that?�
� no, keep things simple at first. don't ask too many people for counsel. stick with one person. we'll all help, but stick to one person. you use me.
RE:
I really want to help her lose the weight.�
� don't push her. don't try to change her. i did not do that to you, did i? no. you came to my yoga class ON YOUR OWN. you made the choice to finally get on the herbs ON YOUR OWN. i never pushed you. change, must come from within. you work on YOURSELF, your sister will notice you growing more radiant, lean, and healthy...then, she will be inspired. "To enkindle others, you must first glow yourself."
RE:
She is already working out.� I am not sure what kind of work out she does, but if she were to only do the herbs, would she still lose weight, just in the event that she is not as dedicated with her workouts as I am.�
� do not worry about that. just let her workout the way she is. do not change too many things at once.
RE:
She also wants to take the Beauty Pearls which I myself started taking as well and I love them.� I can already see a difference in my skin.�
� i know they are great, eh? i've eaten two of them per day forever..they REALLY help ease stress as well...another effect of that formula that is often not known. skin is SOOOO important...people have no idea how damaging it is NOT to feed the skin regenerative food like the Beauty Pearls. they use all sorts of weird, expensive lotions and even cosmetic surgery when really, they just need to eat these $28 pills! crazy. but hey, at least YOU know!
RE:
She mentioned to me yesterday that if this stuff works in helping her lose weight, that there would be so many people that she knows from work that would benefit from the herbs.� I told her to be patient and have faith in the herbs.
� there are none so zealous as the newly converted.
pace her wisely.
slow her down.
you want her to SHARE these herbs with love, not sell them like snake oil salesman!
work from your own experience, no one else's.
RE:
I really want to increase my downline, but sometimes I find it hard to inspire people to sign on because when they see me drinking this stuff, they ask me, so what is that, then I tell them what the herbs do and their next comment is--well I am not impressed since you have always been thin and have always looked good so I don't see how they can help me and these are usually people that would benefit tremendously.�
� send them to my website. tell them the guy who signed you up used the herbs to heal himself from a broken back and then get into 5 World Championships...and that he is a best selling book author...use me! that is why i am here! i don't care...i just care about helping people lose fat and feel better about themselves...people are used to making excuses...so just smile and share and then let them go. after they get their first heart attack or stroke or depression they'll come back. so be compassionate. you are a Warrior...you have the inner fire. most do not. be kind. use me. use yourself.
RE:
Their skin doesn't look good or they are carrying extra weight around.� I talked about this issue with Quentin and he reassured me and told me to use my people kills and my pretty face as he put it to inspire others to sign on under me.� I hate to sound like I'm pushing this stuff on people so I just explain what they do and what they've done for me and leave it at that.� I did this with my sister and she turned around and told me that she really wanted to order this stuff and try it out.�
� yes... good. see my above counsel.
RE:
By the way, I've started taking your Ilg Supreme and I feel wonderful.� I noticed that I don't get as hungry throughout the day while I'm drinking my shake.� I also get full a lot quicker.� I don't eat as much.� That's amazing.�
� no.
that is not amazing.
that is natural.
your former way of eating was what was unnatural.
you see, Rosa, your body is incredible.
it knows precisely when it has received enough nutrition...GOOD nutrition.
when it does, it tells you.
there is no feeling of depletion or forcing yourself away from things you don't like.
when you have the right tools,
the job is easy.
when you see with the correct vision,
insight is 20/20.
RE:
I do see a difference in my body not so much in weight loss because there wasn't a lot of weight to lose for me, I was already thin and slender, but I feel healthier and my body feels clean.� Anyway,� write me back and let me know what you think about what I mentioned above and I am really excited about making money and increasing my downline.� I want these herbs to pay for themselves!!!! yesssssss that's my goal.
� that is an easy goal.
work with Trish on that one.
soon, we'll be having monthly SUNRIDER meetings at my yoga studio.
invite your friends.
you won't believe how easy it becomes.
the UniVerse is abundant to those who work on themselves...
keep reading DIRECT LINES...i often put SR stuff in there...
RE:
Namaste.
Rosa
� Namaste, noble herb eater!
love,
coach ilg RYT/USCF
www.HighPerformanceYoga.com
December 10, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
�Just barely is more than enough.�
climbing bros Paul Piana/Todd Skinner told me that one
I don�t accept advertising moneys for DL. everything about WF, HP Yoga, and DL is all about gut honest sincerity along the Way of transpersonal fitness. most of you come here because at some Level, you trust that my own struggle toward Awareness is honest and that what i have found through fitness, sport performance, and yoga a measure of assistance may help your own self cultivation.
every now and then, particularly around this time of year, i suggest a few �WF Approved Gift Ideas.� appropriate gifts for body/mind warriors.
keep reading, i�ll keep offering some more...but here are three of my top picks;
�
FOR �REGULAR� NON-FITNESS PEOPLE:
"AMERICA'S VANISHING LANDSCAPES: THE WESTERN STATES,"
WAYNE WILLIAMS' REVERENTIAL PORTRAIT OF OUR THREATENED ENVIRONMENT
A Stunning Tribute to the West's Rapidly Diminishing Wilderness
Introduction by Prominent Environmentalist Andy Lipkis
America's Vanishing Landscapes: The Western States, Wayne Williams' lyrical photographic documentation of some of our nation's most ecologically threatened areas. 11" x 11,", 80 pages, 60 full-color photographs, clothbound, $59.95. Available at Amazon.com, at Barnes & Noble stores or online at BN.com. Bored Feet Press 888-336-6199 is the West Coast distributor. for a signed copy:
wwclick@earthlink.net
(818) 905-8097
reason: authored by a Wholistic Fitness devotee and the wizard who photographed my latest book, TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION, and it helps a good cause. one of the pictures in his book, Zen Wind, just stuns me. Absolutely fantastic stuff.
�
FOR �REGULAR� FITNESS PEOPLE:
SUNRIDER HERBS.
products: a selection of Calli tea is great; for example 10-count packages of Callli Night, Calli Regular, and some Sunny Dew. perfect. for other gift ideas just contact your upline or myself. just give us an estimated price you want to spend, and we�ll dial you in.
reason: a no-brainer. you help people get healthier, you get money back, you give a cruelty-free, easy on the earth gift, and...you get to drink the very same Calli that you just gave because of course, once you prepare Calli at ANY social gathering people are like, �Wow, i LIKE that tea...what is it again?�
�
FOR WHOLISTIC FITNESS WARRIORS
HALO HEADBAND CAP
product; if you sweat outside, you need to try this evolutionary and way functional headwear concept. this cap will (or at least should) change the cap-wearing public.
toll free: 888-508-4256
www.haloheadband.com
email: info@haloheadband.com
tell �em coach ilg sent you.
reason: creator Paul Ketchen produces the ONLY headband that i wear; the haloheadband, first turned on to me by WFS Garrity. these headbands are incredibly simple and effective; microwicking fabric with a special elastic band on the inside that directs sweat peripherally so that not one drop of sweat gets into your eyes or on your face. amazing. well, his new Sport Hat integrates the headband into a cool looking and extremely comfortable cap. those of us who sweat outside? we are Blessed by this new product! where has this cap been my whole life?!?!?! thank you, Paul!
December 07, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors -
{Author�s Note: better read this one without the outside music or interruptions. in fact, do me a favor. just print this one out right now. read it - hard copy - later, before bedtime perhaps, when your ego is tired and you have a cup of steaming Calli by your bedside. thank you.)
�
many of my less experienced students wonder why i am tardy on my return correspondence to them.
dying and death plays a big part of my tardiness.
forgive my weakness, but many approach me for (unpaid) help in their injured, ill, and dying questions and tribulations.
i am Here to serve.
that is what Teachers do...we serve.
if it is one thing i�ve learned in the past twenty years of body/mind and professional Teaching, is this:
timing is everything.
i have also learned this:
the Lord works in mysterious ways.
i am not in charge.
i have yet to understand many aspects of myself
let alone the world.
so too, do you.
slow down.
go deeper.
all Things happen in God�s timing.
not mine.
not yours.
i dedicate the following to my most beautiful Jessica...
�Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room.
Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was. I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by the old familiar name. Speak of me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference into your tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity.
What is this death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner.
All is well.�
- Rosamunde Pilcher
that is all.
i bow to you,
coach ilg.
December 04, 2003
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors!
�The efficiency of an attentive mind is incalcuable.�
Vanda Scarvelli
For those of you smart enough to do whatever it takes to train at the HP Yoga Studio, you have taken notice of the next amazing Shift at the vortex of Tarzana; beautiful Jessica Spench and the bodhisattva Jim "JimBad" Copeland have stepped up to their karmic plate and have assumed the managerial lead of my humble but extremely powerful 'Practice Cave'...my beautiful new yoga studio on palm studded Ventura Boulevard.
i cannot believe that San Jose just took my Colorado Avalanche into overtime.
i also stumble in realizing that i cranked off the Reseda to the Sea mountain bike loop which includes over 5,500' of climbing in 29.9 miles in less than 2 hours and 17 minutes in a seemingly effortless effort. must be the herbs. or the pranayama. or the HP Yoga. or the years of WF training. whatever it is, it is Heaven On Earth. Please keep your Practice strong. No matter what. Promise?
here then, is Jessica...my beautiful new manager of HP Yoga Studio destined to take the studio to its next Level. Do yourself a favor next time you visit my studio. Arrive early. Hang out with Jessica and/or Jim. Here is what they will do for you: Restore much needed faith in the younger generation. These two have it all. They are sincere, focused, fun, non judging, aware, fit, and brave in their unique ways.
i bow to Jessica and Jim.
Here is Jessica:
"Namaste Noble Warriors!
Many of you have seen Jimbad and I around the studio as of late and we have been pleased by these opportunities to communicate so freely with all of you. As you may or may not know, we recently took on the project of managing the HP Yoga Studio.
Since it was Steve himself who initially introduced us both to the Practice nearly a decade ago, it seemed only fitting that we answer the call by attempting to make Steve's extensive Wholistic knowledge and teaching efforts more widely available and accessible to a greater cross section of individuals via our new and beautiful spiritual home in Tarzana, Ca. We are enthusiastically attempting to create and expand the many ways through which the studio will spur our own growth as well as yours. It has been, and continues to be, a wonderful learning experience for everyone involved.
Jim and I have always made a very cohesive and cooperative team. To our amazement, in only a few weeks we have already observed a profound shift in energy at the studio and we hope that this will only increase as we work together to take the HP Yoga Studio to the next level after the first of the year. Jim and I appreciate the outpouring of support that we have received in our efforts to streamline an already exceptional design. We look forward to engaging with your most welcome feedback as we hope to make a lasting contribution to the learning environment that empowers and compels us to change our lives.
email us at:
hpyoga@mac.com
Namaste,
Jessica and Jim
General Managers/Steve Ilg's HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA STUDIO
December 03, 2003
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors!
A DIRECT LINES MOST POPULAR REVISITED
This entry first appeared in Direct Lines over a year ago. Since then, it has become one of the most requested archives. I have replayed it here by popular request. Reading it, i am pleased to know that i will again be visiting my old mountain yoga haunts around Santa Fe within a couple of weeks.
We are Blessed to have artists grace our Earthwallk. I bow to all artists, but especially deep to Roseta Santiago whose work graces my soul with raw and gusty beauty, like a late autumn day in Santa Fe...
- ilg
���
�Art, at it�s best, is the representation of your very own soul, a reminder of who and what you truly are and therefore can become.�
- Ken Wilber
A discrete shaft of sunset light has just spilled phosphorescent fire across a rooftop spire of The Museum of Fine Arts, just off Palace Street in the old plaza of Santa Fe,New Mexico. I wiggle my digital camera to and fro, attempting to freeze the clash of enflamed adobe against a shockingly cobalt sky. The best things in life are not �things�. They are moments. Moments like this one, where the twilight of the real becomes something intangible and evokes intimacy from our inner dimension. It�s moments like this one which i think everyone - from tree hugging dirt worshippers to pious preachers - seek. A new encounter. A broadened version of our habituated self. A Higher vision to our judgmental mind. After prancing about to get just the right photographic angle, the final flickers of sun have left the rooftop to the cold oncoming of night. A passerby nods at my effort saying, �Nice job!� I too, am pleased with my photograph and eager to upload it onto my computer.
I am playing tour guide today for my beautiful wife and mother in law. No better, no more charming place in the Universe to take loved ones than this, �City Different�. There are definite reasons why artists have flocked to this pinyon studded mesa beneath the Sangre de Christos for several centuries. This ancient town, the oldest incorporated capital city in the United States, lies within an energetic vortex of earth energy. Her vibration can be measured in scientific ways. More importantly, it can be felt by all that travel here.
Leaving the ladies at the Georgia O�Keefe museum (no offense to the great painter, but i�ve been there many times), i choose to saunter. Having lived here for years, i know full well not to let intellectuality step in too much when here. I find it best just to wander about her adobe galleries, miracle churches, Native American peddlers, and burro cart sized streets without agenda. �All who wander are not lost,� wrote Neruda. He knew well what Santa Fe offers...a close liaison with the Tao.
In my ambling, i reflect on my morning�s workout...a chilly bike ride through the old townships of Corrales and Algodonnes. The paved roads are new, the spirit remains old. The character of rural New Mexico arose as visibly as did my breath as I cranked along the Rio Grande bosque. Sandhill Cranes, dozens of them, flanked the narrow road as i pedaled �Alphie� my Trek road bike, past San Ysidro church. A little further along, an enormous peacock swaggers a kaleidoscope of iridescence so beautifully, i nearly ran into him. Only in New Mexico have i come not to question why the hell is a huge peacock strutting down the road.
At the Gallery of Southwest Contemporary Art, i�m shocked from my reverie. Several paintings by Roseta Santiago have literally floored me. I am stunned by the power of her paintings and dangle in an expanded moment afforded to me by their velocity of resolution. I stare at her painting titled, �Witness� as if slapped across the face by the Infinite. I drop even lower into a yoga squat as if attempting to ground my heady transport into Santiago�s realm. �Witness� showcases an enormous buffalo skull with eye sockets aglow with straw colored intensity looming forward against a field of raven black paint. Well delineated sutures criss-cross the skull giving focal rise to the top of the skull - Sahasrara chakra in yogic terms - where the white bone disperses into glow...nearly halo-like. Mesmerized, i stumble about the rest of the gallery. A striking woman glides past me with purposed gait. The vortex has fashioned another High encounter. For some reason, i simply know that she is the artist.
�Excuse me,� I question her, �but have you any information on Roseta Santiago?�
�I am her,� she smiles, affirming my psychic yoke. �Hold on, and i�ll get you some printed information.�
�I�ll just take a hug instead,� I reply and she obliges warmly. In our embrace, i whisper, �Hugs are better than printed information anyway.� She laughs as I go on, �I just wanted to thank you for being brave enough to be a artist.�
My comment inspires her to turn our hug into a most delightful twenty minutes of discussing matters of art and spirit until some potential customers are steered her way by the gallery owner. Roseta is doing an opening at this very gallery tomorrow night. In her parting words i find more inspiration, �What I really love about Santa Fe is the same thing that I love about painting; it�s something invisible. You can feel it, but you don�t see it.�
You can feel it, but you don�t see it.
That�s exactly what I treasure most about daily fitness workouts. It�s the invisible energy generated from exercise that ultimately seems to matter most.
Enjoy your Practice and may you find true art within your workout.
I bow to you,
coach ilg
December 01, 2003
Namaste Noble Warriors!
Based on your emails, i trust a few of you want to know the status (dead or alive) of Teacher In Training Chris Roche from Indianapolis here completing three days of his WF Online Teacher Training with me...here he is...
�alive. more alive than ever, in fact. before you comment �hum, must not be too challenging then� let me clue you in. after saturday�s Journey up Tuna Canyon, i attended Coach�s Yoga Nation HP Yoga class. then off for an evening of wonderful vegetarian cuisine and relaxation.
i suppose you could call sunday a �rest day�. we began with Coach�s Zen Meditation class and pranayama, followed with some Sunrider Herbs, into an hour and fifteen minutes of Slow Flow HP Yoga taught by the master himself. such a crazy, beautiful vibe among Coach and all of his students. like nothing i�ve experienced at another studio. later in the evening i was honored to guest teach a session of Easy Flow HP Yoga - quit a challenge in itself as i was in an unfamiliar studio, with new students AND the ever watchful eye of Ilg, but hey WF isn�t about comfort.
sunday evening was such a special experience, and it wasn�t just because Coach introduced me to the best freakin� sushi ever. i spent the evening with Coach and veteran WF Teacher Q. the Chi was off the charts. our Dharma talk lasted for hours... i think the WF Tribe shifted up another notch after that talk.
today, my final day of the Intensive and Teacher training has been amazing. being the fierce Teacher he is, Coach had me in his Zendo (meditation room) at 6:00 sharp for an hour of Zazen and pranayama, then a VERY light breakfast of crumpets, 1/2 a banana and an Ilg Supreme. a short time later and i was smack in the middle of Coach Ilg�s HP Prop workout. you are gonna flip with this creation. i�ve never experienced anything close to it. perfection, indeed.
immediately following the hour and a half Prop class, Coach and i headed out for a 2 hour training ride around the San Fernando valley...so beautiful. all of this on a meager breakfast and the SR Herbs.
the work is not complete though. i will be assisting Coach in his Strong Flow class. and finally i will be attending HP Yoga Teacher Joy�s Slow Flow session.
so that�s a small glimpse of what it�s like hanging with an ultra-endurance athlete and Yogi.
not only have i let go of so much during this Journey, i�ve Awakened to even more.
thanks to all of you for your support. i bow....
Teacher in Training roche"