July 31, 2005
EVEN THE PROS GO DOWN...AND RISE BACK UP; TIMARI VS. THE DREADED CATTLEGUARD
hey coach,
here is a picture of me from 8 hours after the crash. still doesn't do me any justice as it really looked alot worse! hope to see it soon on DL!
i am recovering quite nicely though!
love always,
timari
***
A couple of weeks ago, i got an email from our beautiful National 24-Hour MTB Champion Timari who was stoked about her
new bicycle commute to work. She wrote, "i am on the bike by 4:15 am and have an hour and 45 minute ride into work (32 miles). i work my 8 hours, and then have a 2 hour ride home (there is obviously more uphill on the way home). on the way there i think i have about 6-7 miles of uphill, and on the way home, about 10 miles of climbing. can i just tell you how peaceful it is riding in the morning at that time?"
***
Are you feeling pretty lazy, right about now? Go(o)d...you should! Mere mortals like you and i can strengthen our own negative and lazy tendencies toward Practice by allowing our Higher Selves to be inspired by Warrioress's like Student Timari!
then came this...
***
On Jul 21, 2005, at 4:18 PM, timari pruis wrote:
hey coach,
so, this morning on my commute into work, you will never guess what happened. i am riding along at probably my fastest time so far into work, and the cattle gaurd got the best of me. yes, about 30 minutes into my commute, my wheel planted itself into the space between where the two metal plates come together(every cycylists worst nightmare). so over the bars i went, and of course i landed on the pavement. i got up, and knew i was bleeding (my glove was covered in blood) and my lower lip felt mangled (send me your address and i will mail you pics of my face). i was so scared, cuz i didn't know if any one would come by and pick me up (me cell doesn't work in the area i was in. i felt so alone and scared and didn't know what would happen to me. i couldnt decide if i should start walking home (about 5 miles i think) or try to roll down the hill to the hospital. i decided i couldn't roll b/c mt wheel was tweeked. fortunately a truck pulled over, and it was a lady who happened to be a nurse on her way to work, i was so grateful that God was watching over me and sent her. so she dropped me off(she works at a hospital furtherout), and it took them over an hour to stitch my upper and lower lip(most stitches are inside my mouth), there has to be about 30 at least. then my right wrist and hand is in a splint/cast thing b/c i may have fractured the scaffoid bone in my wrist, and my hand and wrist is sprained. i look like i have been in a boxing match! oh, and i have a black eye. my helmet and glasses truly saved me! had it not been for the helmet, i may not still be here. also, i, as well as the nurse at the hospital firmly believe that yoga helped prevent all this from being worse. so, needless to say, i am out of commision for a little bit. sore, but doing ok. i guess now i will get the chance to practice using my non dominant hand!
anyways, it hurts to type, i will keep you posted.
love you lots!
timari
p.s. i was wearing my WF jersey!
***
to which i immediately replied;
Oh My Noble And Mangled One,
oooooooof.
oh my gosh...
is the WF Jersey okay?!
just kidding! (old roadie joke)
i am in a Two Day Intensive,
yet i wanted to send you some Loving Light and Healing Energy!
wow!
what a Blessing that the WF Gods sent you a friggin' NURSE as your Angel!
how CLASSIC is that!?!?! karma paying off, baby!
wow.
send in a photo and we gotta get this story up on DL to help others beware of those dang cattle guards which can take out even a pro like you! so glad you are okay!
gotta run, yet gotta let you know; i love you and glad you are okay!
send pics, i LOVE stitches!
my momma told me as a kid in the hicks of Durango, Colorado,
"Son, you best be stayin' away from those cattle guards!"
"Yes'm"
in motherly love,
coach ilg
PS: Wanna send an Email of Healing Light to Timari?
here you go:
timaripruis@hotmail.com
July 30, 2005
DUDE...Dude...DUUUUDE!!! GET ON THE SECRET HERBS!!
"It's hard to 'take yourself lightly' if you don't eat Lightly!...that is why i
rely upon SUNRIDER herbs each day to Cleanse, Balance, and Support what matters
most; the CHI,baby!" - Coach Ilg in padma mayurasana. photo by dorit thies.
"Hello Ilg
I got and read your TBT book which I love
But I saw pictures of you on your blog and man you�re
ripped as heck!
But I was wondering if you still follow the very same
foods you talk about in TBT or if you changed.
You seem to be a type that would be a raw food
vegan...
Do you get a lot of protein?
And what's up with these "SunRider Herbs", perhaps you
could tell me more...
bye
dave"
Dear Noble Fitness Warrior Dave,
i bow to your metta.
1) my personal "diet"; it will only confuse and perhaps endanger your own stance on the Journey of Awakening...i have been doing WF my whole life. you have not. how i have Shifted through decades of Practice should not be the measurement of your beginning steps on this Path.
2) i average 1,100 kcals per day with an output of several times that number. it does not make mathematical, nor conventional Western sense. however, i have been Taught by Teachers who followed the Ancient Scriptures and prioritize inner Energy over trying to consume energy in Outer forms (food calories). i rely on the Chi (movement of energy) from the SUNRIDER herbs, instead of the mathematics of matter (calories). remember what i wrote in TBT; true Nutrition is pran..it's chi..it's about knowing how to eat accurately to move the mutidimensional waves of energy (vayus,nadis, chakras) in your subtle anatomy, not your gross gross anatomy which pivots upon calories and dense foods. my bodyfat stays around 2.8%...hasn't changed since my teens and i am now 43. if needed, i can go lower easily and healthfully..thus is the power of the herbs.
3) no, i don't eat a lot of protein; yet i can easily add or subtract volumes of musculature as i need to do the sports or events that i wish. instead of focusing my eating on ratios of carbs, proteins, and fat like the common unAwake man, i focus on this: i eat my Life and i drink the Pran. this is what nourishes me.
4) what you see as "ripped" is just a natural Warrior/Brahman body that is very functional across the physiologic spectrum; endurance, ultra-endurance, strength, suppleness, agility, mental stability, equanimity of emotion, and mastery of food. it is just that the natural warrior body stands out in a nation of inappropriate/over-eaters and under-exercisers.
5) Get On The HERBS, baby! the Masters have taught for eons; once you meet a Teacher that has earned your curiosity and respect..that Teacher, if he sees your cup is empty and accepts you, will show you "secret herbs." well, Noble One, i am showing you the "secret herbs" which represent your Next Step in your Transformation from gross level athlete to a Warrior of the Light; SUNRIDER herbs..i will have one of my Staff Teachers contact you to see if you are brave enough to JUMP into our Temple Garden and explore by direct experience, the CHI of the Secret Herbs!
your whacky, chi loving, lean and mean book author/yogi/athlete who walks his talk...
thanks again for your great letter and i look forward to seeing you in the Temple Garden: SUNRIDER HERBS!
coach ilg
COACH CAN'T TAKE IT! AAARGH!!!
Sometimes, i swear...sport specific athletes are among the most addicted, narrow-minded, closed loop Beings on the dang planet! Understand something; since 1982, our humble Temple of WF, HP Yoga, and SR herbs have been producing world, national, and state champions in nearly every endurance sport of which you can imagine. WF trained athletes are among the least injured, most consistently performing athletes gracing the planet...yet, the Outer World does not seem to care one iota. Whether this is because we are not fancy enough (I have no "Coopers Aerobic Institute") or we don't get interviewed in major media a lot because i have a yogic and financial glitch with needing to buy an expensive ad in order to be interviewed, or perhaps it is just because my DharmaSpeak is so "outside the box" that reporters, writers, et. al, are just flamboozeled at how to go about articulating such a Balanced, Grounded, Simple, and Effective East/West Path as WF.
Perhaps it is time for you...my noble and faithful WF Sangha that live the Path, that know Her Truth by daily sweat and stillness...to be brave enough to write an article, an essay, invite a reporter to your next workout...share with them the Light of WF...because,
if you care to read a local story about all these world class running coaches
gathering together here in Flagstaff, scratching their Ph.D brains
about how to prevent running injuries among their
world class athletes...
meanwhile, up in the Sacred mountains above their head
runs a mountain yogi coach who has produced injury free champions since the eighties...
sometimes, i just hang my head and wonder what it will take for the Western Coach to embrace
two syllables;
yoga!
read on if you wish...as i respond to a newspaper article below...
you guys,
we are sooooooooo Blessed to have this Path of Balance from which to learn and dive deep into each day...
namaste oh Noble and Balanced and Injury Free Warriors who do the inner as well as the outer workouts!
coach ilg
multi title running champion/multi peak course record holder
***
Most Noble Fitness Writer Ed,
if this "RUNNING COACHES CONFERENCE" event
(see below article that was profiled in today's issue of the AZ Daily Sun)
continues next year here in Flag,
i would be more than happy to
contribute - free of charge -
a talk and free HP Yoga class on how i have kept myself
and my world, national, and state champion athletes
not only safe,
but at the top of their podiums
since 1982.
i can tell all those other coaches how to prevent injuries in their
athletes with six syllables,
HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA.
let me know,
i bow to you from beneath the Sacred Mountain,
coach ilg, ryt/uscf/cpt
author/Total Body Transformation
founder/www.wholisticfitness.com & High Performance Yoga
complimentary Daily WF Meditation:
http://www.wholisticfitness.com/weblog/ilgblog.html
****
Coaches converge on Flagstaff for seminar
By ED ODEVEN
Sun Sports Staff
07/29/2005
In a country teeming with nearly 300 million people, there are hundreds of so-called running experts.
Yet perhaps there is but one underlying principle runners and coaches need to know:
"No one has all the answers. If we did, if somebody had all the answers, then all we'd have to do is write it down and everybody would do the same training program. There'd be no sense to have a coach."
So said Dr. Jack Daniels at the introduction of his lecture Thursday at the Distance Coaching Classic at NAU's University Union. Daniels recently became the head coach at the Center for High Altitude Training's U.S. Distance Running Program.
The center's senior coach consultant, Dr. Joe Vigil, concocted the idea of putting together this two-day seminar, and more than 90 individuals from 22 states signed up for the inaugural Classic.
Daniels, who was once dubbed the "world's best coach" by Runner's World, gave the seminar's first lecture. In his hour-long talk, he offered first-hand anecdotes about what works and what doesn't work in training high school, college and Olympic runners.
"One of the most important things in running, which most of you realize, is to avoid injury," said Daniels, author of the highly regarded "Daniels' Running Formula."
"If you can avoid injury, you've got it made. I'd be willing to bet that every time we go to the Olympics we are leaving some of our very best people home because they just happen to be hurt at the time of the Olympic Trials.
"Avoiding injury is ... being fit."
Daniels went on to discuss his five ingredients for success. They are:
* Inherent ability -- what you are born with (anatomical, biomechanical and physiological).
"Some people have advantages over other people," he said.
* Motivation -- the athlete's desire to do something, not the coach's.
"If the motivation doesn't match the ability, you are not going to have a champion," he said, "but when it does, you've got real champions."
(In combining ability and motivation, there are four types of individuals, Daniels noted: Those with great ability and high motivation, whom he calls champions; those with great ability and low motivation, whom he refers to as coach frustrators; those with little ability and high motivation, whom he labels self-frustrators; and those with little ability and little motivation, aka no-shows.)
* Opportunity -- to train and compete, starting at a young age. (Facilities, competition, equipment and travel are factors.)
* Direction -- good or bad coaching.
"The direction can make the difference between going to the Olympics or not or winning a medal or not. There's no question," Daniels said. "But if you don't have the ability, the motivation and the opportunity, the direction may not be the answer."
* Luck -- good fortune does play a part, too.
Daniels also reminded the audience that increased stress while running -- brought about by longer runs, faster runs, less recovery time between runs or more runs per week --raises one's level of fitness.
But this isn't always the case, Daniels said.
"Everyone has limits," he added, "and I'm not suggesting that you reach absolute limits, but you certainly reach limits that are seasonal or temporary."
Also Thursday morning, Valley resident Robert Harmison, who holds a Ph.D. in counseling psychology and a master's in exercise and sports science, gave a lively talk about sports psychology, focusing primarily on mental toughness and using Tiger Woods as a classic example runners can emulate.
"When I think of mentally tough athletes, this is one athlete that comes to mind," Harmison said of Woods, adding that others have praised him for his single-minded focus, determination and never-wavering desire to win.
Harmison, whose extensive work in the field includes preparing the U.S. Snowboarding team for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, pinpointed 10 key traits of mental toughness:
A) We compete against our own standards of performance; B) We have the ability to achieve our goals; C) We possess unique abilities that make us better than our opponents; D) We have a strong, internal desire to succeed; E) We bounce back from setbacks with optimism and hope; F) We remain fully focused on the task at hand; G) We regain mental control following uncontrollable events; H) We accept competitive anxiety and know that we can cope with it; I) We thrive on the pressure of competition; J) We push through the limits and give a little more.
Other topics included "Overtraining Phenomena In Female Runners," given by Monika Radloff, a medical doctor who works at the Summit Center and the altitude center, and "Ancillary Training For Runners -- Balance Exercise," presented by John Blievernicht, a Flagstaff resident, personal trainer and kinesiotherapist.
July 29, 2005
STUDENT INPUT!
"How long the soul waits for discovery, attention, direction. How sweet to find the path is illuminated. How awkward the ego is in that peircing light. May your good work be blessed 1000 fold."
- WF Student and SUNRIDER Herbal Warrior, Thomas Ward (see below)
**
Today, climbing at "The Overlook"...Ananda holds up the local rockclimbing guidebook, "A Cheap Way To Fly."
"whassup homeboy!?!? you think you wanna piece of dis sheeitt?!" Coach self talks his old butt into another lead climb...
"The poetry of the earth is never dead." - Keats. Ananda with Oak Creek Canyon spilling beneath her feet towards the famed red rock poetry of Sedona. Watch for a HP Yoga Retreat in Sedona to be announced soon after our Red Mountain WF Immersion this August in Utah.
***
Dear Ananda,
Beautiful pictures on DL. i feel so blessed to be able to share the beauty of Mother Earth and Father Sky with You and Coach, even if it is through a picture via internet.Thank You both for You Two are the Light that shines in me as i'm surrounded by landfills, powerplants, airports, and large cities that just wreak havoc on my health and spiritual growth. Thank You so much for we are all blessed. that is all:)
- Vito
***
"Coach:
Congrats to Sammy Morse. It ain't no picnic winning a bike race, never mind a stage race, especially for family warriors.
WF Online Student Feather"
{Ed. Note; Student Feather, also a Family Warrior, recently just finished in the top twenty of a cycling race despite a massive work schedule.}
***
{WF and SUNRIDER Herbal Warrior Thomas Ward (of Teacher Ko Clan) awaits his Blessed Mala Beads from the WF Temple.}
Noble Fitness Innovator and Mountain Yogi, Coach Ilg,
I patiently sweat at the altar of my true self, which you have led me to glimpse through your inspired teachings.
How long the soul waits for discovery, attention, direction. How sweet to find the path is illuminated. How awkward the ego is in that peircing light. May your good work be blessed 1000 fold.
light a stick of nag (5)
legs crossed back straight breathe deeply (7)
facing deep within (5)
saturating Chi (5)
vibrating with inner~g (7)
waiting patiently (5)
This I wrote to Noble Herb guru and Teacher Ko this morning:
petals and pedals (5)
both slow the hectic rat race (7)
sweet stillness and sweat (5)
From your humble (book) student, Namaste,
Thomas
PS. Thank you for the message and photo that accompanied the Stream Entry CD.
***
WF Teacher and National Class Runner Joseph "Haku" Sheader still cranks the REAL "CHI RUNNING" using WF Principles that were first introduced to the public in the early eighties through Coach's writings. Last winter, Haku and Coach teamed up to become the current Champions of the 75k, Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon.
"bro,
The chi is on baba!
Where: Alamosa, Colorado
Holy Ground: Cole Park
When: 7/27.05 9:30 a.m.
Elevation: 7800 feet
Temp: warm, real warm
What: 4x 1 mile repeats with 3 minute jog recovery
Who: Top collegiate and high school athletes from around the country and...HAKU!
What happened: Haku stays with the lead pack at the front for a average of 5:10 per mile!!!
Result: Holy Sweat.
�Do not run away from effort, embrace it. Devote yourself to difficulty so you are freed from it.�
- Steve Ilg
�When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.�
- Shunryu Suzuki
- love,
Haku
HakuBro,
i love you,
keep sweatin' baby...every day in as many ways as possible...
something BIG keeps telling me,
it's real
real
important...
love,
coach ilg
***
PURUKA vs. PRAKRITI
(An Insiders Look At Coach's Continuing Education of His Staff Teachers of WF)
WF Teacher Chris "Ko" Roche wrote:
Dear Slayer of Darkness,
i bow to your Wisdom.
if i may ask...is Atman the same as Purusha? from my feeble under- standing, they are and i've seen them used almost interchangeably. could you please shed some Light on this?
Namaste,
ko
Just as the Spiny Leaf Cactus bears a fruit seemingly in contrast to its nature,
so too does the undifferentiated particulated matter of the UniVerse (prakriti) bear a consciousness fruit (purusha). similarly, the UnAwakened man will never know his purusha (inner soul) without steadfast Practice, just as the cactus will never know the sweet, succulent taste of its own fruit. - photo and caption by coach ilg.
Noble Ko,
according the Structure of the Absolute,
you can See (below chart) that the Purusha is of a more refined Layer
of individuated Consciousness than that of Atman
mostly, this is a mixed metaphor between Upanishadic and Samkhya
linguistics. whereas
Purusha has been described as the "knower of the field" ('field' here
refers to the
various stages and layers of Consciousness, gross, refined, and
subtle) and has Awareness, the counter field of
Purusha, Prakriti....has no Awareness. Thus, in Patanjali's much
debated codification, Purusha
and Prakriti can never be yoked...which, obviously, is not very yogic!
i cannot teach you more than this...
yet.
i can suggest that the direct experience, cognition, and development
of the five Vayus
is your Next Step toward an Atmanic understanding by direct experience.
in other words,
keep doing Toilet Yoga and your assigned Pranayams until you become
an expert at finding the
"breath inside the breath" or...
the Ether as separate from the Air.
Enter there...
love,
coach
ps; ask no more questions on this subject matter for a period of six
months.
there is Seed Planting being done and too much intellectualism will
mess up what is being Planted. My MahaNidraRishi already is doing
this InnerWork
on you through me.
***
For Tibetans, the main festival of the year is the New Year, which is like Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and your birthday all rolled into one. Patrul Rinpoche was a great master whose life was full of eccentric episodes that would bring the teachings to life. Instead of celebrating New Year�s Day and wishing people a �Happy New Year� like everyone else, Patrul Rinpoche used to weep. When asked why, he said that another year had gone by, and so many people had come one year closer to death, still unprepared.
- Sogyal Rinpoche
WF HEALTH PLAN, GRACEFUL WORDS FROM ACTIVE STUDENTS, ELEGANT KNOCKS UPON THE WF TEMPLE DOOR FROM POTENTIAL ONES...
***
"Learn to meet people
and your various challenges in life
at least halfway.
Chances are likely that you need the karmic exercise."
- Coach Ilg
{photo of coach by waynewilliamsstudio in the Ai Imawa Posture, "Meeting The Dragon"...a Taoist Yoga pose that teaches one to meet their obstacles and negative tendencies with elegance of posture and conscious breath. For more, see Coach's book, "Ai Imawa; The Postures and Practice of Inner Harmony."}
***
WF Health Plan; WF Online Training + dumbbells shown above. Cost; $148/month.
***
dear coache',
thank-you for guidance.
i must say..the DL's since you have re-turned h(om)e..
have been amazing...
it's almost as is the layer of smog and the dust/pollution has been wiped clean..
and now the light illuminates
even brighter
without the city filter.
much love,
student dansan
***
Most Honorable & Esteemed Coache' -
First off, I really want to thank you for being so consistently present and maintaining such a high level of integrity in your dealings with everyone. A big part of my ongoing training involves lifestyle enhancement, and I will only deal with people who demonstrate the kind of heart/mind/spirit of which I know you to truly embody.
Thanks, Coache'-
Here keeping my head down and working on the plan.
Humble Student GoTen
***
Potential Online WF Student Kristi, strikes a pose as she elegantly applies for entrance into the world of WF Online Training under WF Certified Teacher Ananda.
Hello Steve,
Much of the meaning in my following request to have Ananda accept me as an Online Student has come directly from DL so it is only fitting that it goes full circle back to the source...
I bow graciously ...
Kristi
*
Dearest Joy,
I am not sure how to start this (or where it will end) all I know is that if I do not start I can not begin... and as I have come to learn through Steve and WF one of the most important things is to begin; again and again.
So here I am beginning this letter to you, Joy, Ananda.
Much has happened since I first came across Steve and WF last year. I am not proud of my initial reactions or misunderstandings and it makes it harder for my ego to come and ask for guidance, but this is what is meant. Many events, thoughts, introspection and an unexpected meeting/reuniting with teacher Q have happened during that time. All things in my life seem to be pointing me towards WF and as a result I feel my initial resistance (and ignorance) fading.
I am not sure where this resistance stems from: fear, ego, the unknown or the fact that I feel that this is the path for me and I am scared to take that first step � scared to begin as I know where it will lead; straight through the depths of me and out the other side, light. Uncovering many things that I unconsciously try to hide along the way. And as I have been shown the further I go the steeper it will get.
I guess after all is said and done I just wanted to say �hi� so hi. If it is alright with you, when I/we are ready I would love to have you as my teacher, I would be honored to be your humble student.
I bow �
Yours,
Kristi
July 28, 2005
HOW TO WIN A STAGE RACE; THE WF WAY
WF Online Student Sammy Morse Wins The "Working Man's Stage Race"
By Sammy Morse, on assignment from Coach Ilg
WF Online Student Sammy Morse; The Epitome of A Working Man's Champion!
INTRODUCTION by Coach Ilg
"What you are afraid to do, is a clear indication of your next step...if you are a spiritual Warrior!"
- Coach Ilg
i work a lot with Fitness Warriors who have to fight hard to squeeze in their training volumes between the juggles of life and occupation. we all do. i am not fascinated by those who complain or allow excuses to overly laminate that which matters most in the long run; Quality of Practice and Integrity of Intensity. Of all the Warriors who study this Path, most challenging to train wholistically are the cyclists and triathletes that are professional or sponsored. These sports require so much sport specific training on the bike, foot, and/or pool that only minimal amounts of non-endurance related WF Practices can be safely assigned. Any major volume of asana, pranayama, meditation, or strength training must wait until the few weeks of off season. Thus, through the years, i have devised a careful amount of progressive 'inner WF workouts' that such athletes can enjoy and can relish distinct sport performance benefits.
Sammy Morse, an elite road cyclist and cycle cross racer, is one such busy Fitness Warrior. He is a daddy, a mentor, a husband, holds down a high stress, high hour job, and is one of the most kindest guys in my humble Temple...at least, off the bike! On the bike is a different story. Once his wheels get rolling, they give rise to a fierce warrior who trains mega miles and hellish intensities with pro cyclist/coach McCormack. My role in Sammy's training is to artfully insert some inner elements to ignite the sheer physicality of his training and to soften the demands of living a Warrior's life among modern day stressors.
Evidently, Student Sammy's respect for and practice of hiring Teachers to help him has paid off once again. Sammy just won the highly competitive "Working Man's Stage Race," a brutal 3-day event that tests all physiologic elements of a cyclist's weaponry.
I bow in deep respect of my beautiful Student Sammy...and congratulations on your victory! This Path has a pattern of getting Her sincere students up to that Top Step! Well done, Noble Warrior! DL Readers, enjoy his report and may your own Training be inspired!
Namaste,
coach ilg
***
PART I; CREATING THE STAGE
"You can't really learn anything deep within you until you do what it takes to even get to the start line of a race against your peers. Competition shatters the illusions and masks of modern day living. Get real; get to a start line and push yourself beyond what you think you can do."
- coach ilg
As the name describes the WMSR consists of a 3 evening races during the week. The format is a points race and are points based on places in each stage, as opposed to time, as in the Tour de France. The points are: 1st/10pts, 2nd/9pts, 3rd, 8pts�you get the point�pun intended. The stages are as follows:
-Tuesday 6.8 mile TT on a nice hilly course with several challenging corners.
-Wednesday 45 mile/5 lap circuit race with a nice long hill for King of the Mountain (KOM)pts, top three going toward general classification.
- Thursday 20 mile Points race. Held on a � mile stock car racing track. 80 laps with sprints for points every 5th lap. With points going to the top 5 across the line every 5th lap. Points = 1st/5 pts, 2nd /4pt, 3rd/3pts�.ect. These points accumulate and go toward the stage placing.
PART II: Anaerobic Chess; Sweat, Power, and the ability to Sprint like lightning after hours of endurance racing!
Tuesday I managed to place 2nd with a 14.50 time. One of my teammates, Coleman, placed 1st ! That leaves us with allot of cards to play going into the Circuit race on Wednesday.
Wednesday, since we had a good strong team we decided that we�d take turns getting myself or our 1st place riders into breaks while the team covered any other attempts and also gum up the works once a break gets away. After numerous attempts in the first lap we were able to get Coleman (our first place rider) in a three man break. The break managed to get a nice gap and our team did an amazing job covering any attempts to bridge or pull the break back. This created a very frenetic fast then slow environment in the field. Every time up the KOM climb (500meters) was a Vo2 max effort that strung out the field as riders attempted to get away. On the final lap the break was in view and I knew that the race would soon be on my shoulders. Going up the KOM hill I covered a small group that gunned it up and over the hill and made contact with the break. I stayed near the front of this group as riders started to come across from the shattered field. I had to rely on my intuition as the group started to accelerate into the last kilometer of racing. I surfed the top 5 positions and kept out of the wind until the sprint started
�.with 150 meters to go I followed the first jump and just sprinted with every cell in my body while my calves cramped I went across the line in a blur with riders all around (see photo)� I managed 2nd in a photo finish. This put me tied for first place heading into Thursday!
Cycling Yoga; in the moments before the suffering and war begins, the WF Warrior is trained in Pratyhara; the ability to draw the senses within and focus on an assigned Mantra, visualization, or breathing technique. Above, Student Sammy goes deep within before his final race.
Thursday, This is a crazy race, held under the lights with a start time of 9:30! This is a tough one as I was in my office at 7:00am and worked a full day, not great recovery�.this is when the pranayma comes in handy for recover and energy. The first 10 laps of the race were so fast and crazy that I didn�t think I�d be able to win any points! Finally on the 3rd sprint my team did an amazing job setting me up perfectly going into the last corner and I captured fist in the sprint! This caused my whole mindset to change. I completely focused on remaining near the front of the group and digging deep as I could and continued to pick away at points for the rest of the race. The race felt like it was 5minutes long. I was meditating except at 30mph! At the finish my points accumulated to place me 5th for the stage and secured the over all for a win!
PART III: HOW A WF WINNER RELAXES
Coach,
thanks so much for filling in the non physical and inner gaps that have been missing in my training, I know we�ve only scratched the surface! It has really made me trust my intuition and race and live in the moment. The past week has been a true test of WF. I�m off the bike for 8 days for a mid season break to charge the batteries into the 2nd half of the season�..I can hardly wait!
In the meantime here�s a picture of me during my 8 day break off the bike. Looks like Ananda and i are at about the same plane when balancing on rocks (see DL; 7*28*05)! I�ve been hiking and doing some good long swims, if feels great to take a break. The attached photo is from East Rattlesnake in Holderness NH, overlooking Squam Lake. We were visiting this beautiful part of the world on our way to drop our son off for two weeks at camp. My workout is everywhere!
Head bowed spine straight,
Namaste,
Sammy
July 27, 2005
A DIFFERENT "RED MOUNTAIN" ADVENTURE!
Ananda prepares for bakasana within a secret canyon on our visit to nearby Red Mountain. Man, those SUNRIDER herbs are rippin' that girl UP! pheweee!! i gotta start taking more Action Caps or something!
***
Located 28 miles north of Flagstaff, on your way to visit the Grand Canyon (they don't call it "Grand" for nuthin' you know!), make sure you make an adventure pit stop at aptly named Red Mountain, a one million year old cinder cone that rises 1,000' above the pinyon-juniper mesa into the ponderosa zone. Home to dozens of species of birds and wildflowers, rumor has it that even mesa-dwelling goblins cavort among the spooky, wind carved huecos of the cone! hmmmmm...sounds right up my alley...
i am ready to run up the one and one half mile trail to check it out...wanna come?
Hey! there is a mesa goblin now! oh wait! hec, that ain't a goblin! that is WF Teacher and HP Yogini Ananda! check out the pinyon and juniper pines twisted around each other like Garudasana! 
Mother Earth is soooo healthy here! check out this Mustard Bladderpod! this hardy desert wildflower is usually only half this size! Must be the Pran up here, baby! Regeneration! 
Better to see a Larkspur in bloom than to have a blooming lark spur you!...least, that's what i always say! man, my running pace is slowing down with all this beautiful nature to drop into! Hey, if our fitness levels can't take us deeper into awe at nature, why bother?
commonly mistaken as "Indian Paintbrush" the Scarlet Gillia is one of my favorites! oh, wait a sec, yogis are trained to overcome Duality...we are not allowed to have favorites..."Well, frankly Scarlet...i don't give a damn!"
with the mystical spires of Red Mountain in the background, i could tell by the linear rows of holes drilled into the ponderosa bark that i was closing on a Red Naped, or possibly, a Williamson's Sapsucker! My Teachers taught me to learn the names of birds and flowers because, "It increases Awareness and Perspective." it also increases neck mobility! 
Basidiomycota, anyone? i would, but i filled up on my SUNRIDER herbs this morning...
i love this shot. in the same way this ponderosa tree has shot out a root to take hold in unstable volcanic tuft, so too does meditation take root and help to eventually stabilize the chaotic, undisciplined mind. "Yoga is everywhere because yoga is in everything i see." - coach ilg
goblin spires, spiraling pines, inspiring sky
in morbid irony of a much sensationalized accident, my run came to a quick stop as my gumption to climb up a slot canyon suddenly caused this boulder to crush my left arm. as fate would have it, i had to cut off my own arm using only my teeth! after cell phoning Tom Brokaw to see if he could interview ME about MY CUT OFF ARM ACCIDENT, he replied, "Screw you, ilg...that is old news!" Dejected about the loss of free publicity (since no one ever interviews me about how to stay SAFELY INTACT after 2 decades of extreme sports), Ananda helped me sew back my arm using nearby Mullein and Yucca fibers. 
Earth Sister Ananda climbs up a slot canyon, both arms intact
sunlight shafted rock (5)
whispers of eternity (7)
mesmerizing chi (5)
buns of steel, walls of sand
Ananda holds out some choice Obsidian and some very healing Quartz Crystals. Before the White Man came, terminated crystals would protrude outward from these sandstone spires by the millions, catching sunlight and amplifying the Earth Energy, these Red Rock cliffs would literally dazzle the eye like a natural chandelier. 
For reasons of greed, the White Man felt obliged to snap off all the imbedded Crystals (see above evidence) to sell them at New Age bookstores and catalogs. 
well time had come to run back down the trail, hop on Sudhamani and crank off a 1,500', 28 mile uphill Time Trial to our home. Averaging 19.3mph, i was beneath the Sacred Peak and back to Online Teaching in 1:27:32. God, thank you for blessing me the courage to remain true to my Path, true to my Practice, and true to my Sangha. I feel Blessed for being brave enough to stay fit and strong, supple and serene. I can't imagine my life without being Wholistically Fit...
it's
just
too...
FUN!
May this entry inspire you to shoot your own Arrow Of Truth
into your everyday fitness and purify your life
within the Hallowed Heat of your Sweat(lodge)...
go now, Noble Fitnesss Warriors!
and be Brave Within.
special thanks to my Beloved Ananda...
namaste,
the mountain yogi
WHO IS THE OUTER TEACHER?
Who is the outer teacher? None other than the embodiment and voice and representative of our inner teacher. The master whose human shape and human voice and wisdom we come to love with a love deeper than any other in our lives is none other than the external manifestation of the mystery of our own inner truth. What else could explain why we feel so strongly connected to him or her?
- Sogyal Rinpoche
{Shown above, WF Teachers Ananda and Coach Ilg with one of their titanium children, "Grunt," shortly after some Mountain Duathon training. The most genuine Teachers do not pamper or attempt to hook you into their 'system' or their 'school'...the authentic Teacher merely Serves and attempts to shine an external Light on a Student's hidden potential(s). The spiritual Teachers who are strong in their stance, never attempt to lead Students around their bodies..instead, they Teach them to use their precious bodies as a Vehicle of Transformation. Only through sweat is the spirit made pure. Photo by Student Shel.}
July 26, 2005
REGARDING TODAY'S DL!
Dear Coach,
Ooohhh � Student Singer is smooth.
Gotta love this tribe!
Love you, love me, love all of us!
Student a.
TEMPLE NOTICES; 7*26*05
Hear Ye, Here Ye!
(Please adjust into elegant posture and conscious breath, if not already assumed.)
The Schedule for our Summer, 2005 WHOLISTIC FITNESS IMMERSION at Red Mountain Spa can be found here:
http://www.redmountainspa.com/_calendar_events/ilg.html
***
DON'T SKIP THE ABS OF THE HP PROP WORKOUT DVD!
Coach Ilg working private with Movement Educator, Shelli, on the Yoga Deck at the WF Home Temple. Notice the PROP BLOCKS ready to be used as slaying weapons of the ego and strengthening tools of the spirit.- photo by Ananda.
If you skip past the opening core-strengthening sequence of my HP Prop DVD, you do great dishonor to the intelligence and long years of choreographical perfection that results in the hallmark HP Yoga physique, focus, and energetic development. Skipping over the opening 17 minutes of the DVD screws up my Pre-Fatigue Check Dam, a device so that you don't hurt yourself while doing movements like the Compression Lateral Flexion movement shown above.
It has come to my awareness, that some of you HP Prop DVD Warriors are attempting to Skip past the opening Abdominal Sequence. I have designed the DVD so that you cannot just jump past this critical opening 17 minute sequence. This is for your safety. I choreograph the intelligent strength fitness of my exclusive Prop Workouts by pre-fatiguing certain elements of the core so that when we enter the dastardly fun middle section choreography of the workout, you don't rip your paraspinals, intercostals, and other assistive musculature during spinal twists, lateral flexions, backbends, etc. If you skip over the opening 17 minutes your phasic musculature will be too strong for your postural muscles and you'll either hurt yourself, mar the optimal and renown HP Yoga training effect within the various body/mind levels, and what's worse is that you continue thinking like the mainstream; like there is somewhere "better" you should be! Trust me. Don't skip the opening 17 minutes of the Prop Workout; ever. Either do JUST the first 17 minutes, as i suggest on the DVD, or do the FULL PROP WORKOUT. Don't just try to do the second half of the Practice; that is predictably Western, Type A thinking and that is a fine way to get yourself hurt.
Accept the Prop Workout Teaching fully, genuinely, and, well, sweatingly!
i bow to your Devoted Prop Workouts! Nothing like em!
namaste,
coach ilg
creator/HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA and originator of HP PROP WORKOUTS
July 25, 2005
Kindred Spirit Ananda,
i was deeply touched by Coach Ilg's dedication to you in his DL eariler this
month. i could feel the warmth of his words and the sincerity behind them,
as i am sure you did as well. i was also moved by the poem that you carry
with you from your Mother. it is was so simple, yet profound.
in my leisure time i enjoy the art of scrapbooking. a long way from WF, i
know, but for me, it is just as sacred. on Sunday mornings I will often
sneak out of bed before the furry of the day ahead in order to work on my
latest project in earnest. for me, it is not only about preserving our
cherished photos, but it is a revitalizing way to express my inner
creativity and give thanks for my Family and the experiences, adventures and
lessons in my Life. through my scrapbooking projects i explore my values,
my beliefs and my humanity.
the reason i share this with you is because i wanted also to share with you
a special project that i recently completed - a card for my little nephew
Karl (many people in my family share this wonderful name, it is not a type-o
:-). Karl was born on December 21st and lives in Denmark with my brother
Greg and sister-in-law Sophie. the physical distance between us means that
we do not often get to see one another - so it was only during their recent
trip to Canada that i first met little Karl. as i am sure you can imagine,
he was a very bubbly little guy, not yet inhibited by his ego. i was
looking for a way to tell little Karl what an honour it was to finally meet
him, and share with him the things in life that i have learned to be true.
then I read DL - and there it was - the poem that you carry with you from your
mother - it could not have been more Devine.
so, i have attached a couple of pictures of the card I created for Karl, and
i hope that you will understand my obligation to share your poem with yet
another generation. the power of one person is really something to behold.
With Deepest Gratitude and Respect,
jennifer macphee
{Editor's Note; both Karl and Jennifer have appeared in DL's ragin and colorful past...and both will be attending
the WF Tribal Gathering at www.redmountainspa.com this August! the PROMISE YOURSELF poem to which Jennifer
refers can be found in the DL Archives; 7*17*05}
{Coach Ilg Adds: Noble Jennifer! study the WF Scriptures! your beautiful, mindful art of scrapbooking
is not by any means a 'long way from WF"...in fact, it fulfills perfectly my description of "Passive Meditation"
first scribed in the early eighties! still, too many non-Online Students associate WF with brutish physicality,
when truly, if they study the Work, they quickly realize that WF is a Lifestyle, not a Torture Chamber! i bow to and am honored by your embrace of "Promise Yourself." really, really cool!...and DEFINITELY WF!}
Namaste� Noble WF Teacher Ananda
Thank you again for fulfilling my request. I wait patiently for the arrival of Coach Ilg's
Stream Entry CD.
Please except the gift of this picture as thanks. The picture was taken by my daughter. The lily grows in the pond in my backyard where I meditate. There is also a small waterfall. It is very pleasant.
Hear the waterfall (5)
Individual droplets (7)
Joining the great sea (5)
Blessings,
Thomas Ward
{Warrior Ward just entered the SUNRIDER Herb Temple under WF Teacher KO...WELCOME TO THE HERBS, THOMAS!... BUCKLE UP!}
STUDENT INPUT! "It's Nice For A Coach To Be Coached!"
"After browsing your entire book and now, only 17 pages actually read ('Total Body Transformation'), I felt compelled to contact you at once! Here is why;
I teach my clients, the general public and anyone who is willing to listen the same principals as you, I am in love with and Distribute Sunrider as well, and it is so freakin' amazing to be inspired again to take my practice deeper. In not so many words, It is so nice for a coach to be coached!
Thank-you, Thank-you, Thank-you!
Melanie Wierenga
Edmonton, AB"
*
STUDENT SINGER SINGS HIS OWN PRASIES and INSIGHTS FROM TODAY's DL
WF Online Student Mike Singer has turned on other Seekers to the Wholistic Fitness Temple just by his own Transformation. Noble Student Singer has been an Online Student of WF Teacher Haku since October, 2004 and lives in Seattle.
*
Noble Ilg,
I read DL this morning with a big inner smile, because so much of what you wrote in your response to Vikram resonated with what I wrote in my Cycle Summation to Coach Haku late last night. I tell you this not because I'm proud of how "wise" I've become, but because I think it's important for a teacher to know that his wisdom is successfully making the mysterious and precarious trickle down the training hierarchy to his student's students. You talk about Appropriate Action and the "three levels of motivation." I thought I'd share my thoughts on the subject from my Summation, which seem like a nice echo of your own:
"It's not a matter of using my mind to externally motivate my muscles from without to push Push! PUSH! like you see most guys doing in the gym
it's more a matter of moving my awareness down deep INTO my muscles and moving energy into every fiber from WITHIN
moving energy into every fiber by BEING every fiber. A nice way to eat. A nice way to move. A nice way to live."
and
"I always find it odd that we humans have to set aside time to "practice" what other animals just do naturally. I've learned an incredible amount about yoga and life by watching my girlfriend's cats. Can you imagine a cat going through an entire day without doing "yoga?" I watch them, and I'm in awe. Of their breath. Of their posture. Of their mindful movement, mindful stillness, mindful eating, mindful sleeping. No multitasking here. Every moment of every day their presence seems connected to a naturalness, and infused with a divinity, that I can only describe as exquisitely "right." There is much for them to learn as they grow, but little for them to unlearn. Not so with us humans. And so
my yoga practice is where I go to retreat away from the societal, familial, and self-imposed burdens that hide me from me. I breathe, I move, I breathe again. And after a few minutes, an hour, I find that I'm not so much changed by the practice but REVEALED like a sculpture carved from stone. And if I look carefully as I roll up my mat, I swear I can sometimes see a little pile of chiseled stone on the floor. There's an interesting meditation in here somewhere, I think: Roll to the right, rise from Savasana, and walk out of the room. Pause, and visualize the yogic janitor sweeping all the little piles of accumulated baggage into a dust pan. Where does he take it?"
and in response to a question Coach Haku posed to his students about the difference between right and wrong:
"Right is dharma, wrong is adharma. But it's all relative and depends on the context. The big picture? To work in accordance with the 'divine will' is right. To work in opposition to the 'divine will' is wrong. But what is this 'divine will' anyway? THAT is why we should meditate, practice yoga, etc. To gain for ourselves an experiential (as opposed to intellectual) understanding of what 'right' is in the largest possible sense of the word. It's easy to watch a cat's natural tendency to be 'right,' to align itself with the divine will. It's far, far, more difficult to BECOME a cat."
And that...is why we practice. Thanks for the continuous flow of inspired and inspiring thoughts....
Onward!
Humble Student Singer
THE WF ESSENTIALS!
Dearest Coach,
I bow to your integrity to the practice ...
I have now come to not 'expect' any sort of response from you dear coach, you never fail to surprise. Only now I can accept your teachings more humbly. Not in anger this time but with a smile :)
Yours,
kristi
P.S I have attached a pics of my newly acquired warrior essentials (notice the silver swiss ball under my feet beside the yoga toes and SR bottle)
STANFORD UNIVERSITY PROJECT
the Skin of the Soul of Stanford turned inside out...
There is a reason you don't see my words and images in certain magazines...i grant interviews
to those where i sense Sincerity, not column square inches. gaining fame is not my Dharma,
training those Finders, like 51 year young, WF Online Student Shelli....is! Above; coach ilg living
his Dharma with Student Shel on his backyard "2-Tree Duathlon" course in Flagstaff. photo by Ananda.
Like the weak flower gropes for and yet glances the Sun,
i periodically accept questions from mainstream yoga and fitness media.
not often, though. our humble Path flies Higher than most and our philosophies and techniques
get abused by those who do not Study the work directly.
yet, i bow all those who, for one reason or another, have been attracted to our Diamond Body, Crystal Mind
Path of Wholistic Fitness.
my reasons for such chronic turning down of free publicity and advertisting
can be found in my WF Lifestyle Principle #3.
Over the past couple of weeks,
i have been touched by a particular Seeker, Vikram, from Stanford University
(i told you our Path flies Higher than most!)
who is working on a Psychology Project.
Following is an excerpt...perhaps, i will publish the entire Interview at a later date.
May it benefit your own Practice,
Coach Ilg
****
Dear Coach Ilg,
First and foremost, thank you for your time, thoughts, and wisdom in your responses. I truly appreciate it.
� you are welc(om)e.
i Sense that you do...
Sadhu Vikram, your communication with me is for your Project only on a superficial Level.
there are many other Levels involved,
and on one particular Level, you writing me and i answering
it is what the Tibetan Teachers would call a "Contact Vehicle" (for a Transmission).
QUESTION: It may be presumptuous of me to assume that this happens to you, but in your physical workouts and competitions, what is the inner motivation/drive, or the inner dialogue that is going on to get you to push yourself harder?
COACH ILG:
When you develop Chi,
there is no need for Motivation.
Motivation comes from the Outer.
Appropriate Action comes from the Inner.
Wholistic Fitness training, multi-disciplined lifestyle exercise,
is
the most Appropriate Action a wise human could possibly embrace for their
long term health, fitness, and spiritual growth.
Does a tiger need motivation to hunt when hungry?
Does the falcon need motivation to tuck in her wings to ramp up more speed for a strike?
Does the Glacier Lily in a mountain snowfield require motivation to push herself up through the ice to grow in the short summer season?
No, they just Do.
"Just Do It"
as a former Sponsor of mine put it.
The appropriately trained Fitness Warrior requires no motivation to pursue lifestyle exercise
for he realizes that breathing and moving each day is utterly, indelibly natural.
The realization of Natural Fitness,
is so...natural!
So is the absurd waste of not pushing into our Higher Selves
and appreciating the Divine Gift of a fit body/mind/spirit.
Motivation is a Vibrational density.
It originates from instinctive, karmic, and egoic structures before being transcended
into spiritual architecture.
For those new to Wholistic Fitness philosophy, i teach three Levels of Motivation:
* outer motivation (comes in the form of perky personal trainers, coffee, drugs {prescribed or not}, headphones, music, magazines, etc)
* inward motivation (comes from within)
* Divine motivation (comes from a Higher Source/Joy/Wisdom) 
A Teacher is often required to shine a Light onto a new Student's awareness of where he or she is choosing to be 'motivated.' Often, pre-conditions from the Outer World (society)
cloud the common fitness enthusiast with a veil of ignorance regarding the Source of their motivation.
In other words, many bodybuilders lift weights
never realizing it is not the body that they are after.
Many are adept at Meditation
without ever having a Realization.
Wholistic Fitness appeals to those Fitness Warriors already inwardly motivated and are at least open to the notion of drawing personal growth or spiritual
growth lessons from within the context of their Personal Fitness practices.
QUESTION: what is getting you to, let�s say, bike harder or faster or longer, �when the going gets tough�?
COACH ILG:
...the Chi.
the accumulative Wisdom, Energy, and Poetics that is the Training Effect from Abhyasa (steady Practice).
often, Less is More.
if you are trying too hard, your technique is off.
technique is not about restraint, it's about freedom...
releasing the Inner Trigger and being able to Flow.
QUESTION: Do you Ever get in a negative mood about anything � situations out your control, workouts, annoying students emailing you about a project J, even for 5 seconds, and what do you do to change that?
COACH ILG: {smiling}....
5 seconds? yep, you nailed it! that's what my years of doing the Work have produced, my ability to whittle down negativity to 5 seconds!
let me say two things;
1) it is not best to ask questions relative to my personal Practice....i have been at this a long time and my answers would cause confusion and inspire doubt to those new to transpersonal fitness,
and
2) though i cannot recall the last time i was in a negative "mood"...if such a mood happens upon me, i tell you this; i would not attempt to "change" it. i would, as a yogi, accept it. learn from it. i would know it as something indispensable to my growth and capacities! i was taught by my Teachers to "Always embrace. Never run away." This is known as Accepting Ones Throwing Karma.
QUESTION: From my perspective, the situations you have overcome are amazing and not to be taken lightly � broken spine, qualifying for 5 World Championships in 4 physiologically different sports. Is there not any special place for the accomplishment of these events in you, as I have seen them mentioned in your book �Total Body Transformation�, on your website (one of them), and in this conversation?
COACH ILG:
well,
1) this is a humble Path...
the sheer Steepness and Humble Nature of it
filters out the Seekers and retains only the Finders.
my Work only works with the latter.
QUESTION: I bring this up because I went to my first yoga class two days ago,
COACH ILG: {interrupting}
good for YOU!!!!!!
i bow to your efforts in self cultivation!
QUESTION: with a teacher teaching the Iyengar Yoga style. Today, I wanted some more information and found this site on the internet - http://www.bksiyengar.com/modules/Guruji/achieve.htm . This specific page is about the Yogi�s achievements and I am just curious as to your thoughts about this relating to pride. 
COACH ILG:
all i have to say is this;
Mr. Iyengar has helped many people, including myself, reMember with the Light of Yoga. I have not seen many Iyengar teachers on the Start Line of multi-disciplined races. The Iyengar tradition is from a Lineage different than my Teachers. I was taught that Strength and Endurance must develop Suppleness, otherwise, the Suppleness is non functional and impure.
The Truth is One, the Paths leading there are many.
QUESTION:
Coach Ilg,
Thank you so much for your time and effort into helping me. I have learned a lot about you and surprisingly much about myself during this conversation, and I feel that I am better for it. Thank you,
Sincerely,
Vikram
COACH:
i consider it honor to have Been Here for you...
may you be Brave and Honest in your pursuit of that which Leads you.
just be true to the Dharma as It flows through you.
my Humble Temple would love to you see you one day
study within her halls...
thus begins your inner odyssey,
namaste,
coach ilg
**
photos:
#1) Coming this week to DL; my Private Intensive with amazing WF Warrioress Shelli. photo by Ananda
#2) Ananda and her bike, 'Grunt'...lost again somewhere near the entrance of Walnut Canyon, an ancient energetic portal of the southwest. There are so many trails and forest roads webbing through the wilderness around Flagstaff that even the elk get lost. photo by ilg.
#3) To explore the bowels of Mother Earth, one needs a light to brave the sensory deprivation. In spiritual fitness training, one requires the wisdom of a Teacher to navigate the current spiritual Dark Age (Kali Yuga), otherwise, one easily gets confused by the overwhelming input of entertainment, noise, gossip, and false prophets. Headlight on, Ananda prepares to enter the mystical Lava Cave; one mile of utter darkness. The descent into and through this Earth Nadic line is empowering, each breath is pure Pran from the freezing subterranean temperatures. i am training Ananda to encounter her Fear and to sit in utter darkness, deprived of senses, for her advanced WF Teacher Training. I consider such training, Bardo Training; entry into the dying realms requires the casting off all senses, all attachments, and a very fit Consciousness. more on the Lava Cave coming to DL. ilg archives.
#4) Coach Ilg has attained the covers of International Media since 1985, yet he does not rest upon, nor attempt to gain fame by his recognition from the Outer World. "Just be true to the Dharma as It flows through you," he advises.
#5) yesterday; The Backyard Buddha at the WF Temple. ilg archives.
July 24, 2005
THANK YOU LANCE!
As deep a Warrior Bow as i can muster
and
on behalf of my Worldwide Warrior Sangha who sweat each day to See higher sides our ourselves,
i congratulate Lance Armstrong,
Mighty Legged Warrior,
Winner of 7 Tour de France's
and Cancer Yogin,
who shows us all what the
face of simple human determination truly looks like.
May all Beings realize the absolute indomitable nature of the Human Spirit
and Rise Above our negative tendencies and challenges
to ride our own body, mind, and spirit to the top step of our own podiums.
Lance,
thank you, Warrior Brother.
you inspire many.
Sincerely,
coach ilg
broken back survivor/multi World Championship competitor
July 20, 2005
DIRECT LINES CLOSES
for Two Days as Coach Ilg
Is In A Private Training Intensive.
Enjoy reviewing the DL Archives for a massive amount of unmatched
body/mind CHI, training information, and inspiration from our amazing worldwide tribe of WF Warriors!
and...
May your Practice of Sweat and Stillness be of benefit to others...
namaste,
coach ilg
***
Blessings Noble Teacher Ananda,
When meditation is practiced outdoors, is there a preferred direction to face?
�Namaste,
TW
Beautiful Warrior, Thomas
Coach Ilg says to face the following direction;
In-ward!!!
head bowed,
teacher ananda
***
Imagine that you had gone all your life without ever washing, and then one day you decide to take a shower. You start scrubbing away, but then watch in horror as the dirt begins to ooze out of the pores of your skin and stream down your body. Something must be wrong: You were supposed to be getting cleaner and all you can see is grime. You panic and fling yourself out of the shower, convinced that you should never have begun. But you only end up even more dirty than before. You have no way of knowing that the wisest thing to do is to be patient and to finish the shower. It may look for a while as if you are getting even dirtier, but if you keep on washing, you will emerge fresh and clean. It�s all a process, the process of purification.
Whenever doubt arises, see it simply as an obstacle, recognize it as an understanding that is calling out to be clarified or unblocked, and know that it is not a fundamental problem but simply a stage in the process of purification and learning. Allow the process to continue and complete itself, and never lose your trust or resolve. This is the way followed by all the great practitioners of the past, who used to say: �There is no armor like perseverance.�
- Sogyal Rinpoche
For Those Of You Attending the WF Summer Retreat at Red Mountain Spa:
{Above, storm clouds roll over Red Mtn...view from the Wholistic Fitness rooms at Red Mountain Spa}
Notice!
We only have two more spots open for this exclusive Wholistic Fitness experience with Coach Ilg!
contact me immediately (see sign off) if you can make it!!
If you are planning to drive to Red Mountain Spa and are using MAPQUEST.com
please note that the address that MAPQUEST.com has is going to take you into a suburb...not the spa!
Thus, where MAPQUEST.com directions inform you to get onto BLUFF ST...
do this:
*Follow BLUFF until you can take SNOW CANYON PARKWAY (for most of you, this will be a LEFT).
*Stay on SNOW CANYON PARKWAY for 5 miles
* RIGHT into Red Mountain Spa driveway.
* Follow signs to GUEST CHECK IN
enjoy the Adventure getting to the Adventure Spa!
pilgrimage is part of the experience!
{coach after riding the famous roller coaster mountain bike trail near Red Mountain Spa; The Bear Claw Poppy Trail}
see you in August at www.RedMountainSpa.com!
- Ananda
joytrain@npgcable.com
WF SEEDS...another Ripple on the Internet
a couple of months ago, a fan wrote me about WF. he wanted to do a WF Blog on his own, since my Path has influenced his life and training so much. after making sure he put a few copyright symbols here and there, and acknowledged www.wholisticfitness.com and DL as the Root Teachings for his Blog...i gave Student Mount my Blessings.
in a cybersea of gossip, porn, and enter-tainment, we have a WF Tribal Brother brave enough to speak and share his own sweat soaked Truth about the transformative power of wisely crafted personal fitness. Please, stop by Paul's little WF Stupa on the internet and give some in-couragement to him every now and then!
Student Mount, i applaud your efforts at inner-attainment and may your Coach Ilg Approved WF Blog prove positive merit for others as you learn from your own Inner Workouts along the WF Way...
Dharma Blessings in cyberspace,
Coach Ilg
creator/Wholistic Fitness Personal Training since 1982
**
Wholistic Fitness Training
THIS IS THE STORY OF MY JOURNEY IN WHOLISTIC FITNESS� , USING THE ROADMAP PROVIDED BY STEVE ILG IN HIS BOOK TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION. BLOGGING I HOPE WILL HELP ME WITH MY STRUGGLE TOWARDS MINDFULNESS, AND PERHAPS I CAN HELP OTHERS, TOO.
PAUL MOUNT
LOCATION:STATE COLLEGE, PA
http://wftraining.blogspot.com/
July 19, 2005
MORE SECRET THAN SECRET...
"Thus the knowledge
that is more secret than the secret
has been explained to you by Me.
After fully reflecting on this,
do as you wish."
- Bhagavad Gita (18:63)
{above; L-R; The Fullness of the Resort of Meditation; Charlie our Cat Being, Engleman Asters our Flower Beings, Ananda our Human Being, "Red Fox Deck" our Timber Beings, et. al.}
Namaste, Noble Ones~
ananda here wanting you to know that i am still not
receiving some of your emails,
so head bowed in apology if you have written to me or
WF Headquarters and have not heard a response.
please send all inquiries and communications regarding
WF to me at:
joytrain@npgcable.com
also, thank you for your Practice of patience with our
Tribal Catalog. our beautiful WF webmaster, Hak, says all should be
up and running smoothly now.
In peace and faithful service,
ananda
Wholistic Fitness� manager and teacher
Coach Ilg,
your recent DLs have been almost spooky. For a few days in a row the subject matter was eerily the answer to some thoughts and feelings running in my head. Your " Political" commentary entry came the morning after I watched Fahrenheit 9/11 and Same Sex America. I went to bed completely depressed about the state of our government and it's leaders. Another perfectly timed D. L chi hit! Thanks!
Much love and respect to you both!
Student T
HP PROP: TOUGHEST THING ON RECORDED VIDEO
Coach, I have just two things to say:
Ananda is a lucky woman
and 
Your yoga prop workout is the toughest thing I've ever
seen on recorded media. That means, I will do it 500
times if that's what it takes to make it through the
whole thing. I love the challenge.
Kerry
P.S. I hate spelling and grammar errors myself.
Mindless writing. It shows no respect for the
recipient.
MOUNTAIN YOGI SIDDHIS: RACING IN THE HEAT 
{last summer in LA: mounted upon my trusty pony, "Nalanda"... cranking up "paved Reseda" in brutal heat enroute to a PR on the famous leg breaker; Reseda-To-The-Sea mountain bike course. photo; Ananda.}
Coach,
I did my sprint workout today, and did pretty good.� One thing I am noticing, however, is that in the heat and humidity I am having trouble breathing.� I had asthma as a kid, and bronchitis, and it feels like that.� I have been taking Conco, 2 tablets 2X daily.� Anything else?
Love, feather
Most Noble Feather,
Training and racing in the heat and humidity...
nothing more sapping. when we were Tribal, we would hunker low in cool caves, seeking shade and ventilation from Sister Breeze.
Doing hard core berserko workouts in such weather is truly not very smart for such a 'smart' modern warriors of the sweat.
Oh well, right? Gotta train.
Indeed, keep the Conco herbs coming in to feed and support directly the Respiratory system; excellent call. Some other yogic tricks of the trade include;
{though technically not a 'backbend', your performance of 'visvamatriasana' will not look too elegant unless you've done the rib cage expansion and intercostal 'ungluing' necessary to rotate the torso as shown above. the Journey toward enjoying these poses will erase most respiratory dis-eases and afflictions which the Outer World terms, "chronic" and dispenses spirit-bleeding pills to 'treat'. the genuine yogi always looks within for the answer...as Hubbel said, "The motive for a deed usually changes during its performance." we might begin by doing asana to help our asthma, for instance, then as we continue our Practice, we realize that the Asthma was nothing but a Spiritual Wake Up Call...are you tough enough to answer the Call, or continue Seeking outside yourself?}
Backbends:
increasing your backbends in asana serves a number of helpful purposes for handling both genetic and environmentally induced respiratory challenges. A couple of these benefits is expansion of the pulmonary CT, enhanced vasoelasticity, bronchial dilation, and invigoration of the subtle energy flows within the nadic and chakral systems.
Pranayam:
while you are working out, you can internally cool your core temperature by engaging Sitali Pranayama here and there.� i used it frequently in LA, have engaged it mightily while doing ultra racing through Death Valley, and even yesterday when Flag's temperature climbed into the 90's...the heat and some wildfire smoke was getting to me, so, i cranked off a few rounds of Sitali and my pace during my duathlon workout never faltered.��Remember, the genuine yogi always looks within for the answer.
this 'internal cooling technique' is perform thusly;
Sitali (Tongue hissing)
During inhalation, curl up both edges of the tongue so that it forms a kind of tube. Breathe in through this tube. During inhalation the air passes over the moist tongue, cooling down and refreshing the throat. In order to be sure that the tongue remains moist, roll it back as far as possible against the palate. Do this during the entire exhalation so that the next breath is just as refreshing as the first. The resulting tongue position may appear more like the lower portion of a bird's beak than a tube, but variable opening or closing of the tube-like passage in the folded tongue, in cooperation with faster or slower inhalation, makes possible variations in loudness and softness and smoothness of the reversed hissing sound. Again, a cooling effect may be noted and, indeed, sought through this and the foregoing technique whenever needed. The tongue is drawn back into the mouth and the lips are closed at the end of inhalation. We can breathe out either through the throat or alternately through the nostrils.
May be cooling Breath be with you
like the Kachina breeze among the aspens...
love,
the mountain yogi
July 18, 2005
***
Hey Coach Ilg,
Thanks for the nice response and to see it in DL, was incredible.
What do you think Lance would be doing if he was on the Sunrider
Herbs, along with his Powerbars--He would probably have a 10 minute
Lead.
You have such an incredible force (CHI) that comes out in your
Writings and photo's you post on DL.
One thing on Sport caps should I add them to my routine with the
Ilg supreme and FD/Calli? I just did a nice 30 mile canyon ride
on my rode bike and I only took in 2 bottles of FD and an Ilg
Supreme beforehand and felt strong as an ox going up the hills...
I'm sure the Sport Caps will give me even more POWER.
Thanks again,
Refuse to be average,
Scott
*
Noble Student Scott,
i bow to your metta.
like you, all i do is keep my WF Practices and intake of SR Herbs as strong and consistent and sincere as possible, so that i may Feel and Hear most Accurately that Divinity which dances nonstop before all of us. to this day, i just cannot believe how beautiful it feels to be alive and part of It All! We are all soooo Blessed!
Yes, use the Sport Caps, those tremendous Ignition Plugs of Chi, as you would powerful medicine. Use them whenever you need to really FEEL THE CHI! Glad to hear you feeling the Power of Being Light!
"Less effort creates more results."
WF Maxim
May the Breath be with beautiful you,
coach ilg
Wholistic Fitness Email Teachings
by Coach Ilg
"Your Workout Is Everywhere."
- WF maxim
Your workout is everywhere...especially in your breath and posture as you write emails, and...for most of us, the more difficult workout is remaining conscious in your email word choices! photo by waynewilliamsstudio.com
***
"Yep, Coach used to nail my ass to the wall and back when i was first a WF Student...spelling errors, grammatical flaws, rushing my sentences...i hated it back then when he did that...i did not See the Connection
between his unrelenting attacks on my feeble spelling errors and my Journey of Awakening through Fitness. i am so thankful that he took those risks to lose me by his Fierce Grace in mining spiritual Teachings from everything...including emails!"
- WF Certified Teacher and Master Student, Joseph "Haku" Sheader
Most Noble New Student,
did you get 'bit' by one of my infamous WF Email Teachings?
well, harbor
no worries and there is certainly no need to be sorry.
the new language of Email, is yet another extension of human commune-ication.
i trust the Buddha, Jesus, or any great Prophet, Seer, Poet, or Yogic Master
would have lovingly embraced and use skillfully the internet and email
as a wonderful Vehicles of their Dharma (see the past years of DL, for instance).
having had the opportunity to be photographed as a model by 7 World Class Photographers
over my life, i realized that the best photographers did not get upset by the raging influence of
'computerized capabilities' to produce, edit, and enhance the world of photography. the best
photographers embraced the new digital photography and maintained their superior integrity.
when the Internet and email first began, i saw no reason why my own LifeWork should not thrive in a new era. although i had began WF by providing personalized correspondence in handwritten, sumi ink, bound printed matter, as Bob Dylan sings, "The times...they are a changin'."
i am very happy to have been the first personal trainer to have 'created' Online Training. i adapted my Work to the fashion and pioneered a new Way to Teach. today, thousands have been helped through Wholistic Fitness Online service and through DIRECT LINES; Daily Meditations From Coach Ilg, which still remains an entirely free Vehicle for all who wish to learn from genuine, authentic Path of Spiritual Growth through devoted Personal Fitness.
WF Temple Email Basics
in the Outer World, there are certain Email Basic Symbols such as
:-) = smiling
;-) = smiling/winking
:-0 = laughing
and when someone WRITES IN ALL CAPS
it means that they are SHOUTING
in WF Online Training,� it is our Tradition (which began before the Internet was even invented)
to constantly mine our emails for fragmented thought expressed through unskillful writing,
Word Choices (thus, my WF Word Choice Guru), spelling errors (thus, my WFSG or Wholistic Fitness Spelling Guru), etc.
i created all these as Tools of Awareness to keep blurring the line between "formal" personal growth Practice in things like zen, yoga, etc.,
and where such things matter most; our everyday demeanor and patterns of word, thought, emotion, and action.
another example of laziness in emailing is not providing a simple Salutation; such as "Dear Coach," for example.�
or not politely signing off; such as, "Namaste!...Mr. Jones."
the use of capitals in my humble yet proven Path�
is designed to function as literary inflections...i use most capitals to inflect a hint of the Divine, or something that is spiritually noteworthy or out of respect
among 'regular' word structure.� for example, to practice Humility,� i will often keep my name small case or expressed as "i" while Capitalizing the names of those to whom i am writing.
you may also see me and my WF Online Teachers use parenthesis to offset cleverly hidden DharmaWords hidden within regular words.� writing the phrase,
"Welcome h(om)e" is such an example.
all of these Email Teachings of mine, and now expressed through our worldwide WF Sangha, are never to be taken 'person-all-y'...for WF is spiritual training.� we use these Email Teachings to SLOW OUR MIND WAVES down!� �largely, i created these Email Teachings from the following quote of a great Yogin after being in the business and position of answering hundreds of emails from fans, friends, and students the world over.� i realized that most people were not consciously valuing the amazing miracle of the Internet, they were not appreciating it, and they were being quite impolite and disrespectful.� just because we can whip off an email to anyone does not mean that we are not barging into their precious Time...
"There is more to life than merely accelerating its speed."
- Gandhi
i bow to your standing-under of these WF Temple Teachings and look forward to your next consciously written email. an unconsciously written email is like littering upon Mother Earth; it pollutes our UniVerse.
wherever you write,
whoever you write,
make it your Practice to be kind, helpful, and honest.
this is the yogic Way.
this is the WF Warrior Way in a modern world addicted to speedy, unconsciousness.
namaste!
coach ilg
creator/Wholistic Fitness�
{editor note; unlike any other world level athlete, yoga teacher, and international book author, our amazing coach handles an incomprehensible amount of worldwide emails...for free! this may not be able to continue for long, however, over the past 20 years, his passion for helping all who knock on his Temple Door; politely or not...should serve to strengthen our own Practice in the Email Yoga Realm!...Temple Manager, Ananda}
"...transform into a new person."
Hello,
My name is Scott C and I am writing because I have seen such a huge change in one of my best friends, Mike Singer. Over the past year I have watched him transform into a new person. Or rather himself. He and I have spoken often about the guidance you've provided him. I am interested in the possibility of getting to know you and learning about the philosophies and skills that drive you with the hope that I too can find the path to being what I know I am capable of.
When you have a moment, please do write or call as I am looking forward to at least learning more about my options.
Cheers,
Scott
July 17, 2005
CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON
***
"I don't climb mountain,
Mountain climbs me.
Mountain is myself.
I climb on myself."
- Nanao Sakaki
***
Two people have been living in you all your life. One is the ego, garrulous, demanding, hysterical, calculating; the other is the hidden spiritual being, whose still voice of wisdom you have only rarely heard or attended to. As you listen more and more to the teachings, contemplate them, and integrate them into your life, your inner voice, your innate wisdom of discernment, what we call in Buddhism �discriminating awareness,� is awakened and strengthened, and you begin to distinguish between its guidance and the various clamorous and enthralling voices of ego. The memory of your real nature, with all its splendor and confidence, begins to return to you.
You will find, in fact, that you have uncovered in yourself your own wise guide, and as the voice of your wise guide, or discriminating awareness, grows stronger and clearer, you will start to distinguish between its truth and the various deceptions of the ego, and you will be able to listen to it with discernment and confidence.
- Sogyal Rinpoche
***
re; DL 7*16:
Steve,
Excellent DL and timely for many, as usual...i am sure!
thank you for being a conduit.
I bow,
teacher haku
***
dear coach,
�
a moment?
�
the past
few dl's have been
ab-salute-ly
in-standing!
�
i bow to you
and ananda.
�
love,
student dc and princess leilani
***
Dear TFO,
Amazing DL's...Also, i'm wondering when Dr. Chen is going to put you on his "board of advisers"!� �
Om Shanti,
ko
***
"In the name of honor,
men have acted ignobly.
in the name of peace,
men have declared war."
my Teachers taught me:
"It is far wiser to remain honorable in silence
than to be dishonorable in speech."
***
dear coach,
i really taf that if you had not broken your back, and rode professionally in the 80's-90's...that lemond might not have won
a single tour...and the face of nutrition would have been radically changed in the public eye..
oh well i guess for now..
us lucky ones will have in-joy our treasure..
while the other (s)tumble!
re: my SUNRIDER HERB JOURNEY
hell ya do i wanna be light( both weight wise and glowing)
i kn(ow) that by trusting you, the herbs,
that i'm trusting me...and starting to really love me..
which means i can love life/others even more.
i love the loss of 2.5lbs all-ready!( in 1 week).
love,
dc
PROMISE YOURSELF
Dedicated to WF Teacher Ananada and my amazing Wholistic Fitness Sangha.
To Ananda, by far and away, the hardest working, most devoted, and loving Being who shows me, day after day, her remarkable Light. Through her tireless work to help guide my feeble leadership of this powerful, humble, and truly transformative Beacon of Transpersonal Fitness.
Ananda does not much speak of her mother...God Bless her soul. I do know that she was, like many who choose to parent; perhaps not quite ready, spiritually, to consciously Guide, protect, and cultivate another Human Being... particularly such a Being of Light as Ananda. I know that Ananda's mother gave her this poem, which she keeps near her. I know also, that Ananda has made its message a stalwart Point of her Practice for many years before coming into our WF Path.
I feel the alignment of the poem and WF Teachings are perfect. On this glorious morning, i dedicate it to Ananda...
and to you, my amazing Sangha of Wholistic Fitness.
May it help y(our) Practice grow strong and sincere,
coach ilg
creator/Wholistic Fitness
***
PROMISE YOURSELF
Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. 
To speak of health, happiness, and prosperity to every person that you meet.
To make all of your friends aware of the special qualities within them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and let your optimism work to make your dreams come true.
To think, work for, and expect, only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others, as you are about your own.
To forget past mistakes and press on towards a greater future.
To wear a cheerful countenance, at all times, as a smile radiates warmth and love. 
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. 
To be too wise for worry, too tolerant for anger, and too courageous for fear.
To be HAPPY.
- author unknown
***
Photos:
1: ananda portrait by waynewilliamsstudio.com
2: aspens, Kachina Wilderness. by Ananda
3: coach ilg speaking, by waynewilliamsstudio.com
4: coach ilg, Ron Jones, Keith Kostman, Roy Wallack before winning the 2004 Mens 4x4 Furnace Creek 508. photo: LA Times.
5: Ananda pauses for a breath beneath the Sacred Peak in our backyard Temple Training grounds; the Kachina Peaks Wilderness. photo by ilg.
6: coach ilg, full lotus sit ups. photo by ananda.
7: coach and Melissa Kai; 2004 HP Yogini of the Year. photo by Student Leu
8: Ananda's back, a genetic weak bodypart that she has re-shaped through WF training & SR herbs. photo by ilg.
9: photo at booksigning by waynewilliamsstudio.com
10: coach ilg navigating the Intensity Bardo of ultra racing, Death Valley. photo by LA Times.
11: coach ilg on "Conditional Spontaneity" 5.11+
12: Conditional Nirvana; mini doughnut and soy milk! photo by ilg.
July 16, 2005
Dearest Coach Ilg,
Thank you for sharing your Heart in DL on the 15th. In Silence, I Bow.
Namaste.
WF Online Student michael of Haku Clan
FAT MAN WALKING
http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=111956
"Everybody and his brother wants to sell you the solution, but the solution is inside your head," he says about weight loss. "They've got to reach into their own souls and do whatever is best for them. I don't think being overweight is so much a physical condition as a mental condition. You have to address all the problems at once and get them done."
- Fat Man Waking
TheFatManWalking.com
*
Noble Fat Man Warrior,
my name is coach ilg.
i, and my worldwide Sangha of body/mind fitness warriors, applaud your engaged, Appropriate Action to lose the fat.
we want you h(om)e after you reach the East Coast.
when you finish your Initiation Walk, let me know. we have much Work to do.
i shall, at that time, throw open my Temple Doors and offer you six months of free Wholistic Fitness� Online Training
without an Initial Fee so that you can carry through the spiritual and physical� dimensions of your fitness.
For the EarthWalk of all life,
i bow to you from beneath the Sacred Mountain,
coach ilg, ryt/uscf/cpt
author/Total Body Transformation
founder/www.wholisticfitness.com
complimentary Daily WF Meditation:
http://www.wholisticfitness.com/weblog/ilgblog.html
July 15, 2005
Ramana Maharishi on the Fate Of The Soul
"The fate of the soul is determined in accordance with its prabdha-karma.
What is not meant to happen will not happen, however much you wish it.
What is meant to happen will happen, no matter what you do to prevent it. This is certain.
Therefore the best path is to remain silent."
- Ramana Maharishi
photo arrangement by coach ilg
May you roll with the strength, sincerity and honesty
through your life challenges
like summer thunder over sacred peaks...
the abundance of rain falls everywhere without judgment;
keep yourself fertile through the steady intensity of your Practice
so when the rains come
you grow fast and beautiful.
Dharma Blessings to all who make the Connection with Wholistic Fitness; our humble
amazing Path of Transformation during a challenging time for humankind...
namaste,
coach ilg
the mountain yogi
July 14, 2005
Trish and Coach on: A WORLD CLASS SKIN CARE PROGRAM
"...it is impossible to separate 'Skin Care' from 'Nutrition'... They are one in the same. Feed your skin as wisely as you feed your stomach!"
- Coach Ilg
above, Coach Ilg's "skin" reveals that his SUNRIDER herb and skin care programs are paying off well into his forties even after a lifetime of extreme sports and intense weather conditions...photo by waynewilliamsstudio.com
"The radiance, odor, function, and elasticity of our skin are our most important biologic barometers for determining the overall health of our internal organs. As is the Outer, is the Inner. As is the Inner, is the Outer. In other words, it's impossible to put Skin Care products 'onto our skin.' Everything we put onto our skin is absorbed directly INTO our physiology and organs..including our brains. Think about that when you read what's in your anti-perspirants, fancy lotions, and absurdly expensive facial and cosmetic products! Ever wonder why Westerners keep manifesting all these weird mental and physical 'syndromes' and dis-eases that cannot be explained? Well, i will say this, it is impossible to separate "Skin Care" from "Nutrition." They are one in the same. Feed your skin as wisely as you feed your stomach! For my skin care; i only trust one guy on the planet; Dr. Chen! Use his Skin Care products from SUNRIDER and you will see and FEEL why i don't put anything else INTO my skin!"
- Coach Ilg, "America's Outdoor Athlete."
***
Hi everybody! Trish Childers here. I am Coach Ilg's SUNRIDER herbal "mentor" as he calls me!
Over 20 years ago, i talked to Steve about keeping his skin healthy, especially considering his well known career as a multisport extreme athlete back then. Well, most of you already know the quality of his fitness to this day...and his skin? It's still as youthful looking as when i first met him!
Interested in getting the skinny on Coach Ilg's specific Skin Care program? click below for a PDF of my recent SUNRIDER Update on Men's Skin Care and Coach's exclusive "Outdoor Athlete Skin Care Program"...
and,
Eat An Herb!
Trish Childers, Lead Director SUNRIDER
Coach%20on%20Skin%20Care.pdf
Interested in joining the Temple Garden of Wholistic Fitness; SUNRIDER herbs and skin care?
just contact one Coach Ilg's certified Wholistic Fitness Teachers to the left and they will Guide you into the wonderful world of SUNRIDER Herbs; the Official Nutrition and Skin Care Program of Wholistic Fitness!
July 13, 2005
IN WF...THERE DOES NOT ALWAYS NEED TO BE A PURPOSE
"The Master Student of WF knows,
there is not a purpose for sweeping the Path...
it's the Path
that sweeps us
into Purpose.
All dirt was not in-tended to be swept away
all who wander are not lost
and,
there are men too gentle to live among wolves.
Sometimes?
Falling off the Path
is part of the Path.
Whoever you are,
whatever you do...
know that you have made no mistakes
and you cannot be wrong.
Do not let someone else change you
change must
come from within.
Now,
go Sweep on your own two feet
as your Practice this morning...
so your Practice has a chance of
Sweeping you off yours.
thank you for reading this with elegant posture and conscious breath for that
IS
what WF is all about.
If you have the Mind
you have the Time
to train
in WF Online!
that is all.
the mountain yogi
TRAINING THE MIND
�Training� the mind does not in any way mean forcibly subjugating or brainwashing the mind. To train the mind is first to see directly and concretely how the mind functions, a knowledge that you derive from spiritual teachings and through personal experience in meditation practice. Then you use that understanding to tame the mind and work with it skillfully, to make it more and more pliable, so that you can become master of your mind and employ it to its fullest and most beneficial end."
- Sogyal Rinpoche
above, coach ilg 'watching' his mind during meditation in order to be able to work with its nature more skillfully while enjoying sports, relationship dynamics, and daily life. photo; waynewilliamsstudio.com
July 12, 2005
PRASADIC RAIN/COACH GOING OFF on MA and PA/REAL WARRIORS EAT HERBS!
"Wholistic Fitness--the future for us mere mortals.
Cheers,
Scott"
Wanna argue with WF Warrior Scott Richardson about the world class body/mind and spiritual conditioning of Wholistic Fitness? Didn't think so. Me either. Better do your Jump Squat and Non Dominant Hand assignments, or i WILL send Student Scott after your butt! Then you'll jump.
***
Hey Coach:
Been on the herbs since last Nov., and freaking love them! We have conversed a bit about the herbs and training. I follow DL and find it a great reading everyday instead of the terrible TV and news out there.
You new house looks very warm and a nice place to live and train--I live in Utah so I dig the mountains and desert as well.
Question on the Slim caps/Action Caps...been taking them since Nov., do I stop taking them or reduce the dosage? I take FD/Calli beverage/night/ Vitafruit/ Shake with Quinary everyday and feel GREAT.
My weight is down where I want it, so I don't want to lose anymore weight at the moment.
Thanks again for all of your advice and I always try and spread your word about Wholistic Fitness--the future for us mere mortals.
Cheers,
Scott
***
Noble Warrior Scott,
i bow to your letter and honor your Practice. I am pleased that my 3-Phase Approach to the SUNRIDER herbs has once again proven itself effective to drop fat, clean and energize your cellular body, and has lifted you Higher! Fun stuff, eh? Look, Ma! No DRUGS! Okay, now that you have reached your desired weight, stop taking the Action Caps...since they are the hottest burner of incoming fats. You may also turn down the Slim Cap burner, yet i want you to keep taking them at a smaller amount to keep the Cleansing organs spongy and efficient. You may maintain FD, Calli,and the Phase II herbs as you feel intuitively guided. Keep in contact with me if you lose any more fat than you wish.
WF...the future of mere mortals, eh? Well, i would say that WF is just a Re-Member-ing of our innate Natural Appreciation of the joy of breath and multi-disciplined movement in this amazing life!
Thank you for choosing to Be who you are and to be traveling beside me and the worldwide Sangha of WF!
head bowed,
heart open,
coach ilg
***
i sit each morning,
beneath the Sacred Peak
perched thousands of feet above Sedona and her red earth energy
glittering
dewy aspen leaves dance
songs from feathered beings
opening volumes of emails
fitness warriors and their trials and joys
along the Path of Awakening
through
varying degrees of WF embrace.
moments like these
letters like Scott's...
they "condition my Soul," as my mom would say
her brother never made it back from war
her sister died in the depression
on weekends she would pick up litter on the Reservations
"do what you can," she taught me, "this free land is beautiful."
(The healthiness of Earth Energy radiates from the Sedona Vorticies, located just 28 miles down Oak Creek Canyon from the WF Temple Home...or 'Hum' as the case may be!)
in feeble humbleness i bow
hundreds of true warriors
de-fend the fenceless Grace
of this amazing Land of the Free!
Some make fun of this country.
They go off on how 'fucked up' Bush is,
the government is,
Big Brother,
blah, blah, blah...
newspapers and TV reduce the human spirit to ashes and fractal binary digits
Oh Mighty Armed Seeker of Union,
the Outer World has been undergoing this same
convoluted, misGuided, lower chakra bullshit for eons.
bitchin' about it don't help shit.
Work on your own Inner Certainty.
Practice fiercely the qualities that Lift every Being Higher:
kindness,
truth,
and sweat soaked compassion.
The Vedas call this time, our lifetimes
"Kali Yuga"
it means,
the Dark Ages of Spiritual Decline.
It started in 3002 BCE.
I ain't even gonna tell you how long it is supposed to last...it would depress our feeble human comprehension.
There is a Light in Kali Yuga...
WF
In Her illumination you and i practice our conscious breath and elegant posture
like living LightHouses for those who do not understand the Higher Forces of personal fitness.
WF was created during Kali Yuga to wake up our UnAwakened butts
to the Divine Dance within sweat and stillness.
WF is an ancient mountain yogic Path
that has been stylized specifically to meet modern man's temperaments
and fickle sense-abilities.
WF is America's indigenous form of Yoga (Union with What Is).
Be sparse in tawdry complaints about the gloomy "state of America."
Leave such ugly songs for others
caught up in the Indra's Net (Outer Word/sense addiction).
My Work with you is your Inner World.
Shop elsewhere on the Internet for Dark Age Gossip.
I am Here Now, along with my talented Staff of certified WF Online Teachers,
to train your Anatomy of Inner Movement.
I am a born and bred American yogi with much inner work to do...
Never been to India,
don't need to go.
Most who do?
Their nadi's aren't even strong enough to run up a mountain peak,
or do a one minute set of Jump Squats or Pull Ups...
let alone be able to handle a true Guru's Shatipat.
We live in an era where our foremost Western "teachers of yoga"
tell their students not to run because it "ruins their yoga practice."
We live in an era where our foremost Western "teachers of yoga"
write books on Yoga For Cyclists without ever having experienced the
racing union of a 200 strong peleton at 41 mph, handlebar to handlebar,
then attacking off the front.
I may be a feeble yogi,
yet at least i do not Teach
that which i do not know.
I am a born and bred American yogi with much inner work to do...
A mountain yogi from the southwest who grew with Native American Teachers.
I love this Land.
I love Warriors like Scott who defend her from a centered State of Awareness
as the bullets ricochet.
I cherish my Earth Prayers of sweating and breathing upon Ma Earth and beneath Pa Sky.
Yab/Yum!!!! 
(The Medicine Wheel of Life is eternal...what you consider "bad" or "good"? It's just the Playing out of Lila...The Dance Of It All...coach ilg says, "Relax Into Your Life...and Prioritize your Practice! Practice are Prayers made manifest!")
No better Temple than the astounding topography and political freedom of Turtle Island (America) to attain Awakening and possible Enlightenment in one lifetime;
on this Island,
we are free to Practice whatever,
wherever we want.
If you have read this far, Oh Sadhu of Modern Times,
i share this much with you:
listen;
Practice is Prayer made manifest.
The Grace of God is as omnipotent as summer rain;
Her Grace falls upon the just as well as the unjust.
What matters to the Sadhaka (yogin; one who strives for Unity; overcomer of duality)
is to till their inner soil; make it fertile
so when the Gods shower us with prasada (Divine Grace)
we are Ripe to grow Higher!
WF, HP Yoga, SUNRIDER herbs...these are your Pathway Tools,
proven Pathyway Tools since long before 1982...
you and i have been Blessed to learn how to use these Tools
each day
in fun ways
to
cultivate our Higher Self.
i feel
Blessed to live
to Practice
and Train like crazy yogis
in this Land of the Free
for whence cometh the next Divine Shower!
that, Kalyana Mitra,
is
all.
coach ilg
July 11, 2005
ANOTHER BOW TO BROTHER BREEDLOVE
Dr. Bob Breedlove leads the 50+ competition after day one.
photo by Chris Milliman
Ilgbro,
regarding your bow to Dr. Breedlove (DL; 6*25*05)...
I got this pic from a link in Kostman's e-mail notice
Here is to Brother Breedlove,
a true warrior that was well trained...
God speed to our passing Bro...
Feebled, rj
CAT NAPS SNAPS!
Good Morning Coach,
Loved the pic of you and Ananda napping with your friend Charlie (DL; 7*9). I had to laugh since shortly after seeing the pics I was doing the same with my buddy "Spud" as we do after most races and hard training rides.
My red face is courtesy of over 60 miles of blazing fast criterium racing in 93 degree heat!
HP Yoga went well this morning, the first time I�ve been able to smoothly go through the entire routine without spending mucho time thumbing through TBT. I pushed the edges too! I�ll be worked tomorrow.
Student Sammy
July 09, 2005
*** TENSION TEACHING
Whenever i climb, the rope (which i see as a metaphor of conscious breathing) should neither be too taut, nor too loose. The yogi learns to Dance the Breath which bridges the Body and Mind. If one of those gets too stiff (stressed out) or too loose (undisciplined), then the yogi will notice it immediately and use the breath to come back to Balance. That is why "Breath and Posture" is the first Wholistic Fitness Lifestyle Principle. It all comes down to the quality and consciousness of our daily breathing integrity. One cannot know themselves nor their optimal performances without knowing their breath. Shown above, yesterday, after surprising myself by climbing the 5.10+ finger crack/roof system that you see to my left in the picture, i rap'd off...enjoying the glow of spiritual and physical victory on a little crag of dacite across the street from the new WF Temple Home. photo by Ananda.
"Neither too taut, nor too loose..."
Not only does the WF Student practice their Fitness Disciplines (strength, cardio, yoga, meditation, and nutrition) that way, we attempt to "Practice our Life" that way!
Most of us are driven throughout our day by the relative tensions of our desires.
Think about it. Right now, you yourself might be wondering, "Oh geez, here goes Coach again, lecturing my shit on something spiritual...how much longer is this gonna take...i've got to go brush my teeth, get to work, go train,...etc, etc."
We each have these ongoing inner desires that cascade through our egoic structures constantly. This steady torrent of 'things i want to do' keeps the rope of our life (breath) usually too tight or often, too loose (watching too much TV or media for instance).
Thus the meaning of Buddha's First Noble Truth; "Life is Suffering."...in other words, "Life is tension."
The Buddha then taught Ways to appropriately release the tensions (sufferings) inherent to life. 
"In meditation, as in all arts, there has to be a delicate balance between relaxation and alertness. Once a monk called Shrona was studying meditation with one of Buddha�s closest disciples. He had difficulty finding the right frame of mind. He tried very hard to concentrate, and gave himself a headache. Then he relaxed his mind, but so much that he fell asleep. Finally he appealed to Buddha for help.
Knowing that Shrona had been a famous musician before he became a monk, Buddha asked him: �Weren�t you a vina player when you were a layperson?�
Shrona nodded.
�How did you get the best sound out of your vina? Was it when the strings were very tight or when they were very loose?�
�Neither. When they had just the right tension, neither too taut nor too slack.�
�Well, it�s exactly the same with your mind.�
- Sogyal Rinpoche
***
WF-Approved Ways Of Relaxing Daily Tension:
Including regular asana practice, shown above, is like taking an 'inner iron' to melt out tension from our connective tissues. As our connective tissues experience release and freedom, so too, does our mind! Those who do not compress and stretch and sweat their bodies are doomed to suffer, for the word 'suffering' is synonymous with 'tension'...
photo of coach ilg in "Ardha Chandrasana." 
Taking "cat naps"...literally! Ananda and Charlie. Cats are Master Teachers of Suppleness, Strength, and Self Soothing.
Not one to be outperformed in ANYthing...i match Ananda's cat nap and raise her by including YogaToes as i slumber off a 22-mile Mountain Bike ride. Charlie supervises my Self-Soothing.
Ananda practicing a few moments of Pre-Mealtime Pranayam. Stoking the internal fire (agni) before eating is vital to properly 'burn' the fuel of physical food. WF Master Students own and operate very clean, powerful, and efficient internal 'engine rooms' otherwise known as the endocrine and digestive systems. 
"After Ecstasy...the laundry." Re-Minding ourselves that we no longer need to walk 7 miles to the nearest stream and beat our clothes against rocks to wash them, keeps the WF Student feeling particularly Blessed while doing the laundry. Mindfully doing the laundry with using our Non Dominant hand as much as possible (and of course using "SunBright 'Superclean' Laundry Detergent" from SUNRIDER Herbs!), appreciating the 10,000 Beings that help bring water which often comes from pure snowfields into our laundry machines, and being grateful that your cycling and workout clothes make up 90% of your laundry make doing the laundry an amazing Ritual of appreciation and of relaxation.
And of course; it all boils down to the Practice of mom and dad. My mom, last year at age 74, getting in her Morning Pool Workout while visiting me in LA. Spiritual (Conscious) parenting - or the lack thereof - is perhaps the number one reason why our National Tribe is overfat and undertrained and dis-eased. Kids imprint themselves from their parents. How each child embraces or ignores their respective karmic and samskaric work to be done during their precious life can be duly facilitated by the Wise Discrimination and inner certainty of their biologic parents. If one cannot control their own tendencies and primitive urges (eating, sleeping, sex, self-preservation), then their children are going to be...uh... well...let's just say, it is very vital for each adult to increase their physical and spiritual fitness capacity before having children. Here is an example of a Warrior Family:
http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=111610
enjoy the tautness and softness of today and do your best to Dance The Middle Path,
coach ilg
July 08, 2005
OF IRONMAN "Fit Kit" and of..INDIAN TACOS? 
"Dear Coach,
You once told me '...it's a race so for heavens sake pass someone!' I did."
The unsinkable "Fit Kit"...A WF Master Student cranks the Tribal Chi at the
Ford Ironman Triathlon, USA, Coeur D'Alene
Photo by Action Sports International
Dear Coach:
Well I made the podium at Ironman Coeur d' Alene in my age group. Placed 3rd out of 22 or so. I had the fastest swim split, the 3rd bike and 6th run. At the roll down I was able to get a spot for Ironman Hawaii.
The wandering path is still on after all these years. Alll our years together paid off... Wholistic Fitness has given me so much mental strength and the grounding to remember that being out there is mainly about having fun.
My mantra this race was for a friend, Robin, who is recovering from 17 broken bones after a collision with a car.
Hope you are getting comfortable in your new home. I was thinking of coming to Arizona this fall but Kona beckons.
Keep up the great Direct Lines.
Ai Imawa with love
Fit Kit
ps. You once told me "its a race so for heavens sake pass someone." I did.
**** Regarding: "DON'T WORRY...BE HOPI!"
Steve,
First of all I got damn hungry seeing you enjoy the fry bread (DL; 7/5/05).
If anyone wants the best fry bread to make themselves I highly suggest they go to
http://www.woodenknife.com/
My good friend Ansel (Kola) is the owner and actually my Lakota brother. One great ingredient used is Timpsula...wild prairie turnip which the natives used before wheat flour came around. In fact it was one of their secrets of survival and very nutritious.
Another insight on the Hopi I learned from my wife Linda when she was studying IQ tests and different types of intelligences...First of all, in spite of cultural biases in most all tests, Native Americans as a general rule have a higher IQ than the rest of us. Secondly, the Hopi as a population have the highest IQ�s on the planet. In fact, the �average� Hopi has a genius IQ.
Now, back to my Indian Taco ;-)
love,
haku
HOW DID I LIVE 33 YEARS WITHOUT THIS WORK; New Student Ash's CS
Wholistic Fitness Online Training...because Asana is NOT enough!
What are you going to do? Wait until your dying breath to begin what we specialize in: Trans(beyond)Personal (of that relating to the 'person') Training?!?! Just what are you spending money on if it is not that which gains you confidence on your dying breath? WF Training is Bardo Training, baby...let's help each other Higher in this precious Lifetime!
photo of coach ilg in hamasana; dorit thies photography.
http://www.doritthies.com/
below are some excerpts from New WF Online Student Ash's Cycle Summation. Like so many of the Brave Warriors who sign up to do WF Online Training, each 4-week Training Cycle concludes with a Summation sent to us WF Online Teachers that is to us, a Spiritual Gold Mine and makes what we do sooooo much more important than more
money-gaining occupations that we could choose (and probably should!).
enjoy these slices of insight from your fellow Tribesperson who is certainly heading toward a major AWAKENING if not Enlightenment in this lifetime:
Dear Coach Ilg,
Below is my cycle summation as requested.
Could I just add that I completed my 140 mile bike ride over 13 hours on saturday. There was a very sticky period midway through, the second and third of the 5 climbs, and I genuinely believe that had I not spent 3 months under your 'gentle'! guidance I would have not come through, certainly not feeling so good (aside from a tight achilles tendon).
For this I bow as deeply as possible.
�
Humbly
�
Simon Ash
***
� 5) How did the Wednesday session go?� Were you able to make club rides?� Input? � What do you feel is developing?
The Wednesday sessions were desperately hard, the VO2 sessions were challenging enough for this student and then the 20-minute time trial was the last thing I needed. Having said all that, last Saturday on my 140-mile Coast-to-Coast ride I was able to draw upon my �experience� when the going got tough and battle through until your inadequate student gained his second wind.
{coach ilg responds:}
screw the "second wind" overused term...
the "second wind" is the fucking CHI coming online, baby!!!!!!!!!
the "second wind" means nothing less than�the energetic manifestation that
you have WON the favor of the Gods!...�
for you have sweated your spirit!� �
***
� And How Did Your ToiletYoga� sessions go?
Student Ash: A unique way to start the morning! After 3 months of Toilet Yoga one wonders how I survived my first 33 years without it. The Toilet Yoga is a relaxing start to the day and forces me to focus myself and concentrate on my breathing. The effects of this are that I arrive at work relaxed and ready for the day ahead, a very positive development for me.
***
Now with the road bike I am going to cardio-commute to work as well as to yoga and the gym (which I do already), and I will be undertaking some club rides/time-trials.
Biking wise, I was delighted to manage the big challenge I set for myself...
***
I believe that Marc F. Twight has been a student of WF in the past, and he wrote of picking up a torch and shining it down the tunnel to see what he could do.
Saturday was like that for me in my own inadequate way. I searched and found places I didn�t know I had any more and I would like to be able to go to that deep well again on different occasions. To do that I would simply like to continue my WF studies, there are no major challenges coming up per se in the next couple of months, although my girlfriend and I have a week of hiking in September so some more general fitness and stamina are required.
***
SIGN UP FOR WF ONLINE TRAINING TODAY!
What are you going to do? Wait until your dying breath to begin what we specialize in: Trans(beyond)Personal (of that relating to the 'person') Training?!?! Just what are you spending money on if it is not that which gains you confidence on your dying breath? WF Training is Bardo Training, baby...let's help each other Higher in this precious Lifetime!
KEEPING THE PATH GROUNDED...IN ANY GIVEN MOMENT...
"In any given moment there is only one question for the yogi to ask themselves; am i concentrating or am i grasping?"
- coach ilg.
Beginning your day with or at least including some form of meditation in your day, be it a moving meditation like the Ai Imawa Taoist Yoga Postures shown above or breathing or sitting meditations, helps keep the mind as a discriminative tool of pure Awareness and wisdom, instead of an armchair for the ego and sense slavery. (coach enjoying "Meeting The Dragon" posture, photo by Wayne Williams).
*
Most Noble Fitness Warriors of our humble yet powerful Path -
A message from my Teachers to you:
My recent relocation beneath the Sacred Peak has elevated a number of you (particularly the Online Students) to a whole new
astral Level of your Practice. An uncommon number of you are contacting me regarding my or a WF-related Presence or icon appearing in your DreamStates.
Though this is a positive sign of spiritual advancement in your personal fitness, i must coach you right now, not to dramatize or attach to this new Realm of your WF Practice. Your mental energies are being strengthened and prepared for more advanced Inner Work later in your life. all of this is go(o)d; exceptional, really, yet i must re-Mind you that WF is very grounded stuff; i could take WF into the "new age" side of fitness very easily, yet my Teachers have firmly made it clear that WF is a Clearing and Preparation for Higher Work. Most of you Online Students will be introduced to far more talented coaches than i in the astral Realms. Know this. You are just being safely strengthened for your Bardo Training and Higher Work.
Remember, stay grounded!
Stay focused on your WF Practice.
My point to sharing this Message to you is that Dharana (concentration) is everything for your where your Practice can take you.
remember this one from DL last year?;
"In any given moment there is only one question for the yogi to ask themselves; am i concentrating or am i grasping?"
allow that to be your Mantra:
"Am i concentrating or am i grasping?"
Work with that and all will Arise.
I am very, very proud of the terrain you have traveled thus far along this Steep and Direct Path of personal training that spits out the common man and "wannbe" yogis like kindling for the Kundalini! we are Blessed to have found this little known Warrior Way of the West!
in sweat and stillness,
coach ilg
July 07, 2005
STUDENT INPUT!!!!!
Kendrick Mountain, one of several volcanic mountains surrounding the new location of coach ilg and the WF Temple. Have you scheduled your own Private WF Intensive with the creator of the world's original form of transpersonal fitness training? Photo by WayneWilliamsStudio.com
***
bro,
another beautiful empowering DL (7*7*05)..and look at Ananda! She did not have the awesome climber�s back when I first met her.
Ananda shewwwww...... love those lats!
in stillness,
the haku kid
Dear Kid;
dude, i can put lats on a Gardner Snake if he listens to me!
hec, i can even grow lats on a pro roadie!
Ananda is an exceptional Student of WF, as well as a re-incarnated Teacher of this Steep and Direct Path.
Her sculpted body, categorically different than that of 12 months ago, is a testimony to her embrace of the WF Path...She has been on the Ilg 3-Phase Approach to SR Herbs, and LIVING THE PATH!
as i like to say;
"The Path works
when you Work the Path!"
love,
coach ilg
ps; the trail that she is on stretches for 750 miles! it is part of the Arizona Trail! we were just going climbing at "The Pit."
***
Dear Coach,
thank you so much for your (all-ways) care and concern. I just flashed back once again on that time in 1998 when you and Teacher Q came to stay at my apartment in NY and SAW the changes that were taking place when I opened the door (and when no one else "close" to me did). You are a treasure and an important guide and ally on my path.
love,
L
**
Thinking of my Bro..
"One day's exposure to mountains is better than cartloads of books. See how
willingly Nature poses herself upon photographers' plates. No earthly
chemicals are so sensitive as those of the human soul."
-John Muir, naturalist, explorer, and writer (1838-1914)
love,
WW
***
hey coach!
just wanted to let you know that i got my super cool Wholistic Fitness jersey yesterday! let me know when you will be in LA so we can hook up. talk to you soon! tell joy hi for me!
love always,
timari
2005 National 24-Hour MTB Champion
**
Hi Coach,
Thanks for sharing your ascent of the great mountain (SACRED WORKOUTS, DL; 7/22)
-- it was an inspiring read today!
I have recently been having (more than usual) problems with my asthma, so in my most recent Sunrider order I added Conco.
Gassho,
laura
***
Coach,
i was driving home from Day Two of a 2 day Tibetan introduction. a Lama was presented to me. today he was inducting those who were interested in the tradition.
�
i awoke...did my WF ToiletYoga and At-Sink Pranayama...sat Zazen about 15 mins and was off.
�
i must say Coach in all humility, perhaps i am not karmically ready or maybe it was guided to me to allow me to process these feelings. of this i am not sure. i do know that NONE of the people touched me at all. it was at a fancy house up in the Hollywood Hills, nestled between celebrity homes. not that that's a bad thing. the people, the ones who he calls his CA students are spacey and..well just not..i don't like the word "impressing" cause who am i to impress. i felt NO chi from them. or him. ok...maybe a little bit from him.
he ended the program. i thanked everyone and dashed out of there. went back to the Valley and ran up HECTIC HILL!! found MY mantra...HUM SA all the way up that hill baby! i mean no disrespect to anyone...i don't. it is just Q. just Me.
Coach,
i guess you have "spoiled" us.
you walk the walk so damn "FEEBLY" (as you say)
that i expect all Teachers to walk their talk as such.
�
i did learn alot about myself. if i can contemplate putting 3-4 hrs a day into Tibetan mysticism where i don't understand a damn word....then i can bloody well follow my training programs, share my SUNRIDER herbs, do my ToiletYoga each day, train my coming students and live�my life to the fullest! for THIS is where i am at.
�
i have MY Teacher!! i have my Guru! his name is Steve Ilg alias the COACH! i ain't sayin your BETTER than anyone else, all's i'm saying is YOU "touch" me. �metaphorically speaking of course. when i follow this work i FEEL me in it. I AM within it. i am honored to be your Student.
�
ah well..the CHI is up and running i suppose.
�
In Strength and Practice,
Teacher Q
MEDITATION FRIGHTENS THE NON-PRACTITIONER
"We are so addicted to looking outside ourselves that we have lost access to our inner being almost completely. We are terrified to look inward, because our culture has given us no idea of what we will find. We may even think that if we do, we will be in danger of madness. This is one of the last and most resourceful ploys of ego to prevent us from discovering our real nature.
So we make our lives so hectic that we eliminate the slightest risk of looking into ourselves. Even the idea of meditation can scare people. When they hear the words egoless or emptiness, they think that experiencing those states will be like being thrown out the door of a spaceship to float forever in a dark, chilling void. Nothing could be further from the truth. But in a world dedicated to distraction, silence and stillness terrify us; we protect ourselves from them with noise and frantic busyness. Looking into the nature of our mind is the last thing we would dare to do."
- Sogyal Rinpoche
Take time to know thyself; be not afraid to consider just sitting still with your mind as an instrumental part of cultivating your personal fitness. In 1982, i was the first western Personal Trainer to forward the notion that Meditation is as valid a form of 'fitness training' than say, jogging. I can relate to Rinpoche's words above for I was ridiculed by conventional fitness experts and some people publicly called me names like, 'Devil worshipper,' and once, because i built a Native American Medicine Wheel in which to sit in Meditation, i was again publicly denounced as a 'Satan cultist!' Fortunately, i persevered in my embrace of Meditation as a form of personal fitness and health, and since those rocky beginnings, Meditation has remained a shimmering hallmark as one of my Five Fitness Disciplines of WF. I have described Meditation as, "The glue that bonds all Fitness Disciplines together."
Becoming our own best friend means making friends with that which can seem like a runaway monster; our own minds. On this International Dharma Day, set aside solo time: go for a quiet walk, some gardening, or better yet; do the Warrior work of formal meditation as described in any one of my several books and throughout DL. A great ancient Yogi, Jesus Christ, once taught us; "Be still...and KNOW that you ARE God!" When taken to heart, this is an amazing meditation Teaching from an amazing Teacher of the Dharma. He was not telling us to do ANYTHING else except that one poignantly simple and dastardly difficult thing; "Be still..." No bibles. No pews. No need to offer anything, let alone pay for anything. Just, "Be still...and Know..."
Let us give thanks in sweat and stillness to all the great Dharma Teachers throughout history and in our own lives; those brave Beings willing enough to do that which scares the Enlightenment right out of most people; They in-Courage us to Look WIthin for our Highest Workout. Bless those Teachers who steadfastly point us toward "InnerAttainment" instead of the predictable addiction to "Entertainment."
Dharma Blessings from within your spirit and beneath the Sacred Peaks,
coach ilg
photo above; WF Teacher Ananda going climbing; a great Method for looking within.
July 06, 2005
ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD, LACTATE THRESHOLD, HOLD THE THRESH AND SPICE THE AEROBIC!
"The biggest difference between recreational and competitive athletes? That's easy...INTERVALS, baby!" - coach ilg, 1987
Above, WF Online Teacher Haku and World Class track athlete; Natalie Hughes deep into an AT workout; where the champions play!
Esteemed Sensei -
I'm gearing up for tomorrow's big V02 workout in your "Quivering Lizard" interval workout-
In this context, what does "AT" mean on line 5?
Thanks,
Humbled Student GoTen
Trail Running at high altitude; Coach Ilg making sure his Heart is NOT in ease, so that Heart DISease
is not likely! "AT" training drastically reduces the likelihood of Heart Disease. I've included the yogic
benefits of AT training below as i answer Student GoTen's question:
Most Noble Online Student GoTen!
"AT" stands for 'Anaerobic Threshold' (aka; Lactate Threshold)...
common definitions include these:
What athletes term hitting the wall. It is the point at which you begin working your muscles without oxygen.
news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/bsp/hi/in_the_gym/jargon_guide/html/default.stm
(see also lactate threshhold) - The level of effort (usually expressed as a percentage of VO2 max.) where lactic acid levels begin to rise (more lactate is produced than can be metabolized).
www.cptips.com/glosary.htm
defines the upper limit of exercise intensity that can be sustained aerobically. The anaerobic threshold is attained during more intense exercise where anaerobic metabolism represents a significant proportion of the required energy supply. The onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA), aerobic-anaerobic threshold, individual anaerobic threshold, point of metabolic acidosis, and lactate threshold essentially mean the same thing.
www.plu.edu/~chasega/terms.html
The point during high intensity activity when the body can no longer meet its demand for oxygen and anaerobic metabolism predominates; also called lactate threshold.
www.loseweightafterpregnancy.com/glossary.html
The anerobic threshold (AT) is an exercise intensity at which lactate (lactic acid) starts to accumulate in the blood stream faster than it can be metabolized. Below the AT any lactate produced by the muscles is removed by the body without it building up.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_threshold
essentially, AT is what i call, a "tightrope realm" of cardio intensity whereupon the working musculature is struggling to find a groove thang; it needs more oxygen and is recruiting ways to attempt to find it. well trained endurance athletes that combine Power + Endurance (ie; bike racers, rowers, and nordic ski racers) commonly have way higher AT's than pure endurance athletes such as marathon runners. in one of my many informal WF studies, i discovered that over 90% of Heart Disease patients had never done Interval Training in their lives! Gee, i wonder why their heart is so weak? gotta train the heart muscle like any other muscle baby; low intensity PLUS frequent bouts of HIGH intensity!
in WF, we WF Online Teachers prescribe AT training as a Spiritual Gateway into development of Dharana (concentration) and Pratyhara (sense withdrawl). Last week, on DL those great pictures of WF Teacher Haku, Natalie Hughes, and WF Student Moses were doing intervals to improve AT.
in 'heart-y' sweat and spirit,
coach ilg
OPENING THE HIPS; Mini Sequence While On The Road
coach ilg, thankful for his hip opening sequences such as below, shown testing the training effect from Practice. Mountain yogis turn vertical and overhanging cliff walls into their yoga mats in order to test their mental and physical skills on the sharp end of a climbing route. "La Petite Verdon" sport climbing area near Flagstaff. Photo by Ananda.
***
bro,
DL archives...etc.
you up to something aren�t you?
peace,
haku
p.s. was looking for the photo of you doing pigeon on the picnic table to show Nat...
probably my favorite and most important asana...even though those hips have not loosened up even a millimeter in 5 years..I have faith
Most Noble Haku!
here you go!...see below and give my love to Nat!
if i teach ANYTHING through this noble yet humble Path of Transformation, it is to cherish the nobility of all-Ways
being a Beginner!
and oftentimes, it is not IF the hips open/release (it took me 13 years of steady work to get the initial Shift),
it's all about precisely what you are doing:
Being Brave In The Ongoing Attempt To Open The H(om)e of the Lower Chakras (the Hips/Lower back)
You are developing your Faith, Perseverance, and the introversion of the mental focus (dharana) within the body and away from the senses (pratyhara).
Can't beat that, eh? Proud of you and any endurance athlete that never wavers in their attempt to open their Hips!
see you at Red Mountain where we will Dance into more Hip Opening sequences!
May this help...
love,
coach ilg
ps; the following photos were taken by Ananda in Indian Creek Canyon, Utah last year during a climbing trip.
#1; releasing the biceps of the legs, lengthening the lower back connections
#2; i like to 'churn' my lower back and upper spine before directing attention to the hips. this pre-releases the anatomical connectors to the external and internal hip rotators.
#3; an upright version of my 'Gecko Pose' specific to High Performance Yoga
#4; elongation of the spine; using Uddiyana Bandha (upward flying internal lock) to literally lift the spine away from the pelvic structure before...
#5; going deeper baby...note my allegiance to the flat, elegant spine...the hallmark quality and pivotal asanic anchor of High Performance Yoga. (yes, that is 'Nalanda' - my 'cross bike - sneaking into the photos in the background!)
July 05, 2005
STUDENT INPUT!!!
"Dear Coach Ilg,
Many thanks for yet more DL. I have to say that I have not felt so good, light and fit in about 10 years, so many thanks for you and WF training.
�
I await the next installment of WF on-line training with great anticipation.
�
Humbly
First Year WF Online Student Simon Ash
****
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors/Warrioresses of WF!
i Trust this email finds you all in elegant Breath and Posture.
i want to remind you that Coach's generous offer for a $50.00 discount towards your WF Immersion at Red Mountain
Spa this August has expired.
We have nearly 20 worldwide WF Students, fans, and friends attending with only a few more spaces left!
it's going to be QUITE the WF POWWOW! c'mon! act quick and we'll see you among the Red Rocks!
thank you.
In faithful service,
joy "ananda" kilpatrick
joytrain@npgcable.com
Wholistic Fitness� manager & teacher
Director/Sunrider International
ps:
i love all the amazing DL's yet reading about Student Moses' Intensive with
Coach Haku was great, particularly from my view as a WF Online Teacher as well!�
i am TAF'ing words can only touch the depth of Student Moses
experience, i was happy to read of the WF transmission.
Thank you for being a Brave Warrior Student Moses.
It takes courage to sit, run, eat, breathe...Practice with one's teacher.
i bow to you,
WF teacher ananda
***
Dear Noble Coach Ilg,
my Voice is New.
Your Wisdom hears the difference.
i have been taken far out of my comfort zone to live an authentic life.
i love you both.
student d
3 Forms Of Nutrition/HOPI Teaching/WF Approved Haiku
"Don't worry...be Hopi!"
coach ilg feeling the CHI and in-Joying hot, fresh, handmade Hopi bread near his home in Flagstaff. The Hopi's, whose reservation is near Flag, are (considered to be) the Native American descendants of the Anazasi. This same bread was being prepared and eaten in this same manner by the Hopi before the great Yogi, Jesus Christ was even born!
in WF, genuine nutrition is Sensed and Absorbed in three primary forms...the first form that the yogi can sense and 'eat' is spiritual. Yogi's who keep their Practice strong can literally feel and 'eat' the Love that was put into the food. the second form is the purity of the herbs or ingredients. the third is the integrity of the Server. This is why, if you can't eat Hopi bread fresh from the Native Americans, eat the SUNRIDER herbs! they are the most potent, love-based, pure, and ethical form of accurate nutrition available to the mainstream.
Note also, my natural squatting position while eating. The lack of re-gaining this natural squatting position while eating and defacating is perhaps, in my humble opinion, the leading cause of poor digestion, overeating, and lack of efficient elimination capacities. To improve your digestion/elimination processes and thus your nutrient uptake (and your lower back health!)...Don't think "Rolaids" or other pills...in fact, don't 'think' at all...just eat your herbs and SQUAT, baby! And remember, "Don't worry...be Hopi!"
For additional yogi h(om)ework:
Is the Hopi Deity Kokopelli an Ancient Hindu God?
http://www.viewzone.com/kokopeli.html
****
Counting Grasping Breaths (5)
Not On Zafu But Through Sweat (7)
Sacred Intervals (5)
fireworks in sky (5)
loves brightness is all around (7)
one with everything (5)
Alex Jonusas
WF Student, grappler, and surgeon
****
ANOTHER SUNRIDER AWAKENING...and Question
My dearest Sensei
I hope you had a wonderful Independence Day. I celebrated our 4th by practicing two hours of yoga on the beach followed by two more hours of grappling. During these four hours all I had to ingest was 16 ounces of pure H2O with peach FD* and SD**. Had you told me 5 weeks ago when I started the herbs that I could exercise for 4 hours without consuming my abundant amount of protein and carbs I would never have believed it. I have been extremely consistent with the herbs every single day. How quickly it has become an essential part of my life. Sensei, I TAF it is appropriate that I start incorporating the vitadophilus and fibertone. I have always been very "regular" when it comes to eliminating "fecal matter." Since following DL i know that you recommend "going" first thing in the morning. This has never been my pattern. I consume the slim caps every night @ approximately 11:00 pm. Upon awakening I do not have any urge, then about 9-10 AM I get very strong physiological pangs. I am usually scrubbed into surgery all morning and afternoon and I cannot "go" at this time. I was contemplating taking the slim caps earlier to see if my physiological urges can occur upon awakening at 5:30 AM. Aside from this I TAF that the addition of these two herbs will allow me to "go" upon awakening. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Gracia's for all the love you make manifest to the whole world ( & uni-verse). I leave you with these haiku's composed during Intervals and the other one watching the celebration of the 4th of July tonight (see above).
Love and Honor
Your humble grappling student, Alex
Most Noble Student Alex,
first, congratulations on your physiologic Shift toward a faster transit time. It is not so much that i 'recommend' taking a dump first thing in the morning, it is only that doing so is the most natural response to overnight digestion. The wastes must be purged from the system so that one feels Light. With an empty system, the enzymatic and digestive energies are at full tilt, ready to absorb the incoming nutrients of pran, breathing, meditation, and of course, new physical food intake. With decomposing food stuck in the digestive and elimination tracts, quality nutrient uptake is hampered and more matter just becomes compacted.
secondly, you are moving VERY fast! a testimony to your WF Practice, lifestyle, and of course the Phase I SUNRIDER herb program. chances are likely that your transit time will gradually decrease until your morning Bowel Movement happens instantly upon awakening. doing a month of FiberTone + Vitadophilus (known in the ILG DOWNLINE as the "Deep Cleanse") will certainly quicken your already fast progress. i suggest beginning with 2 FiberTone caps 3-4 hours before sleep. I suggest taking the VitaDophilus straight from the package first thing in the morning. you may contact me for input and questions during your Deep Cleanse. this Guidance is complimentary to any of the Ilg Downline in the WF Temple Garden of SUNRIDER herbs.
lastly, you have hit upon a leading reason why i created the exclusive WF "Toilet Yoga" and Early Morning Rituals (available only to WF Online Students). when you and i were still Hunters & Gatherers, our day began with squatting in the natural position, perhaps gathering firewood or tending to mealtime preparations. my point is, that is natural to begin each day by compression of the internal organs to incite peristalsis...or 'the urge to go.' as we became more "civilized' we outsmarted our natural wisdom by sitting upon crappers instead of squatting. we rushed headlong into our days before honoring the natural needs and calls of our inner body. today, we have a national tribe of constipated, overfat, dis-eased warriors that have forgotten the essence of their natural being and ways. it takes a Crazy Wisdom fool like me to be brave enough to use my credentials to simply get people to poop better! not the Way i have envisioned my Health and Fitness Teaching career, yet,
i must Serve where i see the most common flaw.
i will trust my words will help keep you focused on your amazing Self Transformation and...
see you herb pickin' in the WF Temple Garden...SUNRIDER!
namaste,
coach ilg
*= FD is SUNRIDER lingo for "Fortune Delight" an herbal Cleansing Beverage
** = SD is SUNRIDER lingo for "Sunny Dew", a natural sweetner used in SUNRIDER made from Stevia
July 04, 2005
an Aspen IN-DEPEND-Dance Day 
*Healthy Aspens at 8,600. sunset in the Kachina Wilderness.*
On this Independence Day, i bow to the Aspen.
I Speak for those Tree Beings who are unable to Speak
nor stop our abuse and murder of their h(om)es in the high country.
You and i might be "independent" yet,
no living being is truly independent.
we are are all, as John Muir said, "inexplicably linked..."
from butterfly to trout jumping
from aspen tree to you and me...
today, i chose to celebrate IN-DEPEND-Dance! 
*Aspen...near*
*Aspen...high*
*Gaspin' in the Aspens!*
*finally...relaxin' in the Aspens!*
May you walk and breathe in Balance on this
in-DEPEND-Dance of a very noble Day!
May all Beings realize the sanctity of sweat and stillness...
Om Mani Padme Hung,
coach ilg
***
"Namaste, coach ilg! thank you for your stream of Chi/Generosity through Direct Lines!
thank you for sharing from your experience,
student lb"
**
bro,
Thank you for DL this morning. Its not about partisanship, or even politics, its about LIFE!
I bow,
haku
July 02, 2005
SACRED WORKOUTS: Humphrey's Peak Trail
Trail to the Summit of Arizona's Highest and Most Sacred Peak
a WF workout report from Coach Ilg
****Technical Observations:
Date Climbed: 6*27*05
Distance: 'bout 10 miles, but who's counting?
Vertical Gain: start at 9,600' and top out at 12,633' (yes, those are 'thousands' of feet)!
Effort: Darn Hard
Time Required:
Guidebook says: "6 hours"
Coach Ilg's Statistics: Ascent: 87 minutes. Descent: 63 minutes
Season: Late May - October if the Kachina Spirits Bless you. (There was still significant snow on the trail on my ascent)
Gear Used: cycling jersey, cycling shorts, Salomon Trail Running shoes, Injinji socks beneath cycling socks (secret mountain yogi technique), WF Chi Cap, Smith performance eyewear, and of course,my ancient garment of all outdoor performance garments; my 13 oz. Marmot Windshirt. when i navigate the Bardo Realms and meet Brahman, i know the Divine Robe which will adorn God...a Marmot Windshirt, baby!
Food Used: Early Morning Pranayam (yogic breathing practices), 1 water bottle of Fortune Delight with a lot of VitaFruit syrup in it, 5 Sport Caps about 30 minutes before beginning ascent, 1 chocolate PowerBar (1/2 at Agassiz Saddle, 1/2 at summit).
View from Top: Absolutely Unforgettable...you can actually see the curvature of Mother Earth!
Salient Features; climb through a few different climate zones and be a part of the fraction of humanity that has seen the endangered and drop dead beautiful alpine flora; San Francisco Groundsel which, like a Kachina Spirit, cannot live below 11,300'.
Pale Swallowtail/Mountain Columbine; a beautiful yoga of symbiotic relationships...blossom feeds butterfly, butterfly pollinates the species of Columbine. Why cannot man and Mother Earth dance as harmoniously?
Spiritual Observations:
Weary of the lower land, i could no longer lift my eyes to the Sacred Peak each day without being seduced by Her rarified airs. A true man must know his immediate terra firma by direct experience, regardless of scale or presence. It is inappropriate that a Warrior pretend to know a land by looking at it on a map or worse, from a car or a computer picture. He must breathe with the land to know it. If not bleed with it. The Adventurer knows and endlessly seeks a Truth; "The map is not the territory."
Tibetan Masters have pioneered a Way through the Death Realms. They call this Way, the 'Bardo.' Yet learning about Their Bardo Maps is one thing. Dying is another. Climbing mountains, i feel, prepares me for the Bardo for in climbing i sense a microcosm of the Bardo. One can look at a mountain from a car, upon a map, or hire a fucking helicopter to drop your fat arse on the summit and ski down it. Such are the antics of the common and stupid man, the mundane man who knows neither regular sweat nor inner spirit. Such an animal remains pressed into spiritual oblivion by the undisciplined ego's cherished state of comfort over difficulty, security over spontaneity. The Warrior, on the other hand, knows and Practices the High Art of the Wisdom of Insecurity. For his eyes, having once merged and melted with things so simple as a snowpatch melting or the stoic endurance of Glacier Lily or exfoliating granite within a winter's wind, will forever be both Blessed and Cursed with a Divine Itch to merge again and again in the high country.
Along a street in downtown Flag, i walk hand in hand with my Beloved Partner. The softness of her palm, sways without force in mine. Historic buildings create swirling breezes impeccably laced with scents of ponderosa, mexican food, tourist perfumes, and desert dust. i feel twinges of guilt, Sacred though they be, as i cannot but help lift, again and again, my eyes to the Sacred Peak. Her monolithic Presence winks at my ego and scratches at my Soul. 
i know that come tomorrow, come what may, i must Dance my own dance upon Her ancient, volcanic skin...
***
A queer dissatisfaction rose within me as i heard my feet smack upon the lower reaches of the Humphrey's Peak Trail. "Too heavy," i thought, as i lifted my elbows higher in the way i have seen Ethiopian runners run. "The Arms drive the Legs." i wrote those words in one of my first books. Funny how the Essential Teachings remain just that, i smiled as my feet now carried themselves with monklike silence across the dew damp forest trail. 
Seeds of renewal grew within me as i began passing through the aspens. WF is such a strangely perfect training ground for the spirit; cross training among the fitness disciplines keeps the WF Student an endless beginner. Yesterday i was a yogi doing asana in the sun, still unable to do advanced poses. The day before i was a bike racer getting dropped once again from a stampeding peleton. Today, i begin again as a mountain runner. Humbling stuff, this WF Path, especially after following it since age 16. True spiritual training forever reduces the Master to a Beginner. I think of Rilke in Letters To A Young Poet, "Resolve to be always beginning -to be a beginner!" Rilke is from the WF Lineage, i thought as my breath rate began to jump as i clamored rather ungracefully up and over the first of many snowdrifts. 
A mile before timberline. Rock faces open, then close in seeming contradiction. Piles of snow, now well dirtied and gouged by hikers and summer sun, lie melting in their soiled beauty. I tread across them and feel compassion for their public entry into their own Bardo. Behind the tenderness of spring is a massive, lingering death of a winter once majestic.
11,400'. i feel the pull of the Summit sphere at my Heart Chakra. Over the past mile i have shouldered by a dozen hikers. My heavy breathing and galloping pace up the wispy trail startles most of them. They turn around and attempt to get out of my charging way. They do so kindly, yet slowly, for they all burdened like yaks. It is with a charge of dismay that i survey some of these faces. They seem so cluttered by their baggage; clumpy hiking boots, walking staffs, backpacks upon backpacks with tubes and bananas sticking out from them like moving vans of external needs. by comparison, i am naked. Minimalism among Mountain Gods is what i prefer. My Breath and my Confidence born from consistent WF training has Served me that most valuable of outdoor equipment. Let the yaks be content as yaks...my Medicine is Deer and my Clan is of the Butterfly. And i 'better fly' if i am to get up and down this mountain in such nudity of human spirit! 
Minute 68; Agassiz Saddle, 11,800'. i pull on my Windshirt and ask one from four 'kids' huddled at the Saddle to snap a photo of me for DL. They are wearing full on Tundra gear yet are unsure of moving Higher. i do not know what they thought about this naked, running yogi beside them. i do my best to in-Courage them but the High winds already whip at me and i cannot long linger. Hypothermia happens fast up here. i turn my WF Chi Cap around, less the monster wind flings it to Kansas, and again start trotting among the steeping pitch of tossed rocks. I leave the bystanders standing bye. About 400 feet higher than this group, i startle (again) a couple, hunkered low against some boulders, eating. They look cold and frail, yet smile at me. The girl yells to me above the wind, "You are crazy!" Peculiar way to greet another human, i thought. So be it, as i returned her smile and continued to court the pull of the Sacred Summit.
Ahhhh, the sweet sting of high pressured winds. The space where jets might be able to fly yet Eagles soar! As i breathe rapidly into my chant of "Om Ma Ni Pad Me Hung" i am in surrender into the in-tasy of a dangerous undertaking. I leave even the noble and seeming permanence of the bristlecones below me. Those trees were saplings when the Egyptians were erecting the pyramids...and today i am allowed to bow to them from above. I dance upon the only tundra found in Arizona as the treeline slowly begins to disappear altogether. This alpine tundra is my most Sacred Yoga Mat; i Practice upon her with a linked chain of excited breaths like photons of Pranic Light. I no longer feel my feet among the ground-hugging shrubs and numerous tiny wildflowers, for i am floating like a SkinWalker in my own Temple of Self. I am provoked to joyous tears by my first encounter of the rare San Francisco Groundsel...the sole survivor in this extremely harsh and punishing environment above 12,000 feet.� The views which fall beneath me are literally breathtaking, with the immense Inner Basin, still pregnant with last winter's heavy snowfall, and the vast Coconino Plateau and San Francisco Volcanic Field stretching endlessly toward the western horizon. I am Blessed. Dear Lord, I pray unto Thee with only my Breath in this Most Divine of Moments!
I ride a Raven's auspicious escort up the final summit headwall and find myself perched upon the highest spot in Arizona. A man as feeble as i can find no greater instance, nor any more passionate rapture, then to stand on top of throne of the Mountain Gods and cry in the Light of its own Radiance. This to me, is what Heals. This to me, is what Empowers. This to me, is...Being a-live! As i bow in each Direction upon this Sacred Peak, tears run with aboriginal courtesy and become blended with the unnerved Sun. A mountain lake, far lower than i, welcomes my tears with a purest of blue. 
As i turn and start the long descent, a warm energetic wave pulsed throughout what used to be 'me.' This Pulse is the pulse of our own Mother and our own Father. Sun and Moon united. HaTha Yoga. Mountain yoga. My parting from this Summit leaves an open wound...open enough for all Healing to take hold. I begin my descent by tip toeing among the talus, light headed i am. Somewhere further down, i gain my agility again. Deer Medicine. Leaping and jumping, striding and running. Laughing and crying. Still on their way up, i meet again the shivering couple. The girl again yells out to me,
"Who ARE you? What are you training for?"
My answer easily penetrated the God intoxicated mists of my mind,
"i am just a yogi...training for life."
"i get It!"
was all i could hear her reply, fractured by the wind.
i truly trust she will.
we all will, one day...i thought, as i continued my downward rush into the world at the feet of the Sacred Peak.
May this humble workout report inspire your Practice and may all Beings benefit from your consistency of Practice,
namaste,
coach ilg
POST SCRIPT;
The Coconino Ranger Service reported that some of the hikers that Coach Ilg encountered that day reported having to crawl the last 200 yards to the summit because of the winds blowing at 100 mph.
The Navajos often refer to the San Francisco Peaks as "the mountains through which the wind blows," as gale force winds of 40-50 MPH constantly sweep the summits.
One hiker wrote in the logbook that day, "Overcoming the final three false summits was like a walk in hell, hill over agony hill."�
The mighty stratovolcano now called Mt. Humphreys, blasted away its upper 1,300 feet in a cataclysmic explosion only 200,000 years ago that rocked the surrounding area for hundreds of square miles, rocketing millions of tons of rock, hot ash, and lava high into the atmosphere. Going back in time, the entire Coconino Plateau was a great cauldron of volcanic activity that lasted for almost fifteen million years. Nearby Sunset Crater resulted from an eruption of less than one thousand years ago. The next eruption... has not yet been forecasted.
At the summit, you stand 2.4 miles above sea level, and can see for hundreds of square miles around us in a 360-degree panoramic view. The dark gash in the earth to the north is the Grand Canyon. To the northeast is Navajo Mountain in Utah. To the southwest lies Kendrick Peak, Sitgreaves Mountain, and Bill Williams Mountain. Out to the east, near the New Mexico border, lie the White Mountains and Mt. Baldy. The Mogollon Rim above Sedona is to the south as well as Oak Creek Canyon.