RECLINING BENEATH ASPENS; a new poem

a new poem and pictures by steve ilg

Writing poetry has long been established within the Wholistic Fitness Personal Training System as a form of what i termed, "Passive Meditation," back in the early years. To this day, if you look upon Bala's cartop carrier rack, you'll see a decal, one of many, expressing; POETRY IS NECESSARY. And it is. Sadly, the pace of Kali Yuga seems to have diminished the soul-nourishing action of reading, contemplating, and creating poetry. Not in this Tribe, however. I will not let your notion of Personal Fitness exclude the necessity of cultivating a poetic mind. From the poetic mind comes poetic action; something that is needed in each of our parenting, relationship, occupational, and fitness skills. This new poem, upon which i worked during the month of August, is offered as an honor to the now freezing nights and sweeping color changes of early autumn. though my chi accelerates towards near constant blissful realms during this most precious season of the falling leaves, it is not without sadness i already miss my hammock, heated smells, and stentorian monsoon rains! this poem is a work in process for a new book of poetry; Kinlani Speaks! a sequel to my first book of poems;

Pagosa Speaks!

May your Practice reflect poetry,
the mountain yogi

***

into fabric jaws wide open
swallowed by a summer hammock,
lyrical see-sawing hugs skin,
melts bones
swaying DreamCatcher of bird- and windsong.
leaf dappled shadows
frolic upon my suspended cocoon.

flesh and mind dissolve
multiplicity's of high country August emerge:

surfing fertile waves of nature,
ripe yet unhurried sweeps of Heaven's breath
the dance of deciduous and evergreen scapes
claw Father Sky.
towering Ponderosa extend silky
green needle fingers
shimmering mock futility
transforming scratch of wind
into Father's own beautiful Ujjayi!

Please consider subscribing to DIRECT LINES to read the rest of Coach's beautiful, powerful poem and pictures but also to help support him in his Lifelong Work of attempting to restore intelligent poetry and spiritual depth and width to our notion of personal fitness training...

OUTSIDE MAGAZINE exposure exposes 15 years of Teacher/Student Love....

The republication of the OUTSIDE MAGAZINE Cover 1992 that brought scores of Seekers toward the Steep and Direct Path of Wholistic Fitness. Currently on newsstands.

***
Hi Steve:
What do you think an autographed copy of Outside Magazine, May 1992, signed by Steve Ilg would be worth.
I first contacted you December 1992 as a result of that issue of Outside Magazine. Wow - almost 15 years of
coaching and friendship.
Ai Imawa
Fit Kit
ps. the copy is in pristine condition.

Most Noble Fit Kit!
i don't know, however, the Temple gets 10%!

love and sweat through the decades; May your Practice feel Blessed and may Divine Insights arise from every grip of the barbell, every drop of cardio sweat, and every time you fold your legs into Meditation...

Om So Ti,
your ol' coach

SPEED HEALING; Proven Pathways

now appearing in the



WF SanghaLounge
in both the SUNRIDER and BIOBUILDE Caves!

Now THIS is what i call a STUDENT UPDATE! Warrior Leeson reveals his Subtle Practice depth!

Now of course, i do not have 'favorite' students. A Teacher and Protector of Dharma is trained to operate from beyond Duality, right?

However, those students that apply their Subtle Mind to the household Practices upon which Wholistic Fitness truly excels, totally turn me on. A rose is only a rose to the UnAwakened vision. There is the gross form of the rose, the subtle fragrance of the rose, and the myriad causal energetics of the rose. To each form, to each workout that we perform, to each Practice and Teaching of Wholistic Fitness, there is also gross understanding, subtle understanding, and refined understanding. These relate to our needs for External, Internal, and Divine Motivation as i have Taught you previously in this forum.

Below, veteran WF Online Student Warrior Tobe from Steamboat Springs, Colorado reveals his subtle understanding of what i consider to be the most integral factor to the WF Personal Training System; Meditation. Particularly within the exclusive Teachings and Practices of my WF Early Morning Ritual (EMR).

Lets listen and learn from my beautiful Shishya Leeson, a genuine Warrior of WF who has learned the endless value of diving DEEP into the often misunderstood household Practices of WF:

On Sep 26, 2007
Dear Coach,

My EMR practice remains a key part of my WF practice. I notice a
calming of my nervous system and greater rhythm to breath. My postural
awareness increases exponentially. I carry a lot of tension in my neck
and shoulders and your WF Toilet Yoga sequences helps to bring my focus there and allow greater relaxation...

...Neti (nasal) wash is essential and clears me of much waste and snot. The simple
practice of neti washing opens up Ida and Pingala* and allows the energy of
my nadic system to flow more freely and deeply. I can feel the pranic
empowerment deeply after neti and pranayama..."

DO NOT MISS THIS FANTASTIC TRANSPERSONAL PROOF of why WF is the Mt. Everest of Personal Training!

Trust in the Path,
and
Abhyasa; Steadfast Practice NO MATTER WHAT!



To all my devoted Students who have the courage to chase their Highest Star through the Wholistic Fitn
Wholistic Fitness Online Training Path;
i bow in deep respect.

May perspicuity arise through calm chitta...

om so ti,
the mountain yogi

* Ida; Left Nostril orchestrating the female/lunar energetics of the body/mind.
Pingala; Right Nostril orchestrating the male/solar energetics of the body/mind.

You Want Divine Downloads? Open Thy Hips...or, are you too chicken?

After my hips opened after about 15 years of near daily effort...
PHEW!!!

The Divine Downloads that came and kept coming
and keep coming
were and remain INTENSE!
Sooo much Chakra Level Guidance with a never before
present Sourcing from

Humor & Love
Humor & Love
Humor & Love

To tell you my Truth?
winning overall podiums and setting course records in
Ultra Racing and other events?
kindygarten
compared to overcoming the Granthis
between the hips!

I TELL YOU THIS, OH NOBLE SEEKER,
IF YOU HAVE READ THIS FAR
AND STILL
HAVE NOT SUBSCRIBED TO DIRECT LINES,
DUDE:
Black Karma at this point...

just know that you are a Member of our Tribe
and we are WAITING FOR YOU!
over 25 years, yes years,
i have been putting out this quality of body/mind training...
you are getting dropped,
gapped,
if you are not a subscriber;
JUMP!
for Go(o)d's Sake
it only costs $10 dang bucks per month
for the best training partner you could ever imagine...
DIRECT LINES! Daily Meditations From Coach Ilg


May your Practice be Blessed from our Lineage Teachers...

keep sweating,
keep sitting and breathing stillness into your mind...

om so ti,
the mountain yogi

photos:
#1,2- Froggie Posture shot not too long ago by Ananda. the quintessential hip opening posture. go(o)d luck!
#3- Padagushtasana. Snow Canyon Utah by Kathy Faulstich. my hips were this open with 7 consecutive weeks of over 15 weekly hours of cardio training. such Wholistic Fitness is difficult to find in Kali Yuga. WF Students like myself, devoted ourselves to this entirely ignored and unrespected volume of Balanced Fitness. so be it until the Bardo!

Tis The (Dry Land Training) Season; GETTING TWITCHY...

"You don't get a second chance at your Pre-Season."
- coach ilg


READ MY LATEST ARTICLE ON THE UNITED STATES SNOWSHOE RACING WEBSITE:

Coach Ilg's Column at USSSA


photo by Ananda: cranking off Norwegian Crunches during my pre-season snowshoe race training. the ultra innovative snowshoes that i am wearing is called the, Flight System®, made by my good friends at Kahtoola right here in Flag! You've heard me time and again brag about their two great products in DL...they are making all sorts of new speed ascents possible for me! If you don't yet have these incredible 'snow traction' weapons? Get some before the snow flies! Check em out at:

Kahtoola

tell 'em Coach Ilg sent you!

Student Sauve ReFinds His Soul; 16 days in the Grand Canyon

In August, Noble WF Online Student Daniel Sauve visited me for a one day Private Intensive. It was designed to cover
those tricky elements which lie hidden in the world of WF Online Studies; Toilet Yoga, Pranayama guidance, meditation, and of course, plenty of sweat. The Intensive was also done as a Warrior Blessing and JumpStart to a 16-day Grand Canyon River Trip...i finally heard word from him today and it is my pleasure to share his remarkable insights with you...
May His Noble Sweat and Bravery To Nourish His Soul
inspire your own Journey...

om so ti,
coach ilg


today on DL Subscription Format; read how a one day Private Intensive with Coach ilg kickstarted an amazing journey down the Grand Canyon for Student Sauve of Canada...

THIS IS WHAT PERSONAL FITNESS SHOULD BE ALL ABOUT:

WF, The Mt. Everest of Personal Training Since 1982


photo 1) the Grand Canyon, located just 65 miles north of the WF Temple H(om)e...
photo 2) coach hoses off his Shishya Sauve after a 2.25 hour MTB ride before his Grand Canyon adventure...

have YOU signed up for YOUR 2008 Private Intensive or Training Camp?!

A World Class Welcome To The Multisport Mutant Jr...from Hakado Ru

Hakado Ru's Love Byte For Dewa's Clan

please enjoy and leave a WF Sangha Love Note for WF Student Hakado Ru, okay?

thank you, Hak!

love and light from the Clan of Dewachen

The WF Temple's First Autumn Freeze in Haiku

nearby ski road sets the mood for the coming autumn...
see my Haiku devoted to the first freeze last night...

only on DL Subscription Format...

Flagstaff Marathon Chi Hit...

great slide show from my 10k race this weekend appearing on today's DL Subscription Format!

DON'T MISS THIS CHI HIT
FOR YOUR EMPOWERED PRACTICE TODAY!!!


Get a DL Subscription today and i promise you;
you'll have the best Training Partner you've ever known!

First Snow Of The Season Kisses The Sacred Peak; Devoted To Thoreau

Please, do not miss this beautiful, special entry with coach and an excerpt from his spiritual grandpapa...

only on DL Subscription Format

COACH BLITZES TO HIS 4th OVERALL PODIUM In 4 DIFFERENT SPORTS SO FAR IN 2007!!

A DL EXCLUSIVE REPORT
and Photos "proudly" brought to you by WF Temple Manager (and Mother Of Dewachen), Ananda!



The "legendary antics*" of the ol' Mountain Yogi just keeps on continuing...

With only 11 days in his pocket as a new daddy, and eight running workouts in the past 8 months, our Beloved "MultiSport Mutant**" of a Coach pulled another rabbit out of his hat and ran to a 3rd place Overall in today's North Country 10k high altitude running race.

DL caught up with Coach moments before he carted off his baby girl and her mom to a baby doctor checkup shortly after he stepped off the podium at the
Flagstaff Nordic Center

when asked about this pivotal 4th Different Sport Overall Podium in the same calendar year, Coach, who has been wearing a heart warming smile reminiscent of any new daddy, replied simply...





"Hey,
if you had this waiting for you at home,
wouldn't you run as fast and as hard as you could?"

You know, those of us who realize the crazy, and often bizarre, esoteric philosophical Wisdom that we are lucky enough to
receive from Coach, we kinda forget
one simple fact:
this guy has been kicking ass in so many different ways for so long
that we take his Daily Painful Sweat for granted...
i mean, i know that his dedication to his Practice sure inspires and helps me!

A HEARTY DL CONGRATS TO NEW DADDY ILG's FIRST OVERALL PODIUM AS A FATHER WARRIOR! SOMETHING TELLS US THAT IT WON'T BE THE LAST!

Coach promises a FULL RACE REPORT coming only to DL Subscription Format!


* - Dustin Phillips, champion mountain runner
** - OUTSIDE MAGAZINE

HP Yogi Jut Runs The Ancient Trails With Honor

"Hopi Land is an amazing place. It was humbling to run ancient trails with these People, to share in their culture, and to honor and pray for that which is sacred. Water is life." - HP Yogi Jut

read the whole story:

Yogi Jut's Blog

photo above; Jut crankin' across the Sacred Lands of the Hopi toward the Finish Line flying the WF Jersey! photo by HP Yogini Connor

Temple Gong: Crank off 108 Sun Salutes Tomorrow Evening!

coach's note:
do 108 SUN SALUTES TOMORROW NIGHT
"Be the change you wish to see in the world" Mahatma Ghandi

HP Yogi's can crank off rounds of either Series A or Series A-Modified as described in my TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION BOOK, pages; beginning on page 87. DO NOT HURT YOURSELF! REST when you need to rest! THIS IS HARD!!

The Global Mala Project (www.globalmala.org) seeks to unite the global yoga community and form a human "mala around the earth," as people practice yoga in cycles of 108.

Over 35 countries, hundreds of yoga studios and thousands of yoga practitioners will participate, raising funds and awareness for some of the most essential issues of our times such as global warming and youth aids.

Steve Ilg's HIGH PERFORMANCE Yoga is part of a worldwide yoga practice in which yoga communities across the world will simultaneously form a mala, or prayer, around the earth by performing various versions of 108 sun salutations.

If possible, coach ilg suggests a donation of $5.00 be Gifted to the nonprofits warchild.org and/or youthaids.org

***
THE NUMBER 108
The number 108 carries spiritual, mathematical, and astronomical significance:
108 is the number of names for Shiva in Hindu philosophy.
108 is the number of Upanishads comprising Indian philosophy's Vedic texts (depending on how you count).
108 is used in Islam to refer to God.
108 is six times the number "18" which is a Jewish good luck number.
108 is the number of names for Buddha.
108 is the number of beads on a Catholic rosary.
108 is twice the number "54", which is the number of sounds in Sanskrit.
108 lines of energy are said to converge to form the heart chakra.
108 has numerological significance in that 1^1 x 2^2 x 3^3 = 1 x 4 x 27 = 108.
The diameter of the sun is approximately 108 times the diameter of the earth.

You Will HAVE To Practice This Teaching If...

DL SUBSCRIBERS GET TO SEE:

photo; this treasured image was sent to me by MahaNidraRishi
i have called the Sunflower (very potent to cleanse, purify, and strengthen the third chakra), "The Westerner's Lotus"

*

One of the greatest masters in Tibet was Geshe Chekhawa, who lived in the eleventh century. He was extremely learned and accomplished in many forms of meditation. One day when he happened to be in his teacher’s room, he came across a book lying open at the following lines:

SUBSCRIBE TO DL TODAY AND GET THIS TEACHING AND MEDITATION POSTER PLUS
ACCESS TO OVER 2,000+ of Coach's writings, photos, and access to the worldwide WF SANGHALOUNGE!!!

Temple ReOpen!

Most Noble Sangha!
THANK YOU for your Practice of Patience and ALL the loving letters in my Inbox!
i'll post some of them in the Baby Cave in the WF SanghaLounge, so that when Dewa grows up she
can see how many of you sent your LOVE to our family!

okay, i'm trying to tear myself away from my adorable little one and it ain't easy! ooooooooooooh she is SOOOOOOOO cute!!!!!!!!!!!

plan is:
process retail orders,
touch base with my Online Students,
touch base with my SUNRIDER and BIOBUILDE business,
address other WF Business,
then DL,
then respond to non-formal students, fans, and friends.

yes, my exposure in OUTSIDE MAGAZINE has opened a floodgate of new Seekers knocking on our Temple...
do not worry; i ain't gonna sell out and accept new students; i make 'em wait; for years if needed.
not good for me making money for my new family,
however,
this is a Spiritual Practice Path first and foremost; so i remain in your Corner so long as your
training is sincere.

now, continue your Patience okay? it's only me running the Temple and due to the depth that this Work requires,
it ain't like McDonalds; we don't Serve billions; we Serve YOU! one by one; just like the Ancient Masters required...

more soon,

coach ilg

Serving Is Our Most Important Issue: WF Temple To ReOpen For Public Service on Wednesday

This auspicious shot was taken by myself on the sunset of Dewachen's first day of being alive. Though this photo from our 3rd story hospital room does not allow the Pranic Golden Saturation to be seen, the entire scene was permeated with a surreal, etheral Golden Light literally pouring off the Sacred Peak toward our hospital room. Moved to tears for i Recognized the Light as being an Om So Ti from Dewachen (the Golden Lit Pureland of Bliss Abode of Amitabha Buddha for which my daughter is named). rushing over to my tiny girl and urging Ananda to come with, i stood transfixed with my Clan, looking out at this Miracle streaming, streaming, streaming...Dewa opened her eyes and each eye became as large and shapely as Lotus Pedals as she must have thought, "Good Lord Buddha; i did it! i made it through the Bardo and have taken a new life in Dewachen!"

Most Noble Sangha,

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Life's most urgent question is; What are you doing for others?"

I created Wholistic Fitness as my unique way of helping others. WF remains in fact, to this very m(om)ent, my Karma Marga or, my Path of Service Before Self.

Why, as all the Great Masters, Saints, and Teachers like Yogi King Jr., is this release of egocentricity is our most urgent issue?

Why can't we just schlep, dance, or compete our way through life gaining and accumulating more and more layers to 'our notion of self?' Isn't that why we go to Church or Temple on Sundays? Aren't we already on God's good side if we gesticulate a prayer or two toward Him on Sundays, or perhaps before a meal? Can't we just grab and grasp for money and material gain as our Song To The UniVerse and be okay when we die?

Well, let me put it this way; You know how sometimes you might try to buy something with a credit card and the clerk looks at you with a surprisingly deep sense of compassion saying,
"Oh, I am terribly sorry, we don't accept that card."

Well, the Bardo does not accept Egos.

That is why Yogi Jesus Christ taught us, "To find me, you must first lose your/self."


For the same reason why we love the innocence of babies, we too, must strip naked everything we've built up as "I", "me", or "mine" as we enter our Death Processes. Turning our egocentric tendencies inside out to help others diminishes the return on our ego investment. The sticker shock is huge; it actually feels GREAT! (I loved it when Mahatma Gandhi described the joy of doing Karma Yoga as, 'selfish altruism'!).

As the great yogi, Saint Francis* taught us,
"For it is giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."


We must be careful, however, when attempting to perform such lofty, lifelong judo throws with our ego (self fortification). You and i are not Avalokitesavara. Our rate of thought is not yet slow enough for monastic work, let alone Sainthood. So just keep your diapers handy for you and i are infants on the conscious spiritual journey. Prioritize your Practices first and foremost, for if we are ourselves are not fit, if we ourselves do not yet glow; how can we ignite others on such a difficult swim upstream, against the torrential tides of selfish, gaining actions?

I will return to this pulpit of sweat and stillness
and to my Online Services
on Wednesday.
I bow to your Practice of Patience for allowing me
one week to be 100% present with my
new born baby girl
and her mommy.

there is yoga in everything,
if
yoga is in everything we see.

Until Wednesday, do this for coach:
observe the rate of your thoughts
and practice enough calmness to witness your thought units.

and...thank you for allowing me to help in this small way,
your Trek up the Steep and Direct Path of Self Transformation and
possible Realization...

that is all,

from the rookie dad that can now stop a crying baby in an average of 45 seconds using WF Teachings combined with Teacher Karp's astounding techniques,
abba ilg

photo #2; Ananda and i during one of our PreNatal Fitness Walks across the street from the WF Temple H(om)e. photo by

MelissaGrimesPhotography.com
this shot is one of my mom's favorites,thanks Melissa!)

* it is in honor for this great Yogic Saint of children and animals that the San Francisco Peaks which hover, often cloud hidden, above the WF Temple H(om)e are thus named.

TEMPLE GONG RINGS 21x: Dewachen Catherine Ilg

Dewachen Catherine Ilg...

...born to Joy "Ananda" Kilpatrick and steve ilg beneath the Sacred Peak of Doko Oosliid at 4:24am during Brahmamuhurti in the era of Kali Yuga on 9-11-2007...

...good bye my Beautiful and Blessed 45 years of life without child...

...and hello to the second half of my Beautiful and Blessed life as faithful, fit, and humbly devoted Father and student of a most auspicious and precious Baby Girl; may all Beings benefit from Her presence on Mother Earth, beneath Father Sky during this time of great Awakening and Healing...

--- COMING UP NEXT ONLY FOR DL SUBSCRIBERS: photos and captions from Ananda's Divine Workout...

TEMPLE GONG: The Conduit of WF Just Got WAY Stronger!

Most Noble WF Warriorship,

okay. even though i have been training you all in cultivating equanimity over the past 25+ years...
suddenly readership of both my blogs has JUMPED over the past two days
(and that's without ANY PHOTOS!)
due to what i can only suppose is another example
of my poor coaching abilities of WF Lifestyle Principles; in this case, #2 which can be understood as even-mindedness over emotion.

oh well.

damn, does the Outer World LOVE A BABY, or WHAT!?!??!

wish i could get such a positive reaction and loving embrace of like my Mula Bandha Meditation Pay Per PDF
in the tribal catalog
(which is by the way, coming soon to my online catalog as an audio DVD and download!).

if THAT would be the case, our Sangha would already be in Dewachen (The Land of Bliss; the Heavenly Abode of Amitabha Buddha whom is the Dhyana Buddha of my Spiritual Lineage)!

oh, and don't worry if you are reading this and thinking to yourself,

"GOOD GAWD AWLMIGHTY!
WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY CRAZY WISDOM COACH!??!!
WHY DOESN'T HE JUST GET TO THE POINT AND TELL ME THE NAME OF HIS DANG BABY
AND MAYBE POST ONE OF THOSE CHEESY NEWBORN BORN BABY PICTURES AND GET OVER WITH IT?"

because,
well,
maybe your Crazy Wisdom Coach
IS
providing a Teaching in this missive that is even more important that you knowing 'my' Daughters' name
or seeing a picture of Her.


yes,
i am going to post 'my'* BEAUTIFUL daughters' picture and name right here in DL**!

however,
i gotta get back to the hospital...and pick up my mom who is traveling to Flag by train from New Mexico (more easy on Mother Earth than driving...see where i get all this WF stuff from?)

just remember this till we meet again,
babies cry because they are struggling to find peaceful breathing into an unknown, formfull reality (birth).
grown ups cry because we are struggling to find a surefire way to keep breathing into an unknown, formless reality (death).

only the highly skilled yogi, well taught and practiced in Meditation
can smile consciously into birth, life, and death.

oh, 'my' 24-hour old baby daughter Taught me that one.
as you can tell,
She is already a far, far more powerful Messenger and Translator
than i have ever been,
even
on my
best day.

guess you all better stay tuned to DIRECT LINES in the remaining five years of my public teaching, eh?

go(o)d.

i like knowing you are close by.



om so ti,
the mountain yogi.


* i'll have to use these quotation marks to relay the message to you that i realize 'my' daughter is not really mine...she is God's Being coming through the Conduit Known As Steve and Joy.


** oh, and you INDIRECT LINES readers? don't think for one minute that your non-subscribing eyes are pure enough to see the sacred image of 'my' baby daughter! no WAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!

TEMPLE GONG: How to flip the darkness of 9/11? Give birth to a Baby Budda!

Most Noble WF Sangha -

Direct Lines will undergo a brief suspension due to an absolutely ADORABLE
7 lb, 1 oz Baby Girl - healthy and as Awake as Padmasambhava - born this morning at 27 minutes into morning Brahmamuhurti (Hour of God); that's 4:27 am in Western time. Her face and demeanor radiate the presence of a bodhisattva. and i ain't just laying that line on you cuz i'm her daddy, you hear whaddyam sayin'?

Leave it to a family of ilgs to take on the challenge of 'flipping' 9/11 into an ongoing cause for the highest of all celebration! Absolutely perfect!

Joy, a 40 year old rookie at childbirthing totally cranked off her Divine Workout*
with impeccable, well-trained elegance. no meds. not one whine. not one complaint.
just about 7 hours of a LOT of WF and HP Yoga style Ujjayi Pranayam, Hum Sa, and Mula Bandha!

it was my deepest Honor to be present every step of the way...and cutting the umbilical cord with a mantra on the exhale.

before getting back to my Beloved(s) bedside,
on behalf of Joy and our Baby Girl,
i just need to THANK ALL OF YOU for sending us your Love, Light, and your Gifts of Spirit and Material Metta over these past luscious nine months!

i will release a picture and the name of my baby daughter on DIRECT LINES
as soon as other Priorities recede.

thank you again, from the deepest of my heartspace...

i bow to you from beneath the Sacred Peak,
on this most auspicious of days to bring the Light
by carrying the Torch into the Darkness...

love,

daddy warrior ilg

*special thanks to local HP Yogin Chris Latham whose UPS appearance at our doorstep, during twilight Brahmamuhurti yesterday evening in angelic demeanor and bearing a much needed shipment of BioBuilde Amino Acids for Joy's Divine Workout and Recovery, spoke so lovingly with Joy about childbirth and childrearing. it turned out that it was he that became the Catalyst to start Joy's rushes (we don't call them 'contractions'...just like we did not once use the word, 'labor', instructing the hospital staff to refer to contractions as 'rushes' and the labor as, 'The Divine Workout.')

The Divine Workout has Begun

Coach has asked me to let the Sangha know that Joy's Divine Workout has begun.

Details to follow...

hak

Clinical Depression vs. Clinical Elevation?

Our medical industry has created a bijillion dollar per year highly lucrative money-making scheme around the unquestioned and quite fashionable disease of clinical depression (or at least ADD or ADHD OR HDTV or, well whatever, get begets get. garbage in? garbage out!). On the other hand, not does one dollar ever go toward clinical elevation. Could it be our doctors can't make money from healthy, whole, self healing, happy people? hmmmmmm... now, the upside to all this? check it out:

DO NOT MISS THIS VERY IMPORTANT TEACHING BY COACH ON YESTERDAYS DIRECT LINES!
subscribe today!

Baby Update and Dharma Upgrade

dear coach ilg,
for a guy who is minutes away from having your first child you are remarkably productive. your sangha is waiting and loving you, ananda and the baby!
- konryu

***

Most Noble and Cherished Shishya KonRyu!
thank you soooo much for the Love hit!

you know, however, that there are a lot of m(om)ents in just one minute! i thought i taught you that Teaching a loooong time ago when i first coached you through your first three sets of 1 minute Jump Squats!

Ananda is doing great; in fact, we walked for an hour yesterday and she just finished another yoga session as i type this to you.

Three days ago, i filmed her for our upcoming; Divine Workout Pre Natal Yoga DVD! the photo above was taken after a half day of shooting for the video. it's gonna be a GREAT DVD! she is truly amazing. on our walk the other day, we met an overweight neighbor that told us just seeing Ananda walk so consistently through her pregnancy inspired her, for the first time in several years, to get up off the couch and GO FOR A WALK!

So, already it seems, my little Unborn One is in the Personal Training Dharma Path and is already bringin' the chi to others; one person at a time.

As Gandhi said, "The only way a true revolution can occur is through one person at a time." And that is why ilg stays committed to the Ancient Teacher/Shishya Relationship through Online Training and personal training instead of more lucrative ways of making money through what i could do. It's all about YOU! One person at a time, baby. No other way. That is also why each and every one of you that has been positively influenced to work on yourself - be it through WF or some other Dharma Vehicle - is so utterly priceless to humanity!

Now, go into your day and BE(AM) YOUR LIGHT!

And, if you are NOT a WF Online Student? Fill out an Application today. Much work to do; very, very, very FUN and AMAZING Transformational Work which begins the m(om)ent you choose to Begin!


Love and Light,
ec

It Really Depends Upon Where You Feel The Importance Is...

coach in Ardha Matsyendrasana; one of those great "Karmic Keys" into the often painful, barbed wire intensity of my hips. this and the photo of Ananda and i in Vashisthasana variation (below) by Melissa Grimes.


***

i realize that most men my age have already invested most of their energy, training time, and well; lives in making money.

and that's great.

i mean, i ain't dissin' that. having been a self-made millionaire myself, and having three bankruptcies as well, trust me; i know by Direct Experience the qualitative differences between being The Guy to hang with cuz i could drop 1k per Saturday night in Hollywood clubs and get a VIP room for my posse with all the ancillary bootery which inevitably accompanies such lower chakral dinero dropping, and being The Guy eating boiled potatoes and living in a ratty ass trailer that became a sauna in summer and an igloo in winter on some punk ass New Mexico Indian reservation where the only trash pick up was our own pick up.

what i am saying is that when you get right down to it,
if you are a genuine man.
a genuine Human Being;
there is nothing in God's Great Realm that will stop you from doing that which is most important to you. it's little bit like that great George Burns quote:
"I'd rather be a failure at something I enjoy than a success at something I hate."

to me, that means opening my hips.

opening my hips?

yes, opening my hips.

most of you would likely be absolutely astounded at the time, energy, pain, loss of sport-specific fame, and loss of financial income that i am willing to endure at the task of opening my tight hips (while not losing elite level endurance or strength; something that slides by most studio yogis).

the reason for this lifelong pilgrimage into my hips is that i know that all the tight, painful, twisted, dark, suffocated shit that lies between my hip bones holds my unique Karmic Key that opens the Stargate to...

WARRIOR:
stop just dropping by here for the quick, cheap Chi Hit! read the Entire Teaching of today plus access to 2,000+ Teachings from Coach plus keys to the WF SanghaLounge!
c'mon into your TRIBAL CAVE!! the worldwide Sangha of WF is WAITING FOR YOU!

SUBSCRIBE TO DL and get working within!!!

A Conscious Parent Teaches Only ONE Thing...

My Beloved Ananda is 4cm dilated.
My life without child is nearly fully contracted.
As much grief for my lifestyle ending
accompanies
my constant joy at the blossoming miracle of my daughters birth.

for a yogi who once worked for a Zero Population Growth board,
you can imagine how many decades i've spent contemplating the following
question:

What is Conscious Parenting?

My evolved answer is that it is not
too distant a cry from Conscious Fitness Training...


READ THIS BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL, LOVING, AND POTENT TEACHING FROM COACH ON TODAY'S DIRECT LINES...
how much longer will you stay in the cheap, cold seats seeking...
while the rest of us; YOUR SPIRITUAL TRIBE await you in the warmth of our Loving Devotion to Wholeness through Fitness...


"Enough. These few words are enough.
If not these words, this breath.
If not this breath, this sitting here.

This opening to the life
we have refused
again and again
until now.

Until now."
- David White

photos of coach and Ananda by
Melissa Grimes Photography

Ananda's new edition of her Blog is a beautiful one:

The Joyful Breath

Timari Wins World 24 Hour Solo Championship!!!

As i've said to the great athletes which have trusted in me since 1982;
"The Path Works, when YOU work the Path!"

Long time WF and HP Yoga Student Timari, who can be seen in this national ad is wise enough to know and trust in a "Big Medicine" Path like WF...after her victory in Monterey she wrote me:

"Hey coach!
Yes, you read it right, I have finally won that ever so coveted World 24 Hour Solo Championship jersey that I have been after for OH SO LONG! This last weekend at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, the dream finally became a reality... The course was tough (about 2,500 ft of climbing per lap), long, and the weather was uncharacteristically HOT for Monterey. Many a rider had to succumb to the heat....... some of the best that 24 hour racing has to offer. This season has been a long road for me, and not necessarily always a smooth one as you know (with the knee surgery and the blood clot of course!-----along with the dastardly blood clot medication..........), but in the end, I finally came out on top to win for my age group! No doubt that the HP yoga (along with Ananda's Quick Fix yoga DVD)the Sundrider, and the BioBuilde have greatly helped me out along the way! Thanks as always coach for all of your guidance along the way!

Love ya!
Timari"


In the spring, Timari traveled to the Sacred Peak to see me for counsel and much needed "High Performance Bodywork," my unique style of energywork and structural compressive bodywork to help her body and mind and spirit deal with several injuries and issues.

each WF Student - whether they are merely a DL Subscriber or a devoted Online Student - receives the same wisdom, love, and care that i put into helping great athletes like Timari overcome the challenges of world class athleticism to propel themselves to the top of the podium.

Congratulations, Timari and Dharma Blessings to all of you who choose to enjoy and use the tremendous power of our humble Path to propel YOU to YOUR unique podiums of the spirit!


head bowed,

the big cheese from the tiny Temple beneath the massive Peak,
coach ilg

Until Our Body Gleams...

From Today's DIRECT LINES; Subscription Format:

"Until our body reflects like a mirror the capacities of our Clear Mind, then we must each keep steadfast our practice (Abhyasa) until our body gleams with a highly skilled, functional fitness of endurance, strength, suppleness, and symmetry. For without the balance of Yin and Yang within our body, then our masculine is out of balance with our feminine...and vice versa. Without balance of yin/yang (Shakti/Shiva), then no true Upward Progress will be balanced or appropriately strong at the Subtle Anatomical level; thus disparaging shall be our Awakening; let alone the ascent of our Kundalini. ilg has been Teaching you this for many years in many ways. Stop wasting time. Let nothing; no sport, no job, no relationship, no parental conditioning, no trauma, no drama stand in your Way of Wholistic Fitness Development..."

Yogi Squat Concentration Curls; A Mind/Body Explosion of Concentrated, Deep Fiber Yoga

one of the first things ilg feels the need for after a hard endurance workout (which is predominately a 'yin' endeavor) is the deep fiber masculinity of Strength Training (which is predominately a 'yang' endeavor). This devotion to yin/yang balance (aka; Shakti/Shiva in yoga) is known as Wholistic Fitness. To cultivate too much of either yin or yang is known as "neurosis." photo of ilg, the day after a 10-mile, high altitude mountain run; getting male (gym) after being so female (running).


***
There is a reason why you've never seen such an exercise as the one ilg shares with you today...

The root of this reason lies within the same fertile summit snowfield from which all the other Wholistic Fitness® teachings flow; all the Strength Training Techniques, cardio teachings, High Performance Yoga, Nutritional Guidelines, meditation lessons, and lifestyle principles of which conventional fitness and yoga warriors have yet to learn. Nor will they, until they Awake and look waaaay up and finally, finally see the fiercely graceful Path of Ancient Yoga stylized for the Modern Warrior known as Wholistic Fitness, soaring its long, steep and directisma approach straight up the formidably beautiful face of the Highest of All Summits.

Udnerstand this:
Intensity is the Buddha of all WF's unique teachings and unmatched Yoga (union). It has been the intensity of my life that has strengthened the depth and width of the WF Conduit of the Divine.

Be Warned:
If you are too scared of regular battledancing with Intensity across ALL the capacities of your miraculous human potentiality, then, take a lesser Path. there are countless ones. you can find them by simply looking downstream, along the flow of mediocrity. ilg asks you, however, why be continuing to seek lower than your Highest Self?

Be Stoked:
This great exercise which is about to be shared is not about developing a killer set of arms that do not look like the spindle wisps of endurance athletes. It ain't about trying to get all big and bloaty like the current apish fighters and bodybuilders still mired in the lower chakral battles incapable of either great endurance or suppleness. This exercise is not about bashing the studio yogi scared stiff of getting sore and acidic from cross training.

Know This:
This exercise is about lifting Clarity from your addiction to Convention.

It's a spiritual springboard to ignite your inner rocket ship from the thickness of inculcated, afflicted, and un-liberated thought.

Make No Mistake, Warrior Yogi:
ilg now gifts upon you, Noble DL Reader, a superb Strength Training Movement which combines the graceful fierceness of a yoga posture well done, with that elegance of deep fiber strength which can only be found within the Metal Element of the Iron Temple.

you don't read Dharma like this anywhere else,
cuz there ain't no other Dharma
quite like
Wholistic Fitness Dharma.

let's party:

SUBSCRIBE TO DL TODAY
TO LEARN the unique; YOGI SQUAT CONCENTRATION CURL
and quit WASTING YOUR WORKOUTS!

Yesterdays Kendrick Peak DL inspires many worldwide...

to view Coach's stirring DL from his run up Kendrick Peak,
please click on SUBSCRIBE below...

a mountain cabin, elegant in its dilapidated simplicity, on Kendrick Peak - the subject of yesterdays DL which inspired several DL fans to write to me such as George below. thank you all for choosing to be Here Now. photo by ilg.

Dear Coach,
in yesterday's jaw-dropping DL you wrote;
"They don't make extinct volcano's like this any more,"

well, after being one of those 'scared students' of yours since THE OUTDOOR ATHLETE days, i would like to say to you, "Oh Noble Coach,"
thank you, thank you, THANK YOU
because,

They don't make Personal Trainers like you any more
and to my knowledge,
there has NEVER been a Yoga Teacher quite like you.

keep rockin' in the way you do; for ALL of us!

sincerely,
George Hawkins