Saturday, January 31, 2009

Andrew Is In Da House!!!...welcome him in the SanghaLounge! Come meet him!




Also in the SanghaLounge; the new SUNRIDER Herb information, a killer discussion on WF Strength Training Techniques, and 1,169 other Teachings and Sharings! get in there, at least Once A Week and encourage your fellow WF Sisters and Brothers while learning from the most Whole Fitness Students on this plane(t)!


***


Namaste.

My name is Andrew Frost. I am, quite joyfully, now a WF student, thanks to the generosity of Coach and the members of this tribe who contributed to my scholarship.

I live in Flagstaff, AZ, beneath these Sacred Peaks, with my partner, Celia, and son, Rowan.

As a condition to my scholarship, Steve has asked that I provide updates concerning my preparation for a route I hope to climb on the Southwest Face of Denali this summer, the Denali Diamond. I believe that Coach has already provided some details about this route to the community here.

It is, without a doubt, a committing and serious route. I am, therefore, given renewed confidence and motivation by having the honor of my WF membership bestowed on me.

But I cannot promise success on Denali in exchange for this honor; success in the high mountains is often determined by objective hazards beyond human influence. Mountains, too, sometimes fall out of their poses, their postures of stability and permanence.

I can only pledge my continued honesty and humility and purity of effort as a way to honor those who have enabled me.

And because I am humbled to be part of this community of seekers, this clan of pranic warriors.

Namaste.

Bowed,

Andrew


photo; WF Student Andrew "Bantu" Frost during an ascent of a new route in Patagonia.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

TEACHINGS OF WARRIORSHIP SERIES; GROUNDEDNESS (+DEWA'S ZEN PUDDLE)






the crux within the Realm of us Humans is that we get to consciously choose each m(om)ent of our lives...will we concentrate on what is Highest for our Souls or will we grasp at the many fictions which run amok in our minds?

as i continue to be inspired by your support of WF,
you help feeble ilg Higher. photo yesterday by Ananda.
(the beard ain't coming off until Flag gets another "real" snowfall...
or after i podium in my age at the Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon next month,
which ever comes first...if neither pans out? i might be in for a loooong summer!)









(this is the second of my Warriorship Training Series, the first Teaching appeared in DL on 12/30/08; Appreciating The Journey)

this Teaching also includes 16 second footage of Dewachen Rinpoche that may just change your entire day, week, month,...life!

Get In Here Now, Noble Warrior of Wholeness!!!!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Get Real; Understanding Indirect Violence

Today on Direct Lines; Subscription Format...
a Dharmateaching on the hypocrisy of indirect violence in our
daily actions and choices...don't miss it!





photo by Ananda. think fishing is 'violent'? i dare you to do an impact study
on virtually ANYTHING you step into, onto or put on your skin, into your body...
in a society where most kids and adults have zero appreciation for where their
McDonalds "Fillet of Fish" (do they still make those?) or their Big Mac comes from,
it's poignant yoga to actually use your own skills to hunt and gather before you eat.
doing so is a superb yoga of nutrition and inter-connectedness. this is a big Northern Pike i tied into while trout fishing at local Ashurst Lake.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Limber Yogis vs. Mighty Limb'd Yogis



"Of course i love limber yogis...
i mean,
what's NOT to love about limber yogis?


it's just that i happen to love EVEN MORE
those limber yogis
that can also find their breath and mula bandha
while
Back Squatting at least twice their bodyweight for reps,
racing a 10k in less than 35 minutes,
and tele ski black diamond ski runs...

then again,
that's just because i'm a WF yogi...my Podium is Wholeness,
not a fancy yoga posture."


- coach ilg

interview'd yesterday after completing the 42-kilometer, Tour de Ski
nordic ultra-marathon (Report coming up in DL soon!)


photo by steve ilg

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Fierce Severing of Entertainment = InnerAttainment

IF YOU ARE NOT A DL SUBSCRIBER, YOU ALREADY MISSED OUT ON 13 ADDITIONAL TEACHINGS THIS YEAR SO FAR! THAT ARE NOT EVEN HINTED AT IN THIS COMPLIMENTARY VERSION OF MY AWARD WINNING BLOG: DIRECT LINES! DON'T GO YET ANOTHER YEAR SIPPING AT THE FRINGE!!!! SUBSCRIBE TODAY WARRIOR!!! WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU!!!








"on mornings when i need to be Mr. Mom,
that is,
on days when my Sadhana (spiritual practice)
is the Conscious CareTaking of my daughter, Dewa
- a very difficult and high practice which i
refer to as, Dewa Sadhana in order to reMind me that Conscious Parenting IS the Highest of Spiritual Work -

my Early Morning Ritual must be done
super early and with fierce severing of entertainments such
as lingering around, making excuses to shove in a few minutes of work, having coffee, reading, etc.

all of that must be swiped away just like it was a Race Day Morning, for the Time/Space Continuum is warped in HouseHolder Yoga.

the priority for training on such days is to:
1) infuse the interior self with Prana,
2) fire up the cellular respiration
3) enhance the selective permeability
capacities of my billions of cells...and most importantly,
4) re-fine and re-establish my Sacred Connection with the Divine
so that my upcoming 'mundane' day becomes a self-empowered
dance with moment by moment miracles thanks to how i chose
to 'kick start' my day."
- coach ilg


***

suggested WF PathWay tools for developing your own Pranic Kick Start
to your days:

* Coach's 3-Phase Approach to using the:
SUNRIDER HERBS (imperative)

* Coach's approach to using:
MAP Amino Acids (vital)

* The WF Early Morning Ritual DVD (fundamental training)

* Hallway Yoga; A Pivotal Practice For Busy Warriors (superb choice)


if you have questions on any of the above PathWay Tools, let me know.
the links will take you directly into your Journey.


May your Practice be punctuated with Divine Insight throughout this Day of Days...

live the 4 WF Lifestyle Principles!


Om Santi,
coach

photo of coach moving into MahaBandhasana by www.JamesQMartin.com

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

FIND YOUR OWN MEANING DL creating more ripples...

click to enlarge the cute factor (not me, silly, Dewa!)




photo of Dewa and i this past Sunday after finishing my first winter event of 2009; the Snow-Or-No Snowshoe Race. Race Report upcoming for DL Subscribers. photo courtesy of Neil Weintraub, director of Northern Arizona Trail Runners Association




*** from the WF SanghaLounge, FIND YOUR OWN MEANING Cave:



"many cling desperately to the desire for a child.

people say the values of our Outer World are shallow, greedy, and deceptive, yet often we do not willingly give them up ourselves, do we?

in fact, our lives may seem completely dominated by them. Meditation, at first, only sharpens the sting of our inner impotency.

the pursuit of money, power, and sensuality/sexuality is terribly addictive.

be it the caretaking of our inner child or an incarnated child,
the chi
in our chi-ld
may be the only Life Force
strong enough to edge us closer to tasting more often the inner beauty of living in harmony with the Tao of It All.

all the while,
conflict - inevitable -
rages onward and all too often; inward.

after i finish a race these days, people - accustomed to my resume -
innocently ask me,
'Did you win?'

i reply more and more easily these New Daddy days;
'Nah, i don't win races any more...i've got a new Podium,
her name is Dewa.'

c'est la vie"

- coach ilg

Monday, January 19, 2009

My Daughter Will Grow Up With A President Who Trusts In Pranic Force

(note; images may be available only for DL Subscribers)




i devote my DL today to two Bodhisattvic Lights
who dared to Shine in the spiritual darkness of Kali Yuga.

my coaching instructions to you today, Oh Noble Seekers of Wholeness, is
to Practice Tolerance in some way shape or form for somebody today.

- coach ilg






"I have a dream that one day...
little black boys and black girls will be
able to join hands with little white boys and girls
as sisters and brothers."

- Martin Luther King Jr., 1963





"There is an entire generation that will grow up taking for granted
that the highest office in the land is filled by an African American.
I mean, that's a radical thing. It changes how black children look at
themselves. It also changes how white children look at black children.
And I wouldn't underestimate the force of that."
- Barack Hussein Obama II, 2009






illustration of Obama by Office of Paul Sahre
illustration of MLK, open internet image at:
http://www.nba.com/grizzlies/features/sixth_annual_mlk_day-2008.html

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Our Tribe's Most Popular Photo and Video Choices of 2008

For better or for worse - to put it Dualistically - i write this Blog (one of the first Subscription Blogs in the country) straight from my DharmaHeart.

rare is it when i simply copy-and-paste other peoples writings, photos, and videos in a cheap effort to gain your interest.

ilg has never been interested in gaining your interest.

i want your Soul.

i TAF you have come to respect and honor and even count upon a genuine chi hit and teaching from me, regardless of the quality that you feel from my near daily attempts to reach into your spiritual heart and elevate your intention behind and beyond your sweat and stillness.

over the past year, many of you have sent to me various links to inspiring photos and videos which have moved you.

what follows are

MOST SENT IN VIDEO LINK FROM OUR STUDENTS:




MOST SENT IN VIDEO LINK FROM WF FANS AND FRIENDS:


MOST SENT IN PHOTO:


MOST COMMENTED UPON DL PHOTO:


COACH's TOP YOUTUBE® PICK OF THE YEAR:


ON TODAY's DIRECT LINES; Subscription Blog From Coach Ilg


***

May All Beings Associated With These Tremendous Chi Offerings Be Blessed And May Your Practice Benefit From These Offerings of Sweat, Stillness, and Spirit...


thank you for being a DL supporter...a portion of DL subscriptions always goes to:
Save Tibet


note:
i will be doing a special release of a photo book;
25 CLASSIC WF CHI HITS OF 2008; Captured M(om)ents of a WF Life. let me know if you want me to notify you upon its completion.


i gotta get up to the ski area and find a cliff to jump off...

head bowed,
your mountain yogi

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

RESOLUTION FALLOUT; HOW TO RESHIFT PRACTICE PRIORITIES



"You better know the Spiritual Priority and Purpose behind the podiums and the practices that you undertake. A lot of fitness endeavors can be like gossip for the ego; satisfying for the moment yet lacks spiritual majesty. Most conventionally trained athletes spend all their lives training, training, training. . . . Only to meet the next life unprepared."
- coach ilg

photo by Ananda after winning the 2008 State Nordic Championship. As a New Daddy, i've already re-structured and released plenty of training and so far two winter events from my athletic Schedule...in so doing, i've keep my Priorities crystal clear; to be a present, loving, and conscious new father as well as keeping my spiritual rituals as my Priority...not competing in races which take me away from being a father/partner warrior. i have to Trust that my Sangha understands the difficulty and respects the appropriateness of 'losing' a bit of the 'competitive ilg' for the sake of Wholeness and personal maturation.



***


i, like many of you, am dealing with Resolution Fallout.

it's okay.

inDeed, it's Par For The Spiritual Course.

like a challenging yoga posture, we may fall from our Resolutions 10,000x before we 'get it.'

each yoga posture has a spiritual life which must reStore our natural elegance.

each Resolution too, has a spiritual life which must be Lived through Direct Experience before that Resolution results in the needed spiritual revolution of our egoic grooves and attachments.

ilg will state it again:
falling from our Resolutions - regardless how sincerely we made them (see Wednesday, December 31, 2008 DL: MY "INFAMOUS" NEW YEARS EVE WORKOUT RITUAL) is Par For The Spiritual Course.

it strikes me as very non-sanguine to immediately get depressed or dejected about falling from a Resolution.

the Journey - YOUR Journey Higher - is not about getting bummed about failing...hec,
i fail all the time because i've chosen to set my personal bar at the Enlightenment Level.

it's not about not falling.
it's about cultivating elegance in Beginning Again.

and...Again.

and 10,000x Again.

when we Begin Again enough,
we realize the spiritual life of that "again" Word Choice;

"a Gain"


***

A Proven Cure For Resolution Fallout


Most people make afflicted Resolutions.

We tend to focus on the less-important Priorities; namely the physical body and her actions.

How many times have we Heard it?
"My Resolution is to lose 15lbs!"
"My Resolution is to get organized!"
"My Resolution is to be a more Conscious Parent/Person!"



Those are afflicted Resolutions based in an imaginative quest that is as ungrounded
as a snow squall.

It's like an athlete being possessed of podiums and training for them
that they do not reStructure their lives for Love, Light, or Trust.
at my age, and having lived the life i have, it's incredible to see how many athletes
come up void, in a spiritual perspective, after a lifetime of training that
has been dead-ended by injury, age, or burnout.

To avoid Resolution Fallout start with non-afflicted thinking...


DO NOT MISS THIS TEACHING THAT IMMEDIATELY BECAME MANY OF MY STUDENTS "TOP TEN TEACHINGS"!!! only for DL Subscribers; Subscribe today to the "Tribal Newspaper Rock" for the WorldWide Tribe of Warriors focused on Wholeness!

Monday, January 12, 2009

This is Joe...

Western Zen
on today's DL Subscription Format...

Fuel for your Inner and Outer Practice
since 1982

Sunday, January 11, 2009

"HOW DID YOU CHOOSE TO TAKE LEAVE OF THY YOGI CHRIST TREE?"

From Today's DL Teaching:


"...as a Yogi Father,
i NEEDED
my Daughter to witness
for Her cellular, spiritual profundity,
the quixotic juxtaposition of
snow (sauca),
night sky (yin),
cold (ida),
fire (pingala/yang),
smoke (bardo),
and the
burning (death)
of Bader.

Her 15 month-old eyes wide as the alpine meadow above which we live...

She pointed to Grandmother Moon, saying,
"Tah! Tah!" (HaTha Yoga means; Sun/Moon Yoga)

my Ritual went deep.




***
there is never a need,
and seldom should there be an urge to feel,
that what i have attempted to impart to you about WF
hold any religious connotation on your Sadhana.
inDeed,
religion and Sadhana are at polarity.
the former attempts to organize spirit through second-handed (multi million-handed more like it) dissemination
while the latter
is as spontaneous as a cloud and equally as moving.

for some of you my topic of tonight,
on this night of nights...



which drew my senses inward as Grandmother in her January best,



began to rise seductively over the shoulder of Mt. Elden,
may not fit
into your notion
of Fitness
yet,
to the Master Student of WF,
certainly,
how we treat our Christmas Tree Beings
reveals much about our standing-under (aka; understanding)
of what Yogi Christ attempting to Tranmsit to us
about Compassion,
Tolerance,
and
Loving Kindness.


give pause here, Noble Yogi.
ask Thyself:
"How did i handle my Christmas Tree Being this year?"

more pertinent to tonights' Teaching is another question:
"How did i choose to Take Leave of my Christmas Tree?"

should you think the latter question is non-relevant to your notion
of personal fitness,
of yoga,
of your entire spiritual growth process?

perhaps you should
Take Leave of this humble,
powerful Path
which i've designed to constantly
continuously bring the stalwart spiritual seeker
into a direct confrontation with his or her Mind
at every Blessed Step of their Journey Higher.

it occurs to me
that studying WF
- sincerely, i mean -
is like living in a cage of tigers.

hungry tigers...


READ THE ENTIRE, SURPRISING DHARMATEACHING FROM COACH
ONLY FOR DL Subscribers:
quit leaving WHOLENESS out of your notion of FITNESS!!!




all photos taken tonight by coach.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Coach Announces 2008 HP Yogis Of The Year!!!

click on pics to feel the radiant chi force of these two superb HP-trained yogis! the Truth of their Practice can be felt in their aura. i consider it deep honor to be their teacher...they inspire me! as do you ALL!!!



Above; after last evenings' fiercely fun HP PROP WORKOUT: Coach with 2008 HP Yogi Of The Year, Kiari Luther. photo by fellow HP Yogi Julie Mueller.



Above; Coach with the 2008 Most Improved Yogi of the Year; world-class mountaineer and former professional triathlete Andrew Frost who also earned a 5-month WF Online Student Scholarship from a handful of WF Devotees across the world. See stories below. photo by fellow HP Yogi Robert Arnold.




Last evening before yet another fantastic HP PROP WORKOUT at the Northern Arizona Yoga Center, i awarded two outstanding HP Yogi's for their exceptional devotion and stalwart spirit and consistency.

DO NOT MISS THE DEEPLY INSPIRING STORIES OF THESE TWO YOGIS FROM OUR TRIBE!!!...
only in DIRECT LINES!..




i'll be interviewing all three of these inspiring yogis for DL...stay tuned to your cyberspace spiritual pit stop; DIRECT LINES!


CONGRATULATIONS to KIARI and ANDREW,
and my head remains bowed to ALL OF YOU who support this humble, powerful,
and precious Path of Spiritual Transformation Through Personal Fitness
since 1982...

WF doesn't just change lives,
it helps us live lives that changes others!

Om Mani Padme Hung,

coach ilg

Thursday, January 8, 2009

FIND YOUR OWN MEANING



If you look to your children
to provide meaning for your life,
your life will be meaningless.
If you need them to be successful
to feel successful yourself,
you will always fail.

Your children were not born
to complete your life.
They were born to complete their own.
When you look inside and discover...


- William Martin
verse 44 of, The Parent's Tao Te Ching



READ THE ENTIRE TEACHING ON TODAY's DIRECT LINES


photo: abba ilg and Dewachen by www.JamesQMartin.com

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Student Crespo is on the MAP!





Namaste Coach and Happy New Year!

Here's to a great 2009! I'm looking to make this a great year and one step in that direction is getting on board the MAP train. I just placed an order for 2 bottles w/ automatic reorder.


Look forward to your input!

Head bowed,

Roberto I. Crespo

Pasadena Triathlon Club
2nd Place; Men's Team Division
2007 Furnace Creek 508 Ultra



are you still not on the MAP train?
fine, go ahead and degenerate, under-recover, and not have world-class energy and metabolism!

however, if you DO want to make sure you are regenerating positively from your workouts, recovering perfectly, and if you DO want world-class energy and fat-burning metabolism?

click below:

sign up with MAP Amino Acids in the Coach Ilg Downline;

and receive my complimentary guidance!

Monday, January 5, 2009

Potent Quotes...

sent in by WF Online Students...
with extreme sport photography with Coach...

only on today's DL Subscription Format;

Where Each Day Your Practice Is Uniquely,
Wholistically Empowered

OFF SEASON or "SUPER SEASON"!??! YOUR CHOICE!




click to enlarge




photo of coach in utthitpadavasisthasana by
www.jamesqmartin.com


both styles of classes available on DVD:
WF Pro Shop; DVD Section

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Warrior CT Shining bright...



dear coach,

please find attached a photo of yesterday's romp in the snowy woods up at Grouse Mountain. thanks for shining so bright!

in love,
ct



'CT' is Chris Tucker, from Vancouver...a highly treasured devotee of WF for many years.
got a pic of you enjoying the WF Lifestyle? send it in! nothing that your Coach Ilg loves more than to see my Warriors out there within their Sacred Sweat and Stillness! email; steve(at)WholisticFitness.com

Saturday, January 3, 2009

The Light That Shines Beyond All Things...

ON TODAY's DIRECT LINES!
don't miss this Teaching from the Chandogya Upanishad with my commentary and more photos...





An Aspen Tree Being along the WF Temple H(om)e driveway backlit from Grandfather Sun, photo by coach

Friday, January 2, 2009

Meditation Guidance for your New Year!




Learning to meditate is the greatest gift you can give yourself in this life. For it is only through meditation that you can undertake the journey to discover your true nature, and so find the stability and confidence you will need to live, and die, well.

Meditation is the road to enlightenment.
- Sogyal Rinpoche



confused on how to begin Meditation for your New Year?
a Proven, traditional Path to begin training the mind for meditation is the concentration of the mind during a shatkarma or cleansing practice. for students of Wholistic Fitness®, i suggest establishing a concentrated mind during this WF Early Morning Ritual DVD

when you feel ready to commit a few minutes per day to a 'seated meditation practice' then review pages 114 - 120 in TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION

choose from over 5 thirty-minute guided Meditations from me; proven through hundreds of students from my 30years of professional spiritual training:
Coach's Meditation CD's and Audio Downloads

for 50 inSights from my personal Meditation Journal, check out my latest book:
Pranic Junkie




photo of coach by
www.jamesqmartin.com