October 31, 2005
GOULISHING GO(O)D STUDENT INPUT!..Plus: KNOWING CIHNA...and...WF PRODUCES ANOTHER YOGA TEACHER!
i
LOVE
Halloween!!!!
Always have! Hec, back in Boulder, during the crazy "Mall Crawl" days, i once got toted off by the Mounted Police for climbing up a streetlight post, dangling at arms length far above the throbbing costumed masses, before letting go and allowing them to catch me! Shame, they eventually cancelled the event. Then there was the Halloween party when i jumped off a balcony into 62-year old Ven Barclay's arms...oooof! ( I bow to Venerable Ven! there is a great picture of this Ageless Warrior in THE WINTER ATHLETE). This year, our first beneath the Sacred Peak, Ananda and i had Two Tree Manor cranking out the frightfest! Cryin' shame there aren't more kids out on the streets...so scared of so many things, these days...all these pre-fabricated "haunted houses" at Malls to "invite more safety" into Halloween...oh, give me a BREAK! The more we insulate our society from "bad things" the more paranoia we weave into the fabric of our society! Much better to breed Tiny Warriors of the Heart, not Tiny Worriers of a Troubled Mind.
Our Beloved Witch Ananda would charm the kiddies toward the treats, while i...the Faceless Spirit Ninja would sneak up behind them and proceed to basically, well...let's just say we heard a lot of screams...Two Tree Manor was voted, "Totally the BEST house on the block to trick and treat at! Those guys were TIGHT!"
You all ready for another great week of INSPIRATIONAL and INFORMATIVE CHI for your Practice on DL?!
I am!
let's git it rolling, baby!
how about a quote from the Great Emerson, before some Student Input to get us started? Man, i love this Path! and i LOVE YOUR DEVOTION to WHOLISTIC FITNESS! "The Path works, when you work the Path!" Since 1982, and still WAAAAY out front, baby!
namaste,
coach ilg
****
"This time like all times, is a very good one if we but know what to do with it."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
***
STUDENT SASSO's COMPASSIONATE HEART CONTINUES TO OPEN...
Dear Coach,
I was cleaning up the garden yesterday. Pulling up the tomato plants and apologizing to each one for not being a better caretaker. Very sad. They were still making tomatoes, the frost touched the green ones, though, and I couldn�t really use them for anything. I put the plants out on a compost heap where the deer can get them � I hope they like the treat. I just feel like I let my garden down this year. My schedule was so packed with work that I didn�t take the time to harvest vegetables as they came along. So, tomatoes would grow ripe and then soft and then rot. And beans would grow large and tough on the vines. We certainly ate a lot from the garden, however I don�t have as much garden goodness stored away in the freezer for the coming winter.
Love,
Anne
COACH REPLIES:
Student SassoSan,
your Heart is opening.
feeling Compassion for All Living Things
is true and deep Cihna*.
i bow to the strength and devotion of your WF Practice...
namaste,
coach ilg
* Cihna; Positive Sign of Upward Advancement in Spiritual Work. i spend much of my coaching searching for various cihna in my Online Students. More times than not, cihna is subtle, often too subtle for the new student who lacks sophistication in their Awareness, to pick up. According to the Markandeya-Purana, some of the first signs of cihna are enthusiasm, health, gentleness, pleasant odor, scant urine, beauty, clarity, and softness of voice. Then, there are the intermediate and more advanced cihna of which you have read about in DL, i mentioned at least a few such Signs during my Snowshoe essays last month. I suggest the non-formal Student of WF, use their tool of unconditional Awareness to search, spotlight like, for the above mentioned beginning levels of cihna in their daily life. Getting on the SUNRIDER herbs accelerates the aspirant quickly through these beginning training effects as does a formal Online WF Training program, however, many non-formal Students of WF write me letters loaded with the obvious cihna from their Practice of WF lifestyle principles, nutritional guidelines, and exercise programs set forth in my books and yoga dvds.
***
JK GOES OFF; FOR A MOMENT ON IGNOBLE VEGETARIANS
Steve,
Amazing how people get so insulated from life and death. I have fresh salmon in the freezer I caught in late July in Vancouver. No hormone-laced, dog-food fed, farm salmon here. Just about as clean as you can get. Salmon lovers have no problem eating that. However, I tell them that the goose, duck or quail they're eating was "harvested", cleaned and prepared by my hands, they lose their appetite. One actually told me she would eat it if it came from the grocery store and was shrink wrapped in white plastic.
If you choose to eat meat, don't insulate yourself from the life that you've taken. That goes for plants too. More people should spend some time on the farm to gain an appreciation of the food that is on their table. For starters, we'd have a lot more vegetarians and, more important, fewer hypocrites.
Awrighty...off my soapbox here and back to work.
But first, an Ilg Supreme is calling.
John
***
NON FORMAL STUDENT SUET MINES DL ARCHIVES AND COMES UP WITH MANY GEMS AND ONE SHINING JEWEL:
Dear Coach & Ananda,
�i must trust what my Tibetan Teachers taught me;
Ripples make waves.� � Coach Ilg
I was in-joying the DL archives for the past hour and
came upon the above. Once again, your practice has
struck my chord. Ripples do make waves. The Chi of
your masters has spread through you, unto my feeble
self and unto people around me.
I know this to be true because ever since the WF path
found me, I have been radiating like never before.
People� unfamiliar person� have been coming up to me
just to say �hello� and so kindly offered me smile.
When I dine out, I am given discounts without
asking/expecting for it.
When I recently submitted my resignation letter, my
boss so lovingly gave me his blessings and
well-wishes� This was so astonishing that you could�ve
knocked me over with a feather!
I am in awe� I am humbled. All these are come from the
seeds my Teachers so patiently and faithfully planted
throughout their lives. May I continue to be strong in
my practice and hopefully one day that I too will
in-spire another being.
THANK YOU�
Om Shanti,
Suet
{PS: DL READERS...HOW MANY SIGNS OF CIHNA ARE PRESENT IN SUET's LETTER?!..DID I MENTION HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS POWERFUL PATH AND HER STUDENTS?!}
***
Hi Coach,
Bright, as in Light, idea. My head is bowed to you and your nobility. My palms are together at my third eye, closed eyes
looking inward,... I salute you with a slow ujayii out breath.
Above L-R; the Newest Yoga Teacher in the Tribe; Bryan Hantman of Clan Haku. Bryan learning just how hard it is to follow the Master's footsteps while on Private Intensive with Coach Ilg in LA two winters ago. Bryan's WF Developed Sitting Posture.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Bryan Hantman, RYT200, began studying yoga at the age
of 19 in 1992 and started teaching roughly ten years
later. Nature, Steve Ilg and Haku Hatsuiku, and
certified Iyengars in the Washington, DC, area are his
principal teachers. He is dedicated to teaching yoga
as a tool to help people live fully and richly through
the development and practice of awareness,
self-acceptance, love, kindness, and inner power. An
award-winning athlete, he is interested in the
multidimensional benefits of asana, pranayama, and
meditation on athletic performance. His short term
plans include bringing a spin-yoga class to his local
gym, teaching a weekly class for triathletes and
cyclists during the upcoming off season, and becoming
part of the core teachers at Sanctuary Yoga Center in
Oella, MD. Bryan is Johnny G Spinning certified and
has been studying Wholistic Fitness since 2002.
Bryan earned his yoga certification through a 10-month
program at the Yoga Center of Columbia in Columbia,
MD.
HAPPY, HEALTHY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!
"Former WF Master Student who succumbed to the lures of Krispy Kremes and Diet Coke wishes Coach Ilg a Happy Halloween."
- J.K.
From All The Online Teaching Staff and the (currently haunted) Two Tree Manor Temple of Wholistic Fitness, Ananda and I wish you all a sustained, elevated heart rate while trick or treating and may all your treats be PowerBars or SunBars! Oh hell, it's Halloween, GO FOR THE SNICKERS, DUDE!!!!
Namaste!
Coach Ilg
October 30, 2005
ON ANY GIVEN WEEKEND; OF SNOW AND BIKES AND THE SPIRIT WHICH LINKS THEM
Most Noble Sangha,
yesterday; High Intensity Run/Snowshoe/Run duathlon. took a new Direct Line from Ski Basin to SW Spur of Agazzi Peak and back. 1 hour and 45 minutes. if i am gaining an amount of yogic siddhis, such powers are delivered to me in High Mountains, this much, i know to be True. That is a LOT of steep,difficult terrain to cover...yet i did with the full Pranic Hookup and it felt like a dream...
Tracked a medium-sized bobcat before startling a mama deer with four young ones feasting upon the remaining autumn grasses in hurried manner. Deer know Winter like no man can. Soon Elk tracks. I bring my Mind to touch Noble Student Wide Wapiti and feel his sincere efforts along the Path assist my own (see Wide Wapiti's words in his Blog...today's entry is FANTASTIC: http://www.warriorsamoht.blogspot.com/ ). 
at 11,400' i leave all tracks, including the sole human one behind me as i start chipping the front teeth of my sport snowshoes into 28% gradient of ice crusted snow. This verglass sheath of steep snow is speckled and fractured by tips of granite and sometime igneous rock. i am on all fours in a type of downward facing dog except i moving upward in ape like fashion on terrain as slippery as your bathtub after a soapy shower. i've held my heartrate at high zone 3 for the past 40 minutes. at this altitude, effort becomes accumulative. i feel light and strong. i work my dog tilt and allow the frozen pranic ocean around me to move inside of me; relaxing my side guts where unconscious breathing results in cramps and poor performance. breathing now moves me, i am not the one breathing. the very lungs of the UniVerse breathe me. i empty into a syllabic/breath rhythm of OM MA NI PAD ME HUNG so as to numb my egoic mind and reduce fear, doubt, and pain. The chanting purifies me as over and over again my cleats tatter away, drum like, upon this tightly stretched hide of steep ice and snow. only thrice while climbing this monstrous, ancient wave of steep rock and ice do i dare look down. one moment of unconscious technique, one moment of paltry focus at the sake of suffering and i would become a lycra clad cannonball, hurtling down this rocky, icy ampitheatre in a horrible collection of limbs and screams until my body hit the less steep snow, or perhaps, that clump of pines waaaaay down there. back to punching fists into the snow, clinging here and there onto rockbergs which poke through the glossy snow like shark fins. OM MA NI PAD ME HUNG...more climbing brings me over 6" dog tracks, traversing back and forth, amazingly enough, across this colouir. Coyote? No way. Too large and too uncharacteristic of the Trickster. Some other mountaineer's dog? Perhaps, not likely. I have had the only human presence up here this winter. A Sasquatch having Shape Shifted into a Wolf? Bingo! This is, after all, Yeti country! 
i top out at 12,2some feet, above the clouds. Ravens, dozens of them, auspiciously swirl the uncommonly calm, pranically packed air. their callnotes are quaint; unlike their talk down low. here i am most at h(om)e. it was within these rarefied ethers that Wholistic Fitness was borne. when i interact with the energetics of high terrain using high breath and heart-rates, my biologic beating breaks down the barrier between the microcosm of intensity of Self (purusha) and the macrocosm of intensity of nature (prakriti). thus, i find my Highest Yoga; my richest Source of Union through sweat induced Pranic Purity. I linger in my meditation and pranayama on this throne of the Mountain Gods too long and feel a chill build behind my sweat soaked clothes. i start chipping and controlled slipping down the icy slope, focusing upon my navel and mula bandha to keep my weight centered correctly. I descend rapidly, mountain goat like...Sensei Kishiyama's words always ring Clearest to me when doing this extremely dangerous stuff, "Move with the spirit of wild animals." These words calm me, as do these which becomes my descending chant; "Sabbe Dhamma Nalam Abhinivesha"...Nothing Whatsoever Should Be Clung To As "I" Or "Mine." It's a Tibetan way of the Native American's "It is a Good Day To Die." Fortunately, for DL Readers, i will not die on this descent; i will however, make one wrong move and pay for it. on a side traverse to get to more snow, i slip. i fall 25' in a flicker of an instant and gouge my right shin with my left snowshoe crampon..., yet before the Abyss sucks me down and turns me into Hamburger Helper, i instinctively roll into a Self Arrest and come to a heart-thumping stall, teetering on the edge of a stoic boulder. This shit ain't friggin' golf. thank Brahman there are still places like the Kachina Wilderness where one man can disappear into the wilds, and not be found till the next spring if his Warrior Day comes to an end up here.
"To those of aberrant minds, the place
is just earth, stone, water, and trees.
To mistaken intellects, it appears as
solid, inanimate objects.
To Practitioners, appearances have no
intrinsic nature.
Those of Pure Vision, it is a celestial
palace full of deities.
To those with Realization, it is the radiant
luminosity of innate awareness."
- Kanyu
*
This morning and my body is registering yesterday's noble efforts in a painful way, particularly in my spinal extensors. yet, to continue to win the favor of the local mountain bikers, i am up by 6:00am for an Ujjayi saturated dosage of Toilet Yoga�. By the time i finish my At-Sink Pranayama�, my body has shifted from being painful, cold and acidy to being pain-free, warm and fluid. The WF Path works, when you work the Path! By 8:00am, i roll out and meet Tattoo Bob and Chris Hull (yep Hockey Fans! Bobby and Brett Hull are his relatives and NO you CANNOT get an autographed something!). We ride up Schultz Creek, frosty pine needles chinking beneath our tires like champagne glasses kissing in a toast. Right on Little Gnarly then...i knew these mofo's would do this...Left and UP, UP, UP the "Weenie Walk"...a fiercely steep and technical climb so named because if you are a Weenie, you will be walking it. i weenie out on four sections of the 600' snakelike climb and am well off the back from my two skilled partners. i sound the alarm for more muscle glycogen for my climbing muscles, still deflated from yesterday's excellent effort. my bro's are waiting for me at the top of the ridge then we scream down the 5 mile descent of Little Bear...if you fall during the top half of this local 5-Star Singletrack, dude, you're going into the Bardo like a Boeing...it's a 2,500' drop off on your downslope side! i manage to stay upright and start to dial in my Slither Medicine and manage to keep Bob and Chris in sight; a rarity for me on descents. Another Left, suffer up a 3-mile singletrack slice of heaven to retrieve some lost altitude and we arrive at the top of Schultzy again. On this 3.5 mile descent, i find yoga. No bike, No Me, Just Breath and Ski Like Fun! Swerving, cutting and dicing, and railin' this beautiful creekside singletrack like three deer in full flight. We roll to a stop in a collective shudder of joy and appreciation for being
alive,
fit,
and
brave enough to get out and just DO!
i pity those who have yet to Awaken to the Go(o)dness of Daily Sweat and non-measurable Energy. The lack of sweat purchases only a stronger belief in the validity of worldly things. Such miserable limitation brings only a sense of false stability, not spiritual stability. The stronger our belief in Worldly objects and pleasures, the longer that world lasts. To me, it is the cultivation of the limitless Inner World that cannot be measured, judged, or manipulated which is most vital to a human beings short time on this Plane.
If your own Weekend Workouts have delivered to you, just a fraction of the momentous and Sacred Joy that mine have, then, you, Oh Noble WF Warrior,
are like me in this very moment;
smiling with spine straight Knowing that
all there is
is
Love.
Love Is Greater Than Fear.
Get out, today.
And Love It All...
In Fitness and Nature,
In Softness and Strength,
i bow to you in Namaste,
Coach Ilg
Tres WF Warriors; Silas, Harriet and Eliza gettin' it done with HP Yoga up at the Toby Leeson Clan, Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
The best gift a parent can bring to their family is the best Gift they bring themselves; Abhyasa...Steadfast Practice.
October 29, 2005
OLD HABITS, NEW MOON
"Ahhh yes yin�.. respect and appreciation for all things. Hold up the Moon with fierce, yin strength�..
Big WF day�overland pass hike, with fresh tracks ya baba!"
Student Jonesy (Haku clan)
(photo of Student Jones enjoying the Taoist Yoga posture; Holding Up Moon from Coach's book;
Ai Imawa; The Postures and Practice of Inner Harmony available on the Tribal Online Catalog)
***
Sweet Steve,
regarding yesterday's DL:
"...I have been saddened, again and again, to see how many people take up a teaching or a master with enthusiasm and promise, only to lose heart when the smallest, unavoidable obstacles arise, then tumble back into samsara and old habits, and waste years or perhaps a lifetime."
Sogyal RInpoche
Thank you for sharing...the quote above is so true, in your coaching with students & with those I work with on whatever level...to easy to "tumble back", or so many think.
Actually, I've found that it's harder, cost's more in time, resources & energy to "tumble back". I believe it's easier to just keep moving forward even if it's only one tiny step at a time. More fun, too.
Besides, all that "looking back" will give someone is a pain in the neck:-)
love ya
trish
***
Those of you SUNRIDER Warriors know precisely that Trish is our Beloved Trish Childers....our Group Lead Director who, some 20 years ago, Trusted in Dr. Chen's products and business, and started building her SUNRIDER business by simply sharing natural, whole foods to her friends. This year, her SUNRIDER income bought her a beautiful new home in the country of Arkansas. How BAD do you want it, baby?! How BAD do you really Want what you THINK you Want?....
i bow to Student Jones
and
to Trish...
May All Beings Realize The Utter Importance of Inner Work(outs)...
love,
coach ilg
SEE PROGRESS IN TINY AMOUNTS: I SWEAR I HAVE THE BEST STUDENTS IN THE UNIVERSE!!!
Oh Noble Ones Who Cherish Sweat and Stillness...
i am sorry...i know that yogis are not to increase separation between any living beings, however,
i swear to Lord Padmasambhava that i have the MOST SUPERIOR FRIGGIN' STUDENTS IN THE UniVerse!
do your Practice a big favor and read his Friday, October 28: High Plains Warrior Blog from WF Devotee thOMas Ward right now:
High Plains Fitness Warrior
http://www.warriorsamoht.blogspot.com/
i am in Love with thOMas...
aren't you!?
His devotion to just telling the TRUTH of his Fitness Experience warms my heart...
this is how i replied to his BLOG entry:
***
Noble Shishya,
your Path is Narrowing
your Focus is Increasing
your Awareness is amplifying
the very fact that you chose to decline the "junk food" nourishment of the smoky bar with the ladies
is
as earth shattering a Breakthrough for your Self
Cultivation than the first time just a while ago, that you
started saying "no" to unneeded yet egoically desired physical food.
in WF, since we work at so MANY Levels within our bodies, minds, and spirit
you MUST start appreciating the small yet HUGELY SIGNIFICANT moments
of inner victory...such as staying home alone with your Practices instead
of placing yourself in degenerative environments...even IF they seem fun and non-harming...
thOMas...you are a Warrior who is moving very fast along the Path through your obstacles,
like a bull elk who dances through the pines with graceful agility...your large antlers appearing to
pass right through the tree trunks and limbs...
those antlers are your spiritual radars
the trees are those old habit patterns and negative tendencies...
run Wapati! Run!
you are moving VERY fast...
Very fast
inDeed
and this humble mountain yogi
bows
and will Touch Your Spirit
during my snowshoe workout upon the Sacred Peak today...
namaste,
your number one fan,
coach ilg
October 28, 2005
A TRIBAL "REAL" Birthday! Welcome To The World, Tiny Tim!
"Tiny Tim" shortly after the hatch at Kuhlman Farms.
Photo/WF Student Hakado Ru Kuhlman archives
Things will never be perfect. How could they be? We are still in samsara. Even when you have chosen your master and are following the teachings as sincerely as you can, you will meet difficulties and frustrations, contradictions and imperfections. Don�t succumb to obstacles and tiny difficulties. These are often only ego�s childish emotions. Don�t let them blind you to the essential and enduring value of what you have chosen. Don�t let your impatience drag you away from your commitment to the truth.
I have been saddened, again and again, to see how many people take up a teaching or a master with enthusiasm and promise, only to lose heart when the smallest, unavoidable obstacles arise, then tumble back into samsara and old habits, and waste years or perhaps a lifetime.
Sogyal RInpoche
October 27, 2005
MAKING PILGRIMAGE and ...CONGRATS TO TOBY! WHO DID!
{DL Notice; sorry, once again BLOGGER ain't allowing me to post pictures...i am at work on that...}
"The difference between a journey and a pilgrimage is this: on a journey, reaching the goal means success; a pilgrimage is successful only when each step becomes the goal."
~ Brother David Steindl-Rast
**
GO TOBE GO!
namaste',
student dansan
***
Beloved coach...................eating an herb in honor of student toby's courage.............No thing like being eyeball to eyeball and heart to heart with coach in the flesh !! IN JOY
blessings student shel
**
Dear TFO,
thank you for the Twisted Sage blog "promo".
gotta tell ya, this WF Student is WAAAAAYYYY envious of Student Toby and his 3-day Intensive with you and Teacher Ananda! did i say envious? dang, guess this Yogi has more Work to do.
Love,
still-envious-ko
***
Noble Ones,
O bow to my brother Tobywonkanobe, a very wise respected one on a pilgrimage�.I bow to my brethren and dedicate my WF ST session tonight to the coolness of Toby�s intent to seek and gather together, the journey�.
Coach don�t hurt him to bad and�.let us know how friggen strong he is, I know he must be friggen strong! 2 something plus straight years of online WF? C�mon the guy must be elite�.I was chasing him a year ago and I know he is sincere!
Head So Bowed�.Steve (Haku Clan)
***
SO START YOUR WF INTENSIVE PILGRIMAGE TODAY!
HAVING a Private Intensive Experience just REALLY makes the Online Experience
that much more FUN and certainly EFFECTIVE! after an Intensive, when i email you, i recall so many moments of our
Intensive which brings such a smile to my HeartSpace as i write you and facilitate our Work!
sign up for a WF Private Intensive TODAY; we will be bringing up our Rates soon to reflect at least a little bit
of what is being charged by others in my various fields...we have not adjusted our Temple rates for many years,
so RESERVE YOUR 2006 Private WF Private Intensive today!
- Coach Ilg
October 26, 2005
TOBY LEESON COMPLETES DAY TWO OF HIS WF INTENSIVE: SURVIVES CAVES, BIG FOOT, and COACH!
{We pick up our story with WF Online Student Toby, after completing a world-class feat; surviving a Two Day Private WF Intensive with Coach. Shown above; Coach and Toby about to descend into the formidable mile long Lava Cave...this rare photo captures Coach in his true nature; a scaredy cat already cold(2.5% bodyfat is not exactly good cold protection) and about to enter the near freezing temperatures of the utter dark cave...Coach was particularly nervous for he knows that during this time of the year, Big Foot migrate into caves like this one to take shelter and perform their cross-dimensional rituals...see my "BigFootnote" at the end of Toby's account.}
*
Dear Sangha,
It is 10 o'clock at night on day two of my private intensive. We started the day with a beautiful meditation; the smell of Nag Champa in the air, Coach's vibrations of Oooooooommmmm.
Strength training in the WF Iron Temple. Man that's intense. I am strong. And getting stronger by the day. Damn I love this practice.
(This photo and all others except the last one by Ananda. Hell, i know "professional" photographers that would be waaaay too scared to do what it takes to get this shot!...Brav friggin' O to the amazing HP Yogini; Anandamayima!)
Then we went off into the woods to a mile-long lava tube. Yes, a mile long cave underground made of volcanic rock. The energy was intense, the footing was treacherous. I was struck mostly by the fun loving nature of Coach and Ananda as they laughed and played with each other. Sasquatch* is in the woods. They made my heart sing. I can't wait to get home and give my wife and kids a huge hug of love full of smiles.
Afterwards we mountain bike again through the whispering trees, this time a on flatter ground (my legs thank you Coach) at break neck speed. Oh it felt so good.
A delicious lunch preceded a well deserved nap in Savasana pose on Coach and Ananda's living room floor. How many teachers of life, love and fitness invite you into their home? Not many I'll bet.
Then Ananda taught me the intricacies of back bends in HP Yoga - if only I could bottle up her teachings, bring it home with me, and then spread it all around the world. Wow.
And then the icing on the cake - bodywork by Coach. He left me in tears as I processed many layers and years of gunk.
Afterwards, and now I am nearly speechless.
It doesn't get any better than this my Warrior Sisters and Brothers. You wanna go deep, you wanna go where you thought you could never go. Come. Be brave. Listen. Coach and Ananda know the way.
I can't wait to come again for another intensive. Don't you wait another minute, its the best thing you could do for yourself.
Love to all of you.
Namaste, Warrior Tobe
*
*BigFootnote
by Coach :
The Kachina Wilderness which surrounds the WF Temple Home is historically rich with reports of Big Foot. The "Big Man," as Sasquatch is known to the Native Peoples around here, has found seclusion among these towering old growth Ponderosa Forests for eons. I have consulted enough Elders and have directly experienced enough time alone in these woods to verify their presence and have developed a mountain yogi hypothesis on why these Beings have yet to be Tracked with enough "proof" for the non-Believers: The intense axial energy of this Highly Vibrating area is perfect for their dimensional Shifting capacities; this area vibrates with both negative and positive ionic fields at an elevation that ramps ups the wavicle intensity factor to a Degree rarely found elsewhere, save for the high Himalaya...the site of frequent "Yeti" sightings...
To support my yogic hypothesis, i give you my Tribal Brother, Ray Owen, son of a Dakota spiritual leader who told a reporter from the Red Wing {Minnesota} Republican Eagle:
"They {Big Foot} exist in another dimension from us, but can appear in this dimension whenever they have a reason to. See, it's like there are many levels, many dimensions. When our time in this one is finished, we move on to the next, but the Big Man can go between. The Big Man comes from God. He's our big brother, kind of looks out for us. Two years ago, we were going downhill, really self-destructive. We needed a sign to put us back on track, and that's why the Big Man appeared".
In his book The Spirit of Crazy Horse, {Viking, 1980}, a non-fiction account of the events dramatized by the excellent recent movie "Thunderheart", author Peter Mathiessen recorded some comments about Bigfoot made by traditional Sioux people and some members of other Indian nations. Joe Flying By, a Hunkpapa Lakota, told Mathiessen, "I think the Big Man is a kind of husband of Unk-ksa, the earth, who is wise in the way of anything with its own natural wisdom. Sometimes we say that this One is a kind of reptile from the ancient times who can take a big hairy form. Some of the people who saw him did not respect what they were seeing, and they are already gone."'
"He is both spirit and real being, but he can also glide through the forest, like a moose with big antlers, as though the trees weren't there..."'
I have camped, run, mountain biked, climbed and backcountry skied in most of the beautiful high mountain areas of the United States and Canada. Yet only here have I repeatedly Sensed and have Seen furtive, large, fast moving ape-like creatures in and out of the heavily wooded areas. I continually Sense a protective, nearly Fatherly spirit emanating from such incidences.
Oh, and you predictable non-Believers? come on out to the Kachina high mountain wilderness with me...i'll be happy to show you precisely where to camp, alone, and you can tell me if, after a few days and nights alone beneath the Sacred Peak, you are still a non-Believer!
***
October 24, 2005
STUDENT TOBE WRITES TO YOU FROM DAY ONE OF HIS WF INTENSIVE:
Here I am in Flagstaff Arizona. Fall. Blue sky, the sun and aspens amongst the pine trees. Wow. The wind hums through the trees. And Coach Ilg is there with a smile on his face and many words of encouragement. We are on a mountain bike ride after a short session of Zazen postural teaching. We are 1 hour into the ride and already I am better rider. Up dog man. Wow, I cleaned that section.
After our ride, I feel wonderful and spent. Coach is fast, and soft. How does he do that?
After a beautiful lunch made lovingly by Ananda, I melt into my bed for an hours rest.
Then on to a one-one-one yoga session with Ananda. Man, they don't teach yoga like that at our gym in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. There are many subtleties to yoga, minute adjustments, that make all the difference in the world. And they make the pran flow much stronger. I never knew Tadasana could feel like that.
I have been here less than 12 hours and already I am more whole, a different person.
Coach and Ananda are beautiful people that are make this world a better place. And I thank them for their teachings and being in all of our corners.
We are blessed.
Namaste to all of you. More later.
DL READER NOTICE: 
I am busy cooking up all sorts of WF Fun and Torture for visiting Online Student Toby Leeson from Steamboat Springs. Toby, one HELLUVA great WF Warrior, is here with me beneath the Sacred Mountain until Wednesday in a Private Training Intensive...poor, poor, Toby....
just kidding.
kinda.
Please enjoy the DL Archives and all the other avenues of getting the WF Chi, including the other three Coach Ilg-approved Blogs* until Wednesday...at which time i will be back Bloggin' and joggin' with you all, my Beloved WF Sangha! No one trains like a WF Warrior and we are all very Blessed to have the Light of this Path.
Right now, i am going to Dive Deep into the Sacred Sweat and Teachings of WF with Toby...just like when you sign up for your Private Intensive, ALL of my body, mind, and spirit is devoted, utterly, to your enjoyment and understanding of the world's original Transpersonal Fitness method; Wholistic Fitness, since 1982.
Better sign up for your WF Private Intensive soon! already, openings for 2006 are filling fast; i don't do too many of these things because like the rest of WF; it's all about QUALITY of the Teaching...not the QUANTITY.
There is no greater challenge than to challenge yourself,
and there is not a more intelligent, safe, effective, and colorful Path within which to challenge yourself
than
WF!
eat an herb,
pray for Toby,
and May your own Practice be Graced with the Spirit of our Workout Out and Working Within Global Tribe of WF Warriors!
yeah baby!!!
om mani padme hung,
coach ilg
COACH ILG- APPROVED WFBLOGS
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
October 23, 2005
"THIS WAY HAS SAVED MY LIFE," WF WARRIOR thOMas IS ON FIRE WITH THE WF TRANSMISSION!
WF Warrior thOMas Ward, author of the Coach Ilg-Approved Blog: http://www.warriorsamoht.blogspot.com/
"...what you give is worth so much more than money Coach, You give hope! For this i thank you from the very depth of my being....in love and humble awe at the deep simplicity of this path. i TAF (think and feel) that this way has saved my life and made it better. The herbs, the stillness, the sweat. I am H(om)e.
face in the cold wind (5)
tires singing heart beating (7)
now you are alive (5)
(Excerpt from HIGH PLAINS WARRIOR; thOMas Ward's blog}
***
Most Access~Able Coach Ilg,
Nutrition ~ only in the last few hundred years have diets become so grotesque, you find and preach the truth.
Strength training ~ Only with the advancement of machines that do everything for you have we needed to "train" our bodies for strength, you find and preach the truth.
Cardio ~ We walked, we walked everywhere, curse you Henry Ford!!, but you find and preach the truth.
Yoga ~ Ancient wellness in~bodying spirit, nutrition, strength, stillness, that recently became "Americanized" and fadded (refer to Christina's email from DL to under~stand my meaning), you find and preach the truth.
Meditation ~ That thing which religion is supposed to do for you, bring you closer to the spirit of God, you find and preach the truth.
BUT~
i need to tell you that it is your access-ability that is the most amazing thing. The path you champion is an ancient one. One that people have lost sight of throughout the ages.You found it through your pain and sweat, opened to the realization, driven by metta to share, blessed with focus to plan and explain for others. Yours is an amazing path. But i must restate, your access-ability is the most amazing gift you give. The offer of the attainable truth is so sweet. It is mystical and pragmatic. In~powering, in~viting, in~bracing.
i had the cash to join training or buy a bike. You knew this of course, but what i saw was you putting your (casual) student FIRST. Be fore you! You could easily have told me to forget the bike and get my butt in on-line training, but you gave me yet another reason to believe. i will be a student soon, but i must tell you, in truth. i am your student now. My daughter's Braces are almost paid for and that will free up the dinero i need. But what you give is worth so much more than money Coach, You give hope! For this i thank you from the very depth of my being.
Your humble feeble student,
thOMas
***
COACH ILG RESPONDS;
My Most Cherished Shishya,
i sit here humbled (5)
wondering what to reply (7)
God Bless this Path...OM! (5)
namaste,
your humble teacher of Sweat and Stillness,
coach ilg
WE GOT OURSELVES A DL READER QUIZ WINNER!!!!
Our WARRIOR ON THE SPOT and NEW FATHER: DAN SALIMONE of SAN JOSE, CA
was the rapid finger on the KEYBOARD and answered yesterday's DL QUIZ correctly:
"dear coache',
a moment?
total body transformation page 72
namaste,
student dansan"
For his ASTUTE knowledge of the Sacred Scripture of WF, Student Dansan will receive a complimentary and signed copy of
WF Teacher's Ananda yoga video:
WELL DONE NOBLE DANSAN...AND FIT KIT!!!!
thank you all who sent in your answers!
and keep reading the World's Original Source of genuine body/mind/spiritual fitness;
DIRECT LINES, only at
www.WholisticFitness.com
May all your Practices be strong and sincere today!
namaste,
your humble helmsman on the go(o)d ship WF...
coach ilg
ps; ORDER YOUR QUICK FIX DVD today; the PERFECT training companion to our HP Yoga DVDs!
visit the Tribal Catalog now!
OF GOOD DEEDS and OBSTACLES ON THE PATH
When little obstacles crop up on the spiritual path, a good practitioner does not lose faith and begin to doubt, but has the discernment to recognize difficulties, whatever they may be, for what they are�just obstacles, and nothing more. It is the nature of things that when you recognize an obstacle as such, it ceases to be an obstacle. Equally, it is by failing to recognize an obstacle for what it is, and therefore taking it seriously, that it is empowered and solidified and becomes a real blockage.
- sogyal rinpoche
ANOTHER TRIBAL BIRTHDAY!!! High Plains Warrior thOMas rides a bike again after 29 years!!
One Less Car, baby! GOD I LOVE MY STUDENTS!!!
check it out...this one is GREAT STUFF!!!
WHAT IF EVERYBODY STUDIED WF?!?!
HAPPY "BIRTHDAY" NOBLE WARRIOR thOMas!!!! and keep that rubber side of TY down!
http://www.warriorsamoht.blogspot.com/
October 22, 2005
THE AGELESS WF WONDER: FIT KIT CRANKS AT IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS!!! + A DL GIVE AWAY!!!!
Dear Steve,
I had a great race, totally enjoyed the day. You were often on my shoulder
helping me through the rough spots.
It was amazing being there with all the best triathletes in the world.
The fitness level in Kona was way above normal.
Ai Imawa
Fit Kit
{coach's note; if you don't know who Fit Kit is...uh, you better dig WAAAAY deep into the DL Archives! For you youngsters along the WF Path...for those new DL Readers...let me just say this about our Elder Warrior Student Fit Kit; he would take Jack LaLanne out and teach HIM a thing or two about REAL FITNESS and SPORT PERFORMANCE: WF STYLE baby!!!
Congratulations, Oh Most Noble and Cherished Elder Of This Path...on behalf of my worldwide Sangha; i BOW to you!!!! May i have but a fraction of your inspiring level of fitness and lifestyle balance when i climb into your age category!}
for those WF Fanatics; first DL Reader that tells me what PAGE of WHAT BOOK OF MINE that Fit Kit appears on,
gets a FREE
QUICK FIX POWER YOGA DVD signed by our very own Joy "Ananda' Kilpatrick who choreographed and instructs in this FANTASTIC yoga workout! See our Tribal Catalog for more info on:
Oh, and Fit Kit; no need to compete in this DL Competition, i TAF that racing 2.4 miles in the open ocean into a 112 mile bike race into a 26.2 mile marathon is quite enough to earn YOUR OWN signed copy of Ananda's DVD! We'll ship it out on Monday, baby! Well done!
October 21, 2005
SEXUAL CHASTITY, STUDENT INPUT, and....QUOTE OF THE WEEK nabbed by Online Student Sasso!
Long Time WF Goddess Of The Inner Way, Anne "SassoSan" Sasso, a Ph.D has journeyed long and hard with me through the years. Recently, while on the WF Online contemporary classic 3-cycle program; "The Feathered Lizard", SassoSan has experienced a fundamental spiritual Shift. Her entire "voice" and perspective has Uplifted to the next, quite Seductive, spiritual level of a Awareness where her aptitudes jump with meaning and insight. Her next Shift will be when her not-so-aptitude aspects experience the same Divine Shift...which WILL happen!
I would like to honor my Cherished and hard working SassoSan by sharing some of her most recent InSights...please honor her years of sweat and stillness by reading them with Mindful Appreciation of a true Warrioress and may your own Practice be deepened because of her hard Inner Work.
We share an AMAZING PATH...
the
Path
of
Wholistic Fitness!
i bow to my Beloved Student,
SassoSan!
- coach ilg
***
Recent InSights from Student SassoSan's WF Online Studies;
"Then, as I overcame my resistance and began the practice I began to understand the wisdom."
"During the practice I find myself in a very quiet place. My mental chatter has stopped and I�m just drifting. By allowing this I feel that I am tuning in more closely to the rhythms of my body, instead of focusing on number of breaths or whatever, I just hang, wait and listen until I feel compelled to shift to the next posture. It feels very relaxed and very organic."
"What? Don�t all WF warriors shake their Ilg Supreme�s with non-dominant hand? If not, why not? That�s what I want to know."
***
The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.
We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.
~ Albert Einstein
***
Noble Ilgbro!
You made my homepage today man--170,000 hits per week staring at your fit mug baby! I'm bringing my own snow shoes back with me to Cali in November to crank some winter chi my feeble self Bro! Keep it cranked.
Namaste'
Ron
www.ronjones.org
***
WF ON SEXUAL CHASTITY
WF Online Student:
I think the biggest thing that I am hesitating with is that he is my husband and I have committed to the unity and love of our marriage. As I peal further and learn more about my spirituality and practice WF, I cannot help but wonder how maintaining the fact that we have sanctified our marriage fits in?
Teacher Haku responds:
Right now, is there truly Unity (Yoga) and Love within the sanctification of your marriage? i do not know, this is for you to explore and stand under. if the answer is "yes", there is nothing to fear, if the answer is "no" there is still nothing to fear. you may wish to sit with this, for a time, before coming to any "conclusions".
Coach Ilg adds:
"A householder who, while residing at home amidst his wife and children, abandons all attachments
and inwardly treads the path of yoga, ere long sees the signs of success, and then, having mastered
the yoga, lives happily ever after."
- Chapter V, Verse 264/Sivasamhita
translation; Shyam Ghosh
Student:
Aren�t spirituality and sexuality linked � how can you delve into one without the other when you are a married couple?
Teacher Haku:
yes, they are not only linked, there is no separation. most couples have not Traveled far enough to realize this, and are stuck in the separation of the two. when there is separation there is not Union (Yoga). if sexuality and spirituality are separate in your relationship, how can your WF Practice help erase those lines? having said all that, don't "think" so much. just attend to the sweat and stillness within your Daily Practice and all will Be as it is to Be.
Coach Ilg adds:
Beautiful Yogini, as Practice deepens, a natural desire toward containment of the vital energies arises. This natural desire to override animal-level releases will reveal to you the Dance between spirituality and sexuality. There is a very fundamental, energetic reason why "sexual chastity" is one of the Hatha Yogic requirements. The ball cannot be handed off to the Raja Yoga (final three limbs of Concentration, Meditation, and Samadhi) until Containment of Vital Energies has been mastered. Do not wander too far into contemplation on this matter, Noble Student. Years from now, we will revISit this aspect of your Practice. i will know when that time has come. Much, much Work to do before then. Place your mental energies somewhere else beside this vein of thought.
**
Hi Coach Ilg-
I hope you are well. I have not seen you in a long time. Where are you teaching these days? I recently moved to Tucson and I was wondering if you new of any instructors out here. I took a yoga class recently and it was a disgrace to all yogis! It was more like a acrobatics class for adults entering the circus! No spiritual guidance at all. You are the best teacher I have ever had.
Warmly,
Christina
***
Greetings Most Noble Coach,
I just wanted to thank you immensely for your thoughts expressed in October 15th's direct lines, for in this difficult time I'm currently facing they filled me with strength and clarity. Your Practice Insights really struck a note with me, too, perhaps I needed to read and internalize them.
One thousand blessings to you and Teacher Ananda for showing us a wonderful and truth-filled path, and for being so dedicated to the well-being of others.
And,
"Ooooooooooh man!! Your Snowshoe Ascent of Agassi Peak! That must have been a wonderful experience Coach. I wish I could have been there trecking with you!! Perhaps someday...
You are so blessed, as am I, so isn't that amazing!!! Life is beautiful, baby, so much so that I went around preaching about cultivating chi last night to a bunch of people I went to high school with who I hadn't seen in years, and I may have planted some seeds in their minds/souls! Hopefully, anyway.
I also bought a neti pot yesterday and used it this morning, and what a feeling. Jala nati is definitely going to be part of the regular repertoire!
Anywho, thanks for keeping me in the loop, and I think it's so cool that you're training for the 2006 National Snowshoe Championships in Vermont this winter! Get Ananda into that!! Unless she is already, that is. I was so pleasantly surprised when I heard her voice on the other end on my phone a few days ago, for she sounded exactely how I had imagined: full of love and yogic light. It was a true treat to talk with her.
That's all for now. I bow to the fine example of human potential you and Ananda are, and I love that you are my teachers. I TRUST you, and I LOVE you.
Wow, what's gotten into me today? lol, must be the SUNRIDER herbs...
Kindly,
Andrew
***
Beloved Teacher Ananda,
Meditation � Early morning Zazen and WF ritual are getting less �mentally hectic�, still things going on but I can observe a lot more now as opposed to letting myself be carried away with thoughts. General awareness during the day is improving. I am consciously trying to slow down. Especially when I am speaking with others. Make sure I am listening to what they are saying and making sure they have finished what needs to be said before responding. As Coach mentioned in Stream Entry, we are usually to busy cultivating a response or comments to really hear what is being said.
- WF Student Kristi Lees
Teacher Ananda responds:
"The first gift of love is to listen"_ Rumi
***
If we were to put our minds to one powerful wisdom method and work with it directly, there is a real possibility we would become enlightened.
Our minds, however, are riddled with confusion and doubt. I sometimes think that doubt is an even greater block to human evolution than is desire or attachment. Our society promotes cleverness instead of wisdom, and celebrates the most superficial, harsh, and least useful aspects of our intelligence. We have become so falsely �sophisticated� and neurotic that we take doubt itself for truth, and the doubt that is nothing more than ego�s desperate attempt to defend itself from wisdom is deified as the goal and fruit of true knowledge.
This form of mean-spirited doubt is the shabby emperor of samsara, served by a flock of �experts� who teach us not the open-souled and generous doubt that Buddha assured us was necessary for testing and proving the worth of the teachings, but a destructive form of doubt that leaves us nothing to believe in, nothing to hope for, and nothing to live by.
- Sogyal Rinpoche
October 20, 2005
Coach Ilg authors a new national fitness column and gets First Tracks!
- This one is going out to new DL Reader and outdoor warrior; Jay Vasquez at Backcountry.com - 
Flagstaff mountain athlete and coach Steve Ilg took
advantage of the season's first snowfall on the San Francisco Peaks on Wednesday morning
and captured the coveted "First Tracks Of The Season" prize. Coach Ilg ran/snowshoed from the base of SnowBowl Ski Area (9,600') to the top of the Agassiz Ridge (12,300+) and back down in under two hours.
Steve is training for the 2006 National
Snowshoe Championships in Vermont this winter and is organizing a National Qualifier for the event here in Flagstaff this January. Please visit the national governing body for snowshoeing racing at:
http://www.snowshoeracing.com/home.htm
and enjoy Coach's new monthly Column: RUNNING ON WATER!
and
PUh-LEEEEEZE....JOIN USSA TODAY!
I need your help to make Sport Snowshoeing the National Winter Sport!
Help reduce the FAT of our NATIONAL TRIBE and START "RUNNING ON WATER", baby!
here are some shots from my workout...
...The road more travelled...
The road less travelled...
Lowest Left: Gettin' High, baby! Rocky Mountain High! Looking down at Fremont Peak's summit plume. 
Looking at the magnificent sweeping summit ridge of Agassi Peak.
Lowest Right: Looking down my Descent Route; you sure you wanna piece of THIS? Mountain yoga, baby; Why do you think i created Wholistic Fitness and eat the SUNRIDER herbs? A Mountain Yogi must have strong, supple, well nourished joints and super fast reflexes commanded from a quiet, no-drama mind to snowshoe run down this! Break a leg, baby! WF is Bardo Training! How calm can you be during intense situations? One of my techniques to navigate this super steep, multi-obstacled, thin snow covered slope is to intentionally set off mini avalanches, get on the tails of my s'shoes and ski them until the next upcoming tree, rock, or cliff band, then swim off to the side and launch into another self-created avalanche. I call this technique, "San Juan Surfin'" since i created it in the San Juan Mountains above Durango. The great thing about Sport Snowshoes are their inherent versatility and light weight. Try skiing down this and you're gonna be entering the Bardo with crushed bones...or at least your ski's will! Snowshoes can go anywhere and are easily quivered over patches of dry land or up technical ice or rock.
Coach and Ananda pause during a snowy MTB ride to enjoy a tributary of Tesuque Creek above Santa Fe, NM
October 18, 2005
I am BACK!!!!!!! HOLA NOBLE WF WARRIORS!
Sorry, our Temple Website manager has been attempting to move my OverBlogged Server to a new Server,
and we have been down for several days....
"Some day, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, . . . we shall harness . . . the energies of love. Then, for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire."
- TEILHARD DE CHARDIN
Ananda and i are back from a Chakra Spinning trip through my stompin' grounds of Northern New Mexico; Taos, Truchas (site of Milagro Beanfield War movie), Chimayo, Santa Fe...
man, oh man...
the Sangre de Christos are already plastered with snow and the spiritual potency of m h(om)eland is stronger than i've Felt in a long, long time...
seems like the more the Outer World begins its inevitable combustion,
those of us who do the Practice...
realize less and less Mundane....
and
EVERY MOMENT MIRACLES!!!!
WHY IS EVERYTHING SO DAZZLINGLY EXQUISITE!??!?!?!
i am not able to post pictures up on Blogger...
will be working on it.
stay tuned for more, MUCH, MUCH more on DL...
and,
May Your Practice be strong, still, and sincere!
i love you,
from your Sacred Workout Sphere,
coach ilg
October 15, 2005
Coach Ilg returns to LA for a ThanksGiving Day HP Yoga Class
of Sacred Sweat and Stillness
...with you!
"Only through sweat is our spirit made pure."
-Coach Ilg
Founder/High Performance Yoga �
�Namaste Noble Yogis and Yoginis!
I MISS YOU Noble LA Warriors!!
With the Dharma Blessings of Teacher Blanchard, I invite you to a High Performance Yoga� class on
Thanksgiving Day morning
11:15 am - 1:15 pm�
instructed by myself and assisted by Joy Kilpatrick.
Burn Before The Bird, baby!"
- Coach Ilg
$20/Per Student
Bring your copy of
TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION (Hyperion Press, 2005)
and Coach will sign it for you!�
Mark Blanchard's Power Yoga
4344 Tujunga Ave.�
Studio City, CA
Coach's embrace of Mark's teaching style at:
http://www.marksyoga.com/testimonial.html 
Joy and Steve were both Staff Teachers
for Mark and certified through his Teacher Training in Beverly Hills & Studio City
"GOD DAMMED" NAVARATRI INSIGHTS FROM COACH: A Gift of Autumn Leaves Before I Leave...
below are just a few of the dozens of Practice Insights from my Sweat and Stillness
sessions that i feverishly attempted to scribble down for you
during this year's Navaratri.
this special time of year has been immensely beautiful for me...as the Veil between the Inner
and Outer continued to thin throughout this time, i found myself ReConnecting with
old, old Brothers and Sisters...some, like my old San Luis Valley bro, Jerry Duran*, i had not
communicated in Words with for over a decade. When i did during Navaratri, it was
VIBRANT and PUNGENT with synchronicity. For instance, when i was speaking Dharma with
Jerry, he said,
"Holy shit, ilg...the moment i picked up the phone with you a HUGE HAWK came and landed on
a fencepost, not 18' feet away from me! He is just sitting there...LOOKING STRAIGHT INTO ME!...
he ain't moving, bro! I have looked out this window for years...i have never seen this before!"
fun stuff, like that...allWays seems to be quite vivid during Navaratri!
***
ON PRAYING:
"Pray not for Assistance External from you,
better to Pray for Practical Assistance within...
Pray for more Uddiyana strength,
Pray for deeper Ujjayi texture,
Pray for both nostrils (nadis) to be more consistently balanced..
these are the important Tools of Transformation."
ON PAIN:
"You gotta really work the Conscious Breath into
ALL your painful regions.
Such regions are known as Granthis in the Ancient Guidebooks (Scriptures).
With Abhyasa, the Pain will Shift into something more manageable...
then you must gather Strength by directing this manageable Granthi
by purifying it through the nearest chakra, nadis, or erasure via one of the
five essential winds (yayus)."
ON GRANTHIS (psyschoenergetic blockages):
"Granthis are super dense concentrations, portals of undigested intensity.
the Chakras nearest the Granthi will start processing the multilayered
content of the Granthi. Be Ready and may your have the Guidance of an
experienced Teacher at this point! The Journey of Awakening begins here:
you will find keys to your Past (which, you will find, is not 'past' at all!) and your Future
via your present ability to endure Conscious Attention (Dhyana) through
the Purifications of the Granthis."
ON PAIN SOURCE:
"If you knew how Simple the Act of Healing your Pain was,
you might be disappointed at the obvious lack of drama and the
immense amount of blue collar sweat and focus that is required to
Self Heal. This is why most UnAwakened give their Power over
to an external "healer" who then "treats" those who are too lazy
to do the gut work of meditation and consistent Practice (abhyasa).
feeble ilg says, Prioritize Your Intuitive Self Reliance."
ON "GOD DAM" EDGES!
"Sometimes, the painful Edge that i all too quickly
approach in my asana postures is so searing,
so damned tight and restricted, the pain so blinding,
that i utter, "God DAMN!"...
that is when Brahman told me today,
"That is precisely right, Oh Noble Yogin Who Bravely Looks Within,
your tight, painful restrictions are just that; 'A God Dam.'
These blockages, leftover from many lifetimes when you were too scared
to look within and bravely wither them away with your Conscious Breath,
are literally dams that are blocking Me...
whenever someone utters, God Damn, they mean just that; there is a Dam
that is Blocking the Go(o)d from flowing. You are doing well, Steve,
keep Practicing and...keep Teaching honestly what I tell you."
do you have a "god dammed" friend? someone who doesn't commune with the Divine Go(o)d?
sad, huh?
feeble ilg says, "Be even MORE compassionate to your God Dammed Friends, for they are...just that;
Dammed from feeling Go(o)d...and that is very, very sad inDeed!"
***
anyway,
may your own comprehensive of the Thinning Of The Veil continue well past
this years Navaratri and spill with Abundance into each aspect of your workouts and daily
life...
i am taking Ananda up to Taos for a couple of days...we are going to do the Lake Peak Duathlon,
an old Mountain Yogi workout of mine high, high above Santa Fe, then off to experience the "Aum" of
Taos Mountain; a legendary and quite palpable energy vortex beneath the Sacred Peak of Taos Mountain...
and if you yourself have not been to Northern New Mexico during autumn...
uh...
do so before you die...
life is short
fitness is vital
to
enjoy
the Quality of the Short Time
we have
two-getHer!
eat an herb
and
enjoy the DL Archives
and enjoy the other Coach Ilg-Approved Blogs on the Internet
until i get back...
and..
as ever,
you will feel me Coaching you
whenever you choose to CONSCIOUSLY SWEAT and SIT IN YOUR STUDIED SILENCES!
love beyond the Beyond,
happy Post Navaratri!
namaste,
coach ilg
* Need a CUSTOM BUILT bicycle frame with more CHI and ARTISTRY than you is available anywhere in the nation? How about getting yourself a Duran Frame? Jerry built me a custom mountain bike frame which resulted in one of the most amazing Vehicles of fun and inJoyment i have been Blessed to have; Nanisimo...my Duran MTB! I raced Nanisimo (means; Living Thing) for 3 years on the Colorado Mountain Bike Racing Circuit. These days, Nanisimo is 'retired' and i tool him around Flagstaff, where his Unique Look and Spirit captures the eyes of this Bike Crazy Town. i love Nanisimo very much and deeply wish you would Jerry make you your own Living Thing. here is his Website; just tell him; Coach Ilg sent you!
http://www.durancycles.com/
***
I bow to you all each day in the wee hours and breath in and breath out. Check out Wholistic Fitness� Direct Lines from Coach ilg. It will set you on the right path, not the easy path, but the right one.
Sabbe sattaa sukhi hontu
thOMas
author of a Coach Ilg-Approved Blog at:
http://www.warriorsamoht.blogspot.com/
***
KARMA
Whatever is happening to us now mirrors our past karma. If we know that, and know it truly, whenever suffering and difficulties befall us, we do not view them particularly as failures or catastrophes, or see suffering as a punishment in any way. Nor do we blame ourselves or indulge in self-hatred.
We see the pain we are going through as the completion of the effects, the fruition, of a past karma. Tibetans say that suffering is �a broom that sweeps away all our negative karma.� We can even be grateful that one karma is coming to an end. We know that �good fortune,� a fruit of good karma, may soon pass if we do not use it well, and that �misfortune,� the result of negative karma, may in fact be giving us a marvelous opportunity to evolve.
- Sogyal Rinpoche
****
NAVARATRI EFFECT: STUDENT ALEX LINES UP HIS WF INTENSIVE...
Dearest Sensei
I send you much CHI and Prana today. Quick Note. You are really tuned into to your Sangsha. I was going to write you about these mean looking contraptions that you were exercising on in a August DL. Lo and Behold, on yesterdays DL there is Beautiful Ananda working out on the rock rings. Coincidence? I prefer to believe it is an Auspicious sign for this humble grappler who is about to embark into the new fitness world of CLIMBING/BOULDERING. Below is the list of of activities I wish to be trained in.
1) CLIMBING/BOULDERING!!!!!!
2) Yoga
3) Meditation
4) Any outdoor activity (MTB, Hiking, Trail Running) or a visit to the Iron Temple
Sifu, I wish to train my mind and spirit to break this ego fixation to the physical world. I do not wish to transcend this physical world, but to be wholistically in the here and now and yoke with the UniVerse. Gracias, to Coach and Ananda. I dedicate the sweat of todays yoga practice on the beach to the both of you. May the Atlantic ocean carry my love and chi to the both of you.
Love and Honor Alex
P.S. Could you please save two of the Navaratri Mala Beads. I wish to purchase one for myself and one for my soon to be fiance when I am at the h(OM)e temple.
October 14, 2005
REGENERATION AND A SUNRIDER QUESTION: FORTUNE DELIGHT VS. CALLI
Can enjoying the SUNRIDER herbs regenerate you?
ABSOLUTELY!
Can enjoying the SUNRIDER herbs keep you at age 23 for rest of your life?
Well,
no.
Yet, if you have been reading DL, you well know by now that SUNRIDER's like WF Teacher Joy Kilpatrick, seen above at age 23 as an accomplished actress and dancer, juxtaposed with a great Wayne William's photo of Joy today at age 38, can keep that radiant beauty that goes more than just skin deep; eating SUNRIDER and practicing WF can radiate your SPIRITUAL BEAUTY! Joy is doing things today that she has never done before in her life and it all starts with feeding your CELLULAR FITNESS accurately and powerfully...
which is where Coach Ilg's 3-Phase Approach to the SUNRIDER Herbs, combined with a WF Lifestyle just keeps your life regenerating and popping with all sorts of energy! Just click on Joy or any of Coach's Certified WF Teachers on the left hand margin and start on your SUNRIDER and/or WF Journey today! If you don't? Your cells will be that many fewer and that much less fit tomorrow. Hey, it's your choice.
Below, Joy, a SUNRIDER Director, answers a question from one of her students:
On Oct 12, 2005, at 8:49 PM, joy kilpatrick wrote:
Noble Herb Warriors,
i just received a very common yet important question from a new SR family member.
i TAF (think and feel) it is worth sharing with all of you for this is how we
continue to learn and grow in our understanding of just how powerful
and regenerative are these amazing Whole Foods of Sunrider Herbs.
It also affirms why Coach Ilg has created his 3-Phase Approach to SR Herbs.
He cares about our long term health and fitness. Their are many using Sunrider
Herbs without such wise-experienced guidance and thus overloading their "systems" to soon, to fast.
And the outcome is...they stop using the Herbs.
Remember, Direct Lines, Coach's Daily Online Journal is your first source of information.
Research through DL's Archives @
www.wholisticfitness.com/weblog/archives/ilgblog_archive.html
Now onto Herb Warrioress, S...
S: One more question. Since both Calli and FD are for cleansing purposes, I�m curious to know why Coach encourages the use of FD more?
� Great Question!
The reason Coach Ilg recommends drinking FD during the day is because it GENTLY cleanses the toxins from the cells,
thus slowly liberating the fat, giving you a steady burn of adipose tissue. And as you have felt, your energy level begins to increase.
Calli on the other hand, pulls heavier toxins from the cells for a deeper, more AGGRESSIVE cleansing effect. If taken too much,
in Coach's experience, it overloads the liver and tends to be too demanding in the beginning journey of SR on the cleansing system.
And can effect your subtle anatomy (nadis and chakras) if not properly monitored.
Meanwhile, Slim Caps are working on the deeper, impacted fat - the old stored fat
and Action Caps target the new fat and fat that is liberated through exercise.
All for now...
Astral hugs to you all!
Namaste,
joy
teacher ananda
October 13, 2005
WHEN THE TEACHINGS "CLICK"
"When the teachings �click� for you somewhere deep in your heart and mind, then you really have the View. Whatever difficulties you face, you will find you have some kind of serenity, stability, and understanding, and an internal mechanism�you could call it an �inner transformer��that works for you, to protect you from falling prey to wrong views. In that View, you will have discovered a �wisdom guide� of your own, always on hand to advise you, support you, and remind you of the truth. Confusion will still arise, that�s only normal, but with a crucial difference: No longer will you focus on it in a blinded and obsessive way, but you will look on it with humor, perspective, and compassion."
- Sogyal Rinpoche
ROCK RINGS in the IRON TEMPLE
Okay, listen up Noble WF Warriors; there has been some confusion about how to mount and use the fantastic Rock Rings in some of your Training Prescriptions, most notably for those of you on the Amitabha Workout...
From Upper Left to Right: this is the way the Rock Ring should be slung over a Pull Up bar; whether you have a home gym or take the Rock Rings to a public gym...
Lower Left to Right:
Teacher Ananda is in the bottom position of an Assisted Rock Ring Pull Up using the 'bucket' (largest) holds on the Rock Rings...
Right: The Top Position of an Assisted Rock Ring Pull Up...now, she will lower back down to Bottom Position, hang at arms length, move her hands to progressively smaller and smaller finger holds while doing the Pull Ups....
any wonder why i was able to get Ananda to go from a scared stiff non-climber to cranking off a 5.9 rock climb 200' off the ground? Contact Strength brings utter confidence and inspires Pratyhara during Fear Encounters while climbing. I have cyclecrossers like Student Featherman cranking off Rock Ring Pull Ups for faster shifting and upper body stability on gnarly cycling terrain...
Noble WF Warriors; make no mistake: GENUINE Yoga is about overcoming our Fears, our Stuck Places, going INTO THEM, not around them!
...yoga should NEVER be limited to a yoga mat... the Iron Temple is a FANTASTIC yoga studio, as is a mountain bike, a rock climbing wall, and..washing dishes! it just takes an Open Mind and Clear Seeing to transfer the Sweat from the Yoga Mat into ALL other Physiologic and Lifestyle Disciplines of WF!
WHOLISTIC FITNESS: America's Indigenous Yoga
....waiting out front of the Mainstream since 1982 for the rest of the Western Fitness World to Wake UP!
PADMASAMBHAVA; NOT WANTING REBIRTH; THE GOAL is ENLIGHTENMENT
**All beings have lived and died and been reborn countless times. Over and over again they have experienced the indescribable Clear Light. But because they are obscured by the darkness of ignorance, they wander endlessly in a limitless samsara.
PADMASAMBHAVA
"How bad do you want it, baby?
Bad enough to not want ANYTHING?
Can you live freely among your life without attachment"
Can you enjoy fitness while visualizing your life without it?
Can you use and enjoy your family, your house, your BeLongIngs
while realizing...none of it is yours?
Are you Disciplined enough
to
be
Free?"
- Coach Ilg
"Loving people is a commitment
to holding a High Vision of them,
even as time and familiarity
take their toll."
- Sanaya Roman
NEW SHIPMENT OF WF MALA's ARRIVE; GET YOURS BLESSED ON THIS FINAL DAY OF NAVARATRI, '05
AND ERASE THE VEIL BETWEEN SPIRITUAL IGNORANCE AND THE SACREDNESS OF YOUR WORKOUTS!
YEAH BABY! WHAT IS YOUR SONG GONNA BE THIS LIFETIME?!?!
COMING UP ON DL: MORE FANTASTIC TRAINING TIPS FROM THE IRON TEMPLE AND>>>STUDENT INPUT!
October 12, 2005
Padmasambhava; The "Second Buddha" as precisely predicted by Shakyamuni, the first incarnated Buddha.
"Every situation in your life is a learning experience
created by your Soul to teach you how to gain
more love and power."
- Sanaya Roman
As Buddha said: �What you are is what you have been, what you will be is what you do now.� Padmasambhava went further: �If you want to know your past life, look into your present condition; if you want to know your future life, look at your present actions.� - Sogyal Rinpoche
Padmasambhava, who incarnated precisely on the forecasted fifteenth year after his death as Shakyamuni Buddha predicated, is shown above with the wide-open eyes which betoken the spatial dimension of Dzogchen. Dzogchen means, according to Lama Surya Das, "the innate great completeness. It points to our own innate wholeness, our own true Buddha nature, our untrammelled spirit, perfect and pure from the beginningless beginning. It is what we call the Buddha within -- not an oriental Buddha, not an historical Buddha, not one of stone, not male or female, but the Buddha nature within each of us, true and wise, loving and compassionate. We want to come back to that, awaken it, cultivate it -- that is what the path is about. We don't get it from outside, from someone or somewhere else, or even from our own ideas of what we are. The Havajra tantra says we are all Buddhas by nature but must, through our own spiritual work, awaken to ourselves."
October 11, 2005
PHASE ONE ON A BUDGET!
Wayne Williams (www.waynewilliamsstudio.com) captures the sleek, strong grace of WF Teacher and SUNRIDER Director Joy "Ananda" Kilpatrick in this recent photograph. Joy used my 3-Phase Approach to the SUNRIDER herbs to regenerate her surgically removed knee connective tissues to win her age group at a recent mountain duathlon. No one can tell Joy "how expensive" these herbs are; she makes money by sharing the very herbs that have skyrocketed her health, fitness, and spiritual Practices!
TRYING TO RIDE THE CHI OF THE HERBS ON A BUDGET?
Let me help...
Namaste Noble Herbal Warriors!
many, many NEW SUNRIDERS streaming into the ILG DOWNLINE! ��
WELCOME!
Many of you SUNRIDER "rookies" have received the information on Phase One of my 3-Phase Approach...
yet have asked for my counsel on Budgeting for Phase I until you get your Sponsoring energies cranked up...
PHASE I (Cell Cleansing/Fat Loss)� PRIORITY� HERBS FOR THOSE ON A BUDGET
�i will outline in Priority,
the Most Important Herbs to get for Cell Cleansing on Phase I
and mention my observations of each formula based on 20+ years of experience using them at World Level fitness performance:
Fortune Delight- cell cleansing, cell hydrating, cell respiration, adipose tissue/fat loss
Sunny Dew - blood sugar regulation, immunity
Slim Caps - liver health, cell respiration, liberates impacted, (non thermogenic) fat tissue, de-encrusts colonic walls
Action Caps - adipose tissue respiration/fat loss,� enhancement of vyana (overall subtle energy)�
SunBars - wide nutrient, natural herb food bar with colonic cleansing synergism with Fortune Delight
Calli Night - heavy metal/toxic purifying of blood and basement cell membrane, enhances nutrient transfer for Phase II
Calli� - heavy metal/toxic purifying of blood and basement cell membrane, enhances nutrient transfer for Phase II�
Fibertone - Strength training for entire colonic system (samanavayu);� de-encrusts colonic walls/fabric, enhances digestion/elimination function
Vitadophilus - ultimate intake for restoring friendly bacteria in lower GI tract
(WF Students do a SR Deep Cleanse once every six months using the final two products, thus, i placed them last in overall priority).
NOT ON THE "SECRET HERBS" of WF, yet?
GEEEZO!?!?
Whassup wit dat?!?
Click on one of my Certified WF Teachers and join SUNRIDER Herbs Today!
Only through a Certified WF Teacher can you gain access to my 3-Phase Approach and receive ongoing Guidance on your
SUNRIDER JOURNEY to the Highest, Fittest YOU yet!
i bow to you from beneath the Sacred Mountain,
coach ilg, ryt/uscf/cpt
author/Total Body Transformation
founder/www.wholisticfitness.com
Lead Director/SUNRIDER Herbs
COLD AIR = PURER PRAN. St. Francis In The Cold
Life beneath the Sacred Peak grows colder as our backyard statue of a great Christian Yogi; St. Francis of Assisi** can attest. Overnight lows of 25 degrees have transformed the WF Temple H(om)e into a scintillating time for our senses. The nearby San Francisco Peaks are named in honor of this great yogi - patron saint of animals and children -, thus our backyard garden honors this Saint with this statue.
**profile of a Christian Yogi; St. Francis of Assisi
Son of Pietro Bernadone, a rich cloth merchant. Though he had a good education and became part of his father's business, he also had a somewhat misspent youth. Street brawler and some-time soldier. Captured during a conflict between Assisi and Perugia, he spent over a year as a prisoner of war. During this time he had a conversion experience, including a reported message from Christ calling him to leave this worldly life. Upon release, Francis began taking his religion seriously.
He took the Gospels as the rule of his life, Jesus Christ as his literal example. He dressed in rough clothes, begged for his sustenance, and preached purity and peace. His family disapproved, and his father disinherited him; Francis formally renounced his wealth and inheritance. He visited hospitals, served the sick, preached in the streets, and took all men and women as siblings. He began to attract followers in 1209, and with papal blessing, founded the Franciscans based on a simple statment by Jesus: "Leave all and follow me." In 1212 Clare of Assisi became his spiritual student, which led to the founding of the Poor Clares. Visited and preached to the Saracens. Composed songs and hymns to God and nature. Lived with animals, worked with his hands, cared for lepers, cleaned churches, and sent food to thieves. In 1221 he resigned direction of the Franciscans.
While in meditation on Mount Alvernia in the Apennines in September 1224, Francis received the stigmata, which periodically bled during the remaining two years of his life. This miracle has a separate memorial on 17 September.
BRINGING THE MIND HOME, STUDENT INPUT ON PODIUMS, and BRINGING CHI with TEACHER HAKU
"Isn�t it extraordinary that our minds cannot stay still for longer than a few moments without grasping after distraction? They are so restless and preoccupied that sometimes I think that living in a city in the modern world, we are already like the tormented beings in the intermediate state after death, where the consciousness is said to be agonizingly restless.
We are fragmented into so many different aspects. We don�t know who we really are, or what aspects of ourselves we should identify with or believe in. So many contradictory voices, dictates, and feelings fight for control over our inner lives that we find ourselves scattered everywhere, in all directions, leaving nobody at home.
Meditation, then, is bringing the mind home."
- Sogyal Rinpoche
***
STUDENT ON COACH's and ANANDA'S PODIUM TOPPING EFFORTS ON SATURDAY
Dear Coach,
First, i would like to thank You for the dedication to all of the father Warriors in the WF Sangha. This dedication means ALOT to me since i am a father of a BEAUTIFUL two year young.
Second, MAN, way to bring the CHI!!! Show all those non- WF Warriors how we get it done in this beautiful path/journey. Let em know Ilg... yogis race too, not to win, for ourselves. We just happen to be out in front.
i bow to your brave effort..
Namaste
vit
***
Dear Coaches of the Spirit�
Thank you for walking your path with such gusto! Your
presences and guidance are blessings to human Be-ings.
Your unconditional generosity to teach has no doubt
created ripples of faith & love in the universe. CHI
�UP!!!
P/S: Congratulations!!!
Love,
Suet
***
Dear Coach,
Very excited for both you and Joy!!! You were both in my heart and prayers all day Saturday.
The more I learn and understand about the eight limbs of yoga the more I am able to appreciate your dedication to the practice. Thank you both for being such shining examples to all in the WF family.
We are truly blessed.
Namaste,
Student mc
***
HAKU and STUDENT MT: FEELING THE CHI!
*Senior WF Online Teacher Haku, an ordained minister and outdoor guide, has vast experiences in bringing his Online Students deeper into their Chi using WF Teachings based upon his own direct experiences of lifelong training and competition. Get him in your Sacred Corner today! Here, Haku edges Noble Student MT deeper within...enjoy.*
Dear Teacher Haku,
Man, I�ve been feeling the WF chi lately. I just feel really grounded and connected to the Tribal Flow, which has helped me feel like I haven�t really �lost any ground� in my practice. What a difference in feeling since last week, and I can�t help but feel that you guys are helping me get my feet back under me.
HAKU:
Yes. When you have begun to dial into the empowering effect of your teacher�s training, of the tribe�s, then you are merging into a new sphere. There is a common-unity that is more than recognition of belonging; there is actual sharing of the chi, the pran that empowers your own performances, even physical.
STUDENT:
I�m enjoying the Science of Breath book and particularly liked their point that practicing Breathing and Meditation is a workout for your �pranic self�. Kind of like how strength training gets the physical body fit. I hadn�t really made that connection before, and it makes me want to run to my meditation room. It also puts heightened awareness on my breathing, which has calmed down and modulated. I kind of �get� breathing a little more now, so thank you for recommending this book.
HAKU:
Thank you for reading it and connecting deeper to us.
***
October 10, 2005
GENUINE CHI RUNNING...
Long before the words, "Chi Running" became the latest Buzzword, i was coaching and performing in multi-CHI RUNNING Ways through my books, such as THE WINTER ATHLETE (cover shown above) and the now classic of its genre, "THE OUTDOOR ATHLETE." You want CHI RUNNING? Put on some Sport Snowshoes and start cranking off 1 minute deep powder Zone 4 Intervals...at 10,300' as shown above, captured by World Class Photographer; Marc Romanelli which produced the cover for what i consider my best book for learning key Wholistic Fitness� concepts, chi-filled programs, and philosophies.
Below, i exchange some CHI RUNNING DharmaTalk with Noble Online Student Alan Ludgate as he and i have evidently brought his body, mind, and spirit to a pre-event perfect PEAK through WF + SUNRIDER herbs!
"WF; The Path Works, When You Work The Path!"
-Coach Ilg
***
Coach-
Congratulations to you and Ananda for your noble efforts over the weekend. I am inspired to push ever higher.
COACH:
yeah baby...like Student Featherman in today's DL; just gotta WANT the Bardo! you gotta WANT to push into that GRAY ZONE (DIVINE ZONE)
where your mind and breath blur the line between the Outer Pain and the Inner Dimension wherein lay so many Astral Tools...
go for the BARDO MOMENT!
sell your SOUL for learning something DEEPER about yourself!
STUDENT:
As we might say in Maine, I am feeling WICKED STRONG!! Did my track interval workout over the weekend, and I was flying around that track. The Hum Sahs were floating through the air, and so was I.
COACH:
how long has it been since i told you, I Love you!?!?
STUDENT:
Two funny moments:
There were a bunch of high school kids playing football on the infield of the track. One of the kids jumped on the track next to me twice during my last set of "sprint the straights / job the curves". Both times he got the jump on me at the top of the straight, but even at that point in the workout I had more in the tank and reeled him in before the finish. After the second run, he turned and said "yo, you're strong, yo", probably the highest praised I could ever get from an 18 year old!
My mad dashes up and down the track started getting more and more attention from the players and their posses. My favorite comment as I launched myself pell mell down the backstretch "Run Forrest Run!!"
COACH:
CLASSIC!!!!!! dat's my Boy; Run FORREST, RUN!
STUDENT:
I visualize that I will run fast this Sunday, but even if I don't, victory has been secured. I have never felt so dialed in, so strong, so connected...ever.
COACH:
than,
i have Served you well.
STUDENT:
Go(o)d Night-
Student L
COACH:
Go(o)d Night, my cherished Student...
May your dreams impart GENUINE "chi running!"
namaste,
yo, your coach in your Sacred Corner, yo!
TEACHER HAKU's X-C GIRLS WIN!
http://www.gjfreepress.com/home.php?content=article&article=4764
BARDO UNIVERSITY; DeathCoaching is What Matters; not LifeCoaching! & CRAZY WISDOM
***
"The leaders were way gone. I picked off about two guys, then I couldn;t see anyone else. I kept on going hard though, because I did not care where I "placed" I just wanted to get to the Bardo."
-Student Feather (Ilg Clan) during a cyclecross race this past weekend
***
"Beloved Coach,
This concludes my h(om)ework . In your cycle summation reply you said
you are a death coach---that totally resonates with me. Not trendy as
you say but to heck with trend..............i have decided to call my
studies with you my time spent at B.U. BARDO UNIVESITY.............when
people ask where i got my degrees from i am going to say B. U. and when
they say you mean boston university i'm going to say no at Bardo U and
continue the conversation ( should they choose to ) from there ! All
the degrees teach us how to practice a profession in life ( maybe ) you
my friend and coach are teaching us how to LIVE a
life.............ultimately of so much more value.
I am starting the first sorority at BU and when we have class elections
can i run for treasurer ? WF afterall is a treasure chest that we can all
dip in to ..............thank you for opening the treasure chest for me.
i remain your humble student living today with
veracity..................student shel
Cherish Student Shel,
i love you...
you are as Whacky as i Want 'Em baby!
Whacked and Tapped; Crazy Wisdom, baby!
coach ilg
Founder/BU
***
MASTER STUDENT KONRYU STILL IN LOVE WITH CRAZY WISDOM AFTER ALL THESE YEARS...
though computer savvy, he is not,
my Cherished Master Student, Blair "KonRyu" Lyon, a Physical Therapist who implements WF Teachings in his professional life, is still just as kicked up about his new WF Programs even after several years of Online Study! While most personal training systems flog their 'clients' with mind-numbing sterility, only WF just keeps SHINING BRIGHTER and MORE COLORFUL for her devoted Students as the Years Go By...
here are some TibBits from KonRyu's recent Cycle Summation:
"...at this moment, i am just happy to be alive."
"... Amitabha Strength Workout required a good bit of rethinking and refeeling my whole concept of what ST is but i trust my coach and i did the work and found the flow... i also TAF that the chanting removes self imposed expectations/limits on how much i am able to do."
"... i feel lighter and leaner."
"... i become empty and sometimes the flow begins and i could go forever." {speaking about running}
"...Toilet Yoga is to my life what morning prayers are to the life of a monk."
"...the pranayama appetizer is lots of fun and seems to increase my awareness of pace at the mealtime..."
" Khyati Japa Mala Practice...i like this meditation a lot and i love how it makes me feel , clear, calm and open."
" Exactly what i ate yesterday: breakfast: ilg supreme. lunch: 2 sunbars and fortune delight lemon with vitafruit. dinner: after pranayama appetizer, 1 piece aloo paratha/whole wheat indian bread with potato stuffing, channa masala with white rice. fortune delight and water was consumed throughout the day."
"...This cycle was a lot of fun, lots of running with very intense and focused ST and Yoga sessions. It was almost like the perfect WF cycle, it had it all, although i missed being on the rb and mtb. What needs most attention during the next phase? please keep kicking my butt with this wonderful and crazy wisdom. and please, let me do some more cycling. thank you! konryu"
Live Life Like You Mean It:
Live WF
since 1982
ain't nuthin like it baby!
October 08, 2005
RACE UPDATE BULLETIN
"Races are not about winning.
They're about ourselves."
- Coach Ilg, THE OUTDOOR ATHLETE (Johnson Books, 1985)
COCONINO NATIONAL FOREST: FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA - 10-8-05
Event: Gaspin In The Aspen Duathlon
Website: http://www.flagstaffnordiccenter.com/duathlon.htm
SHORT COURSE (15 km) RESULTS FOR TEAM WHOLISTIC FITNESS:
Joy Kilpatrick, race age; 38
1st Place; Age Division
2nd Place; Women's Overall
Joy's Racing Dedication: To My Mom; who gave me the best two Gifts she could 1) she gave me my life and, 2) she gave me her Death.
*
LONG COURSE (45 km ) RESULTS FOR TEAM WHOLISTIC FITNESS:
Coach Ilg, race age; 43
1st Place; Age Division
3rd Place; Men's Overall
Coach's Racing Dedication: To all the "Father Warriors" within my WF Tribe. Today, i raced for you, you..who have chosen to be beautiful, responsible Fathers. This one was for you; I bow. I trust you got the chi hit baby!
*
THESE RACE RESULTS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA� - "The Name Says It All; Divine Action Union" - Steve Ilg Founder/HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGA�
WHOLISTIC FITNESS� - "Because specialization is for insects, not human's targeting Enlightenment!" - Coach Ilg
SUNRIDER� Herbs - "Simply The Best...and i have been field testing them since 1983." - Coach Ilg/Lead Director; SUNRIDER Int'l
COMING SOON: ANANDA's RACE REPORT ON OUR RACES
right now? we are just too tired and too inwardly rewarded to be of much service to you...
sorry, the cold weather tapped out our batteries; no photos of the race. we will try to get some from the Race Staff.
drinking copious amounts of Calli Beverage to pull the fatigue toxins from our cells, we got YogaToes on, and our bodies are doing pretty dang remarkable. Thank you for all of your PreRace Emails of well wishes and visualizations; certainly, the Astral Strength of our worldwide Sangha accounted largely for our Podiums today; consider our Podiums YOUR Podiums!
Special thanks to Wendell and his family up at the Nordic Center! GREAT EVENT! Now, LET IT SNOW!
OFF TO THE RACES!
"Sport came into my life and finished my education where real things were missing."
- William James
Coach, tuning up "Gunther" for today's Long Course Duathlon at "Gaspin in the Aspen":
http://www.flagstaffnordiccenter.com/duathlon.htm
No Turning Back Now! Ananda proudly holds up her race bag; she has not been able to run on her surgically "treated" knees since high school...well, two years of WF Training now has delivered her to the Start Line of an Duathlon. Her deepest victory has already been scored from within...she did what it took to make it to the Start Line! "Do not Limit the Unlimited by your Own Limitations," was my counsel to her and many others who think they can not do things.
"Dear el coache,
Thanks so much for your sincere words of encouragement. It means a lot to me.
My love and chi is with both you and Joy for this upcoming weekend adventure! Go get 'em baby!!!
Namaste,
Student m"
***
"Steve and Ananda,
i am a student of Teacher Ko sending you some Indy 500-Chi.
may you be as quick and responsive as our racecars and as calm and peaceful as our winters.
God Bless and God Speed!
Warrior Ian"
Coach at last evening's Race Check-in, wields a Chain Saw as a symbolic gesture of how he is going to saw through both ego doubts and other competitors...Since breaking my back, running, told to me to be an impossibility by doctors, is still an exercise of huge concentration to alleviate compression of forces on my lower smashed spine.
"Blessings coach...............dittos on the DL from ko--------jumping
for joy !
run from your heart bike from your spirit and know that we support your
efforts on all our behalfs.................
little fish student shel"
October 07, 2005
3 AUSPICIOUS WF TRIBAL
INSIGHTS DURING NAVARATRI...
Through Oct. 13th DL will be offering edited insights from our Tribe that may suggest proof of the "thinning of the Veil"between this reality and a Higher One due to an etheric change in the composition of the Pran...this Veil Thinning, which occurs each year at this period is honored by the Hindu festival of Navaratri (nine nights). Here are three Navaratri insights from our WF Tribe...keep 'em coming!
#1: "Seeing Things More Clearly"
Coach Ilg,
Thank you for the DL. All weekend I have been inexplicably thinking
about the meaning of Kali Yuga. I felt some need to better define my
role in relation to my fellow man. I assumed that these thoughts were
just an affect of the WF training, but perhaps they were also influenced
by Navaratri.
I think I had one concrete resolution out of the the weekend. I am
going to do an Ironman next September...it seems like extreme
endurance events can push us to a higher level, and I must use WF to
prepare myself to meet this level both phsycially and spiritually.
My wife and I also possess a number of things such as cars, houses,
etc.. None of these things make me as happy as a bike ride in the warm
rain. In fact, I think they confuse me and my desires. Yet, letting go
would be so very hard and frightening. Why?
I am writing to you because I felt an intensity to concentrate on these
issues this past weekend, and now perhaps I know why.
WF Online Student JJ of Haku Clan
****
#2; Saw You In A Dream
Noble Ilg (with Noble Haku listening in),
Apparently, if you go for a long enough period without communicating with your WF teachers, they come and find you...in your dreams. Early Monday morning I had a dream that I was at a retreat and we were chatting, and I was about to ask you a question re Sunrider when someone's cell phone started ringing. Turns out it was MY phone...the one in my real bedroom. I woke up, answered it, and never finished the dream, never got the answer to my question...
...Time is so relative though. The days have passed quickly, and yet some hours have seemed like lifetimes. All depends how mindful I am.
...my every cell is now thirsting for prana and movement. And...I finally bought that Bianchi Axis cross-bike.
...I loved the WF Red Mountain Retreat by the way. An amazing place, amazing people, amazing learning. Really really happy to have met you and Ananda. And Haku. And Q. Nice to see that you all walk your talk. And what an exquisite walk it is....
With respect,
Humble Online Student Singer of Clan Haku
***
#3; Insights Seem Deeper, More Attuned To Me...
Coach-
Namaste, and thank you for the "peaking" program - I launched into it with gusto yesterday.
Last evening I attended a reading of a work in progress by the monologist / actor Roger Guenveur Smith (for a major acting chi hit, rent the DVD of his 1 man show A Huey P Newton Story sometime - it is amazing). �Two things he wrote / said last night made my WF-trained ears perk up and smile. �First, in the notes for the piece, he wrote (italics his, bold type mine):
In 1929 the blues poet Menphis Minnie wrote and recorded "When the Levee Breaks", covered famously, and profitably, by Led Zeppelin in 1971, as she languished in a wheelchair, months from death.
Note that her song's title is not "If the Levee Breaks."
That disaster should befall us is a given:
How we navigate life's black bottom the eternal question.
-Roger Guenveur Smith (talking about the Bardo, perhaps!?)
After the performance (which was amazing, a 1 hour meditation on the power of Water, covering everything from the tsunami to Katrina to Bob Marley), there was a moderated Q&A. �An aspiring performer asked for his advice. �Roger's reply:
"The best advice I can give you as an actor is don't forget to breathe! �Too many people get their breath caught here (touches chest), or here (touches head), which is even worse." �Lifestyle Principle #1 rears her beautiful head once again, eh!?
Finally, also in the notes was a poem by Mr. Smith - feel the spirit:
Los Angeles is burning
and
August Wilson is dying:
his last breath
now
the screech of owls
across the smoke lit sky
How many poems yet
to be written
how many decades
yet to be conquered
by this hard work
called a play
Enjoy a beauty-full day. �I visualize you and Joy dancing through the duathlon tomorrow.
Student L
Namaste Coach and Ananda,
today's Twisted Sage blog is for you and your upcoming Duathlon.
www.twistedsageblog.blogspot.com
GO COACH, CRANK IT LIKE ONLY YOU DO!
GO JOY! MANY OF US ARE CHEERING YOU ON. I GUESS YOU COULD SAY WE WILL BE "JUMPING FOR JOY"!!
THE WF TRIBE IS WITH BOTH OF YOU.
much Love,
ko
LIVING CLOSE TO ONE'S TEACHER
October 06, 2005
ANOTHER TRIBAL WF BIRTHDAY!!!
Dear Coach Ilg,
I Have just done my first run of more than 60 yards in the nine years since I smashed my left heel.
� AHHHH! A BIRTHDAY!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOBLE ONLINE WARRIOR ASH!!!!
RE:
With my new running shoes the heel felt ok, however I felt a little soreness in my left knee. This is an area that I have trouble with after long hikes (presumably as it takes more pressure due to my foot still being weak), and it goes away. The pain has already gone and I can walk totally normally.
� keep working the YogaToes
your arch is strengthening from the Practices
the heel is thus being relieved of compression and tensile stress
RE:
Given that I would like to run distances up to 10km (eventually!), I would humbly enquire if there are any specific excercises/asana I could do.
� i am on it...i am designing your WF Online Training Prescription to completely make you WHOLE...i'm kinda good at it, so just Trust in your Teacher, okay? you focus on your Program, leave the rest to me...oh and...
wear YogaToes as much as possible
and
of course,
ESE and JOI
from the SUNRIDER Garden will regenerate joint tissue strength.
Teacher Ananda is a prime example of how WF + SUNRIDER HERBS totally regenerates 'unfixable' conditions to the UnAwakened World; Ananda had her knees stripped of cruciate and meniscus cartilage in high school. yesterday, she ran the fastest, Lightest run she has had since pre-surgery!...this Weekend will be her first ever Mountain Duathlon which requires 3 miles of racing across gnarly mountain trails. This Temple excels at Self Healing; we just don't dramatize it. We just do our Practices and let the Divine Force heal what needs healing, baby!
RE:
I have a feeling I may regret asking this given what your current programme is doing to me! Its been 74 hours since I did my lower body workout and my calves still ache.....
� yeah,
well,
we like to keep our Students IN THEIR BODIES, if you know what i mean!
for being a Spiritual Path,
WF is the most GROUNDED Spiritual Path on the planet, baby!
RE:
Humbly as always
WF Online Student Simon Ash
� again,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUNNING BOY!
ain't it kinda sad (in a compassionate Way) to see how quickly WF REGENERATES our bodies, minds, and soul
while others just get older?
namaste,
coach ilg
CULTIVATE THE OPPOSITE
WHOLISTIC FITNESS� STRENGTH TRAINING MOVEMENTS
Double Pole Plyos
"There is no education like adversity."
- Benjamin Disraeli
Description:
A plyometric movement done with light dumbbells which mimics the nordic ski racing technique known as;
Double Poling. Builds upper torso and midsection fast-twich fitness and power, establishes core synergistic strength, produces neurological/muscular balance and coordination throughout the body. Tremendous abdominal conditioner for all athletics and is a superb cardio threshold maneuver.
This movement is a Coach Ilg original. I used it as a teenager while training for and on the Jr. National Nordic Combined Team and have relied on its superior ability to transfer gym strength into cardio power ever since.
This movement is often supersetted in the WF Strength Training Temple with another Plyometric movements such as
DB Arm Swings or DB Horizontal Swings.
This movement will make you nauseous if done correctly; your HeartRate is gonna SKY! get used to it. Remember, the Gods smile kindest who puke the blackest blood!
Technique:
If you have ever cross country skied, then just imagine your skis in a pair of grooved ski tracks. you have ski poles in your hands (which have unfortunately turned into much heavier by comparison dumbbells - I rarely use more than 5 or 8 lbs in each hand for speed is essential).
Start by raising up onto your tippy toes and reaching the hands high into the air (see photo 1);
then, DRIVE your ski poles (dumbbells) DEEP into the snow beside each 'ski' to propel yourself down the ski tracks with
tremendous power....your bottom position should look like this:
from Bottom Position, you have to YIELD all the downward momentum to the dumbbells, then OVERCOME that momentum
by raising your arms and lifting up on to the balls of your feet AS FAST AS POSSIBLE!!!!!
then DRIVE DOWN again, repeat and repeat as is prescribed by your WF Online Teacher.
Coach using his years of doing Double Pole Plyos to record the third fastest Ski Leg of the 2005 Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon.
copyright, Steve Ilg. Do not republish without written permission from Steve Ilg.
photos by: Ilg Collection
October 05, 2005
KEEN EYE ON TEACHER!
Namaste Teacher,
beautiful, Power-filled words again in today's DL. thank you.
nice image of you out in the wood pile (DL;10*5). Non-Dominant hand sawing, eh?
you are all-Ways walking the WF talk.
i Love it.
Peace,
ko
*
Dearest Cherished Teacher of The Work That Comes Through Me,
i was wondering which Alert Warrior would pick up on my application of the WF Teaching of "Non Dominancy" in that shot!
leave to a WF Teacher, baby!
you will travel well and Protected in the Bardo!
Awareness, Awareness, Awareness!
love,
steve "lucky i haven't sawed or chopped off my hand yet" ilg
OUR NATIONAL TRIBE: GETTING MO TUBBY...
MEETING, CALMING, WALKING THE DRAGON OF FAT
gettin%27%20mo%20tubby.pdf
"Oh, so you are Fat? Hell, we are all fat in one form or another, otherwise we would be Enlightened! Enter the Spiritual Journey by way your fatness in whichever form your fat currently exists. Don't worry, as you continue to Practice, you will find many, many other forms of Fatness upon you. Dwindling our Fatness is a lifetime Practice; i say, Dwindle thy fat to Elevate thy Spirit."
- Coach Ilg
Each of us have had to Meet the Dragon of overeating. My book, AI IMAWA; Postures and Practice of Inner Harmony describes a Practice and a Philosophy that helps me deal with my tendency to overeat (in many Ways).
Today, like yesterday, i will have to use the Grace of my Teachers and crank my iccha shakti (power of determination) to say, "no" to more Impulses to Eat than i will actualize the eating of physical food. Today, like yesterday, i will rely upon the SUNRIDER herbs, WF Daily Lifestyle Techniques, and pure iccha shakti to slay again and again my Lower Self from not overeating.
Few Americans will learn how to Calm, and then Walk this formidable Dragon of OverEating (or InAppropriate Eating). Those of us that have had the Grace of wise Teachers who will not compromise their Tough Love to show us Mastery over Physical Food, still must execute daily Practices not to overeat. My Teachers taught me, "If you are fat, you are greedy. If you are fat, that fat represents the former lives that you did not do Inner Work. Fat is Karma. If you are fat, you have yet to learn how to develop and sustain your iccha shakti. If you are fat, you are addicted to comfort and scared of consistent intensity. If you are fat, you eat more than you need while most of the world is starving. That is not yogic, nor kind. If you are fat, you will not be able to sustain the filament of Consciousness required for the Bardo."
And you think I'M TOUGH?!?! My Teachers showed no mercy, no fucking pampering of my Attachments to junk food, alcohol, TV OverWatching (yes, TV OverWatching IS the same as OverEating Junk Food), etc. As i created WF however, i was not as Brave in such Boldness as were/are my Teachers. I have tried to be a bit more, uh, diplomatic? Sensitive? Anyway, in WF, the condition of being fat is seen as an absolutely superb place to begin what the Buddha said matters most upon our last breath: How fully did you live (fat people can't do a lot of fun things in life let alone have energy to sustain sadhana)? How deeply did you love (including yourself), and how willing were you to let go (of old habits and negative tendencies)? On your dying breath, these three things will matter most about just how beautifully and strong you CHOSE to sing your contribution to the UniVerse (OnePoem). 
ANYONE who follows my approach to these "secret herbs" of our Way,
loses fat, keeps it off, empowers their cells, amplifies their Pranic constitution, and feels their daily energy ignite toward
that of a world-class athlete. 'Nuff Said.
Eat an herb,
Coach Ilg
SUNRIDER's National SV Leader, 2004
* Coach Ilg's unique approach to using the world's most concentrated, regenerative whole foods ushers students along a very easy, convenient, and powerful 3-Phase Approach as outlined in his most recent book, TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION. The 3-Phases are:
1) Fat Loss/Cell Cleansing
2) Cell Empowerment/Chi Building
3) Lifestyle Maintenance/Skin Care
click on one of the WF Certified Teachers on the left margin to join the Temple Garden of WHOLISTIC FITNESS since 1983; SUNRIDER HERBS, baby!
NO DAILY PRACTICE = CARELESS
October 04, 2005
CHOPPING WOOD, SQUATTING CHI!
MORE YOGI SQUAT INPUT! Picture of Warrior Dad Jones, by Henry Jones (age 4).
Noble Coaches,
Winter is in the air here in the N. Cascades!
Chopping wood must be a WF approved discipline. Swinging the maul ax, teaching Henry safety and slaying a huge pile sure supplies some warrior chi and training effect!
I find the yogi squat feels so good. Whether I am on a long ride or chopping wood the opening and stretching encouraged during the yogi squat allows this feeble student with lower back learning opportunities to thankfully forge ahead with regenerating, strengthening and must do activities.
I Bow,
Warrior Student Steve Jones (of Haku Clan)
COACH RESPONDS;
"Noble Warrior Jones,
dig Henry's "Rossignol" ski cap! you know, Henry is my first (legal) name too! just never stuck :-(
right on with your Yogi Squat and i bow to the nice stash of wood,bro! dig your old-school Maul Axe!
THERE IS NO BETTER WORKOUT than Chopping Wood, Carrying Water, baby!
My preferred Active Meditation; Chopping Wood. The elegance of axe splitting, the blue collar of hauling wood,
the testosterone rush of just smashing up wood and smelling the sap, baby! Mountain Yoga! I grew up in Durango, where my dad pretty much made me haul, chop,and stack up to 11 cords of wood for the long winter...brutal, beautiful way to do chores baby! Today's generation of video-playing punks have some FUNCTIONAL FITNESS to catch up on, i would say!
to Tribal Fitness, baby!
oh, and Ananda wants to know if she can borrow Henry for a few months...
love,
coach ilg
CULTIVATE THE OPPOSITE
October 03, 2005
IT'S THAT CRAZY, WHACKY NAVARATRI TYPE OF TIME!!!
(Note to DL NewComers; buckle up, it's gonna git a wee bit whacky in the WF Temple!)
The beginning of October through the 13th is considered by yogic adepts to be one of the most auspicious times for Practice within the Hindu year. This 'pratyharically powerful' time of year (can you FEEL it?!) features for Hindi yogis, the Festival of Navaratri. Due to a unique conflux of prana and atmosphere, this is a very auspicious time when the veils between us and the infinite are very thin.
I felt it during my big mountain bike ride on Sunday, i have been falling into the depth and inner landscaping of my Toilet Yoga� and asana practices. My Connection to the Deities seems richer and more communicative, and the Work being Divinely Downloaded to me during the Sleeping States is, well...never mind. It's too un-personal to talk about in this Forum. In the upcoming new WF.com, i will create an Inner Kiva where we can talk about such things away from the eyes of the General Public. Anyway, from my Meditations over the opening days of Navaratri, came these "Brahmanic Whispers" (my term), just a few from the torrential Divine Download....in-joy:
***
"Study the countenance of my face,
and you study the face of my Teachers.
Study the countenance of my physique
and you study the accomplishments of my Teachers.
Study the Way i have treated You since we met,
and you study the Way i have treated the Me inside my Teachers."
- InSight From Sweat,
Coach Ilg
Navaratri, 05
***
"I look up into my Father (Sky) above,
feel myself
turning inside out
toward the En-trance of You."
- InSight From Stillness,
Coach Ilg
Navaratri, 05
***
"Grace me with Emptiness
wherever i go,
so Your Wisdom and Strength
pours through the Empty Vessel of
humble ilg."
- Morning Prayer,
Coach Ilg
Navarati, 05
***
"Most Divine Beings,
i offer unto you my:
"This Lifetime's" Goals"
and Pray that you bequeath me the Higher Guidance
for their InnerAttainment:
1) To maintain High, dynamic generosity and kindness,
2) To age as gracefully as an aspen leaf in autumn,
and
3) To die as Consciously as the Buddha."
- Morning Prayer Beneath the Sacred Peak,
Coach Ilg
Navarati, 05
***
STUDENTS TAPPING INTO THE THINNESS OF THE VEIL
In perfect Tribal Synchronicity, several Students have been noticing some interesting, uh,
paranormal dimensions in their Waking and SleepTime States (Remember my DL about the description of what the OM Symbol means?!)...here are a couple from my InBox:
Sunday, October 02, 2005
"As i reached the dragon postures this morning, i had a rush of anomalies to my senses. My tongue glued to the the roof of my mouth, eyes "soft" on the ground 20 Ft in front of me, breathing through my nose in deep belly draughts, i became a little dizzy, like i was moving at an intense pace, trees whizzing past me on either side,yellow and green; i SMELLED pine (there are no pines where i live, none close anyway), then, it was gone. I finished my ritual and went inside to pack for today's trip.
... I checked the DL this morning and what do I see? Coach is driving too, driving his body-mind-spirit-fear-pran-love bio-machine on a grueling course. Is he thinking of us? He said he is. Was I thinking of him? Yes, as I worked out this morning. Could I have smelled the pines he is riding through, seen the aspens as they change? I do not know. I have no clue if he was in the aspens or pines. It is unexplainable to me why I would feel those thing so intently, but you can bet I will ask coach.
ThOMas Ward,
excerpted from his WF-Approved Blog;
http://www.warriorsamoht.blogspot.com/
*
Most wonderful and noble Coaches,
While you Coach Ilg were in the midst of your first ride of the "Inner Basin
Loop" and connecting via the WF Tribal Mantra, I was climbing for the first
time The Daddy in the Linville Gorge of the Pisgah National Forest.
It is a special wonder to be pushing the edge simultaneously, together, many
WF beings, separated by mere distance.
I bow to all of you and this WF trail.
Student karl
Charlotte, NC
***
TO FACILITATE NAVARATRIC SHIFTS
To Facilitate positive Shifts in the astral componentry of your Practice, now is a great time to do a SUNRIDER DEEP CLEANSE (ask your WF Online Teacher if this is appropriate for you), and increase the intake of ILG SUPREMES while ramping up your Cardio and Yoga Disciplines; the three-pronged WF Punch of these three Disciplines will help further erase the pre-Thinned veil separating the Outer and Inner Worlds. For those of you who are using WF Blessed Mala Beads, i want you to use odd numbered rounds during your chanting/mantra sessions; either 7,9, or 11 rounds until the 13th, then return to your Prescribed Practice. From now through the 13th, is a very powerful time to attain your own set of WF Blessed Mala Beads. I have pair in the Temple Zendo right now, simmering for Student Reed, and even on the first night of their Empowerment, very definite Signs came through that Navaratri is no joke, baby! Pity the unbelievers! Meanwhile, we'll just jump on the extra CHI FORCE!
Throughout Navaratri, DL will be publishing, with your permission, in-stances of authenticated 'paranormal' activity noticed by WF Students across the world if I so deem it as not being dramatic and it must be Appropriate spiritual fuel for our WF Sangha. please send all paranormal notices - however subtle; we are all on different Levels of Awareness here! - from now through the 14th to:
ilgtrain@npgcable.com
i shall close this paranormal DL with some normal descriptions of Navaratri below.
i bow to the Divine Force in each of us,
i bow to the standing-under that when you and i train and Practice within that Divine Force
we
are
One.
namaste,
coach ilg
the mountain yogi
***
Teacher Saul on NAVARATRI:
"It is a festival in celebration of the Goddess Durga who among other things, represents the Divine force in each of us. For Yogis this can be a special time to move deeper in one�s sadhana (spiritual practice) by aligning with this inner force. Traditionally eating sattvic (pure) foods, meditation and prayer are used to harness the cosmic energies at this time. This can be a powerful time to affirm or re-affirm your intentions to the Universe and ask for guidance, blessings and grace from the Divine Mother.
Watch your dreams and meditations! Donate a little extra time for this attunement in Yoga sessions.
This is a powerful time on the planet, we are feeling the intensification of the planetary karma inwardly as well as outwardly."
***
Navratri or Navratra is a Hindu festival of worship and dance. The word "Navratri" literally means nine nights; Nav-Nine and Ratri-nights. The festival is celebrated for nine nights every year at the beginning of October although as the dates of the festival are according to the Hindu calendar (which is based on the Moon), the festival may be held for a day more or a day less depending on the calendar.
Navaratri is divided into sets of three days to adore different aspects of the supreme goddess. On the first three days, the Mother is invoked as powerful force called Durga in order to destroy all our impurities, vices and defects. The next three days, the Mother is adored as a giver of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi, who is considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees the inexhaustible wealth. The final set of three days is spent in worshipping the mother as the goddess of wisdom, Saraswati. In order have all-round success in life, we need the blessings of all three aspects of the divine mother; hence, the worship for nine nights.
During Navaratri, some devotees of Durga observe a fast and prayers are offered for the protection of health and property. A period of introspection and purification, Navaratri is traditionally an auspicious time for starting new ventures.
TIRED WARRIOR
Savasana; Wholistic Fitness Style...you want a quality Savasana?
get out and hammer your heart rate solid for five hours...
well, i made it.
a miraculous ride, this, "Inner Basin Loop"!
4 hours and 48 minutes in the saddle, baby, without the heart rate ever dropping below
high Zone 2 and peaking at high Zone 4.
dat's sustained meditation on the breath, baby; Mountain Yoga Style!
i really dialed in my Awareness to my pranic, not physical, body.
at times, i got so high that i, my breath, and my bike merged into One Unflappable Bliss
concentrated by the wholesome crush of a gorgeous alpine autumn day...
my Conscious Breath became a Chakra Blender to my emotional, mental, and spiritual sheaths
until...my high, enduring effort produced what the Taoists know as, "wu wei" or 'effortless effort'...
time and again, through the long uphill, headwind miles i thought of you,
i breathed into you,
i chanted the WF Tribal Mantra within you...
we were One yesterday...
one Sangha united within a living, breathing, omnipotent Consciousness fueled by
sweat and iccha shakti (power of determination)...
moments before Ananda took this shot
of me after my ride, i hammered down an ILG SUPREME...it tasted to me like Blood must taste to a
vampire; every cell in my body was screaming for the regenerative CHI of the "secret herbs"!
me and Gunther (my mountain bike) hammered the "Inner Basin Loop":
dropped the locals on the three consecutive climbs to 10,000' over the course
of 54 miles,
with 6,800' of climbing
through an oceanic swelling crescendo of aspen colors splashing the high peaks!
i have only three words for my day in the mountains yesterday;
"Thank
you
God!"
I must have chanted the WF Tribal Mantra ten thousand times ten thousand
on the final 5.5 mile ascent into the Inner Basin yesterday...the final 1.5 miles was steep, loose,
technical singletrack...i zen ascended it, dabbed only twice, and had to wait for 15 minutes for
my riding partner catch up as i yogi squatted next to a crystal clear mountain creek wandering
through a symphonic crash of kaleidoscope aspen colors.
Many people live their entire lives without ever, once, knowing the profound sense of inner
mysticism mixed into the stunning elixir of a high mountain aspen autumn;
i am BLESSED
to be Here Now,
Wholistically Fit,
and
spiritually open to receive the Grace of developing all components of a Human Existence.
this tired and happy Warrior will today rely, once again, on the SUNRIDER Herbs and HP Yoga to wring the fatigue acids from
my body tissues and restore some semblance of fluid movement into my bike-molded neuro-muscular system
from yesterday's effort.
Stay tuned this week to DL, cuz i got ALL SORTS of fantastic WF TRIBAL CHI targeting (Y)OUR trajectory toward
Enlightenment in this precious lifetime...we end the coming week with Ananda and i racing in the
"Gaspin' in the Aspen" Mountain Duathlon...
I get out and do,
I test my training programs and principles
out in the field of human physiology - across the spectrum of spirit and body -
so I can better Serve you...
unless a Teacher
walks his or her talk,
and i mean WALK IT with sweat and blood,
their shit just ain't go(o)d...it's just intellectual, regurgitated crap!
well,
in this Humble, Powerful Temple of WF,
we may not be glitzy,
yet we be consistently sincere in the Sweat behind our Scripture!
as Shakespeare wrote,
"Though he be little,
he is FIERCE!"
since 1982...
we do,
because of our devotion to YOU!
May your Practice today be gifted with
fearless joy,
supplication to the Supreme,
and may the Dance of your
Conscious Breath and Posture
(WF Lifestyle Principle #1 for go(o)d reason!)
edge you ever closer to the Sanctity of your Inner Self...
i bow to you,
om mani padme hung
coach ilg
'the mountain yogi'
October 02, 2005
PRE-RIDE DHARMA: of Pain, Purification, Strength, and Transcendence
It's dark outstide.
My Father's stars, shudder in the pitch like flints of Divine steel.
Nearly, i tell you, i can feel the very rotation of my Mother Earth.
The temperature gauge on my back porch reads 35 degrees.
Yesterday's fatigue from Practice still registers in my cells.
In a moment, i will be on my mountain bike, attempting a 5 hour
circumambulation of the San Francisco Peaks.
Not even the younger local studs attempt this one very often.
I will be pushed.
My In-tent remains the same as all-Ways;
to learn s(om)ething more about my innate Buddha Nature
so that, perhaps, i can be a better Protector of the Dharma
and a more genuine Teacher for my Sangha.
I may not make it;
It is dangerous if i experience a
mechanical
or...
- spiritual -
breakdown
while high in the upper reaches of the Inner Basin...
"It is the uncertainty of the final outcome,
which truly makes an adventure." - Gaston Rebuffaut
When i return, i will be to tired to Serve.
So i will leave Treasured You
with this Insight from my Meditation just completed;
If you, like myself, have incarnated in a life that carries with it much Pain...
- Mental, Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Spiritual -
Then i can share something with you, for when it comes to Pain
i've been honored with much of it in my own life and thus can Teach this much:
Where there is Pain,
there is not Pran.
The yogins sva-dharma - or Sacred Duty -
is to replace the Pain with Pran.
This requires steadfast Meditation upon the nature of your Pain.
When Pain begins to be erased and replaced by Pran
that is how Purification results.
After Purification comes Her training effect: Strength.
From Strength comes Transcendence.
All-Ways remember this, Oh Noble Warrior of the WF Way:
Pain, Purification, Strength, Transcendence.
Push not Pain away;
welcome Her many faces
just as i
in this pre-dawn Darkness
welcome
the shudder of steel cold stars
winking above the Sacred Peak
which now calls my Buddha Nature to come and play and...
perhaps,
Learn.
Travel well today,
travel within today...
that is all,
your humble mountain yogi
October 01, 2005
DAD WARRIOR SAYS GOOD-BYE TO HIS DAUGHTER WITH WF NOBILITY:
http://www.twistedsageblog.blogspot.com/
i bow to Chelsy and her Warrior Dad; WF Teacher Ko...
namaste,
coach ilg
WALKING THE TALK...COACH'S SEPT PRACTICE STATS
"To repeat successes of the past, you follow your old program.
Don't get fancy; just be consistent."
- Bill Rodgers
ILG' PRACTICE STATES FOR SEPTEMBER, 2005
PROFESSIONAL COACHING NOTE TO GENERAL PUBLIC READERS;
DO NOT attempt to mimic my Training Stats (particularly the extra-ordinary caloric intake vs. caloric expenditure stat) without the direct Guidance of a certified WF Teacher and years of being on the SUNRIDER Herbs and Pranayama; you will get injured, burned out, or worse!!
Strength Training = 1.75 hours
Cardio Training = 45 hours (includes a "5th" Place at Arizona State Road Cycling Championships)
Asana = 31.50 hours
Meditation/Pranayam = 21 hours
Ahara Jaya (Mastery of Food) = 54,050 calories (about 1,801 calories/day)
Age: 43
Bodyweight: 151 lbs
Bodyfat: 3.8%
Resting Heart Rate: 59 bpm
Max Heart Rate: 197 (taken after running up ski slopes at 11,500')
May your Practice be strong, sincere, and consistent in October...let's keep it cranked, Noble Warriors!
It is a HIGH BLESSING to have a Human Body, let's USE it to elevate our Soul Nature!
om mani padme hung,
coach ilg
COMPASSION FOR THY INNER ENEMY OF SELF-GRASPING
You can have no greater ally in the war against your greatest enemy, your own self-grasping and self-cherishing, than the practice of compassion. It is compassion, dedicating ourselves to others, taking on their suffering instead of cherishing ourselves, that, hand in hand with the wisdom of egolessness, destroys most effectively and most completely that ancient attachment to a false self that has been the cause of our endless wandering in samsara. That is why in our tradition we see compassion as the source and essence of enlightenment and the heart of enlightened activity.
- Sogyal Rinpoche