Pagosa Duathlon; ilg race report - I

click to enlarge the chi hits...
(the first one makes an especially potent screensaver...one of many from the DL Archives!)

High in the Weminuche Wilderness of a land known as southwestern Colorado, lies an enchanted village ensconced within ancient healing waters, snow-dappled summits, towering ponderosa, and the purest of all waters rushing, glinting among sandstone canyons. Magic - and perhaps wizards - live here.



ilg knows this because at one time, i lived here; Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

And, a few weekends ago, I raced there for the first time since having lived there.

What you are about to read, my Noble Friend Along The Path of Awakening?



Is less about racing a high-altitude mountain duathlon, crashing at high-speed, getting up, winning Overall by 20 seconds at age 47...and is instead, much, much more about...
well...
magic.

stay tuned, my Race Report on the Pagosa Duathlon coming this weekend
FOR DL SUBSCRIBERS ONLY!

photos:
1) looking west toward Pagosa Springs, Colorado from Wolf Creek Pass...i once clocked 59 mph on a bicycle at this turn during a race...in the rain...but that's another story for another time. photo by ilg, a few weeks ago.

2) the San Juan River as she flows through mid-town Pagosa Springs. photo by ilg.

3) ilg, a bloodied warrior, wins the top step of the Overall Podium! photo by Tom Steen.

NOW AVAILABLE: my new DVD - THE KINLANI FLOW!

Temple Notice;
as of this time check, the 20% sale for DL Subscribers Only for my new DVD:
The Kinlani Flow
is over and YOU are now welcome to read more about this WONDERFUL DVD and place your orders right here: SEND ME A "KINLANI FLOW DVD"

only $17 and you get the 16-minute DVD which features the
• Full Kinlani Flow (a pranayam into a yoga sequence)
• Asana-Only Kinlani Flow
• printed out Pranayam Prescription
• printed out Kinlani Asana Trigger Notesheet
• plus inspirational training footage!

the whole routine takes only 10 minutes and if you crank this Practice off in your morning? you will be sooooo stoked, because even if you don't get to train for the rest of the day, your nadic, pranic, and physiologic selves will have been cared for! DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS FANTASTIC DVD! all abilities! option postures for more advanced warriors!

THANK YOU for your participation and support of your Humble, Powerful Temple Beneath the Sacred Peak!


You have my Word:
if you receive just a FRACTION of the IMMEDIATE health and/or sport performance benefits that i have from doing The Kinlani Flow nearly every morning for the past year and a half? you will be totally stoked at this new "best friend" to your Practice!
- coach steve ilg

"It's amazing to see how you combined all this together..."

Every time I do the Exploring The Vents PDF Session, I go longer. I can't grab my elbows (I would like to brag and say "too muscular," but it is years of ignore-ance), but each time it gets easier. Tonight, I went out and threw the discus without pain...a first in a year! I also mention Total Body Transformation in my new article for t-nation, too...your "Green Tara" in TBT is a complete program and it is amazing to see how you combined "all this" together. I also bought "Winter Athlete" the other day, just to get a sense of things. This year has been plagued with an injury, but I have some track meets coming up to see if I can put this all back together again.

Dan John

And, thank you!!!

***

coach's note;
Dan John is an author, world-class champion weightlifter and strength athlete. visit his website at: www.danjohn.org and check out his book,
NEVER LET GO You can converse with this Iron Athlete in the WF SanghaLounge, one of Dan's favorite hangs!

VOTE in the WF SanghaLounge!

The WF SanghaLounge is going OFF again!

Dear Vishnu,
ilg swears the WF SanghaLounge is the coolest Chill on this Plane(t)


THANK YOU all for visiting, contributing, and benefitting from the myriad high and noble and mighty Warriors and Warrioresses who visit our Cave Chambers...

if you HAVEN'T been into the WF SanghaLounge recently; wow..i cannot describe how much you are missing. incredible value for FREE!

i just put up a POLL in my Coach's Announcements Section. i proposed creating a Cave Chamber for every WF Product so that we can exchange insights, observations, and Q&A's about each product. ilg TAF's this is a great notion...however, ilg wants to test the passion of YOUR embrace of WF before doing the work required to set this up...

get into the SanghaLounge, view your Un-viewed Posts and VOTE!

The WF SanghaLounge is like the HP PROP WORKOUT:
all you need is Once Per Week for a Heaven Of An Uplift To Your Practice!

SPECIAL SALE of my NEW DVD!

DARN!

by not being a DL Subscriber, you are missing out on a 20% DISCOUNT
on my killer new DVD:



THE KINLANI FLOW!





photo; coach's 'body vehicle' radiating the chi shortly after performing the 10-minute pranayam and asana sequence of the KINLANI FLOW

Yogi Squat & Quote of the Week

appearing on Today's DIRECT LINES Subscription Format...don't miss it!! great stuff! hint; the Quote of the Week comes in from someone that just finished third at the Tour de France!

"My Thanks Forever..."

Coach Ilg,

For many years I was a personal trainer for a chain in San Diego and used your books for enrichment in my life as well as those of my clients. I always found that your knowledge was like a fortune cookie and that I could crack your books at any page and find something enlightening as well as life-changing. Well, time went by and I no longer train. I keep myself going by keeping the principles of wholistic fitness in my heart and my workout routine. I now work for Disney as well as writing a book on the paranormal.

Now the reason I am writing. Three weeks ago I was coming home from work ( a 90 mile commute by the way ) and as I was getting into the lane to exit the street I live on, I noticed something odd. The road was wet on a dry night. They were watering the iceplant on the side on the freeway and several sprinkler heads were broken, showering the freeway with standing water. I hit the water and hydroplaned into the iceplant, spinning out of control. What did I do? Relaxed. Breathed slow and took my hands away from the wheel and gave myself to fate. Fate returned in kind by flipping my car over into a drainage ditch. Now, I drive a VW cabrio, a convertible. The windshield and front frame now touched the top of my high backed seat. The rollbar held. When I realized I was upside down and airbags deflated, I simply pushed on the handlebar and undid my seat belt. I landed on the roof and rolled over to push the driver door open and crawl out onto the iceplant. I then calmly sat on the curb and awaited the fire trucks. I felt my body relax, and the next thing I knew I was meditating next to my ruined car. When they arrived, I was given a cursory examination and forced to go to hospital in abulance on a back board. I kept on insisting I felt fine. They told me I was in shock. After being admitted and jumping through their hoops, I was released and taken home. I took the next day off work, but returned right after that.

The doctor was amazed, but the CHP that arrived on the scene later told me I should not have walked away from that, at all. Fate? Destiny? Grace of God? The one factor I CAN contribute to it is you, coach. The fitness level I am in definately helped me, as well the flexibility of the body and soul. Most of all, you taught me to let go of the ego and it will all be fine. You know what, it is. Thank you, coach!!!


Namaste Brother,
Charles Spratley

Monsoon Teachings...and Bubbles of Bliss

click on pics to enlargen the chi hit...




my Practice of Dewa Sadhana includes taking advantage of these luscious high country monsoons to soften the Fear of the crackling Thunder for Dewa..."That's Father Sky just telling us that He is trying to bring a drink for Mother Earth...it's okay, Little Tree," i tell her as she rushes into my arms as the next ear-splitting crack of thunder roars into Dewa's cells...



...soon enough, being comforted by my words and embrace, Dewa begins Her own RainDance!
Monsoons are a great time to get into the WF SanghaLounge for our Svadhyaya Practice, why?...


...because the WF SanghaLounge has an unreal amount of inspiration for our Practices...right off my head, i can count over a half dozen World Class Athletes from as many different sports, Ph.D's, Therapists, international businesspeople, single parents, family warriors, and so many more compatriots of WF that gather each day in the WF SanghaLounge to ask for help, give friendly counsel, and help each other through the vast array of WF programs, principles, trials, and joys.


to NOT take advantage of these Bubbles of Bliss - FREE OF CHARGE to all - is to grossly miss the deeply grounded Tribal Love and Care and Compassion that makes WF so utterly unique in this day and age.

oh yeah, and the Tour de France forum is going off again and book author and world champion lifter, Dan John's contributions are gems as is Yogi Crespo's gut honest plea for help in Perseverance...ilg doesn't know where you choose to spend your time on the Internet, however, if you are missing the Teachings and Inspirations of the close knit online community of the WF SanghaLounge, your Practice will suffer needlessly. Come on in! we are waiting for Thee!


head bowed,
coach ilg

photos:
1 and 2) Daddy and Dewa on the WF Temple H(om)e front porch during a Monsoon shower. by Ananda.

3) Whiskey Barrel detail. this morning by steve ilg.

4) Bubbles of Bliss. photo of Dewa yesterday by Ananda.

Your WF Word Cloud

Noble Sangha,
click to enlarge the above "WF Word Cloud" - though it looks more like a monsoon squall to me! (visit www.wordle.net to make your own cool word clouds).


I'd like all of you who took your time and loving attention to answer my recent WF.com poll that Master Student "MahaManas" Singer and i have been devouring survey results compiled from all the emails. below, i've selected 3 top picks from the survey. i'll share and address more of your compliments, complaints, and suggestions with everyone in future posts. know that your time was well spent and here in the Head Kiva, ilg has Heard you and is following through on creating an ever more beautiful, helpful, cost-effective, and of course FUN, FOCUSED, EFFECTIVE WF Temple in the years ahead.

sometimes, of course, ilg wishes i could move faster. as any full time conscious parent knows however, speed and a result-driving attitude dissolves immediately into the toddler laughter and pure zen of the Little Rinpoche. the Time Bubble expands due to the Zen Effect of Conscious Parenting and before i know it...another moon rises.

ilg prays:

May you injoy your Practice today and remember: make your life your Sadhana and your sleep state your Samadhi...

head bowed,

the big chief at the tiny temple beneath the massive Peak

***

Good morning my dear Coach:

I do business with Wholistic Fitness because Ilg speaks the truth. Underlying all the bullshit in this world there is usually a simple truth..a simple truth like our mind and our body are sacred; our food is sacred; our breath and posture determine everything…Steve Ilg finds a way to cut through everything and get to the derivative truth.

I can think of nothing unpleasant about doing business with WF.

I have looked into other blogs and websites but no one ties the body and the mind to this real world like Ilg. No one is as pure of thought.

On WF, I would like more of a running blog, more of an interactive blog where we comment on our entire world..including social events…I would like tribal gatherings in Flagstaff..

Steve has offered so many great products; I think I am going to go buy some PDF’s and anything that catches my eye! I pass out his CD’s and DVD’s as gifts…

From my heart to WF-Thank you.


Tom Hutchison
Telluride


***


Namaste Noble Coach!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to share and add to your quest to
reach more people with WF.


RE: 1) Why do you do business with Wholistic Fitness, or visit us on the Web?

TRUST! From the first moments of Coach ilg’s book Total Body Transformation my heart wisdom knew “ this guy gets it, he is real”. When i purchased HP Yoga Basic Strength DVD i was hit with a blast of Chi that brought tears to my eyes and a sense something very deep is in WF teachings and teachers. It scares the hell out of the whining one (ego), but my heart is taking the lead on this one and is feeling the truth of WF.
i greatly appreciate the personal contact with Coach ilg.

RE: 2) What is not so pleasant about doing business with us?

Not having Sunrider Phase one instructions sheets consolidated into one. When i joined Sunrider i received two phase one guidelines that differed slightly in terms of herb intake. Shortly afterwards a Sunrider missive called “Priority List of SR herbs for Budgeting” came. This list was perfect but added to the confusion because it too differed slightly from the other two information sheets. 



RE: 3) Have you visited similar Web sites/blogs? Have you ever purchased a product or service similar to what we offer from a different company?

i have visited other similar websites but never purchased their products. 





RE: 5) Imagine a totally re-designed WholisticFitness.com that's so cool you can't wait to visit it each day. Beyond our incomparable WF Teaching Blog, what would you like to find there? What would you want to see, hear, and experience if (only) we were SMART enough to offer it to you?

Participating in a live broadcast of a yoga classes
AND…
a “helmet cam” experience of a mountain bike ride into the Sacred Peak!



RE: 6) What new products or services would help you along your Wholistic Fitness path?

A DVD of Total Body Transformation!



Sue


***


Namaste Dear Coach!

1. I do business with WF because you are so awesome.

2. Nothing is unpleasant about doing business with WF

3. I will visit many such sites including Hak's blog Outdoor Journey, the Stronglifts forum, and occasionally and mostly for laughs and what not to do, Tnation. However I don't pay for any of it. I don't pay for anything on the internet and believe that the internet (and pretty much all software) should be free (open source). I do however feel privileged to be able to contribute to the WF temple my meagre DL subscription because I love what you do not just because it's such a great blog. In fact if I hadn't ever met you in person you wouldn't seem so real. To sweat and breathe with someone (especially someone with your chinetic powers) is a very powerful experience.

4. My experience with stronglifts.com was very positive. It's site that espouses a simple 5x5 routine with the emphasis on squatting 3 times a week. There are a lot of users on the forum all sharing their experiences on a daily basis. Beginners, intermediate, advanced lifters recording training logs and sharing with each others. I got a lot of good tips and support from the people on there.

5 & 6 nothing immediately leaps to mind but I will think some more on it.

much love,
ct

RE: mimic everything a toddler does

RE: mimic everything a toddler does in iDL 7*19*09



Ah, Reverend Ilg ~

They nap - sleep a lot. Do you do that, too? They come well padded and cushioned ..and wear diapers for when they {go sliding on their bike} fall on their butts.

Take care, Brother,
--erl

btw: the Rev thing. Took me a few moments to table that one in my mind. Rather easy after a little contemplation: i found a spot for you in the top 10% of reverends. It's not hard to figure, entertaining as they are, J. Jackson and Sharpton in the bottom 10.

coach's note:
Warrior Erl is one of our devoted iDLr's and is a true (Marine) Warrior...visit his astonishing website at:
www.SemperSigns.com

and order one of his custom-made signs...tell him, "Rev. Ilg sent me!"
Semper Fi!

"There is no armor like perseverance."

DharmaTeaching and beautiful photos by coach on today's DL Subscription format

Yogi Squat of the Week

click pic to enlarge

YOGI SQUAT OF THE WEEK
goes to...

Dewachen Catherine Ilg
of Flagstaff, Arizona!

Dewa has been a lifelong (22 months) WF Student. she is very strong and powerful and possesses remarkable agility. i once read a study where 'they' tested several world class athletes and challenged them to simply mimic everything a toddler does. not one of them could hang. indeed, most of my Practice has been about doing just that; mimicking my daugther all day long and man, oh man, what a workout it is! i got this pic of Dewa near Echo Canyon Ampitheatre, New Mexico.

GOT A PIC OF YOU OR SOMEONE ELSE IN A YOGI SQUAT?! SEND IT IN and you might be eligible for a WF Gift!

08 Tour de France

coach is going off in the WF SanghaLounge about the craziness of this years "Tour"...
come on in and sound off!

and, as always, read and contribute to the amazingly informative, inspirational, and down right fun input in constant dance among the various disciplines, principles, techniques, teachings, and feelings about the WF Lifestyle from our worldwide Sangha!

get in there and chill!

The Won Back Heart...

a unique Teaching from direct experience from coach on Asmita and the Gruntwork of Letting Go...

here is an excerpt:

i can still recall the deep potency of my final few mountain bike rides, runs, and climbs in New Mexico before i left into the great toxicity known as LA. phew. as i drove further west, out past the Navajo Land which i have come to know and love so deeply, tears. even chanting the Mantra was no emotional balm for the ilg which left behind the vast and haunting landscape of the Four Corners region. The sweat and stillness that i've lived each day here touches places within that i scarcely knew existed. I learned, from the decade spent in LA, how naive I can be. up until that drive into the unknown LA cauldron, i always thought that the spiritual journey was about cultivating fitness of body and mind strong enough to warrant the divinely guided amounts of kundalini ascension up sushumna (the spiritual spine). accustomed to practices and healing revolving upon the chakra system, nadic energy, and other forms of 'invisible fitness,' the degree to which my naivety about genuine chakra purifications never truly took root in my soul body until i watched each of my Sacred Peaks disappear into the long ripple of road behind me: my birth mountain; Dibé Ntsaa (Hesperus Peak, Colorado)...Tsoodzil (Mount Taylor, Arizona)...Dook'o'oosliid (San Francisco Peaks,Arizona).

on today's DL Subscription format with beautiful pictures; be there to be Here Now

"...a much better sense of well-being and confidence.." Actual Student Q&A

an actual email from my Inbox today...name withheld for privacy's sake:





To Whom it May Concern:

Hello, my name is (name withheld) and I currently live in Vermont on break from attending college in New Hampshire. I picked up your "Total Body Transformation" book in the library a couple of months ago and am currently on my fourth week of the Cosmic Yang program.

I personally have found a much better sense of well-being and confidence since beginning this program. Because I am an athlete of many backgrounds (swimming, track and field, martial arts, and parkour to name a few), I have found that this has been very beneficial to me on many levels, particularly in terms of flexibility. I am going to order your book in a week or so as well as a couple of other products to help me along my Path, wherever it leads me.
My question refers to your WF Blessed Training Mala. Because I practice other soft arts (Tai Chi and am currently training to become a Reiki Master Teacher of the Usui Shiki Ryoho style), I was wondering about the energetic properties of this mala: I read that Coach Ilg is a certified Dharma Protector, but other than that I don't really know anything about the energetic properties and (most importantly) if they will interfere with not only my energy but of my reiki energy as well.

Is there anytime when I could possibly talk with Coach Ilg on this matter? My schedule is pretty flexible until August 30th (when I move back into school), but I would preferably like to talk before then. Personally I prefer phone (my number is ) but e-mail is ok too.

Regardless of whether I will purchase the mala or not, the program has been (and I hope continues) to be a wonderful experience. I have believed that being spiritually inclined means that you need to keep your physical body in shape as well; if you don't have respect for your physical body, how can you have respect for the spiritual lessons that you have and will learn?

Namaste!




READ COACH's SURPRISING RESPONSE ON TODAY's DL!

Arjuna Program Q&A - ilg on the road

click on pics to enlarge...

Dewa and injured daddy ilg the other day at the Pagosa Mineral Hot Springs. the Native name of my old h(om)etown - Pagosa - means, "Healing Waters" and after my high-speed mountain bike racing crash last Saturday, i truly put these collective pools of ancient healing hot springs to the test...and, they produced an incredible healing effect upon my road rash and deep bone contusions. though yogi squatting continually throughout the day alongside Dewa is painful, keeping my skin and repairing connective tissue moving through big range of functional movements is imperative to 100% healing. many athletes make the mistake of too little movement (cause it hurts) while healing. unless you move like a toddler while healing deep scrapes and bruises, the resultant connective fabric matures into a restrictive mal-aligned gross 'pile of fiber spaghetti.' gotta keep moving, no matter how much it hurts.

below, i take this traveling opportunity to address some important training variables which arise from a new Online Student who is giving the "Arjuna Ayama Program" a go. May this exchange below, help your own studies and practice. above photo by Ananda.

from my beloved roads and backroads of the Rio Grande Valley...

coach ilg

***

READ THE MULTI-DISCIPLINED FITNESS COACHING COUNSEL TO THIS NEW ONLINE STUDENT FROM COACH ONLY ON DL SUBSCRIPTION FORMAT!

Coach Wins Pagosa Duathlon! Crashing and Cranking

(note: photo may only appear for DL Subscribers)
Yup, pulled another "Ned Overend" outta my bag of tricks...winning the Pagosa Mountain Duathlon Full Course, teaching the young bucks a thing or two about wholeness and longevity! look closely at my right elbow...


Namaste Noble WF Sangha,

just wanted to let you all know that ilg is doing just great...sore (not 'well trained') but great. the rumor is true, i did manage to win overall the Pagosa Mountain Duathlon Full Course on Saturday and also managed to go down super hard on a big chainring gravel forest road at probably about 35mph. i thought i was in about 3rd place and had just gotten passed by this guy with sloppy posture and that pissed me off (i did not know that he was not in the solo divison)...so i was absolutely maching it and apparently hit a water erosion gully in the flat light of the ponderosa-shaded road...and next thing i knew, i was down. hard. i recall skidding for what seemed an eternity on my back and side, wondering to myself, "Wow, i wonder when i'm ever gonna come to a stop."

before that though, the very instant i hit the deck - and trust me, ilg has hit the deck probably harder than you, many more times than you - my first thought was one single word and an image to go with it:
"Dewa."

lemme tell ya, being a new daddy and still out there pushing my limits in such sports like mountain duathlon...when you do go down hard, your entire paradigm shifts. used to be just fine for me to crash...now? not so okay.

now, when you do go hard and hear your bones crushing, organs stretching, and skin ripping off you, the warrior has one single instant to choose one of two attitudes after a heart-stopping crash: you let it dismantle you,
or
you can let it empower you.

more on that a bit later...right now, i can't seem to post the great, gnarly pics of your coach's road rash - which is probably a good thing - and i've got a family to attend to as we continue our Southwest Walkabout.

just wanted you all to know ilg is just fine; in fact, i've got a ton of empowering teachings and pics to share with you DL Subscribers soon...including my Priority Practice For Ripped Off Skin And Ooozing Warrior Wounds. You might be surprised at how fast your ol' cat of a coach can:

1) crash hard and jump back up like a cat and STILL WIN OVERALL!
and
2) how fast i can still tell the Medics that, "No, i don't need stitches...i just need to do some yoga," and heal a ripped wound 500% overnight.

dat's why we all gotta git out there and toe those Start Lines in our life...be brave enough to push your limits against formidable opponents - physical and metaphysical...cuz that is the ONLY WAY to Learn the Teachings Of Intensity.

and when you and i take that Last Gasp, and are unable to Inhale again?

trust me, it's gonna be Intense.

so train your Awareness and Equanimity in the field of Yogic Intensity, which means of course, using that age-old maxim of WF, knowing that your
Highest Workout is Everywhere...
it's right here,
in the softness of your eyes while reading this,
the elegance of your posture,
the openness of thy hips,
and
the
kindness
which comes from thy lips...

Wishing your Practice all the Highest...

be back right here soon,
cuz,
coach loves you when you sweat and sit still..


head bowed,

your bruised chieftain from the top step of the podium

Coach reports from Pagosa Duathlon

Ilg goes down hard...

comes up big...

wins Pagosa Duathlon overall after high speed bike crash on course...

blood, guts & chi story coming up sometime...

thank you for your spiritual support!

WF Temple Closed For One Week

WF Temple News
July/9/2009

"The Lord has
a Universe for a body."

- Pratyabhijna-Hridaya (4) of Kshemaraja

Coach and his Can-Do Clan has
Gone Fishin'...
and racing, and climbing, and camping and...
and...whatever, wherever our little summer walkabout leads us.

After teaching tonight's HP Yoga PROP BASICS class, we're heading deep into the h(om)eland of my youth; Pagosa Springs, Colorado. i have a mountain duathlon on Saturday and then we are just letting the Call of the Four Corners set our agenda of camping.

For my local HP Yoga Sangha, i'd like to thank you for showing up and doing the Inner Work even though these Flag summer evenings are soooo incredibly luscious! One cannot put a price on the spiritual (and physical) merit gained by such tenacity. So, thank you for keeping your Practice strong. Please check with the Front Desk of Northern Arizona Yoga Center for who will be substituting for me next week. Support our Beautiful Practice Cave!

For my Online Students,
this Path of Transpersonal Fitness would not be possible without my most faithful of all; my Online Students. Thank you for your devotion to our Pathway of MultiDisciplined Sweat and Stillness. Just keep crankining on your current program and keep sending me your Updates. I will NOT be doing email during my trip, however, i will be prioritizing my Online Students upon my return, so keep your Tribal Chieftain happy and send in your updates. Check DL each day; i'll update that first.

For DL Subscribers,
i will have a laptop with me, however, access to WiFi may not be remotely possible. Just keep checking in each day...and, MAKE USE OF THOSE 2,000+ Archives! The best text message got to me the other day from Certified HP Yoga Teacher in LA, Karen West. It read,
"SPENT 3 HOURS READING DL ARCHIVES LAST NIGHT!"

Now THAT is what i like to read in my text messages!

Until we can meet and gather again,
keep taking your Royal Herbs, your MAP, and do your EMR
and...
may all your sweat be sacred,
may all your words be true,
may all your actions be kind,
and may all of your of strength,
grace,
humility,
and
steadfast practice
be turned inside out
for the Benefit
of All Beings In All Realms.

keep cranking the Love and Light,

el coache and his Clan

Student Q&A; Integrating Yoga with Cardio and ST

Steve,

I really appreciate the effort you put into your book, "Total Body Transformation". It is well-balanced, informative, and very insightful. However, I have a couple quick questions I was hoping you could answer:

1) I am a practicing zen buddhist who tries to practice simplicity and renunciation as much as possible. Because I don't spend alot, it is almost impossible for me to fork out the money required for a gym membership in the city. I also move around and travel alot, which makes functional, portable exercises very important to me. Is it possible to do strength training using bodyweight exercises or inexpensive substitutes that anyone can afford? I am a reformed long-distance runner who is trying to incorporate yoga and martial arts into my routine to balance myself out and its hard to stretch the dollar between a dojo/studio/gym.

2) As a long-distance runner, as long as I am diligent with yoga and cross-training, can I run 5-6 days during the week? What kind of mileage is too much?

Thanks for your time and keep up the good work!

Peace,

Patrick


P.S I read "Run to 100" and Roy Wallack mentioned that you had a new yoga book coming out. Any information on that?



COACH REPLIES:

Namaste Kalyana Mitra!
first, thank you for your Metta. and, remember, TBT is just the tip of the WF iceberg. i wrote it for mainstream awareness, which, well...let's just say, that if you were an Online Student of WF, you'd see just how basic TBT is when it comes to a Wholistic Fitness lifestyle.

my answer to your first question is easy.
click right here and order a HP PROP WORKOUT DVD.

DVD Section of the WF Tribal Pro Shop

having said that, taking at least 3 months out of your Practice Year to crank the Iron Temple Chi in a real gym is invaluable for any spiritual fitness warrior. it's only 3-months out of your year to follow the Green Tara into Cosmic Yang into Frugal Realm, yet the deep mental,physical, and spiritual fiber gained from those three months makes it a yearly pilgrimage NOT to be missed. ilg has it from very High Sources that even Shakyamuni would have endorsed such an approach to personal tapas.

here, i want you to read something from one of my Master Students of WF from just today...listen, just LISTEN to the Dharma in this WF-trained Warrior and then you tell me that you don't need a gym:

"In other news, I started going through the Green Tara Program again this week. It feels good to be back in the gym. My ego keeps noticing how “lame” this gym is compared to the fancy one {i used to train at}. Then, of course, I mindfully enter the movement at hand and no-thing matters except what I’m experiencing. The weights are just the catalyst, and it could be a rock in a field instead of a dumbbell in a gym for all I care in that moment. While in the past my understanding of your coaching phrase, “my workout is everywhere” was that any activity can become a WF practice (a narrowing/focusing of experience due to mindfulness), my insight today is that when you really start to internalize this way of experiencing the world it has the opposite affect too: your workouts in the gym take on an EXPANSIVENESS that connects them to the rest of your life/world. BOOM. Transpersonal fitness, baby! Gym? What gym? Old rusty dumbbell? What dumbbell? When I “get it” like this, there’s a non-dual merging into the moment that, well, transcends all that stuff."

you don't hear this type of talk coming from any other personal fitness path...around here, however, it's common.


as for question two; the answer is, 'it depends.'
i mean, are you a competitive runner?
if so, when you enter a race, do you really want to gain the top step of the podium?
what is your diet like? have you mastered the deep cellular nutrition required to be a Wholistic Fitness yogi, capable of podiums in physiologic diversity?
what's your Connective Tissue health and stability like?
injury history?
sure, you can run 7 days a week and still do asana, zazen, and strength train, yet to what degree? i've pushed the wholistic performance envelope longer and further than probably anyone on the planet, yet, i'd need much more information to help you.
as the Buddha said, "The art of life is balance."
so, depending upon your INTENT behind your practices, it really depends upon subjective variables.

cyclic training is key, i can tell you that much. your Training Year must mimic the natural rhythms of nature; winter, spring, summer, and autumn all dance and delight our senses with various intensities and volumes.

so too, should your Practices.

this question would require an Online or Phone consultation, both of which are available in the WF Tribal Pro Shop.

May this complimentary answer somehow be of assistance to your Sacred Sweat...

in gassho,

coach ilg

ps; Roy and i are collaborating on "Age Reversing Yoga For Athletes" as we speak...er, as i write this. whatever.

CONSCIOUS PARENTING; OF HOPI AUSPICIOUS SIGNS AND...TEACHING TWO: STRIKE THREE

click on pics to enlarge



above: Dewa with her Hopi Sister, Navan, last Sunday at the Hopi Festival...


For those of you following my daughter's Dharma Journey, the "Om So Ti's" continue to rack up in the most exquisite array of snychronistic, auspicious Signs...however, the Key is; Consciousness...feeble ilg wonders at just how many more miracles pass before me without me realizing them due to my afflicted, clouded mind...what follows is a true story which took place last Sunday at the Hopi Festival here in Flag. then, later, an exchange of dharma pulled from that most precious, amazing Tribal Treasure House of Love known as, the WF SanghaLounge, please, if you haven't been in there recently, GET IN THERE and spread the WF Love.

May this DL be of Benefit to your sadhana...

your loving coach

***
before taking Ananda and Dewa to the Hopi Festival last Sunday, i made sure i conducted an appropriate Preparation Ritual For Receiving Native Grace within my own Sweatlodge (the body). I did a 30k mountain bike ride and along the way received the Gift of three Deer Beings, two Wapiti Beings standing absolutely motionless in the forested altar of A-1 mountain, one of my backyard mountains, and, an equally motionless Great Blue Heron standing so magnificently poised in the shallow waters of a forlorn stock pond near a prairie where i often nordic ski in the winter.

i took such beautiful and powerful Animal Medicine as a positive sign of my purification ride.

now, when ilg goes to such events as a Hopi Festival, i consider them quite a Blessing. long ilg has held a Connection with the non-forked tongue and gentle, enduring warrior spirit of the southwestern Tribal Beings. ilg just empties and

READ THE ENTIRE TRUE TEACHING STORIES at DL SUBSCRIPTION FORMAT!

Brother Bachar Begins The Toughest Free Solo Of His Life; His Death

well, the emails from my rock climbing brother and sisterhood are streaming in...
i understand my my old friend from my era of American rock climbing has hit the deck during a free solo near Bishop, CA and is now free soloing - as we all must - his Bardo Entry and Navigation....on behalf of myself and my Sangha, ilg offers my deepest condolences to the family and friends of this amazing pioneering spirit and force of free soloing, John Bachar...


MY TRIBUTE TO FALLEN BROTHER BACHAR on TODAY's DIRECT LINES...




Om Mani Padme Hung,
ilg
John's ol' bro from back in the day

A Fourth To Re-Member...

excerpted from this Weekend's Teaching at DIRECT LINES Subscription Format...



your AZ State Nordic Champion making the most from July's Monsoon Hailstorms!!!

okay, if you live at an elevation where on the average only 87 days do NOT freeze at night? Trust me, 4th of July is HUGE...every mountain town that i have lived in, throws most of the cities cash coffers into this weekend...the 4th is great. it Honors the Mongrel Medicine that made the Soon-To-Become-Turtle-Island-White Man dis subservience to the Crown, and it means that we high altitude folk can relax into an absolute Nirvana of amazing cool, wildflower, and monsoon showered summer for two luscious months...

See all the great Holiday pics and Dharma Teaching on DL Subscription Format...

HIDDEN DISCOUNT; WF Devotee Claudia gets her WF Priorities right before a Buddhist retreat

Coach!! Can you cook me a WF Blessed Mala for 100k+ prostrations?
above; long-time WF Devotee Claudia

***

Hello Noble Coach!!!

Much has happened since we spoke last - I would like to come see you this fall to visit ananda and baby and check out flagstaff but before then I will be entering a tibetan buddhist vajrayana training where be begin by entering the lineage with 108,000 full body extension prostrations. I saw that you have malas especially prepared and blessed for 3 days - is there any way if I order today that you could send them so that I could have them in hand for my depart?

Thank you for sending the emails - I plan to get back on DL and on SUNRIDER herbs this fall - I would love to train with you for a day too! Life has totally changed since we spoke and you were right - but you always are and thank for being there for me.

Much love and thank you for your help - i would love to have you with me on retreat!

With much love and gratitude
Claudia
Garuda Warrior



ps:
Can you relate briefly what you did to prepare the WF Blessed Mala so I can share what a great teacher and coach you are? I think people would love to know you exist


AFTER A FEW DAYS OF EMPOWERMENT RITUALS BY COACH...COACH RESPONDS:


Most Precious Claudia,

you should receive your Blessed Malas today.

here are some Guidelines to follow when using your Blessed Malas:

{Two PDF's were enclosed}

it will take a while to wear in your Beads to the point where the space between the beads
allows for faster Mala work. this is a pilgrimage of sorts.

my Empowerment Rituals involve a lifetime of sweat and spirit and stillness. most of all,
my Empowerment of your Blessed Malas pivot upon my Love of your Atman.
wear them constantly; around the neck or on thy left wrist (see Guidelines).
consider them your baby, for they have been treated Here in the WF Temple as such.

it does not matter if the students at your Buddhist retreat know about ilg.
our Tribe is a very small, precious, and ancient Lineage of Mountain Yogis.
we are easy to find however,
just apply constant high intensity sweat and stillness within every physiologic and mental capacity you are able to over the course of your life, and it is doubtless that they will reMember their WF Tribe (which, in the East, is known as NavanYoga).

that is all...study well, my Precious Student, for now you have the Blessed Beads to
empower your Practices...



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

coach ilg
founder/Wholistic Fitness®


YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR WF BLESSED MALAS!??!!?

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Ahimsa Revisited- Part Two...of Herons and Hunter/Gatherers...

EXCERPTS FROM PART TWO appearing on DIRECT LINES Teaching Blog Subscription Format...

"It is truly impossible for an embodied being to abandon actions completely, but he who relinquishes the fruit of action is called a renunciant.

The triune fruit of action - good, harmful, and mixed - springs up in nonrenunciants after their demise, but in renunciants never."

- Verses 11 &12, Chapter XVII Bhagavad Gita

... We all come from a Hunter/Gatherer Tribe; it's vital to reVisit that ancient skillset. We may be surprised at how much 'gunk' comes up emotionally from deeeeeep within our lower chakral fields when we pursue hunting or fishing as a spiritual assignment. The spiritual advantages of inflicting pain and death upon the Animal Realm are not to be politely shielded from your supposedly more 'harmonious' endeavors along the Way toward Enlightenment. Really, why do you TAF that India's most Beloved and Powerful Scripture - The Bhagavad Gita - takes place in the middle of an intense civil war?! C'mon; if ilg has taught you ANYTHING about the spiritual journey it's that, "it ain't spiritual if it's comfortable to your ego."


DON'T MISS THIS POWERFUL AND APPROPRIATE TEACHING FOR MODERN AMERICAN YOGIS...

Ahimsa Revisited...Part One

Reverend Ilg understands the complexities of philosophy vs. everyday actions all too well...the following is a two-part Teaching on such Divine Battle. photo by Ananda during a wedding ceremony performed by coach this past weekend in Flag.

***
Most Noble Seekers of Wholeness,
at this stage in our spiritual journeys - though each of us reading this forum are vibrating at various levels of intensities and lessons along the colored and painful evolution of our Soul Energy (atman) - the resounding impact of Ahimsa (non-harming) should pretty much be as sharp and as clearly destructive to our positive karma as is a Venus Williams's running forehand at Wimbledon.

having stated that, however, until Enlightenment, we gotta stay real. and staying real means admitting that we often say 'yes' through our daily actions to things that philosophically we may be dead set against. Ahimsa, one of the fundamental guidelines of a yogi's life, is one of those traps along our Way Higher. we can't even brush our teeth in the morning without indirectly causing great harm to the plant, mineral, and animal realms...each tube of toothpaste has inflicted unimaginable pain and torture to 'test animals' as are the colored dyes in the packaging and materials of the toothpaste container, the toothbrush, the metals and toxic burnoff from the factories and distribution systems involved in the makers of toothbrushes, bathroom sinks, plumbing, the house around the bathroom...i mean, that is why the Tibetan Buddhists pray to the "10,000 sentient beings" for forgiveness as they go about their daily life - they know and feel full well the karmic and samskaric brunt of our mundane behaviors.

when it comes to our food? ooooof. the contradictions and hypocrisies which leap out with gut and heart wrenching blatancy are at times too much to bear. it did not seem long ago that i spent ten years as close to a vegan lifestyle as possible which is essentially a neurotic busyness of philosophy vs. action that overpowered a more intimate and sacred understanding of a gunically-geared perspective and balance.

READ THE ENTIRE TEACHING RIGHT NOW at DL SUBSCRIPTION FORMAT: the Highest 10 dang bucks you can spend per month for your Practice of Wholeness-Inspired Practice...includes 2,000+ Archived Teachings and a set of keys into the worldwide WF SanghaLounge!

May this reading inspire Ahara-Jaya (mastery of food/disciplined eating) within your Practice and may there be peace within the cells of all vibrating Beings...

and...in case you have yet to notice;
all things vibrate...


head bowed, spine elegant, heart open...

your loving coach