March 30, 2004
Dear Coach:
������ I bought your Total Transformation book a little over 1 month ago. I am currently starting the Cosmic Yang portion of the program. I've been battling constant minor injuries over the last several years. Basically, the only consistent part of my training has been the frustration of having to start over again, and again and again.� This has lead to a loss of confidence in myself and my abilities.� Anyway, I want to thank you for your teachings.� They have given me the hope of healing both my body and spirit. I know that the training will eventually make my body strong and balanced. This is exciting to me! But, even more important is this feeling of emotional release that I am starting to process. It does not always feel good to me. It actually hurts, but I am sure that it will lead to great things.
Blown away,
Mike Cream
Long Island, NY
Noble Ones -
thank you for all the great input regarding my article at:
http://www.foot.com/info/ai_interview.jsp
love,
coach ilg
Illustrious Coach I.,
Two weeks into Green Tara, & I've just started the herbs at the end of my second week. But things are moving, shifting, changing. Good changes, very positive.
Thanks for being the engine of improvement, working one student at a time to light more candles on the Way.
Mike Goitein
March 29, 2004
RE: DIRECT LINES - March 25 Entry
dearest coache',
�
they
NEVER
CAN,
BE,
OR WILL,
EVER....
match you,the work, teachers,and students
you've produced...thru your sincere devotion...
they are like some one tracing the mona lisa
and passing it off as their own original work...
naive amateurs at best.... self-deceiving con artists at worst....
but like that tracing of true art...
they are transparent..
we your faithful and others will
"see thru them like a used bar of neutrogena"(dennis miller)..
before i head out to a pre-work early morning surf session
with the boys at rockview.....i know why i can do what i do
is because of what you've taught me , shown me, and instructed me
to look for....after all we are finders..not seekers....and today after work...
when my wife and i enjoy a hot tub and massage session
at� watercourse way in palo alto....and the therapist
notes how lean i look, what good muscle definition, and flexibility
i have...how young and smooth my skin looks and feels..
especially with all the time i spend in the sun..
I KNOW THE TRUTH...
it's because of you,
wholistic fitness,
high performance yoga,
sunrider herbs,
and our tribe....
�
with all my being i thank you
and bow to you..
�
love,
student dansan
March 28, 2004
Coach -
Received your DVD this week end.� It's going to be a great way to share who you are!� Thanks so much for all you are and all you do.�
- Student C
On Mar 28, 2004, at 8:33 PM, bonni laykin wrote:
Hi Steve,
Although it was tough for me, I really enjoyed it. I will be back tomorrow eve for Joys class, and look forward to meeting you soon. Thanks for the e-mail!
Bonni Wolk
�
Dear Noble Yogini B -
trust me
on this one:
anything that seems "easy"
will in the long term create dis-ease
anything that challenges you
will in the long term create freedom.
see you in you in class,
coach ilg
www.HighPeformanceYoga.com
Noble HP Yogic Warriors -
"Have quiet times in your fitness program.
Meditation fuses inner and outer selves allowing receipt and experience of the Divine.
Meditation is Equanimity."
- Wholistic Fitness Sutra #14
TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION
by Steve Ilg
i just wanted to send a special Love Note out to those brave warrioresses
(nope, NO guys are showing up these days, what does THAT tell you?)
who are showing up for my Zen/DharmaTalks on Sunday evenings.
All physical exercise, if done consciously, will inevitably point the Way inward.
To sit still
and listen
purely
and honestly
to the chatter of your undisciplined mind
is where the Real Workout...
The Real Yoga
lies.
that is why i offer my Zen/DharmaTalks every Sunday evening at my HP Yoga Studio.
if you missed tonight's session, you missed my talk on "Gaining a Higher Perspective; The Secret Always Lies Within."
that was about my 20th DharmaTalk at my Studio.
what is more important to you?
Laker's games?
a "Reality TV show?"
the Real Game
the Real Reality Show
is within the chaos of your undisciplined mind
and you know it.
c'mon, Player...
Play the Real Game:
It takes strength to sit still.
The greatest of all strengths.
Any movement - trust me, i'm an expert in world-class movement - is entertaining to the ego.
But sitting still?
That takes strength.
I am paying attention to who shows up to sit still.
I know how easy ENTER-tainment is.
but
what i came Here for is to teach you
INNER-attain-ment.
i bow
to my noble Zen Warriors who show up
on Sunday evenings...
the people who show up for the sweat and fun of the asana classes are great...
but you Zen Sitters?
you are my heroes.
that is all.
���
my next email...some class adjustments this week because I and Joy are teaching
a ski/yoga workshop at June Mountain this weekend.
have a great week.
may you find your Highest Yoga Practice
within the comings and goings of your day...
love endlessly,
your feeble teacher
Coach Ilg RYT/USCF
www.HighPerformanceYoga.com
Coach,
I purchased your book "Total Body Transformation" 3 weeks ago and my life has not been the same since. I bought it on a Sunday in San Mateo, CA and had read all the way through the Green Tara Workout by the time I arrived home back in Fairfield, IA that Monday night. (My wife and I were visiting family out there) I weighed 270lbs back in October 2003, when I decided to get off my rear and start exercising. I had recently listened to an audio tape by Covert Bailey and understood about exercising aerobically. So, I started jogging one day and playing tennis the next. I would shoot basketballs on Sunday with a friend and walk to work here and there. When I picked up your book 3 weeks ago, I weighed 215 lbs. Just about a month or two before picking up your book, I started lifting weights to build a little more muscle, which I understood would help me burn fat more efficiently. I also have been eating Sunrider as well as vegetarian for 8 years and I have been practicing Transcendental Meditation for 14 years. So, when I first saw your book in the Chicago O'hare Airport, I thought "This book is for me!"
By Monday after the first week, I saw a difference in my posture and build. Wow! I enjoy my program everyday of the week. As it has been Freezing cold here I do all of my cardio workouts in the huge recreation center we have here on campus. (http://www.mum.edu/) But, with spring coming, I look forward to getting OUTSIDE. My HP Yoga practice is gentle and I am getting more flexible/stronger everyday.
My wife and I plan to move back to California in a few years. I plan to attend one of your classes when I am back there so that I can meet you face to face.
Thank you very much for putting your thoughts and experiences down on paper. I appreciate every word.
Sincerely,
Michael French
March 27, 2004
I #$%@$@ bow Ilgbro�again!� God I love a good rant once in a while!� Thanks for throwing down the #$%@$@ chi dude�the other night we were eating dinner and TBT was gently sitting on the edge of the table with your smiling chi radiating.� I suddenly became very moved with the energy of the #$%@$@ project�your life�s work for the human tribe.� I recall our therapy sessions back and forth during my thesis and your final draft�what intensity!� The depth of the #$%@$@ book Ilgbro�I #$%@$@ BOW!� I was totally mesmerized by that mofo as you stared up from the cover�what discipline man.� It�s go(o)d work Bro�VERY go(o)d.� I thought of you again last night.� On Wednesdays I do an �optional� core training class for the football guys as Wednesday is their rest day.� About 12 brave warriors show up out of 60 (that�s about the right warrior to retreat ratio I guess).� We blasted through a core circuit, a quick set of �RJ� stadiums, then I lined those bastards up and we finished with some friggin� yoga man!� 12 football bastards on the stadium track right in front of the track team and general public all holding the triangle and warrior I, II, and III.� I thought Wow!� They�ve come a long ways.� The first two weeks they thought I was a freak that didn�t know shit�what�s up with this body weight and yoga shit?!!!.� Now they are fine tuned warriors finishing with breath and posture�a go(o)d day�s work Ilgbro�next week�ILGARANDAS to finish our push up matrix�fuck yeah baby!!!� Bring it!!!
Thank you.
Humbled, rj
�
March 26, 2004
Hey Coach,
You can tell all your fans that your athlete interview has been published.�
They can view it by going to www.foot.com and clicking on the Athlete Interviews section in the bottom left section of the home page or see it directly by going to
http://www.foot.com/info/ai_interview.jsp
We're looking forward to starting a "Coach Ilg's" weekly fitness tips section in our�Sports Center section of�foot.com.�
Let me know when�we can get the ball rolling on that.��We appreciate your �participation and believe it will be a mutually beneficial undertaking.� If you have suggestions, corrections, or questions please email me.
Thanks again Coach!
Bob Ristovski
Information Architecture Lead/Web Developer LII
www.foot.com
Phone: 800.526.2739 x245
March 25, 2004
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors...
no, the 'Trainer Of Celebrities' profiled largely in the fitness media these days with his "Holistic Fitness Method" that "combines strength, cardio, yoga, and meditation," is not me.
fact one: i created Wholistic Fitness� before this guy was born.
fact two: i don't have a PR agency to promote my lifework.
nor do i want one.
i have never spent money on advertising. i have been Instructed by my Teacher's to lead by example and maybe ring a gong early in the morning and see who the Devoted and Willing Ones are that show up for the real Work.
yes, it is a bit sad that i spent most of my life training myself and dozens of others into World Class fitness in a more sports than possibly any other coach.
no one cares.
but the moment a celebrity shows up and sees the Light,
the World starts perking up their attention.
yes i have trained and still do train celebrities.
they receive no preferential treatment.
that is why most of them do not linger long in the High Intensity Light of
my humble (but Powerful) work of Wholistic Fitness and High Performance Yoga.
it's all good and i don't want you, my devoted WF Warriors, to write 'hate mail' to
this young upstart who is making bank and fame off of what you and i have enjoyed
and practiced humbly for years.
there have been other 'copy cat' personal trainers through the years.
there will be more who attempt to duplicate WF and modify it and stylize it.
as long as they are teaching their students safe and effective ways of breathing and moving
i am all for it. i ain't like a certain indoor cycling 'guru' who spends a fortune trying to own
a trademarked name and suing everybody for 'intellectual property rights.'
to me, only God knows the authenticity with which we present to the world as the years roll
by. He knows.
yes, it would be nice if more Westerners practiced the yogic and martial art Way of always honoring their Teachers which have given them the shoulders upon which they stand.
but, oh well.
i have you.
you have me.
and we have our beloved Path.
that is what matters most in the long run.
now, i'd like you to visit my ultra-racing Brother Ron Jone's recent article on BodyWeight Training...Ron has been giving a bunch of football kids some HP Yoga and WF techniques...check it out, it is great! Well done Ronbro!
http://www.ronjones.org/CurrentComments/Local/Blackboard/2004/BodyWeightMagic.html
i bow to you and the magic of our ever persevering Path of Transformation Through Fitness...
coach ilg
March 24, 2004
Congrats to track phenomena Natalie Hughes, a Florida State University Junior, who first won the indoor mile(1500m) in the NCAA Div I Atlantic Coast Conference Championships then took 5th at the recent NCAA Div. I Indoor Track and Field Championships...without even tapering. Why are we mentioning this here on DL? Because Teacher Sheader not only help coach Natalie in Highschool to 13, yes 13! state championships but still works with her (and trains...got a love a coach who does Intervals with his athletes) during the off season and provides consultation during the season. Her recent Strength Training program? Right out of Total Body Transformation. Cardio? Over Christmas break, Natalie and Teacher Haku enjoyed a sub zero 8 mile tempo run at average of 5:30 per mile. That's a real celebration of incarnation! She even has mastered Medium Form!
March 23, 2004
Noble New Students...
there are many of you very excited about becoming WF Online Students. many of you are Practicing Patience very beautifully outside our humble Temple. Thank you. Quality Teachers are traditionally quite slippery to catch. At least you don't have to go to India, trek into Tibet, find your Teacher's cave somewhere and sit your butt out in the arctic cold and snow trying to become accepted as a Student! Mine is a humble Temple. I bow to your Patience.
A re-minder to new Online WF Students. WF is a Spiritual Path. It targets Transformation. Many of our teachings may appear odd and even at opposite ends of things you have thus learned about personal fitness. It will be very important for you to "empty your cup," as my Teachers instructed me to do for them. My most accomplished Master Students often began as the most skeptical and resistant to their first few months of training. I had to say time and again to them; "Empty your cup."
Only when we become empty of what we 'think' we know,
can we truly begin to know.
True knowledge is gained only by direct experience.
Here is the Zen Story that is the origination of the 'empty your cup,' phrase.
May your Practice be strong and sincere today...
love,
coach ilg
���
A Cup of Tea
Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.
Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.
The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"
"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"
March 22, 2004
Dear Coach Ilg
My physically active and throughout life competitive father and brother were very interested in your accomplishments! My father may have seen you scale Half Dome (how many people are able to do something like that - and actually go and do it?!)
- Student R
Noble Student R -
tell your noble father and brother that i nearly wetted my pants the first time i hurt my neck looking up at the 4,000' overhanging chunk of granite from Yosemite Meadows at age 15. it took me three attempts to free climb Half Dome in Yosemite. on one attempt i lost 20 lbs and crawled onto the summit looking quite like an anorexic at 102 lbs! on the great wall (which takes about 3 days to climb if you free climb it), we would wake up and take voluntary 15' falls onto our rope just to get ready for the day ahead!
i fell so in love with Half Dome. i would love to free climb her again. I loved her the moment i first saw her sensual yawning folds of upward arcing granite in an Ansel Adams photograph.
i ended up free climbing all but about 60 feet of her amazing overhanging sheath of finger wrecking granite.
one of my most magnificent 'failures' of my feeble life!
there are many more.
but that is all past and Now is Here.
love,
coach ilg
author/TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION
Steve, Joy, and the Dharma crew,
Thank you for sharing your passion for wholistic fitness, and studio, with me. From that experience, I have incorporated powerful affirmations and asanas into my practice and teaching, further strengthening the students here in Indianapolis.
Namaste,
Abby
Wanna Ski With Steve?
From April 2 - 5 come up to June Mountain, California (lift ticket is good at Mammoth Mountain as well!) and shred the slopes with former National Nordic Combined and State Champion Alpine ski racer, Steve Ilg as he offers a HP Yoga Workshop at June Mountain on Saturday, April 3rd.
Note; this is just a getaway but Steve will be accepting 1- 2 private sessions along with the workshop.
for more information contact Suzanne Nottingham at
760-648-7004
visit:
www.doubleeagleresort.com
March 20, 2004
LIFE CHANGING BOOK, March 10, 2004
Reviewer: jjwood1978 from CHICAGO, IL
I PICKED UP THIS BOOK BECAUSE I WANTED TO INCORPORATE YOGA INTO MY STRENGTH TRAINING ROUTINE. HAVING BEEN LIFTING PRETTY INTENSIVELY FOR A GOOD 10 YEARS, I BECAME STIFF AND MY FLEXIBILITY WASN'T GOOD. I FIGURED YOGA WOULD COMBAT THAT AND GIVE ME THAT SLEEK LOOK TO MY PHYSIQUE, RATHER THAN THE SQUATTY COMPACT LOOK GAINED FROM WEIGHT TRAINING W/O PROPER STRETCHING. NOW A GOOD 2 MONTHS INTO THE TRAINNG PROGRAM OUTLINED IN TBT I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER W/ THE RESULTS. I HAVE HAD GAINS IN STRENGTH AS WELL AS A MORE APPEALING OVERALL APPEARANCE LIKE NO OTHER TRAINING REGIME I USED IN THE PAST (10 YEARS WORTH!). I NOW WOULD CHOOSE A YOGA SESSION OVER STRENGTH TRAINING ANYDAY, WHICH IS AMAZING CONSIDERING HOW MUCH I WAS ADDICTED TO THROWING AROUND THE IRON (WHICH HAPPENS WHEN YOU DO IT FOR AS LONG AS I HAVE). I'D BE MISERABLE IF I DIDN'T GET TO LIFT WHEN I WAS SUPPOSED TO, BUT NOW I HAVE A NEW LOVE: YOGA. IT IS SO MUCH MORE CHALLENGING, AND BALANCING (PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY)THAN LIFTING. ANYWAY, ALL THAT IS FOR PEOPLE TO FIND OUT ON THEIR OWN WF JOURNEY. THIS PROGRAM DESIGNED BY STEVE ILG IS GOING TO CHALLENGE YOU AND IF YOU CAN LEARN TO STAND UP AND FACE IT, ULTIMATELY YOU WILL NOT ONLY BE IN FABULOUS SHAPE, YOU'LL BE A BETTER PERSON. IT'S ALL IN THE PAGES, TOO MUCH I CAN GO ON AND ON. BOTTOM LINE IT HAS OPENED MY EYES TO A WORLD OF PRACTICES THAT I HAVE BEEN NAIVE TO AND MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I HAVE BEEN WASTING MY TIME FOR 10 YEARS. THIS IS IT, GET IT AND START LIVING YOUR LIFE THE WAY IT SHOULD BE.
from amazon.com
Total Body Transformation, March 11, 2004
Reviewer: Dansan from Santa Cruz, CA USA
This work is a gem from a true individual. The ideas outlined in this textbook are the result of years of trial and error along with feedback from himself, fellow teachers,and students. I have been a fan of his books, and personal student for a number of years. I can attest to validilty of the man and his work. These days we are choked with the latest ineffective fitness plans,questionable diets, flimsy equipment, dangerous pills and supplements,along with outlandish claims being made and endorsed by former "fitness" experts and has-been hollywood "stars" in all forms of the media. This book is
a simple breath of fresh air.
{THANK YOU NOBLE STUDENT DANSAN! wanna help your feeble coach? wanna make a difference in someone's life? wanna help jumpstart a Higher Transformation of our nation's obesity and lack of spiritual fitness? go to www.amazon.com today and write your own review of my new book! c'mon warriors! we've got lives to help! - your feeble teacher, ilg}
Yet Another 5 out of 5 star review for
TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION at
www.amazon.com!
Surprise youself, March 17, 2004
Reviewer: mjdpost from Fair Haven, NJ United States
I've practiced the various disciplines described in Total Body Transformation - strength training, cardio training (as a bike-riding commuter), and a few yoga classes - separately at various points in my life. I've experienced benefits from each, but never did all three at the same time. I purchased this book because I was interested to see how these different fitness disciplines could be combined into a single practice (also because I was interested in getting myself into great shape).
There are a few impressive things about this book. First is that Ilg has created a schedule that gives you enough of each discipline to experience the benefits of all of them. And not just one schedule, a cyclical regimen you can use to train continuously, without overtraining. The amount of time, learning, and trial and error the author must have spent in constructing such a program is astounding. It's great to have his experience distilled in such a concise, readable form. This is the kind of advice that once only elite athletes could get; now, thanks to Steve Ilg, it's available for the price of a hardcover book.
The most surprising thing about this book is the insights that Ilg provides into the inner experience of doing the program. Lifting weights had always seemed like a pretty mechanical operation to me; before this book, I never considered how mental focus could improve the quality of the exercise. Now, for example, in the middle of a back squat, for, I'll remember a snippet of his advice about what to think about in order to do the exercise better. Similar is his advice to be bold about trying certain movements, like Hang Cleans, that look intimidating until you actually give them a try.
If you are serious about getting into good shape, not just better shape, give this book a read.
Fan Quote Of The Week?:
"WHO ARE YOU MR. ILG? ARE YOU STILL MARRIED? IF NOT CALL ME! YOUR BOOK IS THE BOMB! I THINK YOU ARE BUDDHA-LICIOUS BABY!"
- Nylie from Brooklyn
Buddha-licious!?
Oh Lord Patanjali, forgive me.
I did not know...i was just trying to bridge the gap between East/West fitness methodologies...being "Budda-licious" was NOT, i promise You, part of my intent!
how about some genuine Ilg-isms that have been coming through my early morning Practices?
send in yours! we all must help each other by sharing our In-sights
from Practice if we are ever to become Buddha-licious!
;-)
note: all Practice In-sights must come from the space where sweat dances with conscious breathing.
here are my most recent ones. may they help you turn an inner eye to your work'outs':
���
In my experience, intensity reveals weakness.
- coach ilg
���
�Wherever there is tightness in your body there is weakness. It requires tremendous inner fortitude to match suppleness with strength. For those of us who begin the journey toward genuine functional flexibility, we must attack our weaknesses and stiff areas with as much consistent conscious awareness and effort as it took lazy, unconscious lack of awareness to produce the weakness and stiffness in the first place! For many of us, particularly aging athletes, we are in for the best BattleDance of our life.�
- coach ilg
���
�Answer people with your eyes not with your words. Eyes reveal the intensity and consistency of your inner work.�
- coach ilg
��
�Consistent meditation produces a vortex within each moment making more of your life available for spiritual work.�
- coach ilg
���
�If you want to be happy constantly, do this: Forget it. If, however, you want to regain your natural state of Joy, do this: train your mind (meditate)!�
- coach ilg
��
�Spiritual work is a lot like commercialism in the fact that there really isn�t anything �new�...just cleverly repackaged in order to get you to try it.�
- coach ilg on why he chose personal fitness and sport performance as forms of spiritual training.
���
�Too much ease = dis-ease. Ride your bike, strength train, do yoga, eat herbs. Move and breathe, baby!�
- coach ilg
���
�Feel the pleasure of being in your body. The larger context will open later.�
- coach ilg
���
�If you seek grace plus strength you must have clarity of intention. Use conscious posture to develop the strength and use conscious breathing as a means of acquiring grace.�
- coach ilg
March 19, 2004
To friends, family, and Wholistic Fitness students,
A deep bow of congratulations to young warrior Kerry Sheader, son of Teacher Haku (Joseph Sheader), who in a period of less than ten days attained his adult black belt (he is only 13) in Jeet Kune Do AND then this weekend won his first NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP in Eskrima-Kali stick fighting...a lethal martial art from the Philippines. Kerry is now qualified as a seeded competitor for the world championships this summer in the �Philippines.
Kerry trains with Sifu Troy Miller at High Desert Martial Arts in Grand Junction, Colorado. His outstanding conditioning drawing much Wholistic Fitness� principles and practices, including Sunrider Herbs.
Kerry is also a competitive wrestler, district mile champion, and a member of the state honor band First Chair Tuba.
One of his favorite books is Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman.
Donations are eagerly being sought so Kerry and his father (Teacher Sheader) can join the team in attending the World Championships June 24-27 in Cebu City, Philippians. We are seeking business donations as well and will give recognition to every sponsor.
Please send any donation to JOSEPH SHEADER bookmarked for Kali World Championship:
�����������2014 N. 20th St
�����������Grand Junction, CO
�����������81501
Thank you Coach Ilg for allowing Kerry and I the wonderful worldwide vehicle of DIRECT LINES to help us!
head bowed,
WF Online Teacher Sheader
March 18, 2004
Noble Herbal Warriors!
The month is barely half over and the Ilg Downline has already busted the tape at 10,000+ Group SV!
I love gaining podiums, particularly National ones.
You know my athletic resume. Still unmatched.
The top of the podium is precisely where we have been in SUNRIDER for the last 4 months!
Top of the entire United States/Canada SV accumulations!
More importantly, the power of our Ilg Downline is reflected person by person:
Like Rosa's letter below,
Dear Coach Ilg,
It's been a long time since I've communicated with you.
I'm still on the Sunrider herbs and have two people total under me.
It's been great. My craving for junk food, has left me. I'm eating
less and less. My skin looks better and better each day. I have this
girl who just joined under me who has been using the herbs just like you
instruct for over a month now and she has lost some weight and is really
happy about the herbs. She is a girl that works with me. We both drink
out of our Sunrider bottles everyday and people are starting to ask us
"what is that"? One person last Friday said "Is that iced tea"? I said
no way is way more powerful than iced tea or any soft drinks out there.
This are herbs that give you energy, cleanse your body while you lose
fat at the same time. My friend that just joined with Sunrider said
jokingly "please don't compare this high quality stuff with iced tea".
Anyway, I can feel and see the power of the herbs in my own life and I'm
starting to see it in the people that I've brought in that are sticking
to it.
Rosa
���
"sticking to it."
there are the DharmaWords!
you know, the only people that are skeptical about SUNRIDER herbs?
are the ones NOT EATING THE HERBS!!!!
don't tell me you are RESEARCHING the herbs or Dr. Chen
on the Internet.
that is bullshit.
here is truth:
DIRECT EXPERIENCE, baby!
you want to test YOUR nutrition against my SUNRIDER nutrition?
sure, come out to LA for a 3 day Private Intensive!
match the strength, the endurance, the flexibility, the YOUTHFULNESS of 'old man ilg's' nutrition
against what you have been feeding your body...
i don't care how old you are.
most 20 year olds can't even come close to my fitness, why?
the herbs and WF baby!
we'll see...
i promise.
until you
or your skeptic friend i should say,
take me up on that invitation,
play it safe:
i suggest this:
eat the herbs...even ONE dang month!
and you tell me
if you,
honestly
do not feel
better
healthier
leaner
more clean
more aware...
DIRECT EXPERIENCE = SELF REALIZATION
����
follow my lead, i will never steer you wrong, i am devoted to that!
Rosa now knows.
because she has felt my words
through Direct Experience.
that, my Tribal Sisters and Brothers, is the only thing that matters in life:
when we Feel It
we Get It.
and it no longer matters what Steve Ilg says,
or the Internet says,
or the Business Profiles say...
we just Get It.
and It feels appropriate.
SUNRIDER herbs
HP Yoga
and
living a Wholistic Fitness
lifestyle
just
feels
like
Appropriate Action (see my books or take the JOURNEY at www.wholisticfitness.com)
doesn't it?
to witness
the beauty of our unfolding
instead of
remaining
tight
in the conditioned bud.
go for it.
love endlessly
throughout the eons
no matter what
coach ilg RYT/USCF/NCHA
Director/SUNRIDER INTERNATIONAL
Author/TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION
March 17, 2004
NAMASTA
Steve your passion is exciting and motivating I�envision being�able to mirror your fervor.
-Yogi Barry
{Coach's Note}: i am sorry, but i must say something here about Yogi B. phew. he came to my HP Yoga classes at PowerHouse Gym. one of the Few. one of the Brave stiff but strong bodybuilders/outdoor fitness enthusiasts that actually dared to enter the roomfull of svelte females to do the Real Work of breaking down his stiffness to find the True Strength of Suppleness. that was 5 (?) years ago. today? you guessed it, baby. typical HP Yoga fashion, Barry is quantum pounds lighter, leaner, and kinder. in fact, yesterday i just put out a request to my local Yogis for an electrician/handyman and Yogi B answered the call to Inner Duty within 30 minutes of my posting. Apparently Barry was an electrician in the military and is willing to Serve again. Warriors, baby, that is what my Tribe (you) are all about!
i bow to Yogi B.
love,
your feeble teacher
Coach Ilg,
The events of the last 24 hours compel me to send you this note.
I am a 47 year old, overweight executive who has been fighting with
demons of overindulgence for the past 20 years.� I have rationalized
my situation because of my job, raising 4 children, etc, etc.� Got
your book in January, actually the second of your works I have
acquired over the years.� It all clicked for me, but the old habits
and the ego mind can be formidable foes.
In my present condition, I couldn't even think about doing many of the
exercises or poses in the book.� I read Direct Lines and dream of
being able to accomplish the physical achievements depicted there.�
But last night, doing errands while my son was doing his practice
(soccer), I found myself running from store to store.� Can you imagine
what the other shoppers were thinking when they saw this
short,�overweight, middle aged man running through the parking lot?� I
felt so energized, I couldn?t help it!
This morning when I got up to do my practice I found that one of my
German Shepherds had a diarrhea episode right on my exercise mats.�
Ordinarily, I would have seen this as a sign to go back to bed.� I
simply picked the mats up, threw them out the door, and went on.
Finally, when getting ready for work, I began to get exasperated
because I had left something down stairs in the dining room, from
which I had just come.� Instead of cursing, my usual reaction, I found
myself just taking a deep, cleansing breath.
I would guess that many of your disciples are accomplished athletes,
and your prescriptions for building the physical body are fantastic.�
And while I cannot yet boast huge weight loss numbers or athletic
achievements, I wanted to share with you my small strides during the
last day.� For indeed, what I am experiencing is not Body
Transformation, but maybe Life Transformation, or Soul
Transformation.� For the first time in my life, I feel like I am on
the correct Path, and the Path feels good!
I felt compelled to share this with you to let you know how much I
appreciate all of your efforts in making the tenets of WF available to
us all.� I know it must be very time intensive, and to some extent,
intrudes into your own practice.� I also know you probably get
thousands of these types of e-mails, but it was important to me to
express to you directly my love and appreciation for all that you do.
Regards to you and yours.
Joe Majestic
March 16, 2004
Dear Coach Ilg,
I'm writing to thank you for Total Body
Transformation. I have completed two weeks of Green
Tara. As I work through the program, I am amazed at
the insights you provide into everything from the
training movements to suggestions about the proper
attitude of a WF student.
What shines through the most in this program, as it
must to anyone who practices it, is the years of sweat
and effort that you must have put into mastering and
integrating the WF disciplines. Further, that you've
reflected enough on their mystery to explain your
knowledge to others. Still further, your generosity at
sharing your knowledge with those who (like me) would
never have otherwise discovered it. Again, I am very
grateful.
At this early stage, I offer two personal insights
about surprises I've encountered during Green Tara:
1.) today I felt bold and brave as I started my cardio
interval workout (feelings which are beginning to
spill into my daily life (hence this email)).
2.) I really dig Hang Cleans! :-) When I read the
description and looked at the picture in the book, I
thought for sure I'd hospitalize myself the first time
I tried them. After 2 workouts with Hang Cleans,
however, I have to say I'm hooked and looking forward
to more powerful movements in the Cosmic Yang program.
I usually don't write letters like this to people I've
never met, but even at this early stage, WF is giving
me some joy and hope.
With sincere gratitude,
Mike DeSantis
Fair Haven, NJ
March 15, 2004
What thrills me most about what i do is to be able to witness
those Devoted Students who follow my counsel
enjoy the fluid beauty of moving toward
what they can become.
For those of you poor saps who have ridden with me on my Tuna Canyon Testpiece...
read today's stats and wince:
WF Home Office to the ocean via Topanga: 48.08
Tuna Canyon to Saddle Peak Road: 40.45
WF Home Office to Top of Saddle Peak Road (aka; Konanda's Cry): 1:38
7 Minute Hill (what the Pros do it in): 6:58
Total Time: 2:21:43
Average Speed (solo with wind): 16.50 mph
Age: nearly 42 years young
HP Yoga + SR Herbs made up the bulk of my training for three weeks before this ride.
The proof of our humble but powerful Way, lies in the Practice, baby!
May your legs twitch at night as you look forward to your OWN Tuna Canyon Testpiece
each week...
Intensity reveals weakness.
Jao!
In Strength & Spirit,
coach ilg
March 14, 2004
When i created WF 20 years ago, i wanted to improve people�s character through personal fitness.
It�s been a long haul.
Changing character doesn�t happen overnight.
It doesn�t happen overnight because we all have what my Tibetan Teachers called, �Clinging Attachments.�
I�ll say.
A CD-ROM doesn�t have enough space to store all of my Clinging Attachments. One - just one - of mine was Banana Cream Pie (BCP). This was a long time ago. Can�t remember when i last had a slice. damnit.
Anyway, during that era of my life, i had already been trained by my Teachers to watch for my Clinging Attachments. Having easily spotted BCP as a significant one for a professional rock climber, i there and then vowed not to eat another slice of BCP until i had free climbed the Northwest Face of Half Dome in Yosemite Valley. Look it up. It�s big. Speaking of Clinging Attachment, to free climb Half Dome requires dwindling your bodyfat percentage and climbing ability to that of a Red Ant. In fact, by the 17th pitch (about 3,000 vertical feet off the ground) the only creatures up there are indeed, Red Ants.
In my typical Slow-To-Get-It-Done skill level, it required 5 years and a helluva lot of saying �no� to BCP to free climb Half Dome.
By the time i accomplished that goal?
I no longer wanted BCP.
Things change along the Way, my beautiful fitness warriors, even that which drives us inwardly toward our Highest Personal Summits.
I share this with you because when I read letters like the following actual training dialogue between WF Teacher Sheader and his student Toby, it makes my heart and soul expand like the UniVerse. I created WF to change character. In the following excerpt from his Online Training, you can viscerally feel a huge Shift in Student Toby�s character in regard to his relationship with his wife.
This, to me, is a huge paycheck.
Thank you Teacher Sheader.
Thank you, Student Toby.
Your efforts in changing your character toward the Higher Way has made me feel very wealthy tonight:
�
Student Toby: �My observations of what Coach Ilg said about practicing non-judgement, the common technique of the ego to look for faults, and choosing to 'let go and observe oneself' really hit home for me. �I can be very critical, especialy to those closest to me, like my wife and kids. �This morning I got off the yoga mat, went back into the house and snapped at my wife for some of her limitations that were at the time expressing themselves and the state of our ever-messy
house. �Next time I will go back to my breath and look at what I can do to forward the situation, not create friction.
WF Teacher Sheader: Yes, every time one makes a step in expressing their higher self over the ego is another step closure to Awakening. I know the challenge of the h(om)elife well. Responding with kindness and what is truly loving (not co-dependant) is always the way to go.
Student Toby: Addendum to my last Cycle Summation - I weighed 151.5 this morning. �Those Slim Caps from SUNRIDER really work, don't they. �Hope I don't wither away. �:-)
WF Teacher Sheader: Not a chance, not with all the muscle we are putting on ya!
Coach Ilg,
Thanks for your words in the most recent DL. They were just the chi hit
that I needed today, and the video was great (keep 'em coming...Teacher
Sheader next?).
Peace to you.
Student Michael
Dear coache',
i love the ilg presentation dvd!
love,
student dansan
Coach Ilg,
Your Direct Lines are always fun, inspirational and helpful; and sometimes like today they drive me nuts!
In a good way; it would be such a joy to practice in the HP Yoga studio.
Today my privileges include wonderful on line training from WF Coach Sheader, WF videos, TBT and our great local YMCA�s.
I am content.
Every Step,
Student Karl �
Charlotte, NC
PS
Regularly I make gifts of copies of Peace Is Every Step and TBT. They are always read and appreciated.
I am always doing that
which I cannot do, in
order that I may learn
how to do it.
-Pablo Picasso
March 13, 2004
Because they challenge us to the limits of our open-mindedness, difficult relationships are in many ways the most valuable for practice. The people who irritate us are the ones who inevitably blow our cover. Through them we might come to see our defenses very clearly. Shantideva explained it like this: If we wish to practice generosity and a beggar arrives, that's good news. The beggar gives us an opportunity to learn how to give. Likewise, if we want to practice patience and unconditional loving-kindness and an enemy arrives, we are in luck. Without the ones who irritate us, we never have a chance to practice.
- Pema Chodron
Those of you in LA; see you at my Phase II Sunrider Herbs Talk tomorrow at 2:30 pm at the HP Yoga Studio.
What do you value most in your one precious life?
Energy?
Life force?
That is what HP Yoga, Wholistic Fitness, and Sunrider Herbs are all about baby...
We've got a Way
Come, check it out...
(If i'm late to our Sunrider Meeting, it's only because i am fitting in a mountain bike and a gym workout and a pranayama session beforehand...Practice, baby....Practice!)
love,
coach ilg
March 12, 2004
Namaste Noble Warriors!
yes, for those of you who just can't live without an Ilg Chi Hit...we do have the Steve Ilg Presentation DVD available (email me directly) but there is a live streaming access at:
http://homepage.mac.com/wwclick/iMovieTheater7.html
NOTE: like quality spiritual training, it takes a while to load up. about 3 minutes for High Speed and about an eon for dial up.
so click on it, then go fetch some Calli Tea and enjoy the Presentation for free!
let me know if you want a DVD of the Presentation.
love,
coach ilg
NAMASTE NOBLE WARRIORS!
"Some people speak of Destiny. I can only speak of human effort."
- coach ilg
In the same way Meditation (Dhyana) is a training effect from
Concentration (Dharana), so too is motivation a training effect from
human effort. The effort has to be there. No way around it.
Success in yoga requires one thing; persistence. Consistent effort is
everything. Ability level means diddilypoop. Effort baby! That�s
what matters most to discovering your life and giving yourself fully to
all of it.
But you must, right now, today and tomorrow and the next day do one
thing: show up. Begin again and again if you must, but NEVER give up
the effort to get to class. I did not move to this Big City from my
Beloved Mountains to give only half effort to practicing my sense of
sva-dharma (inner duty). Neither should you. Before I leave this
Big City and return to my personal Practice in the high mountains, I
want to leave you with a deep fiber fitness of body and mind so that in
later years, when our bodies are old and wrinkled; your posture shall
not slump and your spirit shall only soar Higher.
The Masters say that if we maintain our Practice consistently under
wise guidance, we can prepare our gross and subtle anatomy properly
for the real intense spiritual work of meditation which begins at age
75. We have time, you and I. But life flows as fast as the Gunnison
River during spring runoff. We MUST NOT waver in our determined
Practice. Every day is precious. The focus of your inner life must be
centered around fitness. Meditation comes later in life; now, we need
to build tremendous strength and suppleness into our beings. This
requires work; a lot of it. Don�t run away from it...there are no
shortcuts to spiritual life around the body. You must train with Her,
not around Her.
There is not another yoga studio or style like ours. The spiritual
strength that emanates from our humble Practice Cave on Ventura is
doing more than transforming bodies...it is elevating the spiritual
life of our students. But we must deepen our collective resolve and
dive into our Practices with more consistency and more willingness to
Rise Above our lazy and negative tendencies.
I don�t want to hear excuses from you or what various aches and pains
you have. I have had enough of my own. Your Work with me and my
staff of gifted Teachers, is in the Now.
Show up to Practice. Give 100% effort. Get on the herbs.
It amazes me how many other �fitness� and �yoga� people keep doing
their practices, yet their bodies and their tendencies never change!
You have SEEN the remarkable and internationally known training effect
of my style on our students. You have read my latest book. You and I
have a great gift before us; our proven Path toward a Higher Us, is
right here! If we just Practice together - no matter what - our
bodies will drop fat (which is a manifestation of greed and past undone
karmic work), our muscles leap out with strength and suppleness (muscle
energy is the spiritual precursor to Prana), and our souls will sing
the song they were meant to sing during this life!
That is quality training. That is what I am devoted toward bringing
you. But I need you to show up, Warrior!
Yes, I am a fierce Teacher...I come from a Warrior�s lineage. If you
want a less intense style of body/mind fitness, well, these days there
is a yoga studio or a gym on every block. Free feel to enjoy their
style. This is not a question of superiority but a question of
Finding versus Seeking.
I teach a Path for Finders, not Seekers. That is why I love you; for
you are my spiritual family. You are my pine trees and sunlit summit
snows. You are why I came here to build our little studio of the Big
Light! Please, redouble your effort to get to more classes so our
ripple starts making Waves of peaceful strength along Ventura and out
into the Universe.
Obesity (greed) is the number one killer of our North American tribe.
We must help our Sisters and our Brothers who are lost in the darkness
of the outer directed world. We must show them their inner Light.
How?
By keeping our own Practice strong and sincere.
That is all.
I bow to your devoted Practice. See you at the following event this
Sunday.
Love and Inner Light,
Coach Ilg, RYT/USCF
author/Total Body Transformation
HERBS AND ILG: PHASE II - Cell Empowerment
Sunday, March 14th - 2:30 pm
at the HP YOGA STUDIO
Since 1982, SUNRIDER as been the Official Nutritional Program of
Wholistic Fitness and High Performance Yoga. Come find out why!
I will be discussing the second of my unique and proven approach to
using the SUNRIDER Herbs for optimal weight management and high energy
living, baby!
no charge; free product demonstrations, and MAJOR SALE ON SUNRIDER
HERBS!
Later the same evening my Zen/Dharma Talk will be on
�The Yoga Of Eating.�
(6:30 pm following Joy�s Easy Flow @ 5:00 pm)
It�s all right here waiting for you each day, each week at Steve Ilg�s
HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA; World Class Yoga by a World Class Athlete.
���
Steve man,
Just finished soaking up the material in your latest book and I must
say it is beyond anything I have ever gotten my hands on. It's like
Way of The Peaceful Warrior combined with Supertraining: a perfectly
detailed plan of how to take care of your body, and mind ! Incredible
and uplifting in every sense of the word ! I had never done much
meditation but
will definitely be adding it to my wholistic training. I always
stretched a lot but you also convinced me that yoga might be a much
better way of training for and maintaining flexibility.
I wish you nothing but the best with all your life's endeavors.
Because indeed, that is what I feel you are bringing to people, the
best...
Ilg for President !!! (Heck why not ?)
Eric L�pine
Montr�al, Canada
March 11, 2004
Steve man,
Just finished soaking up the material in your latest book and I must
say it is beyond anything I have ever gotten my hands on. It's like
Way of The Peaceful Warrior combined with Supertraining (best
training book ever, by Mel C Siff) : a perfectly detailed plan of
how to take care of your body, and mind ! Incredible and uplifting
in every sense of the word ! I had never done much meditation but
will definetely be adding it to my wholistic training. I always
stretched a lot but you also convinced me that yoga might be a much
better way of training for and maintaining flexibility.
I wish you nothing but the best with all your life's endeavors. Because
indeed, that is what I feel you are bringing to people, the best...
Ilg for President !!! (Heck why not ?)
Eric L�pine
Montr�al, Canada
March 10, 2004
"Some people speak of Destiny.
I can only speak of human effort."
- coach ilg
Coach Ilg,
The gym I go to doesn't have a squat rack and I don't want to use
the gliding thing :( I find can only do a small amount via free weight
because I have to press the barbell over my head from off the bench press to
get it onto my shoulders. Should I stay w/the light free weight or go to the
gliding thing :( and go heavy so I can reach failure on my sets? Or is there
anything that you know that I can rig in the gym to give myself easy access
to the weight in order to squat?
namaste,
Justin Wood
P.S. I am on week two of the cosmic yang program and I am in love w/power
cleans. So much strength and beauty is unleashed in that lift. All problems
seem to vanish.
���
Dear Noble Fitness Warrior Justin -
That "gliding thing" is called a Smith Machine, invented by my friend Jim Smith. Yup, i am THAT old!
i want you to do 4 things:
1) Accept this situation as a Teacher, not a problem.
2)Make an appointment with the Club Manager and politely - in a yogic way - ask him or her why the hell they don't have a Squat Rack for Christ's sake? How is a member of their gym supposed to get an Appropriate leg workout - let alone see God - without a Squat Rack? Who is designing gyms these days, anyway?! Do this to benefit your gym Sangha. The main goal of a WF Warrior is to help others.
3) Join a different gym (threaten the Gym Manager with this option).
4) Use the Smith Machine but be very, very Aware about going to Momentary Muscular Failure; use a spotter for your heavy sets.
Finally, I share your love of PowerCleans. The outer world would be a much more kinder, gentler, and powerful place if everybody did PowerCleans until they puked black blood every week! Most people are like sheep, scared of high intensity lifts like PowerCleans. You, my noble student, have found a key to your Inner Power!
Glad you are enjoying my humble Teachings by direct experience. There are many book reviewers 'critiquing' TBT without so much as doing one PowerClean or even a chatarunga or a cardio commute. Consider writing a quick Warrior's Review of TBT at Amazon.com...let the outer world hear from a real TBT Practitioner!
Onward, Upward, Inward...
i bow to you,
coach ilg
Coach Ilg,
The gym I go to doesn't have a squat rack and I don't want to use
the gliding thing :( I find can only do a small amount via free weight
because I have to press the barbell over my head from off the bench press to
get it onto my shoulders. Should I stay w/the light free weight or go to the
gliding thing :( and go heavy so I can reach failure on my sets? Or is there
anything that you know that I can rig in the gym to give myself easy access
to the weight in order to squat?
namaste,
Justin Wood
P.S. I am on week two of the cosmic yang program and I am in love w/power
cleans. So much strength and beauty is unleashed in that lift. All problems
seem to vanish.
���
Dear Noble Fitness Warrior Justin -
That "gliding thing" is called a Smith Machine, invented by my friend Jim Smith. Yup, i am THAT old!
i want you to do 3 things:
1) Make an appointment with the Club Manager and politely - in a yogic way - ask him or her why the hell they don't have a Squat Rack for Christ's sake? How is one supposed to get an Appropriate leg workout - let alone see God - without a Squat Rack? Who is designing gyms these days, anyway?! Do this to benefit your gym Sangha. The main goal of a WF Warrior is to help others.
2) Join a different gym (threaten the Gym Manager with this option).
3) Use the Smith Machine but be very, very Aware about going to Momentary Muscular Failure; use a spotter for your heavy sets.
Finally, I share your love of PowerCleans. The outer world would be a much more kinder, gentler, and powerful place if everybody did PowerCleans until they puked black blood every week! Most people are sheep, scared of high intensity lifts like PowerCleans. You, my noble student, have found a key to your Inner Power!
Glad you are enjoying my humble Teachings by direct experience. There are many book reviewers 'critiquing' TBT without so much as doing one PowerClean or even a chatarunga or a cardio commute. Consider writing a quick Warrior's Review of TBT at Amazon.com...let the outer world hear from a real TBT Practitioner!
Onward, Upward, Inward...
i bow to you,
coach ilg
March 09, 2004
Steve,
About 6 weeks ago you sent me a copy of Total Body Transformation. The timing could not have been better. I was recovering from a hernia repair surgery, feeling an "old" aged 53 years, and my fitness, physical, mental and spiritual, was low. I have trained using your programs, off and on, since early 90's with The Outdoor Athlete and then the Winter Athlete. However, this January found me without the motivation, enthusiasm and discipline necessary to get back at it -- in fact, quite depressed.
TBT has changed all that. It's well written, exciting and informative. The programs seem great...very challenging, but steadily progressing on each, and doable. I've just completed the Green Tara program and the associated recovery week. In my cycle summation, I wrote, "The Green Tara program has given me a renewed sense of...just how important fitness is in my life." I said all that to say, many, many thanks!
- C.B from CO
ilg -
oh! and i always turn out your book, full frontal, on the shelves of any bookstores I visit.
whatever i can do, baby! whatever i can do!
Love ya back,
anne
Namaste Coach Ilg,
I bow to you and your program for training my yoga teacher, chris. I have been to his classes for the past 4 years and was a small part in helping him open his new venture, Twisted Sage. He introduced me to the Sunrider herbs, which I am about to order more of now.
I hope you will be able to fit into your busy schedule, a trip to Indianapolis, to see for yourself, Twisted Sage.
Shanti, Teacher In Training,
Jim Wills
March 08, 2004
Namaste Noble Warriors!
�Fitness must the be entire focus of one�s life if one wishes to live it well. You must be able to find fitness everywhere and you will, because it is.�
- coach ilg
Life in LA is amazing right now. Least, to me it is. But then again, i don�t read newspapers or watch �the news� on TV because what the outer directed world calls �news� is not my choice of news. What makes news to me, is a new opening in my external hip rotator that i have been steadily and sweatily working on for years and years.
What makes news to me is that i nearly fell over in front of my students during zen last Sunday because my legs fell asleep during the sit because i had ridden my mountain bike too close to the zen session. (But i�d rather fall over in front of my students and be true to multi disciplined fitness than some zen-specific monk that can�t even friggin� do intervals on a mountain bike!).
What makes news to me is seeing a student Rise Above their conditioned fear patterned onto them from parents that guilted them into �believing� a particular thoughtform that has absolutely no basis in present reality.
What makes news to me is that right now, in LA, on any given day i can enjoy a mountain bike ride down to the beach or fire up to the snow and rip some tele turns in stunningly perfect corn snow while shirtless, baby!
It really is fantastic, this Brahmic creation we call life.
Today, enticing her to ditch her work (and of course, i mine) I took Ananda up skiing. Ananda had not been skiing in 7 (yes, s-e-v-e-n) years (yes, y-e-a-r-s).
Personally, i can�t imagine ANYONE not skiing for seven years. That is very close to being a sure recipe for mental disorders of unfathomable depth. If you don�t ski, you go insane, that much i can promise you.
Fortunately, Ananda is a very high Yogini.
And, a HP Yogini at that. You know what that means, don�t you? That means that yes, even after seven years of not skiing, AnandaMayiMa CRANKED like she had not missed a day! Her fall line was as tight as a (i�ll leave the metaphor dangle according to your chakra Level) and she pressured her feet into her turns like she was steppin on the accelerator of a Porsche,baby!
That is what WF will do to a person; keeps us at the top of our game, any game, forever it seems.
See, WF is the full package baby. In this Path Of Balance, we don�t miss a trick: WF brings you the HP Yoga, the herbs, the gym, the cardio, the meditation chamber. Then, with bewitching finesse, WF draws those elements into our lifestyle, to make sure we are breathing and standing, sitting, walking with consciousness and Higher intent.
Today, between between high speed chairlift rides that included a panoramic blue sky punctured only by agile battalions of soaring ravens, Ananda and i enjoyed classic spring skiing. The snow being soft, nearly soupy yet not too grabby.
Today, i also enjoyed the benefits from a WF lifestyle...i was able to just rip the double diamond ski runs - on my cross-country skis - from top to bottom. Like Watergate revisited, baby...i was SHREDDIN� dude! Love it! It is sooooo fun to be fit in many ways!
Fitness must the be entire focus of one�s life if one wishes to live it well. You must be able to find fitness everywhere and you will, because it is. Fitness is in the way you walk, you sit, you eat, you stand, you converse, you think, you work...it�s everywhere...just Look!
Sure;
You might have to sacrifice high paying jobs for less time-intensive ones so that you can go skiing whenever you like.
Sure,
you might have to drive a Geo Metro to save money to do so.
You ready?
Sure;
You might have to wake up earlier to meditate. You might have to move, you might have to ride a bicycle to work, you might have to order SUNRIDER herbs instead of beer, you might have to become divorced or to marry in order to Rise above your ego comfort zones.
You ready?
It all depends on your willingness to Rise Above.
March 07, 2004
Welcome to Online WF Study:
Dane Hillyard of Reno, Nevada.
Dane is going to soar. He flew here yesterday point blank for
a One Day Private Intensive after picking up my new book
'by accident' in the child's section of Barnes & Noble...the book
was yet another positive sign in his life recently that told him
the time for self-transformation is NOW! he jumped on it and we
had a helluva of a great time. Dane is going to soar high and fast in
this Path because his mind is open, his spirit is willing, and his cup is
empty. He is following through on everything the herbs, the yoga, the
slowing down process of his busy lifestyle. He is ripe. Have fun, Dane!
���
speaking of fun; check out the new website (finally!) of my high school
rock climbing bro, Christian Griffith:
www.VerveClimbing.com
"CG" is now a world famous sport climber and owner of VERVE Clothing;
maker of the world's best climbing and yoga clothes. Order some today...
they are AMAZINGLY comfortable and IDEAL for yoga and outdoor sports.
tell him "Ilg sent me."
CG and i used to love reading hard core philosophy together while hanging out
between epic climbing adventures. Here is some of his own writing which comes
on his clothing labels:
"Is there value in fear? Panic and dread have no virtue, but in fear is there not
the force which gives equilibrium to action? Is it not the source of motivation for
assessing ones resources, for acknowledging ones weaknesses? Action without
consciousness can bring spectacular successes but are they not equally fleeting?
Fear should never master action but should be an alloy to it, tempering it and
lending it greater value and strength."
- Christian Griffith
���
And the day came when the risk to remain tight
in the bud was more painful than the risk
it took to blossom."
- Anais Nin
March 04, 2004
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors!
a special thanks to noble and long time WF student; Anne Sasso for her beautiful review of TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION in Kripalu's magazine which appeared in yesterday's DL entry. thank you, Student Sassosan! May many beings benefit from you sharing the WF light!
speaking of sharing the WF Light...you don't have to be a soap opera fanatic to enjoy the new website launch of my hard working student McKenzie. Student "Mac" is known to millions as the heroine "Sheridan" on the day time drama; PASSIONS (NBC). please visit her new amazing website at:
www.McKenzie-Westmore.com
enjoy the site and check out "Mac's" HEALTH AND BEAUTY page for her wonderful embrace of my work with her. thank you "Mac"...let's inspire many others toward a more conscious appreciation of our precious body/mind/spirit!
indeed, today feels very "LA"! riding my bike this morning, i open the sacred doors of the HP Yoga Studio accompanied by dazzling sunshine dancing through a 64 degree crystal clear sky along Ventura Boulevard. now it's off to the gym to get pumped and tan before riding my motorcycle down the 101 into Hollywood to do a TV segment for E! Entertainment...something about Madonna And Yoga. I wonder if the Material Girl is going to be there? When i first moved to LA to attempt to do my Sacred Service back in the mid-eighties, i used to 'stalk' the gym where Madonna worked out, thinking somehow i could become her Personal Trainer. now, several years later, that visualization edges a centimeter closer. Funny how potent our dreams are.
Just don't stop dreaming and keep on training, baby!
Tomorrow, skiing up in the San Gabriels! I can't believe how fun it is to be human. Thank you God, for gracing me with this human incarnation. I will do my best to take care of it, feed it appropriately and innocently as possible, and keep re-fining it for Your Power to keep pouring itself through feeble me...
i bow to It All...
namaste,
coach ilg
March 03, 2004
Breathing Room:
Kripalu�s monthly exploration of body, mind and spirit
�
Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health
Lenox, Massachusetts
�
�a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a more conscious and compassionate world
�
Vol. 1, No. 2 * February 2004
http://www.kripalu.org
�
Notable this Month: Total Body Transformation by Steve Ilg (Hyperion, 2004)
by Anne Sasso, editor/
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�Strength with flexibility is a truer form of warrior strength� � Steve Ilg
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Yoga practitioners often speak about �playing the edge,� finding the subtle balance between intensity and pain. Steve Ilg has led a life devoted to exploring the edge. In the first book to combine yoga and strength training, Ilg invites us into his world and renders the illusive edge accessible to anyone seeking to cultivate inner strength through the development of outer strength. While the yang presentation may appear to be aimed at introducing the denizens of the gym to yoga, the soul of this book, and Ilg�s life work, is firmly rooted in the principles expressed in Patanjali�s Sutras.� Whether you are seeking to bring mindfulness to your gym practice, looking for a way to strengthen musculature in preparation for advanced poses, or just looking for a high-performance, body-transforming flow sequence, Ilg is a reliable guide on the path of integrating western fitness concepts with traditional yoga.
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To order these or other products from the Kripalu Shop, visit http://www.kripalushop.org or call 1-888-399-1332
March 02, 2004
Coach Ilg -
While working on my New Year Goals and browsing through Barnes and Noble, I stumbled on to your book - Total Body Transformation. Your five fitness disciplines and four lifestyle principles are just the kind of thing I had hope to find ... For the last few years, I have been strength and CV training, but was looking to expand and connect more... mind, body, spirit...
Since the first of the year, for low back problems, I have been having acupuncture treatments and started a yoga practice. Both are rewarding and humbling. Your audio recordings, video, and written materials are great. I hope to someday travel to a High Performance Yoga studio.
Thanks,
Steve Borgelt
�Peace is dependent on the existence of love.�
- Dalai Lama
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End Of Month Numbers: Training Under The Coach Who Does
February Training Stats for Coach Ilg:
Strength Training (in Sessions) = 9 (average time in gym: 24 minutes)
Cardio Training (in Hours) = 26.5 hours
Yoga (in Hours) = 63
Meditation (in Hours) = 40.25
Nutrition = average of 850.75 calories per day
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STUDENT INPUT:
Beautiful teacher:
I agree with your assessment of Hot Yoga. I hurt my back at a class because the heat, plus the "encouragement" from the teacher encouraged too much stretching for me. Sometimes hot yoga can become almost an aerobics-type competitive class. If one can't keep the ego in check, injury is likely.
WFS Mark from PA.
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Coach!
I purchased your new book in January and have just finished "Green Tara." I have been a cyclist for twenty years and doing yoga (inconsistently) for about ten. Last year I began some moderate weight training. I have a regular discipline of prayer and am always trying to be conscious of what I eat. It was very refreshing to find a book that coverers all of these important areas in an intelligent and integrated way. My spiritual tradition encourages people to form a "Rule of life" to give them strength for the journey. Your book is a great resource for that! I am currently enjoying my week or rest and feeling stronger than I have for years. I can�t wait to dive into the Cosmic Yang.
Thank you for your work and enthusiasm.
Many blessings,
Tom Norwood
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There are a number of Spiritual Paths open for you today...Let us apply the Four WF Lifestyle Principles today and see which ones appear for us! The momentum of your daily thinking carries a spiritual training effect. Redirect your thinking toward your spiritual goals.
i bow to you and may your Practice be strong today!
love,
coach ilg
March 01, 2004
SUNRIDER HERBS... FIRST OF THE MONTH CHI HIT:
Noble Herbal Warriors!
I often get querries about which SR products i personally order and use. Well, it's 9:45 am into the first day of the month and I've already placed my monthly SUNRIDER order which follows below. I make sure that i order my herbs before i even pay rent. Priorities baby! Understand that this amount of herbs will last me two months. You'll see how i stick pretty close to the basic products. Next month I will order the skin care (such as Supreme Emulsion, Oi Lin Shampoo/Conditioner/Lotion, etc) and speciality herbs such as Wu Chia Pi, Veros, etc. Notice also how i gauged my order to just nip the 500 Sales Volume (SV) mark so that i quality for incentive bonuses at the end of the month. See that in reality i am only spending about $300 on my monthly herbs, considering this order will last me nearly two months. $300 is easy to spend in a mass market grocer but the nutritional value of such foods suck compared to the powerful regeneration and cleansing effect from SUNRIDER whole foods. Finally, my monthly SR check far exceeds the dollar amount that i have spent below, so, i am actually making money from eating the best whole foods in the world! It's easy you guys! Jump into SUNRIDER business; all you need is about 5-6 people that order like you do. Trish (our Group Upline) and i have nearly 40 years of experience with SUNRIDER to help you do the same thing as us. Feel GREAT, train with unlimited energy, and don't spend a dime while eating whole foods that make you more youthful, lean, and inspired! Yogi's; Get yourself out of the violence and monetary driven grocer/middle man conglomerate! Eat wholesome plant foods for your food! Use SUNRIDER for cruelty-free regenerative skin care! Learn to shop at your own Herbal Garden: SUNRIDER.COM!
I'm getting antsy here... there is fresh powder up in the mountains and the roads are open and clear...so, i'm taking my FD and ILG SUPREME with me skiing and snowshoeing and i KNOW the herbs in me are going to deepen my fun today...to me, that is what life is all about baby! FEELING GREAT FOR AS LONG AS WE ARE ABLE...and SUNRIDER makes it easy baby!
i bow to your Devoted Practice toward Higher Health,
steve ilg, RYT/USCF
www.HighPerformanceYoga.com
director/SUNRIDER and current leader of International SV Accumulation
ps: note that on the order below, i still have in my cupboard, plenty of Slim Caps and Regular Calli which are the other basic herbs that would usually accompany this order.
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103011
SunnyDew� 1 fl. oz. (2)
102011
Sunrider� VitaFruit� 11 fl. oz. (2)
155010
VitaShake� Cocoa 40/25 g Packs
155020
VitaShake� Strawberry 40/25 g Packs
195501
Action Caps� 100 Capsules/Bottle (4)
152013
Vitalite� SunBar Fruit Flavor 30/1.06 oz each
152023
Vitalite� SunBar Chocolate Flavor 30/1.06 oz each
242501
Herb Cal� Tab 90/1600 mg Tabs
242001
Citric C� Tab 90/1100 mg Tabs
190509
Quinary� 60/5 g Packs Powder
360304
Kandesn� Hand & Body Lotion 8 fl. oz. (2)
101015
Fortune Delight� Regular 10/3 g Packs (4)
100145
Calli� Night 10/2.5 g Bags (2)
SV
501.22
Amount
642.26
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