December 22, 2006
The Grinch Who SnowShoed Christmas?
"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?"
- Dr. Seuss
***
Coach,
i can feel your good vibes just from the tiny lines of this Internet, and i have not yet begun my formal training. How cool is that? So excited to be heading on a journey towards some Rarified Ether. Wow! Powerful words!
Peace
rich paul
{newest WF Online Student Rookie recently accepted into Formal WF Online Studies under coach ilg; send him go(o)d luck! not many persevere in the Steepest, most Direct Path of Transformation; WF Online Studies!}
photo of coach by Bill Galen during film footage of our soon to be released DVD; Flight Without Wings; Sport SnowShoeing Basics. pre-orders accepted via the Tribal Catalog; DO NOT MISS THE CHI!
Labels: Cardio, Student Testimonial, WF Inspiration
December 19, 2006
2006 HIGH PERFORMANCE YOGI OF THE YEAR GOES TO...
For the past year beneath the Sacred Peak, Ananda and i have brought the Fire and Light of the Steep, Direct Path of HP Yoga - the yogic subdiscipline of Wholistic Fitness - to a small Warrior Tribe of Seekers fearless to do the Inner Work.
Among them was one warrior, whose appearance in the Cave each week was as steadfast as the arrival of Grandfather Sun's and Grandmother Moon's dance across the sensual shape of the Sacred Peak. (photo of the Sacred Peak by coach, last week)
The final HP Yoga Class of 2006 was a well advertised "HP Yoga Strong Flow" that brought out only the Highest of Warriors...including our 2006 HP Yogi of the Year; Dr. Bob. From L-R; top row: chris, ben, sara, maria,valerie. bottom row; L-R: Teacher Ananda, 2006 HP Yogi of the Year Dr. Bob, and coach. not shown; photographer and our newest HP Yogi; Bill.
It is with deep honor that i give to the worldwide WF Sangha; Dr. Bob Morrissey of Flagstaff, Arizona as my 2006 High Performance Yogin of the Year!
Dr. Bob, as is his HP Yogi name, racked up 44 HP Yoga Classes this year,
demonstrating the epitome of Warrior Consistency (Abhyasa), a number which is quite something considering i only offer one class per week.
Dr. Bob received a "HP Yogi Warrior Of The Year" certificate along with a very
special Rudraksha Mala from Coach that has been simmering in the WF Temple Zendo for an entire year. (For the yogic story of Rudraksha Beads, visit the DIRECT LINES cave in the WF SanghaLounge!).
A champion flying disc athlete as well as a devoted distance runner, Dr. Bob is the precise type of multi-disciplined Warrior that hallmarks a HP Yogi. It ain't fancy poses that gets a Warrior to Enlightenment; it is Discipline across the human capacities. And Dr. Bob is unafraid to go for long mountain runs directly into a HP Yoga Class; perfect! His journey through HP Yoga
has produced a long string of insights, muscle aches, and ever ascending chi!
DL was lucky enough to nab a sparse interview with the seemingly yet not really agoraphobic Doctor
before autographic hounds surrounded the esteemed Sadhaka Turned Swami:
DL: Dr. Bob, what do you think of your HP Yogi Award and the special Rudraksha Mala from coach?
Dr. Bob: oh God, that was my worse class i ever. i hurt. that was tough.
DL: Uh, yeah, but what do you think about the recognition?
Dr. Bob: my entire left leg is shaking.
DL: Okay, uh, what was your most memorable moment of the past 44 classes with Coach and Ananda and the Flagstaff HP Yogi's?
Dr. Bob: i think i have to go home now.
Wow, well, there you have it; The Sparse Words From A Tired Champion Warrior Athlete. Hey, this Tribe has allWays been just about the Practice, baby!
COMING UP: The 2006 WF Online Student Of The Year Award! Could it be YOU?!?!
Labels: WF Inspiration, WF News, Yoga
December 18, 2006
A Wall That WF Helped Build...MINDFULLY!
I have to tell you, Oh Noble WF Sangha,
it is an email like this one that makes my heart quiver with Sacred Joy...
to think that Noble Warrior Tom was reflecting on my DL Teachings while
creating such a beautiful formation...wow.
i will only assume that those beautiful flagstones are Arizona Flagstone!
to Noble Student Tom,
tonight? DL is in honor of your exchanging a
"big city" for a "faraway sunset"...
may all CPA's practice a reFormation like you...
you honor the spiritual underpinnings of WF in your skill and bravery,
jingle bells and flagstone that is appreciated,
coach ilg
***
Coach-
Are your t's all cotton? If so, I need some large ones...
And your book of poems...
here is a picture of my "competition" a reformed cpa and now a practicing stonemason..i shaped and squared every stone ..placed every one..
anyhow...much respect to you and joy.
Tom
Labels: Student Testimonial, WF Inspiration
Trust In The Master, Ascend the Mountain; No Matter What
One great master in the nineteenth century had a disciple who was very thick-headed. The master had taught him again and again, trying to introduce him to the nature of his mind. Still he did not get it. Finally, the master became furious and told him:
Look, I want you to carry this bag full of barley up to the top of that mountain over there. But you must not stop and rest. Just keep on going until you reach the top.
The disciple was a simple man, but he had unshakable devotion and trust in his master, and he did exactly as he had been told. The bag was heavy and it took him a long time.
At last, when he reached the top, he dropped the bag. He slumped to the ground, overcome with exhaustion, but deeply relaxed. All his resistance had dissolved, and with it his ordinary mind. At that instant, he suddenly realized the nature of his mind. He ran back down the mountain, and, against all convention, burst into his masters room.
I think I have got it now!I have really got it!
His master smiled at him knowingly.
So you had an interesting climb up the mountain,did you?
- Sogyal Rinpoche
photos:
1) The WF Temple Medicine Wheel receives a grace of snow before the Holidays. photo by coach
2) craig ilg, early morning, hiking out of the Grand Canyon, Bright Angel Trail. photo by coach.
Labels: WF Inspiration
December 17, 2006
Coach Denied Cat. 3 Upgrade; Gets MTB Expert Upgrade
"I've always said that a WF Warrior must be content with being an 'Endless Beginner'!"
Coach shows the "Oh Well!" gesture after a very cold and windy Club Training Ride of 53 miles averaging 18.3 mph. A former Category 2 Racer a long time ago and Coach to several "Hall of Fame" cyclists, Coach was denied an Upgrade to a Category 3 from a 4 in spite of top ten and podium finishes in nearly every race he entered last season. He was, however, upgraded to "Expert" Category in MTB racing, a level where he also used to race at in Colorado in the eighties. Coach did not race bikes for over a decade during his Los Angeles "spiritual mission" of Yoga Teaching in the big city. At 45 years old, how high can the MultiDisciplined Mountain Yogi and Teacher re-climb the high Standard of Cycling once again?
"I don't know," he replied, "however, as a Spiritual Athlete, it does not matter what Category you race in. What matters is that you develop the Will Power to overcome negative habits of mind that prevent you from toeing the Start Line and doing your Best against your peers. Will Power helps us overcome the desires that lead us away from our Inner Self. The only Race to win that matters to me is the Human Race; my desire is to stand on top of the Podium of the Human Race; to be Enlightened. Because i have chosen to be a Teacher more than a Sadhaka, it might take me many more lifetimes, however,
i have learned a thing or two about pacing this lifetime, and i Know that i am on pace for Enlightenment. This is what turns me on, not getting Category upgrades against sport-specific athletes! i learned long ago that to be a Master of Wholistic Fitness is synonymous with being an Endless Beginner."
***
Dear Steve Ilg,
The following request to change your USCF category has been denied by USA Cycling:
Member: Steve Ilg
License: Road Racer
Request to change category from Cat 4 to Cat 3
Member Explanation/Resume:
2006 Race Results
6/4 Sandia Crest Hill Climb 4th Place/1st in 40+
7/29 SnowBowl Hill Climb 6th Place/2nd in 40+
7/30 Wupatki Road Race 8th place/1st in 40+
8/19 Old Fashioned MTB Race 3rd Place/1st in 40+
8/26 AZ State RR Championships 6th Place in 40-44
Request was denied on 2006-12-15 16:31 by Donald Melhado
USA Cycling Response from Donald Melhado:
Steve
I have denied your cat 3 upgrade request because masters races and MTB races do not count for upgrade points - - you may use masters races for a cat 3 upgrade with an "experience" upgrade - 25 mass start USCF races with 10 top 10 finishes or 20 "pack" finishes with fields of more than 50.
Don Melhado
USCF administrator
Labels: WF Inspiration, WF News
December 15, 2006
Once upon a time...Sister WF Warriors Unite In SanghaLounge
In Light of Sister Warriors Everywhere..iza Here, baby!!!
Once upon a time, in the ocean of lost angels, a coach came along.. and he said 'your practice has begun'... well, it did.. and you know the rest. So in the high desert of this cyber city and with the ceremonious making of sacred sweat, i will learn to begin endlessly again. This lil' warioress is humbly graced by Steve and Om Shanti Beloved Joy, and would like to acknowledge all their devoted work and fierce dedication. Namaste.
i love you both.
Karen C
***
meet WF Warrioress Karen and a growing number of other Warrrioress's in the WF SanghaLounge! Complimentary Lounging to all DL Subscribers!
Labels: Student Testimonial, WF Inspiration
December 14, 2006
Holiday Spirit...on mini skis!
okay,
for some of us mountain yogi's the Holiday Spirit hits in different ways...
two days ago, i was again the first local to ski down our local ski area from top to bottom.
this may not seem that great, i know.
however,
i was first because
1) the ski area was closed
and
2) a third of the mountain only had an average of a few inches,
not even enough to cover the smallest of rocks.
now, what kind of a WF Warrior would i be if i was afraid of a few (million) rocks to bother my enjoyment of skiing, eh?
hey, welcome to Skiing in Arizona, baby! you gotta REALLY be creative if you are skier living here!
here, let me take you along...
Fresh Snow!
wake up...see that the Peak has been Blessed with new snow...crank off Early Morning Ritual (tm), prioritizing my "old faithful" routine; The Rock Vinyasa (tm), which is a sure cure for overcoming a stiff lower back and freeing up the Power Chain Musculature of the hips (see my DL on the hips earlier this week)...with my internal engine pre-lubed with Pranayama, Meditation, and Rock Vinaysa, i took a few Action Caps, Sport Caps, Metabalance 44, and BioBuilde and i was Empty, Light, and RARING to go...like allWays! THANK YOU, WF! For being such a TREMENDOUS best friend!
first headwall of my 2,635' K'tooled ascent up the ski runs. if it were up to me? i'd vote for snowmaking in exchange for the ski lifts! who needs ski lifts? Snowshoe Thompson didn't! neither does ilg! well, at least when i am training to defend Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon titles! 
within 70 minutes i had plowed, stumbled, and floated up to the highest point of the ski area, the top of the Agassiz chairlift at 11,500'. this is the view looking toward Mt. Humphreys, the highest peak in the Grand Canyon State (according to the records i can find, i have the Ascent/Descent Record of this beast; just under two hours). Hey, the WF Path works because i have been field testing EVERYTHING i teach for a quarter century of elite performance; the SUNRIDER Herbs, the HP Yoga routines, the Strength Training Techniques, all of it, all of it, ALL of it was born and refined in these high cradles of the Mountain Gods. you get the Benefit! 
out of the running crampons and onto the MiniSkis!!!
ahhhh!!! if only there was a World MiniSki Championships...i'd make the podium or die trying! go ahead... laugh at my tiny "kid skis" that i grew up on in Durango, Colorado as a child! you might be surprised at how efficient these little toys can be on the Steeps and the Shallows! you might find yourself hurtin' trying to keep up with ol' coach on these kiddie toys! LOVE IT!!!!!
LAYIN' DOWN (MiniSki) FIRST TRACKS...YEAH BABY!!!!
HOWWWWWWWWWL!!!!!!!!!!!
who SAYS skiing ain't good on the Sacred Peak these days? it is GREAT SKIING for a WF WARRIOR!
we ADAPT to conditions through our ski and bravery to just get out
and
get
it
done!!!!
VIVA LA MINI SKIS!!!!!!!
Seek the Uncommon Path and your Seeking will
eventually
have you
FIND
Wholistic Fitness! The Mt. Everest of Personal Training
Labels: WF Inspiration