November 30, 2004
Hi All,
The LA Times feature story came out today on our Furnace Creek 508 bike racing team that I had the honor of racing with a few weeks back. See Chris Kostman�s (Furnace Creek 508 Race Director) announcement below about Roy's story on the cover of the LA Times Outdoors Section.� Special thanks to Chris for organizing this great adventure in the first place and my three teammates Roy Wallack, Keith Kostman, and Steve Ilg for making this one of the greatest life experiences ever for me�maximum chi hit baby!
In high-performance and speed,
Ron Jones
http://www.latimes.com/features/outdoors/la-os-furnace30nov30,0,5674331.story?coll=la-home-outdoors
�
COACH and today's LA TIMES:
Coach,
Loved today's DL. You're all-ways inspirational, and Now it is time to take leave from work and head to the
Gym Temple (where one day I shall wear YogaToes instead of shoes). ;-)
Checked out the LA Times, too. Read about the 508 while I drank a chi-lifting Ilg Supreme.
I bow to you and Team Sasquatch.
Bryan
ILG SIGHTING..in today LA Times?
wanna join me for a quick workout in my new home 'Chi Room'? okay,
but first:
this just in from an old' bro in Durango, Colorado:
"Steve,
I was reading the snippet, "Joined At The Toe Clip" in the Nov 30 L.A. Times when up pops the name Steve Ilg. I'm going, that has to be the Steve that once lived in Durango and had a Macintosh computer. I mean, how many Ilgs does one meet in a lifetime? One, I'm thinking.
Anyway, greetings from Sherron and me, and we still have the computer store on Main Ave.
Regards,
Garry
Noble Garry -
well, i can't - at the moment - authentic the LA Times appearance yet i CAN authentic
that meeting one ILG during a lifetime is probably one more than is ever needed!
Love,
your Durangatang bro ilg
***
TRIBAL CATALOG is NOW UP AND RUNNING! THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE! go ahead a place your orders for the new WF Chi Baseball Cap and all the other great stuff at the Tribal Catalog! Get all your holiday shopping done at WholisticFitness.com and Sunrider.com! why spend money anywhere else, baby? keep in in the Tribe!
***
winter is traditionally the season when WF Students maximize strength training in their yearly training patterns.
so be it, baby! let's do a little dance, shall we? let's start with:
pull ups. meet the Dragon early in your workout! note the HP Prop Workout Block - available through YOGAPRO.COM - to keep Mula Bandha engaged
throughout this workout...i superset Pull Ups with:
what i call, Compression Rows. these are a Secret Teaching, again, utterly unique to WF. i'm working deeply here within
the subtle anatomy as well as purifying the pulling motion upon the latissimus dorsi and her stablizers. then it's off to:
DB Presses (note the YogaToes!...i ain't no dummy!) supersetted directly into:
DB Flyes! i keep cementing Cat Tilt into the bench to purify the poise of the movement. then it's off to:
DIPS! check out the SCUBA DEEP depth and the Prop Block to center the effect upon the pecs!
after maxing out on these, it's...
DB Side Laterals using Shivaya Technique directly into:
DB Front Laterals using Swan Medicine Technique! oooooof!!!!! NOTHING LIKE WF, BABY!
Then, it's Twisting Alternate DB Curls...note the extreme inward Ulna rotation to maximize the biceptual burn!
To be said in a "Mr. T" voice; "I live alone, i train alone, i'm gonna win the Title alone!" i call these "Rocky Abs" in honor of
Sly Stallone doing them (without weight the wuss) in Rocky! i think that is a 55lb Medicine Ball i am using...;-)
FINGER CURLS baby! no outdoor athlete should EVER NOT DO THESE! my finger strength has not only saved my life on
several million occasions, enhanced my outdoor sport performance, makes my Bodywork that much more potent of a Chi transmission, it's also prevent medication for carpal tunnel syndrome. strong fingers = strong ability to GRASP YOUR DREAMS and HANG ONTO THEM NO MATTER WHAT!
did you enjoy that?
just wait till you see the IMAX like streaming quality of the new WholisticFitness.com coming next year! my new Website will become your training inspiration and information HEADWATERS for the PUREST BODY/MIND SOURCING of your fitness!
i think i will leave you with this:
***
i get a lot of questions about chakras and chakra awakenings. let me say this much: you ARE living a chakra experience right now. below, i address a chakra awakening from one of my Online Students:
"Dear Coach-
Whatever deep shift occurred for me night before last must have had an effect on my day yesterday--I haven't cried that much in a long time. I had a tough day at work as a result of a mistake I made, and my emotions were going crazy. Coupled with all of the changes going on right now, I was a sobbing mess! I like a good cry every now and then though."
Noble Student A,
Welcome to what GENUINE chakra awakening/stirrings are truly about!
these emotions (which means, literally, 'disturbances') are like spin-off oil from a freshly lubricated bicycle chain (leave it to me to come up with THAT analogy!). These feelings are appropriate, needed, and positive for your long-term healing. They are originating from Muladhara & Svadhisthana chakras... notorious are these energy centers for holding onto old 'stuff' relating to childhood injury, abuse, poor parenting, esteem, sexual confusion/identification, and - from the yogic view; undone inner work from former lives. it's all coming up, Warrioress, so just be brave and be present with it all, without judgment or analyzing. this is REAL YOGIC WORK now! proud of you! all of this 'stuff' that is coming up will eventually leave and/or dwindle in its drama, creating more space between thoughts therefore opening more inner spaciousness. i want you to read the following words from a contemporary Tibetan Master Teacher;
"For meditation to happen, calm and auspicious conditions have to be created. Before we have mastery over our minds, we need first to calm their environment.
At the moment, our minds are like a candle flame: unstable, flickering, constantly changing, fanned by the violent winds of our thoughts and emotions. The flame will burn steadily only when we can calm the air around it; so we can only begin to glimpse and rest in the nature of mind when we have stilled the turbulence of our thoughts and emotions. On the other hand, once we have found a stability in our meditation, noises and disturbances of every kind will have far less impact."
- Sogyal Rinpoche
November 29, 2004
KEEPING IT REAL WITH THANKS-GIVING and HOLIDAY FEASTING
Before leaving off the eating upon cows, pigs, and birds, i set high standards for myself to make sure i knew, viscerally, what it meant to be an eater of such corpses. Most non-Awakened people have absolutely no Connection between eating meat and the entire process behind it. i did not want to dwell in such ignorance and hypocrisy of personal or religious values. Though nearly 100% herbs these days, i used to catch, gut, and prepare trout from high mountain rivers and creeks like this one near Pagosa Springs, Colorado known as the 'Lower Piedra.' photo/Ananda
Noble Fitness Warriors!
Well, i trust you had 'fun' trying to explain our WF Path of yoga, herbs, meditation, and daily exercise to your family and friends during Thanksgiving! Ain't it great the looks and questions you get as you prepare your SUNRIDER Herbs and choose the rice and yams over the poor bird-corpse! The Holiday season is a tough one for Awakened Fitness Warriors who attempt to protect the dharma by example. If you have done the research behind the "poultry industry" {read, DIET FOR A NEW AMERICA, by John Robbins as a classic place to start getting real about your food choices}, then you would know that "Thanksgiving Day turkeys" do not have a very 'high quality life' before being murdered and served to usually already overfed humans. "Thou shall not kill," seems to be one of the largest rationalized Commandments of all time when it comes to people's appetites. Even yogins who know that "Ahimsa" or nonviolence is the first Guideline for a yogi's lifestyle, seem to rationalize the feasting upon corpses during the Holy-Days with surprising candor. Myself, i am in a phase of witnessing my last attraction toward eating flesh in the form of dead fish slowly die off. i am down to eating fish to less than once per week. my diet is nearly 100% herbs - after nearly 20 years of processing junk food, diet soda, and flesh food addictions.
it's long Path toward re-finding the Light within. yet, it is so fun.
personally, along my Way toward eating like a yogin (key food choice qualities required for eating like a Conscious Fitness Warrior are: nonviolence, wholesome, light, and appreciation), i set high standards for myself. before leaving off the eating of cows and pigs and birds, i visited a slaughterhouse of each of those God-created creatures. those visits were visits to living Hell Realms. you should go too, Noble Fitness Warrior, and visit the real 'sourcing' of your foods if you still dine upon those creatures. it would do you go(o)d.
i used to eat venison when i lived in the Southwest. i still would, probably. why? because i stalked a deer with a compound bow and arrow. got to within 20' of the beautiful creature, drew my bow like Virabhadrasana (Warrior Pose in yoga) and... did not shoot.
in my heart i 'knew' i could have...oh, what is that clever little rationalization that the orange coated hunters use on ESPN as they murder God's gorgeous creatures in front of millions...what is the word they use? oh, yeah...'harvesting." in my heartspace i knew i could have 'harvested' that deer. i also accompanied another one of my hunter/friends on a deer hunt and helped him 'harvest' and then gut and pack out an entire deer. it's gnarly, it's disgusting to the ego, yet, it was vital to know and do and FEEL what most meat-eaters never see, feel, or are even capable of doing; getting REAL with their food.
my 'fish story' is a simple one; i have always felt go(o)d eating fish because i always caught trout, cleaned trout, and cooked trout by myself growing up and living in the Rocky Mountains. i did rituals to bless the fish and honor the whole fishing/eating process. before i left the high mountains to do my Big City Mission, i realized i would no longer have the ability to catch my own fish. then, during meditation, Shiva guided me to, "catch a fish with your bare hands and I will make it karmically less potent for you to eat fish from then on." so, after many days of learning (and failing) i finally caught a fish with my bare hands!
however, that is another fish story! Hint; it had a lot to do with "Bear Squat Pose" and cold feet in an alpine creek!
my Teaching point here is this;
in WF our 3rd Lifestyle Principle is; Appropriate Action. (page; page 31 and Wholistic Fitness Sutra #29, page 310 of TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION)
what feels most Appropriate to YOUR attempts in Self Cultivation must be examined by spending time, and lots of it, within your own inner silence. Each food, each word, each thought, and certainly each Action you perform leaves imprints (samskaras) upon your soul. thus, the Way you live your life truly depends upon how much go(o)d you feel as you sit with your inner silence. That's about as 'complicated' as it gets as you make your various choices today in food, word, thought, and action. Listen to the silence. Meditate. Feel your life, don't just Think it.
"Once upon a time, a student of meditation went to see a sage. The student began discussing philosophical concepts, such
as the nature of God, but the sage didn't say anything. The aspirant talked on and on and asked many probing questions, but
still the sage kept still. Finally, in frustration, the aspirant asked why the sage wouldn't answer his questions. Then the sage
smiled and said gently, "I have been answering, but you are not listening; God is Silence."
May your Holy-day Season be a Whole-ly one as well...
and may your Choices be filled with Yoga (Union)...
We are what we eat
We are what we think
We are what we feel
So
eat,
think,
and
feel
wisely.
i bow to you,
your feeble coach
*
"My wife joined the gym this week and is working out. �I designed a beginner program for her which gave me some insight in how difficult this can be. �I walked her thru it. �Hopefully she was able to pick up some helpful pointers and not too many bad habits. �She is on the {Sunrider} herbs and has lost 34 lbs. �High blood pressure is no longer a problem. �Ain't that great?"
- WF Student MT
November 24, 2004
Meet Noble HP Yoga Warrior Of The Year; Rick Barreca!
Rick Barreca, above, left, with fellow HP Yogic Warrior David Moses near the Front Desk of the HP Yoga Cave in LA. Rick used HP Yoga with such consistency of Practice coupled with an ongoing sense of Truthfulness (Satya) that last night, at my final class Rick earned Blessed MalaBeads as his "Warrior Of The Year Award" along with his WF Tribal Name, 'Kshatriya' meaning 'warrior.' Losing well over a hundred pounds and still shape shifting by the day, Rick's devoted Practice has inspired us all. Often, this Devoted Yogin would fly in from Phoenix or Las Vegas just to keep his Practice strong at the Cave! Rick's ability and wilingness to be true to his abilities and an absolute artistry of intuitive modifications has produced eye popping and heart opening changes in his physique and attitude. Though the HP Yoga Cave has officially closed, Rick's keen sense for quality spiritual training has led him to begin WF Online Training as well as the Sunrider Herbs. Now a personal Online Student of Ananda, we'll be sure to keep you updated on Kshatriya's Journey along our humble, yet Powerful, Path. 2003 HP Warrior of the Year, Melissa Kai, was also in attendance at the packed Cave last night as was WF Online Student Steve Mackel, who earned the Great Effort Award for encouraging the whole "Pasadena Warrior Crew" to attend my classes in Tarzana. i will do my best to put together a little GoodBye DL for our Beloved Cave soon. In the meanwhile, i bow to Kshatriya, Student Kai, Student Mackel, and to EVERYONE who gave forth such AMAZING spirit at my Chi Cave. it means so much to me that you enjoyed the Presence and power of HP Yoga in your life. Just wait for what i have cooked up for the Cave's NEXT incarnation!!!!(the new WholisticFitness.com!)....stay tuned, and you all-Ways be able to keep your Practice as long as you remain with WF, baby!
***
i am in Nashville for the holiday, so please excuse delays in my Online Training and in DL. i will be back in LA on Sunday.
if i don't get a chance to update DL:
HAPPY THANKSGIVING and you BETTER do what i do every year:
EARN THE (TOFU) BIRD!!!!
really crank your morning workout if you plan to enjoy a larger number of calories tomorrow night. when i eat more calories then usual, i just add FIBERTONE to my evening SLIM CAP and then the next day triple dose the ACTION CAPS...doing this completely neutralizes the additional calorie intake and assimilates the increased nutrient spectrum more effectively.
speaking of the herbs...
***
Noble Sunrider Herb Eaters (and other DL readers interested in what REAL Nutrition is all about),
"Once upon a time, a student of meditation went to see a sage. The student began discussing philosophical concepts, such
as the nature of God, but the sage didn't say anything. The aspirant talked on and on and asked many probing questions, but
still the sage kept still. Finally, in frustration, the aspirant asked why the sage wouldn't answer his questions. Then the sage
smiled and said gently, "I have been answering, but you are not listening; God is Silence."
***
i would like you to "listen in" on an actual exchange between Wholistic Fitness Online Student Steve Mackel
(who is also a Triathlete and Triathlon Coach) as he gives early counsel to
new Sunrider, Brandon who is Steve's downline. I TAF (Think And Feel) that Coach Mackel does a superb
job demonstrating the fact that getting onto the herbs requires a Higher Perspective about what Nutrition
really means in our lives.
Sunrider requires us to, essentially, meditate. By this i mean that Sunrider feeds the body so accurately,
supports it's CHI so powerfully, that we begin to eat less volume of foods and thereby are left with...silence!
So many people come into Sunrider with pre-conditioned assumptions about what Nutrition "should be"...
Many people come to Sunrider asking many questions about this or that...the experienced Sunriders just smile and
wait for the new Sunrider's to just Shift! instead of asking Questions, their bodies become their own Answers!
Like Wholistic Fitness, Sunrider herbs immediately gets to work on our "limiters" as Coach Mackel below says.
If you truly want to grow more healthy, more lean, more focused, and full of more FUN, then get on the herbs,
stay on herbs, and allow the Wisdom of Sunrider to function on your cells just like WF training does on your mind and body;
let it strengthen and support your weak areas.
Do this
and the Whole
begins to emerge like a Lotus Flower blossoming from the muddy river bottom!
here you go...enjoy!
namaste,
coach ilg
founder/WholisticFitness.com
director/Sunrider herbs
***
Dear Coach Mackel;
I was wondering if you tried the products, Vitataste. Sunfit, and
SunTrim or any other products that would you recommend?
So far its been one week since I have been doing phase 1. I guess I have
a slight increase in energy and focus and body fat has decreased a bit,
but I started ilg's diet approach. So by doing his diet approach might
be responsible for the weight loss and energy. I will update you again
in a few weeks.
peace;
brandon
Brandon,
No, I have just stuck with the herbs I have told you about and a couple of
the individual herbs. I tried Vitafruit and it didn't appeal to me but
that's me and we are all different. I am copying Coach to see if he wants
any input with your questions but my advice is below.
It sounds like the nutrition spoke of the WF wheel is your strongest and I
would guess Strength Training (ST) would be second but I am assuming that
based on your previous emails. In training for a triathlon, especially
when I work with beginners, we focus on the limiters. Limiters are the
disciplines that we are weakest in. For many people that tends to be
swimming, as an example. So I will create a program that focuses on these
limiters, keeping in mind that we will still train our strong disciplines
too. As you start out on the WF path I suggest you focus on your limiters,
yoga, meditation, cardio or whatever it is. Keep with phase one for the
next three weeks before adding anything. Continue to cultivate awareness
through breath and posture. Reflect on your limiters and email them back
to me. I have a couple of ideas of how we might be able to help each other
in our practice as I get to know you better. Remember life is journey and
the path you choose only changes the scenery. Injoy the new scenery by
exploring and savoring the moments. You still have many miles left on your
journey so there is no need to rush. For helpful hints check-in daily on
Ilg's Direct Lines at:
http://www.wholisticfitness.com/weblog/ilgblog.html
Train Focused,
Steve
Love,
coach
November 23, 2004
"To say that we stretch muscles is really a non-Truth. What we are really stretching is our minds. Muscle, or more appropriately, connective tissue, must first receive oxygenation to demonstrate elasticity and plasticity. If you contemplate it therefore, it is the conscious action of moving your mental energy into the bodypart you wish to stretch. Once that happens, then oxygen is delivered which is also known as breath. Based upon an individuals strength of mind, clarity, potency of diet, and meditation experience, that breath will contain a substrate of Prana or life force. This is, i think and feel, a leading premise of asana. In my own feeble life experience, i have used the strength of my mind to heal a broken back, separated bones, torn muscle and connective tissue, and biochemical imbalances. i have very average mind strength. the thing is, i just keep Practicing."
- coach ilg
founder/HP Yoga & Wholistic Fitness
photo of coach during filming of HP Yoga Prop Workout DVD, coming soon! http://www.waynewilliamsstudio.com/
Yoga Blocks by www.yogapro.com
November 21, 2004
Another Pro Podium For WF!
HP Yogini Timari Pruis on the podium (far right female in blue/red) has been racing mtn. bikes professionally since 2000. In 2002, she turned her focus solely on 24 hour solo mtn. bike races. She has competed in the 24 Hour Solo World Championships
the last 3 years, has won the 24 Hours of Idylwild 4 consecutive times, and can currently be seen in the Kenda Tires 2005 Calendar/Catalog. Timari has been training under coach ilg since 2000. Enjoy her race report by clicking below:
timari.pdf
***
Exactly how coach ilg grew up and probably how many of today's kids should as well!
Motorized scooters now replace the bicycles and skateboards of yesteryear.
Which is precisely why our Childhood Obesity Rate is completely out of control...1 out of 4 of our Nation's Kids are obese. 1 out of 4!!!!
Sharing outdoor sports like nordic skiing brings more than healthy bodies and minds, it brings the CHI!
look at this beautiful girl's eyes! look at the CHI baby!
when kids watch TV their CHI gets DRAINED!
when they breathe and move, their CHI gets PUMPED!
this shit is not rocketscience, guys!
BREATHE AND MOVE EVERY DAY!
and
remember Noble Fitness Warriors, your kids reflect you. Go run, go climb, go ski...bring the CHI!
and your children will CHI UP instead of GROW UP!
Remember this much at least:
"Chi never dies,
it merely jumps,
soul to soul."
- Coach Ilg
"Coach,
this made me think of you:
"When we have prayed and aspired and hungered for the truth for a long time, for many, many lives, and when our karma has become sufficiently purified, a kind of miracle takes place. And this miracle, if we can understand and use it, can lead to the ending of ignorance forever: The inner teacher, who has been with us always, manifests in the form of the �outer teacher,� who, almost as if by magic, we actually encounter. This is the most important encounter of any lifetime."
- Sogyal Rinpoche, author of "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying"
Thanks for your continuous nurturing presence for all of us within the WF sangha.
- Student Mike Goitein"
���
Since taking Wholistic Fitness out of the elite outdoor sport performance world and into the mainstream, many new students, unaccustomed to coaching, enter WF using their family lifestyle as an excuse not to "do better," in their Practice. One of the largest assumptions about Wholistic Fitness� is that it is an escape from ordinary life, that our Master Students are some peculiar 'Trust Funders' that have all day to workout! Nothing could be farther from the truth. The enquiry into WF is no mere physical fitness exercise, with challenges of everyday realities somehow kept at a form-fitted distance. Rather, at its very essence, its 'rasa', WF continually rubs its multi-disciplined nose into every corner of our own devising, so that the student learns an authentic Path of Awakening through everyday experiences, not around them. If you have chosen to have a 'human' (they are more than just babies), then that is a HIGH if not the HIGHEST form of Personal Fitness and Yoga a person can create for themselves. However, they must have created the human and accept their human consciously as their Endless Workout, as their Endless Yoga, as their entire Spiritual Path for the rest of their present life! Having a human is not an interruption to spiritual Practice, they ARE your Spiritual Practice."
- coach ilg
founder/HP Yoga & Wholistic Fitness�
��� Coach and neice; Ella. photo by TwoMan Ilg
�WELCOME TO ONLINE TRAINING:
Rick Barreca
Calabasas, CA!
Rick has been studying HP Yoga for nearly a year and has SEEN THE LIGHT baby! His entire body/mind has been transformed though HP Yoga and he is now RIPE for the NEXT SHIFT: he will take Online Training under WF Teacher Ananda, who has also been his HP Yoga Teacher! Go(o)d luck on your Training!
���
November 20, 2004
WF CHI CAPS!!!!!
"Pump the CHI or get the hell out!" - Ron Jones WF Warrior Athlete
I am nearly as picky about caps as i am about water bottles! maybe that is why it took me 20 years to finally find a one-size-fits-all, 100% cotton cap with a world class curved bill and a CHI factor strong enough to transmit the power of the WF Global Tribe! Like a great pair of jeans, your WF Chi Cap is only going to get MORE comfortable the more you wear it. Ajna Chakra colored cotton goes great with our WF Outdoor Sport Jersey and embroidered with the WF Power Logo. Each Chi Cap simmers in the spiritual WF Headwaters of my private Zendo before shipping straight to you!
$25 + Shipping & Handling
Active Online Students; Shipping/Handling is on me!
goes great with:
HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA� WATER BOTTLE!
Don't you dare drink your Fortune Delight� in anything else! Oblong nipple (i love saying that) for easy drinking while cycling or running. Granite specked with my original "New Drew Yogin" calligraphy.
$5 each + Shipping & Handling 
ORDER BOTH FOR:
$30 = Shipping & Handling Included!
November 19, 2004
Steve,
Here are Student Michael Thompson's reflections on his Intensive. My own reflections would be pale to his insights..it was his Intensive after all, not mine. That being said it brings tears to my eyes this morning as ponder it all. The bond of student and teacher...
I trust you will share this with the whole tribe on DL
I dedicate this week to the Eagle of the Canyons...
- Haku
�"I Realized how Life is a series of these magical Moments, strung together like beads."
WF Online Student Michael Thompson. Began Online Study: October, 2002 under Teacher Haku.
there is nothing like a WF Private Intensive; there is nothing like a WF Transmission.
enjoy a contemporary Fitness Warrior's words fresh from his first face to face intensive with his Teacher:
�
Dear Coach Haku,
Following are some thoughts regarding the Blessings of the Intensive...
November 13, 2004
Reflections on my first intensive with Joseph Sheader ' Teacher Haku '
in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Some concerns before heading out regarding how I might "measure up".
Was this going to be some kind of test to see if I was worthy of continuing
in the program? �These feelings, however, began to dissipate as the start
of the intensive approached, and dissolved completely with first meeting
Joseph at his home. �Teacher Sheader (she-der, not shay-der-why did it take
2 years to find that out?) made me feel welcome in his home with his wife,
Linda, son Kerry, and daughter, Lorien. �
Off to the martial arts dojo for a yoga session with a couple of local
yogis. �The session was welcome relief after sitting in planes all day. �And
the subtle advice regarding how to enter into poses was much more insightful
than trying to glean the wisdom from a book. �Why have I waited so long to
do this?
Meditation the next morning with Haku and Linda was profound, resulting in
a deeper understanding of mula banda lock and ujjayi breathing. �Ujjayi
feels like a current of energy in the body; up from the pelvis and through
the heart, and then down the spine, releasing tension and blocks to the flow
of energy. �Mula banda lock holds a reservoir of energy that is drawn up
again with the next breath. �During this meditation, events in my life came
back to me as crystalline moments. �I was able to view the moment from all
physical angles and accept each as a Treasure. �They weren't Good or Bad,
they simply Existed and I saw them without attachment. �In some ways it
was like the movie, The Matrix, where the hero sees the bullets hurtling
toward him in slow motion, and then stop. �I Realized how Life is a series of
these magical Moments, strung together like beads.
Going to the gym it was enlightening to see Coach Sheader working
out, light, balanced, and strong. �This was true Teaching, allowing me to see the
goal of being truly physically fit and knowing that Haku will help me reach
it. �He will not give up unless I give up. �And the energy center was
strong and Mindful, no self-consciousness when approaching the weights in a
meditative state. �I learned some subtleties of certain movements and
wondered again, "Why didn't I do this sooner?" �My hope, too, is that seeing
my physical form and reading my energy will help Coach Sheader as he
devises future workout cycles.
After the gym and a bit of a rest, we were outdoors for some hill running.
Coming from sea level and the flat terrain of Maine, however, I felt the
thin air and was hitting Zone 3 just jogging up the hill. �No ego, though,
despite being with a world-class runner. �It was all go(o)d on that day,
just as Coaches Ilg and Sheader said when I started out over two years ago.
"come as you are" workout without posing or ego. �There is no hiding
from the eyes of a Warrior, after all.
Meditation the next morning was again profound and insightful. �Of all the
disciplines, the depth of the meditation during the intensive is what
surprised me most. �Once again, meditation was followed by a wonderful
breakfast gleaned from a WF cookbook and prepared with Love by Linda. �These meals
were simple in their ingredients, but profound in their teachings.
After breakfast, a trip through the hills and canyons to reacquaint myself
with the western landscape. �Every turn presents a new place for
meditation. �Deep textures at a landscape level, but also within a few square meters
of lichen-covered rock. �Ai Imawa practiced on the side of the canyon
walls, understanding how WF is rooted in this desert landscape.
Then off for mountain-biking near the Colorado River. �I've never
mountain-biked before, spending my biking time on a trusty road machine.
Philosophically, I've always felt uncomfortable with how these machines can tear
up a landscape. �These trails are no different, eroded soil, branches
broken off of sage plants, and the pace seems too quick for the ancient
landscape. �Nonetheless, ego drops off and I enter the flow of the trail, soft,
yet quick, eyes are necessary. �Yin energy and fluidity are rewarded. Too
much yang and you are off the pedals and holding your banged up shins. A
reminder to flow with the River and not fight it. �An eagle greeted us at
the Colorado River and I am uneasy as I pedal off. �I am reminded that
whenever I return to the Wilderness, I am often greeted by Eagle. �I pedal back
to the river and Eagle flares immediately over my head and leads me down
the river. I follow and he wheels overhead again and then glides down the
stream. �On a different day, I would follow him for hours, but the message is
not lost and I feel at ease in the landscape.
Intensive is too strong a word for what these Teachings are all about.
Perhaps a new word is needed: "In-depth-ives", for that is what happens,
you go deep and spend time being silent there with your Teacher.
The trip closes with an invitation to share with Haku's celebration of
his daughter's birthday, reminding us that our Teachers are human too.
Normal human beings who have chosen to wring all that they can out of this
life. �And as Haku said as we contemplated multi-pitch rock climbing, "If I
fall, at least I go out as a Zen Master." �That, perhaps, is the core of
WF. �Living life to the fullest, finding the Edge, and preparing to exit
the Stage as a Zen Master.
November 15, 2004
Now, days after the intensive, I find myself still contemplating Ai Imawa
at the edge of a canyon, the Teachings will go on, it seems, until I
finally grasp them. �I Feel, as well, that you can't understand WF until you
go through an Intensive. Sign up as soon as you can.
Namaste to the Entire Tribe!
Michael
November 17, 2004
And Now..
a word from our Master Student Website Manager/Devotee, John "Hakado Ru" Kuhlman:
"The Tribal Catalog has been restored to its full integrity! You're back in business and I apologize for the inconvienence. Next in line is the forum. Once that's up and running for the instructor cadre to play with, I'll update the version 2 site to get it ready for prime time."
John Kuhlman
Executive Producer
Kreativwerks
Need a Website?
stick to the WF TRIBAL CHI baby! hire Hakadu Ru at:
john@kreativwerks.com
���
Sneak peak at my Online Work with Student Alan Ludgate of New York. Click here:
untitled.pdf
���
coming up soon on DL:
rock climing, cycling, and HP Yoga Studio Input!
Which One Will Win?
A Cherokee elder sitting with his grandchildren told them, "In every life there is a terrible fight - a fight between two wolves. One is evil: he is fear, anger, envy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, and deceit. The other is good: joy, serenity, humility, confidence, generosity, truth, gentleness, and compassion."
A child asked, "Grandfather, which wolf will win?"
The elder looked him in the eye, "The one you feed."
- Submitted by WF Online Student Cindy Yarborough (Teacher Sheader Clan)
Coach Ilg has incorporated Meditation as one his Five Fitness Disciplines of Wholistic Fitness since 1982
Shown above; the Ai Imawa Healing Posture; "At One With The Universe"..a standing meditation pose.
Photo by Ananda, near Snow Canyon, Utah
��
Noble Coaches!
I just came across an interesting article on Attention Deficit Disporder and Zen meditation that other members of the WF tribe with wild minds might find enlightening!
www.add.org/content/treatment/zen.htm
The last paragraph nicely sums up my personal experience with meditation, why I find it so blissful to dwell between the racing thoughts, if only for a moment:
"Everybody believes that if only their lives where somehow different, in either a big or small way, they could be happier then what they are right now. ADDers suffer as much as non-ADDers in this illusion, but ADDers, because of their odd "gift", have an intuition for another way of being. For an ADDer to, in a sense, throw themselves away and just be the moment-to moment experiencing is to see the absolute freedom and oneness of it all. To see that there is no place to go, nothing to hope for, nothing to accomplish, that the entire universe is already contained in this very breath, is to comprehend something very rare indeed. An ADDer who comprehends even just a flicker of this insight can be brought to tears of joy and gratitude: a joy that comes from being truly themselves and a deep gratitude for their life, just as it is, ADD and all."
Humbly,
New Student Singer
��
Dear Steve:
What makes me one tough canuck is "Spirit" and a deep appreciation for what I have been blessed with--ESPECIALLY MY FRIENDS!� I bow to you my friend and Dharma teacher. Renpoche Yuen and Steve Ilg are the two most significant guides I have had while on this unique path of heart; THANK YOU, AND BLESS YOU!
- PEACE AND TRUTH
� Lance Zein, Canada
��
"I have always wanted to be able to combine yoga with my first love, strength training, and never quite knew
how to do it until I ran across your book, TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION, in the book
store. It was the answer to everything I had been looking for. It is perfect. You, however, have taken
it to levels that I never thought of. Thank you for sharing your story and your philosiphies about
health and nutrition and exercise in such a great way. You have helped me to develop and grow in ways that I
didn't quite know how to.
Thanks again,
Your student, Deanna Farley, CPT"
���
November 16, 2004
Steve,
Loved you submission from yesterday�s ride!� You are blessed.� I love the Torelli Cross bike isn�t amazing how well a cross bike handles off road.� One suggestion that you might enjoy is �frog leg� break leavers.�� They really make a difference on the more technical sections.� They are also cheap and easy to install.
I sent along some links to pics from our weekend of racing and our first taste of winter here in New England! �Intense Chi for 45 min with HR above 175 bpm the whole event. I had decent results but was limited by my lack of skill in the mud and couldn�t use my power effectively, but I did learn allot from the experience.�� I also took out 100 yards of yellow tape Saturday and Sunday.� Mass State championship this weekend!
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=cross/2004/nov04/cycle-smart04
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=cross/2004/nov04/chainbiter04
Best wishes.
Sammy Morse
"As I sit here at work mindfully slurping Sunrider herbs, I gotta tell you that this
is either one powerful placebo effect, espresso in herbal packaging, or
THESE THINGS REALLY WORK. I have not had this much energy or this much focus
or this much...well...enthusiasm on a cellular level that I can actually
FEEL...for as long as I can remember. And this is after less than a week.
Whew."
- From New Online WF Student, Mike Singer (see his Training Update below)
���
HERBAL WARRIOR NOTICE:
Dr. Chen, onwer/creator and friggin' genius behind the world's most POTENT regenerative chi filled herbs and whole foods on the planet is shaking his Shamanic Rattle again. The Herbal Master is tired of Wannabe Herbal Warriors who currently can join SUNRIDER HERBS for only $10, then sit on their ass and never eat the herbs! That is about to change. The new Entrance into the SUNRIDER TEMPLE will require a $140 gesture of sincerity to eat the most brilliantly and intellgently formulated and health producing organic whole foods available to mankind. The new sign up price includes your choice of two available Starter Packs of products; one of the Starter Packs focuses on daily nutrition which includes all the herbs that i suggest for the Ilg Supreme, and the other Starter Pack is a kickass introductory package that opens the inner door toward shifting your personal and skin care choices toward the unmatched splendor of SUNRIDER. So, if you have been sitting on the fence, knowing that SUNRIDER is an instrumental factor in my Path of WF and HP Yoga, then the time to get signed up for only $10 is NOW! Just see the left hand margin of this DL for sign up information and GET YOUR BUTT INTO THE SUNRIDER TEMPLE TODAY! i will be emailing details to my SUNRIDER email list specifically this week.
REALITY WEB:
THE BELOW TWO EXCHANGE ARE TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM TEACHER SHEADER'S COPY TO ME OF HIS ONLINE COACHING OF TWO NEW ONLINE STUDENTS; KOPS and SINGER. ENJOY THEIR BEGINNER'S ENERGY FROM THEIR FIRST FORAY INTO THE WORLD OF WF ONLINE TRAINING AND NOTE JUST HOW FAST THIS TYPE OF ONLINE WORK SHIFTS THEIR PERSPECTIVE TO A FAR GREATER EMBRACE AND PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT PERSONAL FITNESS TRULY MEANS! We'll start first with Student Ken:
STUDENT KEN: An young ha se yo (that's Korean for "peace to you")
Following my first HP Yoga session last night, I think it is time for my first WF report.
WOW!!! �That is all I can really say about yoga. �As you know, I have the HP
Yoga DVD. �Well, I punched that baby in the player last night, struggled to
get through the session as best as I could, and WOW!!! �I felt (and still
feel) cleansed inside and out! �Although my efforts were feeble, I tried to
view the session as not so much letting me know just what kind of crappy
shape I really am in, but rather as a benchmark as to where I need to go. �
From this my first HP Yoga session, I am confident that this is the
direction I need to be going.
TEACHER SHEADER: Your insights are exact... a benchmark of intention and a mode of present practice both.
SK: Here is a break down of last week:
I began on Thursday as I wanted to read and listen to all the introductory
and other Ilgonian material pertinent to WF Fitness. �Concurrently, I
reviewed and studied the Assessment Coach Ilg provided, took apart my
then-current fitness lifestyle and made changes.
TS: Just as it should be..and go back and review those often...even when you have gone far on the journey.
SK: Since Thursday, I have attempted as best as possible to develop and maintain
a sense of awareness of who, where, and what I am at all times. �Mostly, I
have been only able to periodically be aware of my breathing throughout the
day...and this is rough. �Just to give you an example, when I exercise it is
really a struggle to keep my mind focused on what I am doing at that moment.
I was never even aware that I was not aware of what I was doing at all,
prior to beginning WF. �Additionally, I am trying to be much more
compassionate with the folks and everything with which I interact. �This is
new and exciting stuff.
TS: It is very exciting. The first step of awareness is the awareness of having been unaware. "Practice and all is coming" as Sri K. Pattabhi Jois has said.
SK: On Thursday I trained twice: �AM) Easy CV with awareness (15 minutes), PM)
Synergistic Core training with awareness (60 minutes). �On Friday: AM) �Easy
CV with awareness (15 minutes), PM) Medium CV with awareness (60 minutes). �
On Saturday: �PM) �Shoulders and Arms, Abs with awareness (60 minutes). �On
Sunday: �PM) �HP Yoga with TOTAL awareness (60 minutes).
My wife (also my best friend) and I reviewed my previous dietary pattern and
we are making some significant changes. �Being that my wife is Korean, she
normally eats a much better diet (which is very much along the lines of a WF
diet) than me. �So, to cut to the chase, red meat is down to once a week,
dairy products are limited to breakfast time, and fruits, veggies, tofu, and
fish are in. �I am awaiting the arrival of the SUNRIDER products I ordered
last week.
TS: Listen to her...the traditional Asian diets are generally much healthier... especially among those who have lived simpler less affluent lives. �
SK: An young hi kye ship she o (that's Korean for "stay in peace")
TS: Go with ease and softness,
Teacher Sheader
����
AND HERE IS NEW STUDENT MIKE SINGER's REPORT TO TEACHER SHEADER:
Dear Teacher,
Just saw Coach Ilg's DL re student Karl, and thought I'd pass along the name
of a book I saw a few days ago written by Baron Baptiste: "My Daddy is a
Pretzel: Yoga for parents and kids."
Probably for a younger audience than Karl's kids, but the book (like Sesame
Street) is hilarious, even for adults! If you haven't seen it, check it out:
http://www.barefoot-books.com/us/site/pages/491_familyhearth_.php
TS: Thank you. Yes, I remember hearing about this work.
SS: Weekly status report coming at you tonight. All is going well. But as I sit
here at work mindfully slurping Sunrider herbs, I gotta tell you that this
is either one powerful placebo effect, espresso in herbal packaging, or
THESE THINGS REALLY WORK. I have not had this much energy or this much focus
or this much...well...enthusiasm on a cellular level that I can actually
FEEL...for as long as I can remember. And this is after less than a week.
Whew.
TS: ;-)
SS: This and Student Karl's story reminds me: Way back in college, in a class
called "What Is Wilderness," I went on an overnight "vision quest" in the
woods. The rules were simple: do anything you want, but don't sleep. I
decided to watch a one-foot-long candle burn in its entirety. In the
morning, the world was more vibrant than I had ever seen it. Back on campus,
I went swimming in the pool (not sure why, I hate swimming), and every
stroke was met with utter bliss at the mere SENSATION of the water touching
my skin...the sunlight shining down through the pool...the sound of the
water lapping...even the smell of the chlorine. Miracles everywhere.
TS: Exactly. I people have this strange idea that for there to be a miracle some law of universe has to be bent or broken when in fact Miracles occur WHEN we come into harmony with the uni-verse.
SS: I suppose it could be said that the goal of a spiritual practice is to swim
through LIFE with that much mindfulness and appreciation. A goal that is
increasingly in sight thanks to WF....
TS: Indeed. Swim in the flow baby...its all birthing waters.
In awakening,
Teacher Sheader
November 15, 2004
Now the moonlit path (5)
Clouds appear and disappear (7)
Breath! Bravely be free (5)
- a haiku from WF Student Bryan Hantman
as per an assignment from WF Teacher Sheader
ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAY...
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors!
my name is steve ilg, former professional outdoor athlete now serving time in the Big City of LA sharing the CHI of Wholistic Fitness and HP Yoga to whomever will share some sweat and spirit with me! Over my right shoulder you can see the San Fernando Valley where i have been living and sharing our humble yet Powerful Path of WF for the last decade. I ski and snowshoe in those mountains you can see in the background. On this sunday morning however, i did my Cardio Meditation on a favorite 25 mile loop which starts out my backdoor known as Sullivan Canyon...wanna come along?
My teammate for today was Steve Marlowe, now famed forever in my recent book, TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION, as a 'Zero Tolerance" Cardio Commuter. This mid-forty Warrior simply refuses to get into a car, though he nearly gets hit by several each day along his Ventura Blvd commute. Here, Steve takes on the first climb up toward Dirt Mulholland, an 800' ascent that lifts us above the smog barrier of the Valley toward ocean perfumed coastal ridgetops.
i set a low Zone 3 climbing tempo as we head east and continue up Dirt Mulholland, a chi-saving strip of unpaved road through the Santa Monica mountains. now, the yoga of breath and body deepens. i offer my Sunday Morning prayers through the only true spiritual vehicle of the human spirit; Sweat! i'll keep sweating my Sunday Prayers for the next ninety minutes, baby! God listens closest to those who breathe deepest!
Known locally as "the NIKE tower", this structure is a vestigal remnant from the cold war as it used to track RADAR potential from Russian submarines, satellites, and other such Unawakened Boy Toys of Mass Destruction. in this Kali Yuga epoch, it is vital for us to cherish EACH DAY and live EACH DAY with as much Pure Gratitude as possible, because we never really know when the Unawakend "Men" With The Big Toys might just annihilate our Global Tribe. do NOT delay your Life, live it TODAY!
leave it to women to save Mother Earth. the invaluable Santa Monica Wilderness Preserve was initally founded by three ladies concerned about the unbridled 'development' of LA. thank God for Yin Energy! now, coyotes, deer, hawks, condors, reptiles, and myriad flora abound among the coastal chapparal of 'my' backyard mountains!
Moments before we begin our screaming ass fast descent toward the ocean. You might be able to just see the NIKE tower in the background. Hey, if you can't go skiing, go mountain biking baby! Self propelled fun and fitness always spurs spiritual insight!
The colored trees lower right hallmark the mystical riparian elegance of Sullivan Canyon. You can also see the Santa Monica Bay and a smidgen of LA to the left. 
Steve as a speck of speed on the left flys down toward the coast. The high ridge on the far right frames the classic Reseda To The Sea MTB route and the nearer singletrack ridge on the right is Sullivan Ridge; a stellar advanced trail that dips and churns toward the ocean!
Keep those wheels rollin'! in the depths of Sullivan Canyon. creek crossings, giant sycamore trees, and dinosaur age ferns make this ride a sensory delight! the falling of autumn leaves sparkled even more magic into our morning! Thank you God, for gifting humans the ability to get and remain FIT! May all beings realize their bodies are Your Body and take go(o)d care of them!
Recent rains caused this Tree Elder to take Shavasana. Just like the HP Yoga Studio closing, the fallen tree only changed the rhythm of the workout, not the Sacredness! by the open-mouthed look on Steve's face, it looks like my tempo up the canyon was drawing from him a fine training effort!
ever wonder why WF and HP Yoga FEELS so different from other personal training systems? to teach the CHI you gotta fucking LIVE THE CHI every day, in every fitness discipline and into every aspect of your life! don't talk to me about "chakra healings" and what nutritional supplements are "superior," just come, SWEAT, and LIVE THE CHI! too much talk, not enough sweat makes people weird and disConnected from their True Source. Sweat and Breath restores Balance and Divine Wholeness.
after 17 miles of pre-fatigue including the long technical gradual uphill through the canyon, the final couple of miles includes these sections of 25% grades that hit your burning legs like thunderclaps. if you squint, you might see Steve (the second, lower rider) is about to pass another cyclist suffering like a dog...when we are fatigued we are most True.
Wholistic Fitness� baby...ain't nothing like it, since 1982.
May my little offering to you today empower your own Practice in some small Way.
Live your life,
Sweat your Prayers,
Restore your CHI!
That is all.
i bow to you,
coach ilg
November 13, 2004
HP YOGA STUDIO TO CLOSE!
Coach Refocuses On Online Training, Retreats, and a Pioneering "Legacy" Website "WF Temple"
photo/WayneWillamsStudio.com
footage from the HP Prop Workout� one of hundreds of hours of WF Training to be launched on the new
WholisticFitnes.com!
�I get up.
I walk.
� I fall down.
� Meanwhile
� I keep Dancing.�
� - Hillel
Well, Noble Warriors, it�s time for you and i to engage our most difficult Yoga Practice yet: I need your strength and your understanding right now. No drama. HP Yoga is not going anywhere but to a larger field. However, on Wednesday, November 24th, 2004 necessity requires that i must roll the boulder over the entrance to our "Chi Cave" on Ventura Boulevard for the last time.�
The current schedule will remain intact until November 24th.
Impermanence and Non Attachment are primary Teachings, not just of Yoga, but of the grandest Sphere of our lives. I shall keep this brief, yet I wish to share this much with you:�� The business foundation of my studio was fundamentally quaked within two weeks of opening by the leaving of my partner at the time.� Instead of pulling out and saving myself a whole lot of debt and energy, i chose to do what my Noble Teachers sent me here to do;� Teach.�
Not just asana, but Yoga.�
HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA�!
Having you see me close my Studio is part of my Teaching to you.� Elegance In Difficulty. Not once over the past year has even one of my classes suffered from a lack of quality or passion. Therein lies my Teaching; be brave and give whatever you have to share.
It is without one fiber of regret that� I chose to dig in my Warrior heels. My life has been made boundlessly more wealthy by sharing sweat and spirit with every one of you.� We put forth a beautiful, helpful ripple in LA. That�s important.
I have had the honor to begin yoga programs in seven different facilities throughout LA during my ten year �Big City Mission.� To date, thousands of people have heard their first �Namast� through my efforts. As I now regather Chi, I have a miraculous new Field to plough that will bring the unique empowerment of HP Yoga to perhaps millions of people. I must go to where i can help the most. I trust you will understand. Do not worry, Warriors, the HP vibe has already imprinted itself within you and that will only grow as you do. Also, through my books, products, workshops, retreats, and soon, my new �Legacy WebSite� of WholisticFitness.com, it will be very easy for all of you to enjoy an even greater access to HP Yoga� and her Father; Wholistic Fitness�. Trust me; you will be able to �keep your Practice strong and sincere.� After i told Front Desk Yogini Heather about needing to close our Cave, her words brought tears to my eyes,
�Steve,
You are not taking anything �away� from us. The spirit and power and love that you brought to all of us is a precious Gift. The power of your Teaching has permeated our cells and has forever changed positively our lives. You are not taking anything away from anyone.�
Phew. Heart opening stuff. Let me tell you, i�ve written entire books faster than it�s taken me to write this one email to you all.
In particular loving thanks as I prepare to Take Leave, i bow to Joy.� Indelibly moved have i been by her superb warriorism to jump� -� unasked -� into each of our daily battles, put in countless unpaid hours, and then execute superb asana teaching with her ever Healing Smile. Her devoted effort alone kept us open for as long as now.�
I bow to my Front Line of HP Yoga Devotee Staff; Heather,
Quentin, Karen, JoAnne, and Lenore.�
I bow to all my former Staff who gave what they could to our Cave.�
I bow to the Lineage of Great Teachers who made it possible for our humble, yet Powerful Light to shine along Ventura Boulevard!�� We touched some folks, did we!�� May their Inner Light continue to develop and be of benefit to all beings.
Most of all i bow to you, my faithful HP Yoga Sangha. Our Sacred Circle is not broken, nor has our Journey together ended.�� I feel you will deeply treasure the magnificent volume of� Sacred WF Teachings, both physical and philosophic, to be launched into the UniVerse via WholisticFitness.com.� I will certainly keep you posted as we near our launch date!
Maybe it was even you to whom I first taught, �Namast�.� So, without further ado, i fold my hands into Anjali Mudra, hold the image of you (sweating and smiling) in my Heart, and say...
Namaste,
Noble Warrior!
I bow to you.
That Is All.
- Coach Ilg, RYT/USCF
creator/High Performance� Yoga
note; the www.HighPerformanceYoga.com
website will be subsumed by www.WholisticFitness.com
follow our Tribe�s adventure each day at:
DIRECT LINES: Daily Meditations From Coach Ilg
http://www.wholisticfitness.com/weblog/ilgblog.html
November 12, 2004
Ilgbro,
My visual inspiration today below�felt your chi baby!
- Ron Jones
���Noble RJ!
hey,
direct from the Humble Helm on behalf of the worldwide WF Tribe; HAPPY 45th Birthday!
- your teammate on the roads and off,
feeble ilg
November 10, 2004
Coach Ilg,
I am a US Marine who has written to you before via DL. I had mentioned how I use�many of your Wholistic fitness�teachings to mentor young�Marines to be�better (true)�Warriors by looking within themselves.
I am currently deployed to Afghanistan,�as a team of Marines�embedded directly into the Afghan National Army.�I want you to know that your WF path�provides�me with the ability to mentor the Afghan Army in a very�positive way the same way I mentor young Marines.�They lack experienced�leadership at all levels. The same way I teach young Marines to look within themselves,�I teach the Afghany leaders to look within themselves�to find the answers to their leadership challenges and it works. I refer�almost as much to DL as I do Military guidebooks. �����
I hope this message brings you pleasure, in knowing that your WF path is affecting the� US and foreign�Military in a positive way. You are doing great things.
God Bless, Semper Fi
- Scott
���
HERBAL WARRIORS: Dr. Chen (creator of SUNRIDER HERBS) is clearing out the Wannabe Warriors from the Real Warriors! Very soon, the $10 One Time Fee to join SUNRIDER is going to jump to $140 (yet will include 100 SV of herbs). DON'T GET GAPPED! Join today by following instructions on the left of this entry!
- Coach Ilg
���
Beautiful Coaches,
Thanks for it ALL.
Ananda is radiant on DL (11/10/04).
Ananda is radiant everywhere.
Love, so much Love,
Student Doreen
���
Dear Coach Ilg,
��� Ananda's quote in today's DL is thoroughly inspiring.� I got goose bumps, the hairs on the back of my neck stood-up and I felt a tear form in the�corners of my eyes as I read her eloquent words.
Thank you for sharing this gift of Wholistic Fitness. I am honored to be amongst people like you & Joy. This Tribe is truly a blessing to me.
�Love,
Student MC
���
Beautiful one,
Awesome DL of Anada!� God I love a beatufiul athlete woman in balance.� Candas and I have done some awesome rock climbing photos of her�such a joy to see her body move on cold stone in primal ways.
I fucking bow!
Rj
*Yeah�508 Hall of Fame baby�let�s roll!� My hermano Ryan is on board for our team next year and pumped!
{Ron Jones, recent victorious teammate of mine at this year's Furnace Creek 508 race is referring about our plans to return next year and put the course record into the stratosphere with a new team. Interested in sponsoring us? contact Coach Ilg;
ilgtrain@pacbell.net}
���
"Coach Ilg,
I picked up some Yoga Toes based on your DIRECT LINES...
best purchase I've made in some time."
- Robert Moses, Marietta, GA
���
visit:
http://yogapro.com/geninfo/testimonials_yt.html
for more quotes from WF Students endorsing YogaToes!
���
�
"...all i know is when i come to my yoga mat,
i love to Breathe and Move my body.
and when my back or hips or 'whatever body part' is calling out to me,
it's my responsibility to go within
through the Breath,
even if i'm on the verge
of tears
or vomit,
i must� call upon my Warrior Spirit to guide me
into the depths of my issues,
which are hiding in my tissues.
'...Joy and Pain,
sunshine and rain...'
So i bow to your�lower back duhkha (suffering) and
graciously and humbly thank you for your kind words.
OM TAT SAT,
joy"
{Joy Kilpatrick, whose WF name is Ananda, is a certified WF Online Teacher, HP Yoga Teacher, and accomplished actress. The above online conversation took place between her and WF Teacher Q recently. i felt the power and sincerity of Ananda's words captured
exquisitely what i and so many others experience on the yoga mat as we start breathing into our pains, restrictions, and weaknesses. There are no shortcuts for anyone. Teacher Ananda has a few openings for new Online and Private students. Don't miss that chance to study under her graceful and ever growing wisdom. i took the above photo of Ananda at sunset before going rock climbing during our HP Yoga Summer Retreat at Red Mountain Spa this summer. May this entry empower your Practice today for the benefit of many. That is all, Coach Ilg.}
November 08, 2004
INTERNAL FLOATATION; Don't Collapse Your Cycling Posture, Empower It!
" When we internally float our postures with turbine like breath, we are in �attack� mode more often instead of �survival� mode," says Coach Ilg, "to me, attacking on the bike means attacking the ego that limits our magnificence." From a new book in progress by Coach, HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA� FOR CYCLISTS. Photo by Ananda.
�Internal floatation� is a natural, fluid state of inner mobility and support based upon conscious, empowered breathing. When we are internally supported on the bike, we have a very powerful infrastructure that transfers power and endurance through a mobile core - abdominals, hips, and lower back - into the pedals. This all important midsection region is also known in sport sciences as the Power Chain Musculature or 'PCM.' Surprisingly however, most conventionally trained cyclists have little idea of how to deliver maximum energy from their PCM. The key lies in what yogis have practiced for several thousand years; internal floatation through conscious breathing. When internally supported, our breath becomes a turbine; it creates a fusion of powerful breath and physiology that expresses action from the inner toward the outer. The most powerful animals on our planet always move this way, think of a gorilla or a cheetah and you can sense how powerfully they move while their 'core' remains centered. Most cyclists are overly concerned with developing what I call their 'externals', i.e., leg strength, thigh power, pedal cadence, etc. As a result, overdeveloped hip flexors and virtually nonexistent hip extensors create biomechanical imbalance which restricts the most important aspect inherent to cycling performance and enjoyment; the breath! Just have a conventionally trained cyclist perform a standing Backbend with their arms extended overhead and see how far they get and how restricted their breath becomes! This chronic imbalance weakens cycling posture resulting in poor form such as skeletally bracing ourselves on our bike with locked out arms, shoulders pinned close to the ears, and rounded spines unable to sustain elegant, flat, low, aerodynamic position. Without internal floatation, cyclists collapse inward and restrict their most powerful forces from within. When we internally float our postures with turbine like breath, we are in �attack� mode more often instead of �survival� mode.
- Steve Ilg, Registered Yoga Teacher and United States Cycling Federation Coach
author/TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION (Hyperion 2004)
founder/WholisticFitness.com & HighPerformanceYoga.com
5 World Championships in 4 Different Sports
"The world's fittest human." - Ultra Cycling Magazine
����
A Message from YogaPro.com
Hi, Coach Ilg!
We are so appreciative of ALL you and your Tribe DO!
If your yogini is wearing a Medium size pair of YogaToes {but keeps slipping out of them}, she could try
a smaller size; otherwise I'd suggest making sure that the YogaToes and her feet are dry. Plus, we have heard from dancers who keep them on by wearing oversized socks or hosiery -over- the YogaToes.
Thank you for all the valuable feedback - we'll use all the input as we continue to develop and refine our products.
Please keep me posted on your special events and other Sponsorship opportunities that we can participate in.
Sincerely,
Stephan Iscoe
1.800.488.8414
stephan@yogapro.com
Discover YogaToes Toe Trainers
"It's What Your Feet Want!"
http://YogaPro.com/footcare
��� THE NYC MARATHON!!!
MAJOR CHI HIT IN THE WOMEN'S RACE!!!
HI Steve,
Paula!!
Mighty noble warrior!
Here in the UK we are very proud and protective of our Paula, so it was
great to see her on form on sunday. Athens was a setback, yet she overcame
her fears in New York.
An inspiration to us all.
John
���
COMING SOON! MORE WF CYCLING/OUTDOOR SPORT JERSEYS IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!
stay tuned to DL!
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Since 1982...
SARTORI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ACTUAL AWAKENING; AN ONLINE TRAINING DHARMA TALK:
Student Karl and Teacher Sheader
Just What Is The Going Rate For AWAKENING These Days? A $100/Month? Sounds like it!
An Online WF Student under Teacher Sheader only since July, 2004, Student Karl Weiss has attained an initial
Sartori, or Spiritual Awakening as authenticated by Coach Ilg. "The past two months with WF has been amazing," reports Student Karl to Teacher Sheader, "I have been wandering around like a kid in a candy store just looking for things to be mindful about (how weird does that sound). �It is as if I have been living my life with my head down. ��Looking up and taking in the world is so cool. ��Breathing, �actions from the heart, �energy. ��Whew. ��Sometimes almost sensory overload..."
DL Readers,
How great is Awakened Warrior Karl's line: �"It is as if I have been living my life with my head down."?
i am awaiting a photo of our Noble Student Karl soon...
Thank you God, for Blessing this world with WF as It comes through feeble me.
There is no measure to what One Awakened Human Being can bring to the UniVerse. Thank you, Student Karl, for choosing to do this noble Online Work so devotedly. Your Sartori is a training byproduct of your abhyasa (constancy of Practice). One of the hallmark qualities of a genuine Sartori is the overwhelming need to SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE TO GIVE regardless of what it requires or cost. {It is very interesting that each one of my Authenticated Awakenings have only occurred among Students committed to the Sunrider herbs; a testimony to the importance of highly vibrating and pure cells! Can people even reach Sartori eating 'regular' modern day processed, mineral depleted 'foods'?} Often, entire life changes are manifested by a deep Sartori such as was the case in each of my WF Online Staff of Teachers. In Student Karl's case, after his Awakening, he is biting at the spiritual bit to share what he has found (transcendence through the phenomenal world/clarity/insight acceleration) with his wife, his kids, and the global Tribe of Fitness Warriors. Perhaps one day, Student Karl will become WF Teacher Karl. I'll be watching.
Thank you, Teacher Sheader for being so impeccable as Karl's Guide. I bow to your growth as a Teacher of this humble, yet Powerful Path.
DL readers, this is unique stuff below; savor it. Learn from it. Student Karl is no different from you or i. The only difference is his ongoing willingness to find his "Workout Is Everywhere." Enjoy this privilege to stand side by side someone who has done the Inner Work of WF and is now climbing his own Way toward Enlightenment sure as can be. A true Birthday has occurred in our Tribe; Happy Birthday Student Karl! May your Practice, DL reader, be empowered through this honored excerpt taken from a blossoming spiritutal relationship between a devoted Student of WF and his Teacher. i bow to all you..
This day burns brightly in my Heartspace,
Coach Ilg
��
Dear Teacher Sheader -
On the workout is everywhere - man is it ever. ��The past two months with WF has been amazing. �Since the end of this cycle I have been wandering around like a kid in a candy store just looking for things to be mindful about (how weird does that sound). �It is as if I have been living my life with my head down. ��Looking up and taking in the world is so cool. ��Breathing, �actions from the heart, �energy. ��Whew. ��Sometimes almost sensory overload BUT keep it coming as it is all good.
TS: Welcome to awakening. Sooner or later in this lifetime or another it was to begin...Well Come!
SK: From all the recent emails it feels like WF going into 2005 is going to be exciting. ��Are you a winter sports guy like Coach Ilg? �My son and I just started skiing last year and we are really pumped up about this winter season and plan to check out cross country skiing and snow shoeing this year. �
TS: It would be presumptuous to say I am quite the Winter Sports guy like Ilg. He is Winter Sports. That being said I am regarded as at least being partly comprised of Siberian Husky, snowstorms, and �high winter peaks.
SK: Actually, �I have a couple of questions for you outside of WF (or maybe part of WF) on my kids/family and bringing them into the WF world. My son is 10 - and he asked me a couple of days ago if he could start doing Yoga with me. ��Any suggestions on what/how to get him started down the warrior path? �My daughter (15) �just completed her JV volleyball season and is setting her sights on making varsity next year. ��She will be starting her club season in December where she will get lot's of repetitions and great competition during practice but she really needs to improve her vertical leap and strength. �We are looking at �enrolling her in a volleyball specific program designed to increase her vertical leap, improve her quickness, �eye/hand, �and agility. �I have thought about doing the training stuff with her but am a bit worried about trying to pass on WF teachings (other then by example) while I am still so early in my practice.
TS: In both regards the best teaching you can provide is as an example. If they want to try something you are doing, like a yoga pose then let them play. There is a good young children's book on Yoga with Babar �the Elephant. I also think their are some new Children's yoga videos out. I have not checked them out to see how good they are.
It would seem the Volleyball program would be appropriate. No doubt it will include plyometric training appropriate for her age. At their age you are planting seeds. If WF attracts them down the road, even a little bit of it then great. All in their time.
SK: My wife, �is starting to ask how she can get in better shape and has started to walk and do some of the stretching exercises with me.
TS: That's wonderful. Know this...it can be very difficult to train ones spouse. Simply encourage her and support her without any judgement. I have done consultations for the spouses of WF students and now and then we get a couple as active students...just a thought. So if she wants formal WF instruction send her my way. Meanwhile offer her TBT (TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION book by Coach Ilg). Just don't take it personally if it is not quite her thing. �
SK: And finally, �I am getting close to finishing the Wellcoach classes and will be testing in February for my ACSM and ACE certifications. ��Would you be interested or is there a way to mentor me in growing a coaching practice. ��And of course with the WF philosophies at the core as of me.
TS: I will guide you as best I can as your WF teacher. It is "wholistic" after all. If that includes your wellcoach practice then that is as it is. If it means something another role then we can discuss that down the road.
blessings,
Teacher Sheader
November 05, 2004
NOTICE TO THE TRIBE
A Message From Wholistic Fitness Web Manager Hakadu Ru:
The process has begun toward moving Kreativwerks and our clients to a new server. As this is happening, you will most
likely lose access to making updates to Direct Lines and the Tribal Catalog. Both may even be out of service for 24-48 hours. I'd suggest you let the Tribe know that some changes are underway to better serve them and ask for their patience during the move. Our new digs will and give us more room to expand for when the WF Legacy site comes into being.
Thanks for your patience. I'll keep you posted.
- John "Hakado Ru" Kuhlman/www.kreativwerks.com
"People dismiss miracles due to their lack of being able to Connect The Dots of their life moments. Miracles are everywhere. meditation takes a Highlighter to the miracles already present, that's all."
-coach ilg, DIRECT LINES; 11/5/04
A Fan's Meditation Question AND
Following Coach's Footsteps; Ilg's Personal Training Stats for October
�Green Tara, a Protector of new WF Students as they begin turning their fitness training inward. see page 39 of TBT book for more on Green Tara. photo by exoticindia.com with permission. contributed by WF Student Michael Goiten �
Steve,
FYI,� having spent 20min trying to meditate at 5:00am...with no luck. But I stuck it out.�� I opened my Wall Street Journal to find an amazing article. �Scans of Monks' Brains Shows Meditation Alters Structure,Functioning�(pg B1). Thought you might enjoy it..... No wonder it so hard to do!
Best wishes,
Sam
**** Noble Fitness Warrior Samuel -
i applaud your efforts to look within.
do not disregard the synchronicity of you doing the Noble Work of trying to meditate and then the UniVerse in-couraging you to continue by way of a 'newspaper article." that was not, my friend, a newspaper article. that was your Teacher in drag, saying, "c'mon Samuel...keep it up!" People dismiss miracles due to their lack of being able to Connect The Dots of their life moments. Miracles are everywhere. meditation takes a Highlighter to the miracles already present, that's all.
i am familiar with the Monk's brain scan piece. it is no surprise to those of us in the field of the inner arts. you may enjoy my own Training Stats of October as additional data to prove the worth of prioritizing the mind before the body when it comes to fitness (see below).
often, the first few times of attempting to listen to our mind is frightening. we realize just how obese we have allowed the clutter and pandemonium of the undisciplined mind to become. we are shocked by the magnitude of inner Work that must be done to ever regain a pacific, manageable mind.
you are not ready yet to meditate, so forgive yourself often.
meditation is a by-product of sustained concentration (see my TBT book).
focus your efforts on sustaining your concentration during daily activities such as brushing your teeth, showering, walking, standing, and listening. focus your efforts of concentration within your fitness disciplines like yoga, strength, and cardio. the leading reason i created such techniques like Staccato Technique, Breath and Posture Beeper Guru, Eating Elegantly, etc., etc., is to somehow coach people back into a concentrated mind instead of a attention-deficit ego mind.
an even better option for you;
join Online WF Training and have a professional help guide you ever Higher!
we have openings for new Studetnts at only $100/month!
what's more important than the quality of your mind?
i bow to you,
coach ilg
������������� FOLLOWING THE FEEBLE ONE'S FOOTSTEPS:
http://www.adventurecorps.com/webcast/2004fc/shows/show11/pages/DSCN0385.html
�link above; coach ilg hammers away at climbing Townes Pass, 4.5 hours into the stage; fueled by his crazy wisdom of WF, SUNRIDER herbs, and the spiritual strength of the worldwide WF Tribe! �
Okay conventionally trained fitness trainers and experts; go figger this one:
last month my cardio fitness was obviously at high levels:
� Personal Record at Mt. High Time Trial
�9th Place Simi Pro Loop 60 mile
�1st Place/Course Record Mens 4x4; Furnace Creek 508-mile Bike Race
this fitness was gained through the following training disciplines. please note and enjoy the obvious anti-conventional approach to my training:
1) Meditation (29.50 hours)
2) HP Yoga (52.75 hours)
3) Low Volume, Whole Food & Herbal Nutrition (approx. 1,581 calories/day)
4) Cardio; (46.50 hours)
5) Strength Training; 3 sessions for 1.50 hours.
It's worth repeating for anyone who has competed in elite ultra endurance events:
Meditation and HP Yoga were my two most relied on training disciplines, not Cardio!
Meditation, HP Yoga, SUNRIDER Herbs...
how consistent are THEY in YOUR Practice?
"The body follows the mind. So prioritize that which strengthens your mind, not what entertains it!"
- Coach ilg
Break through limitations of body and mind that may be limiting your Intuitive Wisdom and pure spirit:
fill out an Online WF Training application today:
http://www.wholisticfitness.com/online_app_form.html
for less than what most people can spend at Starbucks each day, you can have a world class WF Teacher guide you at your own pace, using your own lifestyle toward something truly meaningful; yourself!
November 04, 2004
���
"Where your mind goes,
your CHI flows."
- coach ilg
���
HAVEN'T HAD ENOUGH VOTING YET? LET'S GET A WF TV WARRIORESS TO THE PODIUM!
Hi!
i just wanted to ask a Big Favor of you all - the Soap Opera Digest nominees just came out and Galen and i are nominated for "favorite couple"!� the only way to vote is to buy the Nov. 9th issue of Soap Opera Digest (which is on the stands now) find the attached ballot, vote and mail it in!
I would greatly appreciate all your votes! Thank you so very much for your help!!
Love,
mac
xo
NOTE: Student McKenzie did not ask me to put this on DL...i'm doing it because Student Mac has been an exceptional representative of WF in Hollywood as you have been reading about in DL and elsewhere. WF began as, and remains a High Performance Path. We are all about podiums; the more WF Students on the various podiums in the world, the better as far as i am concenered! you can visit Student Mac at: www.mckenzie-westmore.com
���
On my DL 10/28 entry, i wrote about how amazing LA is for outdoor athletes. How accessible everything that glitters for the outdoor athlete is in amazing reach of the daily life of a Los Angelo. From snow to surf, from world class cycling to rock climbing to zen gardens for long sits. 
WF Online Student and HP Yogini Diana Eden (training under Teacher Ananda) a sixtysomething former Broadway dancer, is moving through our WF Online Programs well ahead of the pace toward Awakening. An incredible lady who, as you will be able to feel from her story below, is really beginning to turn on the faucet of her Awareness within the hustle and bustle of her Big City life. Without outdoor athletics, Student D is a shining example of how anyone, at any age can use WF training to feast upon the miracles of Mindfulness. Stories like this one is what truly makes me glad i worked so hard to make my approach to personal fitness expand the larger sense of what personal fitness truly means. I bow to you Student D! Great coaching, Teacher Ananda!
�
Dear Coach
While I m one who enjoys looking at snow from afar and not getting anywhere near the stuff, I truly enjoyed your joyful excursion into LA�s first snow. Also Luke�s giddy joy at the Red Sox victory. May we all have that kind of child like wonder and joy.
I can�t help but share with you what I wrote last night regarding my beloved city, Los Angeles. (It�s long. Enjoy it if you wish).
It always puzzles me when I hear people saying LA is a concrete jungle, that it is a horrible place and that they
can't wait to get out of here. If only they could see it through my eyes!
I love LA madly. I came out here 35 years ago for the entertainment industry
and the weather. I'm still here for those things, but I've grown to think of
Los Angeles as one of the most beautiful cities I know.
From the second floor of my humble abode in Sherman Oaks I can look out
through trees, across the valley floor, and see the mountains on the other
side of the valley. Behind my house is a small hill that is uninhabited,
except by a family of deer who wander past my back wall every once in a
while, (and this only �2 minutes from Sepulveda and Ventura Blvd). A number
of birds visit my small patio and back garden, and in summer butterflies and
bees seem to enjoy the place too. Both neighbors are so obscured by greenery
that I can cavort in my jacuzzi starkers, when I choose. (Which is often).
There's always something blooming in Los Angeles. When East Coasters say
"they miss the seasons in LA�, they are just not looking! Summer is warm,
sunny, lazy-feeling, and brilliant bougainvillea are everywhere. In August the crepe
myrtle are in full bloom with fuchsia and magenta . Fall comes later than
in most places, but don't tell the russet maple 2 blocks from me there's no fall
colors! My roses bloom through December, for heavens sakes, even without me knowing anything
about gardening! Winter comes December 21st and the rains follow, but after
the rain, the sun usually burst forth, and everything glistens. Snow can be
seen all around us on mountain tops. By February the tulips are out, by
Easter the azaleas. In June the jacarandas umbrella us with lavender.
Few cities in the world I have visited are so richly colored and so beautifully lit with sunshine.
Even if one hates the freeways, there are still treasures to be found. �Drive the 10 West and
wait for the lovely reveal of Pacific Ocean as you emerge from the tunnel in Santa
Monica. Climb up the crowded 405 north and wait for the sight of the San
Fernando valley below as you crest the top. Drive Santa Monica Blvd east (or Olympic)
and see the snow capped Mount Baldy dead
ahead, like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. (Ilg�s probably skiing or climbing it!)
LA has its difficult side, to be sure. It's a hard town to find "community" in,
but I TAF one can find a non-geographical community quite easily - the
community of film people, of musicians, of surfers, of yoga practitioners, of
boule players (some French chefs gather in Rancho Park every Saturday to
play boule, who knew?), of Italians, of vintage car enthusiasts. I could go on and on.
I just know I find joy almost everyday in this extraordinary place.
Love
Diana
November 02, 2004
Though Teachers of Yoga are traditionally apolitical, focusing their efforts singly upon each individual's spiritual transformation to transform the society, HP Yoga is of course a fusion of East and West. The yogi in me might be a little less enthused about voting, yet the Coach in me is roaring at our Tribe of Mind/Body Warriors to VOTE! Our Tribe is among the most balanced in the country, so i need you all out there today! Personal Transformation is the first step to global change. You are an Awakened Warrior of the Heart; your vote matters big time!
Thus:
To All Friends And Fans of WF, HP Yoga, and Direct Lines...
VOTE!
To Online WF New Students
VOTE with your Posture Elegant and your Breath Consciously animating your casting.
To Online Warrior Students
get to your polling place by a Cardio Commute and VOTE as above.
To Online Master Students
Extend your pranayamic practice by 1 extra round each technique,
and VOTE while maintaining Uddiyana Bandha and Projecting Love through Anahata Chakra
For extra WF Merit; use your non-dominant hand while casting your votes!
that is all,
coach ilg
founder/Wholistic Fitness�
November 01, 2004
Sticking up for ol' Coach...
Long time WF Student, Dan "Dansan" Salimone at his preferred Temple for inner work: the surf.
Dear ilgbro,
regarding your recent exposure in NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ADVENTURE magazine,�
it actually said you were "confrontational", not controversial....
i find you to be neither....
why is it when a person...
sees the truth,� speaks it,
shows the way,
and then spends most of his life
on this path,
does criticism
or an inaccurate label
need to be applied?
sound like national g. has lost
the concept of adventure for
cosy eco-"adventure"-vacation hype!
�fuck them....i'm going to meditate,
eat my breakfast with awareness,
and then surf with everything i got...
like i'm singing, painting, making love,
or just being....with the ocean.
what else do we need?
love,
student dansan
Worldwide WF Sangha: Please Welcome to WF ONLINE TRAINING:
Richard Lourey
of
Malvern East
Australia
work rlourey@aol.com
New Student Lourey begins his Basic Studies under WF Teacher Sheader immediately!
Richard, may all your sweat within our humble yet Powerful Temple be Blessed with
insight and used as fuel toward Enlightenment!
May all beings be helped by your Noble Choice to Study this Difficult Path...
i bow to you,
endlessly in your Corner,
coach ilg
founder/Wholistic Fitness�