July 31, 2004
Congratulations to our very own WF Teacher, Joseph "Haku Hatsuiku" Sheader
who competed in the High Desert Martial Arts weapons tournament and,
well in his own humble words,
" I'll be darn.... I took second in a tie breaking
contest against an opponent half my age and with more black belts than I
will likely ever have...it consisted of knife sparring, swords, and Kali
Sticks.."
Teacher Sheader still has a few openings for new Online Students! sign up today
at our Online Catalog!
ALSO: Look for a report on Haku's son, Kerry, who many of you helped to send to the
World Championships in his style of martial arts...you will NOT be disappointed
in brave Kerry's performance..
the magic of the WF Way just never ceases...
across all sports
all fitness disciplines
all Ways of Being...
love,
coach ilg
July 30, 2004
Namaste Noble Warriors!
Our humble but POWERFUL HP Yoga Studio will reopen:
MONDAY, AUGUST 9th, 2004!
click here for a PDF of the new schedule (200.5 KB):
summer2004.pdf
THANK YOU for your Patience!
Joy, Quentin, and myself have been working out on the new personal training equipment...
look out warriors...
we are roaring ready to rip off your arms with endless chaturangas and make your legs quiver
with spirit empowering warrior lunges! you know you love it as much as we do! yeah baby!
HP Yoga Devotee 'Tamarananda' is still working on our MEDITATION/BODYWORK GROTTO
and expects to be finished within a few days.
Understand that through the summer i will be filming over 25 hours of footage for an online
broadcast of our new WholisticFitness.com website we anticipate to be launched next year.
Once the filming has been completed, we plan to offer a variety of workshops and more regular
classes. With five classes already on the new schedule however, everyone should be plenty happy
for the summer!
Looking forward to sharing our sweat and spirit with you!
Om Namah Shivaya,
coach ilg, RYT/USCF
HighPerformanceYoga.com
Namaste Noble Online Students!
effective immediately;
due to the ever growing rates of credit card transaction fees,
a 5% increase will be made to your Program Update fees.
This also applies to new students Initial Training fees.
thank you...
head bowed in Service of sweat and spirit,
coach ilg
owner & founder/Wholistic Fitness Personal Training
July 28, 2004
{"i am the ancient trail threading itself through geology, patted down by puebloan warriors. deer dance upon me, snakes tickle me during their nightly traverses." coach ilg running, Bryce Canyon, Utah. photo by Ananda.}
the initial encountering of our undisciplined mind can be very scary indeed. for three years i ran straight away from zen meditation before devoting myself to it. the most difficult �sport� i�ve ever done? sitting still.
a certified HP Yoga Teacher of mine had a new student. one of those who approach the spiritual journey from their intellect. you know the type; they have read all the zen books and can converse artfully about meditation yet rationalize some excuse to the actual practice of daily sitting.
this is why the spiritual Masters tell us to take pilgrimage into the desert.
there, there is no choice but to learn to stillness among thorn bushes.
there is no choice but learn how to cherish sweat.
there are predictable masses who complain of the heat while driving air conditioned behemoths across the Mohave desert. or they snarl boredom as they empty their great gas tanks across the Great Plains.
how quickly we forget the cascade of perspiration by those upon whose shoulders we stand upon:
remember me?
i am the Native American, bewildered upon a mesa overlooking the slaughter of the sacred buffalo by the white man.
i am the dying Asian, commissioned to slave labor on the railroad.
i am the pioneer over whose dead oxen and family your Interstate speed was born.
remember me?
i am the mountain whose bowels have been gutted again and again to make your travel speeds higher and higher.
i am the highway workers along the Mohave desert, paving for the first time, Route 66 in skin splintering heat.
remember me?
i am the ancient trail threading itself through geology, patted down by puebloan warriors. deer dance upon me, snakes tickle me during their nightly traverses.
get out of your car, noble one...and run upon my hide. seek refuge in my beauty, spread my gentle ceaselessness into your days.
Your Workout Is Everywhere;
cultivating Awareness and
Appreciation for all your luxuries...
namaste,
coach ilg
July 27, 2004
�The wind will not stop. Gusts of sand swirl before me, stinging my face. But there is still too much to see and marvel at, the world very much alive in the bright light and wind, exultant with the fever of spring, the delight of morning. Strolling on, it seems to me that the strangeness and wonder of existence are emphasized here, in the desert, by the comparative sparsity of the flora and fauna: life not crowded upon life as in other places but scattered abroad in spareness and simplicity, with a generous gift of space for each herb and bush and tree, each stem of grass so that the living organism stands out bold and brave and vivid against the lifeless sand and barren rock. The extreme clarity of the desert light is equaled by the extreme individuation of the desert life forms. Love flowers best in openess and freedom.�
- Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire
July 26, 2004
want to read what may just be the most insightful review yet of Coach's amazing new book?
thank you, Janiss at All Spirit Fitness!
go here now:
http://allspiritfitness.com/library/books/bl_Total_Body_Ilg_Rev.shtml
Coach,
Since starting your TBT program in Feb. 2004 I have lost nearly 20 pounds
from an uncut 205 to a lean, powerful, and comfortable 188 lbs and still
dropping. On top of the blood, sweat and tears shed in my workouts there is
another small price I've paid to do your program. Money to buy smaller
clothes, and of course the old ones given to charity, which I must admit is
amazing for piece of mind. I bow to you and hope you've enjoyed your time
away.
namaste,
Justin
July 25, 2004
New WF Cycling Jersey
WHOLISTIC FITNESS CYCLING/OUTDOOR SPORTS JERSEYS!
designed by Coach Ilg, state champion and Tour de Gila winner...
ONE OF A KIND!
Carry the World Class CHI our TRIBE into your workouts!
LIMITED AVAILABILITY! 6-8 weeks until arrival!
I offer these ultra sweet jerseys in
honor of Lance "Buddha On A Bike" Armstrong's historic 6 Tour de France victories
and the Awakening of cycling for the American mainstream public!
FOR DL READERS:
$90 + shipping/handling
FOR WF MASTER STUDENT INKA holders:
$80 = shipping/handling
email your order to: ilgtrain@pacbell.net
include payment/shipping address
or call: 818 345 9027
FIRST ORDERED; FIRST SERVED!
GET THE HOLE SHOT BABY!
DO NOT MISS OUT! ORDER YOURS TODAY!
Namaste My Noble WF Warriors!
did you miss me?
thank you for your Practice of Patience
during my personal retreat this month!
[coach ilg being extremely attentive to his belay of Ananda while
climbing near some of his old first ascent routes in Indian Creek Canyon, Utah.]
Ananda and i received HUGE Teachings and rejuvenation from our trip...
our return to 'civilization' from the desert and high mountains of
the southwest has confirmed for me
that what we term 'civilization' is anything BUT civil!
wind glazed sandstone rimrock, grasses, snowfed mountain creeks,
deer leaping among Indian Paintbrush and Lupines...
these things represent to me civility,
not graffiti, honking horns, and nonstop noise.
let us return to our yoga like never before...
let us sweat the summer through and open our
hearts and chakras for the autumn winds.
i trust the Teachings i left with you have remained strong and sincere in your
daily Practice during July.
you know,
one day
i
will
not
return from one of my trips back h(om)e...
so
let us empower each other through
Study
and
Sweat
while we still share our Big City breath.
this week Ananda and the AMAZING TAMARA finish up our Studio renovation
just WAIT till you guys see our humble Cave!
....i'll put up the new regular
schedule on www.HighPerformanceYoga.com
asap...
check in to DL each day for some DHARMA hits from my trip with Ananda
to some of my most beloved sacred spots of the southwest.
i bow to your devotion to
Higher Fitness...
love,
coach ilg
July 04, 2004
Those of you
who have not heard me tell you:
"Accept everyone as your Teacher,"
are baffled, or angry, or are sad
at my leaving.
"How can he just up and leave a yoga studio
and his students?"
and i say,
"In my ability to up and leave everything,
including you and your emotions...
IS
yoga!"
"Feel everything
attach to nothing."
- Mark Blanchard
just go
and
go within.
the world will continue
regardless of how much drama
you layer onto Her
impeccably brilliant and Divinely
recirculating folds...
just go...
go to the ponderosa and sleep beneath her needled arms.
just go...
go to the sandstone cliffs pestered by swallows and hawks
until you and Hawk are One.
just go...
go to the desert and let the Ancient Ones wither your skin
with their dry song
until you and eon merge into dehydrated, cracked earth.
because one day, soon enough
you will return
to television and gossip and stolen water and fabricated meaning
it will then be up to you to play the Teacher...
to share
whatever it is
you have learned
from eternity whispering to your Soul.
love to all of my Beloved Students
to whom i am leaving dangling...
to dangle
is
go(o)d.
fit, flexible, and ready for High Adventure
within the arms of our amazing Mother Earth
and our endlessly caring Father Sky...
so be it...
your feeble coach
July 03, 2004
WHEN I WAS 17...
when you were 17, i am sure you remember yourself as being quite...uh, potent.
me too.
already a national class athlete (Nordic Combined Skiing & Sport Climbing) with too many girlfriends, the chi would hit me and i would drive (okay, race) Vince I (my yellow sport pickup with a camper shell) towards Eldorado Canyon near Boulder, Colorado, or perhaps up Flagstaff Mountain where many of my early escapes and epic workouts took place and...cried.
screamed, actually.
my screams were primal...as primal as the equally potent starry sky which revolved, uncomprehendingly, above my feeble magnificent self.
i recall pounding my 5.12b strong fists into Vince�s steering wheel courtesy of a yet to be tapped adolescent energy matrix that would later be re-dis-covered as the seat of my Kundalini energy, which, to this very day, remains the focal of my inner and outer efforts toward Enlightenment.
my particular journey of extreme and endurance sports, Western sports science, herbs, Native American philosophy and practices, wolf upbringing, Tibetan contemplative arts, bankruptcy, divorce, business ventures, drugs, partying, sex, paralysis, competition, zen, fighting, martial arts, and yoga all seemingly fused into a quixotic elixir of life jumping at me with verve, urge, and an endless humor. with my Soul fused to the Divine with an unmistakable and unshakable sense of potential finesse, poise, and spiritual architecture that leaves me blibbering at the exquisiteness of It All.
it is fortunate that sweat - unadulterated, pure sweat - brings me, again and again, my Truth.
through my daily SweatLodges (aka; workouts), i have learned my edge about Truth. for instance, i have learned through the acidic sting of sweat in my eyes that:
my Truth is not Gandhi�s Truth.
my Truth is not Paramahansa Yogananda�s Truth.
my Truth is not Sensei Kishiyama�s Truth.
my Truth is not my wolf�s Truth.
my Truth is not the Truth of my mother, or my father, or any other member of my biologic, marital, or spiritual families.
my Truth is Steve Ilg�s Truth.
my Truth - like yours - is a special Journey into the Self...MY Self.
and...
that journey is a Sacred One...
unique
particular
and
my daily excursions into my Truth
- by way of Sweat and Silence -
IS
the
time
of
my
life.
my beautiful, brave, and noble Warriors of Wholistic Fitness and High Performance Yoga:
do this:
Sweat your Truth
each day
as deeply as you are capable
until i Return from my Beloved
high mountains
and red deserts
of our amazing American Southwest.
you don�t need to travel to Egypt.
you don�t need to visit Europe.
you don�t need to read another New Age book...
and you sure as hell don�t need that back surgery
or that knee surgery or that cosmetic surgery or
even have �your roots done.�
here is what you need to do:
LISTEN
to
your
unique
and
beautiful
life
while you are here.
Do not turn away...
turn inward.
that is all.
jao!
love,
your feeble teacher
Targeting Enlightenment in This Lifetime:
Coach Ilg�s Training Statistics for June:
hours spent Strength Training: 1.75
hours spent Cardio Training: 37.25
hours spent in Yoga Practice: 52.25
hours spent in Meditation: 22.50
approx. # of calories consumed: 31.50K (average of 1,275 calories per day)
approx. # of calories expended: a whole lot more than 1,275 per day!
bodyfat percentage: 2.4% (electrical impedance calipers)
�You can go out there and just fancy yourself a yogi...
or you can truly be one.�
- Coach Ilg
Wholistic Fitness is a path toward Enlightenment. I challenge my students to develop
a full understanding of multi-disciplined fitness and work on areas we resist out of weakness, fear, or habit. Wholistic Fitness is a deep and profound Path. There are many things that can be learned from the study and practice of this humble, yet Powerful Path of transformation. It is not an easy Path...most who come here only study until the novelty of a genuine Warrior�s Path starts pushing the comfort zones of their ego and their habituated tendencies. However, if we can develop an interest in the remarkably fast and effective changes that the Practice produces, and if we can endure and dig around a bit within the training, we will find an inner treasure that is far more fulfilling than anything the outer world can provide for us.
as i prepare to leave on my personal retreat, i can feel myself growing more clear already. when i can take a few days away from teaching this Work that comes through me to immerse myself within the practices of Wholistic Fitness, i am astounded by the Divine velocity of this amazing Practice.
we are Blessed to have been graced by Wholistic Fitness in this lifetime.
i bow to you.
May all your Practices point you ever inward...
coach ilg
July 02, 2004
Dearest Steve:
I sit here at the tail end of my 44th Birthday celebration sipping a lovely South Australian Merlot contemplating the greatest gifts of all: my health,and my friends. Perhaps no friend would understand me better than you due to our Karmic connection with Wholistic Fitness. I have watched you in silent reverence become the guardian and sentinel of the timeless knowledge which you so lovingly and humbly nurture in yourself and others. You have stuck it out with tenacity and grace during tough times and kept on the path as best as you could. I, in turn, have done the same. However, my path has been to experiment with these truths in my little cosmic laboratory and dissect the information into quantum components. I need to take a risk and get out of the sanctuary into the real world and dispense what I have learned. It is essential to continually "pay it forward" so that others may grow in turn.
I was told tonight by two people( older successful mentors and friends) that it is time to take all the hard work into the marketplace more fully. I agree! So it is getting close to the
time when I must move into an Instructor Training in Wholistic Fitness and add my pieces to the puzzle. All that I have learned I will freely give to this path. I am exploding from within more and more these days. Time to go supernova and light up the world. I go to Cirque de Soleil in Calgary on Friday to watch those fellow kinesthetic cats weave their magic. Thanks for your presence, your friendship and support has been an epic inspiration.
So, after all this time all I can truly say is:
OBSERVE SILENTLY
LISTEN QUIETLY
BE STILL
AND KNOW
YOU HAVE ALREADY ARRIVED.
PANTHER 777