February 28, 2005
WANTED: PRANA! Dead or Alive! and YOGA FOR SURFERS!
You know you are eating Light when you constantly experience a sense of bodily lightness (laghuva)...while others are attached to walking up stairs, for example, the Ahara-Jayan (one who has mastered food) sees other far more fun alternatives to the mediocre ways of moving about in the flow of life! the WF Temple Herbs; SUNRIDER, bridges the gap between existing solely on Pran and conventional foods!
Accurate nutrition is that which leads us closer and closer to being Light. The purest form of nutrition is Prana; or the Life Force. Dense, decaying, and processed foods are the furthest and heaviest form of nutrition; while Pranayama is the Highest and most Direct. In some Yogic scriptures, 'Ahara-Jaya' or the Mastery of Food - is considered a moral observance (yama)! If we cannot control our appetite for food, the Masters taught, (or at least control the 24 inches or so of space between fork and mouth) we stand no chance of ever controlling our spiritual appetite for other attachments such as sensual comforts, entertainments, gossip, money, prestige, ego, etc.
i recall as a kid, wishing that i could 'take a pill' that would take care of all my physiologic needs so i could have more time to play outdoors! this childhood wish, for all intensive purposes, came true when in 1982 i met Dr. Chen, founder of SUNRIDER herbs. Ever since i began relying upon SUNRIDER herbs (most notably drinking one or two "Ilg Supremes" per day) i can go and go and go all day just thriving on these beautiful, powerful plant and herb energy while others (often much, much younger than me) experience such mundane things as blood sugar drops, cramping, headaches, lethargy, etc. that is no way to live our PRECIOUS LIVES! God's Gift to us is life. What we do with our life is our Gift to God. And it is very hard to focus efforts on spiritual work if our bodies do feel Light, Carefree, Strong, Supple, and FUN to be in! See more in my essay below; WANTED: PRANA! Dead or Alive!
but first,
i would like to share with you this beautiful letter from one of my professional peeers and encourage you to visit her website!
***
Namaste Coach Ilg!
I've really been enjoying your HP yoga DVD -- and it really kicks my butt! I'm happy to say that 'cause I'm always looking for innovative, creative yoga poses and that one-leg squat really fits the bill!
I was so intrigued by your DVD that I had to get you Total Transformation book. We really speak the same language, my friend. I like to underline meaningful passages as I'm reading, and most of your book is now underlined!! You write eloquently and elegantly and most of all honestly. Like you, I always teach yoga as a tool for spiritual (as well as physical, mental and emotional) growth. I really dig your approach.
I've just completed the 4-week Green Tara practice and yes, I have experienced dramatic changes. (Though I 'm still trying to work up to a full minute of jump squats. Oouch!!) I dutifully took a recovery week and am stoked to be entering the Cosmic Yang practice. In fact, I'm off to the Iron Temple for my upper body workout now. (Also: thank you for making strength training legitimate! As a dedicated yogini, I always thought I had to justify my attraction to strength training -- as though a true yogini would be able to get all needs met by yoga.)
On another but related note, as the Health and Fitness Editor for Surf Life for Women magazine, I'm working on an article about "Extreme Fitness". I'd like to include your approach as an excellent way to stay in shape for surfing. It would be great to get a quote or two from you about how your training techniques differ from most and why surfers would benefit. Also, can you suggest 3-4 top exercises (or yoga poses) that you would consider most effective for surfers? et me just say that the jump squats certainly would qualify!)
I can also take some excerpts from you book if you prefer (or in addition). It would also be swell if we could get a photo or two from you -- either demonstrating the exercises or perhaps just a headshot.
Also, please let me know if you'd like us to review the new HP PROP WORKOUT DVD as well!
Can't wait to hear your thoughts! (You can also see a few samples of my articles on the press page at www.yogaforsurfers.com)
with gratitude and blessings,
Peggy Hall
Yoga for Surfers
surf better...live better!
***
WANTED: PRANA - Dead or Alive?
Human Jet Fuel For The Soul: the essential ingredients of the "Ilg Supreme" using the SUNRIDER Herbs. Drink one or two
of these per day and ALL your aspects of health and vitality increase beyond compare in my opinion. Eating innocent herbs
are also vital for yogins and takes the sadhhaka out from relying upon the monetarily motivated commercial Hell Realms of mass manufactured food industry.
Coach,
I have been trying to explain the concept of �pran-rich� foods over �dead-food�...with examples:
living pran filled foods: fresh vegi and fruits, SR herbs, some whole grains, and so forth
dead food: meat (fish?),processed, refined, reconfigured, and so forth.
No sure where eggs and soy milk, tofu, fit in.
In part I seek your input and explanation as my wife wants to start training again and since my eldest son has eliminated the sweets and starches from his diet..no grains to speak of at all..just fruits, vegetables, nuts, eggs, soy milk, regular milk (organic of course) and meat still..though free range organic mostly. He was partly motivated by wanted to clear up his complexion, which has almost over night changed radically. The starches, pasta�s, breads negatively effect his skin more than sweets even.
By the way, i am very impressed with young SUNRIDER warrior Brandon!
love, MJB
Noble MJB;
do not try to explain it too much.
Intellect slows progress in the energetic sciences.
SUNRIDER increases the amplitude of Life Forces already indwelling
within us.
the release of these clogged energies will become palatable to your downline during Phase One.
this is not about intellectual understanding; it's about devotion to what is go(o)d and vital to ones body and mind.
a person on SUNRIDER herbs radiate the Growth that the herbs are! their skin and eyes glow, their energy is wisely stored and paced for the long run,
and they are springy, supple, and stable.
a person eating junk food; look at their skin and eyes for those organs mirror the internal organs! is their skin and eyes clear and radiant?
soft? supple? does their skin breathe well? can it trigger a quick sweat? or do they just turn red and look like they are about to implode
when they exercise or invert themselves? if so, they need to get on the herbs! Phase One in particular and stay on it until their eyes are clear!
do not try to explain it,
just tell them,
they will FEEL the obvious difference as their capacities to
recognize Pran increases over the years.
a daily Pranayamic Practice is vital.
remember;
SR bridges the gap between existing on pure Pran and existing solely on dense foods.
Put a
Pranically rich food (herbs...think of an acorn packed with Pran that has the capacity to grow into a mighty oak)
into the ground and it grows..
Put a Pranically dead food (a chunk of flesh like a steak)
and what happens?
One grows and vibrates with Life Force,
the other one rots.
Which do you choose to bring into your body each day?
love,
coach
{ready to make March your ENTRY MONTH INTO THE TEMPLE GARDEN OF WF? Just select a WF Teacher to the left and join SUNRIDER TODAY and start becoming a genuine Ahara-Jayan!}
opening photo; coach on a boulder problem in Walnut Canyon, Arizona. photo by Ananda.
February 27, 2005
Ask yourself these two questions: Do I remember at every moment that I am dying, and that everyone and everything else is, and so treat all beings at all times with compassion? Has my understanding of death and impermanence become so keen and so urgent that I am devoting every second to the pursuit of enlightenment? If you can answer �yes� to both of these, then you really understand impermanence.
Sogyal Rinpoche
February 26, 2005
NORDIC LOVE, SURFERS BEWARE! & PRACTICE OF POLITENESS
"Ah, love, let us be true
To one another."
- Milton
see that smile on my face? that's there because Ananda caught me doing what i most love to do;
nordic skiing upon snow guarded over by ponderosa pines at high altitude. each breath, the very rush
of air as it passes across the skin of my nostrils, delivers to me such Pran, such CHI, such DIVINE LOVE
that as time nears for me to leave my public life,
only the wind and wolves will know where to find feeble me...
gliding across the snow
breath known
muscles warm
spirit singing
among the pines...
please Noble Fitness Warriors, i beg only of this to you;
always look Within
cultivate the Breath within
love Within
sit Within
be Within
photo by Ananda/Flagstaff Nordic Center, Arizona
***
dear coache',
a moment?
you might also�warn any� LA ocean wf warriors(especially surfers)
that they should wait 48-72 hrs before venturing out...
since most of the city's�storm drains end up
emptying their "contents" into bay..
you know that old saying..
"stuff" runs down hill...
and it does...literally.
love,
student d-
photo of Poipu by WF.com producer Wayne Willams. you can purchase this and many other heart-stopping photos of natural landscapes by our Tribal Photographic Chief, Wayne (WW) at: www.waynewilliamsstudio.com
WW is the MasterMind behind my new WF website, still scheduled to be revealed this summer!
***coach's note; i have known and trained -directly and indirectly - Student "Dansan" for several years. what touches me most about his Practice? what reflects most beautifully to me about his Practice? Is that from the very first time i hammered on him about the Practice of Politeness...he has ALWAYS started his emails to me (and now, his formal WF Online Teacher Ko) with a "dear coach�" and a very respectable, "a moment?"...let me tell you, DL Reader, for someone like myself, whose Spiritual Teacher instucted me to, "Put Politeness and Common Sense back into your People," Dansan's quaint acknowledgment of my time and energies makes ALL the difference to my day. Let all of us learn from Most Noble Online Student Dansan; Put Politeness and Respect back where it belongs; at the FOREFRONT of our Personal Fitness Training.
that,
my dear Sangha,
is
in-deed,
all.
your feeble teacher,
ilg
ADDITIONAL TEMPLE UPDATE:
i single handedly shipped out 33 backordered HP YOGA PROP WORKOUT DVD's today...hang in there, Ananda is going to help me tomorrow (after my 60 mile training ride) and we are visualizing having all the backordered PROP WORKOUTs ready to go into the PRIORITY MAIL by Monday.
SHIVA'S Dance Upon MP's Driveway!
"It's amazing what a little rain can do when you live on a hill.
Best Wishes to all
WF Student Mike"
{Mike Powell, who lives with his beautiful and very fit family in this amazing home in Topanga Canyon, CA, did the Strength Training photography in my book, THE WINTER ATHLETE.
Word Up To LA Outdoor Athletes; i swear to all the Deities Everywhere, if i catch ANY of my WF yogis out on the trails running or cycling before Ma Earth has a chance to heal with several days of Grandfather Sun, i will personally find you and kick your ass, or better yet, have Teacher Q kick your ass so i don't waste my time with your ignorance! DO NOT MOUNTAIN BIKE OR RUN on a WET and HEALING MOTHER EARTH, got it?! good. thank you.
tough love,
coach ilg}
February 25, 2005
ASS KICKER!
Coach,
Hey there! You kicked so much ass in New Mexico that I decided to go for a run. (Oww) hurts.. so good..
If you know how I feel about running, then you also know how good of a motivator you are.
Welcome back,
Brian Smallwood
Director/Pro Road ACCESS
{Editor's Note; Those DL readers who watched the SuperBowl saw Brian's graphics during the opening and half-time. please enjoy his website at:
http://www.briansmallwood.com/
Brian, a former Cat 1 road racer and pro mountain bike racer auspiciously hooked up with Coach Ilg during some of Coach's Mt. Taylor training rides around LA. Immediately inspired by Coach's presence, Brian bought TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION and has become a regular DL reader...welcome to our humble Temple, Brian!}
PROP WORKOUT DVD's ARE SHIPPING OUT!!!
"No other teacher of yoga combines such an impressive and durable athletic resume with
such professional expertise in so many body/mind areas."
Dr. L. MacIan
1977 Jr. US. National Nordic Combined Team
1978-1998; Five World Championships in Four Physiologically Diverse Sports (Unrepeated)
2004 Men's 4x4 Champion; Furnace Creek 508 (Course Record)
2005 Men's Team Champion; Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon (3rd fastest ski/2nd fastest snowshoe)
***
Hi Steve.
My wife ordered the Prop DVD for my b-day back in early Jan. Any idea when I will receive it?
Thanks much -- I really appreciate your dedication to "pure fitness."
Bob
Most Patient Warrior -
luckily, you will not have to wait until your NEXT bday to get it!
i just got back into town and found the ready-to-be shipped DVD's awaiting!
Ananda and i will start shipping them out tomorrow. Our Temple is humble, so
please keep hanging in there with me!
Those of you who have placed your pre-order for the Prop Workout DVD,
it will only be a few more days!
Then, you'll be cryin' like a lil' pup wondering why the hell you
ever ordered this World Class Torture Session in the first place!
the Way to have fun with your life?
Stay Focused, baby!
that's what this utterly unique DVD provides!
let me know how you like it!
i will do my best to post your input on DL, so my next one
will be Sangha-suited!
thank you for your Practice of Patience...
i bow to all of you for your loyalty to this Amazing Path
that flows far too Divinely
for this feeble mountain yogi Messenger...
coach ilg, uscf/ryt/cpt
founder/WholisticFitness.com
COMING SOON TO DL:
TEAM MOUNTAIN YOGI's first hand accounts from their Championship performance at the Mt. Taylor Winter Quad!
February 24, 2005
ADDICTS TO DESTRUCTION: HOW TO CALM THE DRAGON OF DIFFICULTY/THE URGE TO MERGE: SOLID OR REAL?/TRAINING DHARMA WITH KO AND DANSAN/PHOTOGENESIS & SPONSORED ATHLETICS
our Ancient Ones knew how to accept obstacles in the Path of Life. They merged into obstacles and integrated difficulty into the Flow of their Life. In today's society, we have become addicts to destruction as we seek futilely for comfort that can never be maintained; we bulldoze Mother Earth instead of wisely weaving our lifestyle with Wise Discrimination among the challenges of Lila (the Play of Life). ilg photo of a Sinaguan (Those Who Live Without Water) ruin built around 1040 AD.
*
"Everything that we see around us is seen as it is because we have repeatedly solidified our experience of inner and outer reality in the same way, lifetime after lifetime, and this has led to the mistaken assumption that what we see is objectively real. In fact, as we go further along the spiritual path, we learn how to work directly with our fixed perceptions. All our old concepts of the world or of matter or of even ourselves are purified and dissolved, and an entirely new, what you could call �heavenly� field of vision and perception opens up. As William Blake said:
If the doors of perception were cleansed
Everything would appear . . . as it is, infinite."
- Sogyal Rinpoche
*
To integrate my fractured spine and smashed pelvic girdle into my Path Of Life, i had to begin with the only thing i could move; my breath. Then, i began to focus on my spine; keeping her straight as possible as often as possible to allow the subtle anatomy to come 'online' and nourish my injured, broken areas with Prana or Life Force. i visited Sacred Spaces of the country, like Sedona, where the Life Force is strong; places where Mother Earth's chakras reside. I ate the Sunrider Herbs devotedly, even when i could not afford them...thus, cultivating conscious Breath and Posuture (WF Lifestyle Principle #1) was and remains the Great Unifier and the first step toward all growth, healing, and transformation. to this day, i still must eat the herbs, and practice both Indian and Taoist Yoga - the latter shown below - in order to keep the Pran fluid and trainable as i continue my dance of overcoming stiffness, paralysis, and chronic pain. 
the Ai Imawa posture; Calming The Dragon, high up on the Bell Rock 'vortex' in Sedona, Arizona. Note my priority of keeping my spine elegant before working on the depth of the pose. photo/Ananda.
***
LISTENING IN ON ACTUAL TRAINING EXCHANGE: Teacher Ko and Online Student Dansan Honor The Urge To MERGE!
Student Dan (SD):
am: toilet yoga, nadi shod III..this is gonna take some work.. the whole agni sara thang...but i am not bummed/frustrated out , rather intrigued by the challenge.
�
WF Teacher Ko (KO):
Amen.� With Agni Sara, perhaps some words of Wisdom that Coach Ilg shared with me will benefit you.� i'll paraphrase -- don't go trying to set any course records.� just like developing your pedal stroke on the bike, just work on getting the spin.
SD:
am: neti wash(usually do this everyday), at sink pranayama, nasi shod III, really helps my sinus...i used to take flonase, but stopped when i started �neti-ing�..
�KO:
that's major stuff!
{WF Online Student 'Dansan' - our esteemed Taoist Tribal Surfer}
SD:
am: hp yoga solo 60:00...whew did this ever open me up...
3 x 30...really helped me slow down at dinner..when i tend to devour
�KO:
i bow, Dansan.
SD:
RE: beeper guru was working overtime on my cell phone!
KO:
thought this would be a "fun" one for you, considering your profession..
SD:
RE:�fri
am: toilet yoga-nadi shod III..getting better
cv..surf hard two hours on fish board..hey i worked in santa cruz all day..� ;-)
KO:�
gotta love it, bro.
Namaste,
Teacher ko
�(WF Teacher Ko has limited availability for a new Online Student...are YOU the one? Join our Online Training Temple today! sign up via the Online Catalog at www.wholisticfitness.com)
***
A PICTURE IS WORTH A....
Steve,
I have a ahhmmm interesting question for you.
after perusing your Mt. Taylor Quadrathlon pics {DL 2/23},
It seems to me the past couple years, with rare exception, that photographs of me suck...
It does not seem to be a matter of looks. Mine are ok, if not great.
More than once people say in person I am much more attractive than in photo�s. It is not a matter of vanity though that figures in I imagine.
I ask this because I am wondering if at a deeper level the poor shots of me reflect something else?
Any thoughts?
Namaste�
(name withheld)
NOBLE ONE!
i would suggest asking yourself from where this question arises.
i will share this from Direct Experience;
some people are naturally photogenic. in HollyWeird, this is known as the "pop factor"...
regardless of how a person looks in real life,
either their photos "pop" with that special "something" or they don't.
even our own Ananda, a movie actress,
experiences this; she has been told by several Casting Agents that her real life "pop" is more powerful than in her photos.
secondly; it's about training.
meaning, hours and hours of being in front of various cameras helps to produce "pop" which truly is 'confidence turned outward'.
third; spiritually, like Native Americans, it may be that your Higher Self recognizes that a camera can 'steal chi' if you do
not know how to (or were not ready to) energetically create an auric shield when a camera "takes your" image.
as a continuously sponsored athlete in very fringe outdoor sports, i had to learn quickly to take photographs during races so as to promote my sponsors. if an athlete does not give his sponsors visibility, he (or she) will not long be sponsored. often times, the best athletes are not the ones
that remain sponsored. the athlete that produces ongoing "pop" for his or her sponsors is what keeps an athlete competing.
let's get real: a sponsored athlete is essentially
a breathing billboard. to stay sponsored, you gotta be the most beautiful or powerful or highly visible 'billboard' as possible if you
want to remain sponsored! at Mt.Taylor, for instance, the moment i saw that Media Photographer (you have to learn which photographers
are the Media ones) then instinctively shifted my Chi and body position to catch the best light, angle toward the camera, etc...
finally, as Ananda said, "Burt Reynolds told us never to pick out our own headshots...because what we see in our own pictures is NOT what other
people see."
i trust this helps?
love,
coach
February 23, 2005
COACH ILG..."THE EGOTIST"
one of the many "not so fan" emails i get each day. this time, i felt like responding;
"I just started looking at your weblog recently. Being a yoga practitioner for many years, I've been struck by a somewhat egotist tone to some of your postings. It certainly seem to clash with the precepts of yoga as I've come to see them.
Amateur athletics might be�perceived to be quite different from yoga's philosophic teachings, but I don't really think so. (I assume you don't think so either)
I saw a posting on a cross country ski site today that sums up my attitude :
"The Golden of amateur athletics is the quality of the performance is inversely proportional to the quantity of its self promotion"
I'll still keep up� with your postings, as I think there is a strong connection with athletic pursuits and yoga.
I'll probably run into you sometime on Sandia Peak, which is where I spend many blissful hours yearround.
Namaste' R B"
Most Noble Fitness Warrior RB -
(it is customary in my 'temple' to at least include a polite salutation when emailing others.
as Gandhi said, "There is more to life, than merely accelerating its speed.")
i bow to your letter, thank you.
i learn from you.
even the desire for Awakening, for Enlightenment
requires egoic structure, does it not?
i in-courage you to keep looking through my humble yet powerful 'temple archives' and published books...
in nearly a quarter century of devoting my life to inspiring others through demonstration and action,
you may dis-cover a deeper layer to what you see as "egotist" in your quick perusal and judgment of myself.
i bow to your Devoted Practice,
coach ilg
founder/WholisticFitness.com
author/TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION
enjoy DIRECT LINES: Daily Meditations From Coach Ilg
a karmic yogic offering since 1982
http://www.wholisticfitness.com/weblog/ilgblog.html
The WF Teachers Ilg and Sheader in FULL ON Mountain Yogi Warrior Mode, baby:
to see WF Teacher Sheader nearing the end of his 47 minute, five mile 1,500' run (2nd fastest overall...and note the
'YakTracks' he is wearing on his running shoes...a Coach Ilg tactic that paid off handsomely). see 3rd row, 4th from bottom:
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery.asp?shopperid=WE6X5JWL1JEM8HUP6CQ64MPM88CT747F&userid=naggan&gallery_id=144658&curpage=3
to see WF Founder Coach Ilg nearing the end of his 24 minute, two sport, five mile 1,800' descent (3rd fastest overall) from blizzard conditions. 2&3rd rows, 3rd from bottom:
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery.asp?shopperid=WE6X5JWL1JEM8HUP6CQ64MPM88CT747F&userid=naggan&gallery_id=144668
WF and SUNRIDER Herb sponsored Sheader and Ilg's combined efforts brought Team Mountain Yogi from 10th to 3rd place and bought our anchor leg cyclist, Richard Verderame, a 14 minute cushion over our nearest category competitor. As WF Online Student Bryan writes about this 'dynamic duo' in Haiku poetry:
"Dear Coaches Ilg & Haku,
Al(l)ways inspirational
these two heavenly (5)
rooted trees sway fearlessly (7)
into winter's wind (5)
Love,
Student Bryan"
*
Ananda and i are still in our Wandering Yogi mode...
recharging the Pran and developing new Levels of our Practice within Mother Nature's glorious winter wardrobe among my haunts and sacred spaces of my beloved southwest. today we are visiting some of Sedona's geoenergetic vortex's, running Ancient footpaths, exploring ruins, and...skiing our HP Yoga Trained BUTTS OFF! the tele skiing at Snowbowl on Mt. Humphrey's yesterday was SIIIIIIICK!!!!!!!! don't worry, though, i will be returning to LA soon...
my
herbs are running low...
love from within the snow covered sandstone spaces of the Gods,
coach and Ananda
the wandering High Performance mountain yogins
Coach uptakes 100% Mother Earth Pran from a secret "Earth BlowHole" he knows about in the volcanic mesa's near Flagstaff, Arizona. a trained Yogin can erase chronic pain, paralyzing injury, and transform their entire body/mind matrix by implementing yogic breathing techniques while positioned over this hole which Coach calls, "Mother Nature's Oxygen Bar". the Pranically charged air blows out from a fissure in the earth in a very warm, humid, forceful "continuous exhale."
photo/Ananda
February 21, 2005
MT. TAYLOR FIELD REPORT #3
filed by Ananda
Well, I'm exhausted.
And, I didn't even race!
It's been really inspiring to be around a community of ultra fit athletes. Some were scared of their own potential, some were nervous about what the Sacred Mountain would draw from within them. And others, were just downright incredible. I recall the Men's Overall Third Place Winner at the Race Award Banquet. He had blitzed the 75 kilometer, 4 sport event in under 4 hours. He sprinted and jumped onto the stage to receive his medal. Personally, my knees were swollen in empathy for the hundreds of athletes that were NOT jumping and leaping about that night. 
Here is a photo of Team Mountain Yogi the night before their race. Left to right is our half-Siberian Husky WF Teacher Joseph "Haku" Sheader who would soon link up consecutive 5 minute miles through rain, muck, and snow to bring our team into podium potential. Center is our Coach, who exemplifies the grace and strength of the Turquoise Mountain herself. Starting his first of four legs, Coach would pass 2 other racers in white-out, blizzard conditions and bring our team into third place. On the right is Richard "Gram Man" Verderame, our cyclist. Richard held onto the lead pack up the brutal climb to get Team Mountain Yogi into the top ten. On his anchor leg (following a rather hilarious, unplanned race 'tactic'), Richard bore into a howling headwind to keep our Team on the podium. Team Mountain Yogi were the Men's 40-49 Champions and 3rd Place Overall.
Each of our brave Warriors will give their own account of their race in an upcoming DL.
For now, Coach and i are taking a little R&R (which in Coach's world consists of skiing, training, exploring Mother Nature). Since online time and access is limited Coach is only addressing his private Online Students until we return to LA.
I would like to thank you on behalf of Team Mountain Yogi, i bow in gratitude for all the warm wishes and chi prayers that helped fuel our team to the winner's circle.
Our Sangha is truly a powerful Force.
May the Force be with you.
{Coach, in full mountain yogi 'armour'. 6:30 am; Race Day...heading onto the shuttle and into the blizzard. Doesn't he look so cute in his little yellow booties?!}
�opening photo at Meteor Crater, Arizona. The world's best preserved impact crater.�
February 19, 2005
MT. TAYLOR QUAD: UPDATE #2:
Ananda here with another "Unofficial" update:
Our Warriors made the Podium, baby!!!
That's right... even with the cold, the rain, the wind, the low visiablity,
the MOUNTAIN YOGIS remained focused, fast and full of Prana.
So here are the "Unofficial Stats" for our Team #659, Mountain Yogis.
In the Team Division they came in 3rd place!!!
In their "age" Team Division?... 1st place!
roughly 9 minutes ahead of the next team in their age division.
Teacher Haku and Coach Ilg are not allowed down yet from there Transitions.
Even though their teammate, Gram man (Richard) came in around 2:02pm our
Noble Warriors are forced to stay put. The race officials are not permitting any
Vechicles on the road, so that the other racers still competing are safe. Meanwhile
reports of frostbite and Hypothermy are coming into Race Headquarters.
So keep sending warm Chi to our Brave and Amazing Warrior Winners.
In Strength and Spirit...
MT. TAYLOR RACE UPDATE: Ananda LIVE in the field here in Grants,NM
our team, Mountain Yogis #659, took off at the front of the pack looking full of the Chi this morning.
Richard Verderame lead the charge at 10am in the Bike segment of the Quad.
By now, we are visulazing he has passed the baton, really a micro chip on a velcro anklet, to
Teacher Haku. Haku relaxed and ready ( i mean, he is half Siberian Husky according to his wife
Linda and son, Kerry) to put the hurt on the rest of the running pack. Coach Ilg had to leave by 7am this
cold and rainy morning on a bus up the Sacred Turquoise Mtn. (Mt. Taylor). He is now braving the Tempest
as he awaits Teacher Haku's swift arrival so he can carry the WF Spirit up the Ski & Snowshoe portion
of the race. Just do the math, Warriors...it's not just about the race its self. It's about the Bardo space in
between. The time each Team member has to "wait" while the other Team player does their specific event.
Much easier i TAF (think and feel) as a spectator to do the whole Quadrathlon my yourself. As a team, many
more dynamics come into play. i bow, regardless, however, to ALL the quadratholon racers. And to all the Volunteers
who help organize and assist in varied ways, Thank You.
If you would like to follow along on the Journey of this race, here are a couple of sites to visit.
KDSK.com
Rockinoldieskyva.com
All go(o)d thoughts and blessings are welcomed.
May your Practice today be inspired by Team Mountain Yogis' Sweat and Perserverence.
Namaste
February 18, 2005
FOLLOWING THE PATH/ONLNE STUDENT TOBE: AN ELEGANT FATHER WARRIOR/SUNRIDER STATS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES (again and again)!
Taking in the SUNRIDER HERB CHI in the support van between my pulls at the 508 where my team set a course record. These herbs bridge the gap between relying on regular foods to relying on pure Prana. Eating these herbs each day is eating as close as possible to the Life Force (Prana) as is currently possible on the planet - in my opinion. I am relying on these herbs once again on Saturday as i go for my second podium of the year at the Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon, along with the WF Sponsored; TEAM MOUNTAIN YOGIS! Read about SUNRIDER WARRIOR Alan, below, and see what effect the "WF Temple Garden Herbs" have had on his medical health...and he is just on Phase One!
But first,
some other Dharma within the WF Temple...
***
"As we follow the teachings and as we practice, we will inevitably discover certain truths about ourselves that stand out prominently: There are places where we always get stuck; there are habitual patterns and strategies that are the legacy of negative karma, which we continuously repeat and reinforce; there are particular ways of seeing things�those tired old explanations of ourselves and the world around us�that are quite mistaken yet which we hold onto as authentic, and so distort our whole view of reality.
When we persevere on the spiritual path, and examine ourselves honestly, it begins to dawn on us more and more that our perceptions are nothing more than a web of illusions. Simply to acknowledge our confusion, even though we cannot accept it completely, can bring some light of understanding and spark off in us a new process, a process of healing."
-Sogyal Rinpoche
****ONLNE STUDENT TOBE: AN ELEGANT FATHER WARRIOR
"Dear Coach Ilg,
This morning, during my "normal" time to practice, I was sitting up on our
couch with little Silas sleeping on my chest, as he heaved and heaved,
trying to get a full breath of air. He has croup.
I had much time to think. I thought how much I love my son, my family and our house. Our
house of eight years now (long time for me) feels like a part of the family,
it has served us so well and is full of so many experiences and changes. I am attached to it,
even with its imperfections. I did not get mad that I was not on my yoga mat or Zafu,
I just observed and felt grateful that I could be there for my son. That was my yoga this morning.
The other thought I had was how precious breath is and how I so often take
it for granted, as I go about my day forgetting about my breath [yes, I do
lose my mindfulness at times ;-) ]. Silas was struggling just to stay
alive and to get some decent sleep. Breath is so precious, as is
mindfulness."
Tobe
{Note: Online Student Tobe, from Steamboat Springs, CO, trains directly under Coach Ilg and races mountain bikes as an inner developmental tool along his spiritual path."
***
My dear "feeble one",
WF is for finders, not seekers... Send the love and it comes back when others are ready to awake.
We'll follow our path, it will be as big as our hearts! And it will be what it will be.
WW
***
***SUNRIDER STATS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES (again and again)!
Coach Steve,
������� If I could describe my�SR Journey this month into one word, it would�be "Outstanding".��Since�last communicated with you approx. 1 month ago, I have been on SR Phase I ( 2 FD, 1 SD, 1 CN) and included�MetaBalance 44 ( 2 caps 3 x's daily) , Dr. Chen Men's Formula (�1 cap 3 x's daily) along with�the Bowel cleansing regimen of Fibertone ( 2 caps 3 x's daily) and VitaDophilus ( 1 packet daily).� Not to sound offensive, but�I certainly felt the�"shift in my bowel habits". My bowels have been softer and firmer. In addition,�the MetaBalance has been the best multivitamin supplement, I have tried thus far.��
����� In addition, I�had�my annual�physical exam this month along with lab tests�by my Family Physician. My exam was fine but� noteworthy was my Lipid Panel and DEXA Bone Density studies ( I have Osteopenia changes in my Lumbar Spine and Hip). My Lipid studies �noted a Total Cholesterol: 141, Triglycerides: 34, HDL : 58 and LDL :78.�Being semi-vegetarian certainly has it's rewards !!. Unfortunately, I losed some bone density in my hip but gained in my lumbar spine. I am scheduled to undergo a repeat DEXA in the next 7 months.������
����� Let me know when I can start Phase II. Previously, I had been on a once�daily ILG Supreme mixing Filtered Water and Soy Milk with 1 packet NuPlus Simply Herbs, 1 TBSP VitaFruit, 1 Packet Quinary and 2 caps Wu Chia Pi. Take Care.
�
Your Humble Herb Eater
�
Alan Gutman
{SUNRIDER INTERNATIONAL, in which i am a Director, has been my choice as an Official Temple Herb Garden for WF since 1982. These "Royal Herbs" supply my core (cellular/organic) Cleansing and Empowerment for WF Warriors. i have created a unique 3-Phase Approach using these pure and highly potent herbs and encourage WF Student to switch brands to SUNRIDER's cruelty free and utterly amazing skin care and household products as well. These herbs bridge the gap between relying on regular foods to relying on Prana. Eating these herbs is as eating as close to the concentrated Life Force as is currently possible on the planet, in my opinion. To enter the Temple Garden, just select one of the WF Teachers on the left and begin your SUNRIDER JOURNEY today! Life is too short not be Awakened Higher!}
COMING UP NEXT IN DL: WF TEAM: TEAM MOUNTAIN YOGIS TOE THE START LINE OF THE MT. TAYLOR WINTER QUADRATHLON!
February 16, 2005
TEAM MOUNTAIN YOGI - UPDATE FOR MT. TAYLOR WINTER QUAD; 3 Days Out
{actual, albiet edited, coaching counsel to my teammates; "Haku" (our team's runner) and "Gram Man" (our cyclist) and Ananda (our Team Manager) as we get closer to the start of the Mt.Taylor Winter Quadrathlon (see DL 2/12, et.al). website: www.mttaylorquad.org
{OPEN NOTE TO MY TEAM'S COMPETITORS: yeah, i know some of you might read this and in doing so come to the Sacred Mountain with enhanced intel of the course conditions. so be it. my Team, however, specializes in spirit, not intel. i offer this DL to you as a token of my confidence that NO ONE trains like a WF Warrior...so...all the more power to you...cuz' you're gonna need it, baby! by the way, after you lose to us, my new High Performance Yoga Prop Workout will be available by the end of the month. get it so it'll be a closer match between us next year. fact; i did the SKI DESCENT yesterday and it's like holding Chair Pose (the HP Way; thighs parallel to the earth) for 10 solid minutes...on a swaying balance beam into a headwind! i felt great thanks to HP Yoga...bring it on, noble competitor; let's dance the dance of sweat, cold, and breath!}
Noble Mountain Yogi Teammates,
i skied and s'shoed my sections of the Sacred Mountain yesterday. high, high winds on summit.
auspicious signs, tremendous CHI force on upper reaches of the peak. more details at our Team Meeting on Friday at the hotel.
i am very confident about my equipment setup and have my transitions down to a little over two minutes total.
if it is blizzard conditions however, different story.
also playing into my hands (err, feet) is the fact that the Course Setters were breaking in a new snowcat driver,
and..the rookie friggin' plunged the snowcat off course and down a VERY steep slope at about the 10,800' level leaving
the entire Ski Course utterly fucked up...
which means, if they can't get it out and have to leave the course the way it is? it will be PERFECT for me cuz i am a mountain yogi, skilled in Adaptation to Imposed Demands
and thus can ski like desert lightning in what others perceive as 'horrible' course conditions. bring it on!
so far, my pilgrimage's up Tsid'ool has evidently won favor among the Mountain Gods...They are stirring up
a volatile brew of course conditions that will favor YOGIS..those who are trained to go with the flow!
Gram Man's cycling course is absolutely perfect, there is very little shoulder debris so he is good to go for it. it is likely to be
snowing and windy on Race Day, however, so Gram Man, let me know if you need anything or have questions.
now then,
Haku.
i have one word for you:
ooooof!
your "RUN" course is in the most brutal condition i have ever seen.
i will admit; i am pleased that i am not, for once, soloing this bitch. no course records will be set this year!
anticipate a high attrition factor. most competitors will start shifting early from a 'racing' mindset to a 'survival' mindset.
at our Team Meeting i will speak on my tactics on where each of you might be able to POUNCE!
Haku:
miles 1&2.5, no problem; run fast here because:
mile 2.6-4 (above is mile 3.9): Pig Slop into slushy or icy snowpack with tire marks 
another shot of your Mile 3.5 section (i did not even get out of Bala (my Element) for this one!).
mile 4.2 of your 5 Mile Run Up: snowpack!
now,
i did run a bit on the snowpack, here is what it looked like:
remember you will be hauling ass DOWN this Mountain Yoga Studio Flooring too...
so,
Dharma Blessings to Deerman!
(i TAF, if i was soloing this thing, i might switch into TRACK SPIKES at the snowpack? they are so light i
would carry one in either hand and then switch into them at the snow?)
coming up empty on the ice paws...still checking in Albuquerque. so far all these 'outdoor athletes' just keep staring at me
quizzically. don't worry, i'm used to it.
TEAM LOGISTICS FRIDAY;
get to the Race Dinner by 5:30 pm
get to the Pre Race Briefing by 6:00 pm
Team Mountain Yogi meets at Holiday Inn Lobby at 7:00pm
(ps; wear your Wholistic Fitness Chi Cap to all the above)
i have to be ON A FRIGGIN' BUS and carted up to the RUN/SKI transition by 7:00 am!
so let's make it an early night on Friday!
get yourself CHECKED IN and your DROP OFF BAGS into RACE HEADQUARTERS ASAP on FRIDAY: the place goes
nutso the later it gets and the poor volunteers get scatter brained and tired and tend to make mistakes the later you
check in, so get there early!
i am evidently pretty fit because i kept my effort at high Zone 2, low Zone 3 and did both the ski into the snowshoe and got the
summit in under an hour. my descent time going VERY EASY was 33 minutes for both events. so, Haku, you will have less than an hour and a half
unless conditions are epic or technical malfunction arises during my four legs.
Grammage: Practice of Patience will be the name of the game for both you and i. we've got a long wait this year due to the
course conditions on both Haku's RUN section. i will get you a walkie talkie and relay info to you so you can plan your
warm up for your DOWNHILL Time Trial intelligently; it's gonna be hard to hammer that thing when you are cold and have been
waiting for so long, yet, you have faced far more challenging race circumstances.
okay, beginning Friday let's keep in touch as much as possible.
my plan is to ski the SKI UP and SKI DOWN course to see what type condition it's in on FRIDAY MORNING
then, get to EQUIPMENT CHECK IN and then to the hotel to do yoga, chill out, etc.
my cell is:
(omitted)
Ananda's cell is:
(omiitted)
let's keep in clear and continual contact.
it is supposed to snow on Race Day, so, gear up and think WARM THOUGHTS!
the podium will melt any frostbite, i am sure!
YaTehHAY!!!!
coach ilg
APACHE NIGHTS
Dear Coach. Thanks for your update and guidance. I will be meditating on
the Black Wolf.
"now and again it is necessary to seclude yourself among deep and hidden
valleys
to restore your link to the source of life.
breathe in and let yourself soar to the ends of the the universe.
breathe out and bring the cosmos back inside.
next, breathe up all the fecundity and vibrancy of the earth.
finally, blend the breath of heaven with that of your own
becoming the Breath of Life itself."
- morehei ueshiba
thanks again,
WF Student Trevor
February 15, 2005
DHARMAHUMOR
to be said in a Monty Python's Flying Circus voice:
"and now... for something totally different..."
"Steve,
To add a little light to your day:
Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot his whole life, which created an
impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him
frail, and with his odd diet, he suffered from very bad breath. This made him
....what? (This is so bad it's good...)--a super-callused fragile mystic hexed
by halitosis.
Also, did you hear about the Buddhist who went to the dentist, and refused to
take Novocain? He wanted to
"transcend dental medication."
John"
WF Website Manager/Kreativwerks.com
February 13, 2005
rabid reviewer reverses himself; 5 star stunning review from EJ
On Feb 13, 2005, at 12:30 AM, EJ Passeos wrote:
Good Morning, Mr. Ilg.
Amazon posted my updated review this morning.
Thanks.
EJ
Noble EJ -
beautiful baby!
i bow to your Noble Warriorism which can draw the DharmaSword so elegantly!
thank you for choosing to write from your Higher Self.
now,
your address so i can comp you my new HP Prop Workout for a review?
i also have some other WF Warriors that wish to Gift you some of my other products...
love and inner Light,
coach ilg
and thanks to all of you who have written into Amazon (i have included a few more of your
reviews below after EJ eloquent resolution.
let's keep loving ourselves through embracing our fitness to help others,
i honor you all traveling this Steep and subtle Path...
just wait till our new website, baby! wow! you are going to TRIP OUT at our new TEMPLE
we are building!
ever onward, inward, and upward,
coach ilg,
founder/Wholistic Fitness
****
Street/trail/gym/yogi credibility and guaranteed results, February 12, 2005
Reviewer:
EJ Passeos (Akron, (losertown), OH United States) - See all my reviews
Mr. Ilg will get you in shape physically and mentally, guaranteed.
I approached his book from a reformed weightlifter/runner to now a yogi/runner's perspective.
First the yoga information:
Many modern and not-so modern yogis claim that yoga is all anyone needs as far as exercise, but I completely disagree. Despite their attention to bandhas, tai chi like connecting movements, and yoga breathing, I don't think yoga alone is a cardiovascular workout. Moreover, I don't feel that the combination of low plank, high plank, crow, and handstands is enough to develop upper body strength. If you look at most yogis (no offense, please) such as Steve Ross (Inhale on Oxygen 6 a.m. weekdays), Bikram Choudury, and others, they don't look very strong. The best in this area to me has been Baron Baptiste (he of the ubiquitous bandana) and his attention to "functional strength."
Fortunately, Mr. Ilg politely calls the yogi community out on this subject and carefully illustrates the need to "strength train" in addition to yoga.
His High Performance Yoga (trademarked I believe) still uses these poses, but as a complement to the work in the gym. Also, his yoga routine is functional not fancy, incorporating all the sun salutations and warrior poses, as well spinal twists, backbends, forward bends, and inversions. Maybe most importantly he introduced me to a pose not found in many yoga books and not on Yoga Journal's website pose section: the yoga squat (this should be called the Ilg squat). It's a fantastic pose.
As for Mr. Ilg's strength training advice: solid and proven. He limits between set rest to 30 seconds and does power movements such as squats, stiff-legged deadlifts, benches, military presses, etc. No high rep,"shaping movements" fluff here.
His cardio advice is also great. No "just gardening is cardio" or park your car in a farther spot blather, but rather a discussion on the necessity of hard training such as bicycling, running, and more.
Mr. Ilg gets very, very, very deep into the meditation and spiritual "stuff." He loses me here, but that is my weakness. Hopefully, you will be able to embrace this important area.
Another area Mr. Ilg recommends that I could not survive: media fasting. I'm sorry, but I have to read the Journal/Times daily or I feel lost. If you can do this, your journey will be more advanced than mine. He doesn't say you have to do it daily, of course.
Nutritionally, I can't personally see eliminating meat & dairy without some heavy protein supplementation. If I'm training two-three hours daily (Mr. Ilg's recommendation), I don't see how a diet high in fiber and natural foods other than meat and dairy can provide enough protein. He may be right; it's just not for me.
Please, if you are considering getting "fit" realize that cardio, strength training, or yoga alone will NOT be enough individually. You have to combine all three (throw in meditation if you can and of course nutrition). Based on those proven facts, please welcome Coach Ilg into your life. You will save a lot of money purchasing this one book, instead of several for strength training, cardio, and the often incomplete yoga books. You won't be disappointed.
Thanks for reading.
P.S. Attentive readers may note that I previously reviewed this tome. I used some unfortunate and inappropriate words at the time. I apologize to Mr. Ilg and the Amazon community for that. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa.
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Nobility and Love, February 8, 2005
Reviewer:
R. T. Leeson (Steamboat Springs, CO) - See all my reviews
��
Steve Ilg is as noble as they come and his work is a work of love. I have read many other books in the fitness category and none compare to the path of Wholistic Fitness. And it is so much more than just fitness. If you want a program that teaches you about yourself and expands your perceived boundaries about what is possible as a human being, TBT is the place to be. If you want to reach all the podiums of life, look no further.
Namaste, WT
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He who seeks not the hard way seeks not the true way. Dogen., February 8, 2005
Reviewer:
Thomas L. Lynn Jr. (Cincinanti, OH) - See all my reviews
��
An outstanding contribution...Beyond the fitness format Ilg provides a resonant articulation of the connection between the bodily and the spiritual. Moreover, he avoids the temptation of presenting a "short-cut" approach to fitness, rather exhibiting both the need and the benefit of challenge. Additionally, the fact that Ilg has fully recovered from severe spinal and pelvic injury consummate his integrity. I cannot say enough positive things about Ilg, Total Body Transformation, or Wholistic Fitness altogether...P.s. - This review maybe a redundancy as I was uncertain if I transmitted it successfully the first time...
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Great approach, can't put it down!, February 8, 2005
Reviewer:
Brian C. Smallwood "well trained" (Santa Clarita, CA) - See all my reviews
��
After many years of working out in traditional styles. It is refreshing to see an approach that not only tells us how to workout more efficiently, but why these exercises will do more than just build a lean muscular body. Starting with core conditioning, (physical as well as mental) the body has less barriers and much less chance for injury and illness. My mind is free, I am more aware of everything around me and I laugh along with Ilg as my ego moves aside and lets me get on with business.
Thanks Coach!
Brian Smallwood
Former Pro Mountain bike racer.
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WHY CYCLISTS WEAR BLACK SHORTS
Remember watching Lance Armstrong win the Tour de France six times in a row?
Have you ever wondered why bicyclists like Armstrong always wear black shorts?
To find out why:
�
http://www.alivewithlove.com/cyclists.html
submitted by ever alert (too alert maybe?) DL reader, WW
"Remember the example of an old cow:
She�s content to sleep in a barn.
You have to eat, sleep and shit�
That�s unavoidable�anything
Beyond that is none of your business.
Do what you have to do
And keep yourself to yourself."
- PATRUL RINPOCHE
February 12, 2005
COACH ILG'S PEP TALK TO HIS MOUNTAIN YOGI TEAM FOR MT.TAYLOR QUAD
Next Saturday, Coach along with his Team Mountain Yogi teammates; WF Teacher Joseph "Haku" Sheader, and Richard "Gram Man" Verderame, will race up and down this Navajo Sacred Mountain from the town of Grants, New Mexico engaging four different sports along the route; cycling, running, nordic skiing, and snowshoeing.
Team Mt. Yogis!
i trust your final weekend before the event is going well and the chi is percolating!
looks like we are in for a true Mountain Event; it's been COLD and SNOWY on the Turquoise Mountain!
i would suggest bringing down any high intensity from this point onward...you will not make any physiologic gains in threshold capacity this close to the race, so it is more important to come in fresh and full of CHI!
any time spent above Low Zone 3 should be limited to 2-3 minutes with at least 8 minutes between bouts. thus, no more long intervals (thank God!).
{the "Gram Man"; Dr. Richard Verderame of Rio Rancho, NM will be Team Mountain Yogi's lead off and anchor cyclist. one of my longest and dearest training companions from my old Motorola Team, it's gonna be great hooking up again with the ever fit and focused 'Grammage'!}
having said that, it will be important to, as the old Cardio Masters used to put it, "Keep the Lungs open," from now until Race Day. thus, each of us need to get in Cardio every day for at least 50% of your Event Racing Volume with a couple to several intervals of one minute surges, such as Cruise Intervals, just to keep the pulmonary tissues open...just take the engine out for a spin from this point onward and we'll open full throttle on Race Day! be prepared to HURT and put the HURT on! make sure ANYONE who passes you is gonna have to HURT more than you! race from your guts and allow your Spirit to Soar. 
{WF Teacher Haku is our team's ace for the race! Haku can run as fast as a deer and as agile as a mountain lion...which is good considering the rather disconcerting fact that over 80% of his 10 mile Run Section is buried beneath icy snowpack! Hey, it's all yoga, baby! Haku will hand off the baton to me after his RUN UP whereupon i start lugging my fat ass up to the summit and back to Haku doing two different snow disciplines; nordic (cross country) ski racing and snowshoe racing. you can check out this fantastic event which i helped popularize in the Rocky Mountains during the eighties when i was a roving Racer/Race Reporter at:}
http://mttaylorquad.org/
i am still planning to leave for New Mexico on Monday or Tuesday; i might train nordic skiing in Flagstaff, then go to Mt. Taylor and test my ski and snowshoe set up directly on the course. then, i'll head to my parent's casa in Albuquerque and hopefully hook up with the Gram Man for some Tribal Chi! i am bringing my laptop, so i will do my best to stay in touch.
{here i allow you a sneak peak at the extremely top secret method of how i will ascend the incredibly steep 2 mile section of the Ski Up Section...i custom cut expensive climbing 'skins' onto tiny nordic skate skis. for the high speed descent from the summit of the mountain, i will tear off these skins and make like Bode Miller on the tiny edgeless skis! yeah baby! mountain yoga!}
this is going to be fun!
Cold fun...
suffering fun...
focused fun...
SPIRIT BUILDING FUN!!!
we are all very Blessed to have the fitness and the courage to keep training to honor God's Gift of our body,breath, and spirit in this way.
let us pray via sweat and speed! see you in New Mexico soon!
{ilg on the sub-zero summit of "Turquoise Mountain"...Mt. Taylor, during a training recon earlier this winter. current wind speed across the summit is average 28mph! try running uphill into THAT with snowshoes and you KNOW why HP Yogis and WF Warriors are different! WF was born from these type of spirit testing events!} Photo/Ananda
and keep reading: DIRECT LINES: Daily Meditations From Coach Ilg
http://www.wholisticfitness.com/weblog/ilgblog.html
i bow to you,
coach ilg, ryt/uscf
founder/WholisticFitness.com
author/TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION
Director/SUNRIDER International
WARRIOR KOPS LEAVES THE TEMPLE FOR THE BATTLEFIELD/ MC and ZAZEN/AVERSION/ASANA and SELF KNOWLEDGE
"As a result of practicing asana, you begin to understand your own body language. The body develops its own sensitivity and knows whether the food you eat is "right" or not. Your internal clock regulates your schedule precisely, and your body lets you know if you're exercising too much, if you're sleeping too much, and so forth."
- Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, in INNER QUEST
looking within during a pre-climb hip opener; doing asana before i rock climb enhances my kinesthetic skill. photo/Ananda
**
Dear Steve,
�� Your love and dedication inspire me...It is rare to find a spiritual partner. Some one who will support your growth and nothing more. Your knowledge amazes me. You know and can follow everything�which is happening. As a fellow teacher, I know you know what this means, the value of a learned student. As we both are.
�� I am here in your service and support... I am nothing...no-thing...namaste, B
****
WF Coach Haku,
I will be departing soon for operations in the Middle East (as you recall, I am an Army officer). As of today, 17 January 2005, please suspend my Wholistic Fitness Online Training program and account for the indefinite future. I fully intend on reactivating my studies with you upon my return.
Studies with you have been a watershed. Because of you and Wholistic Fitness, I have been able to re-look my life and delve deep into areas previously hidden. I originally came seeking your assistance in preparing for martial arts competitions later this year. Believe it or not, I am not disappointed in not being able to participate in these competitions due to my deployment. Sir, on the contrary, I now see my training as a life-long cycle of development. In short, Wholistic Fitness has provided me with a new benchmark with which to view my life and my wholistic fitness.
I have "cc'd" Coach Ilg on this e-mail to ensure that he fully realizes the depth of my experience with you as my coach and my gratitude toward the same.
God bless you Coach Haku, and thanks again.
Very Respectfully,
- Kenneth E. Kops
{WF Teacher Haku still has a few openings remaining for new Online Students ready to Rise Above, like Noble Student Kops. Travel well, Noble Warrior Kops; i look forward to your knock again upon our humble Online Training Temple Doors! Love,
Coach Ilg}
***
Dear Ilgbro (a.k.a El Huevo)
It pleases me to know that the former core of the fabled LIR still get out for some two wheeled fun.
I do enjoy my herbs every day, and ride regularly. Breath and posture is my mantra. Occasionally I may be heard chanting "low breath, straight spine" as I fly up Yerba Buena Rd, or Backbone Trail. I do my best to work in some warrior, down dog, pigeon and several other poses between keystrokes ( or waiting for big files to copy), as well as the WF Medium Form after rides. It helps but is not enough to deal with those cyclist hips.
I look forward to returing to HP Yoga, regenerating my WF CHI...heck all my CHI.
- Namaste,
Student Mikel
***
Dear Coach,
Zazen: Continues to be a work in progress. I am noticing that the things I see -- TV/ movies have really been interrupting my zazen sessions, and because of this, I have a much lower desire to watch and clutter myself with garbage.
Online Student MC
***
"Attachment follows the experience of pleasure - Aversion follows the experience of pain - Clinging-to-life is the sentiment which causes its own potency to flow equally even in the wise - Their operatations are to be got rid of by meditation."
- Bengali Baba, in THE YOGASUTRA OF PATANJALI
February 11, 2005
Steve,
You offered EJ a Yoga Prop DVD. I'll pay for a yoga DVD as well as the Ai Imawa book if he gets you a shipping address. Please let me know if he gets you his address and I will send the funds.
There seems to be much hurt in him but I sense an amazing courage. It is important to me to extend a gift.
Beannocht,
Steven Bondeau
THE "ANGRY LITTLE ANT" REVIEWER STEPS UP TO RESPOND WITH INTEGRITY!
"Hi Mr. Ilg.
I sent you and all of the people who contacted me at your behest the e-mail I sent to Mr. Jones explaining my book review.
You seemed upset in your blog that I had not responded directly, but I didn't think there was much to say. You succeeded in getting my review removed.
I will apolgoize for calling you a fit goof and a buffoon. However, I do think it is ridiculous that an accomplished author would attempt to stifle criticsm by one lowly reviewer on the Internet. That review had been there for a couple of months, and judging from the glowing praise of you by others, most people did not pay any attention to it. Until you encouraged your followers to do so, noone had felt a need to contact me. I think we all are entitled to their opinions; you must disagree.
If you'd like, I'll let you know when I finish my second review. I do want you to know that I contacted Amazon.com about the incident, but that was prior to me knowing you had asked WF followers to contact/flame me and to have them contact Amazon about having the review removed.
Again, my apology for the words fit goof and buffoon.
Sincerely,
EJ Passeos"
Namaste EJ!
allow me to bow to your comparitively uxorious personal response...it speaks highly of your personal integrity.
i accept your apology for calling me names. it just did not seem to sit well with your "Namaste" sign off, nor did the
entire demeanor of your 'review.' by your internet track record of reviews, the voice you now call yourself "lowly" is not the
voice you use while criticizing directly the work of others.
should you have actually done the workouts in my book(s), your opinion and perspective of me having 'followers' would have been truthfully transformed. never, in a quarter of a century of coaching, have i ever called the WF Tribe my 'followers'...we are all "Students" and "Noble Warriors" of this amazing Path of Transformation that comes through feeble me, but not from me.
i would greatly appreciate you letting me know of your second review. i have been a very easy target over the years for those who intellectualize or mock Wholistic Fitness, yet do not do the Work with their own sweat and stillness.
acting in go(o)d faith: i have just finished my HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA "Prop Workout" DVD...i would like to send you a complimentary one for review, if you would consider doing so. i am certain you will find this unique fusion of East + West, Sweat + Spirit in the least interesting, and at the most, helpful. just let me know where to ship it.
on file, i have 22 more fans, friends, and Students of WF who sent in more response to your rabid review of TBT. Some, are very clever (one, written entirely in Haiku) and all very High and Noble. i shall delete these now, since i consider this matter past.
i wish to publicly thank my faithful and noble WF Warriors and friends who rushed to my side to support their feeble ilg and, who did so with much compassion for you, EJ. Noble WF Warriors, please sheathe the Zen Arrows into your quiver until the next time...and, unfortunately, there are always next times...if only you knew. i let the vast majority of EJ's pass through our humble Temple grounds. their graffiti upon our Walls like raindrops from the UnAwakened. they do not bother our Practice.
EJ, there is much suffering among our National Tribe. people die everyday because they do not enjoy working out. our Earth Brothers and Sisters are nearly all overweight, many obese. We are dying from a lack of fitness. I hope your reviews in the future show support of those willing to help provide a Light for our own people.
EJ, you and are very Blessed. we have two arms, two legs, lungs, and a heart that beats like a Sacred Tribal Drum to the tune of the Great Spirit. the other day, on Venice Beach Boardwalk, there was a man that was but a torso, and a head, and one grossly disfigured arm. He was on a skateboard, the board itself longer than he, belly first, pawing at the concrete to propel himself forward via a bleeding, calloused lump on his only wrist. He was smiling at all passerbys. He was a noble Fitness Warrior.
you are too, EJ. your words, as a Fitness Reviewer, are the reflection from a very long lineage of Warriors who were not afraid of daily sweat and realized the utter importance of remaining functionally fit for as long as possible to help the Tribe.
as i teach, "Ripples Make Waves",
and what we choose to put out to the UniVerse in Word Choice,
behavior,
and integrity
matters.
It matters maginificently more than we can even imagine.
EJ, thank you for stepping up to the Namaste Space, instead of just writing the word.
"Before speaking, ask yourself if what you are about to say is kind, truthful, and helpful. If not, stay silent."
- The Dalai Lama
in Satya,
coach ilg
author/TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION
"What we choose to put out to the UniVerse in Word Choice, behavior, and integrity matters.
It matters maginificently more than we can even imagine." - Coach Ilg
February 10, 2005
THE MOMENT OF SELF HEALING; Part One
An Exchange Between Private Student Amber and Coach Ilg
"The Grace of God is a wind
which is blowing.
It is the mind which makes one wise
or ignorant,
bound or emancipated."
- Sri Ramakrishna
devoted to Amber
Amber came to me as a first resort to back surgery.
i knew Amber from my HP Yoga Studio.
like many attracted to my 'blue collar, sweat ethic' style of HP Yoga, Amber worked hard in yoga class.
too hard.
her movements in class were that of an athlete or a performer, more likely. i could tell she was dealing intimately with Pain Dragons. her backbends were gloriously open and strong yet her forward folds were weaker and rounded. like most of us, her Fear was buried deep within the pelvis; her spinal twists were strong on one side, significantly limited in the other side. she had yet to learn to breathe, at least in the way Yogis breathe.
one night, after yet another stellar, sweaty class, within the residual astral embers from a deep savasana, i heard the not uncommon sound of a student crying softly near a corner of the room. Amber's emotional fallout produced what is most worthwhile in yoga; an opening, an acceptance of Pain and Fear pushed away for too long. yoga does that. it strips us naked. "I am too young for this much Pain," was all she could manage as we hugged. the other students streamed like a quixotic mix of zombies and angels, into the ocean scented night. the palms along Ventura Boulevard seemingly waved goodnight. inside my Practice Cave, two Chronic Low Back Pain Warriors were reMembering each other. lifetimes perhaps, Amber and i had been journeying through our chakral fields; our spiritual work in this one was to go into our Pain, hidden like barbed wire, within our pelvis; muladhara chakra. language, religion, and traditions no longer mattered in our embrace. the intensity of our hug cut through differences in the way space cuts through time. we were in the Namaste space...the space which Gifts all healing, all strength, all Love.
"We must begin Private Work," i whispered.
"I know," she nodded.
Amber did what it took to begin Work with me. and, i told her, it would require all of who you are and then some. she had to make her pain her Yoga. she had to make Freedom from her Pain her podium, her new stage, her new form of Dance. Amber's Self Healing Journey would require much from her husband, Eric, as well. Eric, a talented musician who plays with his band, "JUST OFF TURNER" on the clubs along Sunset, understood. this acceptance and understanding was key as i would begin extracting the deeply rooted Pain, layer by layer, from Amber's imbalanced, ignored tissues. there is a reason i do my Bodywork from my home. sounds like that which arose from Amber's initial sessions were animal, visceral, lower chakral, gut deep sounds of intensity. like intervals. sounds of genuine gut deep healing are not Clinic-Friendly; the Outer World chooses to sedate their patients. real Healing requires indoctrination, not medication. "The doctor is in."
noble DL reader...you too, must also face the Fear and Pain that Amber has faced - and will continue to face in my Work with her. all our Fears, all our Pain...make no mistake, must be encountered. no human gets a free ride to Enlightenment. all Fears, all Pains must be dealt with one by one, cell by cell.. until Enlightenment. this is what the Masters of Life taught. it is precisely what my Teachers taught me and what They continue to force from within me in meditation during wee hours when most are asleep.
in my Tradition, the burning of our impurities (aka; Chakra Healing/Growth) occurs during the night Realms when our Soul Energy (Atman) filters through our egoic stamps and, naked and alone, "we" are left with all our samskaric imprints from of every thought, word, and action of our lives. all must be Cleared. all must be burned. all must be purified. this is true personal fitness. this is Wholistic Fitness; of body, mind, and spirit.
i designed WF to go directly up the Steepest Path.
WF is the Pathway of Warriors who are willing in this one lifetime to yell, "Bring it on, baby!"
it is why i have trained you from the opening Teachings to work with Breath and Posture (WF Lifestyle Principle #1)
and
Devote Yourself To Difficulty; intervals, non-dominant hand, picking up litter, cardio commute, getting onto the SUNRIDER herbs, conscious posture, YogaToes, training your weakest fitness discipline; not your strongest. only by devotion to Difficulty may we be truly Freed from her Grip on our lives.
in WF, first we master the body. for most of us, this will take this lifetime. get to work now. each bodypart in balance with the other. each physiologic system as strong as the other. otherwise, the subtle anatomy (chakra, nadis, etc) will be as imbalanced as your Outer Shell.
along the Way to the mastery of the body comes the mastery of the mind.
and, if you trust in your Teacher(s), then your spirit will be appropriately facilitated along with the mind control.
spiritual growth is not something you "do." spiritual growth is a training effect from body and mind fitness cultivation.
other personal training systems of body, mind, and spirit choose to take Shelter, or seemingly Shortcuts to the Summit.
i know mountains.
there are NO shortcuts. the Journey must be made step by step.
breath by breath.
in, up, and out. that is yoga. that is the route to Enlightenment. that is the Journey of WF.
Part Two; The Moment Of Self Healing
coming soon to DL...the DharmaVoice of Wholistic Fitness; a most authentic Path of Body/Mind Fitness since 1982
February 09, 2005
PARENT FACES ATTACHMENT
Steve,
My beautiful Lorien, age 12, came home today and informed me she has her first boyfriend.
So now �it has come to this..
love,
haku
APPLICATION FOR PERMISSION TO DATE DAUGHTER
NOTE: This application will be incomplete and rejected unless accompanied by a complete �financial statement, job history, copy of signed Teenager Driving �Contract when applicable, and current medical report from your doctor.
NAME: _______________________________________
DATE OF BIRTH: ________________________
HEIGHT: ________ ��WEIGHT: _________ ��
HAIR COLOR: �__________ �EYE COLOR: _________
BIRTHMARKS: _________________________________
IQ: _________ �GPA: �______________ �
SOCIAL SECURITY #: �_________________________
DRIVER'S LICENSE #: _________________________
BOY SCOUT RANK AND BADGES: __________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
SCHOOLS ATTENDED: ___________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: _________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
HOME ADDRESS: _______________________________
_____________________________________________
CITY/STATE: _________________________________
___________________________ �ZIP: __________
TELEPHONE: _________________________________ ��
EMAIL: _____________________________________
Do you own a van? ____ A truck with oversized tires? ____
A waterbed? ____ A pickup with a mattress in the back? ____
A pager? _____
Do you have an ear ring, a nose ring, or a belly button ring? ____
A tattoo? ____
(IF YES TO ANY OF the ABOVE, DISCONTINUE APPLICATION AND LEAVE PREMISES.)
�In 50 words or less, what does LATE mean to you? __________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
In 50 words or less, what does DON'T TOUCH MY DAUGHTER mean to you?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
In 50 words or less, what does ABSTINENCE mean to you?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Church you attend: ________________________________________
How often you attend: _____________________________________
When would be the best time to interview your father, mother, and pastor? �______________
Answer by filing in the blank. Please answer freely. All answers are confidential (that means I won't tell anyone EVER).
A. If I were shot, the last place I would want to be shot would be _____________________
B. If I were beaten, the last bone I would want broken is my _________________________
C. The one thing I hope this application does not ask me about is ______________________
D. When I meet a girl, the first thing I notice about her is ____________________________
(IF ANSWER to D. BEGINS WITH "T" OR "A", �DISCONTINUE APPLICATION AND LEAVE PREMISES IMMEDIATELY.)
What do you want to do IF you grow up? ___________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
I SWEAR THAT ALL INFORMATION SUPPLIED ON THIS APPLICATION IS TRUE AND CORRECT TO THE �BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH, DISMEMBERMENT, ELECTROCUTION AND RED HOT �POKERS.
______________________________________
SIGNATURE �(that means your name)
Thank you for your interest. Please allow four to six years for processing. You will be �contacted in writing if you are approved. Please do not try to call or write. If your �application is rejected, you will be notified by two gentleman wearing white ties and �carrying violin cases.
February 08, 2005
RE: AMAZON REVIEWER SLANDER OF COACH
Steve,
�Shame falls on the one who causes it not the one who endures it�
������������-St. Francis of Assisi
love,
haku
Dear E. J. Passeos,
Having been one of Steve Ilgs students since 1992 i'm very sorry you feel as you do about Steve's passion for helping others.
He has always been there for me. It's a shame you just cut someone up without ever getting to know them. i know that you are not helping anyone by writing what you did about Steve's TBT. If someone doesn't read TBT because of what you wrote it it will be your fault because of what you wrote.
Sincerely, KENDO
*
(Coach's Note; my Beloved KENDO is from CT and is a several time #1 Ranked Golf Pro in the Eastern US. Poor Mr. Passeos...like most of the UnAwakened Mediocrity, he didn't realize the Tribal Strength of my humble yet powerful WF Temple Doors upon which he spat. i still have yet to hear directly from this Fool. Let us keep shedding mercy on his foolishness and keep loving the Fool behind the Foolishness.}
PS: coming soon to DL:
WF TEACHER ANANDA heads up an ongoing feature:
WOMEN'S WEDNESDAY; A Shakti Kiva Gathering for Women in WF (or involved with someone who is!)
Dear Coach Ilg,
No one enjoys criticism least of all me but in my experience the benefits can be fascinating and strong. For the moment let's not prejudge Mr Passeos state of mind or motive. Let's just say that his position is a sincere reflection of his well considered opinion. What is the outcome? All of your current fans (not a word you would probably use but the best I can think of) will reflect on his words and reconsider their physical, mental and spiritual connection to WF. In my opinion it is good to question. I am confident that anyone who spends anytime reflecting on Mr Passeos words and their own connection will come back with a stronger relationship with WF. Hell, I'm so motivated that I wrote this email. On the business front anyone with an ounce of curiosity who reads Mr Passeos review will buy TBT on the basis that this type of vitriol is usually reserved for Salman Rushdie or Rush Limbaugh and that given we are talking about personal and spiritual health there must be some interesting philosophies contained within TBT. All this emotion for a few bucks. Sounds like a deal.
I wouldn't bother getting people to refute Mr Passeos thesis. To paraphrase Shakespeare you do not want to be seen to be protesting too much. Rather, with my capitalist hat firmly screwed on, sit back and relax. This will be good for sales and good for WF.
Keep up the good work,
Kind regards,
Richard
Melbourne, AUS
PS Mr Passeos does seem like an angry little ant. My usual fix for my anger is to try and better my 2000m time on my Concept2 rowing machine. If I beat it; no more anger. If I don't; the endorphin release has put me in a better frame of mind.
NOBLE WF WARRIORS GET COACH'S BACK FROM PUBLIC SLANDER/THE HAAJI SQUAT
"A human being is part of a whole, called by us the �Universe,� a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest�a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
- ALBERT EINSTEIN
***
Ilgbro-
You may be humble, but Coach Jones is NOT!� To ridicule fasting from media and a decent shit?!� Give me a fucking break!� Carry on the go(o)d work Ilgbro!� Tell that mofo to come to the ATL and rock with fucking RJ baby!� Fuck the iron�body weight only mofo then we�ll see how well his methods hold up in the warrior arena of WF!
Rippin� RJ!
-----Original Message-----
From: Ron Jones
Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2005 1:39 PM
To: ejpasseos@yahoo.com
Subject: Steve Ilg
Humble EJ,
I have read your review of Steve Ilg�s TBT but cannot agree with your positions.� While there is no �one way� or �one path� for everyone, Ilg�s Wholistic Fitness work is tried and most assuredly as TRUE as anything I have ever been exposed to in the world of Wholistic training.� In my career of national and international competition, I would have to say that Steve Ilg holds the highest position in my humble book for being the most wellness-oriented and compassionate athlete I have ever known�but definitely NOT weak of heart or spirit for visceral levels of competition.� He speaks truthfully and backs up his words with appropriate actions whether in the gym, international competitive arena, or silently meditating.� It has also been my experience that most body builders are severely out of balance in terms of Wholistic training as well as dedicated yogis and endurance athletes�they train their strengths but not their weaknesses because their egos cannot handle anything less.� From this perspective Ilg�s way of balanced training makes common sense.� When one questions something as clear as Ilg�s �fasting of media� or �squatting for evacuation� I must question this logic in a culture of chronic constipation, laxatives, and media perversions.� (Did you know that many American do not shit for 3-5 days consistently year round?�Get a clue Humble EJ!)
If you want hardcore kick ass proof then fine.� Screw the wellness tips �and the soft bullshit and know this�as a former and future teammate of Steve Ilg�s I can assure you that he can very well back up his words with high-performance results�anytime�anywhere�the man can throw down the warrior chi and take it to the spiritual level and still maintain his dignity and posture!� By the way, there is more to the �yin and yang� of lifting to elegance and maximum performance WITHOUT compensations than your explanation of the positive/negative or concentric/eccentric contractions of physiology�if the workout is just strength gains, optimal activation of cross-bridges, actin/myosin density, and max lift poundage, then one has not realized the many other benefits of fitness and activity and therefore shallow and at the bottom end of the Wholistic training spectrum�I�ve met many of them�and left them behind�probably because they could not take a decent shit!
In Wholistic Fitness�a narrow but true and honorable path�
Ron Jones, MS
Atlanta, Georgia
ACSM Health/Fitness Instructor
Licensed Corporate Wellcoach
www.ronjones.org�
***
Dear Steve,
The guy who went after your balls sounds like a jerk...Sticks and stones right..
So much Suffering...You look at the world and it's all you see. It is what the Buddha said, " the world is suffering." It is how we have learned for so many eons of time. But many people are beginning to awaken to a different method of learning. You are beginning the clearing for this approach.
Keep on burning... Your dedication is being rewarded. With each individual who makes this shift into multi-dimensional existance, the whole world breathes a little easier. There are millions now shifting into this next phase of evolution...Even though it is a difficult and challenging phase, it is cause for celebration.
You take care brave one...
I celebrate your life...same Self...namaste,
B
***
Dear Coach Ilg,
I urge you to�not attach to�any feelings of hurt that you may feel from this person's review of your book.� As you suggest, this person needs our compassion.� Following is his own description of himself from the Amazon site...
>>>>>>>
My interests are politics, (a dreaded neocon. I'm a Zionist that is pro-immigration, free trade, and an internationist (think opposite of Pat Buchanan)), running and Yoga, nutrition, Wall Street (hedge funds), technology, and knowledge. I have a young daughter. I work in Internet sales at a large Harley-Davidson dealership. I've read most books on nutrtion, weightlifting, and Yoga and several business tomes. Feel free to ask any questions. The Amazon community has been very helpful to me in my purchases. I've shopped here since the 'doors first opened' and I've been very satisfied from the first purchase.
I live in Akron, Ohio, which I hate passionately. If I had the $ and time, I would travel to NYC (I want to live there) again, Israel and the rest of the Middle East, Hong Kong, (especially now that the commies, er tyrants, er leaders are stifling democracy there), L.A., South Beach, China, and just about every major international city. My dream would be to work on Wall Street or for a conservative newspaper, TV network (contrary to Al Gore's opinion, FOX IS fair and balanced), or magazine (National Review or The Weekly Standard). Neither of goals these are realistic, however. Please visit my blog: Namaste,
spaces.msn.com/members/freemarketsfreepeopleGOP
>>>>>>>>
He hates where he lives, hates his job, and apparently hates his entire life, yet won't do anything about it.� His comments seem to come from a place of deep fear and a craving for love and acceptance.� As Patanjali teaches, to still our minds we must offer up counter-active actions to these emotions.� Pair hate with love, fear with compassion and courage.� I will also do my best to open my heart to his daughter, who is being raised in a household of pain and negativity.� May she find some way to still see the Beauty in life.
The WF Path is indeed noble, but it is a challenge to our culture.� In fact, I was recently corresponding with an old college friend and I explained how WF fit in my life and how it is helping to transform me.� She was happy for me, but jokingly noted that my behavior was kind of "un-American."� Walking the WF Path is, I'm happy to say,�un-American and I'm grateful to have found your teachings.� What this person says is of no consequence, and he won't be the last.� Let's not attach to his emotions, then.� For my part I have gone to Amazon and indicated that I didn't think that this review was appropriate.� I will also dedicate my 2 hours of CV today to opening my heart chakra to�this poor man�and his daughter.
Namaste in the True Sense of the Word (and cosmic hugs).
Michael
***
Dear Coach Ilg,
B.T.W�� Your DIRECT LINES story about duhkha and karuna was Most interesting :). Maybe you could write chapter 2.� Plotline...� buying yoga toes for the hubby and hobbling around the house laughing!� Man those things are intense!��
- WF Online Student Tamara, LA, CA
***
Coach,
"Salaam" from Afghanistan. I logged onto DL recently after being away. What an awesome picture of you squatting! As I am sure you are aware, America seems to be one of the only countries that does not squat.� What I am sad to say is that as much as you talk about the healthful benefits of squatting I never heeded you advice. As I have been here in Afghanistan I have�been forced�to squat while using�local toilets. I�am now�adapting squatting to many daily activities, as I soon realized that my lower back pain has gone away.�
Many weeks ago I recall a short blurp on DL about 'toilet yoga' during a posted exchange between you and one of your students. �Could you please share more?
Deus Prosit, Semper Fidelis
- Scott A Richardson / Classicus Ballator
Most Noble Warrior Scott,
i am sorry, due to the deep nature of facilitation and mandatory supervised pre-requisite training, my
"Toilet Yoga" method of pain erasure and pranic empowerment remains only available to Formal Online WF Students.
i would love to do a book on Toilet Yoga, so positive and powerful and practical are it's benefits. guess i'll put that on my endless list of Things To Do!
thank you for your metta, brave warrior!
namaste,
coach ilg
***
Wonderful Coach Ilg,
Thank you for your Temple Altar.
Thank you for learning, growth and opportunities to truly live,
- Online Student karl
February 07, 2005
OUR HUMBLE COACH GETS BLASTED PUBLICLY!
having and living with a paralyzing spinal injury keeps me both humble and in constant Citi-Shakti (see DL;1/30/05). instead of standing, i am forced to Yoga Squat (see above) in order to keep the stress off my lower back. it took me 8 years to finally yoga squat with both heels on the earth. another 3 years were required to keep my toes in line with my knees. i will be honest, i do have enough of an ego to experience hurtful feelings when people like the guy below goes worldwide in his slander of my LifeWork. i may be feeble yet, my efforts are noble to produce a quality vibration into the UniVerse within my life span. i know i am an easy target for the typical macho guy mentality, still, it hurts even after 25 years of developing a 'thick skin' to international visibility of what i attempt to sing during my life. Warriors that know me, like Keith Kostman and Roy Wallack (L-R, above) my teammates at the Furnace Creek 508 race know my sincere effort at trying to become a better human being. Choose to live your life as an open book, however, and all sorts of people take cheap shots at you. somebody should sign this guy up below for a Private WF Intensive with me! I'll kill him with WF Love through multi-disciplined sweat and stillness! I guess all i am saying is,
thank you, Noble WF Warriors, for choosing to Be Here Now
your support is vital.
WF is a path of karma yoga service on my behalf...if i wanted to make money,
trust me, i would NOT be trying to put forth such a Noble, Steep, and Difficult Path as WF!
{photo/LA Times}
now appearing under the Amazon.com review section:
Another "Genius" who invented a new form of fitness...
Reviewer:
EJ Passeos "Namaste (Yogis for Republicans)" (Akron, OH (losertown) United States) - See all my reviews
In reality, ILG is just another fit goof looking to make a buck, while making stupid and insulting commnents about others (not Yogi-like).
Mr. Ilg ridicules bodybuilders and pretends to be a sage to runners as he forecasts health doom for daily runners who don't incorporate his brand of fitness (read: buy my book, I'm a genius).
To the contrary, he hasn't "invented" anything new in Yoga, other than the arrogance to claim doing so. His advice on cross-training is common among most intelligent yogis (Baron Baptiste exhorts his followers to do some form of cardio). Only an idiot is unaware that a yogi should do cardio (or a cardio junkie should do Yoga and strength train).
Mr. Ilg regales us with tales of his "most popular" Yoga class that he started at a Powerhouse Gym in L.A. Of course, he insults everyone there and implies they are "juicers" and too unintelligent to understand the benefits of Yoga.
Later on, he implies that his weightlifting techniques are unique because he stresses the "ying and yang" of the movement. In english, that is the positive and negative that every informed weightlifter/bodybuilder/powerlifter has known about since the beginning of time.
Other bits of wisdom:
Eat with chopsticks
Fast from media (this is a classic)
Get a squatting device for defecation!
Man, this is fun. Is this why you purchase of book on getting fit??
Ladies and gentlemen, get a "normal" book on Yoga (Baptiste, Rodney Yee, Hatha Yoga illustrated), a basic strength building (I enjoy Power to the People by Pavel Tsatsouline) book, and walk, run, ride a bike, or do any other form of aerobic conditioning. You don't need a bufoon extolling the benefits of "squat dumping" to get you in shape. Fitness is really rather simple if you take the time to learn--and you should.
As always, thank you Amazon.com for the great service and value.
Namaste,
Was this review helpful to you?� (Report this)
***
Noble DL Readers,
i love the "Namaste" sign off from this poor fellow who evidently has not had the Blessings of wise, spiritually mature Teachers in his life.
if you feel it Appropriate Action:
1) open your heart chakra and send this poor fellow some WF Compassion,
for i have trained you all in the importance of our mental ripples that we send out to the UniVerse. such
unprovoked negativity like that which spews forth from such sophomoric mouths and undisciplined minds
will only damage this being's soul. have compassion for his obvious need for attention, no matter what the spiritual
price for sourcing such hurtful words, particularly when we book authors of fitness and spirit work so hard to produce a positive ripple in a pretty crazy society!
2) at Amazon.com you can click on REPORT THIS REVIEW as INAPPROPRIATE.
i bow to you doing this, so other Peaceful Warriors will not be turned off from the sincere help of TBT.
3) you may wish to contact the author of the negative messages. he has filled Amazon.com review departments with similar lower chakra blather; his email is:
ejpasseos@yahoo.com
you might tell him that the "ilg bufoon' reminds him that when writing reviews, at least he should run a Spell Check!
thank you. i appreciate my Noble Warriors gettin' my back every now and then...
i know i am an easy target for such beings...
may all beings be happy
om mani padme hung
head bowed from the humble Helm,
Bufoon Ilg
STUDENT INPUT/DHARMATALK/MEDITATION TRAINING HINTS
"The Highest health is Heaven within."
- Coach Ilg
***
"WF is about ENTERING not ESCAPING."
- WF Teacher "Haku" Sheader
***
WHY YOU MUST BECOME SUPPLE THROUGH ASANA (Yoga Postures) BEFORE TRYING TO SIT IN MEDITATION:
"If you are sitting, and your mind is not wholly in tune with your body�if you are, for instance, anxious or preoccupied with something�your body will experience physical discomfort, and difficulties will arise more easily. Whereas if your mind is in a calm, inspired state, it will influence your whole posture, and you can sit much more naturally and effortlessly. So it is very important to unite the posture of your body and the confidence that arises from your realization of the nature of your mind."
- Sogyal Rinpoche
***
"My time is your time for the next 3 months to try to set this stage. I consider this work a life priority."
- Student Stillness
***
�Many read the Yoga Sutras trying to understand the text. They
forget that they are reading to understand the Self.� I realized that I had
been approaching The Gita from the wrong perspective.
- Master WF Student Abu
***
Good luck at Mt. Taylor. It's inspiring to see "old guys" like you three still kicking ass :)
I'm hoping to visit LA in March, perhaps we can hook up?
- Love, Student Orr
***
DL today was a big wake-up call. There are issues of
boundaries, discipline, and self-honesty that rose to
the surface. Everything is on the table for me; I am
sorting it out with the steady Wisdom gained from WF
Practice.
Thanks for listening yet again,
there were many words,
and thanks for sharing the Sparkplugs of
Transformation.
Love,
student starling
***
Q & A on COMPASSION and GRIEF
Noble Coach Ilg,
Glued to DL as always.
Your reminder for compassion and non-judgment hit me
like a rock and started an avalanche--into sister
suffering.
Now I am exploring the BIG truths embedded in this
question:
What happens when compassion becomes grief?
Love,
Your ever-learning student DS
Noble Student DS -
like oil and water, compassion and grief shall never truly meet once the Veil is lifted. Why? Because Compassion is love-based. Grief is fear-based.
Your Devoted Practice fills my heart with joy and love,
coach ilg
***
Coaches Ilg and Ananda -
Yesterday was almost like being in California. Skate skiing in the morning and then a cruise on the roads on my
mountain bike. I am ordering a Cycle-Cross bike for early season road riding and then will do some trail riding and
running over the technical spots with it.
Enjoyed, as usual, this mornings Direct Lines.
You give me so much to think about.
Ai Imawa,
Fit Kit
**
Agni Sara Hint:
Noble Ones -
exhale,
do a Mock Inhalation
then with the stomach area hollowed,
begin the 'yanking' movement of the 'pooch' in and out rapidly
while visualizing 'swishing' stomach acids to cleanse by way of fire
which is what Agni Sara is all about.
go for the FEEL of a new technique as soon as possible...since trying
to write about this highly subtle and often Intuitive Work of pranayama and internal locks
is quite difficult and we are only feeble teachers.
that is all,
coach ilg
February 06, 2005
THE ARENA OF ENLIGHTENMENT
Dear Coach,
hey, shouldn't we all have our asses glued to the tv right now, watching the super-bowl like the rest of the nation???�
�having Way too much fun in the midst of It All...
�Love,
ko
*
Oh Nobler KO!
the only true "SuperBowl" i know of is my Pelvic Bowl...
diving deep into yoga to explore for the past two decades the AMAZING and ongoing shifts in my hips and mula bandha, and muladhara, and svadhisthana....phewwweeee! Oh KO! the real SUPERBOWL is INSIDE: The REAL SUPERBOWL is the Stadium of the Kundalini! right there, in between every human's pelvic bowls lies the arena of Enlightenment!
if only the UnAwakened knew what joy and fun InnerAttainment is compared to the Outer Directed World's insanely stupid Entertainment!
oh well, we are Blessed to have found our humble Path in this Lifetime. So Blessed!
love,
coach ilg
COACH'S SUNDAY SERMON: ONLY THE NOW
Like choosing to see the Light instead of the Darkness, i had to cultivate the Sushumna energies within my spinal column as i lie paralyzed as a young mountain yogi. Hitting rock bottom, figurativley and literally, forced me to trust and constantly refine the energy of my cells to overcome my spinal cord injury. i have already mystified the doctors who once told me i would never, ever be able to walk, let alone compete in sports again. Most of us do not need to 'heal'...we need to grow! Pain is a vital component of any true spiritual growth process. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. This is why in WF, i teach my students not to slink away from that which challenges them, instead run toward challenge! In fact, only by devoting ourselves to difficulty can we be Freed through it! Run away for lifetimes if you choose, yet, the inner Work will be needed to be done sooner or later. WF is all about doing the Work sooner...not later. Life is too short, too precious to waste it on spectacting. Do the Work in the Now.
***
Wholistic Fitness illuminates the spiritual possibilities of our efforts in lifestyle fitness like a new Light which illuminates old stuck patterns, many of which seem as solid as rock. Once we Awaken to a multi-disciplined approach to our body/mind fitness, we learn a key lesson; within every weakness of ourselves, within every imbalance of our body and mind, there lies another Seed of Higher and Sacred Growth. i chose personal fitness and extreme sport performance to carry forth my message of Yoga to people in the form of Wholistic Fitness. i saw at an early age that the pain and endurance required to fuel lifelong fitness is a mandatory and actually IDEAL preparation for the inevitable spiritual journey which we must all recognize...even if it be at the moment of death. in the words of my spiritual Teacher, NidraRishi B in counsel to me,
" Pain serves as a necessary constrictive element for refinement, and timing is essential in the layers of realization of the subconscious mind. Eons of time have fragmented the reality of Self. The healing and evolving of the emotional, energetic body is a necessary component of our evolution. The power of the mind and its' desire for survival is the challenge. The mind is a slippery eel. The battle which ensues is demanding. But when Grace arrives and awareness is at hand, the mind does not stand a chance...Higher consciouness takes over and victory is assured."
Personal workouts must occur each day; that requires fortitude of spirit over mind. I have yet to meet the intellectual, whom regardless if they have a PhD in anatomy, can logically think themselves into an advanced yoga pose. Getting into advanced yoga postures requires the surrender of the ego, surrender of the logical brain, and a mind open to the possibilities of Higher Learning. How is Higher Learning attained? By listening, accepting, and cultivating the NOW! Quit thinking about working out and just do the work! Release into the wrapping of your hand around the barbell! Surrender into the breath as you begin my HP Yoga Sun Salutations! Place your chopsticks down between a bite of food every now and then and FEEL THE NOW!
What imparts Sacredness to your training is not the style or the creator of a particular brand of working out...what fuses spirit and strength is your MIND CONTROL...otherwise known as Meditation, one of the Five Fitness Disciplines of WF. As Sogyal Rinpoche so elegantly puts the common sense basis of the spiritual journey:
"The cells of our body are dying, the neurons in our brain are decaying, even the expressions on our face are always changing, depending on our mood. What we call our basic character is only a �mindstream,� nothing more. Today we feel good because things are going well; tomorrow we feel the opposite. Where did that good feeling go?
What could be more unpredictable than our thoughts and emotions: Do you have any idea what you are going to think or feel next? The mind, in fact, is as empty, as impermanent, and as transient as a dream. Look at a thought: It comes, it stays, and it goes. The past is past, the future not yet risen, and even the present thought, as we experience it, becomes the past.
The only thing we really have is nowness, is now."
Once, while still a young man,
i lay paralyzed, spinal cord injured, pelvis smashed, unable to move anything but my breath.
The experts in the body, the doctors, told me i would never again walk, let alone compete in sports again.
just yesterday i rode my bicycle for over three hours up a mountain. No one could keep up with me.
And, not suprisingly, there were no doctors in the peleton.
The only wise doctor is the one found within.
Feeble ilg says, once you've hit the bottom, the darkest night of the soul, there is only one Perfect Path; the Now.
You have everything you need to Awaken:
You have Awareness and you have Breath.
You also have the only Tool of Transformation that you will ever, ever need:
The Now.
Now,
Just Begin
Again
and Again...
and
Endlessly Again.
Live your Life
Pain is neccessary as a refining element
There is no re-tirement from life,
there is only a re-firement of your Divine Spark which never,
ever dies.
Go Noble Warrior!
Go into your day and illuminate your weak tendencies with the srength of the WF Light!
i
cherish who are you choosing to be
for you
are choosing
to
Be
Here
NOW!
love,
your feeble coach
February 04, 2005
February 03, 2005
QUALITY OF SLEEP
Zen monks sleep, sit, eat, and speak peacefully because they have done the Inner Workouts to train their Mind.
*
Dear Coach,
i like your books. Question: Why can't i sleep at night?
- a fan from WA
Dear Fan,
The sound of your insomnia is the sound of your undisciplined mind. Being a 'fan' of my Path, will not cure your restless ego. You must sweat the nature behind my words in print. Your tossing and turning at night will not be cured by the latest Tempuredic bed mattress. The best mattress is the un-mattered Mind. Your Inability to Sleep at night is a manifestation of your UnWillingness to walk the Path during the day.
- coach ilg
**
One of the determiners i use in the design of an Online WF Training Prescription for a new Student is quality of sleep.
Like quality of digestion & elimination, the quality of sleep that a new Student brings into this Work can be an accurate reflection of their mental fitness. Knowing the patterns of sleep quality, helps provide shape to the harmonic convergence of WF Disciplines and Lifestyle Principles that so quickly account for our noted ability to Transform those who Study here.
This is my cat Spencer. His formal name is, Spencer Sandis Smith. He has graced the hallowed halls of DL a few times. Spencer is one of several Teachers of mine that taught me about quality of sleep. He is not a Zen Monk. Or, maybe he is.
Like other Feline Beings, Spencer, you see, never awakes with a stiff neck after a nap. This Feline fact astonished me for many years, especially because Feline Beings can nap for the better part of a day with their necks and spines "contorted" in ways that makes my own neck hurt just looking at them.
Trained by my Teachers to "Question everything, particularly your Word Choices," i began to ask myself, "Who the hell came up with the word, "contorted." I mean, who is to say, what's contorted and what is natural suppleness? One man's contortion is a yogin's nirvana.
As i matured into spiritual work and begin working with a Teacher in the DreamState Realms, quality of sleep was examined and trained as a wavelike reverberation of mind. That is to say, our subtle anatomy - the chakras, pranic vayus, and nadic lines - tend to 'spin off' undigested thoughts, emotions, and other mental clutter during DreamStates. Most people's DreamStates are mere rubbish piles from dirty cells (not eating the herbs, for example), and dirty Citi-Shakti (DL; 1/29/05).
Zen Monks sleep peacefully upon wooden slats and rarely with any bedcovers. These Monks, these Athletes of the Spirit, then arise long before you do, instantly fold their legs into padmasana (full lotus) and sit for hours with spine straight and breath moving in and out from their bodies like contented slow waves lazily massaging the sandy edges of a deserted tropical island. They do not fidget for their mind is clear. Nor do they legs fall asleep from 'poor circulation.' They do not feel obligated to rush away from their sitting in order to "do something" or "be someone." For them, sitting with the truest nature of their minds is not a waste of time. For them, time has been transformed into Terrain for Sartori. Zen monks sleep, sit, eat, and speak peacefully because the have done the Inner Workouts to train their Mind. They are very happy, sacredly happy sitting on Mother Earth. They do not need to go to Acapulco or Vegas to find peace or happiness. They travel within, not without.
Rock climbing "bums" are quite content to lounge about on granite shelves the size of your computer desk etched into monolithic cliff walls without the slightest trace of nervousness or "tight muscle tension syndrome" which afflicts the stressed out mass of mediocrity. When i free climbed Half Dome in Yosemite (well, i free'd all but 40 damned feet of the 3,000', 24 pitch, 5.11d route) i slept like a baby curled up fetal on Big Sandy Ledge, Thank God Ledge, etc., for days. These ledges are about the size and texture of a narrow sidewalk. Just curl yourself up on one, the next time you take a walk on one. Comfy, eh? So utterly fatigued from the physical and mental extreme efforts of the climb, my body was but a limp rag when the opportunity arrived to sleep. The granite may have well been goose down, baby.
Spencer, Zen Monks, and Climbing bums all sleep with contentment.
Why don't you?
Why does my Teaching Staff have to spend so many initial months with new Students to wean them off prescribed and over the counter 'sleeping aids'? And who the fuck are the doctors prescribing these mental, physical, and spiritual poisons as if they are candy? Parents these days are no better; raising their tiny, beautiful little Beings on Children's Nyquil so they don't "cry so much."
Just the other day, i had to work like hell to get it through this young 33 year old woman's head that her addiction to sleeping aids were not an aid to her sleeping at all...those friggin' pills are force feeding a total line of toxins into her natural cellular beauty that is, i promised her, going to have very negative physical and spiritual repercussions down the road.
American's who are not on the Path of WF stick out like the stressed out monsters they are...They are ones that can't shit, can't sleep, can't meditate, can't lose fat, don't "have time" to workout, won't get on the SUNRIDER herbs but are faster than desert lightning to rationalize their use of prescribed and over the counter drugs to amp them up, bring them down, make them happy...
Having trouble sleeping? In my professional experience, i have found that overeating and underdigesting are two leading reasons for poor quality of sleep.
Undersweating is the other one.
You want a WF Sleeping Aid Prescription?
Okay:
* average 7 hours of Cardio Per Week
* do Yoga once every three days
* don't eat anything without pausing to appreciate how the food got to you
* replace coffee and soda with Calli and Fortune Delight.
* live the 4 Lifestyle Principles of WF; they are natural forms of meditation in action.
* stop reading "newspapers" or watching TV before bed,
instead wear YogaToes, have some Calli Night, and read spiritual literature or listen to one of my Meditation CD's to fall asleep
The Path to your Self Transformation is steep.
You will stumble.
Stumbling is still moving.
Just make sure you Stumble Upwards, not backwards.
This is the Path of WF...
And...
That is all.
love,
coach ilg
February 02, 2005
WW Walks His Talk to his growing SUNRIDER CLAN!
Hey there,
So we start another year. I wanted to touch base with you and tell you first what is going on with me, my health and my Wholistic Fitness� path. I'd also like to ask you to tell me what is going on with you.
OK... ME FIRST! I spent the past 2 years staying on my fitness process, Strength Training 1-2 times a week, riding my road or Mt. bike 3-4 times a week, doing Yoga 3-4 times a week, mellowing out each day with a 1/2 hour of meditation and of course eating well. Enjoying whole foods which of course includes Sunrider herbs. My wife Marsha and I are fully on Steve's Phase 3 of the Sunrider Herbs...
The good news is, my cholesterol keeps dropping and my other blood levels are getting better and better. Went to a web site called YourRealAge.com and took their test (about 20 minutes online) and found that my chronological is 51, but my physical age is 36! Very cool indeed. I must say, folks are telling us how young and good we look, how our skin is so clear... yada, yada, yada... It's all very flattering, but the bottom line for me is, I feel great no matter what others are saying. Last month I saw my GP Doctor at Kaiser/Permenente, and well, he was really impressed, as he thought he was going to have to put me on statins by this time, his exact words were, "this is incredible!"
I'm working with Steve Ilg who developed Wholistic Fitness�, we're building a new membership web site that will be fully video driven to give people with high speed internet connections the ability to be personally trained in their own home via their computer in the path of Wholistic Fitness�. Very exciting... more later.
Ok, now it's your turn.... Tell me what is up with you and your use of Sunrider Herbs. Are you feeling strong, off course, uncertain, balanced, disconnected, supported? Have you walked away from the herbs because others around you are not doing them too?
Please let me know if there is any questions, considerations or even good news about what works, or doesn't work for you.
Tell me how your health is, and what you would like to change about where you are, if any... did you loose the email with the 3 phase approach Steve Ilg created to Sunrider Herbs and are thinking of getting on back to it?
As you know, I'm not much for the 'push of the product' aspect, which is why I rarely contact you, but I feel I would be remiss if I didn't touch base at least a little bit to see what's happening, as I'm so clear on how the herbs have been working for me.
I look forward to hearing from you.
WW
would you like to get on the herbs with Wayne and Marsha as your Guides To The Most Incredible Journey To Higher Health?
they would love to hear from you:
wwclick@earthlink.net
"Grasping is the source of all our problems. Since impermanence to us spells anguish, we grasp on to things desperately, even though all things change. We are terrified of letting go, terrified, in fact, of living at all, since learning to live is learning to let go. And this is the tragedy and the irony of our struggle to hold on: Not only is it impossible, but it brings us the very pain we are seeking to avoid.
The intention behind grasping may not in itself be bad; there�s nothing wrong with the desire to be happy, but what we try to grasp on to is by nature ungraspable."
- Sogyal Rinpoche
February 01, 2005
KEEPING UP WITH COACH: MY PERSONAL TRAINING STATS FOR JANUARY, 2005
"Called or Not Called, God is Present."
- Carved in stone over psychologist Carl Gustav Jung's door
"Don't die wondering and look good naked." My two personal training goals which gave birth to formal creation of
Wholistic Fitness over 25 years ago. Above; still testing my own training theories in the only laboratory that
truly matters; the laboratory of sweat and inner spirit. Time Trialing through Death Valley photo by LA TIMES.
***
"We are sinful not merely because we have eaten of the Tree of Knowledge, but also because
we have not yet eaten of the Tree of Life."
- Franz Kafka
***
Coach Ilg�s WF Monthly Training Averages:
JANUARY, 2005
Beginning My 27th Year of Formal WF Training
Let the Stats speak for the Work...My attention is on the new moment arising...
IntraDisciplinary Statistics
STRENGTH: 1 x/week; average time spent in gym per session: 34 minutes
CARDIO: 7x/week; average time per session: 1 hour, 15 minutes
YOGA: 7x/week; average time per session: 1 hour, 20 minutes
MEDITATION: 7x/week; average time per session: 31 minutes
NUTRITION: average calories per day: 850. bodyfat; 2.6% on 1/30/01
Predominant Training Styles Within Each Fitness Discipline:
STRENGTH: �EEG-GAD� w/plyos to develop running leg speed for Mt. Taylor Quadrathlon
CARDIO: cycling (70%), nordic skiing (15%), snowshoeing (10%), trail running (5%)
YOGA: High Performance Yoga �Slow Flow� (hip openers & backbends as apex) 80%, HP Prop Workouts (core as priority) 20%
MEDITATION: Pranayama (70%), Tibetan Facilitated EnergyWork (10%), Sangha Dedication/Visualization Sessions (10%), Zazen/Mt. Taylor Race Visualizations 10%.
NUTRITION: Sunrider Herbs; Phases I, II, & III. Dietary focus; cut out all uneeded calories, drop fat levels for Mt. Taylor Quad while increasing the Chi Factor.
Predominant Training Partners:
Solo: 85%, Steve Marlowe 10%, Ww; 2.5%, Ananda; 2.5%
Predominant Spiritual Shift Arising:
Hridayagranthi continued clearning resulting in Anahatanada
accessed and facilitated via Nidra Rishi B within svapnadeha
effect of mahalaghuva ongoing within waking states and other fitness disciplines
{details of chakral/nadic work not allowed, applicable, or appropriate for public}
Predominant Training Quote Arising:
�In each moment there are only two questions:
1) am i grasping, or
2) am i concentrating?�
- coach ilg, during an Early Morning Ritual on 1/23/05