Monday, November 30, 2009

as I devour word after word...


HP YOGA®
Ancient, Intelligent Fitness for Western Yogis...since 1982



Dear Steve,
In your LifeWork, I have discovered something that truly speaks to me. It is rather difficult to explain the excitement and the enthusiasm I feel as I devour word after word and digest your philosophy and teachings. I have been continually striving along a path of enlightenment and reaching deep within to discover the true warrior within myself. I believe what I have discovered in crossing your path is a more appropriate path to discovering and defining my true self. This is what I truly feel from my core and for this I humbly bow to you. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with me. I look forward to this new journey of Wholistic Fitness and humbly look forward in sharing the path with you as Coach, Mentor and Friend. Thank you.

In health and gratitude,
Rob Jacks, NSCA-CPT, TSAC, CPR/AED
www.weretalkingfitness.net



above photo:
I knew Dewa had once again spotted Grandmother Moon last evening as i heard her shrill scream of joy, "HA!!!!!!" and saw her pointing toward our beautiful, floaty Grandmother. "Ha" means "Moon" in Sanskrit. HaTha Yoga refers to the Union of Sun & Moon which has layered philosophical meaning.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

ThanksGiving WF Mastery Test


Ananda and Dewa (in the baby backpack), lead my 80 year-young mom and my dad on a WF Earned Sustenance hike behind the WF Temple H(om)e before the ThanksGiving Meal...photo by ilg



Saturday, November 28, 2009

A PRO'S DUCK OF TIVITY

photos and links may only appear for DL Subscribers


that's right,
whenever someone comes near ilg wanting to make me more productive?
i reach for my gun.
well, really,
i reach for either my daughter
or my zafu!




awlright,
awlright,
ilg knows he told you that i'd quiz you on your WF mastery during Thanksgiving...
however,
something called SNOW got in the way of the productivity for that particular Teaching.

in fact,
ilg wants you all to take that lack of productivity as a Teaching.

"There is more to life than merely accelerating its speed," taught the great Karma Yogi Gandhi.

in this age of ever-increasing speed,
you know what the ol' ski and rock climbing bum
parts of ilg makes me do whenever i see or hear some advertisement trying to get me
to 'increase my productivity'?


you know what ilg does whenever some advertisement or 'time effectiveness guru'
tries to get ilg to 'become more productive' by way of the next friggin' cell phone, or interface compatibility gadget or this or that?

that's right,
when someone comes near ilg wanting to make me more productive?
i reach for my gun.
well, really,
i reach for either my daughter
or my zafu!

you can quote me on that
as
you SLOW DOWN YOUR ROLL
and
try to edge your meditation discipline in the vicinity of
at least 3 hours per week*...

thus, on this snowy night of nights beneath the Sacred Peak of DokoOsliid,
your feeble Teacher is coaching you
to
Undo.

don't become a Buddhist.
don't become a Catholic.
don't become a Hindu.

Become an Undo.

Undoism, baby.

Undoism.


Om Mani Padme Hung,
still trekking the Path of the Ancients for the Sake of Thee...

your feeble Teacher

* Coach's Meditation Volume last month: 34 hours.

Friday, November 27, 2009

a Thanks-Giving To Practice From...quiz yourself against Coach's ThanksGiving Practice





Cloud Sisters over Wing Mountain, by coach on Thanksgiving Day from his front porch, Kinlani, AZ.




Ladies & Gentleman,
thank you so much for flying with us this (w)holiday...
you'll be back on the (spiritual) ground shortly with Coach
so...
please make sure your trays are in their upright position and that all your 'carried on baggage' is securely loosend for our final approach back to the one Coach who keeps your spiritual fitness right where it needs to be:
PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR!

And...
wherever your final destination may be,
we wish you a very peaceful, powerful day...



(ps; if you are going to take tomorrow's WF Test Quiz against Coach?
you better re-check how deeply you are buckled!)




Thursday, November 26, 2009

The Most Yogic Of "Mainstream" Holy-days...HAPPY, WHOLISTIC THANKSGIVING!


When you spend each day with a 2 year-old Rinpoche? It's easy to feel and treat each dawn as another blessed opportunity for Thanks-Giving.

Dwelling in the UniVerse of Dewachen, outer worldly comings and goings fade like evening night into meaninglessness. i must shake myself like a dog out of a lake, re-ground myself...
force myself to
ratchet
flowing Beingness
into the Marketplace.'



***


Last week, Ananda asked Dewa;
"So is Elmo a boy or a girl?"
Dewa shot Ananda a look straight from Padmasambhava...then, smiled and replied, "Dude."


For the Awakened Fitness Warrior,
many of our Western economically driven "Holy-Days-turned-Holidays" dredge deep confusion...even sadness or bitterness arise.

Fortunately, today, ThanksGiving Day, holds little philosophical snafu for the yogically inclined. In our humble, powerful Tribe, we are trained to sit in meditation; stabilizing our Mind Waves in an attempt to lose ourselves in love which inevitably shakes off layers of egoic pretense and strips us, nakedly, toward the shining quality of Gratitude.

Even if you are not a formal WF Student, perhaps today is a wise day to revisit my notion of a Gratitude Journal as described in my most recent book, TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION.

At least, today, before absorbing the 10,000 efforts and lives associated with our HolyDay Meal, pray at the table.

Be the Leader of a Gratitude Meditation for your meal...one of the Traditional WF Mealtime Blessings, which i learned in Japanese during my formative Zen years and is now passed onto my Online WF Students goes like this:

PRAYER AVAILABLE FOR DL SUBSCRIBERS ONLY TO ENSURE TEMPLE TRADITION - coach ilg


May you practice well other important WF Teachings such as; Earned Sustenance, Rasas Eating Assignment, Eating Elegantly Assignment, et.al.. The artful self science in WF offers an immense banquet for Self Cultivation in the hours before your gathering. Be it a solo, small, or enormous family gathering does not matter. Here is what matters; How well can you Love today? How deeply can you cultivate Gratitude today? How willing are you to let go of silly things that do not lead you Higher?

In the Spirit of All Yoga Teachers who dedicate their lives to reflect the integrity of the Ancient Enlightened Masters,
this feeble messenger sends only my deepest Gratitude for you...




May All Beings Be Happy And Know The Causations Of Happiness,

OM SO TI,
coach ilg

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

A Supreme informal WF Training Weekly Program by Student BG

It's very easy to 'overthink' WF.

Those who are overwhelmed by the notion of WF need to stop overthinking...a predictable tendency among us Westerners. Instead, read the WF Sutras as i've written TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION. Read the chapter on WF Lifestyle Principles. Or, even less expensive, visit the WF SanghaLounge and read my Introductions to each Noble WF Fitness Discipline and Lifestyle Principle. Do that? You will never workout - or work within - the same way ever again.

TBT has now become the bible of personal fitness trainers and even some open-minded yogis that understand the genius of Wholistic Fitness®. Most of them don't acknowledge publicly their embrace of WF and that is sad to me as it's creator, then again, i put out WF back in 1982 to help people as my Karma Yoga path, not to become famous. So, on the spiritual level, it's all go(o)d to me. Ripples make waves.

WF is a most practical, simple, powerful yet very steep and direct Path toward Personal Transformation. I say it's steep because the 4 Lifestyle Principles of WF constantly ground and re-ground our 'spiritual work' through continual Awareness of very mundane actions such as Word Choice, Conscious Breath, Conscious Posture, etc. It is also a very available Path...with just the purchase of a book and a couple of DVDs you - like student BG below - can create an amazingly effective fitness week that immediately begins working right where we suffer most...that is what WF is all about; attacking our weaknesses and promoting passionate balance.

check out BG's self-made WF Training Program below and let me know how YOU respond to it!

Happy, wholesome (w)wholidays to all of you who treasure sweat and spirit...

coach ilg

***



El Coache,
Here is my revised WF Training Week based on your input:


Monday- OFF

Tuesday- HP PROP (FULL)

Wednseday- Kinlani Flow + Cardio (Short & Sweet)

Thursday- HP Prop (ABS) + Zazen

Friday- HP Basic Strength

Saturday- Kinlani Flow + Cardio (Long)

Sunday- Kinlani Flow + Cardio (Tempo/Interval)


Will try and work in more Zazen as I TAF possible. Awareness all-ways!!!


Head Bowed,

humble student bg

Monday, November 23, 2009

WF Opens Up Uncovered Parts of Self - Yogini Julie Cranks The Tour de Tucson!





WF Devotee Yogini "Petticoat" Julie at Haridwar ("door" to Shiva), northern india after being blessed by a Hindu priest by the Holy Ganga. photo courtesy Julie Mueller.



Dearest Gurujilg:

PY's first el Tour de Tucson, first time riding more than 100 miles, second ever century, first true bike "race"-- done in 6:33:57. With one small crash and only one other time off the bike in the entire ride. What an event!

Many Teachings learned including:

• watch out for speed bumps!! and if you hit one and crash, it's no big deal, just fix up your bike and keep a goin

• i pushed it HARD, especially the first 70 miles trying to keep up with packs of dudes who were generally way stronger (and obviously way bigger) than me. it was fun! but that last 40 or so i rode like i always ride--alone. just couldn't find the right pack that i could keep up with--i did NOT want to be at the back of those 60 person lines. SO if i really want to get platinum at el tour (under 6 hours) i need to practice and ride with a team or group who stick together. the platinum folks don't seem to do it alone.

• BUT we all die alone so there's nothing wrong with being in no man's land for a while out there. it's training for that last m(om)ent (and there is no drafting in triathlon)

• i need to add interval training on flats and not just "intensity" training on hills for the half ironman in march because of traiing in altitude. i got the burn long before my lungs wore out, and that does NOT happen up here. so i am worked today like i haven't been since my first few HP PROP CLASSES. i will need to train my legs for the lactic acid buildup, or else ride slower than i will want to in Oceanside.

• your EMR and Kinlani Rituals are essential to 4am focus!

• the Mantra helps at all times, but especially around mile 90+. i was chanting it and i think a Bike Patrol thought i was crazy because he came and rode beside me for a while and asked me if i was eating and drinking enough...

• Smiling helps your own focus and stamina but seems to make some guys angry :)
those chicks at the front are totally badass and gutsy--also few and far between!


I've been with Wholistic Fitness® for just over 1 year, and in this one year, despite several in-juries, I have pushed my body and spirit to levels I would never have even imagined before. A year ago, I had never rode more than 45 miles. I had not imagined that I would travel to the Himalaya alone. My job had the potential of becoming way too large a part of my life. And while I continue to learn how to keep that super fine balance in check, I have pushed myself mentally, phyisically and, most of all, spiritually more than I ever thought possible, with each push opening up some part of me that had remained uncovered, but also reminding me of how much more work there is to do.

I bow to you and am immensely grateful for your INSPIRATION.

See you tomorrow!

Love,
py

Sunday, November 22, 2009

my Dad: the ultimate Left-Handed Tantric Master!


my amazing dad and my still-scintillating sister at 51 years-young! taken by me outside the WF Temple H(om)e, Kinlani, AZ last year.


actual cell phone conversation with my mom today:

"Hey, Mom?"
"Steve? Is that you?"
"Yeah, hey listen, Dewa has been talking nonstop about you and "Duck*" coming for Thanksgiving and she wanted to say 'hi' to you, okay?"

{insert an absolutely delicious (or revolting for the devoted single people) 5 minutes of Grandma and 2 year-old Grandchild 'conversation here}

back to steve:

"Yeah, so, i also wanted to tell you that there is no need for you guys to bring coffee, okay? We just did a 'Sam's Club' expedition and i got a killer deal on great coffee...and lots of it, okay?"

Treasured Reader:
you must realize the extent of my father's addiction to coffee and cigarettes. The dude is - without doubt - coming off his cockroach incarnation because i swear to God; this guy is incredibly resilient...he began chain smoking cigarettes, drinking any kind of alcohol and then some, along with coffee when he was 14 years-old after he blew off his left hand (that's a different story...see how he automatically hides it in his left pant pocket in the photo above? every photo of my beautiful dad is like that. i love you, Dad!).

I recall when i was about 17 years-old in Boulder, a Great Condition was laid down by my mom to my dad:
quit drinking or i swear i will leave you.
he quit...
for the most part.
And smoked and drank coffee all the more.
He works at Wal-Mart.
Has for 18 years.
Doesn't need to be at work until 7 am.
He wakes up at 2 am.
Serious.
Goes outside (my mom doesn't allow him to smoke inside) and smokes until he leaves for work at 5:30...leaving an hour and a half for a commute which takes 11 minutes.

Upon arrival in the pre-dawn Wal-Mart parking lot...he...


* - Dewa's name for GrandDad Ilg...cuz he always quacks like a duck for her.

READ THE REST ON TODAY'S DIRECT LINES AND >>>>>>>>>>

***

HOW ABOUT YOU?
HAS THE STRENGTH OF YOUR INNER PRACTICE PREPARED YOU FOR THE HIGHEST OF ALL YOGA's: FAMILY YOGA!?!???!!

i want to hear about what YOU are getting ready to deal with on the Family Yoga plane this holiday season! email me!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

FANTASTIC "PRO DEALS" coming this weekend to DL Subscribers!

subscribe to DIRECT LINES today...

and tomorrow get "Pro Deal" access to 2 fantastic sponsors of steve ilg's Wholistic Fitness®....always more coming! always more
Teachings,
Training Programs,
New Product Discounts,
and waaay more CHI!
plus 24/7 access to the WF SanghaLounge with 'secret caves'


DIRECT LINES: the "Tribal Newspaper Rock"of Wholistic Fitness® - this nation's original
Transpersonal Fitness Training Service since 1982

the most efficient machine ever created...


"The bicycle is the most efficient machine ever created: Converting calories into gas, a bicycle gets the equivalent of three thousand miles per gallon."
~Bill Strickland, The Quotable Cyclist




"To the Wholistic Fitness® yogi? A bicycle is our lifeblood; it's our car, it's our health insurance, it's our chi-developer, it's our weapon against Gaia Abuse.
Today? Ride your bike...

...Then, teach your child."

- coach steve ilg
founder/Wholistic Fitness® Transpersonal Training since 1982

***

photos - ilg archives:
1 - typical scene; downtown Flag
2 - crankin' down Lower Oldham; my bike commute toward town.
3 - another generation of ilg/bike chi discovered!

Friday, November 20, 2009

When Will That Drama Come For You?

on today's DL Subscription Format:

Teaching on Impermanence

(and the Three Levels of Motivation)

Thursday, November 19, 2009

"...the most rich example of ritual performativity ..."


Coach Ilg-

Do you have a half an hour or so free in the next few weeks so that I can interview you? I found that your yoga instruction is the most rich example of ritual performativity out of all the samples that I've collected, so I have some interesting questions for you. I'll treat you to coffee or some sort of beverage!

-Sable
NAU Linguistic Anthropology


photo; utthita padagushtasana, Snow Canyon, UT. ilg archives.

Yogi Squat of the Week; Meet Student Stone!



This beautiful Yogi Squat comes to us from New WF Online Student Rich Stone of Juneau, Alaska. Rich will be here at the WF Temple H(om)e in less than a week for a one-day Private Intensive. Some more about this fantastic warrior from the far north;


BirthDate:
Sept 11, 1957

WF StudyPath:
To challenge my Self to grow physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually through experience and relationship.

Current Training:
cardio - 2 - 3 hrs per week of cycling or spin.
cardio - 1 - 2 hrs per week of running
yoga - 2 sessions per week
strength - 2 - 3 sessions of light weight



LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS FANTASTIC WARRIOR TOWARD WHOLENESS ON TODAY's DL!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Human Birth = Birth of Stupidity

Senior Woman Travel Sick During a Flight on a Commercial Aeroplane


The birth of a man is the birth of his sorrow. The longer he lives, the more stupid he becomes, because his anxiety to avoid unavoidable death becomes more and more acute. What bitterness! He lives for what is always out of reach! His thirst for survival in the future makes him incapable of living in the present. - CHUANG TZU

***

Now that i have my Noble Sangha grounded by one Master's words,
let's take some true 'life coaching' from where no 'certification' is required;
the Enlightened Masters...
their only certification papers?
their Life Message and the halo which beams like a beacon
for all others...



READ THE POWERFUL TEACHING ON TODAY'S DIRECT LINES SUBSCRIPTION FORMAT!


Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Voice of an Angel


Some of your input regarding Ananda's spontaneous rendition of The Rose on 11-14-09 DL. Now, can we convince her to do a Tribal Album of chants and some cover songs!?!?!:


Beautiful voice.

Just beautiful.

Thanks for sharing and may Joy not beat your ass too silly for posting this.
- Hakado Ru

***

Amazing...simply amazing
what an incredible gift...

much love,
student~shawna

***

Ananda’s song is literally breathtaking.
I can’t describe it any other way.
Blown away.
You can count on one hand the number of other female singers that could pull that off a cappella – Tori Amos, Sia, Sarah McLaughlin – but she sings that on what, a tape recorder? Speechless.
I bow to her.

Bob Reilly


coach adds;
"i do too...every day!
she sang that song using one of my Injinji socks over the mic for 'enhanced acoustics'!"

Monday, November 16, 2009

In Cold Sweat; Ilg Trains For a 3-Peat


In Cold Sweat

For a 3-Peat


Submitted by Tim Allen

October, 2009

Tim Allen is the Race Director for the Flagstaff Nordic Center





Flagstaff Yoga Teacher and Outdoor Athlete Steve Ilg is on a mission to 3-Peat as the Arizona State Nordic Ski Champion. Above photo; ilg inline skiing near his home above Flagstaff, AZ. Photo by Joy Kilpatrick.


The wind rips at Steve Ilg's shoulders as he stabs with repetitious tenacity carbide-tipped ski poles into the asphalt road. He is a lone figure leaning into the gales along the choppy roads surrounding his home in tiny Baderville in Northern Arizona, elevation 7,553'.


"If I waited for the wind to die down around here? I'd never get any training done! I figure it's good for resistance-training!" shouts Ilg above the roar of wind as he leans into another gust. On his feet are inline skates which he uses to replicate the fierce, poetic tempo of nordic (or cross-country) ski racing. Ilg is the two-time Arizona Nordic Ski Champion in a state better known for its saguaro cactus and Superbowl football team than for ski racing.


It could be another two months before the snows cover this land for Ilg to train directly on cross-country skis. That doesn't matter to this former National Nordic Combined Ski Team Member. "You never get a second chance at your pre-season," shouts Ilg as he pumps his legs and arms in decade-evolved strength and synergy.


Whether it's adding volume to his unique multisport legacy or seeking another layer of sweat-based spiritual depth with his local yoga students, the 47 year-old "multi-sport mutant" as OUTSIDE MAGAZINE has called him, has a plethora of reasons to remain competitive. OUTSIDE again; "Ilg has achieved mastery in more sports than most of us will ever try."


Ilg apparently has reached his childhood dream; to be one of the fittest human beings in the most versatile sense of the phrase. The founder of Wholistic Fitness®, author of five books, a celebrity yoga teacher and fitness trainer in Hollywood, Ilg also possesses a body most 20 year-olds would envy. His seemingly ageless body has also amassed a veritable pantheon of podiums. ULTRA-CYCLING Magazine in fact, named Ilg, "The World's Fittest Human," after he helped set a new Team Course Record in the grueling Furnace Creek 508 (miles) through Death Valley, California in 2004. Ilg shrugs the title off, "Oh, they just wrote that because they were fascinated that someone who could actually do pull ups and a half-decent forward fold could also win an ultra race!"


With over 200 podiums in 23 different sports, including 7 World Championship appearances in 5-different sports and two State Championships in two different sports, you'd think Ilg would have quenched his appetite for trophies or 'heavy metal' as he calls them. Nope. In fact, according to Ilg, the podiums are mere side-effects from his practice of yoga which he calls, Wholistic Fitness®. Ilg considers himself a "feeble fitness monk," and "an endless beginner with only the pursuit of wholeness" as his goal.



A FALL INTO GRACE

As a sponsored rock, ice, and mountain climber during the late seventies and early eighties, Ilg fell sixty-feet off the notorious "Diamond Face" of Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park while attempting a winter ascent. "Too much freeze/thaw action. The cliff was vulnerable," Ilg non-emotionally states as the reason why he fell. "I pulled off a hunk of the Peak about the size of a Corolla. I still apologize to that beautiful wall for doing that. Guess I don't know my own strength," he wryly chuckles.

A lumbar vertebrae was fractured and the connective tissue of his pelvis was torqued and twisted, resulting in a lifetime of neural pain. "Two water bottles on the outside of my pack probably saved my life," guesses Ilg. The water bottles may have cushioned his impact somewhat, yet the fall paralyzed the left side of his lower body. With the help of his partner, Joe Black, he escaped from the Peak under his own power, though details are foggy due to excruciating pain. He recalls "intuitively rocking back and forth in a yoga posture combined with pranayams (yogic breathing techniques) all night long to keep neural and pranic (life force) activity feeding my connective tissue."


The pair spent all night on a tiny ledge as a winter storm howled around them. At the time, Ilg was already a champion runner, skier, bodybuilder, and student of Tibetan Buddhist Yoga in Boulder, Colorado. He refused external medical help. "I recognized this incident immediately as my Karma playing out. I went within and began re-wiring my subtle anatomy through pranayams (yogic breathing exercises). I couldn't move my body, so I moved my breath, bit by bit, into the searing neural pain. I began decompressing the impact on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels through the use of my breath regulation and mental visualizations."


That was 1981. Today, Ilg still must practice a daily rigorous yogic discipline just to mitigate the pain. Most sports for Ilg inflict major dosages of intense spine and hip pain.


"Most exacting is the pain of running," Ilg says, "due to the chronic compressive forces of running, it's really gnarly on my broken body." Nevertheless, this very summer Ilg won the Overall Title at the Pagosa Mountain Duathlon Long Course, in September he finished in the top 25 of his age group at Imogene Pass Race, and 3rd Place in his age group at the Soulstice Mountain Trail Race above Flagstaff. Imogene Pass Race alone requires running 17.1 miles over a 13,000' pass. The race is known as a 'world class brutal beating' with its 7-mile, 4,000' drop which crushes even the healthiest of spines.


In 2002, The New York Times did a profile on Ilg, calling him "an quixotic blend of Ram Dass and Vince Lombardi." He even entertained several New York City book publishers curious about doing a book on his unmatched athletic accomplishments in spite of his paralyzing injury. "They couldn't figure out how to market my wholeness," Ilg says without remorse, "We live in an era which rewards specialization, not versatility, especially in sports. This, to me, is sad. We should leave specialization to the insects and re-focus on cultivation of wholeness, of versatility, of balance."



THE SNOW MUST GO ON

Of all his passions for multi-disciplined sweat, Ilg's most revered is for the snow sports. "I grew up in Durango, Colorado. We were coached in skiing from 7th Grade up. I was from the country and when the snow fell, I would be on either snowshoes or cross country skis. I never went inside until after dark. I loved and still love the sweet simplicity of skis gliding over snow. Especially magical to me is snowshoe racing, where we literally run on water...it just happens to be frozen!"


By 16 years old, Ilg found National success as a Nordic Combined Ski Racer where athletes ski jump for distance on Day One and then compete in a cross-country endurance ski race on Day Two. "It's such a fantastic sport," he eagerly preaches, "the combination of fast-twitch power, skill, and bravery on Day One into suffering like a three-legged dog on Day Two! You can't beat that type of physiologic and mental fitness! My only wish is that more American's would get into how cool Nordic sports are...not to mention how healthy they are for all ages!"


After three decades of world class winter fitness, Ilg has put a small plug in his Ski Bum tendencies. "I have to...I'm a new daddy!" On September 11th, 2007 Steve, and his partner Joy, celebrated the arrival of their daughter, Dewachen. "Yup, for sure she is my podium now. She's got the Nordic Jumping bug in her genes...she is constantly jumping off of stairs and anything else. She's got great form too, better than I ever had!" smiles a beaming Ilg.


Ilg plans however, to defend his State Nordic title this winter as well as his creation of the "Flagstaff Winter Triathlon" in which no one has yet contested him. The latter event combines a 10-kilometer Snowshoe Race plus two Nordic Ski Races of the AZ State Nordic Series which require two races in two different nordic ski disciplines; the Classic Style (or Diagonal Stride) and the relatively new, Skate Style (or Freestyle).



Last season, Ilg won the Classic race with a commanding 4-minute gap over former State Champion and acclaimed National Nordic Ski Instructor Ken Walters, an icon of southwest nordic skiing. On the final Skate Style race, Ilg was passed by Walters at 2 kilometers into the 10 kilometer race. "Each pole plant, each ski step of those 8 remaining kilometers hurt more and felt longer than all of Mt. Taylor!" Ilg recounted, referring to the Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon - a 75-kilometer, 4-sport event (cycling, running, cross-country skiing, and snowhoeing...see above photo) in New Mexico in which Ilg finished in the Overall top 20 just one week before the Arizona State Nordic Finals.


Those 20 seconds which saved Ilg the title came with a big lesson. "Yeah, I've learned my lesson. As a new Daddy, you only have so much recuperative energy from parenting, working, training and competing. Last year, I had zero juice from Mt. Taylor. My spine pain was still big from the running inherent to doing Taylor. I hung on, barely, but I know that Ken (Walters) is gonna be drilling it hard this winter so I gotta be fresher than last year. Plus, there are several fantastic young cyclists that are maturing as nordic ski racers, so a 3-Peat is gonna be very hard to accomplish."


The rivalry between Ilg and Walters goes back three years and heats up the cold snow the moment it begins falling through the graceful Ponderosa limbs. The two athletes could not be more different. Walters is the stalwart champion of years past and is nearly neurotic about the technique of nordic ski racing and the science of waxing. Ilg is the acknowledged maestro of versatility and overall fitness. At last year's final ceremony, Walters - who finished second overall in the Series - outwardly accused Ilg of"having no ski technique."


The yogi smiled in reply but said nothing as he held the Championship trophy close. When asked directly about the comment from Walters, the reigning Champion again smiled and replied, "Well, if it is true that I don't have 'any' ski technique, than I guess I'm just lucky that winning races is about more than just technique!"


The winter of 09/10 is definitely starting out hot! For more information and to keep abreast of the Arizona Nordic State Championship Series and many other winter events, visit; www.FlagstaffNordicCenter.com


***



Inspired? if you are interested in helping to support Steve's winter racing expenses email him directly at: stevewholisticfitnesscom



Saturday, November 14, 2009

Ananda Sings for our Tribe!!!




photo; my Beloved Ananda (Joy)...with Patrick Stewart in the movie; SAFEHOUSE


***
Oh man, is Ananda ever gonna kill me for doing this...
shhhh...
maybe she won't find out...

okay, so the other day i was knee deep in last year's home video footage of Dewa, trying to
get a home DVD done in time for Thanksgiving...i grabbed Joy (Ananda) from doing what she is all-ways doing these precious days; mothering Dewa. this is like at about 7:45 am...Joy's just absolutely fatigued these days...Dewa is not sleeping well due to some more teeth coming in and well, you guys know that Joy and i haven't had so much of a babysitter since Dewa was born, so we're both just shipwrecks, right? so, i grab her and put her in front of my computer with GarageBand ready to go and with absolutely no warning and i say,

"Honey, i need you to sing the 'The Rose' right now...i need it for the section of Dewa's DVD where your dad came to visit."

Joy's dad, the famous Marine/Martial Art stud, always breaks down and cries like a baby whenever Joy sings 'The Rose' for him...(you'll soon hear and feel why; right down your cells...)

"Oh Steve, there is no WAY i can sing that song right now...i, i, i..."

suffice it to say, i walked out the room, and forced her to sing it...she doesn't even know all the words...however,
i just want you all to LISTEN to what i get to live with,
and
to the unbelievable voice that Dewachen has grown up with...singing to her every day...it's this voice which called Dewa's Atman toward us as potential parents. this, Dewa told me during her pre-born meditations with me.

enjoy,
and
shhhhh!!!
if you want to comment on this song (DO NOT FORWARD in any way to anybody else)...do so in the WF SanghaLounge, DL chamber, okay?

enjoy...and meditate on this...

Joy's recording available only for DL Subscribers

Friday, November 13, 2009

6 Key Facts Everyone Should Know About Protein

Most Noble Sangha,

the below is from the BodyHealth® website which is loaded with all sorts of great study material. BodyHealth®, of course, is the manufacturer of the MAP Amino Acids which I have been using both personally and professionally for several years now.

Everybody should - as a matter of Inner Experiment for Fitness, Immunity, and Health - set aside at least 6 months to stay steady on MAP...you will not be disappointed. I think my own personal fitness (8 podiums in 7 different sports this year alone) and my professional track record (you've read the SMALL amount of testimonials that cascade into my Inbox here on my blogs) speak for and of itself.

Your turn.

Everyone who orders MAP under me receives my complimentary 24/7 guidance for as long as you use MAP via my link (shown at the end of the article). We also have an entire MAP chamber in the WF SanghaLounge.

head bowed, knee deep in a positive nitrogen balance (thanks to MAP!),

el coache

***


Few nutrients are as misunderstood as protein. See if you know these six key facts about this essential nutrient for your body.

Protein Makes Up Your Body's Structure

Protein is an essential component of the diet and helps your body repair muscle, grow tissue, regulate hormones, control metabolism, defend against illness, and more.

Protein is what makes up your ligaments, tendons, muscles, hair, nails, skin, teeth, tissue, organs, and bones. About half of the non-water mass of your body is made up of protein.

Since most of the body's proteins are continually broken down, the body needs to manufacture thousands of proteins every day to replace them.

The more active you are the faster your proteins break down, and more protein you need to replenish them.

Individuals typically need 1 gram of protein daily for each kilogram of their body weight. For example, a 180-pound man would need at least 80 grams of protein a day to meet his body's needs; a 140-pound woman would need a minimum of 60 grams.

Protein cannot be stored for later use, like fat or carbohydrates can, so the body needs daily replenishments.

Proteins Are Made Up of Amino Acids

Just what is protein? Protein consists of smaller units of amino acids. These amino acids, formed of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms, are literally the building blocks of the human body. From these amino acids, your body can make hundreds of different proteins that perform different functions.

On its own, the body can manufacture 14 of the 22 amino acids it needs. But the other 8 cannot be made by the body and must be obtained from the diet. These eight amino acids are called "essential amino acids" and include:

  • Isoleucine
  • Leucine
  • Lysine
  • Methionine
  • Phenylalanine
  • Threonine
  • Tryptophan
  • Valine

The body uses the amino acids obtained from dietary protein or amino acid supplements to build the body's proteins, which become the structural foundation of the body and the molecules that sustain life.

Protein Digestion Releases Nitrogen Waste

Amino acids not synthesized into protein become converted to calories or energy. However, converting protein to calories or energy requires your body to strip the amino acids of their nitrogen atoms, creating nitrogen waste.

This nitrogen waste from the metabolized protein arrives at your kidneys as a toxic "urea," and must be filtered out.

For example, a hen egg, the highest protein food, makes only 48 percent of its protein available to the body. The rest of the egg converts to calories and produces nitrogen waste in the process.

For individuals with reduced kidney function, the amount of nitrogen waste produced from protein digestion can actually harm their kidneys.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, 20 million people have reduced kidney function and don't even know it. Not only does the toxic nitrogen waste considerably strain kidneys, but in high amounts can cause weak kidneys to further decline.

Therefore, to maintain optimum health and fitness, you must include enough dietary protein to keep up with losses. Since the diet alone often does not accomplish this, supplementing with an optimum protein source is recommended. It is for this reason that Master Amino Acid Pattern (MAP) was created. It is the optimum protein therapy.

Inadequate Protein Intake Damages Your Body

Daily protein/amino acid intake is required to maintain or normalize cellular turnover and optimize the body's protein synthesis. Without sufficient protein, the body either lets cells die or breaks down other muscles and tissues to get the protein it needs for repair and other functions.

The body may actually "eat itself" to acquire the necessary amino acids, or borrow the amino acids from the immune system or body functions to meet its protein needs. If you workout and don't have enough protein to rebuild your body, instead of getting stronger, you will become weaker and be subject to injury.

Whether due to restricted diets, illness, skipping meals, poor diet choices, and so on, inadequate protein/amino acid intake can compromise your health and affect the following body functions:

  • Bone cell synthesis
  • Red blood cell production
  • Heart cell turnover rate
  • Neurotransmitters/mood
  • Sense of well-being/stamina
  • Immune function/antibodies
  • Enzymes/hormones
  • Skin elasticity/muscle tone
  • Organ function/pH balance
  • Mobility/joint integrity

Many people are unknowingly protein deficient. Protein levels may actually be normal in standard blood panels, but in deeper tests of the serum, many individuals have deficient amino acid levels. Even marginal deficiencies can magnify the effect of every disease. We have never seen a vegetarian who is not protein deficient.

Most of the Protein We Eat Is Burned as Calories

Although you get much protein through your daily diet, the body cannot, unfortunately, digest and use all of it.

A nutritional label may indicate 10 grams of protein in a food, but your body won't assimilate all 10 grams. Most likely you'll assimilate only 10-20% and convert the rest to calories.

Why? Because in order for protein synthesis to take place, all 8 of the essential amino acids must be present. All 8 must be at the cell at the same time; otherwise protein cannot be made.

Protein cannot be stored, so these essential amino acids must either be in place or the body will burn the protein as energy, or store it as fat.

Another factor determining the amount of protein synthesis that takes place is the proportion and ratio of these amino acids. For each creature in the animal kingdom, the proportion and ratio for maximum protein synthesis varies.

Many People Have Increased Protein Needs

Many individuals need protein well beyond the regular requirements. Endurance athletes and other highly active people have increased muscle breakdown and body wear, and need more protein to rebuild their bodies and prevent injury.

The American Dietetic Association says that when athletes do heavy strength and resistance training, they need more than twice the amount of protein as normal to rebuild and repair their bodies.

Not just athletes need more protein. Middle aged and elderly people have extended body breakdown too. The hydrochloric acid in their stomachs, which activates the pepsin enzyme that digests protein, drops to half its regular level as individuals enter middle age. So the protein they eat may never be digested and their bodies break down for lack of it. Much of aging is probably due to this factor alone.

Children and adolescents also need more protein because their bodies are constantly growing. They have an increased need for new cells, new tissue, and other building materials.

Dieters who starve their bodies, menopausal women with imbalanced hormones, patients recovering from surgery or illness, individuals looking to support healthy kidney function, and others who want to maintain their immune system all have greater needs for protein.

For the athlete in the early season who works on strength training and must add muscle, strengthen tendons and cartilage require adequate amounts of high quality protein.

MAP should be used to do this. 2.5 tablets per 40 pounds of body weight (with a maximum of ten tablets) should be used pre-workout on easy days and after each workout (2 hours after the first workout) on hard days. You will notice the difference very quickly and it will last you for the whole upcoming season.

ORDER MAP using Steve Ilg's Link HERE!

questions? email me at:

stevewholisticfitnesscom

Words Cannot Express...

Good Morning Coach,

I just finished an incredible session of HP Yoga® and want to thank you for my daily practice. Words can not express the joy and gratitude I feel for my life and my daily practice. Thank you the work you have done and continue to do in Wholistic Fitness®.

Namaste',
Angela

As Rare As Stars In Broad Daylight...


a rare DharmaTeaching on today's DIRECT LINES...




"Why waste sweat on anything other than your own Salvation?
Make each droplet count toward your Enlightenment...
not for you...
for All Beings In All Realms."
- steve ilg
photo; Soulstice Mountain Race 2006 - 3 years;3 podiums

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Immune Boosting Soup!

Noble Sangha,
just back from sharing yet another sacred HP PROP WORKOUT® with 15 local Warriors...another ego-withering, limb-and-gut check of satya in the sweatiest degree!
only thing missing was YOU!

gotta tell you,
this soup from Yogini Emily absolutely cranks! we've had it like three times and you can truly feel the immense healing capacities within each delicious bite! Enjoy and let me know what you TAF about it in the WF SanghaLounge! thank you Emily! we miss you in PROP!
- ec



HP Yogini Emily who is now a Staff Teacher at NAYC

***
With cold and flu season upon us, many of us are looking for ways to take care of ourselves and strengthen our immune systems. Good rest, wholesome food, and lots of hand washing are all good practices during this time. There are also certain asanas that can be incorporated into your daily routine as a way to further your efforts against unwanted illness. The profound effects of yoga on body and mind help support our body’s natural defenses, hopefully leaving you with fewer days sick in bed.


Immune System Boosting Soup

On Today's DIRECT LINES!

Monday, November 9, 2009

Naturally speaking, every Being is beautiful...

"When babies are born our little faces are a canvas of cosmic beauty coming into form. As we grow and our egoic shell toughens by way of habit and conditioning, we lose track of our cosmic beauty. If we don't have Dharma Teachers in our lives, sometimes we can get completely lost in our ego, and as we age we frantically wage war to fight off aging. It's okay if Aspen leaves turn old and yellow and die, right? That's only natural! Well, when it comes to US we arrogantly think we are somehow more superior than a tree and thus should be immune to aging and death. Some people even put plastic into their faces and other invasive cosmetic forms of 'beauty.' Yogis realize that innate cosmic beauty never leaves us. Cosmetic beauty is a dead-end waste of time and vital energies more wisely put toward self-cultivation and inner work."

GET THE WHOLE TEACHING AND THE
WHOLENESS BACK INTO YOUR TRAINING:
subscribe to the Tribal Missive of Steve Ilg's Wholistic Fitness® today!


Saturday, November 7, 2009

Hit the Divine Being Transition Switch, Please!

click to enlarge the image:




Thanks Steve...for what you do,
for keeping the 'do' in
how you live your life
and
how you sweat out loud
yet with such wisely paced compassion and fierce grace!

You're always in my thoughts.
Namaste.
- your Devoted Warrior Jerry A
CA


COACH RESPONDS:

Precious Tribal Brother,
if ilg is indeed 'all-ways' in your thoughts,
then, please!... switch the arising ILG thoughts
over to your Divine Being prayers or mantra!

do not settle for feeble ilg thoughts
when you can be sending & receiving Prayer Chi to your Divine Source whose emanations


CONTINUED at DL SUBSCRIPTION FORMAT

Go, Fight, Win (the podium of Enlightenment)!

in love and Higher Light,
feeble ilg

ps; need a Mantra?

Friday, November 6, 2009

Another Precious Knock on my Humble, Powerful Temple Doors...

Dear Steve, I am a 56 year old woman who is trying to lose weight and get fit. I try to walk three times a week but with my very busy work schedule don't always get to it; but know that I have to do something about my weight. I am feeling very fat and uncomfortabe in my clothes. I jiggle all over mostly in my thighs, butt, gut, arms, I guess almost everywhere. I have a bulging disc in my neck so situps on the floor are out of the question for ab work. I was talking with my sister on the phone today and she suggested that I write to you and maybe, just maybe, you might have a free weight dvd or others that you could recommend for sale. If not I would very much appreciate some guidance in using free weights to firm up. I am also trying to figure out what to eat to help the process along too. Going to a personal trainer might be nice if I knew a good one but also finding time to go to someone is harder than doing the workouts in my home because of my crazy work schedule right now. I hope and pray that you will write me. Blessings, Cynthia TN




COACH RESPONDS:

Most Precious Seeker Cynthia,

i am meditating on your letter.
more later.

in the meanwhile,
i want you to focus on your Conscious Breath and Elegant Posture...

head bowed and Dharma Blessings upon thy Practice and May you realize your Practice everywhere,

rev. coach steve ilg


to my Sangha;
so...if you were ilg,
how would YOU respond?
she is obviously (in Taoist linguistics) "an unpolished Gem,"
she obviously needs SUNRIDER Phase One
MAP Amino Acids
Joy's Quickfix Yoga DVD and carefully monitored CV prescriptions right now instead of 'weight training'...

so...where do i Begin Again with this Seeker?

you probably think that since ilg has been doing this stuff professionally since 1982
this type of person just easily slides into some pre-proven category of mine and
i just quickly fire off a pre-made response to her.

no.

she is as precious to me as are you.

in the Guru/Disciple or Teacher/Student Relationship
each such relationship is like a mother becoming pregnant...
all sorts of utterly unique subjective and acute variables begin to Dance in my
mind...let alone the Skillful Means as to employ long-term tactically with her...

so...
ilg does what ilg told her...
ilg must sit.
sitting takes time.
perhaps you, in your own Practice, have realized the immense discipline it takes
to sit just for oneself...let alone countless others.

ilg's current best-selling item in my humble Online Pro Shop
proves the difficulty of the time:
it's not my recent Strength Training or HP Yoga® DVD or recent PDF or Book...
you know what
ilg's best selling Product is?
hint: it's not a Product.
it's a Service.

that's right; never before has there been such a spike in the demand for
my faithful students who sense ilg's sincerity
and steadfast Practice
for my
Prayer & Meditation Requests Service

so...
ilg sits more now
than ever before.

interesting isn't it?
"The World's Fittest Human"
sitting
still
for so
many
who
don't
"have the time"
for
- or training in -
Prayer and Meditation.

so...
on this night of Nights...
once
again...
ilg kisses Go(o)dnight to my baby daughter and my understanding Beloved Ananda,
and
retires into my Zendo...
tired,
yet convicted
to sit still
and hook up with the Deities of WF
once again
for the Benefit of those who Seek Higher Help...
Higher Strength...
Higher Compassion...
Higher Mercy...

and ilg tells you this much;
it is deeeep and Sacred Honor
to drag ilg's feeble self
again and again
and endlessly again
into 'my' Zendo
to do
that which
ilg does...

may all Personal Trainers
may all Teachers of Yoga
love their Students
as
ilg
Loves
thee...

that is all...

off to the Zendo.

O(men)
Ah(men)
OM(en)
OM


Rev. ilg

photo: rev ilg in reverence in the WF Temple H(om)e Zendo

Thursday, November 5, 2009

WF Teacher Profile - Ananda



the following is excerpted from the Northern Arizona Yoga Center's newsletter

where Joy and i both teach...



photo of Joy (aka; Ananda) by Wayne Williams




Q &A: Get to know your instructors




What brought you to yoga?

Well, it's more like "who" brought me to yoga... My dad was my first teacher to introduce me to yoga. He used to Practice on the beach in his Speedos® (it was the seventies) and i would cringe with embarrassment. What can i say, i was at the impressional age of eight.

That's a wonderful word embarrassment for it means "disturbances of mind."
That is why i am here now... to help "cease the fluctuations of my mind" also known as Yogas citta vrtti nirodhah as written in Sri Pantajali's, The Yoga Sutra.


How has your yoga practice evolved over time?

To be honest, as a student of yoga i feel most of the time as if my Practice has devolved. i mean, the more i try to bring my Practice off the mat and into my daily LifeStyle, the less i "know."

What is the most profound thing you've learned in practicing yoga?

That a Rinpoche can come in the sweetest form of a 2 year old beautiful being. My daughter! Doesn't matter how many asanas i can perform, or how long i can sit still (which isn't very long these days), for me it's about remaining conscious, present, loving, receptive and giving in every given moment and forgiving myself when i'm not.

OM TAT SAT


to experience directly the utter professionalism of who i consider to be one of this nations most naturally-gifted and exquisite asana teacher, get

get Joy's DVD right here for only $17 (plus s& h)





Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Wednesday's WF Devotional Prayer...PLUS A FREE "AI IMAWA HEALING POSTURE" Chart...only for DL Subscribers!






May All Beings Everywhere...








Wake up every morning with the feeling...










... that something wonder-full is about to happen...



...May we use our Wholistic Fitness® skills to attack our weaknesses...



LEARN THE REST OF THE PRAYER...
SEE THE OTHER PICS
SUPPORT THE WORLD'S ORIGINAL TRANSPERSONAL FITNESS TEMPLE...
and
get your free "Ai Imawa Taoist Healing Posture Chart"



May your Practice reflect inner elegance, honesty, and compassion...along with a ton of humor along this Steep and Direct Path of Transformation through passionate balance and wholeness!


C'mon...we are your Tribe!




Photos:
- 1; ilg piles drives into evening Brahmamuhurti and a Hanuman howling wind, during a 111-mile pull in the Furnace Creek 508, Death Valley. Photo by LA Times


-2 & 3
special thanks to Ruby (shown with Dewah) and Ruby's wonder-full m(om); Julie.

- 4
Ananda says, "Hello again," to weakness on the Lower Brookbank Trail, Flagstaff.

- 5
ilg leads some WF Students in Ai Imawa Postures; "Meeting the Dragon". DL Subscribers = email me at steve{at}wholisticfitness{.}com for a complimentary new Ai Imawa Healing Postures chart!

-6
Daddy and Dewah gettin' it done...photo by HP Yogi James Q. Martin

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

You know you're living in Kali Yuga when...




Excuse me,
however,
isn't that a Double-Vajra Dorje in the new set of the Jay Leno Show? (see wall set design over Leno's left shoulder)

and...
uh...
isn't he standing on a Zia Symbol from NM?


interesting how those who capitalize on gossip and enter-tainment are drawn to (ab)using the powerful Transmission energies of symbols representing inner-attainment from eon-old spiritual Traditions!

what's next?

Leno puts the WF Logo on the chairs?

Sunday, November 1, 2009

In Defense of Sport

excerpt from today's DL from Coach;

For many, sport comes into our lives where real things are missing. Daily sweat tethers our “monkey mind” creating an empowering sanctuary for us to love the discipline of genuine self-learning, instead of rote memorization. Where there is no daily sweat, there is no ventilation. Such chronic inner toxicity suffocates personal wholeness with blubber and mental clutter.

Sport IS a teacher. In fact, sport is a multilayered and very beautiful teacher. Like any student however, we must take the curriculum if we are to learn.

The wholistic value of sport is sweat, a necessary agent for personal well-being, integrity, and wise discrimination. Cramming education with the “three R's” - as the writer suggests - at the expense of sport (and art and music perhaps?) is precisely the insane intellectual codependency which has resulted in national obesity, bickering, mental illness, and spiritual poverty

As a lifelong 'jock,' I speak for the unspeakable, sacred joy arising from sports and the wholeness it offers to the compass of our lives...




you really shouldn't miss this Teaching, or the 2,000+ Archived Teachings from "The World Fittest Human."

subscribe today and forever sweat with Higher Intent and Focus...