January 31, 2005
"The Highest health is Heaven within."
- coach ilg
http://www.ronjones.org/CurrentComments/SundayIceChi.html
{Ron Jones is a long time associate of Wholistic Fitness, and teammate in ultra cycling with coach ilg. his website is another Noble Work of Karma Yoga by a devoted teacher of the chi.}
January 30, 2005
COACH's SUNDAY SERMON: DUHKHA AND KARUNA - SPARKPLUGS OF TRANSFORMATION
"I have been taught that the Peaceful Warrior looks at the world through compassionate eyes that sees the suffering of all beings. I designed WF to help us feel our life more fully; be it painful or happy, poor or rich, ugly or beautiful...at least the Warrior lives his or her life authentically. That is what matters most in the long run." - coach ilg
Today, i would like to speak of the two Sparkplugs of Transformation...duhkha and karuna. This talk is for those Fitness Warriors that are interested in realizing the spiritual energy that has been fueling their outer workouts for perhaps a very, very long time. May it help.
I devote this column to NidraRishi B; thank you for the Manipura Flower of Surya. i have Felt.
As we continue to do the Practice(s) of WF, in time two pivotal qualities flawlessly develop within our minds:
1) increased space between arising thoughts, and
2) compassion (karuna)
These two factors are what i call the, "Sparkplugs of Transformation." They ignite 'Citi-Shakti' or the 'Power of Awareness'.
Cit-Shakti is a yin, natural state of awe existing beyond our mental machinations and egoic structures. Oprah might call Citi-Shakti an "Ahhh...HA! moment."
Many of us may not have experienced Citi-Shakti since childhood,when we would stop dead in our little tracks to stare with awe at something so simple as a leaf being dragged along by an ant. That state of Powerful Awareness is reached by spritual athletes and - in my feeble opinion - extreme athletes and elite performers whom are consistently forced into Powerful Awareness by high intensity mixed with high risk.
Powerful Awareness is superior to the mind. The Yogic Masters knew this and actually defined our minds as just a 'shadow of Awareness'(Citi-Chaya). If a Westerner 'loses' his or her mind, he is considered a 'lunatic*.' In the East, if a person loses their mind, they have moved closer toward their True Self for they have moved out from their menta shadow to stand more Clearly in the Light!
Many of you have already gained significant footsteps in your development of Citi-Shakti. As you do, you will begin to see the suffering and imbalanced mind/body aspects of people. You will notice yourself start feeling and moving in Ways different from others. Even loved ones. Yep, even spouses. This is tricky emotional terrain and you must all-Ways remember that the Spiritual Journey is just that; it's a radical transformation of who you THINK you are, and the Spiritual Journey doesn't give a crap about your person-nal journey...Seeker, beware! Finders Only Beyond This Point!
The training effects from Citi-Skakti are duhkha** (suffering) and karuna (compassion). They are daughters; duhkha and karuna. Thus, the more you feel the duhkha of others, the more karuna arises from within you. Even the least spiritually attuned may feel these daughters arise when looking upon a homeless person or a child starving to death in Ethiopia. Thus, the Masters say that it is, "Both a Blessing and a Curse to have Awakened."
**Duhkha (suffering); actually means, "bad axle hole" and refers to ancient India when a rough ride in a cart or pulling one caused ongoing pain and trouble because the wheels did not turn smoothly. Being the 'spiritual materialist' that i am, i make sure that my race bikes can fit several wheelsets, each with an axle gearing that ensures a High Performance ride. Similarly, i designed the WF System of Personal Training to produce an elite ride for the body, mind, and spirit. Photos/LA Times
*DIVINE DAUGHTERS OF THE DANCE
Let me give you an example of how these two daughters of Divine Mind might play out in our own Practice of WF. Let's say you are an Online Student in the WF CyberTemple, or you have begun a fitness program in one of my books, such as Green Tara.
On Sunday, your Daily Practice says that you are to do "Cardio Of Choice" = 1 hour.
So, on this particular Sunday, you invite your husband with you. You drive out to a pretty place in which to hike. Your husband, who does not do the Practice, immediately turns on the stereo in the car. A part of you (Citi-Shakti) wishes he woulda just left the goddamned music off for once in his life and spent some quality time conversing with you. Then, you go for the hike. Along the Way, a certain magic arises...usually in tempo with sweat. Suddenly, you become a couple; shared beings of sweat and spirit. You find yourselves laughing, perhaps for the first time in a long while. You notice (Citi-Shakti) many things; birds, smells, trees, flowers, the patterned dance of clouds against Father Sky...suddenly, you begin falling in love with breath and movement and...maybe just maybe, each other again!
Back at the trailhead, you find yourselves giggling with enthusiasm (tapas) and you nearly fall to your knees when your husband turns to you saying,
"Honey, this was fun! Let's come out again next weekend!"
Shocked, yet firm in your Devoted Practice you respond,
"Honey, of course! I have been doing this since i started Wholistic Fitness! I would love for you to workout with me! In fact, i need to do some yoga once i get home, do you want to join me?"
"Uhhh, no thanks, but i do like the hiking!"
"Fair enough...here, have some more Fortune Delight!"
On the way home, you take a risk. You push your husband's edge a bit. You noticed (Citi-Shakti) that he again non-consciously just turned on the CD Player once in the car.
"Honey, why don't we just turn off the stereo for a bit and enjoy the silence?"
He agrees, yet within thirty seconds, you can feel his Citi-Chaya overriding his undeveloped Citi-Shakti and sure enough, he begins talking about this and that. You suddenly see your husband in a new, compassionate Light...you truly feel karuna for your husband...you easily can see his addiction to entertainment; be it to music or to mental chatter. You smile at yourself for you have felt the power of a WF Transmission within yourself; you ARE rising above Citi-Chaya into the Light and Power of Awareness!
I in-courage you who are experiencing Higher levels of Citi-Shakti not to JUDGE others! Use your karuna to feel the duhkha for others addicted to overthinking and underfeeling. As you realize the deep extent of the outer world's addiction to drama and grasping instead practiced equanimity and concentration, you will feel the Peaceful Warrior's Heart; it beats with utter Joy and utter Sadness. And, with each workout turned within, you feel yourself Rise Higher and Higher and you will naturally feel more and more obliged to help others. It is a natural human quality; helpfulness.
i bow to your Devoted Practice
may all beings be freed from duhkha...
love,
coach ilg
*Lunatic" comes from the Latin, 'lunaticus' or "moon-struck," and referred to periodic bouts of insanity stemming from changes of the moon. Yet, we can only see "la Luna" when she is not caught in the Shadow of the earth, much like the way we cannot see our True Self until our Awareness moves out from the shadow of our mind. During my ice climbing seasons in Banff, Canada, the local mountaineers called me, 'ze lunatic' because i would often climb difficult ice pillars without a rope (free solo) and under the light of the moon. To me, my style was wise; alone and without the need to pause to place gear into the vertical ice, i could move more fast and free and increase my likelihood of safe passage. Also, the ice was most solid at night and the likelihood of avalanches letting loose above the ice waterfalls was far less. Thus, what seems like 'lunacy' to the spectator, might in fact, seem like wisdom to the doer!
January 29, 2005
MASTER STUDENT EXCHANGE: KUMBHAKA SEDUCTION
i facilitate Master Student Abu's pranayamic insights
{Notice to the conventionally trained: this stuff is not a Barbell Curl exercise description; DO NOT ATTEMPT without guidance by a pranayamic teacher! - Coach Ilg
***
ABU:
I�m definitely not certain that it is not just a shift in Awareness � it very
well could be. The only reason that I suggested the above is that the chatter
seemed to coincide with a slight decrease in the mechanical fluidity of the
morning Pranayama session. The mental chatter seems to be decreasing. My
session this morning had the feel of a deep, calm (kiddie) pool during the
retention periods.
ILG:
Do not be too seduced by kumbhaka.
the very word means 'potlike' and kumbhaka is the most direct means of shifting
consciousness...thus, body (the pot) consciousness and mental consciousness
begin to intermingle, embrace, dance...
it can all get quite in-toxic-ating.
yet, i need you to focus on the real Yoga which during your pranayams must be the
continuing advancement of ekagrata (one-pointedness).
since the depth of your pranayam fitness is increasing, as you 'step back out'
toward logical mind, the mental chattering sounds cacaphonous.
ABU:
Also, the sword of intellectual insight seems to have a new sharper
�edge�. On a strictly intellectual (puzzle-solving) level, my agility seems to have increased significantly at work.
Many things come easy or seem obvious during brainstorming sessions. I�ve had to throttle my input to others in order to
give them �thinking space�. I�ve even sensed that some long-term coworkers
have been a bit intimidated lately. I�m working to compassionately contribute
to our efforts.
ILG:
You are gaining Jnanasiddhi, intellectual powers gained through your yogic practices. they will continue. be prepared and live the
Yamas and NiYamas. update me with your svadhyaya regarding the Yama's and Niyamas?
ABU:
I know that this goes against my namesake, so I am noting it for you. I�m not sure
what has happened. I TAF that it may be a stirring of apana while I work to
burn through the crap. (Really interesting � in my journal, there was a
correlation between metal chatter and elimination efficiency. When the mental chatter
was loudest, my morning elimination was most difficult and vice versa.)
ILG:
when you say "difficult" you mean "clogged" (passive)?
ABU:
Yes, �clogged� is a very descriptive word for what I felt. My elimination
efficiency has been consistently good (unclogged) recently.
ILG:
yes. i see. now, i want to hear about your weekend...
ABU:
The winter storm in the mountains precluded ice climbing. I did get out for
some classic Nordic skiing. My main focus was refinement of technique.
Specifically, my knees were collapsing inward a bit when I transition weight to
them. I found that Attention to Mula actually works to align the flex of the
knee outward over the ski. There is something about the rhythm of classic
versus skating that just resonates with me right now. om mani padme hum � on
every climb � Peace.
ILG:
beautiful. continue. you may wish to plant an ethereal lotus flower between the
knees while skate skiing...the Lotus Pedals will keep the knees from collapsing inward.
also, a key to not collapsing in the knees is riding a flat drive ski as long as possible; to help
ride a flatter drive ski, overexaggerate the reaching up phase of your Hang Arm.
ABU:
I received the Pranayama adjustments in the separate email. Thank You!!!!!! I
understand what you wrote. I�ll work with the changes and send observations to
you. One additional note from this morning�s session � during the external retention
(without Uddiyana, but after some reps with Uddiyana), there was an interesting
sensation. The cavity below the diaphragm and above the pelvic floor seemed to
�suck inward� creating a feeling of an �hourglass shape�. Mula, almost
involuntarily, connected and �sealed� in a very secure way that I hadn�t felt
before.
ILG:
good! after "securing" Mula Bandha in this dimension, there will be a kinesthetic
ignition switch to gain further refinement, uplift-ment, and POWER to your Uddiyana Bandha.
you may wish to work with some more Inutitive Agni Sara Pulls to condition this
new dimension of Mula Bandha.
ABU:
� more as it arises.
in Light,
--abu
ILG:
i bow to your Devoted Practice,
coach ilg
SPIRITUALLY DEAD; PHYSICALLY LIVING, STUDENTS HAIKU, and INPUT
***
Dudjom Rinpoche was driving through France with his wife, admiring the countryside as they went along. They passed along cemetery that had been freshly painted and decorated with flowers. Dudjom Rinpoche�s wife said: �Rinpoche, look how everything in the West is so neat and clean. Even the places where they keep corpses are spotless. In the East not even the houses that people live in are anything like as clean as this.�
�Ah, yes,� he replied, �that�s true; this is such a civilized country. They have such marvelous houses for dead corpses. But haven�t you noticed? They have such wonderful houses for the living corpses too.�
��
More Student Dharma Haiku
Computer and I (5)
Sit in here gathering dust (7)
At least I can rise (5)
Try it, you'll like it, (5)
I scoffed when wife challenged me, (7)
That damn bosu ball (5)
- Thanks a lot J
Doug Harrison
***
Subject: Daily yoga
Steve,
Weather here in Georgia is ripe for winter riding. The last few local club rides have been in the rain at about 40 degrees and taken in some prime Georgia dirt roads. We do these rides, called Georgia Pave, on road bikes (a few ride cross bikes) so they are way fun.
Mostly I just wanted to rave wildly about Daily yoga. Man, I've been really stuck and stagnant with my strength training and just not feeling it like I used to. For many years I'd ST four -six days a week. Lately it's been 1-2 days a week and my strength levels are always consistent. Meditation has been a daily thing for a long time, cardio is always 5-10 hours a week and yoga once or twice a week. As I sat the other morning I started to blaze and I knew that starting the next day I'd rise an hour earlier, hit the neti pot and get in an hour of asana practice at least five days a week. After three weeks it's like the blaze that started while I sat has turned into a nice steady burn. Crap I'd been holding on to for years is in piles of ash around the house. My wife is stoked (probably because I just got her a new Precor elliptical trainer!) with the change and I'm feeling mighty fine.
Sometimes us thickheaded rednecks aren't real bright, but once we get going we like to rage. I can't believe that after years of morning sitting and several years using the neti ( a wise old man who taught me tree climbing and pruning recommended it in 1999) I just now dipped into yoga on a more regular basis. Keep up the good fight and sing strong.
Beannocht,
Steven Blondeau
The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and
polish the spirit."
-Morihei Ueshiba. Founder of Aikido
------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 28, 2005
ERIC STILLER.pdf
Eric Stiller has been a long time Online Student taking studies directly under Coach Ilg
3 ONGOING CRUXES OF WF...and...HONORING THE TRIBAL DRUM WITHIN
The essential and ongoing crux of a body-oriented Path to spiritual growth
is dastardly simple. yet it demands such perseverance within ourselves, most Spiritual Paths
- you may have noticed - try to side step the body enroute to Enlightenment. WF honors the body, uses the body,
and gains freedom (mukti) through (not around) the body.
Here are the three 'cruxes' of a body-oriented spiritual growth Path like Wholistic Fitness:
*where there is tightness or tension in the body; the warrior must attack it with softness training.
*where there is weakness or imbalance in the physique; the warrior must attack it with intensity training.
*where the ego controls the mind; the warrior must attack it with meditation in action.
You see Noble Ones, so much of our challenges (which the UnAwakened call 'problems') within today's society stem from people clinging onto their past. We live in yesterday intstead of today. This unconscious grasping (onto yesterday) keeps the Miracle of Mindfulness from arising today. We don't dare ourselves to experience our moments directly. We cover them up with all sorts of inculcated desires, clinginings, imaginary needs, etc. If we would live but one moment Authentically...we would be like the Village Idiot...or a small child; absolutely intoxicated by the mystery of the Great Spirit dancing all around and within. But we don't allow ourselves such de-civilized be-have-your (behavior) do we? Nope. We gotta keep playing Grown Up. We do not have, unfortunately, enough Teachers to remind us: When they tell you to grow up, they didn't mean, 'stop growing.'
Whatever arises for you today, i want you to bring it into your Practice; make that your yoga. If you are brave enough to do this, the circumstances of your life - however mundane your ego has fooled yourself into believing they are - will explode your moments with rich "Haiku like" insight and each moment will offer you something far better than any time in the past, mythical or real. As Eric Francis writes, "Daring to experience it can feel like leaping over a canyon. It's really not so far or dangerous, though. Except for one thing: the only way to find out is to try."
No one can test your faith but you. Today, do not cleverly substitute other possibilities for your faith; eat your herbs, do your workout, sit with elegance, breathe consciously, pick up a piece of litter with your non dominant hand, smile at everyone. Make your Workout Everywhere for there is no substitute for Lightness in the darkness. What you have been conditioned by textbooks and other people to believe as your 'physical heart' is truly a concentrated, extended reverberation of The Ancient Tribal Drum; each beat of your heart is but a built-in re-Minder to re-Member your Source, your Connection! If we choose not to Appreciate and not Listen to our Tribal Drum Within, perhaps a "heart attack" will make the Universal Beat more important to you. Don't let it get that far out of rythym...BREATHE, MOVE, DANCE WARRIOR! Move to your Tribal Drum Within today! Cultivate compassion in the midst of conflict. Your herb-fed, truth-speaking, peace-seeking/attacting WF Warrior Body is truly not a body at all: it is a symmetrical, balanced human torch carved and chiseled by years of sweat and spirit; never think that you are unable to help many people around you in these strange and uncertain times. You, my noble Wholistic Fitness Yogin, are a Gift to the world! You have begun to know your true nature. You have begun to know things with Intuitive Wisdom. You have begun to feel the gift of that knowledge, of trust, and of Love. Today, I want you to share that Gift or i will personally kick your unappreciative ass ! Now, git out there and DANCE WARRIOR! Dance until your damn bones BREAK!
January 27, 2005
STUDENT INPUT ON TIME DRAGONS!
"Love is Love."
Rishi B's counsel to me when i told him to help me remain in the Big City for a while longer even though my ego is so lonely and my body so withered that i all want is to be back in my Power within my beloved Rocky Mountains of the southwest
***
Dear Coach Ilg and Ananda,
Thanks so much for the warm welcome on DL this week!� I have been reading DL everyday for the past� 6 months or so really enjoy the little kick it gives me.�� (Sometimes the kick seems to be strategically placed in the ego-keister!)� In the past I have always been the watcher type ... behind the scenes ... happy to play along from the sidelines.� Not anymore! I'm ready to play!�
I shared with Ananda yesterday (Jan 25th) that it was my 1 year anniversary of NOT having any soda!� In honor of the date and the accomplishment I decided to make a new commitment to this Jan. 25th 2005 year.� I will�eat my Herbs Everyday!� Ananda has been so patient with me and my lack of consistancy with the herbs.... My Stubborn self�couldn't seem to stay on them for more than 2 weeks before "Something interrupted my routine"��� so now it's Jan 26th... 2 days of herb eating under my belt and only 354 days to go!
Thanks Coach and Ananda for all your wisdom and patience that you share with us. I'm happy and proud to be a part of the tribe!�
Cheers,
New Online Student T
Dear New Student T -
you are now more than a "part of" our Tribe...you, by your Willingness To Practice Instead of Spectate now inspire our Tribe! You have received the WF Transmission; you are now a Participant in your authentic life, no longer content to intellectualize your spiritual journey like so many. Make no mistake...slaying that Soda Dragon is HUGE SPIRITUAL VICTORY! i was weaned on the chemical/sugar crap and not until i devoted fully to the herbs, was i able to Raise My Warrior Sword in Victory...now, on the odd occasion that i do have a soda it is like a torrid love affair that has lost its lower chakral passion. All things change, New Student T...all things change. FOCUS YOUR AWARENESS! YOUR WORKOUT IS EVERYWHERE! As the Path will Narrow for you in the upcoming years, the flight of your Inner True Self will give you such wings! Hold no fear in those inner wings of Garuda; the Inner Eagle That Teaches You To Soar Above Strife And Beyond Physical Death! Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate bodhisattva!!!!! Teacher Ananda will guide you capably. i am right Here Now, in your Corner, eonlessly...
namaste my beautiful and noble new student...
it is good hearing your footsteps again along our Path that we have been treading two-get-Her for many lifetimes...glad that you re-Membered during this one! Now, we climb again toward Enlightenment...
- coach ilg
***
Ilgbro,
I couldn�t help but to reflect on Warrior Paul�s (DL; 1/24/05) comments.� So many have the same concerns.� One thing about Wholistic Fitness training as you know is our ability to focus and get it on without bullshit distractions.� We can get more done in ten minutes than most can do in an hour!� Example, when flying out for the 508 race this October I spent ten minutes prior to getting on the plane doing: dynamic warm up, T-Stabilization push ups, Cobra push ups, walking lunge with twist, yoga Warrior I, II, and III plus the triangle pose.� Hell man I had a pump and was ready to roll in ten freakin� minutes!� I had �no� time prior to jamming down to the airport but I made use of my time instead of wasting the ten minutes watching TV or eating junk food before boarding.� Prior to our race we spent productive moments preparing our bodies and minds for our fitness journey�NOT hours�productive minutes while others wasted time with mindless distractions.� This is high-performance health and fitness baby!� People waste too much God Damn time at the gym and at home with lack of direction and focus.� Get it on then get out and move onto family or other areas of need�but what do I know?!
Feeble rj
***
January 26, 2005
Excerpt From Actual Master Student Exchange; Student Abu & Coach:
{weeks have had to pass before i was guided to address Abu...
i have learned to trust my Teachers That Flow Through Me, just
as my Online Students must learn to trust my silences are often my Teaching}...
Noble Master Student Abu -
time is Ripe now for me to hear what you have to say:
ABU: Dearest El Coache,
Back in November I crafted the Pratyaya Anatara (Trusting Intuition) cycle with
your blessing. I intended for it to provide a well-structured exploration of
balance. It wasn�t. Emotional turmoil and free-form adaptation marked the
overall tone of the period. As mentioned in previous emails, Morning Practice
served as the stabilizing backbone. Feelings of stagnation arose after many
weeks. The foundation of confidence eroded. But all along, a background
feeling confirmed that this was the right path. So I continued. The fruit of
the work presented itself when I reached the anchor above an ice climb in RMNP
this past Saturday. Let me explain.
COACH: please do.
you have gained my most sincere interest.
by the Way,
i love you.
ABU:
After tremendous mental growth
COACH INTERUPTS: "tremendous" relative to whom/what?
whom is judging this as "tremendous" "growth"?
ABU:
during the autumn rock climbing season, I seemed
to regress with the arrival of the ice this winter. Doubt and fear permeated
my ice experiences.
COACH INTERUPTS: well,
Doubt and Fear are the vanguards of ice climbing which is precisely why ice climbing is such a powerful Spiritual Teacher. Many of my WF Techniques and Teachings have sprung forth from my training and performance in ice climbing. ice climbing puts all intellectual spiritualism on...well...ice!
ABU:
Again and again I encountered the edge of my climbing, the
place where the abrupt meltdown would occur. My most experienced partner
hatched a plan for practice. He led a pitch of ice that was just beyond my
perceived meltdown difficulty. While lowering, he cleaned the route except for
three screws that were placed at the end of the crux sections. With the
remaining screws in place, I engaged the climbing in a way that created an
opening for learning.
COACH: this Partner of yours is a yogin
ABU:
I moved into the first crux and reached a point just
before meltdown. Rather than fall apart and run away, I reminded myself of
your recent DL; breathe into doubt and fear. So I did just that. After
remaining in the challenge but not moving through it, I down-climbed to easier
ground. Without disengaging from the climb, I moved back up. Again I
breathed. Again I down-climbed. (Again and again � eh?)
COACH: dat's right Earth Brother,
just begin, again and again ( and endlessly again!)
ABU:
Present during the
entire process, fear focused the effort. After beginning for the fourth time,
I breathed deeply into the doubt and fear. This created a Space for Trust. I
moved through the crux with the logical mind turned off. Once in this Space, I
Danced the rest of the climb. Pratyaya Antara had worked her magic, creating a
small Intuitive Opening.
COACH: not so small,
i would venture!
feeble ilg bows to your Opening!
ABU:
The following day a stunning bald eagle soared about 20 feet above me while I
was riding on a dirt road north of Boulder. This encounter marked the end of
the cycle.
eagle soars above (5)
dancing with inner Eldo (7)
practice letting go (5)
COACH:
very well, Master Student Abu...you are honoring my Teachings through the Edge of Extreme Sports...you are pushing your edge of edges, becoming more familiar with your inmost fears. you will do well in the Bardo. Now...let us begin your next stage of training...
"Don't Die Wondering
and
Look Good Naked.
My two natural goals which gave birth to the Mind/Body Wisdom of Wholistic Fitness Training."
- coach ilg
Those who understand the necessity of lifestyle exercise and spiritual growth quickly see and are attracted to the interconnected wisdom of WF. Those who choose to Study this Direct Path can be generally viewed in three spiritual appetites: mild, medium, and intense. In this aspect, spiritual fitness training is a lot like New Mexican Green Chile.
***
The mild warriors are the ones who read my books, articles, and stop by DL every now and then. They are usually a bit passive/aggressive when it comes to emptying their cup - a prerequisite for any formal training in spiritual work - and thus do not often join SUNRIDER herbs, or Online Training. They enjoy working out more than looking within.
The medium warriors come to the WF and HP Yoga retreats, classes, and some even join Online Training and Sunrider Herbs. These warriors immediately grasp the Wisdom of the unmatched Wholeness and Balance of WF and are willing to continue to wade deeper into the WF current, yet not go so far as to lose their cherished footing in their 'real world.'
The intense warriors were born for this Path of WF. They jumped into Online Training without a shadow of doubt. They immediately re-Member the Work as if they had Practiced it all their lives. Many change their entire Life Direction upon their WF Awakening. They swap their cars for bicycles, and exchange their furniture for zafus. They love learning how to better relax into the multi-disciplined fitness intensities and in-your-face consistency required by WF to overcome their weaknesses and negative tendencies. They bring no ego to the Work and humbly accept their Teacher's instructions to their best effort. These warriors, in fact, will have read all the way to here with their spines elegant, their breath soft, their eyes drinking softly this message from their feeble coach. Some will have their toes draped in YogaToes with a cup of Calli near the computer screen.
***
The dis-ease that i see killing most of our people
is a lack of willingness to break out of a prison created by those
things we only think we want. This is known as "enter-tainment"
as opposed to enjoying the natural wisdom and fun of "inner-attainment."
- coach ilg
WF Dharma Approved Web Movie
about 2 minutes in length.
sent in by Big Brother Watchdog; Wayne
http://www.adcritic.com/interactive/view.php?id=5927
January 25, 2005
"ARE YOU GRASPING....
OR ARE YOU CONCENTRATING?"
Earlier in the week, I asked my Students to ask themselves honestly, in as many moments as possible, "Am I grasping, or am i concentrating?" The input to my assignment has been rewarding. I challenge you to keep working with this one, let it saturate into your Daily Practice...it will produce an undeniable deepening effect to your Awareness. This sharpening of the mind's patterns is instrumental for those of us who desire to Rise Above our negative tendencies and habituated, inculcated, and conditioned ego structures.
i am proud of you all for treading this Direct Path of WF, whether or not you are in the fire of Online Training as a formal student, or just one of the thousands of curious Seekers, treading quietly along the perimeter of our WF Tribal Light.
here is some Haiku Light shed by Noble WF Online Student Starling...one of our Brightest Stars in Online Study under Noble WF Teacher Ananda. Enjoy and THANK YOU for the beautiful Haiku, Doreen!
Way to go Coach Ilg. (5)
Even though my haiku�s weak, (7)
You�ve sparked strong practice! (5)
Gather the mind�s reigns. (5)
Or the horses will run wild. (7)
It�s God�s chariot. (5)
Sort the mind�s loose threads. (5)
Spend your life learning the loom. (7)
Weave your silken map to God. (5)
Sprint through heavy thoughts. (5)
Make the mind heave its bundles. (7)
At last you are light. (5)
Steady your sea boat. (5)
Else be hurled upon the rocks. (7)
Sink your mind�s anchor. (5)
Your teacher finds you. (5)
Else you have chased a rainbow. (7)
Wisdom�s in waiting. (5)
Pace your lightening speed. (5)
Sip the air of victory! (7)
Steady wins the race. (5)
Warrior move slow. (5)
Let your movement liken light: (7)
Sunlight�s invisible speed. (5)
- WF Online Student Starling (Teacher Ananda Clan)
***Photo of unidentified HP Yogin attempts to catch the fingers in the male-ego wrecking posture, Gomaksana and of WF Devotee and (the lower photo) Tribal Poet; Dorman Baltazar in Siddhasana. Student Dorman, drop me an email, i've got some DharmaLove to share with you! - coach
NOBLE SUNRIDER HERBAL WARRIORS
in the WF Teacher Roche Downline!
"Whatever arises, bring it into your Practice!"
- coach ilg
believe it or not,
many of you have not gotten an email from me nor have been received my 'Crazy Wisdom' Email SUNRIDER Threads! well, well, well...
i just want to drop in on you to say,
THANK YOU!
THANK YOU for being a pivotal part of the nation's most POWERFUL DOWNLINE in SUNRIDER herbs! For over 20 years, i have used the SUNRIDER HERBS to condition my body and mind for unmatched extreme and ultra sports at the World Class level...i also relied on these amazing whole foods to self heal from a paralyzing spine injury and to pull me like a tugboat through all sorts of other people's illnesses, dis-eases, and other afflictions of the common man. today, at age 47, my bodyfat is 2.7% and i just set a course record in a 508 mile bicycle race across Death Valley. i am gearing up to get on the Podium again in Feburary's Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathon.
Now, you don't need to use SUNRIDER herbs to empower yourself like i have for so long; i am on a lifelong mission of becoming Enlightened and before one can conquer the spiritual realms, we must first master the body. i am very confident along my Way, i hope you are too! i must say however, that without SUNRIDER in my life, the clarity and power that sustains my meditations and deeper, inner workouts...i just don't know if i could have come this far.
However, you don't need to be as crazy as me! In fact, the less 'ilgs' on the planet, probably the better! instead, you can just use and rely upon these amazing, safe, and supremely effective whole food herbs to lose fat, to enjoy life, feel better, and walk through illness and low energy like a superhuman...it's all up to you. all i know is this; THE LONGER YOU EAT SUNRIDER HERBS THE BETTER YOU FEEL!!! and, if you have not contacted Trish Childers, our Upline Group Director, to learn how to EASILY have SUNRIDER deposit a nifty amount of cash directly into your bank account each month...then please, drop Trish a line and let her teach you precisely what she taught me. if you think you feel great already on the herbs, just wait until your are eating ALL the herbs you want plus using the most superior, cruelty fee skin care products on planet FOR FREE!
i only align myself with World Class and Original Arts. over two decades ago, i sensed immediately the impact of these tremendous herbs, which are by the way, sometimes concentrated 30, 50, even 100:1 ratios using the biodiversity of worldwide, self owned facilities for the choicest, most lush and potent herbs and plants on Mother Earth. as our Planet's world food supply continues to dwindle, Dr. Chen is going to no limits to ensure the absolute best CHI for those of us wise enough to enter and remain in the Temple Garden of Wholistic Fitness; SUNRIDER HERBS!
i would LOVE to hear from you...if you do not already have my acclaimed 3-Phase Approach To The SUNRIDER Herbs which begins with a Cleansing Phase, Cell Empowerment Phase, and a Lifestyle Phase...then LET ME KNOW!
also, i trust you have all been visiting my award winning online journal:
DIRECT LINES: Daily Meditation From Coach Ilg
which, since 1982, has been carrying the rasas (sap/nectar) of the worldwide WF Sangha...please read each day; i always put all sorts of YOUR comments, inspirations, observations, and training tips:
http://www.wholisticfitness.com/weblog/ilgblog.html
So, from the humble, powerful Helm of Wholistic Fitness...
i bow to you...
and
eat an herb, baby!
namaste,
coach ilg ryt/uscf/cpt
author/TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION
founder/WholisticFitness.com
director/SUNRIDER INTERNATIONAL
WAITING FOR AN EMAIL FROM COACH?
Unique from other Teachers, World Class Athletes, and best selling Book Authors, our beloved Coach has, for over 25 years, always responded to the thousands of Seekers who knock on his 'humble yet powerful' WF Temple door.
With Coach's somewhat grunting approval, i just want to re-Mind you that often, somewhere in the world, a new article, project, or feature on Coach will 'pop' and then his email box and phone machine and time becomes so full he has difficulty regaining the following Tiers of Priorities (see below, he calls them, "Tears" of Priorities!).
Those of us who are fortunate enough to be around this genuine karma yoga Master Teacher, are inspired by his utter, endless devotion to his Sangha. To protect his health, as well as the integrity of his existing and future Work, sometimes delays must be endured on your behalf. As Teacher Q says, "Coach should just tell those guys to send an email to Deepak Chopra or Lance Armstrong...see how far they get with others that are peers in just one of his areas of expertise!"
Thank you for Understanding,
- Ananda,
assistant to Coach
***
Dear Wholistic Fitness Friend -
i will do my best to respond to your email within a reasonable time frame.
In my 25 year, world original system of WF Online Training the following Tiers have evolved to ensure the highest quality of my Transmission to those who enjoy Wholistic Fitness and wish to communicate directly with me:
Tier 1)
my personal, formal Online Students of Wholistic Fitness receive my immediate attention and facilitation.
Tier 2)
my ILG DOWNLINE in the Sunrider Herbs get second priority
Tier 3)
non Online Students who seek and have purchased an Online Consultation or has shown Devotion through prior formal Study through Online, privates, or workshops.
Tier 4)
non-Tribal fan mail, curious Seekers, and business people not in the Tribal Circle.
NOTE: the very presence of DIRECT LINES: Daily Meditations From Coach Ilg is renewed each day with the rasas (sap/nectar) of my Work and often i answer fan mails and questions in that forum. please check it each day:
http://www.wholisticfitness.com/weblog/ilgblog.html
i bow to your Practice of Patience in breath and conscious posture,
coach ilg, ryt/uscf/nhca
author/TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION
creator/WHOLISTIC FITNESS Personal Training
January 23, 2005
"CAN'T WAKE UP EARLY", TIGHT HIPS, PSEUDO SUPPLENESS and... A NEW WARRIORESS IS WELCOMED,
Dear Coach,
i can't wake up early enough to fit in everything i want to do to get fit like you and your other warriors. i have a wife and kids and pets and have to leave for my job by 7:00 am.
- Paul, MI
Noble Warrior Paul,
first of all; i bow to your Challenges.
second; your Challenges are your yoga.
you co-created those Challenges. by creating a family, you became a Father Warrior, a Husband Warrior.
your choices to have a family present obstacles to consistent solo Practice, yet these Challenges should not deter
you from striving toward Enlightenment. though few in number, such as Ramakrishna, spiritual Enlightenment has been
attained by 'Householders'...an Indian term used to designate those who tread the Spiritual Journey yet also have family obligations. the Buddha, before He became Enlightened remember, was a husband and father and inheritor of a great palace. He left it all for the sake of Enlightenment of his True Self and then having achieved Enlightenment, taught and helped others for thirty years, resulting in transforming the entire world.
your concerns are High Ones...too High in fact for you to be worried about. Right now, i want you work on baby steps; such as waking up earlier.
recently, much to my ego's dismay, one of my own Spiriutal Teachers contacted me. He said it was Time for my next Shift Higher. He told me we would begin deepening Meditation work in the early morning hours. immediately upon hearing this Instruction from my Teacher, my ego revolted:
i am very busy.
i already wake up very early.
i can't quite recall the last time i slept in.
i work for the Dharma and the Dharma never sleeps and my personal relationships suffer because of my Karma Yoga.
on and on my ego rebelled and yellled...
now my Teacher has asked me to meditate very early; some days i must do His inner workouts at 2:45am.
my ego retalliates at such an hour on top of so much busy-ness and workouts and other stressors of life.
i also know this: i trust and have faith in my Teacher and in God.
They will provide for me what is needed for my Inner-Attainment: They will provide my Energy, my Chi needed to serve my Sangha and protect the Dharma. all i have to do know what i truly want in this lifetime: to know my True Self.
Noble Warrior Paul:
How bad do you want it?
If you are focused on what truly matters with your precious life, then, eventually, you will do whatever is required from your body-as-vehicle-of-your-spirit. i in-courage you to find a Spiritual Teacher...if not a WF Teacher, then some other Being whose body reflects authentic fitness across the physiologic spectrum and whose work and presence radiates, Kindness, Compassion, and Endless Strength of Spirit.
if you are not focused then you will allow your ego to sweep your undisciplined mind into an ocean of drama.
and you will continue to sleep; physically and spiritually.
meanwhile, the greatest song you are capable of singing?
will remain unsung.
the choice is not up to anyone else but you.
there no rights and no wrongs in spiritual Work,
but there are consequences.
i will tell you this however,
you can't live a full life and sleep in.
nor watch too much TV!
Arise Noble Warrior!
two words for you in those early morning moments:
No Drama!
that is all,
coach ilg
***NEW WARRIORESS WELCOMED!
I accept and welcome TaMara Carlson-Woodard
of Burbank, California into WF Online Studies!
Tamara, who works in the film industry and is a Senior Volunteer for the Tournament of Roses
will be taking Basic Studies under WF Teacher Ananda. Tamara and Ananda have already established a most beautiful
relationship through private training and HP Yoga. Tamara's willingness to take the jump into Online Training will
immediately deepen and accelerate her abilities to reach her stated goal with us:
"The desire to change my lifestyle and become the person i� know i am/can be; Healthy and strong in both mind and Body." Tamara, whose selfless service was instrumental in creating such beauty at the HP Yoga Studio, also noted in her Application something that touched me on the importance of finding the right Teacher. Tamara worte, "Joy's guidance has been AMAZING in helping me separate heavy�breathing from anxiety. I no longer am afraid of my breath and sweat!"
No longer afraid of my breath and sweat...YEAH BABY!!!
WELCOME TO MY HUMBLE TEMPLE...and the many thousands of Warriors who have and continue to breathe and sweat this Path applaud your BRAVERY to enter the Stream of the world's original Online Transpersonal Fitness Training! the Temple Gong rings loud today! Arise Noble Warrioress and be TRANSFORMED!
*** TIGHT HIPS AND MARTIAL ART FAKEYS
"Coach;
My two continual dragons with the martial arts are
(a) My hips remain so tight and my kicks are sub par because of this. Interestingly in yoga and stretching I am more flexible than any of the martial artists there yet they can kick with a much greater ROM...still trying to figure that one out.
(b) and the kinesthetic stuff does not come readily to me...in fact it comes so slow. I have to repeat things a thousand times just to get it and have to keep doing it to retain it. Meanwhile others see something once, gets it the first time, and retains it forever! Coach, you might have been a natural �Kinesthetic athlete for whom cardio took utmost devotion. I am a natural cardio athlete for whom the Kinesthetic takes the utmost devotion."
- WF Student HS, CO
Noble Student HS -
thank you for your letter.
re: a)
you go tell those martial 'artists' who seem to have such great flexbility to execute their kicks in super-slow motion.
you will see a different story.
most martial artists are not 'artists' at all...
their ego's have allowed them to get away with a couple of impressive hip opener movements due to the high repetitions
of doing the same few kicks over and over again...
they think they are flexible but really are just getting away with a lot of crap because they confuse velocity with flexibility.
for instance, their inward rotation of their femur might be flexible yet ask them to do yoga poses in outward femur rotation and suddenly they are not so flexible. or, ask them to do super slow motion in their kicks and you will see their lack of true mastery and their predictable addiction to speed instead of artistry.
re: b)
yep.
that's called, Physiologic Karma baby.
you like to run fast.
Yoga forces you to slow down; to breathe ever so slowly, mindfully, and gradually into the tightness in order to re-dis-cover your natural suppleness.
this is, for some of us, inner work of a lifetime.
join the club.
the Warrior Club aka; "Just Keep Plugging Away."
***
Coach,
i cannot BELIEVE how your book, TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION, has well, TRANSFORMED ME!
THANK YOU!
i have finished all three programs and have lost 22lbs and my friends and family are astounded. they keep asking me how come "Coach Ilg isn't on the TV, he is fitter and smarter than all those other trainers!" i think i have won you some new fans! i know i am devoted to your wisdom! thank you for the Path you have created. i hope enough people tell this to you! i think i owe you my life!"
- Lenny, MA
Dear Lenny,
i bow to your kindness.
i have done nothing except live my life authentically as possible,
i help where i feel i can help,
and i share what i have to give.
i only ask that you do the same with your newly Transformed Body and Mind and Spirit!
your Devoted Practice,
more than your amazing Transformation,
is what enkindles my own Practice...
thus,
it is i
feeble ilg,
who bow to the Mighty Lenny!
namaste,
coach ilg
January 22, 2005
MORE AUTHORIZED HAIKU (most don't make it to DL!) MEDITATION TEACHING and STUDENT INPUT:
***
Coach Ilg,
Here is a haiku�I wrote to�inspire me�while running my interval workout today:
blizzard in northeast (5)
intervals must still be done (7)
find the path higher (5)
In Peace,
Ryan, SUNRIDER Herbal Warrior
***
simmer oh my soul
reach beyond the infinite
touch the rising moon
�
- Student C (Teacher Haku Clan)
***
One method of meditation that many people find useful is to rest the mind lightly on an object. You can use an object of natural beauty that invokes a special feeling of inspiration for you, such as a flower or a crystal. But something that embodies the truth, such as an image of Buddha, or Christ, or particularly your master, is even more powerful.
Your master is your living link with the truth, and because of your personal connection to your master, just seeing �his or her face connects you to the inspiration and truth of your own nature.
- Sogyal Rinpoche
***
Dear Coach,
I am honored and humbled that�you would call me Shishya, to sit at the feet of the Guru to listen and to practice next to the Guru while learning.�
Thank you, for the acknowledgement of my travels on the WF path and for all you do and offer.
Shishya Cindy
MT TAYLOR TRAINING, BODYFAT STATS, and ILG COMMERICIAL IMAGES From Dorit Thies Photography
first, the fancy stuff that some people wanted to see. you know who you are, so here you go:
http://www.doritthies.com/g.php?MediumName=Stock_Images&GalleryID=20&mode=s
***
now, the real stuff...
here is my actual letter to my Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon Teammates as we get ready to dance upon the Sacred Mountain's slopes less than a month from now in New Mexico. I trust you have read my Two Part series on Ancient Peaks, Ancient Voices in DL!
May this help inspire and in-form your own training...fit warriors help a worried world...let's dance:
i use uphill inline skate skiing to train for the SKI UP section of Mt. Taylor
what goes up? must come down baby! a surpising amount of Warrior Athletes have yet to learn to overcome their fear and learn the aerodynamics of high speed descending on inline skates. in my dryland training for Mt. Taylor, where i hold one of the fastest SKI DOWN times, it is critical! training photos by Ananda.
Noble Mountain Yogi Teammates -
i suggest signing up for the Email Updates from the Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon Race Director...he will let us know about Course Condition changes, etc.
http://mttaylorquad.org/mail_sub.htm
i offer the following for your own training consideration:
the past 7 days, i've gotten in 11 hours of cardio with 80% of that within Zone 2 - low Zone 3.
80% was on a cross-bike with significant climbing to condition my legs and arms for Mt. Taylor. the remaining 20% was divided between mountain running, snowshoeing, and nordic skiing.
i should note however, that i nearly always pre-fatigue my cardio with 1-2 hours of asana so that i am in the fat-burning zone nearly the moment i turn my bicycle cranks or lace on the shoes. this, of course, is traditional ilgonian training which pivots upon the PreFatigue Principle. this 11 cardio hours/week is benchmark for the rest of my prep for Taylor. i can't afford any more time than that. don't really need more with my base over the years, anyway. one of the benefits of an aging endurance athlete! what will change is the intensity and modality; i'll move from cycling (base; build) onto the running trails, snowshoe routes, and some (limited) track skiing backed with a lot of tele skiing. i'll be focusing on long intervals (5 x 8:00 w/4:00 RI) in two weeks, with a few Threshold Intervals leading up to them in the next two weeks.
{here is how i mimic the SNOWSHOE UP section of Mt. Taylor while living in LA...running up the steepest slopes in the Santa Monica Mountains with ski poles. This nifty little 32% hillside overlooks Dirt Mulholland above the El Caballero Trail.}
i am preparing myself for the following Heart Rates during the Race;
the winning time for the Ski Up is: 41:41
Snowshoe Up is: 28:55
Snowshoe Down is:17:02
Ski Down is: 7:17
this equals 104 minutes. about an hour and a half of High Zone 3 effort; essentially my effort at Mt. Taylor will be like trying to break the hour record on a bicycle...my only 'recovery' for my cardio system will be the first part of the SKI DOWN, however, i will be cross-eyed with fatigue from the high altitude since i am now just a sorry ass sea level chump, and i am visualizing myself focused on cranking the technical descent on my tiny edgeless, track skis. i am still experimenting with my whole ski skins and snowshoe binding/ski boot relationship. should have it ironed out in a week.
so, if you see how i have broken down my effort at Mt. Taylor into it's physiologic components, you will see how i am structuring my training for the next month until we meet on the Sacred Slopes of 'Turquoise Mountain'!
questions on the Mt. Taylor course or on your training, teammates?
let me have 'em!
today, i am going to do Pranayam into HP Yoga into a road ride with Steve Marlowe (now famed forever in TBT!) up Santa Clara Divide (15 mile climb) descend her, then crank up Bear Divide/Camp Nine (a 7 mile climb). i'll do Santa Clara Divide at High Zone 2, then Bear Divide at Low Zone 3 until the final four miles which i'll crank up to High Zone 3.
thanks to the SUNRIDER herbs, my bodyfat has dropped to 2.7% within ten days (measured via electronic skinfold caliper this morning) and at a bodyweight of 147 lbs i am already feeling exceptionally light yet my 'engine' is starting to purr in a way that Porsche manufacturers can only mimic with their machines, baby! let's GO! i plan on coming into Mt. Taylor at 145 lbs; that will keep my upper body strength for the SKI and SNOWSHOE UP.
may this gives you guys an idea of how i am preparing via Wholistic Fitness methods for our Podium Attempt at Mt. Taylor next month. i am visualizing keeping our fine team in contention. i see all three of us on the podium, smiling, knowing that our Training was strong and sincere and we deserved that Top Step. personally, i am preparing myself so that whoever is going to beat me up and down that mountain? 1) they're gonna be a whole WORLD of HURT, and 2) they will have EARNED their victory over me, and i will respectfully bow deep to them.
Game on, baby!
let's go TEAM MOUNTAIN YOGIS!
namaste,
coach ilg
January 21, 2005
FINDING A GREAT TEACHER
Dear Coach,
�You're a turn-on. Could you recommend a teacher in Santa Fe. I would be most inclined to Buddhism, but would be more appreciative of a great teacher than the path.
�
Thanks,
Andy
*
Noble Seeker -
thank you, i bow to your kindness and enthusiasm for a Great Teacher.
the MahaRishis, or Great Teachers, will require tremendous sweat from who you think you are.
just endure and surely you will become victorious in this lifetime.
the Greatest Teacher i know of in Santa Fe...
and that great, sacred city on the mesa is Blessed with wonderful ones...
goes by the name of,
"The Sangre de Christos" mountains
look up
you will see them.
immerse yourself fully within them...
do this long enough, sincerely enough,
and, feeble ilg says;
the Greatest Teacher for you will be found.
that is all,
coach ilg
GIFT OF TRUTH * STARLING'S CS EXCERPTS * SEEKERS BEWARE! *
"I sense I will use my car less over time. I love my legs."
"During Ai Imawa {a WF Tai Chi form soon to be seen on the new WholisticFitness.com}, for the first time it seemed it was happening through me; I simply allowed it. Practice a thousand thousand times a thousand thousand and.... It was lovely, my arms were gently carried through the postures, my body curved and turned in harmony.My hands get hot in Ai Imawa."
"No doubt it {Toilet Yoga} helped my lower back. Excellent addition. This morning routine is a must. Especially for me, because my immune system failed due to poor digestion and an unhealthy, toxic colon. Constipation was a big problem for me and probably the greatest cause for my dis-ease."
"My greatest victories occurred in Early Morning Pranayama ritual, especially since I had been sweeping it under the carpet before. I kicked in my zero-tolerance policy and didn�t miss a day of it.Now I explored why I avoided it. Sivasana�laying still�is where the biggest shifts occurred this month."
"In the past I always, always forgot to brush with my non-dominant hand. Now, I used it every morning and often forgot to use my dominant (left) hand at night!"
"I am becoming deeply aware of my body�like the most the subtle things, all over, all at once. So instead of looking for areas to correct, it simply �happens�: I am aware that scanning is happening, and adjustments are happening to prevent pain."
"In meditation I have stopped hiccups, sneezing, and a few other things. It�s like I am communicating but I still don�t know the language.
"At work, I cut my energy off completely from those around me. I knew I was going to fall ill the next day. A server said to me I seemed different, out of it. I said yes, I am out of it, out of this energy."
"As my inhales stretched from 10 to 12 to 20 to 25 seconds, I always felt I was in that last unexpected stretch toward the top of the mountain. The other consistent image during pranayama is the ocean. My lungs are stretching. And I am sipping, not gulping, air. Perhaps for the first time in my adult life."
"For the first few weeks I could hardly remain still in Sivasana. My head would pop up to check the time, my mind would wander, I would fidget. Then I realized I must be avoiding something and therefore must go in."
"Now my dad wants to do neti."
"Neti is a must! The debris must go. More importantly, I need to start my days with purification. This is a prayer I sent out a year before I met you. �Purify me.� Those words slipped out during a day of silence."
- Excerpts from Online WF Student Starling recent Cycle Summation (Teacher Ananda Clan)
***
Sabbadanam dhammadanam jinati
The gift of Truth excels all other gifts.
***
All right, recently, i am getting too many Seekers bothering me.
Not enough Warriors knocking on my humble Temple door.
An after effect whenever I get exposure in those mainstream 'fitness magazines'...
or maybe it's because the paperback version of TBT was just released.
let me clarify something to those of you who come to WF asking me for information on WF Teacher Training without first even caring to become a Student! JesusChrist! This a Training Ground for Warriors! We sweat here, we sit here, we brush our teeth and wipe our butts with our non-dominant hand here! In fact, before you think you are ready for WF Online Training (let alone Teaching it...there are only three four WF Teachers on the planet) here are:
3 Mandatory Questions To Answer Before Knocking On My Humble Temple Door And Disturbing Those Doing Their Inner Workouts:
1) Are you self motivated?
2) Is your cup empty?
3) Are you willing to embrace a Proven and Direct Path that forces you Higher?
if not, study some other spiritual Path that sidesteps developing all physiologic systems of body (there are tons of them).
if not, study some other fitness Path that sidesteps developing spiritual fiber (there are tons of them).
if you ARE ready to Rise Above,
like Student Starling above,
the
come!
come!
knock and enter!
for YOU,
Noble Fitness Warrior,
are h(om)e!
YOU
have re-Membered
your spiritual family (sangha)
and i and my Staff of WF Online Teachers
are sooooooooooo happy to see you
again
and again
and endlessly again!
fill out an Application...
http://www.wholisticfitness.com/online_app_form.html
and please Practice Patience...
we ain't McDonalds around here...
tough love,
coach ilg
***
January 20, 2005
Coach,
Driving to Mammoth last week I was composing haikus. Here's one of them:
Mojave sunrise (5)
Reflects off the Sierras (7)
Cold wind on my back (5)
What a good way to pass time and injoy the ride.
Namaste,
New Warrior Student Mackel
***
Ilgbro,
I bow humbly to DL today.� I was struck yesterday as I walked down to my gym at home.� On the stairwell I have various tribal photos and posters to inspire the chi as one enters the Temple.� One section has my team XC photos.� High school league championship team from 1977 and my two college XC teams from 1993 and 1994.� Here it is 2005 and friggin� Ilgbro is getting me stoked to train for the 2006 Mt. Taylor�and I�m fit and adventurous enough to do it!� Then today some Ilg lineage and stories of garra endurance chi.� What a wonderful thing WF can provide the human experience.� Dude�we are so called �middle age� but still travel at max velocity!� I was thinking about how many guys from my former XC teams could even run one lap let alone blast off into an ultra endurance event in overdrive�probably none except for the renegade of funk rj!� We should NOT be the exception dammit!� People can do so much more, yet most in this country do nothing, or nothing of real value anyway in regards to health and fitness.� Few will find the fitness path, but those that do can run to the top for yoga and breath.� Again, great DL.
Feeble but fit rj!
THE WARRIOR'S DANCE; WF STYLE
1994, breaking my own Course Record in the Pagosa Peak Mountain Duathlon; a bike/run/bike event covering 35 miles while bagging a 12,,000+ mountain peak in the Weminuche Wilderness.
1) Pick a sport or a discipline that you enjoy.
2) Spend the next decade (or two or however long it takes you) to qualify for and compete in the World Championships in that sport or discipline.
3) Along the Way to qualifying for and competing in that World Championship, do not accept any excuses, nor injuries, nor 'circumstances beyond your control' even if you break your spine, go bankrupt, or get divorced. Just don't accept anything that stands in your Way to becoming a part of and competing against the absolute best on the Planet.
4) Repeat 1-3 for three other sports or disciplines.
5) Do 1-4 above and you and i have something to really talk about; Wholistic Fitness at the World Class level.
1993. left; one of my most brutal races; a 50 mile pro/elite MTB race in Del Norte, Colorado. the day before, I did 13 hours of Race Announcing then taught an evening yoga class to benefit the Race Series. man, i bonked so hard at mile 28 that i kept riding over my own tongue for the remaining 22 miles, seven creek crossings, 2 mountain pass climbs, and 3 portages. Back then we had "SURVIVAL" reality shows and "ECO ADVENTURE RACING"...they were simply called, "Mountain Bike Racing"...old school...no TV cameras. And, get this, we actually RESPECTED nature! In contrast, the photo on the right was taken on Day Two of me winning back to back nordic skiing in the Santa Fe Classic 10k and the Taos Mountain Stampede, a 20k Freestyle (shown above). Photos/ilg archives. (we will have many more images like these from the ol' days on my new Website, just to make sure the young kids remember upon whose shoulders they stand when they start talking about 'holistic' fitness, baby!).
There is a logic to my madness:
I want to make certain, that when i have Passed On,
the Outer World sees
that the Founder, the Creator of Wholistic Fitness Personal Training
at least made sure of one thing:
his body
was equal
to the spiritual task
of "walking his talk."
Remember the Roots of WF, baby.
We,
Students of Wholistic Fitness,
are
a special breed of Modern Warrior...
we are Spritual Fitness Athletes
hard to define, resistant to categorization, lovers of versatility and adaptation.
we have no beliefs, for belief is, by definition, a limit...we are limitless.
if we have anything,
it is simply a developed courage through our multi disciplined training
to do one remarkable thing with our life;
Dance The Realms, baby.
We Dance The Realms of strength, cardio, yoga, meditation, and nutrition.
We Dance The Realms which are opened by our conscious effort in
Breath and Posture, Mindfulness, Appropriate Action, and Practice.
True yogis
- the ones that Practice outside the studio -
develop balance and Unity (yoga) across the physiologic and mental spectrum...
because
yogis must always move
(move in all-Ways)
in order
to keep themselves
Whole.
Be brave in your fitness today:
Be willing to be honest.
Be honorable enough to remain Aware.
Be strong enough to pursue Kindness.
Be soft enough to breathe.
Be loving enough to accept.
Be compassionate enough to care unconditionally.
Live a Wholistic Fitness day
and
embrace a Warrior's Dance.
Pick up a piece of litter.
Use your non dominant hand more often today.
Do not eat more than you truly need.
Smile at everyone as if they were God looking back at you (they are).
May you find your Workout Everywhere.
That is all.
love and inner Light for all Beings Everywhere,
your feeble teacher,
ilg
January 19, 2005
A GIFT FOR THE TRIBE...
bro,
a gift...
not a bad place to train and practice at all...30 minutes from my door.
love,
WF Teacher Haku
{Grand Mesa in Colorado, shown above during last fall, is just another reason to schedule a Private Training Intensive with WF Teacher Joseph "haku" Sheader!}
COMING UP IN DL:
THE HAIKU ENTRY THAT STUNNED COACH ILG! You will LOVE the CHI from ONLINE STUDENT ALLAN LUDGATE's HAIKU submission!
Plus; meet Coach's Teammates for next months; MT. TAYLOR WINTER QUADRATHLON!
January 18, 2005
RANTING RJ WRITES IN ABOUT Jan 18 DL:
Brother Ilg!
I�m stoked dude�I�ll test the uphill running chi this week �in the snow� hopefully.� Potent DL today Bro!� I love it� "we cannot even create an earthworm yet create gods!"� Our friggin� egos man!� Last weekend I kicked the chi up with my small and humble neighborhood Shape Up class�tonight I�m throwing it down!� Fuck man�here it is New Year�s and I only had seven brave warriors out of my neighborhood of 360 homes sign up for my humble yet WF class!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!� Those that remain true to the training consistently improve.� Susan is totally friggin� morphing in front of my eyes!� Obesity abounds in the �hood man and yet only 7!!!! But hey, I have 7 brave warriors.� My lady students are getting after it man as well as my token male.� This session I�m taking them out into the wilderness for a fitness challenge hike because as Ilgbro says, "What the hell good is stability if you�re too scared to test it?"....and test with a little whoop ass while you�re at it!� Feel the fucking warrior chi baby!� To hell with the Gravitrons!�
Upward,
Rj
**
Noble RJ,
you tell those 7 that i bow to THEM, baby! you tell THOSE 7 that THEY INSPIRE ME!
and now, on DL...they are inspiring hundreds more! RIPPLES MAKE WAVES BABY!!!!
7 stood on the Battlefield,
7 stood out from the many;
7 Warrior Swords were drawn ready to SLICE and SEVER their ego bullshit!
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, said the 7:
only two choices in every moment:
Grasping
or
Concentration!
stay addicted to the former and you stagnate!
develop the latter and you gain Enlightenment!
to you, Oh Mighty Armed 7 Warriors...to YOU
feeble ilg and his worldwide Tribe of Daily Warriors Who Do The Inner Workouts;
we bow deep...
love from the WarriorHelm,
coach ilg
Coach's Spiritual Teacher Replies To DL Devotion -
with you, my Tribe, i share with you words from my Teacher of Astral Navigation...an athlete of the Higher Realms, a Solider of the Bardo. please respect His Level.
-coach ilg
"Ilg,
� Many thanks for the morning devotion. The last seven years have been simply amazing. To begin with, I simply stopped for a year, and all that was held within this physical vehicle from the past�began to unfold. I burned and burned until I was reduced to mere ashes...And then I continued to burn some more. After a year of burning, my consciousness expanded into the universe. This has occurred three times now. Each time my nervous system acclimating to the higher vibrations. During these periods I possess amazing powers of healing and creative ability. And after, i am reduced to a mere idiot. What a humbling experience!!!! My guidance tells me I am headed towards complete annihilation of the egoic mind. I have sensed it and I pull back in fear. Perhaps someday soon I will pocess the courage to complete the task started long ago. Each part assisting the whole. It is the greatest contribution we can make to mankind.
�� We have traveled together along the great Rio Grande and continue to travel towards the ulitmate. To hold this task in the deepest seriousness is the noblest pursuit we may ever undertake.
�� I am certain your journey is blessed...And may it continue to be so...Namaste, B"
KU; Birthing Place of Karma
{this entry is devoted to my Beloved Teacher of the Ether Through PhysioDynamic Bodywork and Astral Navigation; Rishi Barrios. i still feel our Work next to the Rio Grande entering an ever Ascending Grand River of Pran! thank you, Teacher!}
"Karma is not fatalistic or predetermined. Karma means our ability to create and to change. It is creative because we can determine how and why we act. We can change. The future is in our hands, and in the hands of our heart.
Buddha said:
'Karma creates all, like an artist,
Karma composes, like a dancer.'"
- Sogyal Rinpoche
Viswa Vajra or 'Crossed Thunderbolt', is a powerful ritual object of Buddhist yoga. The untrained and ignorant speak
(and even write) flippantly about ' karma' without acknowledging Ku. This predictable dark gossip spewed by the Unawakened is like lecturing about weather while denying the sky! We must root out knowledge of Ku in sacred scriptures of the Masters (where it is also referred to as 'Sunya'), and, of course, in the WF writings and teachings. Then, and this is what separates the Warriors from the Wannabes; we must LIVE THE KU in our Workouts! I have long coached the Ku as pivotal to personal fitness. Why? It's fundamental to the human experience. Ultimately, there is only one aspect that a human can train toward, to carry Consciousness into the Ku, or the Transition (Bardo) Realms after our final exhale. The Viswa Vajra symbolizes and reminds us to train for the radical fitness required to overcome death by developing Higher Consciousness.
You see, my Noble WF Warriors, many people who do not have wise Teachers, workout their entire lives without ever realizing it's not a fit body they are after! It's Freedom gained through the perfection of the body (jiva mukta). Rule Number One; mastery of body must precede mastery of mind and certainly spirit! Most people try to skip the body and sail straight into Heaven. Nope, you gotta train like Hell to transcend Hell! Then, all becomes Heaven.
Viswa Vajra conveys the essence of Ku or 'The Void' which cannot be cut, cannot be destroyed, yet destroys all Hell (evil). In WF Tradition, the Viswa Vajra is the symbol of WF Strength Training. The Viswa Vajra pictured above is from a Tibetan Banner in my home 'gym temple'. Even the least Aware student of WF will recognize the KU Recovery Techniques i created for instilling mental focus and spiritual fiber in the gym while strength training. The Ku can be felt while hanging at arms length under the Altar of the Pull Up Bar...when your ego is screaming at you to quit and go over to the Gravitron machine. Dangling there with withering arm strength, Doubt flings her arrows into your Willpower. You return to WF Principle #1...you Breathe through the Doubt and thus transcending it, experience a calm, powerful Void...the KU! Whether or not you do another Pull Up is beside the spiritual point. This is what most do not understand. Why? Because most do not 'stand under' a Pull Up bar! They are all over there, gathered about the fancy machines like sheep.
Those of you Practicing other WF Disciplines, experience Ku during intervals, meditation, the edges of asana, and most easiest during pranayam. Ku, birthing place of Karma, can only be experienced when we push ourself into a Bardo State, a state of Transition where super high intensities of Doubt, Fear, and Effort are transcended by our OWN Willpower...a Will-power uncluttered by drugs, clinging onto outdated mental or emotional modes, comfort, and sloth. The WF Master Student is a Warrior of the Clear Light with a Diamond Body!
Among other meanings, Viswa Vajra is the emblem of Amoghasddhi - one of five Priniciple Dhyani Buddhist Families. WF, however, is protected by the Amitabha lineage whose symbol is Padmasana or 'Lotus'.
{Early Morning Light; Red Mountain Spa, Utah. Site of WF Retreats. photo by ilg} Those of you who read between the lines of my books and writings, will start connecting many dots within the Divine Sky of WF! One reason,
for in-stance, why you see me sitting in Padmasana on the cover of TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION was to honor Amitabha and offer publicly my devotion as a lifelong, albeit feeble, Protector of the Dharma.
Noble Warrior, we may think we workout. We may think we know stuff. We may think we create things...we do not. Shit, we cannot even create an earthworm, yet we create gods by the dozens!
It is Karma that creates,
Karma that composes.
The best we can do?
Listen.
Love.
Share.
Offer your prayers through sweat running down and off the tip of our noses!
The best we can do?
Practice bravery during Ku!
May your workouts be Blessed along this humble, powerful, and deep Path of WF whose powerful currents
flows though such a feeble messenger as i...
i know nothing.
namaste,
miniscule ilg
January 17, 2005
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors!
you know, Wholistic Fitness has been so far out in front of the pack for so many decades, that i shake my head and wonder why conventional fitness modalities take soooooo long to get the WF picture! one day, all the experts will not be able to point their overthinking heads and undertrained fingers anywhere toward our humble Cave. WF is the worldwide original source of Transpersonal, Wholistic Fitness training!
Ron Jones sent this in. Please read the link and just smile that you are part of the original Path of the world's orginal Source of authentic mind/body/spirit personal fitness training! cracks me up! Thanks RJ, and keep up the GREAT Sister Work that you do with your students and your tremendous website!
head bowed
spine straight
breath low
from the humble, yet powerful, Helm...
coach ilg
founder/Wholistic Fitness Personal Training since 1982
***
Fitness Friends,
The American Council on Exercise just released their annual Fitness Trends report for the upcoming year in 2005.� To see a concise report of �What�s Hot� see link below.� Wellness coaching, worksite wellness programs, balance training, mind/body, functional fitness/core training, time efficient workouts and more are listed in brief.�
If you are working with me, you�ll be happy to know I�m already addressing all of the Top Ten Fitness Trends for 2005 for my clients.
http://www.acefitness.org/media/media_display.cfm?NewsID=208
In fitness,
Ron Jones, MS
Atlanta, Georgia
ACSM Health/Fitness Instructor
Licensed Corporate Wellcoach
www.ronjones.org�
Noble Fitness Warrior's
unless you are signed up with The Official Nutritional Program of WF; SUNRIDER HERBS, you don't get the DIRECT HITS of daily miracles that infuse our Tribe when our Warriors begin my 3-Phase Approach to the Herbs...i use a separate email list for my Noble Herbal Warriors because, well, we just go crazy with joy as our cellular health replaces chronic pain and dis-eases with HIGHER LEVELS of HEALTH and spiritual vibration. the outer world already thinks i am whakcy enough...hec, they should see how intoxicated i am as i get more herbs into more people who always start SOARING HIGHER in their fitness and energy! it's really quite something. so simple. so fast. so convenient; just one ILG SUPREME drink per day! over the past 20 years, i have had the joy of seeing hundreds of people that were spending soooo much time and money on 'coventional' healing modalities just start eating the herbs and Rising Above...here is just one example of dozens that come across my desk every few daysk.
sign up with SUNRIDER today...choose a WF Teacher to the right of this forum and JUMP IN! Feel better, eat Lightly, and make some money to eat the best, most powerful whole foods on the planet... SUNRIDER HERBS and SKIN CARE!
love,
coach ilg
director/SUNRIDER International
���
SUNRIDER AND DEPRESSION
Teacher Ilg:
I was�taking the SSRI Celexa when I started my WF journey two years ago, and was also drinking alcohol nightly.� Through meditation�and WF studies�I began to see that the�celexa and alcohol were attempted escapes from underlying dragons that needed to be confronted.� I stopped taking the celexa, and�reduced alcohol intake dramatically.��Switching to the herbs resulted in a drastic reduction�in alcohol use, because my body stopped liking it as much.� I still struggle with life and a difficult personal relationship, but now I am trying to confront myself and welcome the�difficulties.� Medications of any sort just deaden the feelings and emotions, and prevent confronting the causes at their root.� Through exploration of WF via Teacher Sheader, I have been able to stay off the anti-depressants entirely, and in fact have been depression free for at least a year.
Just my two cents.��
Name Witheld, a SR Warrior in the Ilg Downline
January 16, 2005
FROM THE ILG TRAINING DUNGEON: "ABDOMINALS ON FIRE WORKOUT"
MY STANDARD SPIRITUAL/CHEMURGY FOR POTENT CORE POWER
the 43 year old abs of ilg are functional; highly, highly functional...from professional yoga capacity to record setting ultra distance fitness...you want some of this? you sure? or is it your EGO & INTELLECT that makes you just THINK you want this shit? hey, main lining this to you straight from my Home Cave, baby! and
only for DL Readers...(highly glossed and even juicer workouts are regular features on my new website coming this year!)
have fun and enjoy the FITNESS baby! may it help you Serve Others Higher...i am not asking for your money here, just remember from where and for how many decades you have been gettin' this world class, utterly unique Crazy Wisdom!
Equipment needed: two yoga blocks (you will need three anyway for my new PROP WORKOUT DVD coming SOON!)
Attitude needed: 110% positive
Benefits acquired: The Spiritual Seeds of Enlightenment
Set One: do one minute of Blocked Crunches. squeeze the Thigh Block (and you can use an Ankle Block too) as hard as you can. (note my inclusion of YogaToes because, well, i am one crazy Germanic barbarian! you wouldn't trust anyone else now, would you?)
Set Two: do one minute of Right Elbow to the Left Knee Blocked Crunches
Set Three: do one minute of Left Elbow to the Right Knee Blocked Crunches (you BETTER be squeezing FOAM JUICE outta those blocks!)
Set Four: do one minute of Alternating Twist Blocked Crunches
Recover for one minute in Easy Bridge pose (page 234 of paperback version of TBT book; it's in the Frugal Realm Yoga chapter)
Novice WF Students; move on
Warrior WF Students; do another round of the above four movements
Master WF Students; do two more rounds of the above four movements
Set Five: do 45 seconds of Hip Churners; twist your hips side to side very rapidly while holding your leg perpendicular. squeeze the blocks like a vise. Want to be a Champion? Then lift your tailbone off the earth while you do the twists!
Set Six; Keep your legs perpendicular and do Right Elbow to Left Knee Crunches for thirty seconds
Set Seven: Keep your legs perpendicular and do Left Elbow to Right Knee Crunches for thirty seconds
Set Eight: Keep your legs perpendicular and do Alternating Crunches for thirty seconds
Set Nine: do one minute of In&Outs; inhale draw the Ankle Block toward a flexed Mula Bandha, exhale extend your legs while releasing Mula Bandha*; SQUEEZE AND BREATHE BABY!!!!!
Novice WF Students; move on
Warrior WF Students; do another round of the above two movements
Master WF Students; do two more rounds of the above two movements
Set Ten: 86 the blocks and do one minute of Norwegian Crunches** (supersetted with 30 seconds of Easy Bridge pose
Novice WF Students; do another round of the above two movements
Warrior WF Students; do two more rounds of the above two movements
Master WF Students; do two five rounds of the above two movements
oh, and if you think this is a tough workout?
you better re-think your pre-order of my HP PROP WORKOUT DVD! to pre-order, click here:
http://wholisticfitness.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=WFTC&Category_Code=VT
Wholistic Fitness; created by a world class athlete
designed for Warriors Only; not Wannabe Warriors!
* don't know what Mula Bandha is? then you ain't in WF Online Training like you should be! Mula Bandha, or the Root Lock, is a vital, basic internal lock of Hatha Yoga which prevents the Apana (Descending Prana) from slipping out of the first chakra area. those who do not know about Mula, risk lower back injury, loss of youthfulness, and will not be able to ignite their Kundalini. please consult your local Registered Yoga Teacher and ask him or her to teach you about Mula Bandha.
**http://www.ronjones.org/Coach&Train/ExercisePhotos/BodyWeight/Core/BicyclingCrunch.html
COACH ILG ANNOUNCES WHOLISTIC FITNESS TEAM
TO COMPETE AT MT. TAYLOR WINTER QUADRATHLON!
rebounding from his cycling fitness during a record-setting effort in October's FURNACE CREEK 508 Mile Team Race, coach will play the role of athlete/coach as he returns to the Sacred Slopes of Mt. Taylor (see last week's two part story; Ancient Peaks, Ancient Voices) this February along with two other teammates; WF Teacher Joseph Sheader from Colorado and Coach's old cycling teammate, Richard Verderame from New Mexico. meet the Team Members right here, this week at DIRECT LINES! A several time top ten soloist who helped bring popularity to the unique 75-kilometer, four sport event in the late eighties, Coach will be anchoring the two 'snow sports' - the nordic ski and snowshoe racing segments of the race. WF Teacher Sheader will do the Mountain Running portion, and Warrior Verderame, a multi NM State Road Racing Champion will hammer out the cycling portions. check out the race format at the Mt. Taylor Quadrathlon website:
http://mttaylorquad.org/
In Wholistic Fitness, our teachers don't just talk about their Path to their students...we LIVE IT, baby! we toe the Start Line in order to keep ourselves as keenly tuned as possible for our dharma of training our students! Don't settle for less than having a world-class personal training system and teachers in your corner! join WHOLISTIC FITNESS ONLINE TRAINING today!
*photo/Chris Kostman
January 14, 2005
DRIVING TOWARD THE LIGHT...
I always do my best to Seek, then Strive Toward
the Light, the Higher Light which illuminates my many areas of restrictions,
fear, ignorance, and lazy or negative tendencies. I must forgive myself so many times
during the day for my feebleness, for the trek on the Spiritual Journey is steeper than any
rock or ice wall i've climbed and my inability to live my Divine Magnificence frustrates me.
Yet, my Higher Guidance and my Teachers insure me this much,
"There is no failure as long as we continue to make effort."
- coach enroute to somewhere Light. photo/Ananda
***
"We fancy ourselves as a 'Christian' nation...
Hell, we aren't even close to being Christ-like!
Christ was not fat, he was fit!
"In God We Trust"?
Yeah...right! It's more like,
"In Greed and TV We Trust"!
Hang in there Noble Fitness Warriors and SHINE your Light
of Awareness...the moral structure of our beautiful country
is not to be given up on...
the lack of Awareness and Compassion you might see
is meant to inspire those of us who Practice
to dig ever deeper within and be brave enough
to smile more often, stay fitter than ever, speak Truthfully constantly, and Share What We Have To Give...
that is personal fitness...
that is Wholistic Fitness!
i am proud of you for meditating, for practicing your Workout Everywhere!
Let's shine our Collective Tribal Light!"
- Coach Ilg
***
Haiku of the Week
The smile of Lover (5)
dancing against reflection (7)
soaring within Heart (5)
- Ananda
***
"What is the nature of mind like? Imagine a sky, empty, spacious, and pure from the beginning; its essence is like this. Imagine a sun, luminous, clear, unobstructed, and spontaneously present; its nature is like this. Imagine that sun shining out impartially on us and all things, penetrating all directions; its energy, which is the manifestation of compassion, is like this: Nothing can obstruct it, and it pervades everywhere."
- Sogyal Rinpoche
***
Sender Name: Charles S
Message: Coach Ilg,
Your book, TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION...fascinating. I have been tinkering with these ideas for years and its great to have it formulated like you have...kudo
***
Dear Coach,
Thank you for posting the photos of Mt Taylor on DL. Seeing them brought back great memories of my Quad back in 2001. All sorts feelings came flooding back to me as soon as I saw the summit photos. I also forgot how beautiful the view from the summit is. May there be many more summits in our future.
Humbly,
Student Moses
January 13, 2005
PART TWO:
SACRED FITNESS; Workouts Among Ancient People, Ancient Voices
"Just live, as authentically as possible."
- Coach Ilg
Far above the high mesa's Ananda applies her yogic powers of 'ekagrata' or one-pointed concentration, step by step, toward the summit of Mt. Taylor...it took us a 4+ hour snowshoe effort to attain the Sacred Summit. photo/ilg
{We now return to Part II (see DL; 1/7/05) of my recent return home to my beloved Southwest whereupon several more - they are seemingly omnipotent in this Land of Enchantment - mysterious and auspicous signs arose during my workouts. In an ongoing attempt to discover and climb the most ancient Sacred Peaks on Turtle Island (later renamed "United States"), i received audience with G. Pinto, a Navajo-Dine Tribal Teacher...i thought some of you might be interested in 'evesdropping' on a segment of my conversation with this Elder. Oh, don't think you are going to get the Deeper Stuff from this chi hit...you gotta dig, Warrior, you gotta dig a bit further than Direct Lines to start unraveling the wisdom of the ancients who still abide within Turtle Island's most profound offerings. you gotta get out into the Land, apply your multi-disciplined fitness and breathe and climb and bleed against the sage thistle before the Ancients speak true unto you. another thing, i cannot show you a photo of Teacher Pinto. There are still those among our Earth Brothers and Sisters who realize there is more to life than accelerating its speed and collecting celluloid images of a precious life that cannot ever be held still...to even try to do so, severs the Spirit of Life. Just live, as authentically as possible." - Coach Ilg}
***
ILG: Noble Teacher of the Human Tribe...
i humbly bow to you.
i thank you for your Gift of Sharing.
i honor your wisdom.
may i humbly ask a question?
GP: {smiles affirmatively.}
ILG:i still am unable to uncover the precise peaks of the Acoma Puebloan 4 Sacred Peaks. i have the ranges, yet not the peaks. i must breathe upon their summits. please?
GP: Steve,my knowledge of the southwest is mainly based on my tribal affiliation, which is Navajo-Dine, but I'll still try to help you out by finding out some info about my "Acoma" neighbors to the east. In the mean time, I'd like to share knowledge of "our" 4 sacred mountains. Some might be similar to the Acomas, since we live in the same vicinity, but our scale of the "homelands" is somewhat different.
ILG: i understand.
GP: With our beliefs, we begin in the East and work our way clockwise.
�
East: Mt. Blanca, located� north-east of Alamosa Colorado. (Navajo-name: "Sis nahginnii" Translation: "wears a black belt" in reference to the band of forested tree's that band the lower slope. Traditionally linked to "the beginning". White shell represents this mountain in ceremonies. Represents the first light of dawn. (Some medicine men also call it "Dzil Lighai" which means "white mountain". (Local Spanish settler's heard this story and named it Mt. Blanca.
�
South: Mt. Taylor, located next to Grants New Mexico. (Navajo name: "Dohglizhii Dzil" Translation: "Turquoise Mountain") Represents the mid-day 'turquoise-blue" skies. Has significance to the last battle for the Dineh people after they entered the "glittering world". Stories and songs tell about a giant that was�killed at it base. Curious? I'll tell you more about that if your interested.
ILG: oh, Teacher! i am interested!
rabid, you might say.
i all-Ways have been about mountains...
if i may share a story with you from two weeks ago:
while snowshoeing up Dohglizhii Dzil with my partner and accomplished yogini, Ananda, to perform a New Years Day ritual,
two auspicious Signs came into our Awareness.
Ananda, moving at less than 3 mph yet at Heart Rate of probably 180+, nearing "Raven Headwall" on the 11,000+ summit snowfield of "Dohglizhii Dzil" aka; Mt. Taylor where a very ausicious Sign came to us among this rarified ether. photo/ilg
First, while nearing the 11,301' summit,
Raven suddenly soared into our Presence at the
precise moment we surmounted the final summit headwall...it was a huge wind day,
sub zero cold...yet Raven never once flapped Her pitch black wings, and
yet held her position without sway at stall in those monster winds...She
went into us energetically, Guardian like. She remained at perfect stall in gale force summit winds and cold for
nearly a full minute. She then cut the Chi Line to us, snapped Her wings hard to the North, and dove back
into Father Sky. Ananda,laughing and crying, had obviously been Shifted. i, meanwhile, had been transported toward what yogis know as the mahapranayamicdosha, a Realm just beyond normal waking conscious. i had {...edited...}
then,
on the descent, near the 1st Meadow, both of us heard a female voice, engaged in conversation, clear as a bell
yet in a tongue we did not recognize. we felt only laughter, levity, and joy from these people.
we kept snowshoeing down the only trail...i, an experienced mountaineer and who grew up with wolf-hybrid,
know how to read MountainSpeak {tracking}...only one other pair of snowshoe tracks were on Dohglizhii Dzil this day, so we kept expecting to see these people snowshoeing up toward us. the voices continued for about 15 minutes then became eerily silent...snow fell from an unclouded sky.
no one else was up on that mountain that day. we confirmed this not only by the easy knowledge of no other
tracks on the high reaches of the peak, but also because the remote jeep road, the only one servicing that side of the mountain and leads to the trailhead was empty. no other cars, no other people
had arrived to the mountain that day.
later, i researched and found the following story about the origins of Dohglizhii Dzil:
"The story of that unimaginably ancient eruption is best told by a moving Navajo legend narrated by Emma Begay, which goes something like this:
For many many moons, the tall mountain puffed white smoke from its very top.� After many many more moons, the mountain exploded with a monumental bang.� From its fiery bowels spewed red hot embers, turning into black rivers cascading to the valleys below.
After many more moons, the mountain suddenly closed and swallowed a beautiful Navajo maiden.� The mountain is holding her captive in its bosom to this very day.� Those who climb to the top can close their eyes and hear her in one of her many moods, sometimes laughing, sometimes singing, sometimes humming, sometimes whistling, sometimes crying, and sometimes eerily silent. "
GP: {smiling...laughing...nodding again affirmatively then, with a sparkle went on:}
�West: San Fransisco peaks, located north of Flagstaff, Arizona. (Navajo name: "Dohkoos liid" Translation: "Mist on top", in reference to the clouds, fog which often shroud the top.) Associated with coral and/or Abalone, which represents the fading light of day.
�
North: Mt. Hesperus, located just north-east of Mancos Colorado. (Navajo name: "Dibeh intsah" Translation: 'big sheep", in reference to the big horned sheep that inhabit the Colorado rockies. (An early source of winter food and clothing.)� Associated with Jet, a black stone which is a younger version of coal. This northern mountain represents all night time activities and is also known as a place similar to "purgatory", a home to lost or restless spirits. (That also is the reason why the Navajo don't make there Homes (Hogans) with windows or doors facing north.)
ILG: Most Noble Teacher,
my childhood home was at the eastern foot of Dibeh instah. i have climbed Her in moccasin, snowshoe, ski, and mountain bike. my wolf and i cavorted on Her slopes. my bedroom window faced her Early Morning Light, glancing off her summit snows...the image of Her beauty is etched deep into my soul...She was the first mountain beginning each of my days; i would throw off the bedcovers, run to my bedroom window to feast my excited eyes upon my two major loves; Dibeh instah winking at me in the morning sunlight, and below me, still in the predawn light, my wolf - Apache - always somehow already awake, alert, looking at my window three stories higher than him...ready to play in the day...
the other note of synchronicity: i spent 6 of 7 days ski racing during the winter at the local Durango, Colorado ski resort which, at that time, was known as, "Purgatory."
GP: {smiling, laughing...}
i hope that quenches the cranial thirst a bit.
ILG: Quench!?!?!?
you, my Noble Native Teacher,
are making me SALIVATE like Hungry Coyote!
GP: Like I said, I'll try to get some info on the Acoma's traditional stories too. I've done a few "cleansing" tours of these 4 sacred peaks to help in solidifying "new beginnings".
ILG: Teacher, after i leave Los Angeles,
after i have completed faithfully for my Teachers my
"Big City Mission" and return to my Beloved Southwest,
will you teach more?
take me on such a tour?!?!
i wish only to learn at your sage feet.
GP: {laughing, smiling}: there are 2 other sacred mountains which are traditionally linked to the inner soul too. More on that later.
ILG: i want to learn...i am 43 years old,
after age 50, i feel i will have my internal energetic pathways conditioned enough
and enough EarthWalk Experience in different Trials from Big City to Mountains to Sports to Meditation
to sustain
what you can show me about inner soul power.
i will keep my Practice strong and sincere for the sake of my Tribe...
and my spirit humble.
i am nothing.
GP: Watch the colors, listen to the rocks. The colors, stones, shells etc. are linked to the creation story which is told in the form of songs and chants during healing ceremonies. They are also used for these specific rituals. Hope I was of some help...................................maybe more?
ILG: i bow to you.
you were, always have been, always will be
of Sacred Help to me,
and many...
GP: Oh, i checked out your web-site......intriguing. I just bought a book on yoga. I'm going to try to improve my physique this year. In the words of "Lester" on American Beauty......" I want to look good naked".
ILG:
"I want to look good naked."
i love it!
you know, in yoga, we get as naked as possible
as often as possible
to remain humble and true to the clothes that
Mother Earth and Father Sky gifted us.
please, Tribal Teacher,
may i give you a Gift for your time...
oh
and another project for you to consider...
i wish to train and coach, free of charge, as a part of my Karma Yoga,
a Navajo-Dine
in Nordic Ski Racing to qualify and compete in the Winter Olympics
to represent the Navajo Nation to the world.
the Navajo's have never competed in the Olympics as a Nation...
if granted this honor,
i and the Navajo-Dine warrior athlete
will train on the slopes of the Sacred Mountains
and represent your People,
The People
well.
your thoughts?
{...edited...}
"Though man can climb to the highest summits, he cannot there long dwell," Shakespeare. Ananda, summit, arctic cold, God intoxicated, Ananda just kept waving her hand at me for no apparent reason.
may you too, reach all your physical and spiritual summits in this precious EarthWalk! Live your workouts authentically so you stand a better chance at living your life authentically!
i bow to you,
coach ilg
ps; i may be announcing a competitive return to the Sacred Slopes of the Turquoise Mountain for this February's MT. TAYLOR WINTER QUADRATHLON, a four sport distance event that races from the town of Grants, New Mexico up to the summit of Mt. Taylor and back down again using cycling, running, skiing, and snowshoeing! Stay tuned to DL; the Website of Awakening for Fitness Warriors!
January 12, 2005
WANTING A CAP LIKE ANANDA IS WEARING
"Our bodies communicate to us clearly and specifically, if we are willing to listen to them."
- Shakti Gawain
While reading your DL postings I came across a picture of Ananda wearing this very cool white baseball hat that had a stickwoman�in the lotus position with writing on the brim "Life is Good".� I'm writing to find out where I can get a hat like that - so very cool!� Such a positive message!! Any help would be much appreciated!� Thank you.
Wishing you Heath and Happiness,
Cathy Stubbington, CFC
Personal Trainer and Fitness Consultant
�
Noble Professional Fitness Warrioress,
Ananda was wearing in that DIRECT LINES entry of Jan. 8, one of a series of "Life Is Good" caps that we got at our Summer HP Yoga Retreat at Red Mountain Spa, in Ivins, Utah
the company however, can be found at:
http://jbgoods.com/
your one stop answer place for all go(o)d things in life...DIRECT LINES; Daily Meditations From Coach Ilg
May you wear your Life Is Good cap with elegant posture and speak only kind, helpful, and true things while wearing it...
namaste,
coach ilg
founder/Wholistic Fitness�
�
TRIBAL SISTER TIMARI TIES THE KNOT?!?!?!
okay, through the years of WF i've been honored enough to see a number of romances bud within the sweat and spirit of my humble yet powerful Path...yet, when my High Performance Blonde Princess of Professional Pain, Timari Pruis a pro mountain biker who relies upon HP Yoga and Sunrider to grab podium after podium, sent this email in to me last week, i just had to share with the Tribe (with Timari's Blessings, of course!)...
enjoy Tribe, and to Timari...
you've just broken a thousand male Warrior Hearts!!!
CONGRATULATIONS and may your Marriage be graced with the endurance and spiritual joy of what you Love To BE!
coach ilg
�
hey coach!
just thought i would give you an update on my trip to mammoth! no, no snowshoeing went on (hey, i still need you to teach me!), but there was plenty of awesome skiing to be had! we went up on tuesday afternoon, and had 2 beautiful, clear blue days for wednesday and thursday! both days were a little windy, but it just meant that fresh snow continued to get blown into the bowls and chutes at the top of the mountain, so it was fresh tracks all day long baby! so, the BIG news though comes from this story.....
on wednesday we(my boyfriend and i) were cruising around all morning, continuously meeting up with my brother and his girlfriend and the rest of his friends. so we find ourselves waiting at the mid gondola station at about 2:30pm for my brother and company. i have NO IDEA what is going on at this point, and no idea that we were supposed to be meeting the rest of the gang at the top of the mountain. so, mike and i board the gondola to go to the top of the mountain to meet with the others. as we are approaching going over chair 3, mike radio's to the others on the handheld radio's that we are nearing the top. as we approach the top of chair 3, i notice there is a bunch of red blocks below this rock drop off of the run named climax. i am sitting there thinking that someone seriously ate crap off this jump and the ski patrol is cleaning up someone off the hill! so, i figured the closer i got to being above this spot, the better view i would have of the situation (yes, voyerism at its finest). the closer i get to this spot, i notice that it is not the ski patrol, rather a large sign on the ground, in which all i can make out at this point are the words "marry me". so i am thinking, "how cool, someone is getting proposed to", and THEN, the closer i look at the sign, i realize that the sign says "Timari, will you marry me". YEAH, that was my name on that sign, and before i know it, mike is on one knee inside the Panorama gondola approaching the very top of mammoth mtn! yes, i had the proposal that every girl dreams of! how better for him propose to me than doing something outdoorsy and doing something i love! and better yet, holding the sign below was my brother, his friend jared(who i have known for years), and some other friends! it was so awesome! oh, and did i mention how much SNOW there was?!?!??!!
anyways, just had to let you know! and now, we need to figure out when we can go skiing or snowshoeing (and get in that bodywork session as well!).
talk to you soon!
love you!
timari
for more on Timari, check out this link:
http://www.kendausa.com/bicycle/bicycle_news.cfm?pr=138&cat=2
January 11, 2005
One Man's Obstacle Is a Warrior's Blessing...
Perhaps you've have heard about the intensity of Shiva's Dancing out here in LA...
more rain in just over one week than what usually falls in one year...quite remarkable.
Of course, our local LA Tribe, trained like all WF Warriors to be "elegant during difficulty,"
are making the best out of the circumstance...like Warrior Mike Powell who sent this in to me
today...
"Steve,
Check out this boulder sitting in the middle of Topanga Canyon, a new
climbing area just down the road...cool!"
- MP
Man, that left arete looks like a possible B1 first ascent to me...where's my chalk bag?!?!
- From The Fun and Fit Perspective,
coach ilg
Dark Masters Of Confusion
"The Buddhist meditation masters know how flexible and workable the mind is. If we train it, anything is possible. In fact, we are already perfectly trained by and for samsara, trained to get jealous, trained to grasp, trained to be anxious and sad and desperate and greedy, trained to react angrily to whatever provokes us. In fact, we are trained to such an extent that these negative emotions rise spontaneously, without our even trying to generate them.
So everything is a question of training and the power of habit. Devote the mind to confusion and we know only too well, if we�re honest, that it will become a dark master of confusion, adept in its addictions, subtle and perversely supple in its slaveries. Devote it in meditation to the task of freeing itself from illusion, and we will find that with time, patience, discipline, and the right training, the mind will begin to unknot itself and know its essential bliss and clarity."
- Sogyal Rinpoche
WF Online Teacher and HP Yogini Ananda meditates in a Tsankawi ruin near Los Alamos, New Mexico. the opening to the cave reflects the dark mirror of the untrained mind. Since 1982, i've kept Meditation as one of the 5 Fitness Disciplines of WF...why? because there can be no authentic personal fitness in he or she that does not allow the Light Of Meditation to illuminate our inner darkness. Prescribed and recreational drugs and an addiction to entertainment only shove our Real Inner Work to a different chamber. Thus, samsara (endless suffering through life/death/rebirth) remains intact until we are brave enough of a fitness warrior to Dance our Genuine Nature. We can only free ourselves from difficulty by devoting ourselves to it. this 'door' into this ancient 'condo in a cliff' was hand cut into the 'soft' volcanic tuft by the Ancient Ones.
some of the chambers within the eon-old and perfectly wholistic cliff condo! these little chambers, if you will allow me to draw out the above metaphor, to me, reflect the many inculcated and preconditioned grooves and negative, lazy tendencies of the untrained mind. Staccato Technique in the gym, the 4 WF Lifestyle Principles, Eating Elegantly, 3 x 30, and Non-Dominant Hand assignments are examples of just a few WF techniques i created to help you and i destroy our unconscious habits which, as Rinpoche teaches above, only enables us to become, "a dark master of confusion." photos/ilg
May your Practice be strong and sincere today...
question everything; particularly your Breath and Posture (WF Lifestyle #1)
i bow to you from the humble helm,
coach ilg
January 10, 2005
Hello HP Yogi's
I thought I would stop for a moment and send you all a letter to let those of you who remember me know where I am. I have done an incredible amount of travel over the US and Mexico and after struggling to find work and a place to be in the world, I landed up in the redwood covered mountains east of Santa Cruz in a little town called Ben Lomond. I am happy to say that I have continued my practice throughout this transition and have now found a little place to practice in down town Felton. If any of you would like to e-mail, are going to be in the area or know of good yoga in the area, do not hesitate to write: westminster95@aol.com
Take care all,
Yogi Barry
sample page for the new WholisticFitness.com coming this year!
Explaining WHOLISTIC FITNESS
Those of us who study the Wholistic Fitness Personal Training System (WFPTS) quickly realize we are on a unique Path. We soon discover that others are drawn to our unique and balanced approach to a fitness lifestyle. Because it is a spiritual path, it is difficult to describe the transformative philosophies and techniques of Wholistic Fitness.� Creator & Founder, Steve Ilg has said, "Just living the WF Path is the best way to 'explain' the work. Returning to breath and posture, meeting the difficulties and joys of life with equanimity best defines genuine WF practice. The fitness workouts are actually secondary to the inner workouts."�
When asked, however, we must be able to clarify our humble, yet powerful body/mind Path.� Below are a few phrases to help describe WF to others.� It is very important to share this important work with others.�If you would like to have us send you some WF Business Cards to hand out, just let us know at www.WholisticFitness.com.
The Wholistic Fitness� Personal Training System� (WFPTS) is a complete, multi-disciplined approach to lifestyle fitness training.� Our emphasis uses fitness training as a vehicle for personal and spiritual growth. One may study this work by Coach's pioneering 'Online Training System' or privately.� 95% of the international 'official' Wholistic Fitness Tribe are Online Students. Many thousands of others enjoy our 'Tribal Light' through Coach's books, dvds, cds, and through his ongoing visibility in the worldwide media. Coach's award-winning Online Journal called, "DIRECT LINES; Daily Meditations From Coach Ilg" has been called by some, "A modern day miracle," and continues to be offered as a complimentary wellspring straight from the worldwide student base and Coach's own inspiring, informative, and utterly unique quest for fusing Western Fitness Concepts with Eastern Based Lifestyle Practices. The result from enjoying a WF Lifestyle is your own spiritual development that creates a diamond hard body and a calm, focused mind.
Some WF quick-note descriptions:
Wholistic Fitness is the world's original transpersonal (mind/body/spirit) fitness method.� The system was professionally introduced in 1982 by Steve Ilg, a professional adventure athlete and trainer, in Boulder, Colorado.��
The WFPTS uses Four Lifestyle Principles and Five Fitness Disciplines to produce unmatched balance and progress in personal fitness and spiritual growth.
The Four Lifestyle Principles are: 1) Breath and Posture, 2) Mindfulness, 3) Appropriate Action, and 4) Practice.��
The Five Fitness Disciplines are: 1) Strength Training 2) Cardiovascular Training, 3) High Performance Yoga�, 4) Meditation, 5) Nutrition.�
Beginning Online Students are encouraged to practice a few of the disciplines to produce a wonderful, balanced training effect in mind and body while 'Master Students' are on a quest to master each element in The Wholistic Fitness� Personal Training System�.� This is a very noble, direct Path and if used for Self Realization, is is a very difficult pursuit.
The Wholistic Fitness� Personal Training System� has successfully trained thousands of people across the world. Wholistic Fitness� is a registered trademark of Steve Ilg.
Owner Expertise Makes The WF Difference: Founder Steve Ilg has authored five books (TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION, released in 2005 by Hyperion is his latest), competed in five World Championships in four different sports, is a registered Yoga Teacher, cycling coach and champion, a Director in SUNRIDER herbs, and speaker.
Teacher Lineage/Influences: WF was cultivated during Steve's self-healing from a paraylzing mountaineering fall in the early eighties. His LifeWork has been largely influenced by his homeland of southwestern Colorado and the Native Americana of that region. His first 'Ishta Devata', as a child, was an auspicious black wolf hybrid, named 'Apache' from whom he learned many wilderness and transpersonal teachings. Later, while attending a Tibetan Contemplative Arts University, he was recognized as a "Protector of the Dharma." He is currently living in Los Angeles as a part of his Spiritual Duty to help bring this Work to those who need it the most.
January 09, 2005
Steve,
Just wanted to say thanks for DL. It's a welcome part of my day as it reminds me that I'm not the only one who sees that the spin of my pedals is linked to the whirl of the planets and the flow of subtle energy through my body--- or that how I sweep the floor or clean the corners of my garage is as big a part of my training as is the time I spend on my bike.
Throughout my life I regularly encounter the realization that what I consider to be everyday plain truths are thought by many to be far out bizarre notions. It's nice to know that someone is trying to bring a broader understanding of how fitness is merely one step along the path of growth to the world. Seems that every passing year leads me to my zafu more and more.
While I often say to myself, " Man, that Steve Ilg is so full of himself, what a knucklehead.", when I'm reading DL I immediately chuckle when I realize that I'm sure people have the same reaction to me when I quote Rumi while double digging my garden bed in a kilt. Gary Snyder points out in an essay of his that he is simply a part of a great subculture that has existed for close to forty thousand years--
"It seems evident that there are throughout the world certain social and religious forces that worked through history toward and ecologically and culturally enlightened state of affairs. Let these be encouraged; Gnostics, hip Marxists, Teilhard de Chardin Catholics, Druids, Taoists, Biologists, Witches, Yogins, Bhikkus, Quakers, Sufis, Tibetans, Zens, Shamans, Bushmen, American Indians, Polynesians, Anarchists, Alchemists-the list is long. "
He goes on to say, "...it would be best to consider this change a continuing "revolution of conciousness", which will be won not by guns but by seizing the key images, myths, archetypes, eschatologies, and ecstasies so that life won't seem worth living unless one's on the side of the transforming energy. "
Wholistic Fitness is doing it's part in helping people be on the side of transformation. I intend to sign up for your new online membership, if for no other reason than to support your work, and in turn aid in transformation. The many copies of your books I've given away were also a way to spread the good news.
In this time of ever more complex existence it's good to remember that the particular eddy we whirl in at the moment is part of a larger and deeper flow. This flow cannot be stopped and will lead to the sea. As The Waterboys sing, "That was the river, but this is the sea."
Beannocht,
Steven Blondeau
Winder, GA
" The iron tree blooms in the void."
January 08, 2005
BUCKLE UP BUCKO!!!!!!!!
it's coming soon...
HP Yoga Prop Workout�
"Who needs a gym? Who needs a yoga studio? Get the best of both using three foam blocks and
the expertise of a world class athlete/coach and Registered Yoga Teacher!"
coach ilg,
creator/HP Yoga Prop Workout� enjoying some Prop Workout� movements.
i will be final proofing the HP YOGA PROP WORKOUT DVD tomorrow up in Santa Barbara with my production crew!
i truly hope you all have listened to me...i don't do advertising!
have you placed your pre-orders?
we've got Olympic athletes, celebrities, personal trainers, and yoga teachers lined up for this one...
be the first to get this remarkable new DVD straight
from myself,
from the Source,
the Creator of HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA PROP WORKOUT�...
in the years ahead, i am sure you will soon see copycats of my unique Prop Workout�,
it's happened before in quite a few remarkable, uh, ways.
yet, i trust you know where the real Tribal Cave is...
get those preorders placed on the Tribal Catalog today!
love,
coach ilg
creator/HP Yoga Prop Workout�
author/TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION
Noble Master Coach/Guru/Teacher/Athlete/Warrior -
i am TOTALLY thrilled by yet another amazing adventure of yours on DL on the Acoma stories!
i cannot wait for PART TWO!
what a LIFE you lead! the mysterious, the fitness wisdom, the lure of looking
within for our true workouts!
sitting here in my work office, i am happy because of you and your tribe of fitness warriors!
as you say,
"I bow to you, Noble Warrior!"
- humble fan James, NY
ps: what does "Acoma" mean"
* Dear Noble Warrior James,
i bow to your loving kindness (metta).
Acoma means,
you will love this, get ready for a CHI HIT:
"The place that always has {been}."
love from within The Great Mystery,
your feeble teacher
PS: PART TWO coming soon!...on the new WholisticFitness.com we will feature
streaming videos of my visits to all sorts of these Sacred Places of mine plus
we will travel to Noble WF Warriors like you and train with you!
stay tuned to DL on the Website Of Awakening; WholisticFitness.com
My loving Teacher;
i wanted you to share in the beautiful letters received
{Attachment of a dozen + letters from DL readers & WF Students}
from y(our) Shanga regarding Ozzie on DL.
i bow to your demonstration and teachings of Metta.
y(our) Shanga is a reflection of your Master Guidance.
Om Mani Padme Hung,
ananda
Ozzie and Ananda;
The sky shall soon Clear
your Sacred Hoop will never be broken...
on behalf of my faithful Sangha,
we bow to the beauty of you both...
love,
coach ilg
January 07, 2005
PART ONE: Ancient Peaks, Ancient People
this is a story about an ancient 'Sky City of Gold"*, an ancient People, ancient voices on an ancient volcano, a contemporary Native Teacher, and a key into why WF is so different, so powerful from other personal fitness trainers and their 'systems' and their 'gadgets'. want to know the real juice of Steve Ilg? you'll have to get yourself here, breathe here, suffer here, linger here among these ancient peaks and people for long decades... if you do this, you'll change. you'll See. you'll Feel what the ancients felt; Everyday Sacredness, baby. Everyday Sacredness. photo of Acoma Pueblo by steve ilg. (since you are accustomed to what 'civilized' cities look like (smog, pollution, zero Feng Shui, et.al), your eye might have even lost its capacity to see what a 'Wholistic Fitness city' looks like...look closely at the right hand portion of the picture...see it? ahhhhh...THAT is what a natural city with a natural population growth with a natural, organic food and childrearing looks like! nearly invisible, right? :-) now, you are returning h(om)e!
kiva ladder, kiva wall. Acoma Pueblo, the oldest continously inhabited city on Turtle Island (aka; United States of America). People have been living on top of this 400' sandstone monolith since 600 B.C. i come from here...i am but a feeble messenger from this enchanted, empowered land of a people who lived, breathed, and cherished Everyday Sacred Fitness. today, only 30 native Acoma Puebloans live year round on top of this 400' sandstone monolith. up here, there is no running water. no electricity. the foods the Puebloans eat? same as their ancestors; dryland famring from the 7,000' fields below their Palace In The Clouds. the average age of an Acoma Puebloan is 93. their average fitness? it is most probably superior to yours, for they live the Ancient Way; the way of common sense which involves exercising for their food, their living and cherishing their humility while living The Great Mystery. there is no record of depression on this mesa top. there is no record of plastic surgery either. photo/steve ilg
sandstone and mud wall nearly hides the 11,301' mountain yoga studio of "Dohglizhii Dzil" Translation: "Turquoise Mountain"...later named "Mt. Taylor" by the White Man. if you ask me, i TAF (Think And Feel) that the native name, not the Anglo name, should remain on our maps and in our words. Dohglizhii Dzil is the venue of one of my most favorite multisport competitions and one i helped popularize back in the day; the Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon. This beautifully brutal 75-kilometer event races from the forlorn Route 66 town of Grants, New Mexico to the summit of 11,301' Mt. Taylor and back again using four different sports; road cycling, mountain running, nordic skiing, and snowshoeing. i have done this event 5x and have finished on the podium 3x. and you wonder WHY Wholistic Fitness is so different? so powerful? c'mon, Noble Fitness Warrior! lay aside your damned excuses and rationalizations and JOIN our TEMPLE OF TRANSPERSONAL FITNESS! join WF Online Training today! Who are you trusting to take into your death? Who are you trusting to take you deeper into your LIFE!?!! we live the CHI in this Path! you will need a Spiritual Fitness Teacher for your dying...who are you trusting to take you into the Bardo? if you are not training to die consciously, gracefully, elegantly...then, what ARE you training for? these ancients were not afraid of death; for they knew the Bardo Realm...that is why i come here...to learn from a People who are not afraid to die consciously. photo/steve ilg
There were, until John Wayne came here, only three secret ways up to the top of this mesita. the "405 Freeway" version was this "Stone Staircase." you can see, throughout the eons of ancients traveling up and down this narrow sandstone corridor, hand and foot holds cut into the 'soft' sandstone by generational wear. you too, if you come here, can place your own hands and feet into the Ancient One's own PathWay. you will feel their CHI...you will KNOW the Sacredness that needs to percolate throughout your daily life. photo/Ananda.
UP NEXT ON DL:
PART TWO: Ancient Peaks, Ancient People
Coach Talks With One Of His Teachers, G. Pinto...A Navajo-Dine
About the 4 Sacred Peaks and Ancient Voices and a Lifelong Goal of Coach Ilg.
*the Spanish Conquistadores, came to this very peaceful city and, under Onat�, murdered over 900 Acoma Puebloans within a half day. Why? They thought that the glitter of the mud and straw buildings twinkling in the sun on top of the mesa was literally, "a city of gold." like today's society, it is Greed that still murders, still severs our Higher Connection to Peace, Harmony, and Genuine Spiritual Power. When we will learn? Well, ask yourself; what are YOU doing to be the Change You Wish To See?
January 06, 2005
Worldwide WF Sangha -
Please Welcome to WF ONLINE TRAINING:
Lisa Seguinot
of
Ashburn, VA
Lisa, a competitive marathon runner aiming to qaulify for Boston (Marathon) has entered our Online Temple citing as her StudyPath:
"I need a change of direction in my life and I believe in Steve and his method of training. I was introduced to HP Yoga at Red Mountain Spa in 2003 and have been a fan ever since."
New Student Lisa begins her Basic Studies under WF Teacher Sheader, who is a nationally ranked runner, and who trained under famed running coach, Coach Vigil.
Lisa, 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�
***
SUNRIDER NUTRITION = SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
Shown above are the Everday Sacred ingredients to Phase II; Cell Empowerment
the second of my "3-Phase Approach To The Sunrider Herbs". From left to right:
VitaFruit because i do NOT eat 8 Servings of Fruit and Vegetables per day, Alpha 20C (optional)
for an extra dosage of support for my t-cell immunology, Vitashake
for all my core nutrition in whole food form, Vitadophilus (optional) for intestinal balance, and
Quinary for the support of my circulatory, t-cell immunology, respiratory immunology, endocrine, and
digestive fitness. When mixed with Soy Milk, this creates the delicious and now famous; "Ilg Supreme" shake, the elixir
of Wholistic Fitness Warriors since 1983. The Vitadophilus is eaten directly (tastes great!).
*
"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."
*
Sunrider Herbs requires us to, essentially, meditate. By this i mean that Sunrider Herbs, particularly when consumed along my "3-Phase Approach" system, will support the body so accurately, that we begin to eat less food volume. In the space vacated by the action of eating, we thereby are left with...silence!
Oh no! Not SILENCE! Silence as "Nutrition!?"
"Ilg," you are thinking, "you have completed gone off your Wholistic rocker, now!"
Yet, the fact is, many people come to Sunrider because they trust me, my athletic resume, the self healing from my spine injury, and the accumulated years of everyday energy i put forth into the UniVerse. So, seeking to lose fat and/or gain fitness or a more lean physique, they ask many questions about the various ingredients of the herbs, the internet gossip about Dr. Chen, and all sorts of other predictable Western intellectualisms. The experienced Sunriders, the ones who trusted in me enough to simple TRY THE HERBS FOR THEMSELVES, just smile knowingly. For instead of asking Questions, their bodies became their own Answers!
Remember the East/West Difference
The Sunrider herbs balance and support the movement of energy (chi) in the body. Western nutrition attempts to superimpose calories and isolated nutrients upon upon a syngeristically based physiologic system. For instance, a Western trained Nutritionist will always ask me the same predictable questions borne from textbooks on Nutrition, "What is in the herbs?", "How many calories are in them?", "What percentage of the RDA do they provide?" They can't seem to get their inculcated brain power to grasp the notion of chi. They can't seem to understand the Universal Energetic Force that obviously transforms an acorn into a mighty oak without one kcal or vitamin or protein powder. SUNRIDER herbs nourish the movement of energy (in yogic terms; the prana-vayus). They are designed to help us over months and years from within by supporting our energy weak points in us while calming our energetic imbalances. Eating SUNRIDER each day is like allowing the body to perform Self Feng Shui from within!
Like the living art of Wholistic Fitness, Sunrider herbs immediately gets to work on our "limiters" as Coach Mackel, a devoted SUNRIDER and triathlete coach, says in counsel to new Sunrider below. 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;
b"
Dear B,
No, I have just stuck with the basic herbs that Coach Ilg suggests and a couple of
the individual herbs.
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 Coach Ilg's Phase One
Approach in the SUNRIDER Herbs 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
HP Yogini's Art....
"Glass City" by HP Yogini Karen Carmona
coach ilg
jewel in the lotus, diamond in a glass city...�yes,
Love!
www.karmona.us
karen
*
Dear DL Readers,
please enjoy HP Yogini Karen's Online Gallery Tour
mention that you are a DL Reader to Yogini Karen
if you wish to order one of the pieces..
Yogini Karen,
i bow to the beauty you express to the UniVerse
and your Bravery
to live life as an Unconditional Artist/Yogini...
om tat sat,
coach ilg
January 05, 2005
This Week's Haiku Winner; Bryan Hantman!
the hallmark strength and simplicity of Haiku WF Warrior Poetry shines forth in WF Online Student Bryan Hantman's
Haiku's below. after decades of Haiku Infatuation, i can gauge the degree and caliber of a person's
Spiritual Fitness Practice just by reading the strength of their Haiku. Student BH's poetry jumps forth
from the recollected moments of his WF training, like when i took him snowshoeing (shown above) in the
San Gabriel Mountains over LA. i bow to you, Noble WF Warrior Hantman! You grace my humble Temple
with your Insight and you honor the WF Teacher Sheader Clan!
DL Readers,
in-Joy!
***
go(o)d evening ilg,
i've got some haikus... enjoy them with Calli.
on intervals:
wind torn asunder (5)
passing mind-made images (7)
truth lives through zone five (5)
on meditation:
do not what I wants (5)
rather be with the zafu (7)
Sit like green cabbage (5)
on yoga:
warriors are Light (5)
now, Virabhadrasana! (7)
strength comes from deep breath (5)
on the gym:
heavy weights aside (5)
instead three sets staccato (7)
now, that's strength training! (5)
that's all.
wf online warrior bryan
*
Noble Warrior (5)
your Haiku's dance with magic (7)
an old Hawk watches (5)
love,
warrior poet ilg
HAIKU FEVER IN THE TEMPLE!
Okay you all...i TRULY am enjoying the Haiku "WF Dharma" Poems you are sending me...
however,
remember the format!
3 lines...
of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively.
this is why, traditionally, the number of syllables are always kept visible in the right hand margin
to remind the author and reader that SIMPLICITY is everything
and that spiritual Awakening and even Sartori can happen in an INSTANT!
so, keep the Haiku's coming,
yet really work deep with them...let them simmer for a few days on your desktop...
see if they mature over a few days...then send it in.
i am looking for Haikus that express WF in ALL her faces; strength, cardio, yoga, meditation, herbs, outdoor activity, daily practice of the Lifestyle Principles...go for it, noble Fitness Warrior Poets!
below, note my input to a Haiku submitted this morning...
On Jan 5, 2005, at 11:37 AM, luke *** wrote:
Coach,
A haiku for you:
"Chaurangas hurt.
I can hear monsoons coming
to pour over push-ups."
Peace,
Luke
Wenatchee, Washington Warrior
*
Noble Warrior Luke -
i LOVE the spirit of your Haiku,
yet
i think you have one too many syllables in the Punch (last) Line!
also, your Chaturanga was misspelled.
remember,
5,
7,
5
so i say unto you, my noble Tribal Brother;
with spine straight, breath low (5)
i await a revision (7)
shouting namaste! (5)
love,
the Warrior Poet ilg
Dear Steve,
In November I completed the three programs in Total Body Transformation, and I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the experience and the education.
Soon after starting Green Tara, I received a cyclocross bike as a gift for my 33rd birthday, and used it for most of my cardio workouts. Three months of training later, I competed in my first cyclocross race, and felt incredibly strong throughout. On the sixth lap, as I once again ran up a steep mud hill with my bike on my shoulder, I could feel the immense power resulting from doing all those jump squats! None of the distance running or yoga I have practiced in the past ever prepared me to feel this way. I loved the feeling of enduring the challenge of difficulty in this race and am looking forward to doing it again.
Having never before been interested in gym workouts, strength training was my primary discipline this time around. I did all of the daily gym workouts in the Frugal Realm, but lacked the time and energy to do anything else - the additional weekend workouts *or* the meditation. So I'm happy with the results in the gym, but need to focus more on the inner work in the future. You're right when you say that meditation is the most difficult of all the disciplines!
The book was a fantastic teacher for me, and I really do appreciate the energetic writing, the high quality workout routines, and the great information on taking my yoga practice to a higher level. Thank you so much for making TBT available, and for the ongoing words of encouragement on Daily Lines.
Luke Pond
January 04, 2005
Ozzie "Big Red" Kilpatrick
1994- 2005
Beloved Friend, Feline Spirit, and Teacher of Ananda
Live Endlessly In Peace
We Have Been Blessed By Your Presence
Om Mani Padme Hung
"Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room.
Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was.
I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity.
What is this death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner.
All is well.
- Rosamunde Pilcher
WF Students and Friends may help Ozzie through the Bardo Realms over the next three days
by chanting "Om Mani Padme Hung" for 3, 7, or 21 Mala Bead rounds while holding an image of Teacher Ozzie
in your heart. May he incarnate quickly and help all Sentient Beings.
Condolences may be sent to Teacher Ananda's email address as listed on the Instructor link on the home page.
love and endless Light,
coach ilg
bro,
Some reflections from my WF Online Student Robert Moses from his most recent summation. Thought you would like to see and share on DL.
love,
WF Teacher haku
Question:Has your study of Wholistic Fitness deepened who you are?
��
Student Moses: Oh my how it has deepened me and who I am. �I feel I�m a much more complete soul now than the superficial slob I was back over 4 years ago. �My priorities have shifted and are continuing to shift, along with that my friends and activities have shifted or are evolving. �What was so important back then (status, $$$, belongings, perception of others) doesn't play much in my heart these days. �Not to say it plays no part they still do but I believe I have a much better handle on them and where and when they fit into my life. �I think the best compliment I've received was from a lady who I went to high school with and have recently reconnected with, she made the comments:
"I can't believe how comfortable you are with yourself."
"There is so much more to you than I ever imagined, you go very deep into places most people don't ever venture."
I believe I'm slowly evolving into a person I would like to be remembered as.
How so? �I know that my studies in WF have made me a better person, more confident in what I do and where I want to go. �It has given me the inner confidence and happiness that I feel most of my friends lack and are searching for whether they no it or not. �I know I have a stable of like minded members of the tribe and teachers who will assist me on the path. �That I find very reassuring and comforting.
Q: Describe your Wholistic Fitness Journey to me in a haiku, a short, three-line poem that has five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the last;
SM:
All outward movement (5)
Leads inside to my own breath (7)
Nourishing my soul.(5)
- Student Moses
{please contribute your own Haiku for the new WF.com Forum! send yours to: ilgtrain@pacbell.net}
Struggling Toward Equanimity
Getting To Know the, "Family of your Mind."
"Emotions are like clouds against the sky...like these recent ones above LA, some clouds pack a ton of energy. Others, not much at all. I created the Four Lifestyle Principles of WF to enable the Fitness Warrior to witness the clouds, while appreciating the preciousness of what lies Higher than those clouds; Father Sky." - Coach Ilg.
Dear Coach,
i know you teach your students to be 'evenminded through all circumstances'. i was just wondering, is there anything that gets you 'overly excited'? do you ever lose your 'evenmindedness'?
a struggling warrior along the Path
*
Dear Struggling Warrior,
"He who limps is still walking.'
- Nietschze
Practice patience. the attainment of a mind that remains unruffled by the ups and downs of life is very High Stuff. one cannot climb the Highest Peaks by shortcuts. why do you think Anti-Depressant Drugs outsell meditation cushions by about a billion to one? because out of a billion people, only one Warrior will arise to meet their inner and outer challenges Wholistically. i promise you that much. instead of worrying about what ruffles my mind or being concerned with attaining a Buddha Mind, i want you to simplify your Practice. focus on your Practice each day by integrating the 4 Lifestyle Principles of WF. By tracking your mind with your Breath and Postural Awareness (Wholistic Fitness Lifestyle Principle #1), you will eventually open new Insight Doors for you. By working with WF Lifestyle Principle #2; Mindfulness, you will chip away at releasing your addiction to your non-dominant hand, and you will begin to play witness to your neurotic (unconscious fidgeting, self talk, etc) be-have-iors...this Awareness will usher Transformation. the Divine will then grant you new Tools to further your Ascent. you will quite quickly gain larger Steps up the Ascent of Equanimity. Listen to these words from one of my Teachers;
"... thoughts and emotions are the radiance and expression of the very nature of the mind. They rise from the mind, but where do they dissolve? Back into the mind. Whatever rises, do not see it as a particular problem. If you do not impulsively react, if you are only patient, it will once again settle into its essential nature.
When you have this understanding, then rising thoughts only enhance your practice. But when you do not understand what they intrinsically are...the radiance of the nature of your mind...then your thoughts become the seed of confusion. So have a spacious, open, and compassionate attitude toward your thoughts and emotions, because in fact your thoughts are your family, the family of your mind. Before them, as Dudjom Rinpoche used to say: �Be like an old wise man, watching a child play.�
and yes, there is something that gets me untracked from my Practice of Equanimity. it's called a Snow Report...like this morning's right here in Los Friggin' Angeles! check out this shit!!?!?!? Yippeeeeeeeeeeeee! Screw Equanimityyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!! It's SNOWING!
Mt. High Ski Reort
Snow Conditions For 1.4.05
New Natural Snow: 8-12 Inches
New Snow Last 7 Days: 42-64 Inches
Total Season Snowfall: 89-126 Inches
Surface Conditons: Powder and packed powder
Snow Depth: 36-60 Inches
Snowmaking: Off.
A car reveals another dumping of snow over LA's local mountains. I have never seen LA so beautiful! From the beach, it looks like one can reach out and make a snowball from the nearby San Gabriel Mountains!
January 03, 2005
In order to promote volunteer help for tsunami circumstance, i encourage all Wholistic Fitness Students and fans of DIRECT LINES to visit; www.freedomcorps.gov
Throughout this month, i personally will be redirecting 20% of all new Online Students Initiation Fees and 5% off all Active Student Update Fees to help the brave American soliders, volunteers, and affected beings in the tsunami circumstance. i personally have chosen to help the animals and environment within the wake of destruction.
For Engaged Appropriate Action to honor the tsunami victims and ongoing suffering in your daily Practice, see my 12.29.04 DL entry.
May all beings know happiness. Keep your Practice strong and sincere.
Namaste,
CoachIlg
ps; coming this week in DL...pics of Ananada's and my Sacred Trip to my h(om)eland of the American southwest and lots of AMAZING Student and fan input! Also; Active WF Online Students, will be able to download my "Shiva's Abdominal Dance Workout!"
January 01, 2005
Happy New Year!
