November 30, 2006
all these years, sitting...
all these years, sitting (5)
Temple Zendo still sooooo cold (7)
outside...chickadees! (5)
- ccoach ilg, apres today's Early Morning Meditation
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
230 AM MST THU NOV 30 2006
.SYNOPSIS...VERY COLD AND BREEZY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE TODAY BEHIND
THE MOST RECENT STORM SYSTEM....THIS PATTERN IS
PLACING NORTHERN ARIZONA UNDER A STRONG AND COLD NORTH TO NORTHEAST
FLOW ALOFT. FOR THIS MORNING...THE COLD AND DRY AIRMASS WILL RESULT
IN THE COLDEST LOW TEMPERATURES OF THE YEAR.
i pray on this coldest of days that the blood does not freeze in the Four Legged and Feathered Beings. i am not tough. the Animals are tough. i pray to Vishnu to help me reMember all my countless lives in those Realms and impart to me their Medicine to help all Two Legged's realize their precious Human incarnation and inspire them to seek the Highest Summit of Enlightenment in this very lifetime.
tomorrow i will conclude my Honoring Cardio As Yoga teaching.
may your own Practice be precious today and may you live today with the spirit, hunger, toughness, and freedom of the wild animals...
speaking for those Beings who cannot,
head bowed,
hands folded at heart...
your mountain yogi
photos; a Mountain Chickadee and the Sacred Peak during Brahmmamahurti in subfreezing temps by coach ilg.
note: "chickadees" in my Haiku above refers to my beloved "Mountain Chickadees" an adorable, plucky little black and white bird native to these parts who bounces about the woods in a delightful dance.
November 29, 2006
Honoring Cardio as Crucial To Yoga; Part I
Honoring Cardio as Crucial To Yoga; Part I
by coach ilg
MIND THE GAP!
in my travels and conversations with today's crop of "yoga teachers" i continue to be surprised at the glaring gaps in their notion of Hatha Yoga and the Himalayan sized gaps in their embrace of other fitness disciplines. most seem especially frightened by Cardio Fitness. i can only suppose this is because they do not want the concussion and lactic acid pain to "ruin their yoga." i've had several yoga teachers tell me enthusiastically after one of their classes that i would only have to, "give up my gym and cardio training to become a really good yogi!" they would sometimes quickly add, "Heck, because of your potential, I'll even give you a price break on my Yoga Teacher Training Certification coming up next month!"
true.
this to me is very funny. sad, actually. since regular and mandatory ultra-endurance Cardio efforts known as taking pilgrimage has been a pivotal part of Traditional Yoga since, well, forever! leave it to us Americans to think we can somehow out-think the Ancient Masters and hurry ourselves into Enlightenment.
in Wholistic Fitness, we are quite happy to honor the sanctity of sweat during Cardio Training as a pivotal asana to our MultiDisciplined Understanding and Practice of Yoga.
Here is an example, one of many, from the stories of the Masters which illustrates my point of keeping Cardio Training as a crucial part of Yoga Practice;
"Once I was traveling all alone in Tarai Bhavar toward the mountains in Nepal at the request of my Teacher. I was on my way to Katmandu, which is the capital of Nepal. I walked twenty to thirty miles each day. After sunset I would build a fire, meditate, and then rest. I would begin walking again at four o'clock the next morning and walk until ten o'clock. Then I would sit near water under a tree through the middle part of the day, and travel again from three thirty until seven in the evening. I walked in bare feet, carrying a blanket, a tiger skin, and a pot of water."
- Swami Rama
Now, read between the lines, Oh Noble Warrior: "...walked (over Himalayan terrain and altitude) twenty to thirty miles each day..."
"alone"
"walked in bare feet"
Now, some of you are smiling. For you Know that us WF Warriors might not have the best "circus poses" in the yoga studio. 
Hell, with my broken back and smashed pelvis, even Warrior I can put me into coniptions. Yet, i - like you - will not sacrifice the development of my overall physiology just so i can look good in a yoga studio. not only do i want to control the fluctuations of my mind during a yoga posture, i also want to make my mind firm in my endurance and strength capacities. i want my Cardio Fitness to be in balance with my pull up and bench press capacities. i want my pull up and bench press capacities to be in balance with my rock climbing or telemark skiing agility and focus. i want my calves to be in proportion to my arms. my chest and back to be in symmetrical development to my legs; even if i have to quit doing certain sports that i am good at in order to become more Balanced, i am determined to do so. For in my letting go of attachment to a specific sport or discipline for the sake of overall balance i find what is known in yoga as; Aparigraha or 'greedlessness' - in this case, not being greedy to 'look good' and gain admiration in a particular sport or discipline like asana.
the Ancient Ones were firm; the Body must FIRST be brought into Balance, otherwise our subtle anatomy (and then our Mind) will transfer the same weaknesses and imbalances as exist in our physique. what is weak and out of balance on our gross level (our body) is not going to magically disappear in our subtle level (our nadic and pranic fitness) and it sure as hell is not going to vanish in our most refined level (mental/consciousness fitness). Balancing our physique and physiology can take the genuine yogi several decades to purify. However, that is nothing compared to trying to shortcut around the wholistic development of the body and jumping into samyoga (meditation and samadhic fitness) prematurely. doing that foolishness can set you back lifetimes.
i will now outline the indelible two-pronged work in front of us:
1) we must first and foremost balance our physique capacities. Each bodypart must be in balance with the other in terms of appearance and capacities. Think here of lateral dominancy; our right side (Ha) must be balanced with our left side (Tha). once our right/left imbalance has been yoked (yoga) then, our first understanding of HaTha Yoga will be earned.
2) we then must balance our physiologic capacities across their spectrum; cardio, strength, agility, balance, and mastery of food.
No matter what it takes. The Body First. Then, the Higher Stuff. There are no ShortCuts to this Golden Rule of Yoga.
THE WF YOGI DOES NOT RUN AWAY FROM...WELL, RUNNING!
In WF, we do not consider Cardio - intense, regular, and ongoing - to be separate from our notion of Yoga.
In WF, we do not shy away from Cardio Training as part of our Yoga Practice...we DIVE INTO HER IN AS MANY WAYS AS WE CAN for we KNOW we will learn DEEP things about the nature of our Mind and Tendencies when we SWEAT WITH OUR HEART RATE ELEVATED FOR HOURS AND HOURS AND COUNTLESS HOURS...
in WF, we do not shy away from Cardio as part of our Yoga Practice.
we DANCE WITH HER LIKE STUDO YOGI's DANCE TO TRANCE MUSIC, only, our Music comes from the very PULSE of who we are, not some music machine.
we find our Yoga on bicycles...
we find our Yoga on crampons... 
we find our Yoga on avalanche slopes... 
we find our Yoga on snowshoes...
we find our Yoga on steep skiable (?) tree-filled slopes...
we find our Yoga during the long, lonely hours it takes to win a running race...
To me, the modern studio yoga teacher has some pretty big explaining to do. by what understanding of Yoga do they dare to easily talk about and quote from Ancient Scriptures about the lofty powers of Yoga when their own lack of physique and physiologic balance betray their speech? Is not "Purification of Speech" a requirement of Yoga Teachers, any longer? Is not the foundation command of the Master, "Do not teach what you do not by Direct Experience," valid any longer?
Maybe it's just me.
I am so slow.
I cannot dishonor the primary Teachings of Yoga; Bring the body into Balance.
Wholistic Balance.
Wholistic Fitness.
from beneath today's fresh snow upon the Sacred Peak,
i bow to your Practice; may it be firm today.
i'm going skiing, practicing my own High Performance Yoga among Brother Raven and Sister Wind.
om so ti,
coach ilg
November 28, 2006
HP Yoga Missive; Tonight's Class; a GIFT OF WALLS!
Namaste Noble Yogis!
In this moment,
Am I concentrating or
Am I grasping?
- coach ilg
Ananda and i trust that you all had a Blissful and BlessingFull Thanksgiving!
we are back from New Mexico our legs and lungs pumped from great road cycling,
and LOVIN' the first snow of the season
and
hanging our Holiday Lights
and stoked to see you tonight!
Tonight's class will feature a "HP Mixed Flow Class" and...
get this:
i'm going to let you use the WALLS tonight!!!
we have a special sequence for you tonight and since it is the holiday season,
i told Ananda that we can use the Wall tonight for a special training effect that you
will NOT want to miss!
we will also be featuring my bread-and-butter Flexibility Form known for over 25 years as,
"Medium Form"; for years i used this Form to combat concussion effects from ultra running, strength training,
Olympic Lifting, and just banging myself up in the mountains; so please stop by tonight and take
advantage of this special class; all for the same low price as ever! You can prep yourself by reviewing
Medium Form in my book; THE WINTER ATHLETE.
finally, the past two days of my Online Blog; DIRECT LINES has featured two pivotal Practice essays;
DEPTH NOT WIDTH; Look Within, Not Wider
by coach ilg for the WF Sangha
and yesterdays:
MONOTONY vs. REPETITION
A Practice inSight by Coach Ilg
Wholistic Fitness; America's Native and Original Form of MultiDisciplined Yoga.
Our Owner Expertise: Often copied, never equalled.
See you in the Cave...
i bow to you from beneath the Sacred Peak,
coach ilg, ryt/uscf/cpt
founder/Wholistic Fitness and High Performance Yoga
http://www.wholisticfitness.com/
DEPTH NOT WIDTH; Look Within, Not Wider
Just wanted to say I hope your DL's keep rolling out of that Chi filling mind! Almost every week one just speaks right to my heart!
-Joe, a WF SanghaLounger Extraordinaire
Spokane, WA
Meet and talk with Joe and nearly 60 other WF worldwide warriors exchanging Practice insights and encouragements and inspirations each day in the WF SanghaLounge, available only to DL Subscribers.
The Masters have always warned the aspirant along the Path of Awakening not to seek too wide; learn and develop a few Proven Tools of Transformation from your Teacher, then Practice going DEEPER for years. Too many Students do not know how to control their hunger for spiritual growth and turn outward to become addicts to new styles of yoga, meditations, personal growth seminars, books, etc. Meanwhile, they do not See the magic of Transformation available to them right beneath their noses; such as a toilet, a stairwell, or a toothbrush. This type of spiritual ignorance is the root cause of all human suffering; assuming to know things without truly Seeing their intrinsic nature. If we constantly think we need a new mantra, a new Teacher, a new Teaching...you know what happens? Our most important, basic Tools that we first learned from our Teacher(s) - perhaps something as simple as "Conscious Breath and Posture" throughout the day - becomes dull, cold, and useless. In WF Online Training, i have a 25-year old Path of Progressive Proven Tools that are only given when the Online Student is READY and has shown mastery in his or her current Level of Attainment. This type of one-on-one training beneath a Teacher for each Student ensures that the Student does not become a "Spiritual Materialist" or an Addict to thinking that More Is Better. Remember one of my first Teachings to you so long ago:
"Less is more."
enjoy the following Teaching and i will see you in the WF SanghaLounge!
photo: snow is falling at the WF Temple H(om)e yet my Ax of Awareness is never allowed to become dull by searching outside my current Practice or Teachers. Deep, not Wide. That is how we strike the true Go(l)d; the Awakening of Kundalini through strong and capable gross, subtle, and refined anatomy. photo by coach
DEPTH NOT WIDTH; Look Within, Not Wider
by coach ilg for the WF Sangha
Why is it a wise notion for a Warrior to hang out and check out all the new Posts in the WF SanghaLounge? Cause every now and then I pop my head into the various caves in there and facilitate for free. That’s right; occasionally you get complimentary coaching from me if you just show up in the SanghaLounge and contribute.
Below is an example of how I chose to keep Online Student JJ of Chicago (Go Bears!) working on depth of practice instead of grasping for more “tools”. Remember my quote, Noble Yogins, whenever you think your Practice is stalling out. Just repeat to yourself:
“In this moment,
Am I concentrating or
Am I grasping?”
- coach ilg
***
Dear WF SanghaLoungers,
Many thanks for all of your comments. They are wonderful and have given me a great deal to think about over the past several days.
I am a husband and a father of four daughters and have often thought about this question of the steep and direct path to enlightment. I think I am on it, or at least on the path that is appropriate for me, and it feels awfully steep and direct. It occurs to me that I have many more teachers than just Coach Haku. WF is important, but for me it is like a thread that winds through and binds together teachings I receive from my wife, my children, my pastor, my colleagues and others. I need all of these teachings right now and it would not be appropriate for me for now to follow the path of a solo warrior.
The greatest teaching that I have received is from my three eldest children about four or five years ago. It was about two weeks before my wife was due with our fourth child and the other three children were freaking out. Their behavior was awfull and I needed to correct it. I tried all sorts of things and nothing seemed to work. I was at my wits ends. Finally, I thought about Jesus and his sacrifice and opened my heart to my children and simply loved them and accepted them. I felt a power move through me and my heart seemed to grow bigger (not unlike the Grinch in the Grinch who stole Christmas) and, after about twenty minutes, the children grew calmer and everything was better. Sometimes I forget, but I do try to remember this lesson in love and acceptance.
JJ
COACH RESPONDS IN THE SANGHALOUNGE:
Most Noble Online Shishya JJ,
i bow to your ongoing Awakening.
you can find what i call the "Jesus Granthi's" (see my DL in the Archives on the subject) on the tops of the feet (heart/lung chi line) and by opening the wrists (you will find by Direct Experience the pain soaked nail wounds where we nailed Jesus to the cross; see my DL in the Archives onthe Tall Mind/Wide Mind metaphysics on the cross).
Do you already See how many Tools you have already left behind you, cold and as useless as a dull ax buried in the snows of ignorance?
you need not look for "more" Tools.
you will get heavier instead of Lighter.
you have all you need already; trust me.
as your Level of Attainment rises, then you will find a more upgraded model of the Tools you are currently using, yet not to their fullest advantage.
Breath and Posture, yogi!
go deeper; work on your depth of Practice; not width.
width brings dillution.
depth brings inSight.
ask Teacher Haku to get you on my Opening The Vents online program to facilitate the energetic cusp upon which you balance;
ever onward, ever upward, endlessly inward.
om so ti,
coach ilg
November 27, 2006
BioBuilde Thanksgiving Sale Ends Today
Noble WF Sangha,
Temple Manager, ananda, stepping in for a moment to say Namaste
and to share the below gift from BioBuilde.
If you want to take advantage of this sale which ends today please
call the number below and ask for Andrew. Please let him know that
you are a Coach Steve ilg referral.
Blessings!
*****
Thanksgiving Savings Ends Today!
For the first time ever, ALL BodyHealth.com products are on sale.
BUY 3 GET 1 FREE
Order 3 of one product and we will automatically include a 4th for free.
No substitutions, cannot combine products but you can order multiple products and save.
Example: Order 3 BioBuilde and recieve the 4th one for free.
Give thanks, and give the gift of health this year!
Stock up now and SAVE!
phone: 877.804.3258
MONOTONY vs. REPETITION
"Mr. East/West" himself; coach in a "Rocky" t-shirt juxtaposed with Blessed Mala Beads leans against a hogan in New Mexico. A native child of the American Southwest and educated in Eastern Contemplative Studies, coach still dances the East-Meets-West philosophy matched by a peerless athletic resume like no other. photo by Ananda, yesterday.
MONOTONY vs. REPETITION
A “Practice” inSight by Coach Ilg
An excerpt from my next upcoming book…
do not republish
"If we lose the spirit of repetition, our Practice becomes difficult."
- D.T. Suzuki
Every workout is an interesting one to a WF trained athlete.
Since our workout is everywhere in this Path,
Our life becomes a very interesting, colorful, crazy, and precious Bardo.
Workouts transform boring into interesting when we balance meditation with activation.
Meditation earns us patience, acceptance, and most importantly; perseverance.
Activation carves for us a Wholistically Fit Body capable of meditation in all physiologic zendos.
Monotony?
She has been conquered by us through decades of blisters upon our skin.
We have worn her once stiff and imposing suit into a pair of faded jeans easily washed.
We now smile compassionately at Monotony for we are kin to her higher aspect; Repetition.
The Spirit of Repetition, we now know intimately.
The Sacred Spirit of Repetition is a most potent DharmaArrow in our warrior quiver.
Like our Grandfather Sun and Grandmother Moon, arcing endlessly, we too now know the graceful Spirit of Repetition.
Like the Mountain and Desert Winds upon cold sacred peaks and melting pine mesas, we too now know the graceful Spirit of Repetition.
No longer does Monotony burden our Journey.
We have come to recognize her once formidable hulk as but a seductive...
READ THE ENTIRE TEACHING IN THE WF SANGHALOUNGE...it can be found in the "Practice" cave...
November 26, 2006
Heading H(om)e...and Taking the Inner River With Us
how does one write words (forms) about a formless miracle of Ku (Void)?
yesterday Ananda and i lost ourselves in a sweeping 6-hour Time/Space Warp next to the Rio Grande after Ananda and i did a club road ride up on the High Desert Mesa. i chatted with John (owner of the new and utterly FANTASTIC bike shop up in Rio Rancho: High Desert Cycles) as the miles breezed beneath our tires across the sagebrushed earth, it was heaven for me to catch up with the local 'gossip' of my old cycling bros in the Land of (spiritual) "Entrapment" known as New Mexico. After a 2.5 hour ride for me, i took Ananda to an old place turned new near the pueblo of Tamaya and...we just merged. hours flew by as if they were minutes, and soon enough we were kissing beneath a setting Grandfather Sun and crimson sky air brushed with wisps of clouds like hawk feathers spread above us. Cottonwoods and bleached patchgrass unrolled before us as the Grand River became a liquid bed for incoming Sandhill Cranes...
our meditation of natural joy and blessed Native tempo
shall become our own inner river now as we start
back across the Ancient Lands toward Kinlani
and await the Snows...
head bowed along the Noble Path of Great Practice,
the wandering mountain yogi
***
"A Deeper Awareness of Interrelationships"; Online Student TC Hooking Up Dots Like Never Before
Coach's Note; What follows is actual although edited exchange between Most Noble Online Student TC and his "Dear WF Teacher Ananda" whose work with him is obviously cranking him ever Higher, Deeper, and Inner...WF Online Studies; the Steepest, most Direct Path toward Transformation Through World Class Health and Fitness;
How Bad Do You Want It, Baby?!?!?
***
Dear Teacher Ananda -
It really hit me last week, as it often does, how many different things we are working in this practice. Pranayam, Mula Bandha, abdominals, shoulder flexibility, high heart rate, long, slow cardio, subtle internal core muscles, speed strength and power, focus, awareness, silence. Every day brings something different and a deeper awareness of the interrelationships...
If a sign of a good week of workouts is having nothing left to give, then this was a perfect week. I finished up on Sunday with a 40 minute Cardio Commute each way to a 90 minute Power Yoga class. This was a fun and challenging day and capped a fun and challenging week. I had not been to a class for a while and was up for a ride and a sweatfest. This was a good fitness checkpoint as this combo workout is pretty draining. Monday recovery was rapid and my energy increased quickly throughout the day.
It sometimes feels like i am a planet with an elliptical orbit circling the WF sun. Sometimes my orbit comes very close to the sun (WF intensive) and my focus is internal and then i go shooting out into orbit (business travel, social) and my practice and focus are external. Following my intensive, i have been externally focused (which surprises me) and my practice centered on the more physical aspects of the program. I sense that I am moving back to the center and a stronger focus on the internal disciplines of the practice.
Namaste'
shishya tom
Thomas S. Carpenter IV, CPCU
Chief Operating Officer
The Tale Is Wagging
http://pastkarmona.blogspot.com/
El Good lookin' with Long Hair Coach,
Thought ya might like this one..
too bad they don't make miniature Yoga Toes!
Love ya dearly,
karen bear
November 24, 2006
Post ThanksGiving Practice Check
WF Student Check:
* did you engage the WF Earned Sustenance Principle and be sure to train hard and long enough before the Meal in order to Earn It?
* did you take a Moment of Silence before the meal?
* did you attend to your Posture during the meal?
* did you offer to do the dishes and/or otherwise help Serve?
***
WF Warrior Student Check:
* did you engage the WF Earned Sustenance Principle and be sure to train hard and long enough before the Meal in order to Earn It AND THEN be sure not to overeat to keep yourself in a Balanced Caloric Day?
* did you take a Moment of Silence before the meal AND do your WF Pranayamic Appetizer either before or at the table?
* did you attend to your Posture during the meal AND return to Mula Bandha at least 3 x?
* did you do the dishes and/or otherwise help Serve WITHOUT asking?
***
WF Master Student Check:
* did you do all the Warrior Student Checks with Cheerfulness
AND
Share the spirit of your Practices with Others to help promote Awakening to
"Turkey Medicine" which is the "Give Away Principle" that is the Native Root of the contemporary Thanksgiving Holy-Day?
If not?
Forgive yourself and Give Thanks today that we have ample opportunities to Begin Again and Again, and...endlessly again!
If so...
your Light is rare, unique, and your Awakening honors my humble Path...
i love you all.
having a GREAT and powerful time along the banks of the Rio Grande with Ananda...life is so deep, dimensional, and i think to myself...
"...what a wonderful world..."
Into the Holy-Day Season we WF Warriors go with Conscious Breath and Posture to keep our Practice and our Workout Everywhere.
om so ti,
the wandering mountain yogi
photo; the so-hard to describe Pranic Power of my beloved southwest. taken by Ananda.
Of Injury and Asana; Actual Training Exchange
Conquerer of countless in-Juries both personally and professionally, Coach teaches that only a strong, steadfast asana Practice will impart the Divine Download that allows each of us to Self Heal. Look WITHIN and DIG! - photo by Ananda.
***
Dearest Coach,
A moment please?
Accept my apologies for sending multiple emails to you over the last two days. I realize that you must get many, many emails daily.
Most Noble Shishya,
you need not worry about that.
if i answer, i answer.
if a flower blooms, it blooms.
if not? that's okay too.
whatcha got?
STUDENT:
The left pectoral muscle has been really acting up again (strained it in the weight room last summer). It feels knotted and inflamed.
COACH:
ahhhh, maybe too much making whoopie?
STUDENT:
What asasna(s) do you TAF may be helpful to this area?
COACH:
BioBuildasana! (BioBuilde® amino acid formula; see link on my website landing page)
_ caps, _ times daily. {actual dosage edited; Coach will advise individually anyone who uses his link for BioBuilde due to safety and professionalism}
sorry, gotta train around it.
STUDENT:
I am slotted to teach my first official yoga class tomorrow. Guess i won't be doing many chattarangas with the class tomorrow.
I've been digging into these painful areas with my fingertips.
COACH:
the tops of the feet; they hook up with the chest area. dig there; virasana, etc.
be honest in front of your Students.
talk teach.
STUDENT:
Once again I see that my issues are in my tissues.
COACH:
know also, that each physical tissue has her subtle and refined aspects.
seek there for Energetic Lines that you don't yet know exist.
if your Awareness remains solely on the physical,
only the physical manifests.
STUDENT:
Discovering these deeply buried issues seems to be the biggest challenge --eh? Or are the realization of the actual issues unimportant?
COACH:
you will be Given the appropriate Tool to release the blockage, improve the imbalance, and strengthen the weakness as your level of attainment increases.
keep practicing with Awareness,
om so ti,
ec
November 22, 2006
Coach's ThanksGiving: "Truly and Forever Grateful for WF Has Transformed My Life"
"I am attaching a picture of myself taken earlier this year in one of the forests in southern India where I was helping with some field research on wildlife - I look pretty much the same (a few pounds lighter now)." Non-Formal Student Praneet, a WF Yogi in southern India high on the MultiDisciplined Pran after completing the Frugal Realm WF Program in TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION. Hey, there is a lot of 'pran' in Praneet! ;-)
How's this for a Thanks-Giving Message...and i ain't talkin' Hallmark bs...this is the WARRIOR type of genuine appreciation streaming from an Awakened Yogi halfway across the (outer) world:
***
Dear Coach llg,
My name is Praneet, I am based in Bangalore, India and want to say - thank you for the beautiful message of Wholisitic Fitness that you are sharing with the world through your books, articles and life.
I had been stuggling to regain the fitness levels I had in my teens and early twenties (am currently 31). I had been training and had been drawn to meditation but had not practiced with enough focus to see significant changes and had realized over the past several years that to be happy I needed to meditate and train physically but did not have the right guidance.
I was browsing through books in the fitness/wellness section of a bookstore when I chanced upon your book - in retrospect I think I was destined and ready to find your book (Total Body Transformation) and open myself up to your teachings.
Since I started walking the WF path I have shed a lot of my fears , learnt to be more responsible and am starting to realize that the beauty inside has always been there - I just had to become aware of it. All aspects have helped - meditation, yoga, strength training, cardio (especially the cardio commute) and nutrition and I now bow to breath as well :-) I have a long way to go, but am taking one day at a time.
I have just completed the Frugal Realm (whew) and am on my week long break, waiting to get in to the Jeweled Lotus. I am planning on participating in a Marathon next year - something I have always wanted to do but never had the courage or discipline to pursue.
Thank you coach Ilg - I am truly and forever grateful - you have helped me transform my life. Thanks for your words of guidance and encouragement and for your embrace - I return it with great love and respect. Yes, I will continue focus on the stillness beyond my sweat and will join the temple one day :-)
Peace and love,
Praneet
***
One Heaven Of A Path, you and i have been Blessed with, eh?
Noble Warrior Praneet, YOUR Devotion IS my Thanks-Giving. No matter how stuffed or hollow our stomach may be tomorrow evening, it is my Prayer that all beings everywhere remain HUNGRY FOR THE TRUTH.
i know that you, ALL of you which make up our WF Sangha, make one feeble mountain yogi deeply, deeply joyful and through your sweat and stillness, i remain inspired to continue along our Steep and Direct Path.
off to New Mexico with Ananda for some family time in multidimensional Ways; biologic family, sky family, earth family, river family, road cycling family, sagebrush family, red dust wind family, etheric family...
and some UnAwake people say that i am not much of a "family man"...i beg to differ!
As we continue to find HaTha Yoga, we inevitably find the Prana and the Apana within each Conscious Moment. As those two vital inner winds become more controllable with our one pointed mind, then not only are we are introduced to our Inner Teacher, we are also introduced to the countless generations of our unique and true Inner Family.
Such is the ThanksGiving of HaTha Yoga; the merging (union) of Prana-vayu and Apana-vayu!
May MultiLayered Dharma Blessings shower upon you and your infinite Family, and may you remain Awake Enough to feel them, share them, and GiveThanks for them.
om so ti,
your loving coach
photos:
2) adobe church wall, southwest sky. Santa Fe, New Mexico, my former h(om)etown. photo by coach.
3) adoble wall, tree shadow, southwest sky.Sedona,Arizona. photo by coach
4) i am perhaps Happiest when i launch myself along the open roads of my Beloved Southwest. it's even better with my beautiful Ananda by my side, sharing the sensuality of red rock, pranic gusts, and shimmering high mountains. photo by Ananda.
November 21, 2006
A World Class definition of Karma to Live By
"Karma means that whatever we do, with our bodies, speech, or minds, will have a corresponding result. Each action, even the smallest, is pregnant with its consequences. It is said by the masters that even a little poison can cause death, and even a tiny seed can become a huge tree. And as Buddha said: Do not overlook negative actions merely because they are small; however small a spark may be, it can burn down a haystack as big as a mountain.Similarly he said: Do not overlook tiny good actions, thinking they are of no benefit even tiny drops of water in the end will fill a huge vessel.Karma does not decay like external things, or ever become inoperative. It cannot be destroyed by time, fire, or water. Its power will never disappear, until it is ripened."
- Sogyal Rinpoche
Photo; Wupatki Pueblo taken yesterday by Ananda. the Sacred Peak - unseen - hovers in the background. the enduring stone villages of these Ancient Ones remind me of my physical body and the countless sweeps of wind like my karma sometimes cold, sometimes hot...sometimes caressing, sometimes kissing...sometimes a whisper, then a screaming howl. May my karmic winds do as they may, yet i ain't giving up on the spiritual journey to be a better, kinder, loving, and giving person...not on my watch. not this lifetime, baby. i aspire to be as even-minded in difficulty and aging as these simple, beautiful stone h(om)es of the Ancient Ones.
WF SanghaLounge Hint
Noble Ones,
not that i am an expert 'Lounger, however,
to enjoy the Latest Input from your fellow WF Brothers and Sisters,
when you do enter the WF SanghaLounge, a quick way to enjoy the ride is to find this link located in the upper right hand area of the Lounge;
View posts since last visit
just click on that, and you can read the Newest First option beside each of the "caves". head bowed and i am LOVIN' chillin' with you all!
ec
50 WF Warriors Helping Share The Path of WF in the SanghaLounge Each Day
Talk about a Grand Kiva!
There is soooo much great Dharma flowing in the WF SanghaLounge already...
below is an edited exchange between two our Noble Warriors; Brad and Michael in regard to yesterday's DL:
***
Noble Coach Ilg,
Never before has a DL struck me quite as hard as today's concerning the nasty habit of intellect. Having struggled with this "habit" my whole life, I shudder to think how many "points" I've missed as a result.
Often I have sacrificed feeling to prove myself "right" in a situation. Gotta be right. So very important. Like many habits or addictions, this one is tough to kick. Ah, to be a child again. Ignorant of "facts" but so rich with feeling and utterly absorbed in experience. To begin again, endlessly again...
I'm pouring like hell but my cup is still full.
Namaste,
humble student bg
***
How beautiful is that?
To me, nothing is more attractive about a human being - male or female or whatever - when they are Working Inwardly on themselves.
A touching response to California Student BG's input followed quickly from Student MT of Maine. coast to coast, the WF SanghaLounge is spreading the Love, baby!
***
"Namaste, Noble Student Brad,
As you wait to hear from Coach Ilg, I will offer my view on the topic, having walked the same Trail. Indeed, I often find myself back on it.
You might think of attachments that you have to certain outcomes. You see a certain outcome in your mind, so you "have to be right" and see this outcome to fruition. Zen Masters teach us to be wary of such attachments to outcomes. When you give up such attachments to the duality of one outcome being "right" and the other "wrong" life begins to flow again. I am a kayaker and I often ponder this lesson while paddling...I put it into the phrase, "Don't fight the river." You might try going through a day mindfully preparing yourself to face all situations knowing that whatever happens is "right", even if you can't see why at the time. You may find, as I have, that it is tremendously liberating to not have to be "right" all the time.
Please also recognize that your ability to see future outcomes so readily is a Gift that not all possess. Rather than using this gift to be "right" consider applying it to visioning your future path on the WF Trail.
Coach will be able to put it into a better light, I'm sure, but be comforted by the fact that you're not alone on this one.
I bow to your Pursuit.
- Student Michael"
***
each day dozens and dozens of other such touching and helpful insights on the Steep and Direct Path of WF are being shared in the SanghaLounge...talk about a fantastic way to keep your Practice strong and sincere!?!? Get into the Lounge and ENJOY!
i have designed it to be YOUR Kiva!!!!!!!!!
come, take the Talking Stick...feel how much Tribal Love is available to you!
see you in the Lounge!
om so ti,
coach ilg
November 20, 2006
New Student Artwork Graces WF H(om)epage Today!
go here and hit your Refresh button:
Wholistic Fitness Homepage
i bow as deep as my Padmasana allows to Noble WF Student Brad Gantt
for your Devotion to WF and Engaged Volunteer Effort and Art!
knee deep in the Abundance of the best Warriors on the planet,
el coache
The Nasty Habit of Intellect
WF Temple Cat Jasper often keeps a Four Legged Eye of Wisdom on Teacher Ananda's work with her Online Students to make sure our WF Online Teaching is not too Intellectual! photo by coach.
Over at HP Yogini's Karen's blog:
http://pastkarmona.blogspot.com
she quoted from perhaps the most disrespected yet highest spiritually evolved culture from which WF was borne; the Tibetans*.
today, i wish to piggyback on Yogi K's quick entry and i quote it entirely here:
"Because in our culture we overvalue the intellect, we imagine that to become enlightened demands extraordinary intelligence. In fact, many kinds of cleverness are just further obscurations. There is a Tibetan saying: "If you are too clever, you could miss the point entirely."
Patrul Rinpoche said: "The logical mind seems interesting, but it is the seed of delusion." People can become obsessed with their own theories and miss the point of everything. In Tibet we say: "Theories are like patches on a coat, one day they just wear off."
-Sogyal Rinpoche"
***
Karen adds, "Dude!"
i'll say.
as a young spiritual athlete, i remained bewildered in my contemplations at why the Masters and even my own Tibetan Teachers kept pounding into me the fact that Intellect is a 'klesha' (affliction). the Intellect, i was taught, must be watchdogg'ed and kept in its place, "...just like one of your competitors that you have passed, you still must try very hard to stay in front of him," advised one of the Lama's working with me who knew i was a distance runner at that time.
of all the human qualities that can dwindle and sabotage spiritual wisdom, it is - ironically enough - our cherished Intellect or what we recognize in yoga as the energy structure of "buddhi" (along with buddhi's cohort in spiritual ignorance "ahamkara" or the countless layers of ego accumulated over lifetimes), that spells disaster for our Ascent up the arduous and narrow Path of spiritual growth.
even if we are a world class Rocket Scientist, that does not mean that our Intellectual prowess makes us a wise and caring and skillful husband or wife or caretaker of our own rocket (our body).
those who pride themselves on being "smart" or "intellectual" certainly must point (confess?) to logic as being the Vehicle of their smarts. to understand why logic is a very incompetent companion along the Way of True Wisdom, one only needs to reflect on how poorly Logic performs in the escalating energies of having an argument or during sexual intercourse or during extreme sports performance or in artistry or in, well...anything that truly nourishes our Soul (atman). if we attempt to rely on our Logical Aptitude during any of those very human and precious spiritual workshops?
we are boring, sterile, weak, and tepid.
such adjectives are not apt descriptions for what is required along the Endless Inwardly Turned Awareness.
who are we?
who carries this body?
not the Intellect. the Intellect develops and we begin to learn to be un-human; we learn, as Bankei said, "...to develop habits from others and our own personal mental habits merge, and the Buddha mind is turned into a monster because of self-importance. We argue, lose our temper, muse over useless things, repeat the same thoughts over and over again and again...It is darkness to darkness in an endless cycle."
as i have Taught you for many, many years; the Intellect is a habit. and by definition, a habit is mechanical and thus keeps our Spiritual Self asleep. in WF i do not coach habits. i teach Awareness gained through a multi-disciplined Path of Yoga (aka; Wholistic Fitness).
May your Practice in the Wholistic Fitness Path today help erase Intellectual Pride to something more manageable, more helpful to you and others...like, for instance, a knowing smile across your precious face.
om so ti,
the mountain yogi
NOTES: special thanks to Lama Karma Rinchen, Yogini Leslie, and my mountain biking Sensei..."Tattoo Bob." i came up with this DL while my Sensei of the Singletrack spent 3 hours with me yesterday up on the forested woodland church of the Sacred Peak, pushing my technical mountain biking skills to new Levels. i bow to all who recognize Daily Sweat as Holy Water.
Photo 1) Preparing my "Church Clothes" before a session with my Sensei of the the world-class Singletrack. the "Kachina Wilderness" across the street is my Temple wherefrom the unmatched 'crazy wisdom' of WF and these thousands of DL's continues to stream. photo by Ananda.
Photo 2) coach with his parents; Father Sky and Mother Earth in the Grand Canyon. photo by Ananda.
*please contribute to the Tibetan Cause and help them regain at least their country from the Chinese, since the ongoing genocide of the Tibetans is not able to be regained. we are quick to quote the deeply earned spiritual wisdom of the Tibetans, and are just as quick not to acknowledge their desecration at the political/economic might of the Chinese.
for over half a century, rape and murder of both the Tibetan people and their stoic land, continues unabated. to help them, see my website LINKS.
November 19, 2006
Kali Yuga Destroys Another WF BirthPlace of Dharma
as a child, my nordic ski coaches would haul us Durango skier punks over to Wolf Creek Ski Area in the early season just so we could get a jump on our ski training. no small feat for a small mountain town ski team at the kid level; Wolf Creek was a good 150 mile round trip.
our coaches, Olympians, were not afraid to do what it takes to get quality training for us.
later in life, i moved to and lived in Pagosa Springs, a tiny hamlet at the foot of the tremendous Wolf Creek Pass and Weminuche Wilderness. there, i developed some of my strongest mountain yogi capacities and wrote a book of poetry called "Pagosa Speaks." (available on our Tribal Catalog)
this morning, while planning to hop over to my old DharmaGrounds to enjoy their 100" of snow already, i tapped into their website:
www.wolfcreekski.com
and read:
"Regrettably, after 30 years of continuous public use, Wolf Creek Ski Area has been ordered to cease and desist from grooming the Cross Country Nordic Track System by demand of the Leavell-McCombs Joint Venture (The Developers of The Proposed Village at Wolf Creek)"
Oh, trust me; the battledance between go(o)d and evil is still alive and profoundly touching in my Beloved Southwest mountains...the mountains of the WF Gods.
May All Ski Area Developers Develop Some Degree Of Higher Consciousness
and i bow to the young kids of Durango and Pagosa Springs, who no longer
have a place to infuse their young spirits with the CHI of what moved me to
Practice that which is go(o)d for All Beings, including and starting with myself.
om so ti,
coach ilg
* photo by Ananda; i still hunger for the sweetest sound to my ears in the Outer World; nordic skis scraping, sliding, gliding, and dancing across a white canvas of snow.
November 18, 2006
Student Feather Finds The Podium; A Month Before Nationals
(sorry don't know what Blogger is doing to my photos these days.)
Philadelphia WF Online Student Mark "Feather" Featherman seems to be coming into Peak Form right on target with a podium one month away from Nationals! i am very 'proud' of how Student Feather has finally dedicated himself to his Early Morning Ritual. Obviously, his Pranic Body is starting to fire him to higher Levels of Fitness while his conventionally-trained competitors just, well, keep getting older and slower! Such is the power of WF Online Coaching!
here is Feather's update to me; edited for reasons of advanced Teachings not suitable for this forum. You can meet and talk with Student Feather in the WF SanghaLounge everyday!
i bow to my Beloved Shishya Feather.
***
Guruji:
I got on the PODIUM, baby, on Saturday. The course was pretty fast, without too many technical sections -- although it had a lot of barriers, four or so. The guy in front, Joe P., usually beats me by 30 seconds or so. The guy on my wheel beat me first cross weekend by almost a minute, but last MAC race I beat him by 30 seconds. Behind him another guy who used to finish way ahead of me, however, this year I've been beating him.
Through the twisty part of the course I stayed on Joe's wheel. The backside of the course was real flat, and into the wind. I wanted to make a selection (there were five of us together), so I went to the front and pulled. I succeeded in dropping everyone but Joe. Then on the next section of the course, with some uphills, Joe gapped me. I got back to him, then he went again and got a gap. He kept it the rest of the race. Meanwhile, there were two guys behind me about 10 seconds. I accelerated again on the backside of the course, and got another ten seconds or so. So it was Joe, about 20 seconds ahead, then me, then two guys twenty seconds back, then everyone else.
I kept it going the rest of the race, and kept reminding myself to just stay upright. It was real cool coming through the start finish each lap and having the announcer say "and Mark Featherman is still leading the 45+ racers." Last lap I saw the other 45+ stand up and start stomping the pedals, to try and come up to me. By that point, I had eased off a little because I thought I had it in the bag. So I accelerated myself and kept the gap to the line. Second place overall, and first place in my age category. What was really cool is that I had brought my 11 year old to the race, so he got to see me get a win. He was even more excited than I.
I was doing the Om Mani Padme Hung chant at certain points in the race, and trying to focus on mula bandha. It's hard for me to bring mula bandha during a race, however, I gave it a shot.
I dedicate the win to you, coach.
Now on to the other disciplines. My "Early Morning Ritual" is going well. I've been slowing down and really trying to dive into the poses. In WF Toilet Yoga®, the "Toilet Pigeon" is a killer! I am still working on uddiyana bandha, that one is hard to hold for more than a few breaths.
Neti and my "WF At-Sink Pranayama" have been going real well. For the first time in years, my nose has not been stuffed in reaction to pollens and allergies. No meds, just neti and pranayama. That's not to say the pranayama is perfect -- I usually have a stuffed nose on the right side, which I have to work to get open.
Yoga: I did the HP Prop Workout this morning. One of my blocks is at the gym, so I did it with two blocks. Even with that OUCH! I'll be hitting it next week with all three blocks. That workout is a killer.
OK, that is all for now. Oh, except I also signed up my first SUNRIDER customer. He's a cyclist I know here who expressed interest earlier this season, then tried to tell me Herbalife was better. I just smiled. And now he's signed up. I think what may have motivated him is that I was a step below him a few years ago, and now I'm a step above -- plus, he has hit his forties and, like me when I turned 40, his metabolism has slowed and he put on a few pounds.
Love, feather
Another HIDDEN WF TEMPLE TEACHING!
Clues In The Forest;
1) The Online Desha Whereupon the DL and WF Warriors Gather...
2) Seek the Cave where Sitting Still is the Top Priority...
3) Veteran Master Online Student Ludgate will meet you there and take you to my most recent Teaching for you...
om so ti,
coach ilg
AfterLife, or Extension of Life?
(click to enlarge)
***
Those who have been through the near-death experience have reported a startling range of aftereffects and changes. One woman said:
"The things that I felt slowly were a very heightened sense of love, the ability to communicate love, the ability to find joy and pleasures in the smallest and most insignificant things about me. . . . I developed a great compassion for people that were ill and facing death and I wanted so much to let them know, to somehow make them aware that the dying process was nothing more than an extension of one’s life."
- Soygal Rinpoche
***
"Be good, do good. This is yoga."
- Swami Rama
***
"As you sow, so shall you reap."
- Yogi Jesus Christ
***
"What goes around, comes around."
- Western Spiritual Saying Hinting At Karmic Consequences of How We Choose To Talk, Think, and Act.
***
"You don't get a Second Chance at Enlightenment in this lifetime; Jump Into Your Path of Soul!"
- coach ilg
*photo by Ananda; coach finishing off a boulder problem, 20' off the deck, in the Santa Monica Mountains, CA
November 17, 2006
Tracking The Master...What IS the meaning of your Sign Off, "Om So Ti"?
STUDENT:
What is the meaning of Om So Ti? I had it translated but my translator said it was an incomplete sentence.
COACH ILG:
well it's hard to find a go(o)d translator these Kali Yuga Daze!
only a recognized Protector of the Dharma is supposed to be able to publicly use that phrase.
it was permitted to me by a Lama from a well known Rinpoche
after years of study within the Chenreezig Meditation Sutras.
it is Tibetan.
it means...
TRACK THE MASTER: here are some footprints...
SanghaLounge...
a WF Lifestyle Principle with which Gandhi enlightened millions...
HAPPY HUNTING!
(track prints courtesy of WF Teacher Haku!)
Meet Pete...and Brad...and dozens of other WF Warriors in the SanghaLounge!
nearly hypothermic after a November training ride,
ironically, the warmest place to be these days?
CHILLIN' out in front of the computer,
surfing the new WF SanghaLounge and rappin' with my Tribal Brothers and Sisters!
(forgive the half-a-thumb in your face!)
my Teachers trained me from elementary school;
"Blessed is he who has no expectations for he shall never be disappointed."
well,
be that Teaching as it is,
still, the premier opening of my WF SanghaLounge, a place for my worldwide students to crash, and chill on the internet and hang out and learn and enjoy the company of our multi-disciplined yogic lifestyle has blown the roof off of ANY subtle expectations i might have harbored!
figgering,"oh gosh, the SanghaLounge will probably just be a cool place for a handful of our most devoted students and fans..."
uhhhh, guess again Coach!
dozens of you have jumped over to the SanghaLounge and let me tell you, my heart is sooooo deeply pleased at the integrity of you all!
here is an Introduction from "Pete" from Yonkers, NY who just registered yesterday:
"Hello all warriors,
I am fairly new to WF, and for the past six months have been reading DL and moving away from sport specific exercise to the light of WF. For more than half my life I have been pounding my legs away on the track and had finally hit a brick wall of knee and lower leg pain. Only WF practice has pulled me toward a sound body and mind. But I have only taken my first step on the path.
I bow to you all and thank coach et al for the effort it takes to sustain the WF SanghaLounge.
pete"
how beautiful of a Warrior does Pete sound? come in and meet him! drop him a line and in-courage him in his WF Practice!
and now that i am burying Hidden WF Teachings deep within the private side caves of the SanghaLounge, the real stalwart WF Warriors are going to have a Divine Blast as they hunt down my Teachings.
after his victorious hunt after the Teaching, Brad from Sherman Oaks, CA posted this in the respective Lounge:
"Noble Coach Ilg,
Profound as all-ways. Your lesson also brings to mind that one should practice being un-happy as well. Get comfortable with dis-comfort. What wild-haired mountain Yogi floated that idea into the ether again?
humble student bg"
***
HOW BAAAAAAAAD DO YOU WANT IT BABY!?!??!
coast to coast warriors of WF appearing daily in the Grand Opening Week of the WF SanghaLounge!
Don't Miss IT!
Contribute to our Electronic Newspaper Rock from the world's original Source of Multi-Disciplined Fitness Warriors!
November 16, 2006
Tracking The Master; HIDDEN WF TEACHING.."Being Happy".
ON "BEING HAPPY"
The Warrior Truth
by coach ilg
11*16*06
hate to tell you this about
all this striving over trying to Be Happy
yet, gotta be dead serious
about Happiness for a second.
important Teaching.
most people?
aint got what it takes to
actually be Happy.
see, to be happy implies the endless verb of being
as in...
{Track The Master...Read the rest of this important Teaching...
i see footprints...
"SanghaLounge"
when there,
remember the 4th WF Lifestyle Principle...
"The Wise Teacher Always Hides The Best Gems From The Insincere Seeker."
WF Productions® Presents...
November 15, 2006
new WF SanghaLounge Is Going OFF!
wow!
what a cool vibe we are already creating!
in less than eight hours our latest "VIP Cave" of WF Warriors Worldwide have posted
a total of 46 articles
and
we have 23 registered users!!!!!
where are YOU?
if you ain't chillin' in the WF SanghaLounge, you are already missing a lot of BEAUTIFUL Tribal Love and Learning!
c'mon, join the VIP Cave!
and CONTRIBUTE!
TEMPLE GONG RINGS: THE WF "SANGHALOUNGE" IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS!
It's another HISTORIC DAY here at the humble, powerful Temple Beneath The Sacred Peak...for today, Oh Mighty Hearted Warriors of WF, i get to kick off our very own, exclusive "VIP CAVE" which i have called, "The WF SanghaLounge"! 
The yogic word, "Sangha" means a community of like-spirited people. Without a strong support group, the spiritual journey is very, very difficult. With a Sangha, the Warrior can rely upon Teachings, Sharings, Offerings, and just be able to "chill out" and talk and hang out with his fellow Tribal Brothers and Sisters without feeling guilty, or threatened by the opinions of "non-Practitioners."
So it is, that i give you a beautiful new Cave for all of us to 'decorate' with our own Dharma Sharings in the years ahead! i will be taking notice of who is actively trying to support this Lounge and the more active YOU contribute, the more stoked i will be to keep releasing more and more Hidden Teachings. Also, i want to use the SanghaLounge for material in my upcoming books...in other words, contribute your stories and insights and hec, maybe your words will make it into one of my upcoming books. "Ripples Mave Waves."
Okay, Registration guidance from Temple Manger Ananda and WF WebMaster Hakado Ru is below.
I look forward to seeing you in the SanghaLounge!
- coach ilg
***
Noble WF Shanga~
There are two steps to participate in the WF SanghaLounge:
1) Go to:
http://www.wholisticfitness.com/dl/sangha/
Since this is a membership perq of being a DL subscriber, you will need to use your DL user name and password to view the SanghaLounge to read the posts (which we will be building up over the years ahead!).
2) If you wish to PARTICIPATE and CONTRIBUTE to the ongoing Sangha discussions we are building (you BETTER!), then simply register as a "member". This requires creating a user name and password.Coach ilg requests that you use your "real name"for this process and throughout the SanghaLounge.No internet nicknames allowed. If you have a WF "Tribal Nickname" just use it like this: joy "ananda"
Note: if you get confused go to INTRODUCTIONS, the first stop under Wholisitc Fitness Sangha. There you can read again the registering process and receive a welcome note from Temple Manager Ananda.
In-joy the forum and SPECIAL THANKS to our beautiful, hard working
WF Web-master & Warrior, John "Hakado-ru"!
Reminder: Once a DL subscriber is in the Sangha, he or she can read any of the posts there. If you want to post a reply to participate in a discussion, the SanghaLounge won't allow you to unless you are a registered member. Being a registered member is as simple as clicking the "Register" button near the top (see attached sample which we have highlighted) and filling out some information about yourself. Coach trusts every one of you to conduct yourself as Noble
Warriors and Warrioress(es). Our Legal Department as well as Coach's book publishers expects all of Coach's Teachings to remain protected within these cyber halls.
November 14, 2006
My Stance On Snowmaking
Typical of small mountain towns, Flagstaff's local ski area has been going through years of legal battles in order to be the first ski area to use 100% reclaimed-water for snowmaking. The local "Native Americans" and "Environmentalists" are up in arms over using what they call, "poop water" upon the Sacred Peak for such trivial activity as skiing.
I do have a stance on this situation, though i remain UnAttached to the eventual outcome. Personally? I would put in Snowmaking and take out the chairlifts!
Below, is a copy of what i sent into the local newspaper. as a Protector of the Dharma, i had to take up my bow, ready my arrow, and take aim at what i felt was the spiritual missing link in all the drama.
Fearless to Speak for that which cannot,
your mountain yogi
photo: i crank a few sacred turns at the Arizona SnowBowl. truly, i cannot imagine my life without skiing in it. i bow to Telemark County, Norway...the birthplace of skiing. great photo by Ananda!
***
There are psychologic, physiologic, and practical advantages to skiing on "pee-pee snow."
Consider a few:
1) Far deeper inspiration to become a more skilled skier...WAY faster!
2) If you do fall? Complimentary "Urine Therapy".
3) Can finally scratch out the 'don't' in all those, "Don't Eat Yellow Snow" stickers.
With our predictable tendency toward obesity and AmeriKanistic drama, we are ignoring the arrow point Teaching of the snowmaking issue: The first and indelible Rule of all Environmental Health begins within our own body:
"Garbage in, Garbage out."
If we eat sacredly?
We ski on sacredness.
If we eat cleanly?
We ski on clean snow.
If we chronically feast upon foul-smelling, synthetic, processed junk?
We ski on the same substance.
i give you
The Modern Sacred Hoop:
Eat consciously, appropriately, and sacredly and we will act consciously, appropriately, and sacredly...even during difficult, confusing situations.
It all boils down - again, and again, and endlessly again - to our integrity in conscious choices and engaged appropriate actions.
All this high and mighty finger pointing and yelling and vandalizing like sugar-addicted kids about "what's sacred and what's not" by we who cannot create a "Stink Beetle" yet create Gods by the dozens reflects a spiritual immaturity that even Dook'o'sliid herself shakes with thunder at our pettiness and ignorance!
The Seen World exists for our spiritual progress. That includes snowmaking as well as basket-weaving. It's what we do with the External World that matters.
As our entire Turtle Island Tribe continues to kill itself each day through obesity and lack of healthy exercise, we blind ourselves to the fact that obesity itself is a by-product of spiritual dis-ease. We waste our spit talking about frozen water particles more molecularly healthy than the food that most Americans eat or the air that we breathe. I know by direct personal and professional experience that skiing is Big Medicine for the soul. I have found that perhaps the most authentic SweatLodge is cardiovascular exercise, such as skiing. It heightens our chances for spiritual appreciation far more than does eating and drinking ourselves into oblivion watching TV.
Let's balance the Talking Stick with the Sweating Stick. Let's turn our eyes inward for sacredness, not just upward.
I recall a profound moment with R. Carlos Nakai after a gig beneath the San Juan Mountains of my childhood home in Durango,
"Your name is Steve, right?"
"Yes sir."
"Were you born here on Turtle Island?"
"Yes sir, I was," I replied nervously before the great Navajo-Ute flutist. His beautiful face then opened into a huge smile and told me with eyes sparkling like summit snows,
"Then, you ARE Native!"
Snowmaking is not a "Native" issue. Nor is it a "Save the Peaks" issue. It's a Warrior's chance to make spiritual progress in harmony within the Dance of It All.
om so ti,
coach steve ilg
On This Day Of Days...
I Gift unto thee, Oh Noble Mighty Hearted WF Warriors,
Soliders of the Inner Spirit,
Chieftains of your OWN Chi - not someone else's perception of It -
my humble and all-Ways spontaneous post-Early Morning Ritual Prayer
from the Temple Garden, here at your Tribal Teepee Beneath
The Sacred Peak...
May your Practice be strong, sincere, and full of sweat-induced inSight,
your loving coach
***
"With hands folded at heart,
with knees bent into heart,
close to Mother Earth i bow in Yogi Squat
before You
on this Day of Days...
i bow to the 3 Jewels;
to Buddha, the King who looked within,
grabbed His internal locks and never fidgeted His body or mind
until Enlightenment for the Sake of All Beings;
to the Dharma;
the Dance of the gunic waves which manifest in the seductive illusion
of Lila. may all Warriors on this day penetrate via one pointed
concentration - like the Buddha - each molecular veil and
take Sacred refuge in that which is Beyond the External;
to the Sangha;
the collective Forms and Names whose struggles and joys within the Dance of Dharma
fuel my own inspiration to Serve that which can Nourish the Internal and Lighten
the Load of the UnAwakened Mind and Body.
To Thee i squat and pray on this most Amazing Day of Days
known as,
to-Day.
With this Conscious Breath, i begin my own unique Dance
to(this)day.
Help me Serve well,
Sweat well,
Still well,
and
Be well.
Om-men.
November 13, 2006
Coach's Potent Dharma Arrows Strike H(om)e For Student MC
Dearest Coach,
The Dharma is flowing so powerfully from the sacred peak!
Your DL today on the preparation needed for meditation was much needed by this NY boy. If not mindful, this feeble student can easily fall back into a real bad NY attitude - go and get it now -- instant gratification baby!
So much work to be done!
I will continue to use sankalpa to continue start again and again each and every day. Many thanks for your guidance and most importantly your example.
Namaste,
mc
{Temple Archive Photo; Noble WF Online Student MC gets checked out by Coach before 'pulling plastic' during his Private Training Intensive last summer. Location: Vertical Relief, an indoor climbing gym in Flagstaff.}
PREPARATION BEFORE MEDITATION; Part I
Oh Mighty Hearted Warriors,
The Sacred Peak, yesterday morning. Many of you have commented on the profound and consistent quality of DL's content since i left my Yoga Teaching Mission in Los Angeles last spring to return to my Beloved Southwest. I only wish i could take credit for the cascade of Dharma, so unique and practical, that flows through this keyboard. Credit and Merit must go only to Brahman and the Prana flowing off the Sacred Peak...all i do is keep myself as Empty as Possible Each Morning In Early Morning Rituals so i can Listen and Feel Accurately. The following DL is another such Divine Gift for all of us to enjoy.
May all Beings Everywhere Go Quiet Each Day and reLearn again and again,
how
to
Listen more Accurately to the Divine Whispers...
head bowed to your Devoted Practice,
may this DL help...
om so ti,
your loving coach
***
WHAT HAPPENED TO PREPARATION BEFORE MEDITATION?
by coach ilg
"In the state of pure awareness, the mind is not disturbed with any kind of movement. The purpose of all meditation practice is to train the mind to perceive this pure awareness."
- Lama Karma Rinchen
these Kali Yuga* days are inDeed dangerous for the sincere aspirant wishing to learn "how to meditate."
there are many meditation "experts" out there these days whose books, lectures, and scintillating other forms of presentations actually just confuse the nuts-and-bolts coaching from the Ancient Masters. 
it now requires Wise Discrimination from the spiritual seeker to sort through all the fluff and clutter from the many "experts"...some of whom have yet to wear thin their own sitting cushions or develop an Elegant and Durable Sitting Posture. to 'teach' meditation is actually an oxymoronic phrase. without a doubt, the Highest and Most Treasured Instructions that any Teacher can impart are the guidances toward executing genuine, considerate care and coaching of their students most important tool; the mind.
3 PREPARATORY VARIABLES FOR MEDITATION
for most beginners, Meditation doesn't lead anywhere. newbies to the sitting cushion get quickly disgruntled, uncomfortable, and write off Meditation as, "just too weird."
they "don't have the time," comes the quick and easy rationalization.
i must differ.
all we have is time, when you Stop
and
contemplate it.
the factors that sends most people's Meditation efforts into conniption fits can be found within their lifestyle in the months and years preceding their noble attempt to quiet the fluctuations of their thought patterns. what i am pointing out, is that most of us were not well coached in the preparatory arts, skills, and disciplines which must be followed before trying to Meditate.
i will say this again because it is such an ignored and abused and under-appreciated field; not enough PREPARATION is being practiced by most people before beginning to meditate. we just want to jump right from where we are, with all our weaknesses, addictions, and negative tendencies - straight into a blissful, powerful, productive meditative state.
it doesn't work that way.
i have previously Taught you that Meditation is not something you DO,
Meditation is a Training Effect from that which precedes it:
* Fitness of Body,
* Purification of Nadis (subtle neural anatomy), and
* Mental Cleanliness.
PURIFY AND BALANCE BEFORE AMPLIFYING YOUR MIND
without steadfast work on the Three Preparatory Variables i have pointed out above, Meditation will only amplify that which is already weak and ignorant within us. there are no shortcuts around the body, nor her subtle anatomy, to get access to Mental Fitness Development (although most intellectual-based experts will attempt to lead you otherwise).
Patience is one of the most defining hallmarks of a spiritual athlete. i do not know why we are so impatient when it comes to knowing our own mind.
what is so terribly wrong with pacing ourselves over the course of our life so that when we reach our final Ashrama (Stage of Life) around 75 chronologic years, we can be truly fit, clean, and pure in body and mind to really begin the Highest Production work of Meditation?
why should such long-term pacing of our most innate friendship (our ego with our true mind) be so such a terribly conflicting yoga?
perhaps because of my Cardio Discipline**, i no longer fight yet take delight in the Art of Pacing. perhaps, more meditation "experts" would do well to explore their own Cardio Discipline as a preparatory Inner Tool to learn more about Patience in spiritual work and pass such Patience onto their students?
Buddha did not show Nirvana to His listeners. He said, "Question what I say to you by your Direct Experience."
Jesus did not show Heaven to us. He only hinted at It's endless existence within each of us and we had to crucify the poor bastard because of it. then, we sat dumbfounded in our Ignorance as He Ascended, and in His Light was the Dark Shadow of what we did to Him and still crucify Him each day when we do not honor our body, speech, and actions appropriately.
Patanjali coached us right off the bat; "Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind-waves." Uh, yeah, right. No worries, mate!
to Engage a release from grasping,
to Engage a release from tension (suffering),
to Embrace a Higher Mental Tranquility
requires a scientific process of Self,
right from where we are;
and where we are is in a state of spiritual slumber...though we are beginning to Stir.
what did your mommy teach you about disturbing someone who is sleeping?
gently, kindly, and lovingly nudge them Awake.
do not try to shock them Awake.
doing so is violent.
Wholistic Fitness
will always Teach you naturally according to your own inclinations, capacities, and level of attainment. Trust me. It's easy and profitable to SHOCK people and TURN THEM ON to "high meditation techniques' yet i say unto you Oh Noble and Patient Ones,
that is not Yoga.
that is harmful.
that is not the Way to a truly go(o)d body and mind.
"Preparation before Meditation."
you heard it here; from the humble, powerful Temple beneath the Patient Peak.
Stay close to the Tribal Campfire,
soon i will Teach those preliminary steps toward Meditation.
om so ti,
coach ilg
••••
Notes:
picture of Coach Ilg in meditation in the WF Zendo. do NOT republish this unique Dharmashot.
* = the present epoch of spiritual decline that began with the death of Lord Krishna in 3002 B.C.E.
** = one of the Five Noble Fitness Disciplines inherent to the Path of Wholistic Fitness
November 11, 2006
TriAngle Posture; A WF Perspective
Uddiyana Q &A With WF Teacher Ananda
photo; coach demonstrates the 'sucking upward' action inherent to a strong uddiyana bandha performance.
{Coach's Note: the following was lifted from the WF SanghaLounge, premiering November 15th}
STUDENT:
my awareness of uddiyana bandha first shifted when you showed me how to do it at WF intensive. what i was aware of is that i simply never felt like i had a firm hold on it. then i read in "Light on Pranayama" that the abdominal wall is contracted at the end of an exhale, and from there Uddiyana Bandha may be engaged with Jalandhara Bandha.
TEACHER ANANDA:
Okay, here is the main difference in the way Coach and i teach Uddiyana Bandha with all respect to Mr. Iyengar.
As you inhale, draw your navel in and up. Note: the belly should not expand out.
As you exhale, the breath moves upward toward the Heart Center, if not out through the Crown of your Head.
Do not let the belly expand after the exhalation.
Go directly into your next inhale, drawing the navel in and up, and continue through the cycle as i described.
At no time, unless it gets top intense and you need to back off the exercise, should the belly "pooch" out.
And...Yes, you must seal off the root (Mula Bandha) and throat lock (Jalandhara Bandha) for Uddiyana Bandha to be activated.
more to come on this exciting Teaching as your Practice continues to mature.
i'm very proud of you.
Please activate this exercise upon your next session.
i want to hear how this description works for you.
_________________
November 10, 2006
COMING NOVEMBER 15th; THE WF SanghaLounge!!!
If you know someone that is not a DL Subscriber, you betta git his or her well trained butt over to the Tribal Catalog and join now!
cuz,
coming soon is the world premier of the WF SanghaLounge; a Gathering Kiva for WF Students and DL Subscribers
which features interactive forums covering all aspects of the wonderful world of WF...here are some glimpses...you and i will build this Electronic Newspaper Rock each day and we get to meet each other and learn from each other in our Tribal Ways.
I am very moved to be able to provide this unique feature to you and i am not charging anything extra above the already nominal fee for a DL Subscription...
tell your friends, your training partners, your family...
tell them to Subscribe to DL before our Launch Date; November 15th and be a Pivotal Part of our Coming Together like never, ever before!
om so ti,
coach ilg
Coach's Spontaneous Haiku For A Lonely Shishya
The Way is narrow (5)
lonely for the brave trekker (7)
then, Oh! the colors! (5) 
Headache or...Headstand; you choose!
Millions of acetaminophen pills recalled
By ANDREW BRIDGES
Associated Press Writer
Friday, November 10, 2006 8:04 AM CST
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A pill designed to give people relief from headaches is instead causing them.
Consumers are having to read the fine print on bottles of acetaminophen to see if the ones in their medicine cabinet are being recalled because of possible contamination with metal.
Perrigo Co. said Thursday it was recalling 11 million bottles of acetaminophen after finding bits of metal, including portions of wire as long as one-third of an inch, in some of the 500-milligram pills it made.
In a related story,
history itself has not recalled the eon-old yoga posture, "Sirsasana," or "Headstand" as an indisputable and proven drug-free way to erase headaches and to impart countless glandular, organic, and emotional health over the course of a human life span.
Although some human's such as WF Students, see the obvious advantage of choosing yoga over pills to combat the queer stressors inherent to modern life in America, millions of others do not. When asked why they do not do yoga instead of becoming addicts to prescription and over the counter drugs, most replied,
"Yoga? Exercise? No thanks. That takes time and effort and well, I am far too busy for that."
*photo by Ananda of Coach enjoying the standard HP Yoga® version of Sirsasana on Red Fox Deck, WF Temple H(om)e.
November 09, 2006
Today's DL Was Some HOT SHIT!!!
oh, i must say, your DL posting today (Nov 9) was some HOT SHIT. i like. i continue to be surprised by the connections between my daily life and your DL postings...and you can be an athlete upon the throne of the porcelain gods.
-b
{"b" whose Tribal Nickname is "yogi ben" has been seen in DL recently and is one of my bicycle racing training bros here in Flag as well as a very strong HP Yogi. Because of his CHI FORCE, i asked Yogi Ben to write the Forward for my new updated version of my "AI IMAWA book and DVD" coming soon!}
Another DL Found It's Mark!
Noble Coach Ilg,
Really enjoyed today's DL. I must admit, when I first saw pictures of toilet yoga my reaction was, "What the f$^%!?" Today, I really grasped for the first time the fullness of the concept, "The way we do anything is the way we do everything." Suddenly toilet yoga seems simple, almost obvious. Why, in the pursuit of Mindfulness, would you do anything mindlessly?
Another Ilgian dharma arrow found its mark!
Om So Ti,
humble student bg
coach's note; the artwork above is a contribution to the WF Temple by "humble student bg" (aka; Brad Gantt of Sherman Oaks, CA). i bow to your Devotion to our Path and i LOVE your artwork! watch for this to grace the landing page of WF.com soon!
Don't Overcomplicate WF! My Message Is Simple and Powerful and Proven!
"Meditation is bringing the mind back home, and this is first achieved through the practice of mindfulness." - Sogyal Rinpoche. If we just Practice the first Lifestyle Principle of WF; Breath and Posture, we would all become Awakened very quickly. Even going to the bathroom becomes an exquisite meditation in Elegant Consciousness. Do not overcomplicate my LifeWork; WF is a very simple and powerful Path. It is often invisible, yet tremendously transformative. All you have to do is Practice the very first WF Lifestyle Principle today, and you will See.
- Coach Ilg, during a section of his trademarked, "Early Morning Ritual" which has been in use for WF Online Students for many years. Note the activation of the Internal Yogic Locks as taught to you in previous DL's. Photo by Ananda.
So often people try to complicate Wholistic Fitness. It is very simple. Just re-read the WF Sutra section in my TBT book, you will be reMinded how uncomplicated is a WF Lifestyle. Or better, just read my book, BE GOOD TO YOUR BODY THERAPY. Can't get much more simple than that!
WF is a Path of Higher Consciousness. Using everyday lifestyle and the necessity of regular fitness endeavor, WF injects the notion of developing Conscious Elegance During Difficulty to awaken us in spiritual ways.
Our first Lifestyle Principle of WF is the most important. If you only work on that first Lifestyle Principle which is "Breath and Posture" you will become Awake very quickly. Such is the Transmission Power of this Path.
When you walk, practice walking with Elegant Consciousness. If you practice walking with Elegant Consciousness, do you know what happens?
A trickle-down training effect comes naturally. That is to say, you will soon begin to sit with Elegant Consciousness.
Then you will begin to speak (both inwardly and outwardly) with Elegant Consciousness.
Then you will begin to listen (both inwardly and outwardly) with Elegant Consciousness.
Then you will begin to do everything in your life with Elegant Consciousness.
If you keep your WF Practice strong by engaging this very first Principle of WF, you may even become one of the few humans to accomplish a most noble and beautiful thing;
you may actually age with Elegant Consciousness and perhaps,
enter your Death Moment and the Bardo Realm with
Elegant Consciousness.
That my Noble Friends along the Path, is what is called; Yoga.
Yoga requires Discipline. And, as Swami Rama says,
"Discipline is just regulating and directing your energy in the right direction; it is not a prison."
Today, may your Elegant Posture be the gateway toward your Elegance of Consciousness.
What if EVERYBODY practiced WF in this simple, uncomplicated, and proven Way toward Transformation?
From Beneath The Sacred Peak on this Day of Days, Let this be my Message to you. Do not overcomplicate my LifeWork for you, okay? Keep it simple. Keep WF within your Posture.
om so ti,
your loving coach
November 08, 2006
SWEAT MAGAZINE INTERVIEW WITH COACH ILG
Once called, "America's Outdoor Athlete," by OUTSIDE MAGAZINE,
coach steve ilg, now at age 44, is still setting Course Records such as
shown above at this years mountain duathlon; The Gaspin' In The Aspen
in Flagstaff, Arizona. Below, SWEAT MAGAZINE asked him about his
recent win at that event:
SWEAT: Did you enjoy the event? Why?
COACH ILG: I consider the Gaspin' In The Aspen Mountain Duathlon to be the premier off-track multi-sport event in Northern Arizona. Having podium placings in both the Short and Long Courses, I can assure any outdoor athlete that he or she will find this event to be peerless in terms of quality, intensity, and race organization. The Courses challenge kinesthetic fitness as well as aerobic and strength endurance. I deeply enjoy races that test an athlete's overall mind and body.
SWEAT: How was the course?
COACH ILG: Located on ponderosa and aspen terrain laced by volcanic rock outcroppings all at an elevation in excess of 8,000', this event produces a training effect that sizzles the spirit. I train on these courses during all times of the year and rare is the workout that does not include wildlife encounters with wapiti, deer, wild turkey, and coyote.
SWEAT: What was the most challenging part?
COACH ILG: The art of pacing is nearly always the most challenging part of any multi-sport outdoor race. When to be "yang" and explosive must be balanced with the "yin" of steady, sustainable effort that maximizes your highest average speed without 'blowing up' is, to me, the most challenging part. The outdoor athlete must develop an intuitive wisdom, based upon direct experience, that dictates when to take risks on the mountain bike and when to back off. By developing a continual flow of mindfulness, the outdoor athlete then becomes a yogi.
SWEAT: How was the weather?
COACH ILG: The weather is always perfect. Weather cannot be but perfect. It's a reflection of spiritual immaturity that an outdoor athlete superimposes emotions upon weather.
SWEAT: What are you training for next?
COACH ILG: As a Wholistic Fitness® warrior, I train for Enlightenment. Sport Performances and my podium placings, and the continued success's of my students are by-products from my own spiritual Practice of Wholistic Fitness®. Specifically, however, I am planning to defend for the third year, a Title at the Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon in Grants, New Mexico in February. Before that, however, I do have several nordic ski and snowshoe racing events on my schedule.
i bow to you from beneath the Sacred Peak,
coach steve ilg
Flagstaff, Arizona
Steve Ilg is a mountain yogi, an online yoga and fitness teacher, and the author of five books, including TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION (Hyperion, 2005). He is the creator of www.WholisticFitness.com and High Performance Yoga®. He has competed in 5 World Championships in 4 physiologically diverse sports.
photos by www.myracepics.com
November 06, 2006
Note to Flagstaff Yogins
stretching into a wonderful feeling; Ananda modifies Utthita Parsvakonasana during our hike up Fryman Canyon in LA
Most Noble HP Yogins Beneath The Sacred Peak,
you betta believe that Ananda and i will be cranking back across the Mojave tomorrow and planning to Teach at 7:00 pm...
see you in the Cave!
let's do our best to keep our Practice strong,
together!
love,
coach and ananda
November 05, 2006
Hangin In Hollywood 'hood; Day Three
Namaste Noble Warriors!
well, the speed of LA (or, "Pueblo Grande" as i like to call her) has certainly not decreased since my last visit six months ago. 
my former hometown seems set on a sprinter's pace and, the signs of the wear and tear on people's bodies and minds are evident to me, now that i live away from her. after teaching to a WONDERFUL gathering of my ol' HP Yoga Students in Brentwood on Saturday, Ananda went down to Venice to take some classes from one her first Teachers while i hooked up with my former racing bro; Steve Marlowe of TBT Cardio Commute fame, to ride my Reseda-To-The-Sea monster ride. we clocked 51.50 mph on our mountain bikes (well, i was on "Nalanda", my cross bike} on one descent while sizzled in sweat up the Paseo Miramar 10 mile climb up from the ocean. GOTTA LOVE dat! 
Was able to visit my SHRINE of ALL VEGETARIAN FOOD RESTAURANTS, the lil' ol' hole in the wall joint, "Leonor's" just a motorcycle throttle wheelie away from us on Whitsett and Moorpark. If i could bring ONE THING from LA with me back to Flag? This place would be it!
Ananda showed me her REMARKABLE "Fence Vinyasa" yoga routine after hiking Fryman Canyon (that's my sport bike next to beautiful Ananda..."Sukhavarti", this bike is just a little bit waaaaaaaaay too much fun! practical, too. on Sukhavarti? traffic is nothing but a fleeting, moving meditation. love it!, oh, and yes, i love Ananda, too!)
tomorrow we're doing a bit of business, and are targeting Shiva Rea's yoga class down in Venice. after a 3.50 hour training ride today and my class on Saturday, and hiking and gym work on Friday, seems like you can take the mountain yogis out of the mountains, however,
you ain't gonna take the multidisciplined yoga out of the mountain yogis!
i'll keep doing my best to update you.
only wish you coulda been at my Yoga Class on Saturday, where i introduced my first professional teaching of what turned out to be a fantastic key for the gathered yogis...a Teaching of Internal Locks which i have called, "Watch Your Practice." the input that i received after class on this Teaching was fantastic. Totally unique to HP Yoga, and i truly feel that like so much of our humble, yet powerful Path, this Teaching is truly going to prove to a pivotal, instrumental go-to technique for those Warriors who did what was required to come and see me on Saturday. if professional response continues to be so positive, i will do my best to include this Teaching in an upcoming book. However, even in my books, the Direct Transmission is lost.
i suppose that is why my really faithful Students like Heather Leu booked a plane flight from San Franscisco to come to my Master Class in LA on Saturday.
Om Namah to Heather, and the rest of those sweating, glowing yogis in Brentwood. it was deep honor to be with and share the Sacred Sweat and Stillness with you..
om so ti,
coach ilg
November 04, 2006
Hangin in Hollywood Hood
ahhhh...
sport bikes, babes, and the incredible Vibe of LA!
sorry BLOGGER is not letting me post pics...
yet wanted to just drop my Noble Sangha a Direct Line
before Ananda and i go teach in Brentwood.
Let it be known that yes, yes i do Love LA!
palm trees,
warm, soft as velvet air
laced with a pranic punch so sweet that even the Metro Bus's sway to it.
some of you that are new to DL might wonder how a Mountain Yogi adapts like water to the Big Smoggy City.
answer is; my Teachers made me.
They told me that the genuine yogic warrior learns how to adapt to all environments; we consider it Bardo Training like everything else. people that get down on Big Cities might do well to look with and find the Seed of Fear that might be responsible for making them just too scared to Rise Up to what is required to live in one. That Seed of Fear was as big as a Ponderosa in my spirit. Yet, worse than i once "hated" Big Cities, was my hate of Being Afraid To Develop Skills to Deal With My Fears.
To make sure that narrow mindedness and lack of skills did not hammper my own personal journey was vital to me. Thus, i have lived in both New York City and Los Angeles as part of my spiritual training and i know that my courage to Rise Above my Fear in this way has made me a far better person, a more balanced yogin, and a more equipped spiritual athlete.
Ananda and i have a beautiful little condo coddled in the intersection of Lankershim and Magnolia in the very hip and vibrant Theatre District of "NoHo". It truly is sooo totally fun here in North Hollywood. The access is quick to Muholland Drive and the ocean canyons, and everyone seems so, well, young, fit, and beautiful. That realization used to scare me. Now, i find it as charming as the crush of ever blooming flowers that jump out everywhere here in So Cal. Especially here in the TVVLAND of NoHo, where nearly everyone is a struggling or working actor, the Vibe to Drive Higher is like living in an Olympic Village. I can dig that Vibe. I like it. It helps keep me focused on my own Podiums, both inner and outer.
Besides, the juxtaposition of living in Flagstaff and chillin' in LA is just a little tooooo go(o)d!
instead of Puja yesterday morning, it was...okay, i admit it; a Pumpkin Latte at Starbucks! and it was GREAT! i watched one of my Most Fierce Upa Guru's= the LA Metro Buses. can i even TELL you how many times these buses have nearly killed your ol' coach during the hundreds of training miles i have logged on LA Streets? talk about enhancing my bike skills! yeah baby! bring it on! better to die in the gutter, slaughtered by a Metro Bus, than live in a car like a bleating sheep, too afraid to stand up and PEDAL to help Mother Earth and Father Sky!
I will do best to post some pics of our day yesterday, whereupon Ananda took me for a hike in Fryman Cayon, her Sacred Workout Loop where she trained herself and put her private clients through utter hell.
sorry, losing Internet Connection...
more soon...
i can't WAIT to teach in Brentwood today!
maybe i will see YOU there
November 02, 2006
Lust
Namaste Coach,
"Of all the worldly passions, lust is the most intense. Make proper use of it."
-Buddha-
This Quote showed up today, how crazy is that.
Looking forward to the next Cycle.
Have a great Day
tb.
Coach's Practice Stat's For Oct; Making No BONES About Consistency and Effectiveness of Wholistic Training!
throughout my life, a Rainbow of Inner Wealth has always seemingly splashed upon my high mountain autumns...
the Temple Cats curl into cozy fur balls. it requires great restraint to walk past them without wanting to just...just...well, you know...
my Early Morning Kin-Hin Meditations and Rituals before the Garden Buddha take on new layers of concentration whilst the flesh of my fingers freeze. the Buddha did not flinch in the Cold Bardo; neither, i resolve, shall i! 
consistent frosts now spark the time to prune trees and shrubs, inviting a new layer of genuine Feng Shui to the Temple Grounds. Gardening now becomes deep and potent meditations.
even wearing YogaToes®, a traditional Temple Practice must be cleverly arranged beneath warm socks!
i have always Taught you that High Performance pivots upon the Self Discipline of Abhyasa (steadfast Practice).
My Practice Stats from October:
Oct
Strength Training = 3 Hours down by 2 from Sept.
Cardio = 39.25 Hours or 1.26 per day. down by 3/4 hour
Yoga = 58.25 Hours or 1.87 hours per day; up by 6.25 hours
Meditation = 46.25 Hours or 1.50 hours per day up by 1.25 hours
Nutrition = average of 1,692/kcals day; up by 97 kcals
why am i so big on Preparing the internal body for High Performance?
Because the Inner Discipline manifests in the Results...
from those Practice Stats came these Results:
Oct. 1; 7th place; War Dog Half Marathon Mountain Run (except i turned it into a Duathlon!)
Oct. 7; Win and set a new Course Record at the Gaspin' In The Aspen Mountain Duathlon.
Oct. 14; 3rd Place in 40-49 at the Soulstice Mountain Trail Race (except, i turned it into a Duathlon!)
oh sure, you might think my Mr. Bones transformation mighta scared the schnoodle outta the kids on Halloween, right?
well, you're damn right! me and my Lovely Witch plus a few of my Goblin Friends sent kids screaming down Darleen Drive!
once again, Two Tree Manor was the best Fright Night Place in the neighborhood! Wait till you see what i got planned for NEXT YEAR! Let's keep the Inner Child alive during Halloween; dressing up is important for our Ritual Self!
well,
off to LA to teach on Saturday in Brentwood!
kinda hard...
okay REALLY hard to leave the Sacred Peak these special days,
yet,
both Ananda and i look forward to Serving our Big City Sangha...
you can see our flyer on the WF website under Upcoming Events.
my intent is to keep DL fluid during my trip, however, just know that i love you most
when your Practice is strongest, sincerest, and most of all; Surrendered into Grateful Appreciation for this amazing, Blessed earthwalk that you and i share...
Dance in your bones,
until you shatter yourself, said Rumi...
head bowed,
Mr. Bones
ps NOTE: do NOT attempt to mimic my Practice Stats; particularly my extremely low caloric intake vs. my high daily caloric output. you WILL get injured and risk damage to subtle anatomy. i have been on the Secret Herbs of SUNRIDER for over 20 years and my training in WF is far above yours; again; do NOT attempt to mimic my Training! let us Guide you wisely at your own Levels through my Online Training System!
November 01, 2006
SUN of a...a...an Amazing Higher Source; Solar Images
Courtesy of Teacher Ananda and her Online Teaching with a Noble Student...
The following images are the most recent, full-resolution solar images in ultraviolet ranges from the Goodard Space Flight.
Any of you who under-appreciated Grandfather Sun today probably:
a) were in overcast conditions,
b) have not spent enough time backpacking or winter mountaineering (whereupon one re-learns IMMEDIATELY ones Connection to being a Sun Worshipping Species) or
c) have not been meditating enough.
Namah Grandfather SUN!!!!
Below, i have shown the image of our beautiful Grandfather wearing one of His many suits,
and have also included the relevant "mini sun" or "energy center" or "chakra" within our own bodies
as well as the Healing Gemstone that i use in my private Bodywork/Energywork sessions to help
coordinate the energetics of our own internal cosmos.
May This Offering Help Inspire The Expansion Of Your Own Comprehension Of Body/Mind/Spirit Fitness...
om so ti,
coach ilg
***
manipura, amber/citrine/yellow topaz
anahata, green tourmaline
visshudha, sodalite or lapis lazuli or kyanite
svadhishthana, rhodochrosite
ps;
Hatha Yoga, remember, means; Sun/Moon Yoga...if you chronically hide from our Sun and Moon (under-appreciate, under-inhabit), then you are losing the deepest, most Ancient root of where Yoga was born; The Sun and Moon. We don't call them "Sun Salutations" for nothing...spend a few days, naked as possible, out in the backcountry...feel at your Cell Level just how deeply you appreciate the Rising Warmth of Grandfather Sun and RESPECT the coming of Grandmother Moon! Heat/Cold. Light/Dark. The true modern yogin has made huge efforts to spend vast volumes of his or her life naked, alone, beneath the yawning, dawning, and triumphant glare of each of these most pivotal Sources in our lives.
for more:
http://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/images/latest.html