Final iDL of 2006!

"The great problem is bringing life
back into the wasteland,
where people live inauthentically."

- Joseph Campbell


Tonight, Ananda and i are going on a moonlight cross country ski with some fellow yogis. Merging into my most treasured sound of ski across snow, we'll each reflect on the past year before returning to our tiny town hunkered at the foot of the Sacred Peak to watch a "Giant Pinecone" drop from the historic Weatherford Hotel at the stroke of midnight into a small droplet of humanity gathered to watch, to wonder, and to welcome a new year coming. A far, welcome cry from when i once got beaten and knifed in NYC after watching the Apple Drop in Times Square. Oh, life!

What a Year of DL's it has been!

Can you even begin to recollect all the Dharma Transmissions that we have shared?

And can we even begin to measure how each one of those DL's have now assumed appropriate vibrational residence within our cells, preparing us for our Journey Higher? Where else can the near daily dosage - each one unique and original - of such body/mind/spirit effort be found?

Nowhere 'cept right Here Now, oh cherished Sisters and Brothers!

READ COACH's TOUCHING FAREWELL TO 2006


***
photo; Ananda goes down while breaking fresh tracks two day ago at the Nordic Center.

In Memory of CD

The Associated Press today titled their story:
Body found on Chinese mountain ID'd

That body belonged to my old climbing friend and mentor, Charlie Fowler.

I could tell you a number of heart thumping and heart warming about Charlie, as could any number of Colorado climbers that tied into a rope with Charlie. The man, now a snow-covered body on a remote mountain in China, was a singular climbing tour de force. His first ascents, his photography, his travel diaries across the world on both rock and ice will continued to be enjoyed by hundreds and thousands of future generation climbers.

I suppose what i am saying is,
"Charlie, your Mountain Spirit will live on, my friend."

I'm going up to the nordic area.

CD, i'll ski a few kilometers on this day of days for you.

it's gonna be okay for you in the Bardo, my friend;
you got this Lead, no worries mate.
for you have trained and performed your entire life to summit that which is often UnSeen.

CD, thank you for living and sharing so fully that which you love to do.


Om Mani Padme Hung,
your ol' bro from back in the day

Links:
Mountain Madness

Charlie Fowler

***

footnote: throughout the late seventies and eighties, i was a sponsored rock,ice, and high mountain athlete. having lived to age 30 when, at 16 i never even imagined i would survive that long, i kept a promise to myself to stop high level climbing and work on other sports, disciplines, and internal arts if i did mange to live to 30. i did. and i kept that promise to myself. that is why i am sure i am still alive to help others through Wholistic Fitness. Sport specificity - the imbalanced Nature of it - inevitably catches up with you.

Especially if you are a world class mountaineer.

iPod + Nike = SacReligion

So, i understand that Nike has merged with iPod and has thus begun a marketing
(read spirit-deconditioning) campaign to convince the UnAwakened masses
that to go for a run without being 'plugged in' is soooo uncool.

feeble ilg wonders,
"Would Steve Prefontaine train and race with an iPod?"
whatever happened to running while listening to and nourishing one's own Divinity!?!

am i the only one left on the planet unable and uncaring to find my iPod before a Cardio workout?

what the hell is so terribly bad about listening the music of self, of breath, of ones own measured footfalls
with the sacred breast of Mother Earth?!?!???!?! i pause and wonder what the Ancient Himalayan trekking Yogis or
or own Ancient Native American footrunners
would think of wearing an iPod while on pilgrimage among the Sacred Peaks?

now, i reflect on all the runners and cyclists that nearly
wreck into me or are startled like electronically buzzed sheep when i run or cycle upon them while they
are so "plugged into" their cherished, expensive, and idiotic iPods.

did Nike* forget or did they just conveniently choose to...



DO NOT MISS THIS DHARMA ARROW FROM ONE OF THE LAST REMAINING AND STILL SWEATING DHARMA PROTECTORS ON TURTLE ISLAND!

December DL's...creating the "momentum to be there"

Hi Steve,
A steep path indeed my friend. I had dinner with {a fellow WF Online Student} tonight. We talked and talked about the WF Path, the grade, the positive effort, and the mystery that is Ilg.

I thought it might bring a smile to el coache's face to know that we up here in the NW think of you even when we aren't out sweating somewhere on a lone trail.
 
One of the topics that we explored a bit was the idea that every flight of stairs, every trail terminus, every peak, and every time one arrives back at home or the car and begins the process of peeling off layers, that perhaps that IS the podium that some of us aspire to. The ones with no other humans around and only one judge... oneself.
 
Every time I go out my door I am setting records.  The trail may twist and turn, the path may disappear from view at times, yet I always arrive at the finish line in time to cheer myself for having the momentum to be there.
 
Holiday Cheers to you and your family,
 
student chreist

***

Blessings to you Coach on this G(o)od day,
As has been My Blessing for these past 4 plus years, I take sacred time towards the end of each month to review all your DL postings. Re-read them and make notes in my WF Yoga Journal.  Sometimes I must reread a line or posting over and over again to GET it----never pass a word or Teaching until I TAF I have at least got an inkling of its Teaching. December was chock full of JUICE----caffeinated high test fuel for my Practice and Journey......Thank You.

My heart-felt Thanks to You and Joy for your time, attention and generosity in keeping the Sangha heading Inward and thus Upward.  I love you both and send heart to heart hugs in this m(om)ent.  

student shel

PS---since you haven't announced on-line student of the year yet maybe you are accepting nominations? I nominate Student Shawna who not only made it to the Sacred Peak.......she kicked "arse" in SR volume and presents us with such wonderful photos.

Secrest Breaks World Ultra Cycling Record!

TODAY ON DL SUBSCRIPTION!

Coach's friend BREAKS THE WORLD ULTRA CYCLING RECORD FOR 24-HOURS!

don't miss this amazingly inspirational DL!

Coach in YOGA JOURNAL? What Do You Think?

Is this coach ilg now appearing in Yoga Journal? Below, i settle the rummor once and for all!

A handful of Alert WF Warriors wrote in to ask if that was me in the February, 07 issue of Yoga Journal.

"I don't know," came my reply, "i don't subscribe to mainstream magazines. And Yoga Journal sure as hec never asked my permission."

"I'm sure it's you..you are in Vrkasana balanced on tree roots by a lake. You are in your capri's and your WF Training Mala is on your left wrist."

"I don't remember doing a photo shoot like that," i told another who wrote in.

"Dude, no yogi has a backside like you, it's you. i know it is," wrote one more.

then, Most Noble WF Online Student NWSM took it upon himself to cut out the picture and send it to me. It arrived yesterday.

i will officially end the rumor:

FIND OUT ON TODAY's DIRECT LINES Subscription Format!

Wholiday's Continue

"Where are you between two thoughts?"

There is no Practice quite like Holiday and Family Practice!
The yogi is trained to participate fully in the family and Outer World
yet maintains his or her Inner World as the true and steadfast Source of
"Christ's Mass".



Immersed in the Holiday Practice, relying on Early Morning Ritual and the WF Lifestyle Principles...
i Trust that you are being radiant and strong in your Wholiday Practice as well!

Online Students: Ananda and i are back in the office tomorrow...

love,
el coache

top photo: L-R; my nephew Mogius, me and my new Norwegian World Cup Nordic Ski Cap (thanks Santa!), mi madre, and my niece Ella. photos by Ananda.

Happy Wholy-days to You...our Beautiful Sangha!

We've covered a whole lot of varied terrain and mystical ether again this year in DL and so,
From Beneath the Sacred Peak, we send heart-felt wishes for you and your
family to share a Sacred Wholiday Celebration in what ever form may it assume. For those
celebrating Christmas; Birth of Jesus, Hanukkah;The Festival of Lights, Navaratri;
The Nine Divine Nights (a Hindu Festival) Kwanzaa: based on the seven guiding principles
in the African culture, or the Winter Soul-stice here on Turtle Island. The Paths are Many, Truth is One.


In closing we offer you this prayer gifted us from HP Yogini Shanyn:

May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that we will live
deep in our hearts. May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people and the earth,
so that we will work for justice, equity, and peace. May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer,
so we will reach out our hands to comfort them and change their pain to joy. And may God bless us with the
foolishness to think that we can make a difference in the world, so we will do the things which
others say cannot be done.

--Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice

* photo 1) the Sacred Peak by coach ilg
* photo 2) joy and coach, by WF Online Student Shawna Schaub

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!

OF ALL BANDHAS GREAT AND SMALL (aka; Where Babies Come From)

(Note; for Student Use, i will keep a copy of this essay in the WF SanghaLounge within the "Yoga" cave.)



"As a kid, i used to practice Mula Bandha on long chairlift rides nearly every winter day. Though i did not know the Source of these Inner Instructions, nor even the Intent of these Inner Practices, i still did them. Blind Faith, you might call it. I later realized that i was simply picking up Inner Work leftover from previous lives."
- coach ilg
excerpt from an upcoming book
photo; telemarking at Parajito. photo by Ananda.

DO NOT MISS THIS EXCEPTIONAL TEACHING FROM COACH as he expounds on the fundamental energetics toward Enlightenment; another DL KEEPER for your files!
key topics include:

Mula Bandha
"Inner Cleansing Techniques"
proper energetic transmission and purification.
photo of coach doing Nauli in a "WF Toilet Yoga" program
Uddiyana Bandha
Speech Purification
The Separation of Self and UniVerse
base layer mindwaves (manas) to spiritual ignorance (avidya)
An unEnlightened Being experiences (re)birth with a lot of Pain

WF News; Coach's new Sport SnowShoe DVD

Well, i thought i could get this fantastic new DVD out to you before year's end,
yet, well, my poor computer has smoke coming out of her USB ports trying to edit this project.

i have to halt editing here until after the holidays, however, the first of the year will see this project
wrapped, sealed, and delivered to those of you who have pre-ordered.

it's gonna be great, you'll love the trademark WF Chi, baby!

here is an out take from yesterday's filming, enjoy and thank you for your Practice of Patience:

breathe.mov

Coach Announces The 2006 HP Yogi Of The YEAR!

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!

READ THE EXCLUSIVE AND HILARIOUS DL INTERVIEW WITH Dr. BOB and touching words by Coach
only on
DL SUBSCRIPTION...

and..

COMING UP: The 2006 WF Online Student Of The Year Award! Could it be YOU?!?!

A Wall That WF Helped Build...MINDFULLY!

Noble Warrior,

you dig StoneMasons?

how about a CPA that allowed his Heart to inspire his dream to become a StoneMason
helped in part by Direct Lines, Sunrider Herbs, and WF?

do not miss this one,
now appearing on DL Subscription Format...

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 mustn’t 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...

Now Appearing in DL Subscription Format

above quote portion by - Sogyal Rinpoche

with 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.

WF Sutra Studies. Coaching Contentment; by Way of the Ancient Sources

WF SUTRA STUDIES
with Coach Ilg
for DL Subscribers Only

"When all the nadis are now full of impurities become purified, then only can the yogi successfully perform pranayama."

*

"So, one should practice pranayama with a mind in which the sattivic element prevails until the Sushumna nadi is freed from the impurities."

Verses 5 & 6, Chapter 2 - Hatha Yoga Pradipika




If you are not doing regular Pranayam or at least mindfully attempting to sustain Ujjayi Pranayam during your asana classes or sessions, do not skip this DL. It will 'hit' your cells at a level so that when you do finally Shift Higher and are devoted to raising your Vibrational Fitness above and beyond that of the common man, certain spiritual underpinnings will be in place enabling you to take great flight over your current struggles with duality.

in other words, it is always a go(o)d thing to read DL, if not study it as your Practice of Svadhaya. the Students are are moving Higher Faster and Safer always go straight to DL as their spiritual food. then, they chew on it, contemplate it, and Practice the DharmaTeachings which i interlace between the black and white words of these thousands of entries. All of my effort during these years is not for me. i could take the Divine Downloads that continue to pour through my Practice Sessions and daily life and just run back to the High Mountains of my childhood and suckle all the Wisdom for my own spiritual gain.

yet, that is not Yoga. that is certainly not being a Karma Yogin; Selfless Service which is the type of yogi that i am. soon enough, my public life and track record will be left for the Outer World to ignore or perhaps one day realize. for now, it is important that you and i keep our Practice Strong and Sincere and focused upon Balance Across The Capacities of our Human Body and Spirit. This is known as "Wholistic Fitness" and it is go(o)d stuff!

*

let us revisit Verse 5 and re-read it to-get-Her ("Her refers to the Princess Kundala; the Kundalini Force at the root of the subtle spine):

"When all the nadis are are now full of impurities become purified, then only can the yogi successfully perform pranayama."

the great Yogi Swatmarama wrote down these two verses - along with the rest of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika - in the 17th century, compiling these words from the orally transmitted Teachings of the Ancient Sources.

these Sutras (thread like) are intended to be short for easy mental consumption by the Student. by 'easy' i mean, simple to memorize.

it may require a lifetime or more to actually realize and be able to Practice the Teaching of any one of these hundreds of Sutras.

welcome to yoga.

genuine, ancient yoga.

the type of yoga that can only be understood as it was inTended; from a Teacher With Direct Experience to a sincere, hard sweating Student.

the word "successfully" in the above verse means that the Student finally understands by Direct Experience the difference between Air and Ether, two of the Five Constituents of Prakriti or the manifest universe. the word "successfully" means that the Student can FINALLY, FINALLY, FINALLY feel the textural difference in the...

SUBSCRIBE TO DL TODAY AND BE SURE NOT TO MISS THIS PIVOTAL DHARMATEACHING FROM COACH and have access to the WF SanghaLounge and the DL Archives! DO IT FOR YOUR HIGHER SELF!

photos included today;
1) coach in a DharmaTalk with Ananda
2) coach's schematic of Base Level Pranic Fields during a Private Intensive
3) WF Temple chimera

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 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...

READ COACH's ENTIRE STORY and HIS DHARMA TEACHING ON THIS "FAILURE"...very important message!!!!

Life in Kali Yuga, and WF To The Rescue (again!)

From the Associated Press This Week:
"Over the next 12 months, Americans are projected to average more than 9 1/2 hours a day with the media, according to statistics in a new government report. Hours spent doing two things at once, such as watching TV and using the Internet, are counted twice in the report.

That's more time than they spend doing anything else, except breathing."

COMPARE WITH:
From the Wholistic Fitness Teachings Created by Coach Engaged Since 1982:

WF Media Fast:
"On the Day this is prescribed in your Training, do not read any newspaper or magazine, do not watch any TV, do not do any Internet surfing, or listen to any radio."

WF Lifestyle Principle Number One:
"Breath and Posture."

WF...ahead of the Game for so long we've stopped counting...

FOUR DAYS LEFT!

Wholistic Fitness Tribal Catalog Holiday Special Ends December 18th.


WF DRUMMER BOY ILG SAYS: Don't you DARE go buying chi-less gifts for your friends and family after all we've been through this amazing year!

* ALL Warriors to place an order over $50.00 will receive an inspiring WF sweat towel.

* The first (10) to place an order over $100.00 will receive
a signed copy of Coach ilg's beautifully written collection of regional poetry; Pagosa Speaks.

* Place an order over $150.00 and receive a signed copy of Coach ilg's beautifully written collection of regional poetry; Pagosa Speaks plus 15% off of your entire Order!
(please let us know via email hpyoga@mac.com to whom you want your book signed)


This Holiday Special does not apply to Shipping Cost. Please visit our Customer Service page for details.

Note: WF Blessed Mala Beads require at least 3 Days for their Empowerment by Coach...order SOON!

Give a Gift from your humble, powerful Temple Beneath The Sacred Peak; we need your support! Support (y)our Temple this Holiday!

photos:
1) Coach during a Ritual Drumming Practice
2) WF Temple Walkway with farallitos, taken this week

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!

Holiday Spirit...WF Mini Ski Style!!!

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!...

READ THE HILARIOUSLY INSPIRATIONAL ACCOUNT OF COACH'S CRAZY ASS MINI SKI DESCENT PLUS PHOTOS IN TODAY'S DL SUBSCRIPTION! YOU WILL NOT FORGET IT!

Seek the Uncommon Path and your Seeking will
eventually
have you
FIND
Wholistic Fitness! The Mt. Everest of Personal Training

The Bod Makes A Blog...

WORK ON THE BOD AND THE GOD WILL FOLLOW

Hips Tight? Fight Fire with Fire!

Hey Coach, I'm going to try to make your yoga class tomorrow - I think it should be just the answer to finals stress.

So my sister and my mom both have your Basic Strength HP Yoga DVD now. My sister is doing really well with it (it sounds like anyway) and so far, my mom has only watched it, not actually done it (but it's a start for her). But she did loan it to her yoga instructor, who apparently loved it and ordered her own copy! I feel so fortunate to have you two right here in Flagstaff!

see you!
V


the yogi must become a Self Scientist. the workshop of the hip attachments make for a world class teacher of anatomy; each origin and insertion of the muscles orchestrating the hip joint? they often come fully loaded with karmic, genetic, and emotional baggage; Warrior BeWare! For those of us who do not shy away from endurance or strength work? We are in for even MORE of a greater battle to free and keep free the energetics within our hips; however, the Greater The Battle? The Greater the Warrior! Warrior UP!
photo by kristianfris.

***

Dear Coach,
oh my god. until i started doing yoga with you i had NO IDEA how much shit i carry around in my hips! they are sooooo tight! trying to get my hips open is going to be waaaaaaaaaaaaay harder than racing bikes! i don't know how you do all you do and still keep such a high degree of flexibility! is there ANYTHING MORE i can do to open my hips?! i understand now what you mean about "release your hips and find your Power!" i am determined! i went to a local yoga class and asked the teacher what i can do and she just said that i should 'accept the tightness and let the internal grace flow into the tightness.' what does that mean?

your tightness student ever,
mark, WA


Most Noble Warrior With The Angry Hips,
that is another Blessing associated with having a fractured spine and smashed pelvis, i KNOW by DIRECT EXPERIENCE just what it means to be the most inflexible person on the planet! Paralysis is pretty dang stiff!

the tightness in your hips is Fear Based. there is Anger in your hips. there is poision in your hips. poison burns, that is why your hips burn so much once you find a posture that really brings your 'edge' up front and center and glaringly painful.

sure you have to 'accept' the fact that you, whether in this lifetime or previous ones, have tried to run away from lower chakral work. you've tried to hit a home run while not stepping on first base; the lower chakras.

because of the 'fire' that is in your hips, i say, "Fight fire (tapas) with fire (tapas)." that is how the brave forest fire fighters take the anger out of raging wildfires down here and i suggest that you do the same technique for your hips.

READ ALL OF COACH's COUNSEL AND SUGGESTED PATH IN TODAY's DL!!!
SUBSCRIBE NOW AND GAIN ACCESS TO THE TREMENDOUSLY INFORMATIVE AND INSPIRATIONAL 'WF SANGHALOUNGE' FOR FREE!

WF Spelling Error Arises With New Online Student

What follows is an actual Online Training exchange with a very new Student...
May This Exchange Deepen Your Understanding of WF; Her Heart, Her Fierceness, Her Highest Care of Your Highest Self...

dedicated to Practice until the end,
el coache

***
Dear Coach Ilg,
Your advice on becoming more spiritual and calm was much appreciated. I really
think I do belong in a peaceful, introspective environment. I am already taking
breaths, trying to remeber every 15 minutes to do so.

COACH (interrupting the correspondence):
First,
let us begin with your Spelling...then work toward the Spiritual, okay?
first things first.

in my Tradition,
we use Mindful Spelling as a Way to become more Conscious.
i will not continue any of our facilitations if i spot more than 3 spelling errors, the first will be in honor of Buddha's patience with the unAwakened, the second spelling error that i see will be to honor the the flow of the Dharma which tolerates all the dance of the gunas (the three forms of the manifest UniVerse) with impeccable beauty, and the third spelling error that i spot will NOT be tolerated due to respect for the Sangha, the community of the like-minded spiritual warriors who are doing their best each day and in myriad ways to Rise Higher. if i allow you to be UnConscious in Spelling, then i am in effect training you to be unConscious in other areas of your life as well, and doing that would mean that i myself am disrespecting and blemishing the Fierce Quality of Love of the Master Teachers of whom i represent by Lineage. i cannot do that.

•? do you understand and accept this Teaching?

Yoga's Grand Central Station; The WF Physique and Physiology

it is true that asana (the sustained stretching exercise component of yoga) can in fact create a 'longer, sleeker' appearance to the physique than does a strict bodybuilding or weightlifting only program. Asana, i suppose it can be said, creates a 'cat-like' physique as opposed to a 'bulldozer' physique from gym-only training or an anorexic, imbalanced physique common to sport-specfic endurance athletes. photo: coach's "body vehicle this time around," as he refers to his 44-year old 'carriage of the spirit'. as is evident, a firm Practice in asana does not take away the much coveted "ripped" look from a Wholistic Fitness physique. What matters most to a WF Warrior however, is that the balanced physique is also balanced in all of the physiologic capacities of a human body. For most of us, attaining such elite mastery of physique plus world class function in all physiologic disciplines will require the rest of our lives. "Hey," says coach referring to this seemingly endless pursuit of genuine yoga or Balance, "It keeps us off the streets!" photo by www.waynewilliamsstudio.com
***

Dear Coach,
i am 19 and am currently doing your "Cosmic Yang" weight program (OUCH!!!!). it's really hard to explain to my training partners about your techniques and things like, "Being elegant" in the gym. i have not been doing yoga or too much cardio (except on an exercise bike a little) because my friends tell me that if i do yoga or too much cardio my muscles will smooth out from the yoga and get skinny from the cardio. i don't know what to do. i know you are busy, and you don't have to write me back, but i am confused and getting kinda bummed out on everything."
- Terrance, NY

Most Noble Young Warrior T,
remember this:
there are as many Inner Teachers as there are human capacities. thus, to gain liberation, we must assume the fullest possible responsibility for ourselves now in this body. if we choose only to develop fitness in one of our capacity categories, our suffering will go on not only for a few more lives but for thousands of lives.

in the WF Medicine Wheel of Life; Strength Training is best served under while young. the Iron Temple imparts many profound astral Teachers for a young warrior or warrioress. in mid-life, Strength Training can often be minimized while yoga and cardio are prioritized. as we grow older, Strength Training must again be re-elevated, although not so high as when we are young.

DO NOT MISS COACH's AMAZING TEACHING TODAY ON DL SUBSCRIPTION!!!!!!!!!!

"DL is now part of my DNA..."

"Dear Coach,
Yes please sign me up for a DL Subscription!!!! $10 a month is the best deal on the planet.
I am in DL every day. Way better then the newspaper!!!
WF is in now part of my DNA….."
Karl Weiss

photo: although Western sciences say that several generations are required before we alter our DNA,
in this humble, powerful Tribe, the WF Transmission is so strong that we can be a Cat Being one lifetime
and simply be around a Two Legged WF Warrior, and next lifetime? Carry the Torch of WF to help Awaken
All Beings Everywhere! photo of one the two WF Temple Cat Beings; Jasper, by www.schaubphotography.com

Creating an Intimate M(om)ent; A Guest DL by Ananda

OUR DL THIS MORNING IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY WF TEMPLE MANAGER, TEACHER, AND BELOVED PARTNER OF MINE,
Joy "Ananda" Kilpatrick...this conversation is going on right now in our WF SanghaLounge, in the "Relationship Yoga" cave.


"Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the ground." - Rumi
photo by www.schaubphotography.com

***

Namaste Dear WF Sangha Warriors and Warrior(esses)!

i share the following TAF's (thoughts and feelings) with you all today in celebration of Relationship Yoga cave.

• How often do you recognize something special about your partner,
spouse and/or friend and never verbally share it with them?

• How often do you choose to celebrate the beautiful Divine qualities which your partner, spouse and/or friend posses verses that which you TAF they lack?

• When's the last time you dance and sang and just allowed yourself to
be a receptive child full of freedom and spontaneity with your partner, spouse and/or friend?

• When's the last time you just stopped what you were doing, especially in the middle of something challenging, and just asked your partner, spouse and/or friend for what Coach and i call a "recharge m(OM)ement." For example: Coach ilg and i will embrace in a hug, heart to heart and breathe two-gether.

• When's the last time you went up to your partner, spouse and/or perhaps an intimate friend and gave them a sensual kiss on the mouth,
maybe even a little tongue action (*-*) and then...

READ ANANDA'S ENTIRE PIECE ON DL SUBSCRIPTION, THEN HANG OUT IN THE WF SANGHALOUNGE TO ENJOY OVER 300 WF conversations, training and practice input, philosophy and inpsirations! Only $10/Month to keep your Practice Charged With WORLD CLASS MULTIDISCIPLINED WF CHI!

Pro Singer Dave Tate Knows The Value of HP Yoga!

'Oh yeah Baby!!! Oh man. You rock.
Still working on the Flag tour. Thanks for all the help.
I've been doing High Performance Yoga more regularly again and it's really
helping my singing. Thanks for all you bring to the table.

love,
Dave'



you wanna put the BIG LOVE THROUGH BIG HURTIN' on your family and friends this Holiday Season; can't go wrong with gifting them the sweatfest of my HP Yoga Prop Workout; in use by professional athletes, performers, and WF Warriors the world over!
get yours today on our Tribal Catalog! HURRY!

Don't forget to pre-order my new Sport Snowshoeing Basics DVD which has killer music by Dave Tate!

WF DVD Page



visit WF Tribal Musician Dave Tate's website at:


Dave'sSite">

tell 'em, "coach" sent you!

Another Podium to a WF Father Warrior!

Congratulations to Most Noble and Cherished WF Online Student Mark Featherman who earned a Silver Medal in the PA State CycleCross Championships. About his podium, the Father Warrior said, "Once again, one of my kids was there to watch. He was so excited I had to tell him to stop telling the other riders how great his dad did." Mark follows Coach's guidelines carefully including a reliance on WF Early Morning Rituals, SUNRIDER Herbs, and BioBuilde Amino Acids. As Coach says, "Hey, the Path works, if YOU work the Path!"

Coach is now busy preparing his Noble Student for the United States National CycleCross Race in two weeks.

photo by Todd Leister (c) by permission

Imprudent About Impermanence; Coach puts the Metta in Metaphysics today!

come join coach for another one of his unique rides...today, he coaches us about Molecular Physics and how it can relate to an Eastern Knowledge that has been around for eons. clip in and let's go! photo of coach training along Mulholland Highway in the Santa Monica Mountains, one of his saving Graces when he lived in LA and had his own High Performance Yoga (tm) Studio on Ventura Boulevard. great photo by www.waynewilliamsstudio.com

***

"To take for permanent that which is only transitory is the delusion of a madman."
- Kalu Rinpoche

Imprudent About Impermanence
by coach ilg

When i first began trying to understand my Tibetan Teachers when They launched into several hour long DharmaTeachings about Impermanence (a topic very dear to nearly all great Teachers who attempt to Teach from Metta or Lovingkindness), i fell off the back faster than i did when i made my upgrade from a Cat 3 road cyclist and found myself in pro peletons...gone baby...off the back in sixty seconds after a pro level surge or attack.

I see now, however, why my Beloved Teachers, such as Kalu Rinpoche quoted above, had to focus our studies on Impermanence. Most of us are scared stiff about dying. Those who even are so arrogant to place those "NO FEAR" bumper stickers on their pick up trucks, are probably, really...deep down scared about their ability to enter the Bardo (dying) Realms.

We are scared of death because, essentially, we mistake the impermanent (body, ahamkara (ego) manas (lower mind)for the permanent (Brahman or absolute reality). Now, those of you that are flat out Kshatriya (Warrior Class) are gonna have a rough ride over the next few paragraphs. I want you to stick close to my wheel, however. Certain things will hit your cells in the reading of the next few paragraphs which will take Seed in your Practice. For those of you who are my Brahmanic/Kshatriya's...well, you guys (and gals) will be all over this shit.

Ready? Okay, buckle up...yesterday i embraced you to buy my new Sport Snowshoeing DVD (it's BEAUTIFUL!), today, your ol' mountain yogi is taking you for a joyride into the cosmic blender of East meets West in the science of Energetics Toward Enlightenment! Don't you just gotta LOVE Wholistic Fitness? Nobody Dances Like Us, eh?

off we go! careful here! coach is stepping on the throttle, baby...you gonna be able to hang!??!

DO NOT MISS THIS SUPERB, UTTERLY UNIQUE TEACHING THAT HITS US AT THE VERY ROOT OF ALL MATTER AND OUR ABILITY TOWARD ENLIGHTENMENT! JOIN DL TODAY AND STOP GETTING DROPPED FROM THE HUMAN RACE RACE LIBERATION!

NEW DVD NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

ss%20trailer%20w.mov

Okay, baby...i don't care if you don't even KNOW what a Sport Snowshoe is!
You'll want this DVD for the Music, the Footage, the DharmaTeachings, and the Laughs!

i've already added this FANTASTIC NEW DVD to the Tribal Catalog, so go ahead and place your pre-order today:


NOTE: i do NOT think they will be ready by CHRISTMAS, however, we will ship your new DVD to you as soon as possible. Bill is in the final week of editing!

I've also added two products to the WF Tribal Catalog that we DO have in stock and ready to ship:
• WF Sport Jerseys (available in Large only; limited!)
• WF Sweat Towels(see Special Products) on catalog

WF Holiday Special Starts Today; Ends December 18th!

Wholistic Fitness Tribal Catalog Holiday Special Starts Today thru December 18th.


WF DRUMMER BOY ILG SAYS: Don't you DARE go buying chi-less gifts for your friends and family after all we've been through this amazing year!

* The first (5) gracious Warriors to place an order over $50.00 will receive an inspiring WF sweat towel.

* The first (10) to place an order over $100.00 will receive
a signed copy of Coach ilg's beautifully written collection of regional poetry; Pagosa Speaks.

* Place an order over $150.00 and receive a signed copy of Coach ilg's beautifully written collection of regional poetry; Pagosa Speaks plus 15% off of your entire Order!
(please let us know via email hpyoga@mac.com to whom you want your book signed)


This Holiday Special does not apply to Shipping Cost. Please visit our Customer Service page for details.

Note: WF Blessed Mala Beads require at least 3 Days for their Empowerment by Coach...order SOON!

Give a Gift from your humble, powerful Temple Beneath The Sacred Peak; we need your support! Support (y)our Temple this Holiday!

photos:
1) Coach during a Ritual Drumming Practice
2) WF Temple Walkway with farallitos, taken this week

COACH's NOVEMBER PRACTICE STATS and DIARY SYNOPSIS now appearing on DL!

Namaste Noble Ones!


I must be in a HolyDay mood, cuz for today i'm gonna let you view my Monthly Practice Stats with Synopsis. These are edited, of course, for your safety. As always, DO NOT ATTEMPT to mimic my Training Volumes and Sport Performances on my extremely low caloric intake. You will injure yourself and damage your subtle anatomy. Much better to sign up for WF Online Training and let us Guide you naturally toward such powers. You CAN do what i do, i promise! However, keep in mind that i follow my Teacher's instructions carefully and i have been Practicing Wholistic Fitness for over 25 years along with eating the SUNRIDER Royal Herbs for 22 years! Also, i am taking BioBuilde (TM) Amino Acids (use my link on my website to get my complimentary Guidance!) as i have made public. As evidenced by my summer of racing, these Aminos are regenerating me from my workouts and recovering from high intensity sessions. keeping the body in a positive nitrogen balance is Job #1 for the wise athlete. What i am saying is: There are no shortcuts. Just Begin where you are. I make my Training Diaries public to serve as inspiration, not as an astral coaching directive to go and attempt to match my volumes.


Oh, i forgot to mention below that i did sent a new "Zen Dart" personal record last month. Get this: 1 minute and 04 seconds! that's all the way around the DartBoard (#1-20) plus 2 bulls-eyes! i'm certain with all the talented Warriors in this Tribe however, you will probably beat that mark. GO FOR IT! i found yet another new throwing technique which i call my "Perch and Push" Technique. the new mark felt quite easily and my average game time is now around 1:40! i know i can break the 1 minute barrier soon! Hey, some people watch TV to take a break from office work...this yogi uses Zen Darts to empty my mind, get clear, and enhance Dharana. Warriors are allWays "on" their Practice in some way, shape, or form.
May your own Practice be strong and sincere and i am LOVING all the great dharma going on in the WF SanghaLounge! there is mounting winter training talk in the Lounge right now and deals for you Sport Snowshoers out there! soooo Blessed we are to have this humble, Noble Path of the Ancients re-tooled for our modern era...

om so ti,
coach ilg
***

COACH ILG's PRACTICE STATS: NOVEMBER, 2006

The beginner’s mind is an open mind, an empty mind, a ready mind, and if we really listen with a beginner’s mind, we might really begin to hear. For if we listen with a silent mind, as free as possible from the clamor of preconceived ideas, a possibility will be created for the truth of the teachings to pierce us, and for the meaning of life and death to become increasingly and startlingly clear.
My master Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche said: “The more and more you listen, the more and more you hear; the more and more you hear, the deeper and deeper your understanding becomes.”
- Sogyal Rinpoche

NOVEMBER PRACTICE STATS:

coach's Practice Stats and Diary InSights are available to DL Subscribers only.

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.

Honoring Cardio as Crucial To Yoga; Part I

i got this shot of WF Temple Manager and Teacher Ananda descending the Sacred Peak after working with her yoga practice where it really counts; during high intensity cardio at high altitudes. the modern yogi quickly forgets and ignores this most noble root of yoga. in Wholistic Fitness? we HONOR it!.

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..."


DO NOT MISS THE FIRST PART OF THIS SPIRITUAL KICK IN THE ASS TEACHING BY COACH TODAY IN DL SUBSCRIPTION FORMAT!

STUNNING PHOTOS; SCINTILLATING INSPIRATION!

A MUST FOR ALL YOGA TEACHERS AND PERSONAL FITNESS TRAINERS!

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
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.

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.


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

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...



READ THE ENTIRE QUESTION FROM STUDENT JJ
and COACH's REMARKABLE COUNSEL TO HIM; ENCOURAGING HIM TO EXPLORE BY DIRECT EXPERIENCE HIS
OWN "Jesus Granthi's"!

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...

Coach's Trip Diary Continues in the Pueblo of Tamaya

now appearing on DL Subscription...

plus,
Student TC speaks beautifully and powerfully about his new Awareness of Interrelationships gained through his Online Studies

as SUNRIDER HERBAL WARRIORESS and HP YOGINI Karen offers us a fantastic photo of Shiva like proportions and input!

Post ThanksGiving WF Student Practice Check

Take Coach's Practice Test
on today's DL

see how your Practice is measuring up to the Standards of a WF Student, WF Warrior Student, and a WF Master Student!


from Coach:
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.




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.


READ COACH's PEERLESS COUNSEL IN TODAY'S DL SUBSCRIPTION!!!

Coach's GivingThanks by Way of Yogi Praneet and YOUR Devotion!

As a Thanksgiving Gift for you iDL'ers,
i give you today's DL Subscription entry without edit.
this is the type of genuine CHI that hallmarks each day of DL Subscription and gives you access to the incredible wealth and love of our new WF SanghaLounge.
May each of you realize the value of a few pennies per day and Subscribe to DL;
i promise; it will deepen and inspire your Practice in ways unimaginable to you right now...

enjoy:


"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.

A World Class definition of Karma to Live By

Wupatki Pueblo, photo by Ananda taken yesterday.


very potent definition of Karma
with a very touching poetic commentary by Coach

today on DL SUBSCRIPTION FORMAT: the Tribal Newspaper of Wholistic Fitness.
come, join our powwow, every day we Dance the Disciplines like no other.
we are waiting for you.