September 30, 2005
GIVING "A" SOME LOVE...
"Oh, a little Blood-Letting is good for you...it's Bardo Training!" smiles a 'thumbs up' Coach Ilg as he prepares to
'hose down' Student Shelli during a recent Intensive. Shelli, like Ananda yesterday, went down hard
on the mountain bike and, like Ananda, returned to the WF H(om)e Temple beneath the Sacred Mountain
all smiles for their spiritual victory of mind over body! Below, a sympathetic Shelli in-courages a Healing Ananda
after Ananda went down while training for her upcoming Mt. Duathlon (see yesterday's DL: "Smiling and Scarred").
Hey, in THIS Path of GENUINE Mind AND Body Fitness...we don't just TALK about overcoming our Fears...we get out
onto the Arena of Mother Earth and DO IT, baby! Blood is Go(o)d...Scars are Badges of Honor! Don't give your grave
an under-used body! Tear it up baby! Show God that you USED His miracle of bones, blood, and skin! No Fear, baby!
***
"Hello grace full and inspiring teacher A..............hat's off to you and your noble effort and success!
Today my practice and pran are dedicated to you for all your loving kindness and gentle ways and all
that you do to keep the tribe humming along..................
heartfelt thanks,
student shel
Tribal Sister, Shel,
How sweet & loving your words are to me.
How about those scratch marks...
as i was lying on the ground, crying...yes tears of frustration
and shock rolling down my face, i thought about your
sense of humor as you returned to WF headquarters bruised
and bleeding from your Mountain adventure. :-)
Thank your for your Practice and Pran.
Om Shanti (love and peace)
humming,
ananda
On Sep 30, 2005, at 8:33 AM, auntshel@juno.com wrote:
Subject: THE STUPENDOUS CHI OF SUNRIDER HERBAL FOOD
Namaste Noble SUNRIDERS!...
remember back to the Day when you finally broke down, and started the "Secret Herbs of WF"
and for the first time really felt your CHI become LIBERATED...
well,
New Sunrider Warrioress Suet (Ananda Clan) writes in below and i just had to smile...
well, Suet, i hate to say, "I told you so...but...."
;-)
Enjoy the CHI, baby
Namaste,
Coach Ilg
National SV Leader and Lead Director: SUNRIDER International
"These herbs do wonders of the CHI!"
- New SUNRIDER Warrioress, Suet
Dearest Ananda,
I have officially begun my Sunrider journey today :-)
I know it�s not a couple of weeks yet, but I really
must share the great news. These herbs do wonders for
the Chi! At first I brushed it off thinking I�m
over-analyzing myself. Then I remembered one of
Coach�s entries on DL regarding how many people often
disregard the miracles SR herbs. So I am going to
embrace the miracle with all my grace.
I�m a-loving Action Caps. I�m experiencing a sudden
surge of energy and GONE was my usually drowsy state
after lunch! Not only that, I�ve been feeling rather
�happy� today. If I didn�t know myself better, I�d
think I was on drugs. I�ve been feeling agitated and
moody for quite some time now. Funnily enough, I
flipped open a page on TBT early this morning and
landed on WF Sutra 20, �Tiredness, Agitation, Lack of
Motivation are Divine hands, tugging at your
consideration of Nutrition�, which then came a moment
of enlightenment for me. SR Herbs � good food, GOD
Food...
I went for my one hour jog in the evening and
my-oh-my� I came home feeling like I was on fire! I
got my heart-a-pumpin�, my legs all worked up, and
boy, did I sweat like a pig! What was that?!?!? After
all that, I still didn�t feel like I was going to
collapse � unlike my usual days. It�s past midnight;
I�m still not hitting the snooze button yet. I also
noticed that I�m much less �gassy� today.
I got 2 questions. Do I take Action Caps & Slim Caps
before/after meal? I don�t have Calli Night, must I
take this? I�m not fancy-ing having to use the toilet
in the middle of my sleep.
P/S: Loved that wonderful interview of you on DL.
Love and Light,
Suet
A TRIBAL BABY IS BORN...Among SUNRIDER Herbs and Haiku!
dear coache',
a moment?
a daughter is born (5)
a journey becomes steeper (7)
and the joy greater (5)
arianna alfaro salimone
9-27-05 10:58am
7lbs, 14.1ozs
the toughest wf "work-with"
i've experienced so far..
fortune deilight with suny dew and vitafruit
fueled us the whole way!
much love,
student dansan, leilani, and arianna
***
Gorgeous Beings...
this afternoon's DL comes with my fullest Dharma Blessings for the new One...
May Her Light beam Brightly for all Beings to Benefit!
my Tribe is smiling, i am sure...
take care of yourselves, you three!
love,
el coache
CELEBRATE SIMILARITIES! � WF: SOUL RIDE FOR HUMANITY � 3 CLASSES OF ASPIRANTS � TWISTED SAGE BLOG GOING OFF! 
Dharma Blessings to the profound Wholistic FItness inspired Teacher Ko clan over in Indiana...check out the GREAT STUDENT FEEDBACK today on Teacher Ko's blog and you tell me if Ripples Don't Make (Wholistic) Waves, baby!
http://www.twistedsageblog.blogspot.com/
���
WF; The Soul Ride For Humanity
A weakening, not strengthening, of the human Consciousness has been going on for thousands of years. The yogis know this current era of spiritual decline as Kali Yuga. This era is going to get worse before it gets better. The decline shall continue due to the obvious addiction to comfort and entertainment by today's UnAwakened, non-Practicing human. Our diluted genetic pool is drained by UnAwakened, non-Practicing Humans giving birth to too many other humans without themselves first reaching moderate Levels of Spiritual Attainment and Wisdom. Thus, the vast majority of the current human population now falls into the most dissipated form of spiritual aspirant; Adhama Adhikara, which Swami Sivananda describes below.
Back in the human's more Enlightened Era for instance (during the time of Vedic and Upanishadic inner-partying!), the Path of Yoga did not even require the moral and ethic 'comandments' of the Yamas and NiYama. Why? Well, back then, people actually retained 'common sense'! Aspirants sought out the most generous, fierce, and balanced Spiritual Teachers of their day, emptied their cup, and took study under These Teachers of Yoga. The aspirant understood fully the importance of and honor of upholding personal and societal harmony.
Nor did our Ancient Spiritual Elders require gruelling yoga poses to help re-focus our dissipated powers of concentration. We used to be able to sit Full Lotus unflinchingly in both body and mind fairly easily! In fact, Yoga used to begin right with Meditation (Dharana) into exploration of the Blissful Natures of Mind (Samadhi). Hell, today's SUV-driving, cell-toting Man cannot but hold concentration for a few paltry seconds! So mired in Moha (delusion caused by the Outer World) that today's Man has become naturally infertile so that babies will not be born from this poor, dilapidated, unConnected, stressed out Man. So, what does this Man do? Create synthetic Fertility Pills to force a child from within their stressed out systems! Meanwhile, the Awakened look down from a Meditative Perspective upon all this human mellow-Drama, shake their heads, open their Hearts, and do their best to Practice Compassion and LovingKindness. "All Karma is God," teach the Masters. All karma is God. 
� "Welcome to your first Yoga Class lesson as given by the Ancients; first lesson; while maintaining an elegant padmasana, draw steady concentration to the rising, transition, and falling breath without allowing your concentration or body to fidget. Please continue this study without interruption for the length of one incense stick." Can you see why the Yoga Masters had to change things around for today's "Modern Man"? Aren't you glad i created WF instead of this Hard Core reliance upon the GENUINE YOGIC MASTERS? I thought so. Photo by Ananda of Coach Ilg in Meditation, early morning, Two Tree Manor beneath the Sacred Peak.�
By and a Way, the Yoga Masters have thus assigned a different, more physically centered marga (Path) for this tragic, modern Man. They are now attempting to Teach us spiritual fitness, through a set of Messengers, by getting us to first discipline their dissipated mind through attention to physical fitness training.
Enter; WF. Created in 1982 for the Modern American as a stylized form of Yoga, originated by the Ancients. Feeble Messenger of the WF Marga; Steve Ilg.
Go(o)d luck, ilg! (Can you Hear the Deities chuckling?! I do, all the time!)
My spiritual Teachers helped me created WF to, "help curb the Dissipated Desires of today's Man (Their Words...took me a long time just to figger out what They were saying!). I was Instructed to find a way to counter today's entertainment-addicted society. Thus, WF is so designed to get people re-stoked about prioritizing InnerAttainment over Entertainment.
It's been a quarter century of me pulling into the Headwinds of the Outer Directed World and attempt to package WF to affect large numbers of Seekers. I have yet to find the Key to touching the Masses. Perhaps, one day, you will write that Blog, you will write that Number One Bestseller based on the WF Teachings, you will contact people in the "Entertainment Business" and get WF Teachers or Teachings circulating on the television...perhaps, just perhaps, you are the One, not me, to deeply help Contain the Dissipated Man?
May all Beings know the vital importance and Endless Joy of Awakening through some sort of Wholistic Fitness. This is what i pray today.
Enjoy your herbs, work on Containment over Entertainment, and most of all, May Your Practices be strong, sincere, and full of fun Insight to help you and all of us ever, endlessly HIGHER!!!
Om Mani Padme Hung,
coach ilg
founder/Wholistic Fitness Personal Training System since 1982
***
Three Classes of Aspirants
by Swami Sivananda
"Yoga is the royal road to freedom from misery. It treats of the four great principles: misery, its cause, freedom from misery and the means. The practice of the methods prescribed in Yoga leads to the cessation of all miseries and attainment of eternal bliss. Practice from today. Never miss a day. Remember each day brings you nearer to the end of earthly existence as human being. You have wasted many days, many months and many years. You do not realize it because you have drunk the liquor of Moha {Coach's explanation; this word means, delusion, such as buying into the notion that who are you is a limited ego personality instead of a self whose very nature is transcendent}. Therefore, you do not understand the real cause of the miseries of this earthly life.
The cause of this misery is Avidya {Coach's explanation; ooof, this is the Big One; spiritual ignorance. It is the main affliction of the UnAwakened that keeps him or her locked into Samsara or the endless cycle of birth, life with suffering, death, and rebirth}. When the sun of discrimination arises within, the Purusha {pure Spirit/Awareness} realizes that He is distinct from Prakriti {nature; that which lacks Awareness}, that He is independent and unaffected. Yoga gives you a most practical method of bringing about this exalted state.
According to Raja Yoga, there are three types of aspirants - Uttama, Madhyama and Adhama Adhikaris. To three classes of aspirants Raja Yoga prescribes three kinds of Sadhana {Spiritual Work}.
To the Uttama Adhikari (first-class aspirant) Raja Yoga prescribes Abhyasa and Vairagya. He practices meditation on the Self; he practices Chitta-Vritti-Nirodha (restraining the modification of the mind-stuff) and soon enters into Samadhi. This is practice (Abhyasa) sustained by Vairagya. To the Madhyama Adhikari (middling aspirant) Raja Yoga prescribes the Kriya Yoga - Tapas, Svadhyaya and Ishvarapranidhana. Tapas is austerity. Egolessness and selfless service are the greatest forms of Tapas. Humility and desirelessness are the greatest forms of austerity. Practice these through ceaseless, untiring, selfless service. Practice the three kinds of Tapas mentioned in the Gita. Disciplinary practices like fasting, etc., also come under Tapas. Svadhyaya is study of spiritual literature and also Japa of your Ishta Mantra. Ishvarapranidhana is self-surrender to the Lord and doing all actions as Ishvararpana, as offering unto the Lord. These three form the Sadhanas of the Madhyama Adhikari who enters into deep meditation very soon and attains Kaivalya Moksha. To the Adhama Adhikari, lowest kind of aspirant, Raja Yoga prescribes Ashtanga Yoga or the eightfold Sadhana - Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi."
***
EPILOGUE
It is one of the most difficult parts of my SvaDharma is gauging the Level of WF Online Training for a newly accepted Student (Shishya). I mean, i could kill somebody within days, if i am not careful! Damn, i nearly killed Ananda yesterday during 'mountain bike yoga'! (see DL; 9*30*05)
Once i accept a Student, i become pregnant with the spiritual, physical, and mental care and feeding of that One Who Is On The Path Of Awakening. One day, perhaps, the Outer World will realize what we've been doing for the past quarter century over here in WF...perhaps one day, we Staff Teachers may even get paid what they are worth...something like combining the worlds best personal trainers with a spiritual teacher with a naturopath with a therapist with a physical therapist with an expert herbalist with a champion athlete with a yoga teacher. In the meantime, a WF Teacher can be in your corner, 24 x 7, for..uh...$3/Day. If you have not yet hired your own WF Teacher to help be your genuine Life Coach (WF has been around long before that word or profession was even around)..then, sign up today. Things will be changing in the coming year, so right now is a great time to join the world's original Online Training System; Wholistic Fitness.
Here is how i train my Staff Teachers to gauge their Online Training of you...first and foremost, we WF Teachers must determine, by our experience, which classification of studentship a new shishya falls into. Once that judgment is made, then we designed a lifelong series of WF Programs, changed every four weeks, to equalize the natural weaknesses and karmic circumstances (we all got 'em, baby) as we g(r)o(w) along.
The following Teaching by Sri Swami Sivananda encapsulates the same vein we Teachers of WF use with you. Then, depending upon your Abhyasa and Iccha Shakti (i trust you have been doing your DL reading so you know these words...like WF, even DL is a systematic approach to Teaching), you start getting the volume and intensities across the mental, physical, and spiritual spectrum all monitored by us (I oversee ALL my Staff Teachers work with their students).
You already got what it takes to become an Online WF Student...it's just a matter of you jumping into your weaknesses and transforming yourself through them. That is why i coined the term, Noble Fitness Warriors. It requires Warriorism to detect, overcome, and be transformed through our natural lazy habits and negative tendencies.
got it?
Go(o)d. Then fill out an Application to Study today on the Tribal Catalog, and we'll hook you up on the Path of Transformation through WF. Don't wait. Tomorrow you will another day closer to the Bardo Entry. Life is precious, don't waste it by wasting your training and Practice time on superfluous teachers and teachings. you deserve World Class training, especially at $3/Day. I TAF your Transformation is a bit more important than the cost of what...a latte? a Dunkin friggin' doughnut? c'mon Warrior! RISE ABOVE! Pick up your DharmaSword and starting cutting your negativity away and climb with us toward the In-Lighten-ment available to you through the necessity of lifestyle fitness.
September 29, 2005
SMILING AND SCARRED; ANANDA INTERVIWED
From Movie Star to Marred Mountain Biker; Ananda goes down hard today while training with Coach for her first ever
Mountain Duathlon.
WF Interviews Joy/Teacher Ananda for DL
about her First Ever Bicycle Race (and in clipless pedals!)
On August 6th, 38-year young WF Temple Manager and Teacher Ananda did her first ever road cycling race; straight up the face of Mt. Humphreys shown here in the background. Below, WF Devotee Laura interviews Ananda about her first race and her next competition.
WF: How did you prepare the morning of the race (food, warm up, mentally/psychologically)?
A:
Ahh...perhaps from a Bike Racers POV (point of view) not very well.
However, from a Wholistic Fitness POV, my morning began with a Meditation in the Zendo to set the Intent (bhavana in Yoga terms) of my race; which was to beat my personal time record up the Snowball Road (which to that date I had done only 3 times and only once in clipless pedals). My personal meditation also included a prayer for all the cyclists, that we be protected and guided safely up and down the mountain road.
From that space i embraced the beautiful morning by sitting outside with Coach, drinking a half a cup of Peet's coffee, Major Dickason's Blend (hey, it works for Lance) with half a banana, listening to the birds sing and watching the cats play as the sun began to grace us with His strength and life sustaining force. As a Yogin every time we stand in Tadasana at the beginning of our yoga session, be it in a class or in personal practice, and we set the intent of our practice, we also give homage to the Sun. Thus the name of Surya-Namaskara, Sun Salutations.
{Getting yourself to the Sign In is half the race! Ananda signs in for her first ever race...hey, don't knock her nervous look until you've been there yourself, baby!}
Coach and i got so caught up in the moment, that when we looked at the clock...oops!
See, we needed to get to the race site early so i could register for my one day race license, as well as register for the race itself and Coach's race category started 30 minutes before my group. So, no warm up...in the typical sense of the notion.
{Ananda poses with "Ajna"...her 'girl' before racing up the peak}
Thank Go(o)dness and Coach Ilg for Toilet Yoga, followed by Neti and Pranayama. This was my internal warm up. i did get to spin my legs on Ajna (that's my girl) for about 10 minutes before the start of my race, unlike Coach Ilg.
So, no food (expect for the 1/2 banana), only Pran for breakfast with 4 Action Caps and 5 Sport Caps and lots of adrenaline.
WF:
What about an Ilg Supreme? I would have thought surely you would have one to power you up the hill! Why did you make this choice?
A:
i listen to my Coach, Coach Ilg and trust in his guidance. Ilg Supremes are very filling and we (Coach and i) want the stomach to be as empty as possible before a race. Trust me i had one as soon as i got home!!!
The intent of Peet's coffee, for me, is to stimulate a Bowel Movement. i don't even like coffee. i never order it. Can't stand the taste. However a little caffeine (1/2 cup) helps me "release." The banana coats my stomach so i can handle the coffee. go figure.
Because of my tendency towards low blood sugar, which Sunrider Herbs have pretty much leveled out, aided by a possible adrenaline spike, i took a PowerGel right before the race just to insure i wouldn't bonk.
WF:
How did you feel as you approached the start line?
A:
nervous yet centered.
Coach Ilg had thought, based on his years of racing that as a Time Trial race we would be started individually and since this was only my 3rd time in clipless pedals it would be safe. As you've heard Coach quote, "if you want to make God laugh, make a plan"
or in this case "you want to make Joy nervous, make her start her first bike race ever in clipless pedals with 15 other Warrioresses." So when our category was called (Womens 4) i made sure to position myself to the left of the pack (i did not want to go off the curb of the road) and at the tail end. While the race official was counting down I performed Kapalabhati's "skull-shining" breath of fire. the major and only advantage i had going into this race was my Practice of yoga and the ability to use my Breath and Posture as allies.
WF:
How did you feel as the "start gun" went off?
A:
Honestly, i don't recall how i felt.
i was too focused on what i needed to do and that was to look good :-)...seriously though, here i am wearing a WF Jersey all decked out in the Appropriate gear, playing the role of a "racer" (once an actress, always an actress) i HAD to get my shoes into the clipless pedals without fail and jump onto the wheel of the last rider.
The last part of the above sentence is where having an amazing, World-Class Coach is crucial for performance. My training rides with Coach Ilg up to this day have been about:
1) how to ride a road bike (that helps)!
2) where to position yourself safely in a Peleton.
3) do what it takes not to get Gapped (no space between your wheel and the wheel in front of you) for as long as you can.
so keeping all three of those points in Mind i had no time for feelings...unless you mean my Heart pounding in my chest because the horses out of the gates took off at a cadence twice my normal "i just want to get up the hill" speed.
{Even accomplished actresses like Joy can't act their way through suffering when the hill starts to bite; racing bikes up mountains is superb for stripping away layers of who we 'think' we are. Shown above, Ananda and Ajna striking a hillclimbing groove.}
WF:
How did you feel at the half-way point?
To make this more interesting, let me tell you about the headwall which came slightly beyond the half-way point. i will say this however, i was going faster than i ever had up this or any hill (noting that i am racing my bike at a starting elevation of over 7,500 feet and i have lived my life, until now, at sea level.) So my lungs where working beyond anything they had ever experienced, which meant my Breath was hard and loud. To keep me focused and not caught up in the drama of my aching lungs, i returned to my source of Power, the WF Sangha and my personal Mantra.
{Ananda while on a training trip to Zion National Park, "Each time i questioned, "why"...i devoted myself to the purification of my soul and the love of our Wholistic Fitness Family. "}
Each Breath, regardless if loud or hard, was connected with a syllable of my Mantra.
Each time i questioned, "why"...i devoted myself to the purification of my soul and the love of our Wholistic Fitness Family. And even though i got gapped by mile 1, i remained true to my morning's intent: i was racing against or rather with myself, not the other fast racers up the road.
so this brings me to the HEADWALL (where the grade of the road increased sharply).
i knew it was coming up and i knew i had to monitor myself so that i wouldn't blow up once i greeted her steep and challenging face. so as i approached her, i kept true to my Mantra. The other training points, such as �pull up on the clipless pedals so i can use more power from the hamstrings�, and in Ron Jones� words, "stand up on the pedals and hammer" had flown out the window. it was sheer will power at this juncture.
And then there he was...
My Beloved,
My Coach,
sitting on his bike on the other side of the road, cheering me on.
he even recruited 2 guys, i do TAF one was dressed up like the devil (a nice metaphor for i was definitely challenging the ego inside my mind, lungs and muscles at that point) and the other had a Nordic Bell, ringing like the WF Gong in my ears.
All three of them where cheering my name, "Go Joy, Go Joy Get up and out of the saddle, Pull up on your pedals, use those hamstrings, Go Joy, Go Joy."
Tears, honestly, swelled up in my eyes as i recall that suspended moment in time where i felt so much Love and Support.
Even though in that moment i was in Zone 4, "sucking goose eggs," the tears of my sweat and pain where completely transformed into tears of joy and love. i could do this. i am doing this!
WF:
How did you feel as you saw the finish line ahead?
A:
again, i just wanted to look good :-) ! i knew, technically, i was the last racer on the road to be crossing the finish line (at that time i did not know that 7 racers had not even finished the race) so i wanted to show myself and the onlookers that i had a little left in me. so i got out of the saddle and from my youth when i use to race in running events, i sprinted for the finish line.
i even got a "Strong Finish, Good Job" from someone.
i knew in my heart and in my body, that i had beat my personal time record.
in case you're wondering my personal time record was around 57 minutes.
Ajna and i got up that bad boy in 49:50:00 minutes.
i TAF that deserves a Podium placement.
WF:
Very impressive! How did you feel as you reflected on your effort the next day?
A:
Damn proud!!!
even though as Yogis it's not Appropriate to cultivate the quality of pride, i TAF that if used in a way to challenge and transform negative tendencies and self imposed limitations, pride can also be an ally.
{Ananda relaxes with 'Jaspurrr', one of her two cats that she spoils when not training and doing WF Temple Work.}
WF:
When's your next race?
A:
Well, since you asked -- October 8th. �Gaspin� in the Aspen� Duathlon:
http://www.flagstaffnordiccenter.com/duathlon.htm
i'm racing the Short Course: 2.5km run, 10km bike, 2.5km run. while of course, Coach Ilg is racing the Long Course: 7.5km run, 30km bike, 7.5km run.
Hey, you�re all more than welcome to come join me, who cares if we're gaspin�!
May my feeble humbling race interview be of inspiration to all of you that have never toed the start line of an actual race. It's never too late.
On the Wholistic Fitness Path we only get younger, stronger and more supple with Time and Practice. So use your WF training and challenge yourself beyond what you think and feel you can do to what matters most, just doing it!
Namaste,
joy
teacher ananda
***
On behalf of Ananda and our entire WF Sangha, i bow to and personally thank Noble WF Warrioress Laura Pendell for doing such a beautiful Interview!
Know a WF Warrior that you would like to Interview for DL? Let me know!
to Beings unafraid to Breathe into their Fears and challenge their Higher Self to come out and play,
i bow to you,
coach ilg
September 28, 2005
WF-APPROVED BLOGS; Spiritual Cairns Along The Internet: THOMAS WARD RE-OPENS HIS COACH ILG-APPROVED BLOG! 
"Ripples make waves."
- coach ilg, 1983
***
ThOMas Ward, who i just profiled here in DIRECT LINES, has chosen to practice Bravery in the mountain yoga tradition; he has chosen to re-open his Blog and devote it to helping others through this sadhana; Honesty. In his blog of two days ago, he writes,
"I am an overweight, older guy, single father raising kids on one income, not good looking, or overly athletic, but little by little, each day, I become smarter, sexier, better looking, richer, smaller in body, and larger in spirit. These things are vital to the earth vibrations. Your presence makes a difference, your participation makes a difference to you in quality of life, peace, health, happiness, feelings of connection, community and wholeness."
Gems, spiritual ones, fall from the pen of this Noble WF Warrior with an inner velocity of self acceptance that seems to catapult from a simple yet mature love that can only come from a long BattleDance within ones own human spirit. His writing, reminds me of one of my spiritual fathers; Henry David Thoreau...an American yogi who, like Emerson, like Synder, like Abbey after him, lined up on the side of Nature in order to chase his own spiritual star.
If you are a fan of Direct Lines, then make sure you Bookmark this WF-Approved Blog and visit it as often as you do this Root Temple. These WF-Approved blogs are like spiritual cairns hidden within the lower chakra pandemonium of the internet and shall guide humanity toward that which Serves their Higher Self. Most of us may have deep down energetic blockages which keep us from attracting Divine Gifts and Insights. Reading WF-Approved Blogs each day such as Warrior Ward's help us find and love that inner Teacher that knows the impeccable timing of when to Gift you what you need at the right time.
Now is the right time to re-organize your Internet Bookmark Bar and the first few links should be the WF-Approved Blogs below. I will start with ThOMas Ward's since his is the most recent:
http://www.warriorsamoht.blogspot.com/
blog author: ThOMas Ward, WF Devotee and Sunrider Herbal Warrior
http://www.twistedsageblog.blogspot.com/
blog author: Chris "Kokanda" Roche, WF Teacher and Yoga Instructor
http://wftraining.blogspot.com/
blog author: Paul Mount, WF Devotee
http://www.teacherq.com/
blog author: Quentin "Teacher Q" Vaughan, WF Teacher (Coming Soon!)
I will close with ThOMas Ward's Opening Blog Entry.
I bow to all of you, brave enough to penetrate the Darkness of Kali Yuga with the Torch Carrying Duties of a WF Warrior-Sharing! Pick up your DharmaSword and help by sharing what you have to give; Sacred Insight From WF Sweat and Stillness!
om mani padme hung,
coach ilg
founder/WholisticFitness.com
***
Monday, September 26, 2005
Thomas Ward Blog:
i am re-opened with this directive...Be Honest.
i bow to you within the circle of water Coach ilg. I bow to you all from within the great circle of water...the streams, lakes, rivers and the great oceans in the circle, even our bodies are 70% water.
I eat. It has been pointed out to me that the vast majority of earth's people are starving to death. In honor and horror of this fact, i dedicate my meals to mindfulness. Small portions, lovingly prepared, eaten in reverence and awe. What color is it, who grew it, who picked or packaged it, who moved it? Bless them and send them metta.
In the morning i plant my feet on the earth and breathe the elixor of life. i walk the dragon and feel the foundation. Saluting the sun as she appears on the horizon, sitting in stillness by the pond, feeling the freshness of the day, the cricket singing his melody to the grass, the fish seeking the insect, as i seek the center singing om mani padme hung and om shanti shanti shanti. Noon will bring the Ai Imawa postures and sacred breathe as my cells cry out for the sweet sweat of evening ritual. Heart beating, limbs supple, mind clear, sweat rolling...Here is life, here is passion, here is noble pursuit.
This is what you seek. Find it now....Join me.... You where made for it, but I warn you, once you step on the path, you will know. What have they (all the they's all your life) told you about spirit, growth, peace, happiness, inner strength, health, compassion, harmony? It is all here. And the voice is strong and people who hear it embrace the steep climb, it is not for the weak. Oh, you are expected to begin that way....weak, disconnected, scattered. But set your mind on the path, embrace the precepts, be constant. Start. Continue. Is that not simple enough?
Come visit me as i find my way to there.
Namaste from the old guy in the yoga toes, sippin herbal beverage and reading ancient wisdom on modern technology. Ain't it grand?
thOMas
September 27, 2005
COACH ILG; "SOLID WORDS IN A SHIFTING TIME,"
Actual DharmaSpeak between Coach and Noble Warrior Thomas Ward...
"The entire range of all possible appearances, and all possible phenomena in all the different realities, whether samsara or nirvana, all of these without exception have always been and will always be perfect and complete, within the vast and boundless expanse of the nature of mind. Yet, even though the essence of everything is empty and �pure from the very beginning,� its nature is rich in noble qualities, pregnant with every possibility, a limitless, incessantly and dynamically creative field that is always spontaneously perfect."
- Sogyal Rinpoche
"Whether you and i and few others will renew the world
some day remains to be seen. But within ourselves we must
renew it each day." _ Hermann Hesse
This is picture of "Wannabe Warrior" Thomas Ward's small area where he lights nag champa incense (the official incense of WF), and where the picture that was sent with his Blessed WF Mala Bead order sits encased in glass, "displayed for me to see, reminding me that it is all our practices that matter. There you are, captured in a moment of stillness, urging me to begin and continue each day. Thank you for for solid words in a shifting time, caring while others are careless, calling down from the hard way to tell us AIN'T SO BAAAADDDD! I know i need it, i know the world needs it, the tree beings, the fish beings, the human beings. But it is the narrow way, coach, not many can stand truth."
- SUNRIDER and WF Informal Student, Thomas Ward
***
On Sep 27, 2005, at 3:44 PM, Thomas Ward wrote:
All Honorifics to you on this day,
Thank you for the poignant and free insight. My greatest step will be the one i take into on-line training. There are certain obstacles that i am applying pressure to at present and so soon will be headed h(om)e to the temple.
Your DL today stressing the necessity and difficulty of inner work in the outer world is very timely for this lame wannabe.
COACH:
better to be a lame wannabe
than a
be never be
TW:
No sooner do i ponder a position than, again, you write about it. You in deed practice on different planes. i bow to your four~word thinking (om mani padme hung) and saturate my practice with the WF mantra.
COACH:you are too go(o)d...
TW: i have included two photos. One taken, no doubt, by the peerless Ananda,
COACH: "peerless" is precisely accurate. WF Temple Manager Ananda is a rare, gifted Being walking so elegantly among us.
i live with the planet's most beautiful and wholistic saint-movie star-yogini-warrioress-athlete-Being...
she is angelic, grounded, intelligent, durable, and without pretense.
i bow to the Peerless Ananda. My Temple may not have survived the past couple of years without Her
devoted, unasked, and completely fierce Grace; daughter of a Marine, daughter of Brahmanic Light.
i am but a mere shadow within her Radiant Illumination.
TW:
is of you posted 8/11/05 second half of PRANAYAM lesson {editor note; see below pic}.
You are also cooking malas in this picture. Malas with a dark brown bead midway up the strand on either side. This is the time period i had ordered my saturated malas from the temple. They are, in every appearance exactly like the ones i received in the mail a few days later and wear around my neck as i write this note.
COACH: how "ironic"
don't you think?!?!
wonder how THAT happened?
;-)
TW:
The second picture {see opening pic} is of my small area where i light nag, and where the picture sent with the beads sits encased in glass, displayed for me to see, reminding me that it is all our practices that matter. There you are, captured in a moment of stillness, urging me to begin and continue each day. Thank you for both images, for solid words in a shifting time, caring while others are careless, calling down from the hard way to tell us AIN'T SO BAAAADDDD! I know i need it, i know the world needs it, the tree beings, the fish beings, the human beings. But it is the narrow way, coach, not many can stand truth.
COACH:
or sit It.
let al(one) live It.
to live thy Truth means being ready to
sacrifice It All; the money, the business, the family,
the dog, the IRA, the body,
the Truth is about your SPIRIT,
the Truth does not give one crap about your Person-All
dictates and preferences.
Most people want the Truth so long It as does not push them too far
beyond their comfort zones...
their person-all dictates and preferences.
Such people are common, predictable, and shall remain Attached.
Then there are the few,
the rare Beings willing to sell It All for their Soul Conditioning in this lifetime.
They trust their Teachers, they Trust in God...they challenge and develop their
faith in God in the way you and i have challenged and developed our biceps...
or our Cardio fitness; faith in Truth must be gained through constant, non stop
Sacred Sweat and Surrender into It All.
not many have traveled such terrain.. really...
Gandhi did.
Jesus did.
Buddha did.
did you?
did i?
funny thing...
the most "narrow Ways" i have been on;
physically, athletically, philosophically
have all-Ways produced the best Quality Moments to my life.
funny, eh?
that which seems Narrow,
turns out to be
the most Expansive.
TW:
i have said enough. Only this will i add, i remain on the SUNRIDER herbs and have added QUINARY to the mix. i am still sluggishly weaving through phase 1. (lots of beat up cells to revive) i had a peace filled connection this morning during Ai Imawa ritual with my toes on the earth. meditation and beeper guru where both in~ lightening. i go now to seek the sacred sweat.
Namaste from this circle of water.
thOMas
****
Coach,
Thanks for gettting back to me, and I will from now on STAY ON THE HERBS.
Man, you have so much wisdom and a great sense of humor.
I would LOVE to train with you one day--You are the MAN!
Cheers,
Scott
***
Dearest Coach,
Thank you for your kindness and consideration, and thank you again for doing what your doing. I think it is truly incredible and inspirational!!
Blessings,
Andrew
***
ILG AS ALTAR BOY...NO EXPECTATIONS; Three Teachings
I was raised Catholic. I went to mass every morning - EARLY MORNING - before school. I was an Altar Boy. On Saturdays, often the priests assigned me to serve a funeral. Great fun stuff for a boy who just wanted to run around in the high country with his wolf. On Sundays, i had to return to church with my mom for obligatory Sunday Mass, a big event in a small town like Durango, Colorado was those days. If you weren't seen at Sunday Mass, preferably dressed to the nines and saturated with perfume or cologne, then you ran the risk of small minded rumors circulating about your lack of piety. 
Your humble coach when he was a 'lace clad angel' more West than East, yet already attuned to the Divine beyond the cassock**
I recall at my 6th Grade Graduation, all us students got little plaques with biblical quotes on them. They were pretty cool. As i opened my plaque with great anticipation, my eyes fell upon the following Words whence cometh my second "Sartori" experience. The quote was not from the Bible as were all the other kids. Though my chronological years may have been young, when i read the plaque, a zen moment arose; i recall seeing the tiny wrinkles in my upturned palms juxtaposed with the handsome, well veneered wood. I read the words intellectually, yet my Soul just 'got it' big time...i intuitively understood the profound wisdom of this diminutive plaque;
"Blessed is he who expects nothing
for he shall never be disappointed."
I hate to tell you, yet, that ain't Cathlolic. That there is about as Taoist/Zen/Buddhist as you can get! How it arrived in my little hands that In-Lightful morning was, to my mind, an act of God.
The Enlightened Masters stress that to stabilize meditation, it is essential, first of all, to accomplish regular practice in a special environment of retreat, where all the favorable conditions are present; amid the distractions and busyness of the world. In WF Online Training, we actually use the warmth and quietude of a bathroom in the early morning hours for our 'special' environment. When i lived next to the University of Colorado campus in a very rowdy, party-addicted duplex with six roommates, i created in those years, my Early Morning Practices...done, yup, you guessed it! In the bathroom. You don't need a whole room doused with incense and adorned with a clutter of arcane statues toward which you have no real affinity. Here is what you need for Spiritual Growth in this humble, powerful Temple of WF; a bathroom! you got a bathroom? Good...then you got yourself a Temple.
Second, though there is no difference in WF between meditation and everyday life. This might not start clicking for you until you have done the grunt work of cultivating some degree of emotional stability through doing your Teacher-assigned Practices in consistent sessions and using the secret herbs (see the following DL!) so you have cellular Clarity and Energy that Vibes at a High Level. Essentially, you will not be able to integrate the wisdom of meditation into your daily life experiences until you do the Base Work of learning to first, concentrate (dharana) and then sustain that concentration (dhyana). There is a flawless approach to Enlightenment that has been around for several thousand years...you just gotta git to the inner Workouts, there pardner!
Third, if you are unable to continue the flow of your meditation at all times and in all situations, mixing your Practice with everyday life, it will not serve as a remedy when unfavorable circumstances arise and when you encounter your Bardo Moment (the final exhale into the Dying Realms). Without using your Daily Life as a place to apply your Practices, you will be led astray into delusion by thoughts and emotions in daily life and you will be unable to retain the subtle yet everlasting filaments of Higher Consciousness throughout the Bardo Realms.
Oh, and another thing i will coach you in for no extra charge; In this day and (dark) age, any 'teacher of yoga' or 'spiritual guru' who attempts to pitch you spiritual growth or yogic advancement by saying that all you need to do is 'release' and 'surrender' into the Grace of Life and that everything about Enlightenment is just hunky dory is a fool and is trying to fool you, too. I won't let that happen to you, not under my wing! Spiritual Growth requires tonnage of sweat and fierceness and iccha shakti (have you been reading this week's DL's?!) in order to go INTO your negative and lazy habits as ongoing inner workouts.
Noble WF Warriors,
Expect nothing today;
and watch how free you truly are.
Freedom is a nature of mind;
watch your mindstream, look for the spaces between the thoughts and enter your Freedom there.
that is all,
om mani padme hung,
coach ilg
**From Chapter 12 of the Society of St. Pius X:
Chapter 12
on Altar-Boys:
"At Holy Mass you must remember to show courtesy to the priest, particularly when he speaks to the congregation from the pulpit. His task, already a responsible one, is made more difficult when he looks down on a congregation of glazed eyes and nodding heads. No matter what his powers as a preacher may be, he should not be subjected to the bad manners of those who openly yawn, or consult their watches
Those lace-clad angels that wriggle and bounce around our altars are privileged beings -more privileged than most of them seem to realise. An altar-boy has an important and necessary part to play in the liturgy of the Church. Approaching as closely as he does to the altar and the most solemn ceremonies he should be outstanding for his spirit of reverence and his faithful attention to his duties. Good training backed up by mental alertness and a spirit of faith will ensure that he rises to the high standards expected of him in performing his duties. He is charged with a share of the responsibility of carrying out the rubrics of the liturgy, and the rubrics themselves may be regarded as age-old gestures of heavenly courtesy which emphasise the solemnity of what the priest and his attendant boys are doing."
SUNRIDER: Where To Start Them?
Coach Ilg's, "Body Vehicle," as he calls it. Capable of overcoming severe spinal injury and unmatched multisport and extreme feats, Coach's body has relied exclusively upon the SUNRIDER HERBS + pranayama for its primary sources of Chi since 1982. "I trust in Dr. Chen. That's it. I trust that his world class herbs cleanse, strengthen, and balance my cells. That frees me from worrying about the confusion of what to eat and allows me to focus on providing the other aspects toward Enlightenment; training my mind and spirit. Bascially, i let the herbs take care of my body while i take care of producing sweat and inner stillness. Simple, really." - coach ilg. photo/www.waynewilliamsstudio.com
*
"We are not going to change people's eating habits, no matter how hard we try. But, if we can just get some of our foods into them, they will begin to change on their own. A healthier eating habit will be created and the body will demand more "good stuff"."
- Dr. Chen
Founder of SUNRIDER; The Official Nutritional Program of Wholistic Fitness
Coach Ilg's Herbal Master
*
The information that you will soon read below was gleefully gained from our very own Trish Childers, the amazing woman who is my direct upline in the Official Nutritional Program of WF; SUNRIDER!
WF Teachers Ananda and Sheader are profiled currently on her website:
http://opp.sunrider.com/PatriciaChilders/
Many of you have expressed great interest in getting yourself or other 'selves' onto 'the Herbs,' as i affectionately call the SUNRIDER system. However, many of you are also financially challenged...uh, who ISN'T these days?! ALL THE MORE REASON to join SUNRIDER and start creating a Healthier more ENERGETIC body and mind while earning some extra dinero! Dr. Chen is a financial genius besides the world's most amazing and powerful Herbalist! He created the company so that people like you and i have absolutely NO EXCUSE for NOT eating the BEST CHI NUTRITION on the planet! all you gotta do is be brave enough to 1) Join the Temple Garden of SUNRIDER, 2) Eat the herbs yourself, and 3) get about 6 people to do precisely what i just told you to do!
that's it, baby!
you do that and you too will be living a life singing with Health, Fitness, and Financial Stability! Just read and feel the POWERFUL CHI in my daily online journal:
DIRECT LINES
http://www.wholisticfitness.com/weblog/ilgblog.html
so, for those of you that do not yet feel capable to describe or imbibe my world-class and unique 3-Stage Approach To Using The SUNRIDER Herbs...Trish offers the following as an option:
*
Just Get Some Foods in Them...
So, where do we start someone on a limited budget with no major health challenges?
$66.20: Metabalance 44 & Fortune Delight, four 10 packs
I heard DR Chen say one time that Metabalance is the "poor man's Sunpack". It is very powerful and even just eating one capsule a day will make a big difference.
Peach Fortune is a "warming tea" for the intrinsic and all the long muscles of the body, plus it helps balance the afternoon blood sugar drop most people experience. Adding Sunny Dew to the mix will take the cost up to $83.20, but what a difference this little product can make.
$104.40: Energy Plus, Herb Cal Tabs, Fortune Delight, Quinary Caps
These products will give a good sampling of the SR quality, and it's products that most people are familiar with.
Our Energy Plus is a food based essential fatty acid, not water-soluble. The RDA is 1200 IU daily, so eating 6 a day is the minimum. This product helps with the integrity of the arteries and helps us control & stop stress.
Herb Cal innately has Vitamin E, plus our bodies need at least 1200 to 1400 IU of calcium daily, so that is 4 to 5 tabs a day.
Peach Fortune Delight, I've already spoken about.
Quinary Caps contain over 50 different foods in each cap, when was the last time any of us ate over fifty foods in one day? We need at least 3 caps a day. Most people spend more money on junk foods in a day then what this product costs. The side effect of Quinary is to stop craving junk food at all!
$168: JET SET
Joi, Top & Eze, 3 each every day will product a body that is calmer, cooler & more articulate. What more could anyone want?
$181.36 Vitalite Pack: A $181.36 weight loss special! Eaten once a day will allow the body to start develop healthier eating habits. Remember that the body will not allow weight loss if it is unhealthy. First, the body needs to feel better, then it will loose inches, and finally the weight comes off...in a healthy, permanent way.
(All prices quoted are from the Sunrider Sales Price List.)
It's a place to start. So start someone TODAY!
Trish
September 26, 2005
WF HAIKU OF LAST WEEK:
Answers in the air (5)
Autumn, a leaf falls, birds sing (7)
i awake again (5)
- WF and SR Herbal Warrior Thomas Ward (Teacher Ko SR Clan)
photo by WF Teacher Jomanji of Grand Mesa, CO
STUDENT INPUT/SPEAK HONESTLY/ DEFINITION OF DEVOTION; Student Ludgate/The Amitabha Workout 
"Coach, i Love your Warrior Spirit and Satya as you displayed in the State Championship race. i learn from you in so many Ways. those of us who have shared sweat and stillness with you, know it is you on the top step of that podium. i'll be the first in line to "discuss", should ANYONE dispute that! send em to ko:)
love,
teacher ko"
***
DEFINITION OF DEVOTION:
2 HOURS ON THE TREADMILL, BABY: STUDENT LUDGATE TRAINING FOR a 1/2 MARATHON IN OCTOBER
Longtime WF Online Student Alan Ludgate with son Lucas, himself, an aspiring athlete warrior of the heart!
Read this one and be INSPIRED:
"Coach-
I trust that you and Joy had a Blessed trip. Welcome h(om)e. In response to your attached question, the final 1/2 marathon of the year is on Sunday, October 16th.
New cycle is off to a rousing start. I fought back the dragons yesterday and got up at 4:30, blasting through my WF Early Morning Practice + HP Prop Yoga + Ilg Supreme prior to my taxi coming at 7:15 to take me to the airport. Pretty sweet to have all that sweat in the bank before most people are out of bed! Today's mantra was "blue collar work ethic" as I ground through a 2 hour run on the hotel treadmill. My fingers were wanting to reach out and reduce the pace and / or incline, but I fought off the ego mind by remembering your homage to Agassi: "do what champions do and strap on the blue collar work ethic". I am recognizing the trusim of your oft-repeated words: "train like an endurance athlete and you'll be too tired to cause trouble". With that, I will sign off and go to bed!
Namaste-
Student L"
***
INPUT ON Coach's newest full-body advanced workout; The Amitabha Workout
Coach cranking through his unique, "Padma-situps," a classic example of his East + West expertise in expression! His latest full body workout, the Amitabha Workout, is causing huge shifts again in his Online Students like Student Eric Stiller of NYC says below:
"WOW is what I say to Amitabha. Major Chi producer!
As the Kyati I cycle continued and intersected with a fairly ballistic kayak program it made the next Amithabha sessions more intense. It was mentioned in a Direct Line that Amithabha is much more intense than EEE-Gad.. Yes , I believe this is true. The first Kapalabhati round after the first Medicine Buddha Ball Tri Set really feels like a Chuck Yeager test flight as oxygen pumps into the whole body. I did learn to expel more breath and hang in there for the held breath. Wow.
- student stillness of coach ilg clan
{Coach's Note; The Gruelling and Graceful new, "Amitabha Workout" is available only for WF Online Students due to her high demand of knowledge in yogic breathing, mental tenacity, sustained concentration, and balance movements superimposed with strength training. Join WF Online NOW and get to where the REAL Sacred Workouts simmer...in the WF Online Training System!...nothing even CLOSE to it on the planet!}
***
Namaste Teacher,
John S. came to my Yoga class on saturday.
felt him before i saw him.
realized what i felt was you, and your Blessings, which
were Radiating through him, through his WF Malas.
(first time i've seen him since he received Them)
i know that feeling anywhere, unmistakable,
Power-ful. my Heart filled with Love,
a smile arose on my face.
i touched his Mala,
i touched you.
thank you for the
Transmission.
i Love you, Bro,
ko
***
Dearest Coach,
I have received e-mail from Ananda. I am blessed to have her guidance. I have a special affinity for
Ananda and I'm thrilled to be under her wings. BLESSINGS to you and thank you for completing the
rituals for my WF Mala Beads. And for sharing DL so freely.
With love,
Suet
***
Blessings my coach and guide in this WF journey
You are on fire lighting us all up to glow right along with you ! I am humbled by the breath and depth of your DL's. Inversions DL (Sept. 12) awesome and essential for my understanding. Each day inspiring each day perspiring
and grateful for higher self's choice to link breath and movement with such a totally rad dude.
Congratulations on your bike road race win----we here at sea level salute you !
Blessings to Teacher Ananda
Love, student shel
***
Go(o)d Morning Coach,
At the exact moment my world needed a chi hit I came upon your amazing DL entry of 9/20 and the quote "Everything that happens is meant to help move you into your Higher Self." My head knows that is true. It is a miracle when one feels your words in her soul. Amazing grace.
With quiet gratitude,
Patricia
{Coach's Note: Patricia is a long-time SUNRIDER Herbal Warrioress in the Coach Ilg Downline.
***
REGARDING DL; 9*24*05; Blocked DB Rows
Bro,
We learn much from our animal brethren.
My rows encompasses all you have shared on DL with this one enrichment: in watching first my sled dogs and then other creatures run, including primates, and how they use their back musculature it occurred to me that in nature those muscles, such as engaged in a row, do not normally go in a straight vertical up and down motion. They rotate kind like the arm on a steam locomotive wheel...the arm/leg comes down slightly forward and then moves back up to the rear. When I mimic this running motion in my rows, the change is fantastic. The muscle flows with a motion that it seems to yearn for and the training effect is greatly enhanced.
love from the iron temple,
haku
***
September 25, 2005
CHANGE 
Dear Steve,
Thinking of you always. Loved September 22 Direct Lines. You always motivate me. It looks as though you are LOVING your new home. Golf season is almost over. i miss the Wholistic Fitness challenge. Still doing most of the Sunrider. Do you belong to a gym or is your home your gym? Well off to bed now my master. Believe it or not you were in my dreams last nite. You came to my home and set up my fitness area. Wow, i woke up all charged up and went to work with my TBT. Good nite Steve,
Love, Kendo
September 24, 2005
"GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE..."
Coach Ilg finally becoming the "underground" hero of Blogging and spiritual fitness authenticity...
Not only did our peerless coach - shown here leading "Sinker" in Jacks Canyon, Arizona barefoot three days before placing a controversial 5th Place in the Arizona State Road Racing Championships - create Wholistic Fitness and was the pioneer of Online Personal Training, he has also taken the emerging art of 'Blogging' and has raised the Standard of writing integrity, creativity, inspiration, and information so high, that yes, even the current internet generation, jaded 'extreme' athletes, and fitness bloggers are "giving credit where credit is due," to our mountain yogi coach. 'Bout time, eh? Check out the link below...
***
Google testing Blog search
Steve,
Just heard that Google are beta testing a new search engine that will search Blogs. Soooooo, I typed in "Steve Ilg" and this is what came up:
http://www.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&q=steve+ilg
Thought you may enjoy perusing this to see how many folks are out there promoting you.
John "Hakado Ru"
WF Website Administrator
***
DL NOTE: More on Jacks Canyon coming soon to DL! 
also, my parents (that's them above...i love them...they gave birth to me and thus... WF!...i bow to my parents!) may actually finally be visiting me for real up here on the Sacred Mountain...so please excuse me if a slight delay in the torrential inspiration in DL occurs...you guys will not BELIEVE just how amazing the worldwide WF Sangha is CRANKING in their Practices! we are ELEVATING the entire PLANET by our Abhyasa! Keep it up and keep contributing to DL; the World's Original Sourcing Voice for Wholistic Fitness! {Wholistic Fitness is a trademarked name of Steve Ilg; please be respectful...and also, my book publisher's legal departments are looking for trademarked and copyrighted material pouchers!}
CONFIDENCE: NOT ARROGANCE!
" Blessings my coach and guide in this WF journey -
You are on fire lighting us all up to glow right along with you ! I am humbled by the breath and depth of your DL's. Inversions DL was awesome and essential for my understanding. Each day inspiring each day perspiring and grateful for higher self's choice to link breath and movement with such a totally rad dude.
Congratulations on your bike road race win----we here at sea level salute you !
Blessings to Teacher Ananda
love,
student shel"
WF Online Student (Coach Ilg Clan) & Movement Educator
WHOLISTIC FITNESS�
STRENGTH TRAINING MOVEMENTS
Blocked DB Rows�
"If it had not been for the wind in my face,
I wouldn't be able to fly at all."
- Arthur Ashe
Description:
"Blocked DB Rows�" is another Coach Ilg original, actually inspired from my HP Yoga� Prop Workouts�. This is a yogi's approach to what conventional strength training athletes know as, "Bent Over DB Rows." The only difference, seemingly a slight one, is to squeeze a Yoga Block between the inner thighs and compress deeply into the bent over position, much more so than in this exercise's typical expression.
Advanced WF Students should maintain Mula Bandha and lift the inner arches of both feet while lifting and spreading the toes.
Blocked DB Rows� is yet another Coach Ilg original Strength Training Technique. Do not republish without written permission from Steve Ilg.
Technique:
Start by perching yourself on the very edge of a Flat Bench while squeezing a Yoga Block between the thigh bones. Compress your upper torso deeply into your thighs, flatten your spine; make the back of your Heart Center as concave as possible. Work the feet Connection with soft, strong energy. Grab a moderate poundage of Dumbbells (depending upon which WF Strength Training Technique i am using for my choreography (such as, Staccato, 3-Stage, etc) i rarely use more than 20 lbs in each hand.
Start by driving your elbows in a Yang fashion toward Father Sky while compressing your torso ever deeper into your thighs. In this movement the HEIGHT of your elbow drive means every thing; the shoulder blade adduction should be tremendously felt by the Aware Warrior!
Here i am nearly in the top position of the Blocked DB Rows.
Note my drishti (steady gaze), the height of my elbows, alignment of elbow to wrist, and the priority of a flat spine (Strength Training movements are NOT different from yoga asana movements!). My breath is in Ujjayi and my energy is being transmitted from Mother Earth via feet (in), transferred and thus energetically affecting my chakras in my subtle anatomical spine (up) and expressed through the crown of my head (out). In, Up, and Out. Meanwhile, i remain emotionally empty and energetically full. This WF Approach to a "simple" strength training movement is a poetic, yet fiercely graceful summation of the Buddhist Principle of, "Emptiness is form, Form is Emptiness."
The descent of the DB's toward the earth should reveal classic Yin attitude; slow, controlled, and impeccably pretty to watch. This balance of Yang and Yin is tantamount to the WF approach in the gym.
This movement is beautiful for strengthening the upper and strapping muscle of the thoracic spine, helps cure the horribly pandemic 'rounded back and slumpy shoulder' posture so common in America. Fantastic conditioning for all endurance sports, particularly runners, nordic skiers, cyclists, and swimmers.
Perform the number of repetitions or do the WF Strength Training as prescribed by your WF-Certified Teacher.
copyright, Steve Ilg.
photo by: Ananda
September 22, 2005
JUST ANOTHER WORKOUT IN PARADISE...Functional Knowledge and The Ski Basin Duathlon
Sanatakumara instructed yogins to, "Make your knowledge functional. Unless it is functional, knowledge is a burden. Knowledge that does not wake you up and move you forward is dead. Knowledge must be active and vibrant."
Living a Wholistic Fitness life graces us with the most valuable knowledge a human can attain; iccha shakti or the unrestricted power of will. I coach my Students in a multi-disciplined approach to their fitness and lifestyle choices for knowledge derives its life from our will power. That is why we must workout each day; to improve the power of our will; a preliminary step toward the highest use of mind which lies further ahead within the meditation and samadhic realms. Come with Ananda and i, as we cranked through "just another workout in Paradise" yesterday. I will superimpose some Teachings from the great, ancient yogic master, Sanatkumara to help us draw spiritual juice from the sweat of our workout.
"The power to contemplate on truth, which is conducive to peace and happiness, springs from the knowledge of the truth." Some of my Online Students are instructed in what i call, "Zen Darts," a WF Assignment that teaches dart throwing as a meditation technique. Like knowing that the bullseye is the highest target in darts, so too, is knowing that Truth is the Highest of targets in a spiritual fitness life. Check this photo out closely; i use wooden darts, and after scoring a couple of consecutive bullseyes, i maintained my focus (dharana) and kinesthetic groove, and literally pegged one dart into another already in the bullseye and it stuck! cool, eh?! i knew i was in for a good physical workout after this game of Zen Darts because my iccha shakti was (evidently) very strong! i love darts. It's like instant sartori; superb mental training. 
Game Plan; i would ride my bike (Alphie, my hillclimbing Trek) from the Temple H(om)e up to the Ski basin at hard effort; that would take about 50 minutes to go the 12 miles. Wait a minute, bucko! An HOUR to go a measley 12 miles for me, Mr. 5th Fastest Bike Racer In The State? Well, i forgot to mention the route climbs 2,100' to the Ski Basin. Ananda would meet me at the Ski Basin, then i would enjoy a hike (with a few intervals thrown in) with Ananda from 9,200' to timberline at 11,500+'... and back down. Perfect, right? It was. Oh, that is Jasper in the pic above, one our two Temple Cats. After i packed my Transition Bag for Ananda to take with her, Ananda found Jasper in it...evidently, Jasper wanted some High Altitude Training as well!
I made it to the Ski Basin in 53 minutes. My effort up the hill felt just the way i like it; Suspended. The Pain felt more like the true nature of what Pain truly is; Purification. The effort was constant, yet there was not struggle. I practice and prescribe Cardio as one of Five WF Fitness Disciplines so that my Students must be forced to study their silence from within while the heart rate erases the kshipta (wandering) mind. I want my Student's Cardio to be intense enough so that they cannot speak and must observe a deeper Layer of mind, the mind without speech: "Your speech is a reflection of your thoughts. Your inner life is created by the way you think. If you want to know your inner life, first examine your speech. Study the connection between speech and mind."
Want strong, sculpted glutes, capable of generating tremendous sport and spiritual power? Do two things; 1) find a ski resort. 2) hike your ass up the ski slopes and don't stop until the highest chairlift ends. When i merge into a hike, or run, or cycle...i don't like to talk. I do the far majority of my Cardio training alone, unplugged, and attentive. I need to study my mind in silence. I observe the silence with the chaperone of conscious breathing. That is why WF is an Online, Silent, Written Path. Study WF Online and you will be coached to observe your thoughts through silent language. You will learn to recognize the difference between egoic, emotive, and buddhic (Higher) mind layers. This is what the Masters taught. This is the Way my Teachers taught me. This is the Way, therefore, I created and teach WF. Many people talk; few observe and study their inner silences. This is why our National Tribe is so dissipated in their soul nature. Sanatkumara; "In order to attain peace, you must work systematically. First, bring peace to your tongue. Speak sweetly. Do not harm yourself or others through your speech. Avoid meaningless talk. These observances will lead you to mental peace." 
If you have been a devoted DL Reader, then you know that i stand up for the Tree Beings. Around the Sacred Peak above Kinlani, the magnificent, old growth Ponderosa forests are endangered...they have been suffering for decades from overcutting and natural fire suppression since the first lumber mill was built in Flagstaff in 1881. These days, Forest Management crews use this time of the year - after the monsoons of summer and before the first snows of winter - to do what they call, "Control Burns" like the one above and below. In WF Training, we know "controlled burns" by another term; Intervals! 
These fires, viewed from our lofty perch high up Agazzi Peak, looked like little smolders. In fact, each burn was burning hundreds of acres of underbrush. Shiva's Dance (the destructive force) takes on many forms in order to provide Rebirth.
Ananda tops out at 11,500+'...the sign says, "Bristlecone Pines"... my favorite of all trees. Study the Bristlecones and you will learn a thing or two about perseverance, Oh Mighty Warrior! You and i and our children and their childrens' children will live our lives, go through all our mellow-dramas, die and meanwhile, this brave little trees will look down upon humanity as they have for eons, watching, smiling, breathing. i consider Bristlecone pines to be our Buddha Ancestors. Bristlecones, whose vertical growth is stunted and gnarled by both intense wind and winters, reach ages far greater than that of any other living thing known - up to nearly 5,000 years! They live only at extremely high altitudes. Many of you will never see a Bristlecone in real life, though you should. Every human should be required to breathe up a mountain and make pilgrimage to Bristlecone Buddha. Even the conventionally trained forester and scientist have yet to understand how such a harsh environment can produce the longest living, healthiest organism on the planet. To me, and other yogis, who feel each day the difference between air and ether, chi and effort, pran and atmosphere, the reason is absurdly evident...Pranic Energy, baby! In this picture above is a very rare and endangered grove of the Rocky Mountain Bristlecone sangha, found only on the Sacred Peak. One of the reasons i moved here was to help my Tree Beings and to love them and to linger among their peerless resiliency and enduring beauty. Feeble ilg bows to the Bristlecone Beings. 
Speaking of Pranic Energy; one reason why mountain yogis hike to these dizzying, rocky heights is to practice mountain yogi Pranayam as is Ananda doing in this photo. Why do you TAF the Ancient Masters came from the High Himalaya? That's right, baby, the PRANIC FACTOR! The Pranic Energy above 10,000' is so intense to attuned nadic systems that the experienced yogin must moderate pranayamic indulgences so as not to overload the subtle anatomy:
"The problem is that you confuse true knowledge, which is gained first from studying the breath, with mere information, which is gained through words and sentences. While you are engaged in mundane activities and entertainments, you are ignoring the call of the soul through the breath. Thus, you create a ground for inner conflict."
Remember, my Noble Warriors of WF, those words were recorded nearly 5,000 years ago. 5,000 years ago! Re-read that last Teaching from Sanatkumara and you tell me if you think studying the Ancient Scriptures is not friggin' TIMELESS! C'mon, Noble Ones, what are you FEEDING your mind!? TV? "Newspapers"? C'mon, baby!!!! The hippest shit out there is still the Words from the Enlightened Masters! 
At the summit of our hike before the long descent. Today's workout was, for me, actually a ReCon mission for a Sacred Workout that i plan on attempting soon; a Duathlon that starts like today's but i will actually run up the ridge above my left shoulder, and summit Agazzi Peak which is over a thousand feet higher still from where this 11,500+' picture was taken. I can do it.
i know i can.
because, i know the power of my iccha shakti developed through abhyasa (steadfast Practice).
i ain't scared, cuz WF has made me strong.
ain't so baaaad!
bring it on, Agazzi Peak, bring it on!
(just give me a couple of days to recover from this Precious Workout!)
It is a Great Blessing to feel so Wholistically Fit and to use fitness workouts for their Highest In-tent;
Knowing our True Self through studying our mental sheaths (manokoshas).
"Consistent and engaged meditation prevents the unconscious mind from controlling the conscious mind."
May this DL entry,
complimentary as always,
be used to Fire your inner Wake Up Call
to reach Enlightenment in this one,
very precious
human
lifetime.
Cross train; be elegant and strong across the physiologic spectrum; strength, cardio, yoga, meditation, and nutrition. Do this and you will be revealed Functional Knowledge; a wisdom of consciousness that will dispel your fear of death and nail the rest of your Precious Life with Meaning and a current of InSight.
May all Beings realize their call of Awakening...
We are Blessed to breathe
We are Blessed to move
Do not violate these Blessings
For in their Cultivation lies many Divine Gifts.
Live like you mean it;
Live WF!
that is all,
coach ilg,
'the mountain yogi'
ps; special thanks to my beautiful Beloved Ananda for contributing to the magic and power of this workout.
Anger Within
September 21, 2005
STUDENT INPUT! Student Kristi's Handstand Insight, Mr. Lynn's Majestic Missive, & Gerry Thanking The UniVerse
First,
i bow to today's alignment within the heavens:
The date (near September 22 in the northern hemisphere) when night and day are nearly of the same length and Sun crosses the celestial equator (i.e., declination 0) moving southward (in the northern hemisphere). In the southern hemisphere, the autumnal equinox corresponds to the center of the Sun crossing the celestial equator moving northward and occurs on the date of the northern vernal equinox. The autumnal equinox marks the first day of the season of autumn.
now that we have acknowledged the Higher Prakriti,
i gift you this DL and bow to my faithful WF Sangha; there is NOBODY else walking the Planet these days quite like you....
thank you for your sweat, spirit, and consistent study...
namaste,
coach ilg
founder/Wholistic Fitness
creator/Direct Lines
***
Most noble Coach,
One who walks the path with utmost integrity �
A thought after reflectINg on the Yogic Inversions on DL (Sept 12th).
It is interesting that we are in fact all-ways in such a rush to receive and gain the ultimate goal; often neglecting the journey on the way there. We like to �lean� on outer things to gain strength and a false sense of security. Often crumbling when these things are removed, wondering, why?
Personally I have experienced a close correlation in my inner and external balance. The first time I managed to �float� in handstand was a day in my life when I remember feeling my first sense of real clarity, a sense of inner balance. It still stands true these days, when I have my inner balance (emotional and spiritual) it is much easier for me to translate that sense of balance on an external level � a steady inversion.
Just wanted to share my experience on the journey to handstand.
In Love,
student lees
***
"WF; RELEVANT TO THE TASK OF HUMANITY TODAY..."
Coach's note:
After my first book in 1985, it would not be uncommon for me to receive beautiful, majestic, handwritten letters like the one that appeared in my 'real' mailbox today from "peripheral" WF Student Lynn below. People back then, seemed to appreciate my attempts to articulate 'literature' within the fitness language that i had to use in my books. These fellow lovers of the written word sensed what i have always strived in my books; to fill the space between the words with a hidden CHI, an etheric language suspended yet connected by the linked words in black and white. For all of you whom have submitted a Book Proposal to a publisher, you realize the High Difficulty of becoming an author. Yet, to me, authors of such handwritten missives such as the one below from Mr. Lynn of Cincinnati, Ohio, are what genuine writing is all about. I created WF Online as a Written Path for i know that in making my Student take the time to put pen to paper, or even fingertip to keyboard, a certain and quaint measure of inner spaciousness must be cultivated in order to communicate. Talking is too easy. People these days talk too much, write too little. Inelegance of speech, dissipated speech, and mindless blather are all common training effects from people talking too much and writing too little.
i bow to Mr. Lynn and to his Sacred Space which gave birth to his wonderful words below. WF certainly does draw out the Noble Fitness Warriors from the masses, doesn't it? What a couple of weeks it's been on DL! I bow to all of you who are brave enough to Share your Practice Insights and choose to articulate them as best as you are able. Remember, God cares more about intent than technique. Be brave and share your Practice insights.
here then, is Mr. Lynn's letter:
"Dear Steve -
May this letter find you well. Though my involvement with the WF Tribe has been peripheral, it has nevertheless been of great movement in my life. Worthy of remark is the consideration that within the realm of the spirit, the realm of Wholistic Fitness's ultimate destination reside the very keys to even the most antagonizing of the world's concerns. By your efforts you have provided both an inspiration and a guide to others who seek those keys. In a word, your work is integrally relevant to the task of humanity today and I bow in deep gratitude for your commitment.
Gratefully yours,
Thomas Lynn Jr.
PS; if there is anything i can do for you, please let me know.
PSS: Here is a great George Bernard Shaw quote:
"This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown in the scrap heap; the being a Force of Nature instead of a feverish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining the world will not devote itself to making you happy."
***
Coach,
I thank the universe everyday for having been guided to TBT at Barnes and Noble almost 6 months ago. Your leadership and commitment to outstanding results is inspiring and much appreciated. I am feeling that it will be time to move into Phase 2 with SR, and maybe even step up for some WF coaching as well. I will complete a full , consistent cycle of Green Tara on 10/23, take a week off, and get ready for next phase.Please advise on Phase 2 product and use as I will be ordering in next week or so. Namaste,
New Body Gerry
***
This DL brought to you with Tribal Chi
as all-Ways
from beneath the Sacred Peak
and into your Precious Life...
The Sacred Peak hovers in last evening's final rays of light above the WF Temple H(om)e
NEED ANOTHER WHOLISTIC FITNESS-APPROVED CHI HIT:
visit WF Teacher Ko's blog at:
http://www.twistedsageblog.blogspot.com/
"Coach Ilg WF-Approved BLOGS; Awakened Links Elevating The Principle of the Internet!"
STUDENT INSIGHT: TOBY'S WISDOM ARISING
Long time WF Online Student, Athlete, and Loving Husband Toby Leeson with his family last winter.
It might just be my "Mother Hen" feelings about my own Students, yet i cannot imagine that
husbands come any better than those who study and Practice the Scientific Art of Wholistic Fitness!
Yesterday, we all had the honor to read Student DanSan's warrior wisdom words, and now, today,
yet another gentlemen warrior steps up to the DL plate to deliver the following, absolutely poetic and
profound training insight from his CONCENTRATED and CONSISTENT WF online studies!
I have just coached Toby to release his hard won, several year competitive endurance athletics.
We are going to use the next few years to gain some muscle mass, regenerate, focus on yoga, and then, come back
into endurance sports rip roaring stronger, more focused, and chomping at the bit to take on the endurance
at an older age grouping. This type of, what i term, "LifePacing" is High Life Artistry.
It requires deep cultivation of the Non-Attachment principle of spiritual work.
I know how hard it is to let go of sports that you have worked so long and hard
in to achieve some degree of mastery. I bow to Toby! Very few athletes are willing to let go of their
cherished, sometimes addicted grooves of sport.
Below is a letter to me today from Warrior Tobe! Enjoy and be inspired by this great Family Yogin:
"Dear Coach,
So what is it that gives me that sense of peace and serenity from my practice, I ask myself?
Is it when I am "successful" at holding some pose or doing some exercise the right way?
Is it when I do it slowly?
Or is it just the rhythm of the day?
Not, not, not, It's in AWARENESS.
Doesn't matter how fast or slow I do my practice, or how "well" I do it, it
is when I am fully aware internally and externally, that I get that feeling
of peace and serenity. As BKS Iyengar stated it, paraphrased, it is when I
extend and expand at my core, that I truly relax and let go. I must
engage, to let go. I can really feel that now. Something as simple as
toilet yoga, Neti and Pranayama, if done with complete awareness, is as
powerful and life fulfilling, as an hour long yoga session, epic bike ride,
and far more powerful and life fulfilling than any nouveau drug.
Focus, breath, engage, breath, let go, breath, relax ...
This morning I practiced Ai Imawa and did it slowly and with full attention to my mind and body, all parts.
After that I felt the chi coming through me full and clear.
My strength training practice has been similar, with great attention to awareness, detail and form. Very empowering.
My weight has gone up to a currently steady 158.5 in the AM (6 pound increase); not unusual since I have backed off on cardio so much, and my nutritional intake has remained the same with a slight increase in
calories. If I were to re-emphasize cardio, that weight would drop off in a few days.
Peace,
Warrior Tobe
September 20, 2005
Do Not Limit The Unlimited
"When i sit,
i sit
until my discriminative mind
dissolves into a space/place free from a limited perspective.
in this space/place
the Moment expands
and i can See Clearly
an enlarged view of my life
- beyond the dualities of rich or poor, comfortable or painful, etc.
From this Enlarged View
i know that everything which happens is meant
to help move me into my Higher Self.
Listen, Noble Warrior;
Brahman is whispering again and again to you:
"Everything that happens is meant to help move you into your Higher Self."
We cannot leave Pain until we learn to love it for its spiritual worth.
Pain is a synonym for Purification.
Purify thyself through workouts and work-ins.
Noble Yogin,
We cannot leave something until we love it.
The more we hate something or resist something
the more we are are bound to it.
Release your Past
Relieve your Pain
by loving it
not
running away from it
not
masking it in multiplicity.
When i coach you,
i coach your Higher Self.
It is not an easy Way
for you
or for me and my Teaching Staff.
yet
it is a
True Way
a
Brave Way
a
Warrior's Way.
When you Walk this Path
- through it all; come what may -
to just endure
to just remain steady in your Practices...
you gain Perspective
Purity
and
a far better chance at not limiting
the Unlimited
by your self-imposed limitations.
Everything in your past happened for your own go(o)d.
Now, Noble Warrior,
get out into your day
and Live
Like
You
Mean
It...
Rise Above.
Know that we may be Fierce Teachers
teaching a Fiercely Steep Path...
yet
also know
you are fiercely loved in this Path
for who you are,
where you are,
and
just how High you can be!
that is all,
coach
Photos
1) coach in meditation at the former HP Yoga Studio, Los Angeles, CA., by WayneWilliamsstudio.com
2) Kokopelli; an ancient native american yogin, well loved among Southwest tribal peoples since before written history. Some sources link Kokopelli with Shiva of the Hindu deities. This image was done by WF Teacher Sheader and his wife, Linda.
STUDENT DANSAN:
Reflections on Rushing and Seeking, Yet Never FINDING!
Stalwart WF Warrior and Surfing Shaman Dan Salimone with his wife, Leilani
dear coache',
a moment?
first, thank-you for sharing wisdom,
and adventures...
second, i bow low to your podium
performance last weekend...
we all know who earned,
not "took" first place ...
this caused me to reflect on the nature of things i see around me lately,
seems that we are living in an age of "entitlement",
instead of an age of "privalage".
most people have this attitude, that they feel entitled....i hear and see
all around me..."i worked hard for this over-priced sports car or over hyped/priced gaz-guzzlling unappropriate suv...
therfore, i am entiteld to drive too fast, or jump curbs/median lines like they do on television,
or roar down the bike path lane, nearly taking out a young warrioress commuting, all to get
7 car lengths in front....and just what was he rushing to!
well, on saturday in santa cruz..that individual was wasting no time to get to his own accident,
yes folks..karma hit like a sledge hammer...after i stopped for gas, and meandered on my way i came upon the scene
of his sport car firmly planted into and under the rear end of a family station wagon, 2 police cars with officers taking notes,
kids crying next to their parents,and the sound of an ambulance siren approaching....
and this individual gesturing that it wasn't his fault..really?
and all for what? ... i dunno...
instead of taf-ing that he had a received a privelage,
that was to be appreciated and not abused...
arghhhhhhhhhhhh!
that to me is the difference between wf warriors/esses..
we appreciate everything we've earned and have,
and try to live life to the fullest of each moment,
rather than rushing from moment to moment,
place to place,
missing the lessons and hidden meanings...
and never meeting the real teacher,
and learning....
they rush and seek,
and seek..
yet do not find..
we WF warriors/esses move carefully in life,
finding and appreciating these
moments we have before bardo.
ahhhh....well..anyway...
keep going beloved coache',
your noble sangha is with you and the dedicated wf staff.
love,
student dansan
p.s. Here is a pre pregnancy picture...Leilani is due next week....
yikes!
Baby Arriana is ready for her first wf day!
ABSOLUTELY MUST EMBRACE ALL LOSS TO GAIN TRUE SPIRITUAL FITNESS
coach ilg has been forced through two bankruptcies in his life in order to keep two words as his own: Wholistic Fitness. pursued continually from those who are monetarily motivated, Coach keeps his WF temple swept clean from dishonesty, duality, and egoic debris no matter what the cost to his 'person'-all life. "Endurance of Serving and Strength of Solo Practice," remain our Coach's common tools for transforming thousands of lives across the world.
Such "common tools" are not so common these days!
Other personal trainers, not nearly of his caliber, charge several thousands of dollars per day for their time.
Today, you can hire Coach for $6.50/Day through Online Training.
Today, you can hire one of his 4 Certified WF Online Teachers for about $3.50/day.
Remarkable, isn't it?
"Endurance of Serving and Strength of Solo Practice"
Nothing quite like WF. It is has been called, "A Blessing of an incarnation," by Teacher Roche.
Wholistic Fitness is America's native form of Yoga, blessed and imparted to Coach Ilg from his own Spiritual Teachers. Coach has made no profit from his Path yet to this day still gives freely of his time and wisdom in many ways to all who are sincere about bettering themselves through inner and outer effort. 
The following parable from the WF Spiritual Lineage sums up just how Steep and Direct the genuine spiritual journey must be. This Steep and Direct Path of Self Transformation is what Coach and his staff of WF Online Teachers remain devoted to.
The Online WF Student will find no pampering of their egos, no harboring of outdated models of behavior...the WF Online Student will just be loved for who they are, where they are, and they will have a 'uncommonly' Wise Spiritual and Fitness Teacher in their Sacred Corner endlessly.
All for the price of a Starbucks latte.
Amazing, isn't it. It is a go(o)d Path; WF Online. Rare. Remote. Stunningly effective and beautiful. A precious Gem.
WF Online Training provides gut honest Spiritual Fitness harmonized within the fabric of the Student's lifestyle. This Spiritual Fitness is gained through the only things that matter in the long run; sweat and stillness.
Wholistic Fitness, superior Personal Training from a world class athlete and coach...since 1982.
***
One of the greatest masters of Tonglen in Tibet was Geshe Chekhawa, who lived in the eleventh century. He was extremely learned and accomplished in many forms of meditation. One day when he happened to be in his teacher�s room, he came across a book lying open at the following lines:
Give all profit and gain to others,
Take all loss and defeat on yourself.
The vast and almost unimaginable compassion of these lines astounded him and he set out to find the master who had written them. One day on his journey he met a leper who told him that this master had died. But Geshe Chekhawa persevered and his long efforts were rewarded when he found the dead master�s principal disciple. Geshe Chekhawa asked this disciple: �Just how important do you think the teachings contained in these two lines are?� The disciple replied: �Whether you like it or not, you will have to practice this teaching if you truly wish to attain buddhahood.�
- Sogyal Rinpoche
***
Photos:
#1) coach performs Early Morning Ritual each day at the WF Temple H(om)e beneath the Sacred Peak. during these Rituals, he Connects with his Sangha; the stronger the Solo Practice of the Student, the Stronger and Higher the Connection.
#2) Buddha Garden; WF Temple H(om)e
September 19, 2005
STUDENT INPUT/OVERCOMING NEGATIVITY/SERVANTS OF PEACE
***
"the goal of yoga is to merge the mind into True Self, and thus to be true to your Self in all thought, words and deeds".
Stiles -" Structural Yoga Therapy
contributed by longtime WF Online Student Cerame of NY (Coach Ilg Clan) who is taking a Yoga Teacher Training Course. see below:
Dear Coach,
Glad you and Ananda had a great trip. Congratulations on the Arizona State Championship results! I know you do not race for the result, but your placing in the top 5 is amazing and further illustrates the WF paths potency! I bow to you and the example you gift to us all on this steep path.
With love and gratitude,
Student M Cerame
***
Greetings Coach,
Let me congratulate you on your inspiring performance at the State Championshits (I did that deliberately). In the end, we each must live with our choices. You can look yourself square in the eyes each morning. The others � will eventually look away from their own questioning stare in the mirror and know.
- WF Online Student SassoSan (Coach Ilg Clan)
***
Hi Coach,
I hope you are doing fantastically!
I just did an Olympic Distance Triathlon in Pacific Grove, California.
Thanks to you and your work, I incorporated better breathing, yoga and herbs
during the whole event! Since my return from Red Mountain WF Immersion
weekend, I have done the HP Yoga video twice a week in addition to my other
training, and morning Pranayama. I am so grateful for your wisdom, your
books, videos...Thank you.
Ananda told me that you speak with your direct SunRider line folks - from
time to time - about herbs plans. I love Fortune Delight, Quinary, (I also use LiquiFive sometimes because
I love it), Vita Shake, Vita Fruit and Calli regular & Calli Night. I make
Ilg Supremes... Plus Action and Slim caps.
That is all for now. Thank You,
Elizabeth
***
Hello Shri,
I was deeply moved and inspired by your complimentary Daily WF Meditation web page. It was so full of wisdom and love that I barely got through it!! :-) You and I seem to have many common interests, Coach Ilg, and I feel blessed to have connected with you.
Thank you for your time and invaluable teachings =)
Om shanti,
Andrew
***
Steve,
I would like to thank you for your words of wisdom, and ability to inspire to me to love and strengthen my practice of yoga. love always,
vic
***
Most Esteemed El Coache',
My heart goes out to you in the wake of your "controversial" fifth-place finish. You gave it everything, only to be stripped of what should have been rightly yours. The only satisfaction you have is knowing that your Sangha knows the truth. Trust me, the other guy has no sangha, only cronies with whom to commiserate and crow about his latest "win." Deep down in his heart, he knows it isn't really his, and he'll have to live with that.
- WF Online Student Michael "GoTen" (Coach Ilg Clan) of NY
***
Noble Coach:
5th Place at State Championships! Proud of you, proud to have a coach who does, in addition to teaches. The Dl was quite amusing, especially as regards the USCF follies. Well, that's racing
Peace
Student Feather
***
BIG TIME KUDOS to El Coache on the bucking bronco bike performance..Yeah baby!
-haku
***
"Dear Coach,
Glad to have you back from your trip! I've been visiting DL lately and I want to share my gratitude
for what you are doing. I've found an inspiring figure in you. I've read your book, Total Transformation and
I'm looking forward to reading Ai Imawa.
I'm also looking forward to using the Mala beads. I'm slowly changing myself and following the WF warrior
path. Slowly but surely...
I would like to try some Sunrider products but don't know what to start with. If you would be kind enough
to give me some direction, I'd appreciate it very much. Thank you for your loving kindness.
Suet Fong Hew
Malayasia
***
In Tibet we say: �Negative action has one good quality: it can be purified.� So there is always hope. Even murderers and the most hardened criminals can change and overcome the conditioning that led them to their crimes. Our present condition, if we use it skillfully and with wisdom, can be an inspiration to free ourselves from the bondage of suffering.
- Sogyal Rinpoche
***
Coach Ilg, "clothed in the armor of perseverance," teaches Cardiovascular Discipline as a spiritual tool in unique accordance with his spiritual Teachers Transmission. "WF has its roots in the world's most elevated Spiritual Traditions...i have just stylized the Ancient Teachings taught to me using modern East/West Cross Training as the Dharma vehicle."- Coach Ilg. Above LA Times photo is an often requested one from the WF Sangha and shows Coach during his current record holding effort in the Furnace Creek 508 race through Death Valley.
"What the world needs more than anything is bodhisattvas, active servants of peace, �clothed,� as Longchenpa said, �in the armor of perseverance,� dedicated to their bodhisattva vision and to the spreading of wisdom into all reaches of our experience. We need bodhisattva lawyers, bodhisattva artists and politicians, bodhisattva doctors and economists, bodhisattva teachers and scientists, bodhisattva technicians and engineers, bodhisattvas everywhere, working consciously as channels of compassion and wisdom at every level and in every situation of society; working to transform their minds and actions and those of others, working tirelessly in the certain knowledge of the support of the buddhas and enlightened beings for the preservation of our world and for a more merciful future.
- Sogyal Rinpoche
***
ANOTHER COACH ILG APPROVED WHOLISTIC FITNESS BLOG APPEARS!
"Ripples make waves."
- Coach Ilg, 1983
I wish to formally welcome the CitYoga Sangha under the capable and approved
guidance of WF Certified Online Teacher, Chris "Kokanda" Roche (that's him, rear row leftmost) to DIRECT LINES!
No genuine wisdom was ever spoken without inner spacious as its cradle.
It is an honor to have Teacher Ko maintain a Blog from the sweat and studied silences
borne from his Wholistic Fitness journey.
May all DL Readers bookmark Teacher Ko's WF-inspired Blog:
http://www.twistedsageblog.blogspot.com/
and visit it often to prove to the
Outer World, that the only news fit to print, is really that news which comes from the Inside outward...
spiritual work first,
outer world stuff second.
Here is an except from Teacher Ko's opening Blog...
namaste,
coach ilg
"Welcome to the Twisted Sage Blog
Namaste Twisted Sage Yogis,
seems like we've had nothing but challenges with our Twisted Sage website the last 2 years. making changes to the site and posting updates has been a veritable nightmare. so, i've done what any card carrying Wholistic Fitness(R) Warrior/Yogi would do -- learn, Grow, and apply the lesson. thus, i've created this Twisted Sage Blog, which i can access anytime from virtually any location to send off updates, training tips, announcements, you name it, it'll be here.
www.TwistedSage.com will remain on the web, and MAYBE someday it'll actually function and serve as intended. i'll keep you updated, here, when the appropriate changes have been made to the site. until then, be sure to bookmark the Twisted Sage Blog, and check in often.
also, for those not familiar with my Work as a Wholistic Fitness(R) Teacher, please get over to the WF website, www.WholisticFitness.com to learn more; AND each of you should be reading, daily, WF Creator Coach Ilg's blog, "Direct Lines". on Direct Lines you will find the Sacred Teachings, the Sutras, of WF posted, along with helpful images, training tips, priceless in-Sights from Coach Ilg, all for FREE! http://www.wholisticfitness.com/weblog/ilgblog.html. be sure to take the time and effort to read through the past couple years worth of archives!"
LOVE OR HATRED: YOU CHOOSE
***
The King Milinda once asked the Buddhist sage Nagasena: �When someone is reborn, is he the same as the one who just died, or is he different?�
Nagasena replied: �He is neither the same nor different.�.�.�. Tell me, if a man were to light a lamp, could it provide light the whole night long?�
�Yes.�
�Is the flame then which burns in the first watch of the night the same as the one that burns in the second�.�.�. or the last?�
�No.�
�Does that mean there is one lamp in the first watch of the night, another in the second, and another in the third?�
�No, it�s because of that one lamp that the light shines all night.�
�Rebirth is much the same: One phenomenon arises and another stops, simultaneously. So the first act of consciousness in the new existence is neither the same as the last act of consciousness in the previous existence, nor is it different.�
- Sogyal Rinpoche
September 18, 2005
COACH GETS A CONTROVERSIAL "5TH" PLACE AT ARIZONA STATE ROAD CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
"Push yourself again and again...don't give an inch until the final buzzer sounds."
- Larry Bird
The final climb to the finish was a knee-cracking 16% grade of 500 meters before a small flat finish you see above. After 50 miles of racing into high winds which hit you like an endless conveyor belt of 2"x4"s in your face, i knew i had to attack my competitor on the steepest section which was 150 meters from the finish. i attacked as hard as all my Jump Squats would allow me, got a 15-foot gap on my competitor, put my head down and kept chargin' for the finish line. At this level of racing however, no one gives up and my competitor, with whom i had worked with for the past 22-miles, reached deep into himself and answered my attack; he kept on kicking, spitting and hissing until he regained my rear wheel and started to come around me with only 8 feet from the finish line. The crowd was screaming, Ananda was jumping up and down....i let out a WF Tribal chi-yell and kicked again for another gut-deep dig to throw my bike across the finish line to win by half a bike length. All of this effort at 7,800' elevation is enough to make a guy loopy. Staying Power, baby. That is what road cycling is all about. It's what personal fitness is all about. And it is certainly what the Spiritual Ascent is all about; Staying Power! 
At the start line, you can see me gesticulating to the officials to clarify the rules about our category not racing with other categories to gain placement. Our group went off only one minute before the group behind us would go off. I did not like that situation because i knew things would get confusing in the high winds as the two groups intermingled. Sure enough, number 728 beside me would go on to "win" even though he and three others used the other group of racers to gain time over myself and three others who actually raced honestly (stayed in our own category). Bullshit like this always happens in road racing and especially at State Championships where the lure of being the "State Champion" makes those who are not spiritually attuned in their athletics become so greedy for fame that they allow themselves to cheat. As Hailliard says, "The force of selfishness is as inevitable and as calculable as the force of gravitation." 
Out on the roads, i animated a break to chase down the 'cheaters' who were now 3'50" up the road from us taking shelter from the wind in a larger, yet not their own, peleton. Fellow WF Warriors, i don't care if you yourself one day, risk losing a State Championship like me, i want each and every one of you to always practice Satya (Truth) in your performances, whatever shape they may be. Why? Cuz, there ain't no Cheating in the Bardo! The quality of your Truth and Consciousness is what will matter in the long run. After the race, i waged a formal Protest against the four guys who finished in front of me to the USCF Officials. The Head Ref snickered, "Yeah, okay, we will look into it." Nothing was done. Yet, the "State Champion" will always know when he wears his State Championship jersey, that it was not he who was pulling into the headwind. 
"Failure is never final and success is never-ending. Success is a journey, not a destination."
- Dr. Robert Schuller
The Juniors at the Start Line. While the other bijillion kids in Arizona stayed home to watch Saturday morning cartoons and play videos, these few yet Mighty Legged and Lunged Warriors show me that out of a million mediocre humans, there are only a few Warriors that intuitively realize that 'swimming upstream against the current," is somehow absolutely vital. These kids are the Warrior Kids that inspire me to keep doing what i can to bring Wholistic Fitness to become the National Fitness Training System of America! God only knows our National Tribe needs the Light and the Guts of the Wholistic Fitness Way!
May my efforts in the State Championship benefit your own fitness endeavor today and may you too, all-Ways prioritize Truthfulness and Nobility in that which you do.
That Is All.
Head bowed from the humble Helm,
the 'fifth' fastest cyclist of my age in Arizona
and your ever-devoted mountain yogi and coach...
steve ilg
****
NOT YOUR TYPICAL RACE DAY STATS
ARIZONA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS - September 17th, Flagstaff, Arizona:
Race Week Preparation: Rock climbing and yoga in the remote wilderness of the American southwest. Helping aging parents.
Race Day Preparation: Meditation, Toilet Yoga, Neti, Pranayama.
Race Day Food: bagel with Tofutti Cream Cheese and Jam.
Race Day Herbs: SUNRIDER Sport Caps + Action Caps + VitaSpray.
During Race: On-Bike Pranayama, Fortune Delight + VitaFruit.
Race Day Photos by my support crew; Ananda
Coach's 2005 Road Racing Results:
� 7th place - Devils Punchbowl RR, Palmdale, California
� 4th place - SnowBowl Hillclimb, Flagstaff, Arizona
� 8th place - Wupatki Road Race, Wupatki National Monument, Arizona
� 5th place - Arizona State RR Championships, Mormon Lake, Arizona
CARING and RISING AWARENESS
"In the way the Rising Sun erases all stars,
so too does Rising Awareness erase all untruth and ignorance."
- Coach Ilg
September 16, 2005
Namaste My Noble WF WorldWide Sangha!
Ananda and i have returned to our beautiful WF H(om)e Temple beneath the Sacred Peak after an absolutely mystical, magical, miraculous adventure trip through the Navajo and Hopi wilderness. 
We discovered a breathtakingly remote canyon that somehow holds over 200+ intense sport climbing routes on 5 major limestone walls over 30 miles away from the nearest civilization and get this...we were the ONLY ONES there! Imagine an ancient Anasazi high mesa canyon, like a mini-Grand Canyon with stunningly gorgeous rock walls undercut by an enchanting river with all these high quality, bolted sport rock climbs with anchors all for your own picking with only horned owls, a vault of unpolluted, soundless starlight skies, and seductive trails meandering through pristine riparian wildness...ALL TO YOUR OWN! Owls, raptors, and woodland creatures were our only climbing companions during our lazy sun drenched days! My GOD is it fun and Blessed to be Wholistically Fit and appreciative of God's Wild Artistry. 
I also visited my family, helping out my parents a bit in Albuquerque and took some wild jolts on the State Fair Thrill Rides! Although it always saddens my heart to see so much of my Beloved Southwest continue to be paved over for the legions of newcomers streaming into this fragile, mystic land...i also realize that Shiva Dances nonstop, and that change is permanent and it does not help to grow bitter over what used to be. All i wish and strive to teach is for these newcomers and younger folk to appreciate, in stillness and sweat, the utter miracle of Prakriti. We all are sooooooo Blessed to be living this precious human incarnation.
May all Beings know just a smidgen of the deep rooted, Sacred Joy that streamed continously through my SUNRIDER herb cleansed, and empowered cells...If you don't feel good, i wrote as far back as 1979, then you can't feel God.
i feel good.
I feel God.
i feel you in my life
and for that
i am deeply Blessed.
well, i gotta git my tired and happy self to bed, for tomorrow is the Arizona State Championships in bicycle racing and my category goes off at 7:15am.
oh sure,
i know going rock climbing and camping in the Hopi and Navajo wilderness is not the typical ideal Race Preparation for a State Championship, yet i am a WF Warrior above all else. Versitility of fitness, not specialization of fitness, is what yoga and what WF is all about. Thus, i will roll up to the start line tomorrow, intent on just being Brave for my Sangha; i wish only to represent my WF Sangha as i attempt to hold the wheels of the States most specialized trained and most fit bicycle racers if only for a moment...
because Life,
my Mighty Overcomers of Duality,
in case no one else has told you;
is only made up of Moments...
moments...
and
quality Moments...
are what make up the
quality of your life...
especially
in the end...
Live life like you mean it;
live the WF Life, baby!
May you be brave in your own Workout and Practices today...
after i update my Online Students and SUNRIDER Herbal Warriors,
i will be unloading another fresh batch of the most genuine,
the world's original,
and the funnest dang spiritual Journey in the West:
WHOLISTIC FITNESS via DIRECT LINES!!!
all free;
all honest;
all you and me, baby!
i love you,
in sweat and stillness,
your mountain yogi...
coach ilg
September 12, 2005
Yogic Inversions and the Three Realities of the Genuine Human Being
i have two words for my students who wish to learn Adho Mukha Vrkasana (aka;"Upside Down Tree Pose","Handstand");
'No Walls'!
Trees do not " jump up" into maturity, do they? , nor do they use walls to grow magnificent and strong and balanced. either should you.
develop your energies, strength, and balance naturally; like trees; from your roots upward otherwise you are
missing the entire point of Handstand!
***
but first....
(GONG RINGS):
TEMPLE NOTICE
Namaste, Noble WF Ones ~
coach and i are leaving for the Navajo Nation to disappear into the land and do some rock climbing and meditation.
We should be back by Friday.
If we are not back by the weekend, send out the Search Parties starting from Winslow, Arizona. thank you.
if you are an Online Student of Coach Ilg, you may email him as usual. All others, please wait
until friday to email Coach Ilg due to the volume of email he receives, emails can get boinked into the Void
when he leaves town.
If you are one of my Online Students and have an update due, please send it anyway and
i will do my best to locate a computer. Otherwise, i will get back to you upon my return.
Coach asks that you Keep your Practice strong and sincere.
All we have is the present moment, so make
the most of it. And be kind with yourselves.
We all have a tendency to judge our own Practice,
so integrate more Metta (loving-kindness) into your daily workouts.
In-joy the journey.
WF Temple Manager and WF Teacher ananda
ps; Coach is leaving you with this fantastic DL (i honestly don't know how he keeps coming up with such
creative, unique, and interesting takes on everything! we are Blessed to have his Guidance...)
***
Yogic Inversions and the Three Realities of the Genuine Human Being
by coach ilg
Iyengar said it best, perhaps; "All these people rush up to me wanting me to teach them Headstand (sirsasana) when they can't even stand on their two feet yet!"
There is a great and fundamental mis-take permeating yoga classes these days. The mistake comes from a violation of the "10 Commandents" of Raja Yoga known as the Yamas (outer integrity) and the NiYamas (inner integrity). One of these "commandments" is known as Svadhyaya which means, 'going into oneself' or commonly defined as, 'self study.' Typical of intricate Vedic aphorism, this NiYama pointed the Shishya (pupil) toward memorization and then application by direct experience the scriptures of yoga practice. When people, and i point a strong finger at those who call themselves and publicly place themselves as a Teacher of Yoga, do not study the ancient scriptures, then all hell breaks loose in the heavenly Realm of yoga. The worse Hell Realm that a vulnerable Shishya experiences from a "yoga teacher" is the limited view which limits an asana (yogic posture) to its physical sense entirely.
In Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, only a few coaching words are given to the practice of asana. You would think modern man would not screw up a few sentences of ancient script, yet, sure enough; we did. The Sutras read;
"That which is a steady and comfortable posture is asana." - II; 46
"That sort which is effortless and lasts until the completion of the samadhi." - II;47
or, let me re-Word this for additional dimension to our 'modern minds':
"Each asana is to be done to reflect the meaning of the word, asana, which means "to take a seat upon"; thus each yogic posture should be practiced as if it were a meditation cushion; the spine straight, the body steady, and the thought waves of the mind should be become expansive and easy by engagement of the breath awareness." - II;46 Ilg Translation
"Steadiness and gracefulness within the posture is to be attained through constant practice of awareness, concentration (dharana), and meditation (dhyana) until the mind (manas) becomes absorbed in the absolute (samadhi)." - II;47 Ilg Translation.
Notice in Verse 47 how many elements of the 10 Yogic Commandments are to be included in an asana; 5 out of 10! Why do you TAF that the Ancient Masters told us to Practice first things first; Practice the 10 Commandments of Yoga before 'graduating' into the postures! See the Meditation Chapter of the Jeweled Lotus Program in my book, TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION, for my transliteration of the 10 Yogic Commandments into a Fitness Warriors lifestyle. Consider this research as a form of your Svadhyaya!
Are you really ready for the True Headstand? All great inversions must be grown from a beautiful Malasana (Yogi Squat) and DownDog.
First things first! Otherwise; injured physical, mental, and energetic sheaths!
I trust thus far, i have shined a Light upon an often ignored and abused perspective to what just ONE yoga posture truly means. I will now attempt to summarize and pepper my point h(om)e:
Each yoga posture is not intended to be limited to merely its physical realm; each yoga posture is both a symbolic and ignitor for the other two Realities of a human being; astral (emotional) and mental. That a yoga posture is accomplished at a physical Level, is only an asana's outward expression. The other expressions are of the astral (emotional) body which should be firm and unwavering thus producing a required element for the spiritual man; equanimity of emotive energy (see my BASIC STRENGTH HP YOGA VIDEO for more on the Emotions). The final expression of a yoga posture is reflected by its mental energetic state which is to be absolutely disciplined in order to be eventuated to the service of Ishvara-Pradnidhana (see TBT reference above).
Of these three Expressions and Cultivations of a yoga posture, guess which one is of least importance to the Spiritual Advancement of the genuine yogi? That's right, bucko, the physical! This is precisely why i teach HP Yoga - the exclusive yoga Practice of my Wholistic Fitness Personal Training System - from such a mental and spiritual (emotive/astral) stance.
So, screw trying to 'go deeper into' a yoga posture! Instead apply the Teachings of the Ancients; first things first: Ujjayi breathing, Mula Bandha, and Uddiyana; the three primary focus tools of HP Yoga! i have taught you much about these fitness components in my books, retreats, classes, videos, and most easily accessible in DL. Application of your focus while in a yoga posture toward these Three Great Asanic Tools is what will appropriately train you for what really matters in Yoga; Jiva Mukti! Liberation Through The Body!
Thus, a headstand for instance, is a symbol of and a creative switch that says we are ready to have our entire lives turned upside down and See Clearly without Attachment such a different Reality. Headstand says that we are ready to have our children, parents, house, job, physical body, etc, ripped out from beneath our feet.
Most people are not; this is why most poorly coached yoga students go running off to the nearest Wall For Support when the "teacher" chirps, "Okay everybody, let's do Inversions! Take your pick; HeadStand or HandStand!"
Do you sense the ignorant Metaphor? The 'teacher' of union, by de-couraging their students to use walls and props for inversions is creating addicts to external support and separation! 
in HP Yoga, i teach HeadStand (Sirsasana) from DownDog; it may take years to strengthen the top of head, neck, torso to withstand the gravity of Sirsansa; which is COMPLETELY APPROPRIATE! It took me eleven hard years to do 63 consecutive pull ups. a enduring Sirsasana should take at least as long so that the body and balance and mental focus is capable of the pranayamic energetics for which Sirsasana is all about!
This is why in HP Yoga, i do not teach Headstand very often and when i do, i teach it genuinely, without bracing the body. Headstand must be grown from the ground up; no walls, no skeletal bracing. 
HeadStand is taught in HP Yoga from Downdog or Bakasana (Crane Pose), this is why the appropriate mental, nervous, and muscle energies are safely brought into being.
Handstand is taught from Bakasana, not walls. Teaching these Grand Inversions in such a genuine manner insures sanctity of self development (appropriately conditioning the Three Realities of a Human Being). HP Yoga's maxim; "Strength Must Create Suppleness" is why my students do not injure their necks or harm their inward progression.
HP Yoga honors the Scriptures like few contemporary yoga styles do. HP Yoga; Just Inner Strength and Consciousness and Balance, for those you can take into the Three Realms of Man, and most importantly, into the Bardo!
My this complimentary as ever effort on my humble behalf, help Serve your Practice and open yet another Gateway to your Highest Union (yoga).
Namaste,
- Coach Ilg
The Scars Of Attachment
Often it is only when people suddenly feel they are losing their partner that they realize how much they love them. Then they cling on even tighter. But the more they grasp, the more the other person escapes them, and the more fragile the relationship becomes.
So often we want happiness, but the very way we pursue it is so clumsy and unskillful that it brings only more sorrow. Usually we assume we must grasp in order to have that something that will ensure our happiness. We ask ourselves: �How can we possibly enjoy anything if we cannot own it?� How often attachment is mistaken for love!
Even when the relationship is a good one, love can be spoiled by attachment with its insecurity, possessiveness, and pride; and then when love is gone, all you have left to show for it are the �souvenirs� of love, the scars of attachment.
- Sogyal Rinpoche
September 11, 2005
Student Lees Touches The Younger Generation*People Make Conflict; Not Religion
"Dearest Teacher Ananda,
Are the warriors getting younger!? Here is a photo of a sweet group of 10-11 year olds I teach once a week. When given a list of activities to choose from to add to their weekly schedule these precious warrioresses chose Yoga and ended up crossing my Path. They are a joy for me to teach as when I started I was the youngest in class for many years; it is beauty- full that these girls get to share this experience with their classmates.
I trust all things are going well for you there beneath the sacred mountain.
Namaste,
humble student lees"
On Behalf of all those who attempt to make their Way and their Practice in this world as Teachers of the Light of the Soul, such as Teachers Ananda and Lees,
may this DL bring some Light and Empowerment
to your Inner and Outer Workouts today...
om mani padme hung,
coach ilg
ps; custom Knot of Eternity by WF Teacher Sheader and his wife Linda
STUDENT SHAWNA of Clan Kodanda is a devoted WF Online Student, SR Herbal Warrioress, and one of the most inSightful
Students in our Tribe.
Recently she wrote to her WF Teacher "Ko":
"I attended to (1) High Performance Solo Session.� I think there are many things that attract me to practicing Yoga, the main being the body and mind connection.� I love coming into the moment and being challenged by what is in front of me; the body changes every day and it�s about being in the moment and listening to where it will take you that day.� There are not many things that you can perform in a 12 square foot space that links your breath and movement in such a concentrative state."
*
"I read Coach Ilg�s Ai Imawa book one Saturday on the end of the pier.� I started reading and did not put the book down until late afternoon; it was incredible.� I performed the Ai Imawa series 1x.� I think my biggest in-sight is that I did not remember how powerful the Ai Imawa postures are."�
�
***
AI IMAWA: The Postures and Practice of Inner Harmony
by Coach Ilg
available right now at the WF Tribal Catalog!
September 10, 2005
STUDENT INPUT! AMAZON REVIEWS, WF= "THE WORKOUT OF WORKOUTS", PERSONAL RECORDS DROPPING!!!
"We often wonder: �How will I be when I die?� The answer to that is that whatever state of mind we are in now, whatever kind of person we are now, that�s what we will be like at the moment of death, if we do not change. This is why it is so absolutely important to use this lifetime to purify our mindstream, and so our basic being and character, while we can."
- Sogyal Rinpoche
***
SOME OF THE CURRENT REVIEWS OF TBT AT AMAZON.COM:
He who seeks not the hard way seeks not the true way. Dogen.
Reviewer: Thomas L. Lynn Jr. (Cincinanti, OH) -
An outstanding contribution...Beyond the fitness format Ilg provides a resonant articulation of the connection between the bodily and the spiritual. Moreover, he avoids the temptation of presenting a "short-cut" approach to fitness, rather exhibiting both the need and the benefit of challenge. Additionally, the fact that Ilg has fully recovered from severe spinal and pelvic injury consummate his integrity. I cannot say enough positive things about Ilg, Total Body Transformation, or Wholistic Fitness altogether...P.s. - This review maybe a redundancy as I was uncertain if I transmitted it successfully the first time...
Steve Ilg Rocks!
Reviewer: Bmax (Atlanta, GA)
This book is phenomenal.
I really love Steve's focus on functional strength, as opposed to
strength for strengths sake.
Ilg combines Yoga, Strength, Cardio, Meditation and Nutrition.
The workouts are challenging and extremely effective, they will transform your body (and mind) if you follow through. Steve's encouragements all throughout the book are very helpful/motivating.
***
Sender Name: Bill
Message: One word...Wow (Workout Of Workouts)is what my friend and I call Wholistic Fitness. Thanks for bringing refreshing energy into living Holistically.
***
Dear Coach,
I want to thank you for TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION...I cannot believe the shape I am in! I am excited to train each day and enjoy the benefits of Wholistic fitness...I understand the lifepath and cannot imagine anything but.
Thanks again for your path...my family and I are learing what it means to be 'eating to live'. I wanted to add that I am eating from the bottom of the food chain and cannot imagine anything else...I thank you for your expertise!
Thank you,
Mark Mondloch
***
Dear Coach Ilg,
Yesterday evening was the final Time Trial of the year, and was in pretty good conditions.
I took another 33 seconds off my best to go round in a time of 25:11. Although I am disappointed to have missed out on the 25 minute target (even more so since it was a narrow margin), I am delighted to have taken some more time off my best.
I am on vacation next week, an active vacation with plenty of mountain biking and some hiking and windsufing thrown in!
Looking forward to the next installment of WF.
Humbly
WF Online Student Simon Ash
***
September 09, 2005
WF STUDENT JIM JOHNSTON CRANKS TO A NEW PR IN CHICAGO!
Coaches Ilg and Sheader,
I thought I would let you know that I achieved a PR in the Chicago
Triathlon this weekend - 2:37 in the International Distance. This
shattered my previous best of 2:43.
There is only one reason for this improvement - Wholistic Fitness. I
did not swim, road bike or run in preparation for the race. This was
not intentional, I just did not have the time. All I did was follow my
WF online training.
The course was hot, but my desire was strong. I followed my breath and
heart through to the finish.
Many thanks.
Jim
Lance Armstrong News Flash
The Associated Press Friday, August 5, 2005; 11:00 PM PARIS, France --
Lance Armstrong's record setting seventh Tour de France victory, along with
his entire Tour de France legacy, may be tarnished by what could turn out
to be one of the greatest sports scandals of all time.
Armstrong is being quizzed by French police after three banned substances
were found in his South France hotel room while on vacation after winning
the 2005 Tour de France.
The three substances found were toothpaste, deodorant, and soap... which
have been banned by French authorities for over 75 years.
Armstrong's girlfriend, American rocker Sheryl Crowe, is quoted as saying
"We use them every day in America, so we naturally thought they'd be ok
throughout Europe."
Along with these three banned substances, French authorities also
physically searched Armstrong and found several other interesting items that they had
never seen before, including a backbone and at least one testicle.
***
{this contribution was forwarded to the WF Temple by ever alert cycling warrior, Wayne Williams shown above with Coach sporting the killer WF Jerseys (buy yours today!) outside the former WF Temple in LA. Though Coach has moved back to his southwest mountains, Wayne still cranks out the kilometers and the WF Chi around the Santa Monica Mountains above LA on Coach Ilg's former bike, "Andrew" (that's Andrew supporting Wayne above!) named after one of Coach's star cycling students; Andy Hampsten. Thank you Wayne and love to Andrew!}
Top Ten Sunrider Foods For Flu & Virus Season
contributed by Trish Childers, the Ilg Downline Group Director
SUNRIDER: The Official Nutritional Program Wholistic Fitness since 1983
"While on a road trip last week, I didn't bring any SR herbs, as I wanted to feel what it was like without them. What a great lesson! Food started to build up in my GI tract, even eating lightly, and I felt sluggish. It was soooo good to get back home and on the herbs again. Having learned my lesson, I don't envision trying that one again. ;)"
- WF Online Student Michael Thompson (Clan Haku), 9/3/05
(See STUDENT INTERVIEW with Michael below!)
"Hey Coach,
Conco is like magic. I've even reduced it to 5 in the morning and then 3 at lunch and 3 in the evening. Pretty powerful. Stayed the night at a girlfriend's last week (2 big dogs and 2 cats) and no asthma issues at all!! Thank you and Trish and SunRider.
love,
laura"
(Conco is one of the five herbal formulas in Quinary. Conco targets the support of the Respiratory Immune system)
1. SunPack, Which consists of NuPlus to nourish and strengthen the whole body.
Calli enhances the removal of wastes from the body. Quinary strengthens all 5 major body systems SunnyDew and Sunectar to balance blood sugar levels. And, Sunbreeze Essential Oil and Balm � Sunbreeze is a soothing, penetrating oil or balm that eases pain, and helps the body heal external injuries. It naturally promotes more blood circulation in the areas where it is applied and the body does its own healing. A formula that�s wonderful for sinus headaches, sore throats, chest congestion, sore and achy muscles, arthritis, and much more. Keep one with you at all times.
Start NOW & continue to eat these foods consistently to support your body through the flu and virus season: And for extra added support eat more Conco & Alpha 20 C - Alpha 20 C nourishes the immune system, fights infection, and helps the liver. It is a wonderful herb food that strengthens the body�s ability to defend itself from major problems. Conco � Conco nourishes the auto-immune system which is respiratory, lymphatics and sinus. It also helps decrease mucous and prevents colds and the flu. These two formulas, Alpha 20 C and Conco, work synergistically together. Eat lots!
2. VitaFruit � This is a highly concentrated, delicious herb fruit juice. Vitafruit is rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, amino-acids and beta carotene - the best! Vitafruit helps the healing of tissue and slows aging. It has helped reduce fever in children. It will improve anyone�s mood! The �happy fruit�. A wonderful drink for a feeling of well-being!! And, remember to never mix it with HOT water.
3. Vitaspray - Our vitamin and mineral mouth-spray, featuring B-12 and other B vitamins, as well as Vitafruit antioxidants, in food form. Essential for hemoglobin production, helps morning sickness and is beneficial for small children whose growth is slow. Vitaspray helps the nerves and dealing with stress�our very own happy spray.
4. Evergreen - This unique liquid chlorophyll nourishes the circulatory and digestive systems. It purifies and oxygenates blood, and counteracts body odors. Evergreen is an excellent source of iron that the body can easily assimilate. It is favored for pre-natal use. A grandmother shared that it helped reduce a fever in her grandkids...she opened a vial, mixed in a few drops of Sunny Dew, some water and put in a straw and let them sip.
5. SunnyFresh - A liquid syrup that contains loquat, honey, and other herb foods. It is soothing for the respiratory, throat, and voice.
6. Fortune Delight � This low calorie herbal beverage, cools the body, and supplies it with needed minerals (electrolytes) and water. Often it is the only thing that tastes good, stays down, and keeps the body from dehydrating when burning up with fever. It can be sweetened with Sunny Dew or Sunectar.
7. Citric C Tab � A Chewable C tab that taste like oranges. Each tablet contains 200% of the recommended daily requirement of Vitamin C from ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate and rosehip powder. In addition, Citric C Tab contains an exclusive blend of citrus bioflavenoids and green tea leaf extracts. Citric C Tab is chewable, which makes it absorbed immediately through the mucous membranes of the mouth! Kids love them and so do adults! Vitamin C does so many things!
8. Chinese Goldenseal Root - Chinese Golden Seal Root helps those who wish to avoid the use of antibiotics when infections threaten. It is safe for children and pregnant women. Sunrider�s goldenseal is balanced and safe for extended use with no side effects. It is used successfully for most infections: sinus, bladder, respiratory and supports the immune and circulatory systems. In addition, Chinese Golden Seal is soothing to the mucous membranes.
9. SunSmile Fruit & Vegetable Rinse � This cleans your fruits and veggies of herbicides, pesticides, and oily substances, and to keep your home and body free of contaminants, bacteria, fungus and other unwelcome critters! Use for cleaner produce and a healthier life!
10. Kandesn Hand Cleansing Gel � No matter where you are, this amazing gel guarantees to keep your hands germ-free & clean. It does not require water, all you have to do is apply a drop to your hands & rub. It�s fortified with moisturizers to keep your hands soft, not dried out. I keep a tube in my car to clean my hands after pumping gas, one in my purse for public bathrooms or for grocery store carts. Got kids? Then this gel is a must, pack it their lunch box or backpack to help them fight viruses all day.
Remember, start now to gather all these SR goodies, so you will have them before you have challenges. The best defense is a strong offense, get proactive in your health now.
Eat The Best Regeneration Foods Daily As A Foundation For Health
September 08, 2005
STUDENT INPUT!
My WF Logo, channeled to me during the DreamTime in Boulder, Colorado in the late seventies, perfectly captures my intent for Wholistic Fitness. The overall impression of the logo is taken from the sun sign of the Dine (the Ancient People of Turtle Island or America. this sun sign is known as the Zia and is the State Emblem of New Mexico, one of the Blessed States that i have had the honor of living within. The horizontal and vertical lines are Native American symbols for 'rain' which means Abundance. If you lived down here in the American Southwest, you would know just how precious is rainwater and snow. This Abundance showers upon the practitioner of Wholistic Fitness in the Four Directions. The middle of the logo shows a yin/yin symbol (Taijitu) intertwined with a dumbbell. I chose this image to illustrate my Spiritual Duty (SvaDharma) to bridge Eastern spiritual teachings into Western fitness methodologies. It's been a long haul, let me tell you, yet one that has fueled my inner life for over a quarter century. I love Wholistic Fitness. I love living her lifestyle, i love teaching her vastness, i love her uniqueness, i love everything about Wholistic Fitness; particularly the Level of fitness Practitioner that she attracts...you! Everytime you see this logo, i want you to know it means; i love your dedication to your inner life."
- coach ilg, 9*8*05
***
"Hi Teacher Roche!
I picked up my copy of TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION last night. Good ol' Katrina delayed the delivery to the local Barnes & Noble...just another instance of how we're all connected in this little world. I cozied up on the couch last night to dig in to TBT. When I opened the cover there, to my surprise, was a little message from Coach Ilg. It totally caught me off guard and I had to do a double take. I thought I was imagining things. Seeing that little message touched me profoundly. Call it divine WF intervention. Everything feels like it's happening right as it should be...all in gooood time. I'm excited (and a little nervous) about getting started on my Program! It's comforting knowing that I'm taking things to the next level, a level that I'm ready for. The fun never stops. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for showing me the way! I bow to you.
your humble student,
kp
{Ed. Note; KP is a yoga student of WF Online Teacher Chris "Kodanda" Roche, who recently was appointed as Special Events Director at City Yoga: http://www.cityoga.biz/}
***
Beautiful Brother,
I Trust you with my Life. i Trust you with my Death.
Om Mani Padme Hung...
Love,
kodanda
Noble Brother KO,
"Abhyasa (steadfast practice) is the only prevention of disturbance to the inherent peace."
- Ramana Maharshi
let us keep Practicing with the know-Ledge
that we will hold hands two-gether as we jump off the Ledge into the Bardo.
namaste,
el coache
***
"I have been pouring over "The Winter Athlete" by Coach Ilg. It is wonderfully written just as his "Outdoor Athlete." It is strange how this has come about. I found the "Outdoor Athlete" in 1996 when I was preparing for a 42 day mountaineering expedition in BC. It was very helpful and I was recognized by everyone on my trip as the strongest climber. Excellent results."
- John Deines
***
Noble Coach,
P.S. I recently saw a quote that I like...
"No one has ever drowned in sweat."
- WF Online Student Michael Thompson of Clan Haku
***
May the above words, each of them having been purified by WF sweat and stillness
inspire your Practice today and ignite the potentiation of omnipotent fitness in your daily life.
that is all,
your humble mountain yogi,
coach ilg
A DL STUDENT INTERVIEW: MICHAEL THOMPSON OF CLAN HAKU!
Stellar Online WF Student Thompson of Clan Haku never waters down the potency of his WF Practice!
***
DL: So what was your life BWF (Before Wholistic Fitness)?
MT: BWF I was tired, cranky, and labeled myself something like a "middle-aged, fat businessman." I was short-tempered with people and felt that I had no control over my life. I also felt that I could not be happy, due to all the demands on my time. On a more serious note, I felt that my organs were shutting down...real health problems seemed to be right around the corner if I didn't act.
DL: When/What was your first encounter with Steve and/or Wholistic Fitness?
MT: My first encounter with WF was seeing a copy of the The Outdoor Athlete in a book store about five years ago. I liked the emphasis on outdoor sports, particularly winter sports, as they are my favorites. I liked the tone of the writing, too. It seemed that Steve was dialed in to a more Universal definition of fitness that resonated with my own views of the world. I followed the programs in the book for about a year and brought my weight from around 184 (on a 5' 7" frame) down to 152 and started to feel great. I got busy at work, though, and dropped the workouts, and that was all it took to lose the fitness thread. A couple of years ago I knew that I needed a change, and I understood that I could use some help, if nothing else, to hold me accountable. I emailed Steve and he quickly replied that I needed to enter the Temple, under Coach Haku's guidance.
DL: Why did you decide to embark on the Wholistic Fitness path?
MT: When doing it on my own, using The Outdoor Athlete, I was tired of being overweight and out of shape. I also knew that there was a link between fitness and happiness. With so many demands on my time, too, it was a chance to carve out some time for myself. When I finally asked about coming on as a student, I knew that I had a choice to make between declining health and taking a new, but unknown to me, path toward fitness. Without wanting to be melodramatic, it was a life or death decision. I didn't know what was going to happen to me, but I knew that I was at a high risk for a potentially fatal health event in the very near future. In hindsight, I was listening to my body. I actually always had "listened", but what I heard was frightening to some degree.
DL: What has come of the practice? What are some of the highlights and crises
during your studies here?
MT: Initially, it was good to feel "supported" by being invited to practice. I also had a sense that this was the right path for me at that time. In the beginning, it was a bit of a stretch for me to get with the program, although I tried my best. All the new yoga lingo and the like was pretty foreign. SR herbs, although not pushed heavily, were a sticking point, too. I really do not like taking pills or powders for any reason, and here they were being highly recommended. And the SR program is clearly a "pyramid scheme", so I had reservations about it from the beginning. This was a month or so in, though, and I stopped and thought about it all. It was about the time that I was assigned Patanjali's How to Know God, which really resonated. Anyway, one of the lessons that hit home was to "trust your teacher", so I gave myself up to the Teachings and the Teacher. As a scientist and botanist it was a leap to not know what was in the little pills, and I had to get used to taking them, but I thought that the only way to know if WF works would be to give myself up to it totally.
It was difficult for me to enter the gym, under the prying eyes of the body builders, etc., but it quickly became comfortable, and then familiar as I recalled lifting weights in college. The same was true with cardio work. The only bike that I've ever owned, though, was a one-speed with a big sissy bar, so it was hard to go to a bike shop and buy something with gears and skinny tires. Another early struggle was with yoga. It was so foreign to me, and full of arcane words, that it seemed impossible to grasp.
My biggest struggle, though, was with back and hip "problems." These were in addition to shoulder and knee "problems". My hips were slightly out of alignment and would periodically get worse after a long car ride, or hours at the desk. The result was very sharp pains and an inability to even walk on some occasions. I recall crying out for a little help and, yes, sympathy, but got none. Instead, I was urged to look within for Fear or other emotional baggage. I remember wondering, "Do these guys know what they're doing? Don't they know that I'm HURT?" Once again, before "reacting", I decided to trust the Teachers, and guess what? I finally started to "get" the connection between my body and my emotions. I saw, too, that these weren't "problems", they simply existed. In realizing where my Fear resided, I felt the tight muscles that lead to my spine being out of alignment. The ultimate change came when, in meditation, I recalled my father's back pain and remembered the times that I took him to the hospital so that he could be made to walk again. I recall feeling overwhelmed and confused to see my father crying and unable to move. As a father now, I understood that my Fear was that this would happen to me. I also understood that I needed to let go of that Fear, and my attachment to my father's pain, and walk on my own. The result is that I have had no back or hip pain for a long time.
Those are some of the early issues, and they tend to focus on crises. Today, I Fly on my bike and Pray in the Iron Temple. I rely on SR herbs for most of my nutrition, and I'm starting to grasp what it might be like to be a Master Student. I feel now that I'm ready to Learn.
I can't leave this topic, though, without mentioning my Intensive with Coach Sheader at his home in Colorado. That was a real highlight, and I wish that I had done it sooner. WF is at its best when you have the scent of sagebrush all around you.
DL: Have there been significant transformations in your life due to these?
MT: Physically, I have become stronger than I have ever been. Doing my first real pull-up in 26 years was incredible...it felt so powerful and full of joy. Cranking that off, too, made me feel that WF was working for me. So much from just one pull-up! I also have much greater cardio capacity, which allows me to run and play with my kids and to start to consider myself an Athlete once again.
I now feel in control of my life, ironically, by giving up the need to control Life. And I am very, very happy to have this chance to dance on Mother Earth in this life. I also feel that I have met some kindred spirits...tribal members. People are, I TAF, tribal by nature, yet it is hard to find your tribe in the midst of today's "society". WF gives me a sense of Universal belonging that is profound.
At work, I am a much easier person to be around. I no longer have to be "right" and things don't need to be done "my way". It brings great Joy to, instead, watch the Universe unfold.
DL: Where is your journey now taking you?
MT: I am walking the WF path more openly and I'm making good choices about what I put in my body, mind, or spirit. I shy away from negative people and tend not to follow world events. I focus, instead, on the world that is within walking distance of my home. I am seeking to continue to grow in my levels of fitness so that I feel good entering races and triathlons. I am also taking more risks, and pursuing sports that long attracted me, such as ice climbing. More importantly, I feel that I am becoming more connected to what is Holy in Life. To be specific, WF is ushering me into the next phase of my living on this planet. It may entail changes in work and relationships, but I feel grounded and ready to take those steps.
DL: And from there?
MT: I have a goal that some may understand. I wish to be a serene and happy man in his 80s who is known for growing wonderful, delicious tomatoes. WF will get me there, and perhaps one day we will share a tomato sandwich made with my homemade sourdough bread. I look forward, at that time, to sitting in malasana with my Teachers, cats curling at our feet, reflecting on well-lived lives.
DL: Lastly, in your own words would you define 'Wholistic Fitness'?
MT: Wholistic Fitness, to me, is the Art of nurturing your body, mind, and spirit and getting them to function in a holistic manner. I am more comfortable with imagery, and one day I will paint what I See. I see a figure, sitting zazen, bathed in a white light. Around him I see many versions of the same figure, some walking, some dancing, some seeming to be lost. Each one is a different color, representing the different Selves that we allow ourselves to become, refracted from the Whole. WF allows me to call these Selves back to form the complete Self once again.
DL: Any thing else you would like to add?
MT: Namaste, with all my Heart, and thank you for being my Teachers.
September 07, 2005
AGASSI VS. BLAKE
i bow to Andre
i bow to James
Andre has inspired me my entire life.
Like many of his generation, young James came out firing 138 mph first serves for the first hour.
Andre went down two sets to none.
Then,
Andre did what all Great Champions do;
he said, "If you are going to take me down,
you are going to have to earn it."
Thus, like so many times before,
Andre screwed on his Blue Collar Worth Ethic and
began
to
Endure.
by the
Fifth Set?
Young James was NOT hitting 138 mph first serves.
As in road bike racing,
it is great to have a great sprint.
Yet,
It is better to have a great sprint after 4 1/2 hours in the saddle.
"Of all the disciplines, Endurance is the greatest. For it is to he who endures that victory is certain."
- Buddha
Why do you TAF i train you, WF Warriors, in Cardio Training,
one of my Five Fitness Disciplines in WF?
Because in the Bardo,
you will have to know
the art of Endurance of Consciousness.
Thank you Andre.
Thank you James.
you want drama TV?
you want "reality" TV?
you want CHI TV?
you want to know what TV is worth watching?
Sports;
the more individual the sport; the better the Chi.
the higher the Heart Rate; the better the Chi
the longer the sweat; the better the Chi.
I bow to sports; the Warrior Challenge Field that grounds out the bullshit of modern day society.
let's break a sweat today in honor of Andre and James; two great Americans who i would be honored to
charge, side by side, into
the
Bardo.
Bring It On, baby!
Live like you mean it;
Live WHOLISTIC FITNESS!
* Strength, Cardio, Yoga, Meditation, Mastery of Food
* Breath and Posture, Mindfulness, Appropriate Action, Practice
* Be Elegant in Difficulty, Be Brave, Be True To Your Highest Self
that is all,
good night My Noble Warriors of Sweat and Silence,
go(o)d night,
coach ilg
IF THE (climbing) SHOE FITS...
Dear Coach,
It's pretty hard to find my size, especially this time of year. What do
you think about a shoe like the Scarpa Eclipse Climbing Shoe (pictured
below), or the 5.10 Spire?
- Namaste, Toby
Noble TOBE!
GREAT CALL!
that is a fantastic all purpose shoe...they take a bit longer to get into than a slipper or a high performance, specialized shoe,
yet the benefits are many; you can boulder, sport climb, and multi pitch in such a shoe. since you are not an 'expert' climber, this shoe is ideal for you would not likely 'outgrow' this shoe.
i would suggest getting a pair that is RELATIVELY comfortable, since, unlike a high performance sport shoe,
you will not be able to tear it off quickly as your toes get smashed to smithereens! when it comes to experiencing toe pain,
rock climbing shoes and ballet 'pointe' shoes take the cake! in fact, i am just now breaking in a new pair of slippers and have probably just ruined my toe-spread benefits from the past 8 months from wearing YogaToes!
oh well!
in WF, we can't limit the Unlimited by our own addictions to comfort!
yeah baby, go get that shoe and let me know how it goes. Best bet is to try on that same shoe
or similarly sized (be careful of the European vs. US sizing) at a local climbing shop before ordering online.
to be fair to the local climbing store, however, be sure to buy something...like a chalk bag or something at least!
love,
coach ilg
(got a rock climbing question? for those of you new to DL, coach ilg used to be a sponsored rock, ice, and high peak climbing pioneer with over 75 First Ascents to his credit...use his experience!)
September 06, 2005
contributed by Wayne Williams
***
ED.NOTE:
the beautiful pictures on DL 9/3/05 were done by
Bob Ichter who is from Atlanta ( www.ichter.com ).
ENEMIES, MORE ON MALA's, SHIVA AS KATRINA, and...ONLY IN WF...
Dudjom Rinpoche used to tell the story of a powerful bandit in India, who, after countless successful raids, realized the terrible suffering he had been causing. He yearned for some way of atoning for what he had done, and visited a famous master. He asked him: �I am a sinner, I am in torment. What�s the way out? What can I do?�
The master looked the bandit up and down and then asked him what he was good at.
�Nothing,� replied the bandit.
�Nothing?� barked the master. �You must be good at something!�
The bandit was silent for a while, and eventually admitted: �Actually there is one thing I have a talent for, and that�s stealing.�
The master chuckled: �Good! That�s exactly the skill you�ll need now. Go to a quiet place and rob all your perceptions, and steal all the stars and planets in the sky, and dissolve them into the belly of emptiness, the all-encompassing space of the nature of mind.�
Within twenty-one days, the bandit had realized the nature of his mind, and eventually came to be regarded as one of the great saints of India.
***
Message: I very much look up to Steve Ilg and Wayne Dyer. I have been in the fitness industry for 22 years (teach and train every format imaginable including my newest endeavor:Yoga!) and feel stongly influenced by these two souls:)
Namaste,
Janine V.
***
Most Noble Ones,
Speaking of Malas, only a true WFer could get away with wearing (or even saying in the same sentence) mala beads with running shoes ;-)
Could this be another Coach Ilg Trademark? LOL
I bow to the Wonder Full Path that is Wholistic Fitness,
student lees
Most Noble Student Lees,
classic!
i LOVE IT! Running shoes with Malas baby! HOW PERFECTLY WF! "Sweat and Stillness," baby!!
i bow to you creating a little 'pad' for which Grace (your malas) can rest...wait a sec, is Grace's tassel TOUCHING your SHOES?!?!?! OH MY GOD!!!!!! OUT, OUT OF MY TEMPLE!!!!!!!!!
just kidding!
it is however, most AA (Appropriate Action) to always HANG your malas whenever possible with the Meru
dangling closest to the earth or, if a neck mala must be laid down, do so mindfully, cleanly, and in a right-spirally
manner in honor of the "Right Spiraling Conch" which is one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism and it is
said that the hair whorls of the Buddha spiraled toward the right after His Enlightenment.
om tat sat,
coach ilg
***
Dear Teacher,
i am sharing this with you with the Intention that you may consider it for DL; that it may help reduce the emails and inquires you are receiving regarding hurricane Katrina. after reading Teacher Ananda's posting on DL, and the emails and questions i'm getting...well, i'm sure your getting hammered over this.
i Pray this may be of help.
oh, one more thing. couldn't you come up with a better Way of getting a "ripped" calf? ouch!!! i guess i'm just glad you weren't wanting "shredded" calves. sending the Love and Chi to ya, BABY!
Love,
ko
***************************************
Dear Teacher
"Without opening your door,
you can open your Heart to the world.
Without looking out your window,
you can see the essence of the Tao.
The more you know;
the less you understand.
The Master arrives without leaving,
sees the light without looking,
achieves without doing a thing."
Verse 47 of the "Tao Te Ching", translated by Stephen Mitchell
having read the "Tao Te Ching" several times, i often turn to Her for In-spiration, In-sights, Chi-hits, etc. intuitively opening and reading a verse, i all-Ways dis-cover the Appropriate message for the moment.
verse 47 found me the other day. in Light of the events Shiva has delivered via hurricane Katrina, It seemed the Appropriate Verse to help Guide my Sangha. many of my Students are talking of feeling Power-less, as though they feel they should be "doing" something other than, say, donating money. they fear �what this all means��. it occurred to me, "rather than doing, we would be of more help to those suffering by Be-ing"; that if we attend to our Practice, sit in stillness, sweat, and breath consciously, then MAYBE we can truly "open our Hearts to the world", MAYBE we will realize what is the Appropriate Action.
i taf this Verse also speaks Directly to the Wisdom you have shared many times; including a recent missive on DL, that we do not need to go to India, to the Himalayas, or to New Orleans. we need only to remain devoted to our WF Practice; It is All right there. it's that damn easy, it's that damn hard.
then again, i know nothing...
Much Love (and happy to Be Here Now, with you, in this Kali Yuga),
Ko
***
WHY JUST LOUISIANA?
Dear Steve,
time to stop bowing before me beneath the sacred mountain and get all of the wealthy people who buy Sunrider products to fork up some dough for Lousiaiana. Come on, now, time to get beyond ourselves here.
- DH
Dear Friend Along the Path...
you are assuming much in your reactive words.
trust that there is a Higher Perspective to outer world 'disasters'
During Difficulty; keep Practicing for it is precisely the most Ripe time for spiritual growth.
as the Masters have taught for eons;
the best, most effective and important way to as you say,
"get beyond ourselves"
is to
go as deep into ourselves as possible.
Why just Louisiana? (corrected spelling)
Because it falls within an arbitrary boundary of humanity called,
The United States?
What about Ethiopia?
Tibet?
Iraq?
Should my coaching of Love through Fitness be limited to just the U.S.?
My Sangha,
my Work,
my dedication is to ALL humanity...not just Louisiana.
Unfortunately, since i am a very feeble yogi,
my powers to help effect change must be by changing YOU,
one person at a time.
This is what Gandhi taught,
"Social Revolution must start within each individual; one at a time."
since you are not a Formal WF Online Student,
i can only share this limited morsel;
my Teachers told me very clearly to keep my Sangha centered on their Practice
during outer world "disasters" such as Shiva dancing in Louisiana.
For there is appropriate karma unfolding in a 'sleepwalking' City whose mayor and people
are not only Addicted To, yet are (were?) proud to have Profited By Marketing and
Embellishing Adhesion To Lower Chakra Pleasures. The AP reports, "Amid the tragedy, about two dozen people gathered in the French Quarter for the Decadence Parade, an annual Labor Day gay celebration. Matt Menold, 23, a street musician wearing a sombrero and a guitar slung over his back, said: "It's New Orleans, man." Thus, in a city where the most unfit and
most fat people live according to National Statistics, now, the value of being fit and living a healthy lifestyle is being realized through intense suffering. My heartspace winces as i witness another example of the karmic pendulum doing what it must; swing the other way for Party Town, USA.
if you wish me not to bow to your Practice,
then let me close with this;
heart open to your duhkha and your in-Stance along your own unique Journey of Awakening.
May all Beings reflect upon the importance of Awakening and know Happiness,
coach ilg
ps; the Wholistic Fitness Temple is donating to the Animal Rescue Mission of Katrina
ps 2;
many of us SUNRIDERs stave off rent to buy our herbs,
we are far, far from "wealthy" in the monetary sense...
we are interested and devoted something far more important;
jiva mukti!
September 05, 2005
Coach, coaching = 3 Quotes to Inspire Your Practice Today
"Truth is not found by Seeking...
Truth is revealed upon our graduated Awareness shifts."
- coach ilg
***
"Tapped and whacked...
that's the Way of the WF Warrior!"
- Coach ilg
translation; Coach knows from a quarter century of bringing WF to the masses and to unmatched Realms of physiologic competition,
that the Ones who are truly Finders and not Seekers,
are the Ones who are a little bit whacky (non-conventional) yet also, undeniably 'tapped into" a Higher Than Normal appreciation of just how priceless and perfect is the Vehicle of multi-disciplined personal fitness for spiritual elevation during ones limited lifetime.
***
"Do not limit
the Unlimited
by your self-imposed
limitations."
- Coach Ilg
ed.note; Photo 1; WaynesWilliamsstudio.com, photos 2&3; coach ilg
RELEASING DESIRE = SANTOSHA (Contentment)�DL; saves MONEY and EMPOWERS SPIRIT!�THE WOMEN OF WF!
Note; yesterday, Alert and Aware WF Teacher KO wrote in to note that the photo of Student Kristi in yesterday's DL
showed her wearing her mala's on her right, instead of left, wrist.
To no fault of her own, Student Kristi was unAware of this WF Tribal Tradition, based upon the Ancients Counsel. Student Kristi did not receive her mala's through myself. For those students who, like Kristi, use mala's that do not come Blessed from the WF Temple, i will share with you that yogi mala's - if not worn around the neck, are to be worn around the left wrist. This information, plus much more, is always included with Blessed Mala's from the WF Temple.
Thank you Teacher Ko.
By the Way, Student Kristi herself sent this Chi Hit for Student Heather Leu who i wrote about last week in DL;
"Dearest Coach,
Beauty Full share from Heather on Tuesdays DL. The blessed warrioress managed to put into words how many of us TAF at this time.
We all spread our light in different ways, Heather spread her own little piece in this share and Re-minded me why and how we walk the Path.
I bow �
Namaste Heather, keep spreading YOUR light.
student lees"
Let me tell you,
once i shake the Snakes off the Temple, one of the Priorities will be to institute a Women Of WF 'Kiva'... a special place where the really POWERFUL gender; the Females, can gather, exchange, and help me to continue to Evolve WF. It literally stuns me; the quality of human beings that are attracted to WF, both male and female. The ones who actually join and persevere in WF Online Training? Let me tell you; these Noble Warriors are being Trained to lead the LightWay into the next generation!
well,
enjoy the wholy-day today (as if EACH day is NOT a Whole-ly Day in WF, right!?!)
Stay tuned to DL next week, as always, i have a ton of DL CHI just waiting to break the dam and flow into your Practice!?! You gotta read about my first "Initiation Ride" with the local studs on the mountain bikes through the awesome and famed Kachina Wilderness! ooooooF!
plus,
coming up soon in DL...
a DL SPECIAL FEATURE:
Yogic Inversions and the Three Realities of the Genuine Human Being
No wonder why Tribal Fan Justin wrote in saying,
"Dear Coach,
i wanted to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Since 'accidently' discovering your AMAZING DIRECT LINES forum,
i have completely found the following magazines absolutely devoid of what you call, "Chi" and their content, even though written by a large staff with high cash volumes flowing in from their high-priced advertising, cannot compare with the multidisciplined, creative, intelligent, and FORCEFUL POWER that you, somehow, someway, continue to deliver FOR FREE courtesy of your giving nature each DAY (!) on DL! I am STILL working my way through the DL Archives and EACH essay, penned from your "sweat and stillness" just floors me! Thus, i wanted you to know that i have found the following magazines completely useless for the cultivation of my Higher Self thanks to one amazing man; Steve Ilg:
� Mens Fitness
� Mens Journal
� Yoga Journal (blech!)
� Runner's World
� Climbing
� Outside (sorry, i know that you were on the Cover twice and are often quoted in it, but i can't stand the 'yuppienss' any longer!)
Just needed to let you know what a COST SAVING DIFFERENCE and HUMAN SPIRIT EMPOWERING force you are in my life. As you often say,
'That is all.'
- a WF Warrior Bec(om)ing, Justin"
wow, huh?
Thank you Justin. i am just a simple mountain yogi, doing what i consider the best for my own Practice and the Practice of all Beings everywhere...
on that note;
GIVE IT UP FOR YOU, the WF SANGHA and DL, BABY!!! WHAT OTHER PATH IS SO OUTRIGHT GENUINE, WHACKY, AND AWESOMELY FUN AND FOCUSED AS WF, eh?!
i love each and every one of you who continue to pour your Sweat into your Stillness along my humble, yet amazingly powerful Path of WHOLISTIC FITNESS! keep sharing your Training Stories, Insights, and Real-izations with me!
Namaste,
The Sunflower: What i call, "The American Lotus"...why? I will tell you soon in an upcoming DL!
coach ilg
creator/Wholistic Fitness Personal Training; The Path For Awakened Fitness Warriors since 1982
BRING THE CHI AND YOU WILL FEEL THE CHI!
"Bring your Yoga Practice into the Iron Temple.
There is no difference except what your ego chooses to attach too. 
you know what to do.
Trust yourself and just do it!
You bring the Chi and you will feel the Chi!
With-in the Chi there is no room left for drama."
-WF Online Teacher Ananda
in training counsel with an Online Student struggling to get consistent in the gym
September 03, 2005
SPREADING LIGHT WITH GRACE: STUDENT KRISTI LEES
Blessings Noble Teachers,
Much love to you on this day.
All is Go(o)d.
I am really lookINg foward to the new INward journey that is 'Namaste' {an WF Online Training Program} I am sure she will show me just how divine that place in me can be (or at the very least I will throw up trying - bring on the intervals!)
In new found Breath and Posture,
new student kristi lees
P.S I felt INclined to have this photo taken yesterday before I left to the gym for work to spread some light with Grace (my divine mala). Today as I read through my program it becomes clear as to why. Everything has a reason, this I am learning to question less.
New WF Online Student Lees is taking initial Studies under Teacher Ananda and is rapidly becoming a very Intuitive Student of this Steep and Direct Path of Personal Transformation though Personal Fitness
"WF IS MORE THAN I COULD MASTER IN 2 LIFETIMES," STUDENT BOB MAXELL
"I will pursue the WF path with noble effort. I am so grateful for your book.
It is humbling...There is more in it than I feel I could master in 2 lifetimes."
- WF Student Bob Maxwell shown, "being coaxed out of meditation time by my dogs."
***
Coach Ilg-
I was raised by a very proper English mother, heavy emphasis on appearances.
Thus, I have struggled my entire life with trying to fit a mold I believed would satisfy others. This particular mind-set always extended to my fitness routine. Chalking up races and awards, a cut abdomen and muscles for the bragging rights. I was so ego-involved, my body consciousness was inspired by what I thought others would find attractive.
Yes, it drove me. It gave me a kind of crazy motivation but I could not escape
a certain haunting emptiness.
I was living from the outside in. Trying to make my inside match what I thought everyone else wanted.
Your Wholistic Fitness approach has been revolutionary for me and I can't thank you enough. It was like a light going off in my head. The answer (which I discovered
sometime during Green Tara) was to live from the INSIDE OUT!
Calm my ego through mindfulness, meditation and pain (oh how I have come to be grateful for the pain and all its lessons...I think you describe it as an acid eating away at the ego attachments) and radiate my essence outward. I have mysteriously attracted
more friends and have lost the feeling of having to always try to impress and replaced
it with gratitude, service and humility. Again it has been revolutionary and awesome. So much so that I have 'converted' two of my closest friends to the WF path.
Thank you for helping to transform my life, my outlook and my body.
My wife is happy too. She's a medical doctor and was a bit sceptical when I
began, now she is reading the book and set to begin Green Tara herself!!
Maybe one day I'll have a chance to meet you and thank you in person.
Until then I continue to send you good vibes.
Peace
Bob Maxfield
PS although your workouts are the most challenging I have ever experienced, all motivation issues have disappeared and I find myself waking early with little effort.
I actually look forward to getting on my bike, hitting the pool the gym or the track.
September 02, 2005
"PURSUE TRUTH."
- Coach Ilg
"PURSUE WHOLENESS."
- Coach Ilg
"PURSUE YOUR HIGHEST SELF."
- Coach Ilg
***
Photos;
1) The Southwest red rocks beneath Grandmother Moon
2) The "Om" symbol; the sound of the soundless Absolute
3) Current Course Record Holder, Coach Ilg, strikes the Ai Imawa posture; "Holding Up Moon" as he cheers teammate Roy Wallack up a hill during a several hour pull across Death Valley during the Furnace Creek 508 last October. photo/LA Times.
September 01, 2005
TALK ABOUT A RIPPED CALF MUSCLE!!! + * SEVEN WF STEPS TO DEAL WITH DEEP CUTS AND HEMATOMAS
some pics
some thoughts
some feelings
from "just" another
Day
beneath the Sacred Peak...
so today was a scheduled "light day" of training for me...so i did what any normal whacko WF Master Student would do...
i woke up, meditated, did my Toilet Yoga, Neti, Pranayam...tossed on my duathlon clothes, threw Gunther (my mountain bike) into Bala, waited around for Ananda to finish up some Temple Management stuff, drove the 11 miles up the Ski Road and cranked off the Veit Springs Trail with Ananda on foot...the canopy of aspens, sparrow hawks, and the holy high altitude air 
competed in unrushed, friendly, eon-old and Sacred Chi Ways with the wild alpine bouquets seemingly dancing with Woniya Wakan about our fleet feet. "A good way to start thinking about nature," taught John Lame Deer is to,
"...talk to it,
not about it...
talk to the rivers,
to the lakes,
to the winds,
to our relatives."
In WF,
we let our Sweat and Breath renew our Vital Connection with what yogis call, Prakriti...
the Forces of Nature.
***
i have heard the saying often,
"Live each day as if it were your last."
Easy words to say...
Harder words to actually live.
i have been living such words for 43 years.
the thing is,
if you reach for the Highs...
you gotta be prepared to deal with the lows...
(Funny, i have always wanted a really, really RIPPED calf muscle! now i got one!)
i walk my talk...
i dance the dance across the fitness sports like few men have...
there are prices to pay to inhabit such rarified air...
yet i push myself each day
in so many ways,
to Teach you
better than some other personal trainer
than some other "teacher of yoga" who is afraid to stretch their Practice out
across the extreme sports
the day to day requirement of deep and true focus
that cuts like an upper chainring into ones calf...
you may be sitting there,
perhaps with posture
even unaware
wondering
why...your Coach does what he does...
broken pelvis and spine,
separated shoulder,
dismembered thumb,
and even today; a ripped up calf...
why?
as a Gift to you...my Students...
i must walk my talk
what good is an unscarred body at Heaven's Gate
when God says unto thee,
"I Gifted your body to USE! to PLAY! show me a WORN and BLOODIED INSTRUMENT
of your APPRECIATION of LIFE...not some soft pudgy, unweathered, untested bag of bones!"
***
for what price did i pay today for a ripped calf and a golf ball sized hematoma*?
***
a fucking 2,200' mountain bike descent through the very ARMS OF GOD!
and a single sunflower (see above),
- plucked from a whizzing ocean of sunflowers -
just for Ananda,
plucked at 18.5 mph
on a rutted singletrack
without even a pause in my blood-dripping pedal stroke...
and riding home with the precious flower softly cradled between my teeth...
that's
What.
that's how a True Man
should deliver a flower to a Loved One,
...by GOD!
feeble ilg says this; to hell with 1-800-FLOWERS!
go and pluck the flowers by your OWN pluck!
namaste
and always look at the person who is advising you to "live each day like its your last,"
chances are,
they do not walk their talk.
that, my Mighty Noble Warriors of WF,
is
all.
love and hurtin' in the best of ways,
your ol' coach
DL BONUS INFORMATION:
* SEVEN WF STEPS TO DEAL WITH DEEP CUTS AND HEMATOMAS
1) get your bleeding ass home ASAP.
2) use Sitali Pranayama enroute home to cool the injury
3) visualize vasorestriction to limit bleeding...then, visualize yourself actually getting Medical Insurance (it won't happen, yet, it's always helpful to at least pretend.)
4) repeat #1
5) FOCUS; use YANG ATTITUDE to overcome the natural tendency to freak out, lose agility and the fine neuromotor skills while bleeding. use your Meditation for something useful; #1 above!
6) before arrival home get your Priorities in order:
First Priority: take a picture of injury for possible inclusion in the Sacred Scrolls of DL (for example, see third photo in this DL or Timari's most excellent photo in DL;7/31/05)
Second Priority: five (or more) words;
shower, hydrogen peroxide, ouch!, motherfucker! (or insert favorite curse word while experiencing superb pain).
Third Priority: make mental note to Self; never, EVER make fun again of Coach shaving his legs cuz NOW you know why!
Fourth Priority: apply SUNNECTAR or SUNNYDEW from SUNRIDER to injury, then NEOSPORIN (the choice of Champions) then wrap with Gauze/Ace Bandage
Fifth Priority: apply ice, compression, and elevation
Sixth Priority: dramatize pain as an excuse to draw respect and servitude from Partner.
and finally
7) wear the scars like the Badges of Honor that they are! An unscarred body is one unfit for the Bardo!
TRIBAL NOTICE:
thank you for the number of emails asking if
any WF Students need help in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
as of this moment, all of our Warriors seem to have been Protected
Coach will let us know if there is Tribal Action required.
Coach is always operating at overload, so
please do not send Coach emails regarding the status of WF Students...
Coach is performing special Prayers and continued Dharma Blessings specifically
for WF Students and for All Beings Everywhere.
Coach encourages WF Warriors to stay tuned to Ron Jones, of Atlanta, GA updates on his website:
http://www.ronjones.org/CurrentComments/HurricaneKatrinaUpdate.html
"All Karma is God."
Namaste,
Ananda
WF Temple Manager