January 31, 2004
Dearest Teacher Ilg -
i learn from your willingness to be vulnerable and share of your inner
journeys. I wish to share this with you.
Dharma Blessings,
Ananda
�
Love Without Conditions by Paul Ferrini
"One who loves himself is not afraid to be alone. For being alone is an
opportunity to love and accept himself ever more deeply."
"Giving another the love he needs strengthens that love in you. Withholding
that love from him diminishes your awareness of love's presence."
"Every situation in your life provides you with an opportunity to gain
greater intimacy and greater freedom. As you love more and more people more and more
deeply, you become less attached to them individually. You become attached
not to the specific person, but to the love that each one extends to you. This
is a movement toward the experience of Divine Love which is beyond the body,
indeed beyond form of any kind."
ADVENTURE SUNDAY #2 was FANTASTIC!
Dear Teacher,
What a challenging day! I really enjoyed the hike and the camaraderie with the other yogis. Everyone was so wonderful. I will stay up with the group next month. I am feeling stronger and stronger everyday. Thank you for your time and guidance. Poor Q, I don't think he knows what he's gotten himself into. He was right...I think I defeated myself before I even got to the trailhead.
Thank you for bringing my awareness to my "Upa Guru". I feel joy in my heart at the mention of the word. Life is good.
������ Cindy is a friend from work. I've known her for 5 years and I see her maybe once every month or so. She told me that I appear to be very calm and happy, lost an incredible amount of weight, my skin is clear and fresh looking and I have never looked so young. What a great testimonial for SUNRIDER and HP Yoga. The addition of the Replenish Gel and Supreme Emulsion have really improved the texture and radiance of my skin�while I feel the difference on the inside from "phase I" of the herbs. I am so focused and centered, I have a bunch of energy, I enjoy my workouts and I am finally able to sit still with myself in the car, at home or anywhere and not have to be doing something. No radio, TV or magazines. I am not anxious or nervous or worried, I can even feel some of the fear melting away. By trying to "figure things out" all the time...I was making myself crazy and not changing anything. Who knew that it would take just letting go to begin finding myself? (hmmm, maybe I should apply that theory to hectic hill?) Thank you for shining a light into my life to guide me out of the darkness. For this and so many other gifts, I am most appreciative.
In Light and Love
Student Kai
P.S. Next month, that hill is mine!!!
CLASSIC WF MOMENT OF THE DAY
submitted by Wendy Cooper
(Online WF Student under Teacher Sheader)
Dear WF Teacher Sheader -
I've just gotta share these things as they happen --
today I went to the chin up bar. �Did 8x jump and negatives down. �THEN
- my gym had no plain dip apparatus in sight, so I jumped on the
Gravitron machine again, but didn't turn it on. �I was at set #6 when a nice
lady (fitness member, not staff) walked over and asked me if I'd like
instructions on how to turn the machine ON. �Her kindness was
beautiful. �Now there's an experience I wasn't expecting from 8 sets of
dips!
�Yeah baby! I knew you would pull this off...no pun intended. Your effort drew attention in a beautiful way. Isn't that grand? �Ya never know what the ripples of WF practice will generate. So many wonderful surprises.
love to you Wendy!
Coach Haku
January 30, 2004
"Blessings, Blessings to you and for you. A question I had regarding mixing nu plus with my protein shake led me to your great website, and DIRECT LINES. I cannot wait to get your book, and would love to get the Yoga video. Wholstic Fitness contains the components I truly believe are essential for life.
I do hope our paths can cross in the land of enchantment."
- Angela
Steve�s Sadhana inSights
Most personal trainers focus their efforts in the gym. My focus has always been in the mind. Rarely is my day not begun by meditation. Near my puja table is a journal. i use it as an insight-catcher. i steadily chip away, year after year, at my afflictions and restrictions of body and mind through conscious breath and deep silence.
my journal recordings sharpen the edge of my dharana (concentration) so that i keep my spiritual bow pulled taut and my zen arrows ready for my next challenge (what non-Practitioners call �problems�). as one of my Tibetan Teachers tried teaching his American students;
�Like your problems like you like ice cream.�
{it has become known to my generous students that i use journals. May Buddha bless you, but you can stop gifting me journals. i have enough beautiful journals to handscribe the entire RigVeda a few times over. giving gifts to yoga teachers is tricky; it puts us in awkward places. we already have what we came Here Now for; your Awareness and your Practice.}
as a coach, my duty is to show. i must be brave enough to speak what i feel may be of help. it�s hard and emotionally scary. it�s kept me an easy target for non-Practitioners through the years. yet, i remain devoted to the same thing as you; a re-turn into Natural Joy.
May all beings know happiness.
head bowed,
your feeble teacher
����
The Urge To Do
Our basic nature is to explore our edges.
An infant plies awareness into her sheath of skin with wonder.
A toddler attempts to walk then run. Fear of falling again and again? A low priority.
As grown ups we get so frightened by failure that we get embarrassed
if we take a yoga class and fall out of a balance pose, why?
the ego.
still, we come back to the mat.
we return to the gym.
tied again are the laces of our running shoes.
we keep coming back...why?
because our essential urge is to do.
Our elemental energy wants to do...why?
because
it�s fun.
���
There Is No Striving During Inner Silence
getting to know inner silence is like getting to know any other friend.
it starts with a handshake.
grows into companionship.
the speed and degree of attraction to this friend
is
your
karma.
���
Intent inspires Insight.
���
If kinesthesia means the capacity to sense one�s body in space (coordination) how come there is no word for sensing one�s life force (breath)? i nominate this word:
Pranesthesia; a sensory experience derived from the respiratory and subtle anatomic channels mediated by breath.
���
i still charge into my edges in yoga way too fast.
an ongoing metaphor of my spiritual life;
i am driven toward Enlightenment like the
podiums in the sports i did.
i want Enlightenment way too fast.
make spiritual note to self; slow down.
���
Everything existing right now
depends on (y)our Mind.
Changing (y)our Mind
changes everything in existence.
���
January 28, 2004
SUNRIDER FEBRUARY MISSIVE:
�FRAID OF THE HERBS:
Frequent Fears Of Sunrider Novices
by Coach Ilg, RYT/USCF
Director/SUNRIDER INTERNATIONAL
�Sunrider; the official whole food nutrition of Wholistic Fitness and High Performance Yoga.�
Blessings to all of you who are at least considering getting your whole food nutrition from what i have personally and professionally found to be the most abundant and powerful herb �garden� in the world; SUNRIDER HERBS (www.sunrider.com).
It�s very funny thing. In this obese nation, people are literally dying very inelegantly and very unconsciously because of their food choices. Over 75 billion dollars were spent on medical treatment related to poor nutrition last year! We, the taxpayers, pay for the fat and unfit people to eat and not exercise themselves to death.
Interesting nation we've created, eh?
Most American�s want food that is convenient and gives them energy and health. That is precisely what SUNRIDER herbs do, yet most Americans would rather plug up their entire internal plumbing with crappy food than get on the herbs and get clear and fit. Quite frankly, i have no idea why people are so scared of getting on SUNRIDER. But, i keep doing my best to share them with those willing to listen. I consider sharing these herbs as part of my spiritual duty to help others. That is all.
I, and my colleagues at SUNRIDER INTERNATIONAL, have sat with your various questions and fears for nearly twenty years. Through this time, I have sought answers to the questions of which i was unsure. First and foremost though, i want to acknowledge your bravery to "jump" in-to your body via SR herbs and feel
perhaps for the first time, distinct physiologic and emotional "shifts" happening.
With that said, i feel it my service, as a teacher of the Spirit, to be very honest with you as i�ve all-ways done my best to be. As you read through the following Questions and my Answers, feel joy at even being in a place in your lifetime(s) to even consider such a fantastic experiment as SUNRIDER to fortify your spiritual and physical fitness. Many other beings on the planet are not so fortunate. Do your best in this lifetime to Awaken. In my opinion, SUNRIDER herbs will save so much time, effort, and ENERGY to move you ever upward, onward, and most importantly inward.
Enjoy the Teachings without attachment. I, and my staff of SUNRIDER distributors are awaiting your personal JUMP into the panoramic ocean of whole food nutrition!
Eat an herb and sprint toward your challenges in life,
coach ilg
author/TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION
��
Q: Because I've been going towards whole foods so much in the past few years, but I just can't eat enough to get all my nutrients. I find
green veg juices work great for nutrients, energy, alkalinizing -- they
are just a big hassle to make or get regularly (not pasteurized). I
tested my urine the other day and I'm very acid. I haven't been able to have green juice for about a week. I do take Vita Synergy multis by Mitchell May which I think are great.
A: personally, i don't know about Vita Synergy multi vitamins. it is possible these synthetic pills can be contributing to your acid level.
i know when you start Phase II you do not need to take multis because it's all there for you in the herbs. i suggest coming off of them and WITNESS your body's response. it's time to release from the shore and swim into the current. i understand how easily it is to invest in your current conditioned view toward nutrition. it is as easy as brushing your teeth with your dominant hand. i am asking you to consider brushing your teeth as an experiment with your non dominant hand to feel the huge imbalance that unconsciousness action brings to our views. SR recognizes the fundamental sense of whole food, not synthetic vitamins and powders, and the importance of nourishing CHI (the movement of energy within the body) instead of tabulating and manipulating mathematical calories.
Q:
The Fortune Delight gives me steady energy, but
A:( interrupting): anything you say after you say the word �but� is a rationalization originating from an addiction to intellect conditioned by outer reality instead of direct experience.
Q: I would say it's more frantic than calm.
A: in yoga class, i speak of not judging the thoughts as they arise. You are "feeling" FRANTIC because of the accumulated "stuff" loaded within your cells. the FORTUNE DELIGHT (FD) tea is starting to get rid of it
and thus you are feeling �frantic.� it is the toxic accumulation in your cell pre SR that is causing the frantic energy...not the FD. Who's to say "frantic" isn't an appropriate reaction based on HOW LONG you have NOT been on the herbs? We open the door to many �uncomfortable� sensations when we commit to a spiritual fitness Path. what you thought was bringing you comfort, was in long-term reality, only bringing you poor health and deteriorated spiritual energy.
Q: I have been drinking Calli and I feel quite jumpy yet without the negative side effects. I feel more of a sense of wellbeing but it's hard to relax.
A: Calli has no caffeine in it. You can also switch to Calli Night and drink it during the day if Calli Regular is amplifying your Yang chi too much. More importantly, this experience is asking you an obvious question: Do you meditate? Meaning, do you know how to quiet the mind, so you can relax? If so, how? I invite you to come to Zen class on Sunday nights at 6:30pm.
Q: I have been drinking FD and sipping it all day and then I want to
relax a little at home before what comes next and I can't really. Please note I've always been very sensitive to caffeine, drugs, etc. so
probably herbs too. I am wondering if they can be irritating to the
body? Like some vitamins that make you feel good, but they're making your body create extra hormones which is where that energy comes from. Maybe the herbs are at a high vibration that my body is trying to catch up to?
A: First, make sure you are taking SUNNY DEW whenever you drink Calli or FD. Very important to squirt at least a few drops per cup. Second, you are finding it difficult to relax because 1) you may not know the most appropriate techniques for relaxation (meditation, exercise, pranayama, etc., and 2) because the FD is AT WORK within your impacted FAT cells releasing toxins from decades of not eating whole foods as your main source of nutrition. SR is food; WHOLE FOOD! they don�t irritate the body cells, they support and regenerate them. The "real" question is, do you WANT to Shift Higher or not? I think and feel you do, otherwise you wouldn't have started with me on this Path. Remember, i don�t teach Seekers, i teach Finders. You must be ready and willing to deal with what is required to swim upstream against the current toward purer waters if you want genuine spiritual and physical advancement.
Q: Am I getting all the nutrients I need since I'm eating a little less?
A: Yes, particularly after Phase 2, after your initial cell cleansing stage.
Q: I understand that my body's absorption will improve with the cleansing you speak of. I've lost 3 lbs, and I have a thickened uterine
lining, and the spotting has been a little less than usual this week,
which is a great sign. The first few nights I had the SLIM CAPS (SC) it caused some cramps, which I think were intestinal but I kind of felt in my uterus.
A: Cramping is a common initial response to the SC...think of SC as �strength training� for your colonic system...remember how your muscles feel when you go to the gym after not working out for several months? Give it time; the cramping was not your uterus.
Q: I had a cleansing reaction the other night. I could not get to sleep and was a little nauseous and could not get warm. I took a hot bath at 2 am and finally got to sleep. I've been having trouble getting to sleep, though this started the same week I started SR (before I started). I'll have trouble getting to sleep, so not get all the sleep I (usually) need for several days and then be exhausted and finally sleep well. So this could be or not be related to the herbs. (right now it's 2:38 in the am and I'm pretty awake).
A: You must ride the wave. you are detoxing.
Q: I am very skeptical about SUNRIDER�s marketing and I have learned many things about Dr. Chen�s history. I mean, it's easy to be excited at first at some extra energy and slimming down, but I still have questions that I'd like more than an answer of "trust Dr. Chen"!
A: Points to consider:
who do you trust when you
drive your car?
fly in a plane?
use an ATM?
buy new tires?
drink water?
a computer?
turn on a light?
use a gas pump?
cast a vote?
Often, if we truly watch our lifestyle, we see that we trust and say �yes� to many things that philosophically, we may be opposed to. we do it anyway, don�t we?
remember... SR products are just whole foods; apples, oranges...that is SR! they are just VERY POTENT and HIGH QUALITY and INTELLIGENTLY PROFILED whole foods that are so cost prohibitive to retail, these herbs and skin care products must be directly marketed. it is better to stay out of the whole mass conglomerate Grocer Industry as much as possible anyway. talk about having to say �yes� to many cruel and monetarily motivated actions and people! Yikes! i know Dr. Chen personally. i have felt his chi. his heart is good. go meet him yourself; each month at SUNRIDER WORLD HEADQUARTERS you can meet him directly instead relying on internet gossip. tour the multi million dollar, squeaky sterile manufacturing facility. see his Museum of Chinese Herbs. do your homework directly, not lazily via the internet.
Q: I am concerned that all that brown tea is yellowing to the teeth. Would you know yet?
A: Calli and FD are not teas. they are very complex beverages made from the most expensive, choicest herbs, roots, and bark on the planet. they do not stain teeth like cheap teas. when you drink Calli, you are drinking the beverage of the Shaolin Monks, not Mr. Lipton.
Q: the action caps do not seem to be giving me any problems, but I can't feel any effect from them, hopefully they're doing their job!
A: i read three Unawakened Words in your sentence:
Problems> the Awakened Warrior sees no problems, only challenges designed to lift you Higher.
But> anything you say after �but� is usually an ego rationalization.
Hopefully> Hope is passive. Visualization is proactive.
you must trust in the process of Phase One, even if you don't feel what you think you �should.� Strong habits, perhaps from past lives, are challenging to Rise Above. But you are a spiritual Warrioress, come to slay your Dragons.
I am your fellow Dragon Slayer...for as long as you feel my companionship helpful.
The first gift of love is to Listen.
SUNRIDER, like yoga and meditation, helps us learn how to listen.
Slow down.
Breathe.
Trust.
Love.
in strength and spirit,
coach ilg
www.HighPerformanceYoga.com
www.WholisticFitness.com
January 27, 2004
dear el coache',
�
by adding�2-3 hp yoga sessions
from TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION
(thank-you for writing it),
and faithfully�consuming of�the SUNRIDER herbs..
along even more mindful eating...
the second weight loss phase has begun...
(first was from 240lbs. 22%bf in june)
from thanksgiving to x-mas
i was holding� at 217/215lbs...14-5% bf...
now after two weeks..212.5lbs..12-3%bf..
what i THINK AND FEEL (TAF)?
WOW!
there is just no denying
the power of the�herbs....
�
love,
student dansan
Welcome to the WF Online Training Temple:
Mark Solan of Bricktown, NY
New Student Solan will be taking studies under Teacher Sheader.
Wish to send him a "Go(o)d Luck" email?
mrsolan@aol.com
Mark, may your Practice be strong, sincere, move you ever closer toward Enlightenment!
Our Tribe of hundreds rejoice that you are Here Now with us! You will feel the Light of the WF Dharma immediately.
namaste,
coach ilg
January 26, 2004
Bryan,
RE:Today's meditation hit me this early morning, like a
bolt from the heavens.
I walked across the street in the single digit cold to
release a mouse from a trap. �I was under-dressed to
be sure. �It really hit me as the little guy galloped
away in the freedom of snow... practice and
enlightenment are one.
�Your release of the little one was an act of the bodhisattva within. So yes, practice and enlightenment merge as one.
RE: I felt that very deeply in the still and quiet of
winter's cold.
Practicing,
�I bow...and who'da thunk it could start with jumpsquats...but it has!
pax,
Teacher Haku
Namaste Noble Warriors!
�It takes a long time to learn to be fast.�
- Coach Ilg
MIND CONTROL and WINTER SPORTS
I�m all psyched this time of the year for winter sports. Even though i now live away from Snow Country, i still coach winter athletes and manage to get out tele skiing, snowshoeing, etc., every once in a while. My local area is about 90 minutes away.
I thus wish to send Chi Filled Congratulations to American ski racer Daron Rahlves who got second place to Stephan Eberharter at the Superbowl of Downhill Alpine Ski Racing; the Hahnekamm in Kitzbuhel, Austria! This is the legendary, �killer� ski course that Franz Klammer made famous in the 76 Olympics when he raced out of his mind and nearly his body to win the event even when racing last!
Last year, our very fit Daron STUNNED the gathered 70,000 maddened Austrians when Daron won the Hahnekamm! This caused an emotional catastrophe all across Austria. In fact, if Eberharter hadn�t thrown down his AMAZING run to beat Daron this year, I am confident that the Austrians would have committed mass suicide. Daron�s performances over in Kitzbuhel is a bit like Taft High School beating whatever the hell team is playing in the SuperBowl this Sunday. Or, me beating Lance Armstrong up L�Alpe du Huez.
Don�t know much about Alpine ( or �downhill� as the incorrect but often used term) Ski Racing? There are 4 events in the World Cup: Slalom (tight turns, complex gate setting, slower speeds), Giant Slalom (faster speed, less tight turns), Super G (very fast, wide turns), and Downhill (insanely fast - regularly over 70 mph -, wide turns with speed traps and pre-fatigue sections).
Though I personally focused on Nordic Ski Racing (cross country and Nordic jumping), I also raced for Durango�s Ski Team which won 11 out of 13 State Championships. My best Alpine event was Downhill. My fastest recorded speed was 61 mph on the classic �Peace Downhill� at Purgatory Ski Resort. I actually fell on the crux hairpin turn while in training and the high speed crash in my skin suit caused deep burns into my skin. I was picking skin suit fabric out of my skin for weeks! Out of my penchant for both high speed Alpine racing and the suffering of Nordic endurance ski racing, grew a course record at Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon where i hold the fastest recorded downhill time done on cross country racing skis! Talk about mental control; skinny skis with no edges baby!
Interestingly, my Downhilll record is about the same as my fastest speed on a bicycle but far short of the Speed Skiing World Record currently sizzling at 155 mph by Phillippe Goitschel. Skis go faster than bicycles. I�d like to go for the world Speed Skiing record, but would have to gain some major weight. I don�t think my current 147 lbs is going break any Speed Skiing records. Check the website for a nice chi hit:
http://www.speedski.com/
Since we are on the subject of Winter Sports,
This story, sent in as part of Master Student Sean Madine�s current Cycle Summation, truly reveals a genuine mental control breakthrough for Sean. It�s one thing to control the mind on a nice comfy meditation pillow in a climate controlled room.
It is another thing to control the mind while ice climbing and dropping your final piece of protection and thus putting your life and limbs in an extreme situation.
This extreme sport field is where my Wholistic Fitness Personal Training system originated. As you can see, to this day, it pays off for Students like Sean that do their inner homework and keep their Practices strong.
May your workout today benefit from Sean�s inspiring story and mind/body breakthrough on a Colorado ice climb.
Congratulations Abu!!!!!!!!
��
WHOLISTIC FITNESS TRAINING CYCLE SUMMATION SHEET:
The Jiva Khyati Cycle was epitomized by a day of ice climbing in Vail this past
weekend. My partner and I arrived at the base of the Pumphouse (WI 4) just as
another party of six (yes, six) was setting up a toprope. They had already
taken the most obvious line, but there was a natural seam to the right of it
that would be climbable. After a bit of negotiation with some rather sketched
novices (I do my best to not just bully my way into a crowded scene), it was
decided that I would lead the right seam before the large party set a toprope
on it. I rushed so that the guy at the top wouldn�t get the line over us
before I started leading out. I wasn�t as careful as I should have been with
clothing choices and gear organization.
I was in a very balanced mindset once the climbing began. My �mental texture�
was much more solid than usual. The lower section was relatively easy going.
I moved confidently upward. As soon as the angle became steeper, I slowed.
Here is where I noticed my intellectualization kick in. I began to lose trust
in the placements and my movement. I also started to watch the pump-o-meter
rather that just move rest to rest. I even went through my usual bail out
options. But then, I reminded myself that this discomfort was EXACTLY why I
had come to climb � to make the ego squirm.
Whenever my thoughts started to throw me off mentally, I just brought awareness
to deep breathing. Interestingly, my composure remained quite good for the
entire climb. My movement was much slower than I had intended, but I stayed
engaged in the climbing very well. Two things helped me through the
difficulties. First � In a recent email to me, you closed with ��ain�t so
bad.� Whenever I feel that I am over-dramatizing, I bring the �ain�t so bad�
mantra to the fore. It is amazing how this mentally calms and centers me even
when my forearms are screaming. Second � I used a suggestion from the Ilgner
climbing book that I told you about. Whenever I feel stuck or gripped
(struggling as it relates to this cycle�s exercise), I notice that I am
generating a bunch of useless mental chatter like �this ice is crap� or �my
crampons are shearing through� or �there is no good ice to get a stick�. This
is not just useless; it completely interferes with the Dance. Ilgner�s
suggestion in these situations is to accept the current situation and just
gently ask yourself �what now?�. Then listen. Whenever I did this, there was
no mental answer, but all of a sudden I realized that I had passed through the
difficulty. Amazing.
In my rush to begin, I didn�t bring the full rack of screws with me. I was
about ten feet out from a screw and ten feet from the top when the ice got a
bit funky. I reached for my last screw, gave it a turn into the ice and then
proceeded to drop it. How is that for awareness! Well, I just asked myself
�what next?�. I moved slowly, but with solid composure to finish the lead.
The finish consisted of the classic exit moves on frozen dirt and moss that
don�t inspire confidence, especially twenty feet out from the last screw. I
sat at the anchor freezing my ass off (lack of clothing due to my initial rush)
while humming Amazing Grace as I brought up my partner. This was my best lead
yet, baby.
January 25, 2004
On Jan 25, 2004, at 3:41 PM, heather wrote:
Dearest Steve,
Namaste! and thank-you for a beautiful Adventure Sunday. I thought the hike was great.� You were right when you said not to be worried, I handled it just fine.� Next time I will push myself a bit harder up the mountain.� I also really appreciated the advice on how to jog down; while keeping my focus, my chest up and my elbows back, I felt very steady and light footed.� I wasn't quite as jazzed with the prop class.� This I'm sure has more to do with where I am at than anything else.� I think I was more uncomfortable with it because it was newer and more challenging- of-course this is why it was exactly what I needed!� � My favorite part of the class was the fire breathing.� Once we stopped, my whole body felt like it was humming to a higher frequency.� It was really cool!� I am definately up for this again!� Thanks for your wonderful work.� Oh, I also have to say that I really liked this time because I was actually able to connect to some of the other yogis. It was really nice having a chance to talk with Robin, Vicky, Linda, Melissa and Barry.� It was wonderful for me to feel more connected to like minded souls.� I look forward to the next Sunday I am able to join you!� Much love and light, Heather
P.S.� I also appreciate your sending on my last email to Joy.� She has written back a very beautiful and thoughtful response to my questions.� I shall enjoy engaging with her further around these issues.�I bow to you both, namaste. -h
�
Noble Warrior Heather -
death comes whether or not you have started your Practice.
you have started.
please continue.
navigating the dying Realms much harder than running up Hectic Hill.
jao!
you were sooooo beautiful today.
you ARE so beautiful right now!
life can pass in a moment.
there are a dozen different diseases in your mouth right now.
stay fit, eat wisely, and Keep Your Practice Strong!
i bow to you,
coach ilg'
���
Dear Teacher -
Tonight's Zen practice was truly special.
Ananda
January 24, 2004
Namaste Noble Warriors!
"We create suffering from our desires...but if we start to consider that all the desires are coming from the mind and that we can change the mind, then we shall seek a Path that controls the mind."
-coach ilg
Noble WF Master Student and Website Director, John �Hakado Ru� Kuhlman (www.kreativwerks.com) has just finished putting up our UPCOMING EVENTS schedules with PDF downloadable flyers at both
www.HighPerformanceYoga.com
and
www.WholisticFitness.com
the websites for Awakened Warriors!
���
ANOTHER FIVE STAR REVIEW of TBT at www.amazon.com:
5 out of 5 stars for
TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION
Fitness wisdom for everyone, January 20, 2004
Reviewer: mr_ted from Atlanta
Overall, this book is very good. In Total Body Transformation, Steve Ilg describes his fitness philosophy and presents a training plan for transforming one's mind, body and spirit. That plan is clearly presented with all components (nutrition, yoga, strength training and meditation) explained in detail. Ilg's writing is clear in TBT and his field notes describing his fitness experiences (especially his comeback from severe back injury) and the experiences of his students are, in my opinion, highly motivating. Further, the photography is excellent throughout. Not only are the text and photographs of high quality, but the quantity of information is also great, making this book a killer value.
Despite this, I was disappointed that so much material in TBT also appears in Ilg's previous book, The Winter Athlete. However, in TBT Ilg goes into great detail in explaining the poses that he uses in his style of yoga (TBT is an excellent companion for Ilg's High Performance yoga video). For me, this alone makes the book indispensable.
Finally, perhaps one should review fitness books and the training plans contained within them separately. In this case, both are very good. From personal experience, the training plan presented in TBT will make your mind and spirit, as well as your body, hard. Be prepared to move outside of your comfort zone and learn about yourself.
Highly recommended. Namaste!
����
Student Questions Heart Rate, Coaches Roche and Ilg Respond:
Dear Coaches:
Question for ya, as well as update. �Rode for 1:40 on my mtn. bike today. ��I did a few intervals �5 for 1 minute then later on in ride did 3 for 2 minutes. I got my heart rate up to 170 on the 2 minute intervals and 166 on the one minute intervals. ��This was ok, but after the intervals, I couldn't get my heart rate back down into low zone 3 or 2. ��I literally was trying not to pedal and it would not go under like 140 -144.. ���My zone 2 is 110-128. ��Don't know why this is happening. �Any insight?
New Student Callahan
Dear New Student Callahan,
i've CC'd this to Coach Ilg, should he have further insight to add. �
nothing trains the heart rate to drop/recover after an effort but intervals. �since you've been away from formal interval work for some time, it may take a couple training cycles and full devotion to your interval days before you see the HR drop after an effort.
all the tension/stress/fear you've attached to the past year (or lifetimes) is stored within you. �time to let it go, warrior. �often, we don't realize or ignore the physical, mental, and spiritual impact of long term do, do, doing. �this is why i have emphasized the yin work so much with you; the nutrition, the yoga, and...you got it, the meditation. �you are doing great with the herbs -- probably the only thing that has allowed you to Journey this far. �same goes for you renewed attendance in Yoga. �but, if you wanna get free and see improved performance, get your butt on the meditation pillow. �if you have time to surf the net, read a book, watch a video or tv program, don't. �instead, be brave and attend to your Zazen practice. �live WF Lifestyle Principle #3, Appropriate Action. �
do this and let me know if things don't shift during interval sessions.
Namaste,
Teacher roche
New Student Callahan -
do not worry about the heart rate.
monitoring heart rate is often like pulling out weeds
but
leaving the Root behind.
continue your Studies under Teacher Roche with more vigor please.
that is all.
head bowed, spine straight,
coach ilg
���
Dear maha gurudev!
Just a short e-mail as I know yu must be very busy.� Just found your book and I love it.� You are very cool.� I lived in india for over 5 years and studied yoga with bks inyengar. You feel like a smart man,� and I sincerely love your book, the vibe and the depth of your� teachings. �
love and good shakti power���
buddha� please help the world
thanks�
Shiva
���
On Jan 14, 2004, at 7:16 AM, Dawdmd@aol.com wrote:
Dear Coach Ilg:
I�recently received your new book�Total Body Transformation,� and I discovered some�discrepancies�between the new book and the Winter Athlete, specifically in reference to the "Green Tara Strength Phase" (pages 181-186 of the�Winter Athlete versus pages 135-145 of Total Body Transformation.�)�Although similar�overall, there are differences in repetitions, sets, and omissions of�certain exercises.��My�question: is the Winter Athlete outdated and should I�therefore change my Green Tara Phase to the Body Transformation workouts? �I feel the�Winter�Athlete version is more challenging.��And one more question: have you written specific books on yoga?
�
Your response is greatly appreciated.� �Your books have been a great inspiration.
Namaste,
Dale A. Wilkie, DMD
164 Memorial Highway
�Shavertown, PA ��18708
570-675-9878
Noble Fitness Warrior Dale -
yes, the WF Training prescriptions which appear in TWA are designed for athletes. the workouts in TBA are modified for general fitness people. since i do not know your specifics, i cannot counsel you on which program is more appropriate. both are highly safe and effective and, as you know by now, quite challenging across the mind/body spectrum.
online counsel is available for nominal monthly fees should you wish supervision of your WF journeys.
no specific books on yoga.
yet.
thank you for your kind words...
enjoy the sweat and spirit,
Steve Ilg, RYT
WholisticFitness.com
Ilgtrain@pacbell.net
���
Beautiful Ilg,
Got the new book (TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION) yesterday and read about half of it already.
"Shit," I thought, "This is why I found you and the WF path. This is why I'm practicing this dance and learning each glorious day."
It's the new Bible on how to live life to its fullest,
as a whole and healthy individual. It's concise and
deep, reflective of the WF work itself.
Wow! It will surely inspire others as it has already
inspired me.
Student Hantman
���
Steve: Hope your book sales are going well. It is one of the few things where I see a balance of theory, practice and action. After years of being called a perfectionist, I guess I am left wondering what's wrong with that pursuit. At my old age I also know that you need to pursue perfection in all that you do and not some
some things you choose. Yoga or pumping gas.
- Pat Bannister, MT
January 23, 2004
Namaste Noble Warriors!
�In life, whenever you reach a fork in the road? Take it!�
�
�Time spent in anxiety and exhilaration is time most easiest recalled.�
- Coach Ilg
�
�Rest? Christ sakes you can rest when you�re dead.�
Coach Ilg�s dad
�
�Don�t forget to bring the map, we�ll need to throw it away soon.�
- Ben Greene, Coach Ilg�s climbing partner in the eighties
�
�Sometime you will have to leave,
to return to the world outside these hushed havens.
Sometime you will have to leave,
but the spirit will never leave you.�
- unknown
�
�You can be whatever you want
but you must train your mind
and condition your body
in order to make it happen.�
- Coach Ilg
�
�The real Porsche lies within.�
- Coach Ilg
�
�God is a DJ,
Life is dance floor.
You get what you�re given
it�s all in how you use it.�
- Pink, song lyrics
�
Big buzzword these days in nutrition is �Atkins Approved.�
How many World Championships did Atkins do?
How exactly did he become an expert in pushing the body to perform at its highest levels across the physiologic spectrum? Did his body reveal peak performance and high level fitness and balance?
Here are some �Ilg Approved Wholistic Fitness Nutrition Guidelines�
All free of charge, by the way...:
Beginning Students:
� Be very, very wary of dairy.
� Eat meat, you and God will never meet.
� Fowl is foul.
� Soda? So...duh!
� 2 asana sessions per week
� 3 hours of Cardio per week
� get on the herbs
Intermediate (Warrior) Students:
� Low volume physical food
� High volume appreciation (spiritual food)
� Eat without furniture when at home (sit on the ground as a gesture of thankfulness for the food�s life),
� Use Chopsticks (slow your unconscious chomping ass down!)
� Stay consistent on the herbs (eat closer and closer to pure chi/pran)
� 4 hours weekly of Cardio (15 minutes at High Zone 3 HR or over for nadic/tattwa fitness)
� 3 asana sessions per week
� Do Neti each morning
� Begin Pranayama
Advanced (Master) Students:
� 6 hours weekly of Cardio (with 30 minutes at High Zone 3 HR or over)
� Mostly liquid diet (SR Herbs)
� Use chopsticks with non dominant hand
� Pranayama/Meditation 3x daily
� Asana 6 out of 7 days.
� Take fluids when left nostril is open
� Take solid foods when right nostril is open
� Dance often, smile more than often.
that is all.
i bow you,
coach ilg
author/TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION
January 21, 2004
Namaste Noble Ones -
i trust i will see you at as many of these great opportunities as possible!
the individual PDF formats for each event will be soon available at both websites under UPCOMING EVENTS
i bow to your Devoted Study,
coach ilg
���
High Performance Yoga Studio
�World Class Yoga By A World Class Athlete.�
UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS
WINTER SCHEDULE:
January 21-April 4th
Reserve your spaces for the following Special Events
@
HP Yoga Front Desk 818-881-0252
or via e-mail
hpyoga@mac.com
the following events can be downloaded in PDF format
through www.HighPerformanceYoga.com
or pick up a flyer at the Studio.
�
Sunday, January 25th
ADVENTURE SUNDAY #2
8:OO am to 11:00
need to burn some calories and enjoy clean mountain air?
test your yogic fitness by enjoying Coach and his staff for this multi disciplined adventure workout:
� Mountain Hike or Run
� Asana/Prop Workout Class
� Zen and Pranayama Meditation
$35 Advance Purchase w/ reservation
�
Sunday, February 8th, 2-4 pm
Introduction to HP Yoga Workshop
with Joy
This is the workshop to drag that husband of yours to or that resistant friend that knows they SHOULD be doing yoga but are too scared to try. Joy�s amazing gift for nurturing inner challenge from students is pure delight.
Seasoned students; learn the elemental ways that the unique HP Yoga Style complements all other fitness modalities!
$25 advance or $30 at door
�
Saturday, February 21st 2-4 pm
World Famous, MANTRA GIRL
visits HP YOGA
Two Hour Workshop Includes:
-Recipes of Energy, Live Musical Performance, Mantra Chanting, & How to Attain Heightened Meditative Focus Through the Use of Sound Currents & Vibrations -A Refreshingly Multifaceted Kundalini Yoga Practice
$30 Advance Reservation, $35 At the Door
�
Sunday, February 22 at 2:30 pm
Sunrider Herb Meeting #2; Phase I; Cell Cleansing/Fat Loss
Free herbs, products, testimonials, all just merge into an inevitable �Herb Eating Therapy Rap Session!�
�
Sunday, February, 29th; 8:OO am to 11:00am
ADVENTURE SUNDAY #3
need to burn some calories and enjoy clean mountain air?
test your yogic fitness by enjoying Coach and his staff for this multi disciplined adventure workout:
� Mountain Hike or Run
� Asana/Prop Workout Class
� Zen and Pranayama Meditation
$35 Advance Purchase w/ reservation
�
March 6th - April 4
Class limit: 10.
Steve Ilg�s
HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA�
LEVEL ONE TEACHER TRAINING
spring, 2004
co-facilitated by Joy Kilpatrick
Learn World Class Yoga from the �The World�s Fittest Human,� Wholistic Fitness� creator, mountain yogi, and internationally acclaimed author Steve Ilg.
Saturdays, Noon - 6 pm
Sundays, 11 am - 4 pm
Students will also be required to attend one of Steve�s or Joy�s classes during the week.
Tuition: $1,500.00
�
Sunday, March 7, 2-4 pm
Introduction to HP Yoga Workshop
with Joy
This is the workshop to drag that husband of yours to or that resistant friend that knows they SHOULD be doing yoga but are too scared to try. Joy�s amazing gift for nurturing inner challenge from students is pure delight.
Seasoned students; learn the elemental ways that the unique HP Yoga Style complements all other fitness modalities!
$25 advance or $30 at door
�
Sunday, March 14th, at 2:30 pm
Sunrider Herb Meeting #3; Phase II: Cell Empowerment/Vitality
Free herbs, products, testimonials, all just merge into an inevitable �Herb Eating Therapy Rap Session!�
January 20, 2004
"The long and the short of it is...WF has transformed my life.� The discipline...the daily practice...continues to expand me in every direction."
- Angela Marie MacDougall
�
Brother,
�
I have been practicing WF for just under one year.� I worked with Grant Couture here in Vancouver for a brief time and this was magical and life altering.
�
I stopped the formal HP Training (Arjuna) with Grant as I was unable to squeeze the money from my budget.� I am fully blessed in my life and privileged to have been given the gift of motherhood as I raise a wonderful 17 year old young woman also known as my daughter.� Single mothering and being solidly working class has meant some real financial limitations.
�
I practice alone and it is in this solitude that I go deeper and deeper in my practice.� I access the WF website, I read Directlines, I read traditional writings, I have purchased and use the HP Yoga video and The Winter Athlete.� By using all this information, I have created my own personal programs integrating the principles and disciplines as you teach them and as they have been taught for centuries.� My programs grow from what I learn every day from my daily practice about what�comes intuitively about what is needed in my practice.� I do this because I want to be disciplined.� I want to be extremely well trained in every way ... beginning with my mind.� I have spent years training my body in all the western ways you speak of.� The past year of WF was and continues to be exactly what I need.� I am absolutely and completely done with the other ways.
�
Last night I purchased Total Body Transformation.� The book is great.� I have read it from cover to cover already.�I will begin again with The Green Tara Program after I finish my current program.�
�
There are challenges to working alone.� At times I long for outside feedback.� Sometimes I have many questions I would like to ask someone else.� I get discouraged and/or have "feelings" that I experience as overwhelming from time to time...some times this is hormonally related.� This can be distressing as I lack perspective.�
�
What the practice has taught me is to stay...stay...stay. Whether it is in a pose where I am standing still and sweat is pouring off me, whether it is in an interval where my lungs are going to explode and my heart�is pounding like a drum, whether it is in sitting in zazen and by mind keeps going off to the grocery list, to that conversation with that person yesterday, whether it is this particular brand chocolate bar that keeps calling my name saying it will make me feel better...!!� Stay, stay, stay!
�
The long and the short of it is...WF has transformed my life.� The discipline...the daily practice...continues to expand me in every direction.
�
Though I am limited by very real financial restraints...my journey continues to be how to move beyond constraints and find opportunities to deepen my practice.� I am up at 4:30 am five days a week sitting in zazen before Surya Namaskar series A, B, and C.� As a former "gym rat" I am truly "burned out" by "the gym".�� I called myself a body builder for most of my life (20 years) and developed large�defined muscles.� I was also actively in an "eating disorder" and was absolutely compulsive about my training�that was really an addiction growing out of lots of self hate and historical trauma.�� Cardio, meditation, nutrition and of course yoga are solidly integrated into my life.�
�
In my slow healing path away from�various addictions... strength training is the most difficult of the practices for me.� I continue to seek a gym that connects with me where I can practice WF.� Going to the gym continues to activate deep stuff for me.� In spite of this imbalance in my program ...I am the strongest I have ever been because of the other practices.� Strongest in every way.� Some days it's hard, some days it's easy, some days it's something else.� Every day my body, spirit and mind gives me something new to work with.� And every day I�am mindful to bring these teachings into my life of work, mothering, etc.
�
There are many times I wish I could hear from Kathy, to hear a woman's perspective.� A woman centred approach to WF intrigues me and at times I yearn for this.� There are many times I wish I could afford to go to Tarzana to attend your classes or attend your trips to New Mexico.� I long for a sliding scale fee structured world.
�
With Total Body Transformation and The Green Tara program...I will begin again with a beginners�mind...because each day is a new beginning.�We, in the west must begin to respectfully integrate these timeless eastern disciplines while being mindful�and humbly acknowledging the origins of the teachings.� The alternatives are not really alternatives any more ... if they ever were!�
�
Peace!��I bow to you Steve Ilg
�
Angela Marie MacDougall
January 18, 2004
Namaste Noble Warriors!
�To me, Fitness is only as fun as it helps others. Keeping fitness all to yourself is not only not very spiritually conscious, it�s boring. It�s like getting all dressed up with no place to go. Share your fitness. The rebound benefits are fantastically motivating and empowering.�
- Coach Ilg
�
A Mala Bead
Oh Mighty Armed Astral Sailor, please use your fitness to navigate your life well, for more often than not, the seas are rough. And as you and i will eventually one day lose sight of the shoreless shore, we must train very wise indeed.
As you read this, my friend, Mala, has entered the final pulses of the Bardo dying realm. His took his last breath in my home two days ago. A good Death takes a while to complete. Remember, Jesus�s Resurrection didn�t happen overnight. Either will yours.
A personal trainer, if he or she is true to their Service, has - in my sense of the occupation - a moral duty to include wise preparation for death. For is not death that defines and refines health and fitness?
According to yogis, the part of Mala which never dies (the Atman) will take residence in another body. From this perspective, no one ever really dies. We just shape shift, if you will. From Form into Formlessness back into Form. Etc., etc, etc. The yogins that have made the podium in their human life, were the ones who trained wisely enough and long enough to, if you can imagine this; consciously enter their death navigate the dying (Bardo) realms to create an even more beautiful and beneficial re-incarnation. Working hard on yourself in this lifetime creates an even better and more helpful Form the next time around. This going around stuff (Samsara) continues until you have completely erased the veils of Supreme Reality and become, well, God. Remember the Bible�s advertising campaign for meditation: �Be still and know you are God.�
Mala will still be dying for a while. The process of dying is a highly scientific one. But you, being Western trained, probably have not heard that particular notion yet: that Deathing is a training component. That learning to die consciously is like learning anything else; there are Teachers and techniques from which to learn. Then there is the perseverance to stay committed to the techniques and Teachers.
It�s the perseverance that gets most everyone. It�s easier to watch SuperBowl Playoffs that it is to come to the HP Yoga Studio and sit zen. It�s easier to do yoga and fitness workouts until you get a good body (Form) and then just sweep that the spiritual stuff (Formlessness) under the rug until...well, you die.
I met Mala as he lay limply in the arms of my friend Joy. Mala might have been 6 months old. He was a kitten. Evidently traumatized (perhaps from getting hit by a human driving a car) and severely dehydrated, his greasy, stinky, matted fur masked a frail body that covered a symphony of pain and an experience of hardship that you and i will never know.
Or, perhaps we did know it in a former incarnation. Perhaps, you and i took the spiritual steps, to Rise Above somehow, our condition of suffering. Eventually, maybe over the course of millions of lifetimes, we got Here Now. We got to be a human instead of a flea-bitten homeless, parentless kitten who gets run over in an underground parking lot of LA and nobody even cares. The Buddha tried to get it into us...just how damn precious it is to be a human. But few people these days seem to care. You can tell by our ingratitude and our obesity. We just don�t care. Well, YOU care. I care. And that, my Noble Warrior of Conquered Egoic Desires, is vital. The Path is narrow. All know the Way, but few are fit enough to trek it ever Higher.
I accepted Joy�s request to give Mala shelter. Having just finished meditating, I was still half immersed in the Pranic Field and could easily feel the flickering of his Life Force. We prayed over Him as He died that same night, curled in the nest of my downstairs shower. I have helped many beings die, human and other Forms. It is never easy sailing. It is funny how we humans often choose to bring animal companions into our lives, knowing full well the animal�s life span on this Realm is shorter than ours. It�s like we unconsciously set ourselves up for the pain of seeing Loved Ones pass over. A re-minder, perhaps, of just how precious our life truly is?
I bow now to the Formlessness of Mala. May your Bardo Journey be easy and your new life more secured in happiness. Mala; you did what it took to die in a yogi�s home. Mala, you did what it took to die with two yogins visualizing and praying for your safe Way Higher.
Mala...you have done more in your six months of toilsome life than many humans will in eighty years of unawakened living.
Mala, thank you for dying so beautifully and so nobly. I will Practice harder because of your strength and warriorism. I can do better to help others. I now return to my Practices with renewed vigor because of you.
Is there Buddha nature in a shattered kitten?
You tell me, oh Peaceful Warrior of Lifestyle Fitness...you tell me.
Where are you looking for Buddha nature?
I close with this Rumi poem dedicated to Mala:
�
You Embrace Some Form
you embrace some form
saying, �I am this.�
By God, you are not this
or that or the other
you are �Unique One�
�Heart -ravishing�
you are throne and palace and king
you are bird and snare and fowler
like water in jar and river
are in essence the same
you and spirit are the same
your every idol
prostrates
before you
your every thought-form
perishes
in your formlessness
translated by Daniel Liebert
January 16, 2004
Dear Steve,
I just ordered your book and I'm really looking forward to receiving it. My next purchase is going to be your HP Video (after I get another VCR--mine just died. By any chance, it's not on DVD is it?)
I just wanted to tell you how inspired I am when I read your Daily Lines and I�have to�share with you the poem that has always inspired me.�I had it taped to my mirror all through my teens--it helped (and helps) with all of the self esteem issues one goes through. It�makes me think of you now since you call every one "beautiful".
"The rift in the crest of a mountain,
The rough rocky rim of the sea,
The water � cut cave in the hollow
The twist in the trunk of a tree
Each has a scar of distinction
Yet each has this sermon to sing
The presence of what would deface me
Has made me a beautiful thing."
- Author Unknown
Have a beautiful day,
Student Amber
P.S. Every time I see your email address I start singing in my head: "people 'round the world, join hands....Start an Ilg Train, Ilg Train!"� I'm jumping on board the Ilg Train....
�
Beautiful Student Amber -
this entry is for you!
great poem.
i like the author as well, i�ve read many of her greatest works!
thank you and i trust you will enjoy the HP Yoga tape and the new book.
currently, the HP Yoga Video is not on DVD...i�m getting conflicting counsel about various new projects and whether we should produce an intermediate quality DVD for HP Yoga students, or wait until our big DVD project is finished (will take years) or just reformat the existing one...i�d like to hear input!
all aboard the IlgTrain!!!!!!! we�re moving Up, baby! choo, choo!!!
thank you for choo-choosing to radiate your Beauty!
i bow in wow of you...
namaste,
coach ilg
Namaste Noble Warriors!
Those dedicated DL readers have been hearing a lot about Tuna Canyon and HP Yoga recently. Well, here we go again:
�
When I first moved to LA and started poking around the cycling and yoga scenes, everybody said the same things.
Cyclists said; Don�t ever try riding your bike up Tuna Canyon. Nobody does. It�s way too steep and it will only �make your legs slow.�
Yogis said; Oh, there is no good yoga in the San Fernando Valley. You should only teach and take classes in Santa Monica...the Valley sucks. Nobody who is anybody teaches yoga out there.
Today, seven years later, i own my own High Performance Yoga studio in the Valley and ride Tuna Canyon just about every week.
Without so much as a stinkin� Press Release, people of all walks of life including several celebrities and accomplished yogins are regularly visiting my humble new Practice Cave on Ventura Boulevard. Build it, and they will come.
Oh, and, if you think riding Tuna Canyon every week has made me �slow,� come on...let�s ride! I�ll show you �slow.�
It�s weird to me how pigeon holed are people�s opinions. The unawakened are so prideful in being �different� yet regurgitate whatever they hear. Why not Follow your own Heart? Pave your own Pathway Higher. Screw what other people think. Feel things out for yourself. Find your own Tuna Canyon and suffer yourself upon it every week until suffering becomes only effort...clean, clear, spirit drenched effort, baby!
I love practicing and sharing yoga in the Valley. I mean, West LA is great and all...I�ve taught in Westwood, Pacific Palisades, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica. But to this New Mexico mountain yogi, i prefer the Valley for asana and outdoor athletics. It�s drier than the Westside and, as WF and HP Student Steve Mackel writes so beautifully about below, the access to the mountains such as Tuna Canyon is quick and stress less unlike the traffic bloated Westside.
Hearing myself write the last few paragraphs, I reckon the transformation is complete; I am a Valley Boy. I am nearly proud of it too...yesterday I rode my mountain bike for over 2.50 hours up in the mountains...all i saw were two drop dead gorgeous blondes, one wearing a, yes, i tell you true; a bikini. Besides them, only a rattlesnake, a doe, a kestrel, and three grazing horses. This tally was far superior to my ride a few days prior where all Steve Marlowe and i saw was coyote scat and Heidi Fleis. I am not kidding and I�ll leave the juxtaposition to your own contemplation.
Enjoy today�s two entries....
and may You
somehow in some way
today,
Take the Path less traveled...
i bow to you,
coach ilg
���
Steve:
I received my order for the High Performance Yoga tape. I found it
interesting and challenging. It will give me something to strive for since I cannot do everything on the tape at this time. I also have finished reading your most recent book Total Body Transformation and have gleamed much from it. Your program is right on the mark for combining strength training, yoga, cardio,and meditation. I'm 55 years young and feel this is what I need to really get the best out of myself. You have put together a Masterpiece and should be very proud of your work.
Namaste Mr. Ilg
- Michael K.
���
Coach,
I must say Tuna Canyon was more than I expected. As a loyal Direct Lines reader, WF Student and new to the cycling scene, Tuna Canyon was on my list. Well this is to let the other readers know, when ?finding your Tuna Canyon? you better pick something harder than you think.
I pride myself on climbing but after half a mile I got that feeling this was going to be more difficult than I read about. In fact, 8 miles of H - E double hockey sticks. Tuna Canyon helped me find something deep inside me and the last mile was very rewarding, let me explain. I tried to stay on your wheel but that lasted less than a mile. Next thing I new I was out of the saddle using every fiber of muscle to turn the cranks over. My heart was pounding and I was praying for a little shade when I started to wonder if I was going to have to get off my bike and walk it to a flatter part, hoping it would eventually flatten out. But that?s when I decided it was time to stop the negative self talk. I started to repeat two mantras for the next couple miles, ?Energy and light flood my body cells? and ?I am strong.? About a half hour into the ride the hill becomes manageable but your legs don?t know it. That?s when you take a good look around and realize how lucky you are. The ocean i
s to the extreme right and below you. The mountains are all around you and the city is off in the distance. What I am forgetting to describe that the day was one you see in a LA travel brochure, 75 degrees, air as clean as the rockies, all in the middle of January and great riding partners to share it with.
I used those moments in the last mile to reflect on the graces bestowed on me, my wife, family, friends, you, the WF sangha and injoyed my breath. At this point I reached the top. I threw it into a big gear and headed for Stunt Road and that when it got fast. What goes up must come down. Riding behind Steve Marlowe, Jim Badd and you pushing 50 mph, it was the fastest I have ever ridden. Of course, I should have known riding with you meant there was still some more work to do,with around 10 miles to go we hit Dry Creek Road and more inclines. With you pushing all of us, I know why we read about Marlowe?s podium finishes.
Thank you for inviting me. I found my Tuna Canyon. When I met Fit Kit he told me the secret to riding with you is a third chain ring. I guess that?s why he?s a master student.
Namaste,
New Student Mackel
Help increase Breast Cancer awareness with a PinkRibbons.net email account. Go to http://www.pinkribbons.net and help make a difference.
��
January 15, 2004
Dear Coach -
I read this in Natural Health Magazine and thought I would share...
�
This is the time of year when it's easy to succumb to
the symbols and trappings of feelings, to love as defined by
others. The rituals of romance, the rich foods and vibrant
flowers, are gratifying in the moment, and we can take
delight in their sensuous pleasures. But the greatest affection
is tendered - and received - with neither encumbrance nor
expectation. It's the quieter rituals of the devoted heart, so
often overlooked, that provide the security and strength
we need to embrace the wondrous opportunities of life.
�
There is no substitute for the comfort supplied by the
utterly taken-for-granted relationship.
- Melissa
Encino, CA
�
January 14, 2004
Namaste Noble Warriors!
�From my time in Los Angeles, I am learning that intense stress can exist harmoniously, if not even complementary, with the deepening of spiritual fitness. We may not be able to rest or relax at times, but we should still not push away our workouts. They are the saving grace to the body/mind/spirit.�
- Coach Ilg
See the mountains kiss high Heaven
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdained its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth
And the moonbeams kiss the sea:
What is all this sweet work worth
If thou kiss not me?
~Percy Bysshe Shelley
Coach Ilg -
Thank You
I would not be here without your spirit to guide me!
I am now going to enjoy a lemon fortune delight!
Namaste
Paul
��
Steve,
Received your new book for Xmas and have been looking forward to the Green Tara. I am multi-sport outdoor athlete living in Steamboat Springs. It is hard to start the program when you are in the middle of Telemark and skate ski season. Been meditating and not stretching enough.
Coupla things if you don�t mind passing on some more wisdom:
My L4, L5, S1 discs are herniated I�m having a bad relapse currently after a Nordic race Sunday.
Can�t get dressed, tie shoes, pain numbness etc etc. I have had (cortisone shots last spring, steroid packs) and currently on codeine,steroids, flexeril, voltaren just to be able to move around.
Acupuncture this afternoon, first time. Consultation with Neurosurgeon next week.
I know you went through a horrible back situation w/out surgery. I have been trying to put off surgery but feel at the end of my rope. I want it fixed. This sucks. Is there hope w/out surgery?
Steve
Noble Fitness Warrior Steve
how strong is your desire to Rise Above the pain naturally/spiritually?
are you really ready to accept the Pain as a Teacher and not toss the Pain into a category like "bad" or "horrible"?
perhaps your back is merely doing it's best given your conscious awareness of respecting it's natural abilities?
there is no "hope", in my experience.
hoping does not do shit.
visualization, steadfast and wise Practice, and trust in a Teacher is what is needed, not hope.
do you feel prepared enough to empty your cup, drop your history, and Rise Above?
if so,
let me know.
i bow to your Pain,
coach ilg
On Jan 13, 2004, at 2:39 PM, Steve Jones wrote:
��
Dear Coach:
will Lance Armstrong marry Sheryl Crow? Will he win the Tour again? What is Mula Bandha? I loved your article in Yoga Journal! thanks for DL...me and my bros check it out all the time...killer new book, too! I can�t believe you�re so old.
-Jeff
Dear Jeff -
Yes, because �The First Cut is the Deepest� and Lance will try to love again. With Sheryl, that should not be too difficult.
He won�t just win the Tour, US Posties will friggin� demolish the peleton and Lance will stomp all over any contenders and a leather skirted Sheryl Crow will offer Lance added breakaway incentives from the back of the lead motorcycle.
Mula is a conscious contraction leading to an energetic awareness of the uro-genital triangle which is like a gateway to inner doors of spiritual power.
Thanks a lot, you punk.
;-)
Keep your Workouts a Priority no matter what, okay?
namaste,
coach ilg
���
Mr. Ilg,
�
My name is Rudy and I am a yoga instructor/ personal trainer in Indiana, PA. I just finished your book "Total Body Transformation", and BY FAR it is the best fitness manual I have ever used. The High Performance yoga is very similar to the Yoga I teach at my gym (JT's Health and Fitness), and your training methods are incredible.
�
I have been studying yoga for 16 years, and have been a certified for 6 years to teach. I have been a CPT for 2 years.
�
I would like to introduce your TBT as part of a class at my gym. The class would be structured as an AM yoga class, and an evening weight training class, to introduce it as an "alternative" to regular workouts. There are the semantics of such a concept (legal stuff, using the term "Total Body Transformation", etc.) as well as a few questions I would have before I begin, as well as during the training. If there would be a cost for any of this, please let me know.
�
Yours in good health..
�
Rudy
dear Noble Teacher of Yoga -
thank you for your yamic and niyamic Practice in asking permission.
it is rare and i appreciate it.
i also thank you for your kind words. i am please you are enjoying the book!
my legal dept will be in touch with you for any tricky stuff.
i ask for no money from you
and i only encourage you to share my feeble work with as many warriors whom are willing to listen and Practice.
karmic considerations:
� writing a positive review of the book at www.amazon.com
� acknowledge your Teachers and any Sources when presenting material
� hosting an HP/WF Workshop
that is all.
i bow to you within the Light of Yoga, Strength, and Spirit,
Steve Ilg, RYT
WholisticFitness.com
Ilgtrain@pacbell.net
�
January 13, 2004
Dear Coach,
Well said, very well said.
I love your book! Thank you so much! When I received it, I sat down and
scanned it start to finish! I'm so excited! It is now required reading for
all my clients.
The tribute to WF Warrior Kurt Bruno is very fitting..It warmed my heart
and made me very happy to see him in there! Someone who truly "walks it."
I have a client who just left for Hawaii for the PGA Tour.....High
Performance Yoga has been a gift for him! His golf is better than ever!. He
packed his HP Yoga mat in his golf bag!!! He has your stick figures and
everything.
Best wishes with your book. It is amazing! Light years ahead of it's time,
for sure!
namaste'
karen west
Namaste Noble Warriors!
"Focus on making an Upward difference in one person's life...share a yoga class with them, serve them lovingly a quiet mealtime, get them onto Fortune Delight or Calli...this alone makes for tremendous merit."
- coach ilg
congratulations to Steve Marlowe of Reseda, CA, who after only three months of HP Yoga classes, performed to a new Personal Record capturing a 1st place, another 1st place, and a 3rd Overall at the Encino Velodrome! HP Yoga is no joke, baby! So much for all his competitors who scoffed at Steve for taking yoga during the Off Season when "he shoulda been riding his bike like a real cyclist." I haven't even begun his pre-season, cycling specific training yet! You can see a photo of Steve in TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION. I even indexed him because of his amazing bicycle commuting warriorism! Here is to you, my easy-on-the-earth Friend!
�
Congratulations to my old student and National Downhilll MTB Champion, Penny Davidson who is entering a new Level of 'performance' as she welcomes pregnancy in lieu of podiums into her life! Hello also, to Penny's friends, Jenny and Heather Blue of Blue Mud Yoga Studio in Redlands, CA. I believe Heather and i go all the way back to Durango, CO days, am i not wrong? And i recall fine days up at Snow Summit Ski Area blessed with the generosity of Jenny and her family! Dharma Blessings to all of you and thank you for your support of my feeble work throughout the years!
Here then is letter from today's emailbox i felt you might enjoy and benefit from in your own sacred journey! It is a gut honest report from NEWLY CROWNED WARRIOR STUDENT ALAN LUDGATE of NYC who just last week completed his Private Intensive to qualify him for his WF Warrior Student Inka! Alan completely Rose Above the difficulties and expenses of coast to coast travel just to do what it took to earn his Warrior Inka and more importantly, to saturate his WF Training with one and one shared Work with me! I bow to your Devoted Practice along this Path, Student Ludgate!
Also; FINALLY my audio Lecture/Meditation tapes:
Stream Entry
My Workout Is Everywhere
and
Fear in Fitness
are NOW AVAILABLE in CD format for $15 each + $8 shipping and handling!
now you are going to HOPING for traffic grid lock so as to enjoy the contemplative and inspriational verve of these long time WF classics! order all three today. Listening to these CD's as you drift off to sleep is VERY empowering to the soul as your physical body rests....
May Your Practice Be Strong...
love,
coach ilg
�
Coach-
Peace be unto you and Joy! �Hard to believe that seven days ago at this time we were just finishing our private yoga practice and I was preparing to fold my quivering snowshoe legs into a plane seat. �A few thoughts / ruminations / questions as I reflect on a very special time.
Emotions: During our final dinner together, Joy asked how the experience of the intensive had been relative to my expectations. �As I reflect back on that question, I don't think I was attached to too many expectations going in. �What I was attached to was a mad jumble of emotions: excitement over meeting my coach and over the work we would do together; worry that my recent practice had not been as strong as it could have been, and that I would find myself physicially unable to rise to the challenge; anxiety about whether my warrior 'nobility' would be up to your standards; and twinges of guilt and selfishness that I was playing with you while my pregnant wife worked to manage the home front a coast away. �By the time I left, my emotions were much simpler and clearer: contentment, clarity, and gratitude.
Strength: I did a very strong yoga flow workout on Friday, and was amazed at how strong I felt! �My body felt incredibly charged, and my mind extremely focused.
Distractions: On your Stream Entry cassette, you talk about how practice during retreats like the one we just had is easy compared to "real" everyday life. �That really clicked when I sat zazen one of my first evenings back, and was immediately enveloped by the (joyous) sounds of home...my son splashing in the bath, my wife reading him a story and singing him a lullaby, the ringing of the telephone, etc. �Let's just say I got to know the number 1 quite well that night as well!
11 Memories / Lessons:
"Chopsticks...non-dominant hand": lesson - your workout is everywhere...growth is a choice that we can make at any time
"What were your impressions of the man we met walking his dogs...what did you notice about his eyes...were you aware of your breath and posture when speaking with him?": lesson - be present here and now; appreciate the gifts which each person / each encounter have to offer
"Simplicity...patience...compassion": my mantra for this week (and many more to come)
"Going down is about trust and letting go": true for mountain running, snowshoeing, and many other areas of my life.
Icicles and diamonds on a mountaintop, when combined with noble effort and buckets of sweat = a truly beautiful day
"Prop 'till you drop" : yowza
Take a sacred pause
Wonderful feeling of community, love, and strength at the HP studio
Herbs, herbs, herbs
So that's Mula Bandha!
Mountain-top Ai-Imawa - "Here, try this one little change in your pelvis. �It will change...everything". �How true
So What Comes Next?
Should I continue with the daily pranayama practice you prescribed to help me prepare for the intensive?
Should I continue my revisit of Cosmic Yang while I wait for my next program, and would you like me to work on something else?
I await the next chapter of our work together with deep breath, straight spine, and a calm mind. �
Bookkeeping: If you've not yet charged the balance due on my intensive, consider this authorization to do so, as well as to charge me for my new program when it is complete
Namaste-
Allan
January 10, 2004
Noble Fitness Warriors...
an inspirational reminder note from one of our 'star'; yoga teachers at the HP Yoga studio, Joy:
Namaste and Happy New Year,
May 2004 bring all of you better health, deeper happiness, fuller lives,
and a world of peace!
Some of you are already on the amazing power of Sunrider Herbs, others,
you've either heard me speak of them or seen me drinking my bottles of ilg
Supremes and Fortune Delights. In either case, on behalf of myself and Steve ilg,
multi World Championship extreme outdoor athlete, coach and author of TOTAL
BODY TRANSFORMATION (available at amazon.com), we would like to invite you to
join us on Sunday, January 11th, from 2:30 to 3:30pm for our New Year SR
workshop. Exact details listed below.
On a personal note, Sunrider Herbs have enhanced my quality of life by
supporting and nurturing my body, which in turn provides me with peace of mind.
In less than 5 months, i've found all sorts of interesting things happen since
starting on herbs. Clearly, much less of a need for sugar and fatty foods.
i'm eating smaller portions as i'm no longer needing so many calories, since
these Sunrider herbs are so pure and effective. My energy level is strong on a
regular basis, my blood sugar has regulated and if i get hungry between meals,
i eat healthy foods in very small snack like portions that always fill any
void. I have dropped in body fat as well as body weight and look and feel better
than i have since i was in my twenties. I know some of you are like... " you
had nothing to loose, you're a trainer and yogini, already in good shape,"
and those are all valid thoughts, however, not my truth. I knew i wanted to be a
better example of health and fitness in the "wholistic" tradition that Coach
ilg has created and shared with so many, so i made a choice ... change my
outlook and intake.
It is my intention to help you and others, if you are ready and only when
you are ready, to discover the purity and benefit of Sunrider Herbs. So, if
you would like to learn more, please attend our informal gathering. It will be
informative and inspiring.
Dharma Blessings,
joy
bring a friend and join us for our revolving monthly
sunrider workshops:
General
Phase I - Cell Cleansing/Fat Loss
Phase II - Cell Empowerment
Phase III - Lifestyle; Skin and Personal Care
Business Building - How to eat the worlds best herbal foods for FREE!
FIRST MEETING OF THE NEW YEAR!
2:30 - 3:30 pm
SUNDAY
JANUARY 11, 2004
@
HP YOGA�
18663 VENTURA BLVD. SUITE 120
TARZANA, CA 91356
818-881-0252
January 08, 2004
Namaste Teacher,
��� I would like your advise on buying a entry level bike for myself. Any information you could provide would be most helpful.
Thank you
Student Kai
Beautiful HP Yoga Student Kai -
i like the Direction of your fitness thoughts!
1) choose your budget. a good bike that will last you until you seek a higher performance model will cost about $1,000.00
2) choose if you want to buy a mountain bike (abbreviated MTB) or a road bike (like the kind Lance Armstrong rides in the Tour de France). MTB�s are more versatile, for they can be ridden on the road as well, but road bikes will not long last in MTB terrain. MTB's are easier to learn on and require less bike handing skills and are not ridden in such close proximity to unaware car addicts. Road bikes are, for the most part, better for dialing in a higher level of cardiovascular fitness however. When i won my State Silver Medal as a mountain bike racer, i spent more than 75% of my training volume on a road bike. There is no fitness quite like road bike fitness. Just ask Lance.
3) choose your frame material; steel (heavy but smooth ride), titanium (extremely light and strong but also very expensive) or carbon fiber, and/or aluminum. for most beginners, aluminum with some carbon fiber elements is fantastic.
4) choose your components. these are the little pulleys, chains, brakes, and other gizmos which make the bicycle work. these gizmos can be VERY expensive but worth every penny, since you want equipment that lasts and makes shifting gears a delight besides being safe.
5) choose your wheel set. this includes your Tires, Tubes, Spokes, Rims, and Hubs. very important stuff. the better the wheel set, the better the 'feel' of the bike's movement and the less maintenance required.
my suggestion is to prioritize your money like this:
a) components
b) wheel set
c) frame
you can always buy a sweeter frame, then swap your components and wheel set over to it.
what sucks is buying a killer fancy frame but then having cheap ass components on it that constantly break or lose efficiency. many bicycle manufacturers sell bikes this way; fancy frame sucky components and wheels.
make an appointment with Elliot, owner of RESEDA CYCLERY near the corner of Reseda an Sherman Way. tell him that i sent you and how much you want to spend. you may contact me again if you wish before you buy, but he will do you right, i am sure. then, arrange a cycling clinic with me so we start you off on the right foot....errrr, wheel!
proud of you!
Elliot's number: 818-345-8844
i bow to your willingness to find yoga OUTSIDE and OFF the sticky mat! that is what HP Yoga is ALL ABOUT, baby!
see you on the cobbles,
Steve Ilg, RYT
United States Cycling Federation Expert Coach
WholisticFitness.com
Ilgtrain@pacbell.net
January 07, 2004
AMAZON.COM
Customer Reviews: TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION
Average Customer Review: 5 out of 5 stars
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. �
This book will rock your world and change your life! January 7, 2004
Reviewer: bryan hantman from baltimore, md, usa
Plain and simple -- if you want to change how you look and feel -- you've got to get this book. Short of hiring Steve Ilg as your personal trainer or becoming an on-line student of Wholistic Fitness, following the time-tested programs outlined in the book will help you feel like a million bucks as you become a better person. This is the beauty of Ilg and his work.
Wait and see -- this book will become the new bible on how to live life to its fullest, as a whole and healthy individual. It's concise and deep, reflective of the discipline of Wholistic Fitness. I cannot say enough about how worthwhile of an investment this book is.
January 06, 2004
*************
To My Sangha Of Mighty Armed Wholistic Fitness and High Performance Yogic Warriors and Warrioresses...
May all your workouts be Blessed from within
May all your days be full of focus and fun
May all your senses be conquered
May all illusion be shattered
May truth permeate your life
and
May your Practice remain a dance of strength, sincerity, and softness.
Feeble Ilg
rings the Dharma bell for you
bows to you
learns so much from you
loves you.
May all Beings benefit
From our Inner Work(outs).
That is all.
- coach ilg
January 04, 2004
Steve,
Recently purchased your book : Total Body Transformation � which I have enjoyed thus far. �While your accomplishments are great I am concerned about your claims about Sunrider products and Mr. Chen.� From what other sources are writing, Mr. Chen is an untrustworthy person and his company makes false claims about products and money launders.
�I considered the products based on your testimony but the claims by several doctors and reports would suggest the SunRider Products are not quite the panacea you are representing them to be.� Have you done your research on these products and Mr. Chen? �Are you aware of the law suits which have been filed against Chen and his wife?
�I would be disappointed to see an athlete of your caliber and class muddied by Chen�s dubious business practices.
�Respectfully,
Simon
�
Noble Warrior Simon -
i am pleased you are enjoying the book.
finish reading it.
then do the workout programs.
then you will know the chi of the book
and the utter importance of the herbs.
if i had a dime for every time someone has hopped on the Get-Down-On-Dr.-Chen Bandwagon! Most of those people have never even met Chen. Let alone live on his herbs for 2 decades! As for the 'doctors' i've yet to have one stand up their fitness against mine and my students, so truly, what do they know about the herbs if they themselves are not fit or use them?
as John MacEnroe said, �People love success, but hate successful people.�
as any noble warrior knows,
second-handed gossip and internet fluff should never replace
direct experience.
for 20 Years i have known Chen
he is genuine and full of chi.
more importantly, for 20 years i would NOT have been nor would i remain
in the body/mind wholeness and athletic functionality
without Dr. Chen's herbs.
listen to the language of YOUR body
as YOU jump into the herbs
by your direct experience.
it costs nothing to join the company and order all the herbs at cost!
then YOU will KNOW the truth...not the gossip.
as for muddied business practices of cruelty free and amazingly potent whole food herbs...are you comparing the herbs to the Dairy Industry? The Meat Industry? The Cosmetic Industry, perhaps?
Dr. Chen completely pays for anyone's use of the herbs if they just share them with others. Personally, i think Direct Marketing is far more yogic than the megaconglomerates.
but, what ilg thinks or feels or what i�ve done on the herbs for the past 20 years matters not to you.
direct experience of the herbs in YOUR body is what matters in the long run. stay open. do not judge until you have direct experience.
that is all.
i bow to you.
coach ilg
January 03, 2004
Namaste Noble Warriors!
coming soon, my 2003 workout statistics based on my OUTDOOR ATHLETES TRAINING JOURNAL as well as a DL favorite; Actual Training Exchanges between WF Teachers and their online students!
remember, my AOL account has combusted so use this email: ilgtrain@pacbell.net to reach me directly.
thank you for the great support of my new book, TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION! it is cranking its way up the charts but we have a LONG, LONG way to go...so, if you want to help our nation move Higher through WF, go to www.amazon.com and send in a few helpful words about the new book like noble student Maureen Baker did below. we have a VERY real chance at helping many Americans now struggling to find meaning and effectiveness through their efforts in health, fitness, and sport performance. ripples make waves!
i bow to you...
coach ilg, RYT/USCF
www.HighPerformanceYoga.com
���
All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 5 out of 5 stars
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. �
Most Enlightening book on fitness EVER!, January 2, 2004
Reviewer: maureen baker (see more about me) from Columbus, Ohio
At last you can have the Master's lovely and amazing full program for the price of book! Having trained with Ilg online, I can testify that the book contains the Wholistic Fitness magic in all its unique and elegant beauty. The book not only gives you a remarkable system to develop physical strength, power, flexibilty and grace; the methods revealed also train spirit, mind and soul. You'll not only uplift yourself but your whole environment will be elevated by your worthy example. Grace flows through this publication like the River Ganges rushing down through the Himalyas. This clearly written bible of body and spirit transformation is sure to become a classic. Do not miss this remarkable book! Maureen Baker
January 02, 2004
NEW WINTER SCHEDULE IS UP AT
WWW.HIGHPERFORMANCEYOGA.COM
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors!
�You know how awkward it is to do anything with your non-dominant hand or foot? That is how awkward and imbalanced the thinking and the emotions are of one who does not practice Wholistic Fitness. My earnest visualization is that one day all beings will bring forth the noble art of working out from within. We must get more people to meditate and do yoga. It is becoming imperative, not just valuable.�
- coach ilg
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BEAUTIFUL MOTHER and my �little� (he is 6�4�) brother CRAIG!!!!!!!!!
my AOL account has once again combusted. if you sent me an email over the past two weeks, i cannot read, open, reply, or delete it! if it did not go against yogic vows, i�d have a few choice words to say about my many years of challenge with Guru AOL!
use this address for me from now on: ilgtrain@pacbell.net
Here is a fantastic WF Dharma link, offered to us by WF Teacher Q. It takes about 3 minutes:
www.themeatrix.com
If you are not on the SUNRIDER HERBS after those 3 minutes, you�ll be contacting me to sign you up for sure, afterward!
We MUST do our best this year to live more Lightly on Mother Earth, okay? Show others by working hard on your own lifestyle; incorporate non cruel nutrition and conscious workouts within the fabric of your day to day life in order to really chip away all the bullshit and baggage of heavy-on-the-earth and superfluous ego entertainments...this YEAR, WARRIOR, ARISE HIGHER INTO YOUR FITNESS!!!!
I trust your New Year Day included a fantastic workout! Here is what we did at the HP YOGA STUDIO yesterday.
Oh, and congratulations to MELISSA KAI of LA...she earned the HP YOGA WARRIOR OF THE YEAR AWARD due to her AMAZING body and mind transformation carved out through her devoted practice of HP Yoga, SR Herbs, and WF lifestyle principles! I bow to you, Student Kai!
I suppose Warrior Of The New Year Day, however, goes to Steve Marlowe, who trained for two hours on the mountain bikes with me AFTER our 4-Hour HP Yoga Adventure below! 200 calories taken in: about 3,800 expended! Yeah baby! That is the WF Way to start a NEW YEAR!
I bow to you,
coach ilg
��
New Years Day
2004
HP Yoga Gathering
I. Zen Circle
a) 12 minutes sitting: reflection on past year with gratitude
b) Steve performs sage ceremony
c) tea light ceremony for new years resolution
d) 12 minutes sitting; fixing cells with new resolution
II: Ai Imawa (Taoist Yoga)
2 rounds:
a) 1st round for 2003
b) 2nd round for 2004
III: Asana
a) gentle warm up
b) 12 Series A Modified for 2003
c) 12 Series A for 2004
* Virasana with dedicated Kapalabhati
* Foundation hold for 12 months of 2003
* Jump Squats or Hindi Squats for 12 months of 2004
* Seated Forward Fold; 12 minutes for 2003
* Easy Bridge; 12 minutes for 2004
(with sacral block into heart block)
* inversion of choice
d) savasana:
* 6 minutes: Gita Reading
* 6 minutes: Om
IV: First Annual Tibetan Prayer Flag Signing
�In order to start, we must make a decision. This decision is a commitment to daily self-cultivation. We must make a strong connection to our inner selves. Outside matters are superfluous. Alone and naked, we negotiate all of life�s travails. Therefore, we alone must make something of ourselves, transforming ourselves into the instruments for experiencing the deepest spiritual essence of life.�
- Master Ming-Dao