"Bootin' up a Sawtooth coolie."

"Bootin' up a Sawtooth coolie." - WF Devotee Ralph Shelton

Namaste!
Hi Coach,
Big fan of your teachings. I still have the original "Outdoor Athlete". I am getting ready for Ski Mountaineering/Touring season and starting Green Tara after a lay-off from injury. I just recently subscribed to your Newsletter and you suggested to stay informed via Facebook. So I am humbly here.
Regards and Respect,
Ralph

ilg running ice lakes video...

Enjoy...

ilg running Ice Lake; 8*29*10

head bowed,
your ol' mountain yogi

from camping to getting clobbered on the Club Ride...another Durango weekend...

"What stories,
what 'mental tapes'
are you attached to
that destroys your serenity?"

- coach steve ilg - camping rumination



click on pics to enlarge the chi hit

yesterday, way up high on the Colorado Trail near Molas Pass; i'm trying to teach Dewa how to look like Clint Eastwood in this pic by Ananda because, "It's a good way to scare off bears," i tell her. Yes, Dewa is eating a SUNRIDER Herb; SUNBAR..a staple of our camping diet!

my boobs are NOT that flat (yet)! love the baby-carrier but it does nothing to enhance my pectoral magnitude. gotta give up for my two girls; camping in the high country is not easy; especially with a nearly 3-year old. however, my two girls are champs even sitting out a thunderstorm at 10, 740' and temps nearing freezing. some speak of providing "higher education"...to abba ilg, however, this is my style of providing a HIGHER EDUCATION to our chi-ld...especially when they are young and assimilate pranic and natural beauty and power so easily and deeply.


***

so, after hauling my Rinpoche Dewachen around in the high country and a basically sleepless night in the tent, i show up this morning for what was supposed to be a A/B/C Club Ride of 80ks with 35% of the terrain being on dirt/gravel roads.

Fine, i think to myself, there are 171 members of the Durango Wheel Club and surely, in the peak riding season, there will be enough B or C riders that i can hang with...

i time trial (new daddies are ALWAYS time trialing to make it to any start line) over to the Durango Sports Club parking lot and there huddling like ducks over their bikes are only 7 riders; 3 are pro and the rest are all A riders.

great...
instead of A/B/C
it's gonna be A-and-me

and that, my Noble Warriors of Wholeness; spells H-U-R-T in case you are poor in understanding the pain of elite cycling.

i was lucky and i mean L-U-C-K-Y to hang with this Squad Of Two Wheeling Specialists of Supreme Torture until 41-kilometers at which point i foolishly took a pull with my new HP PROP WORKOUT student, Michael C which buried my actual Heart Rate in the vicinity of 200bpm and my Perceived Effort in the vicinity of triple hell-and-then-some.

photo: Kristin (left) and Peanut Butter & Co/Twenty-12 teammate Coryn Rivera

there are fewer more inspirational cyclists than Kristin McGrath, (the photo of Kristin in this link is taken at The Hub; the Practice Cave for HP Yoga in Durango!) a pro road cyclist and native Durangatang whose recovery from a brutal crash courtesy of a stop-sign running truck is incredible (click the above Kristin link to be inspired!). Kristen's recovery miracle is like mine in the sense that yoga played a huge part. Kristin has done yoga, 'since i can remember,' she told me today. she also told me that everyone keeps telling her that she should come take my class but, get this, "It sounds like it is too hard." Geez. well, KG promptly put in a pro-level attack at kilometer 46 using her titanium femur on these minor rollers for three miles before a final 6-mile dirt stretch that put your feeble coach into a tizzy...

"that's okay," i told myself as the seven cyclists hammered away from me like a mirage in time-elapse, "i'll follow their tracks in the dirt so i can find my way home."

you'd think a Durango homey like ilg would know these roads by now.evidently , you have no idea of the massive amounts of dirt roads which spiderweb the rural countryside around Durango.

so, like a forlorn Tracker on a scant trail, i nitpicked my aerobic way through the pinon and ponderosa county roads until i came upon EB, one of the elite 7 and my neighbor;
"EEEEB!," i said gleefully for seeing a familiar face,"you didn't need to wait up for me!"

"Aw," he shrugged my statement off in friendliness common to my homefolk, "those guys were going way too fast for me anyway." we rode side by side in the dirt, chatting about important issues; like recent crashes, animals, and how fast the summer sped by.

then, we came upon Kristin who had rear-flatted on her mega-fast machine. she was being assisted by Eric and Dale. Dale started to talk about this hilarious internet comic titled; "Honey, Can I Ride My Bike Today? it is hilarious; click on it. anyway, it was kinda fun watching a pro figure out how to replace a tube when the valve stem of all our spare tubes was too short for her fancy deep rims. they figured out a way though. pros always figure out a way. it's their job.

not mine.

mine? is to inspire YOU
to get out and DO...
even if you are the last one in the peleton,
the one waaay off the back...
because you and i have a podium different than most;
it's called Wholeness.
and to practice Wholeness requires attacking our weaknesses
instead of ignoring them.
and that
to me
and to the Ancient Masters of Yoga...of Unity...of Wholeness
is what matters most
in the long run.

so get out and do the do
and get to know the real You.

head bowed,
ilg

Beginning In-sights from New Online Student...

i'm taking my girls camping (and myself running) up here in these San Juan high peaks tomorrow. it's already getting close to freezing overnight up here...up here in the birthplace of WF so high, so beautiful, so pranic...so far above the rest.
i need my 3 year-old daughter to immerse her precious cells within that rarefied air common only to hawks, larkspur, and the passing bear or lynx.
enjoy the following gem of an Actual Training Excerpt with a New Precious Online Student; use it, learn from it...
NO ONE gives more away for your personal wholeness that your ol' coach...since 1982.
i'll be back by Friday evening; enjoy the Archives and the WF SanghaLounge...and,
Just Breathe, baby...Just Breathe...

***

what follows is an Actual Student Exchange
with a beginning Online Student. this particular student, a professional personal trainer, is already wedged deep in my heart. for all of his academic and personal experience in fitness training, within the first WF Assignment which i gave him last week, an illuminating, intuitive Light is already getting lit.

it's a funny thing...people write to me kinda scared, intimidated by the Path of WF...and that's okay...i use unique East/West syntax which hits Western ears oddly...yet, many feel a deep kinship with WF without ever reaching down into their loins to pursue this Path at more than a cursory Level. that's okay too...if one is willing to wait another lifetime or two or five!

others of us...like NSMM below?

we're tired of wasting lifetimes and buckets of sweat and emotion and the rest of it on foolish "Workouts of the Week" and lifestyle pursuits which ultimately lead us further astray from Wholeness and Depth and Gratitude and Sanctity of Sweat and Stillness.

oh, and don't be scared of Online Training! there are still spots available for New Students beginning as soon as October. don't miss the chance of this lifetime...i will NOT guide you wrongly...i know the High Terrain, pretty well. the lands close to the purest waters, the highest summits...though the Path may be narrow; it is true. it is for you. i know it.

head bowed,
heart thumping from the high country...

your mountain yogi


***

STUDENT:
Good morning coach,

The first 3 days have been great!


COACH:
THAT's what i like to hear!



STUDENT:
While completing the Forward Fold in my EMR I have found a very tight left flexor.


COACH:
you are Learning Immediately, Grasshopper!

SO MUCH of WF in the first few years is about using Practices such as EMR
as diagnostic tools to identify latent imbalances and then, enjoying the process of balancing them!



STUDENT:
The fold movement sets it on fire
while the right is comfortable.


COACH:
i want you to enter the Fire,
dance within the Fire using deeeeep Ujjayi breathing (do you have questions on Ujjayi? They don't call it "The Victorious Breath" for nothing!")
tightness in left side muscles is VERY COMMON among new WF Students. this is usually due to many years or decades of being Right Side Dominant...
whatever is imbalanced on the physique/physical plane...you can bet your bottom bracket that the imbalance is multiplied on the subtle level which MUST
be evened out before age 75.


STUDENT:
No lingering pain with it after the exercise is complete though. I also have a constriction in my left nostril
when doing At sink Pranayama, after Neti.


COACH:
classic! what did i just say about Left Side restrictions among new WF Online Students?
the left side is our female side...our yin, our expansive realm...ida nadi; the lunar/cooling system. we gotta get this left nostril back into operational openess....
stay steadfast in your EMR...i'll assign specific pranayams, yoga routines later.


STUDENT:
That's it for the mechanics of the exercises.

The feeling after performing EMR is a very soft, calm empowering confidence. I find myself going slowly and freely through the exercise and carry this feeling through
the next 4-6 hours throughout the day.


COACH:
uhhh...where can i get more New Online Students like you?
so many New Students are pre-occupied with the physical disciplines...yet, i tell you now, NSMM, if you can continue to develop your breath awareness
during the softer, inner Practices; all shall be cOMing...and quickly!


STUDENT:

Off topic but not;


COACH:
dude, this is WF!
NOTHING is 'off topic'! hit me!



STUDENT:
I for some reason decided to pull down Zen Mind, Beginners Mind and read. I have had this book for a couple of years but have not read it.
I feel the need to read and re-read this guide at this time.


COACH:
Vishnu is right on time(ing)!!!!
ilg is smiling inward VERY big, right now!
you are picking up the astral vibrations inherent to Online Training Transmission, perfectly!
yes, that very title is usually Assigned to first year WF Online Students.
permission granted to delve deep and ask questions freely during your reading...


STUDENT:
I will update going forward after each session!


COACH:
beautiful.
i'm taking the girls camping (and me running) in the high country tomorrow if weather holds...it's already nearing freezing overnights up there in the birthplace of WF...
be back in the office by Friday afternoon...

proud of you,
head bowed,
coach

How Blessed Can 24 Hours Be? Another Go(o)d Intoxicated Ilg Sings Out...

Grandmother, last night, rising over the Animas River...

Each day arising seems to me to be an utter, unspeakable act of miraculous awe...i'm not implying 'easy'...i'm just saying; Awe... At It All. i mean, now that i am a New Daddy, i read the newspaper (only after Meditation, of course, and never on my WF Media Fast days). i see what's going on in the Outer World (or at least what gets filtered through to me). i read what my FaceBook friends write about...yet, here, in our little Wholistic Fitness® Sangha, our small yet fierce Tribe of Ancient Warriors devoted toward Wholeness...and i, their feeble Leader, tucked away in this astonishing hamlet of Divine natural beauty...

ilg just has got to ask, How Blessed Can 24 Hours Be?

yesterday morning
after my Early Morning Ritual...i get this in my Inbox:

"Oh Steve,
I do miss your yoga classes and inspiration here in LA more now than ever! If more people were as enlightened as you, The World would be such a calm and serene enjoyable existence. Do you still tour ,writing books, run marathons, cross train mountain bike, or and teach the very best Yoga class ever? You truly are a fascinating man Steve. Much respect .
Namaste,
Pamela
Los Angeles"

okay, so then, like THAT's not enough to keep a perma-smile on feeble ilg? i walk into our living and see my naked, yet apron-garbed Rinpoche immersed in Zen Arts & Crafts...

later, after laying down
a Dharmic-and-sweat drenched HP Yoga® 'Strong Flow' class with my Durango Sangha in the Cave of Champions...i pedalled hOMe beside the Sacred Animas with my 'boss' of the yoga studio, a National Road Racing Champion whose non-judgmental kindness and natural yogic presence mires me in rumination of who he Really Is.

pedaling hOMe...easy on Ma Earth...my heart filled with love and openness from all the forearm balances and inversions that i taught over the past hour and a half...yoga ignites soul force.

Then, In A Night
governed by a Grandma in Her full expression (see my opening photo)...the everyday exhaustion and exhilaration cOMmon to conscious parents catches up with me...i answer far too few emails and retire to the gurgling sounds of the fluid Mother Animas beneath a very sexy Grandmother Moon.

This Morning...



this morning...okay, let me see if i can even recall my Wholy Grail In The Shale of some of Durango's sweetest 'in town' singletrack...just outside my door: uh...Telegraph to Sidewinder to Crites to Anasazi Descent (OOOPH! a black diamond descent!..i fell twice like the MTB dork that i am!) to counter-clockwise Mikes Loop (OOOPH!) to Chicolla to Meadows and back hOMe along the River Path...

dat's what ilg is talking about, baby!!?!?!

Shiva Shamkara Shivaya Hari Om Namah Shivaya!!!!

OH HAIL TO THE MAHADEVA's (GREAT MOTHER TEACHERS): MOTHER NATURE DANCING WITH CONSCIOUS HUMAN SWEAT!

2 hours; 20 miles; 2,800' of singletrack climbing...the morning after a HP Yoga® Strong Flow...you kidding me?!??!! C'mon; why fumble about seeking Go(o)d in pews and regurgitated prayers when all you gotta do is...The Wholistic Practice!!!!! There is no Go(o)d higher than singletrack after yoga and meditation!

then it was time to shower, ride my commuter bike to meet Dewa and Ananda at pre-school pick up...playing with the schoolkids...riding hOMe...still haven't eaten anything beyond a half of a PowerBar and it is 1 pm in the afternoon...personally? ilg feels quite satiated!

This Evening:
as if punctuating the past 24 hours...Vishnu delivered a double rainbow over the Animas and Raider Ridge with a heaven of a chaturanga into this:


Dewachen, the name of our almost 3-year old, refers to a heavenly realm of Amitabha Buddha; the spiritual lineage head of WF. Dewachen means, "PureLand of Golden Bliss." Auspiciously golden and beautiful sunsets have followed us around since Dewa's birth...the first one flooding Flagstaff, Arizona where she was born on the very evening after her birth (see DL Archives; circa 9/11/07).


May All Beings Find Happiness and the Causes of Happiness...

head bowed,
Dharma Blessings Upon Thy Practice...
thank you for reading...

coach ilg

all photos by ilg. do not republish without asking. click each one to enjoy a Higher, Deeper Transmission.

Enjoying The Light coming on....a Student's spiritual experience

Coach Ilg,

I wanted to share some things with you.

I have been training steadfastly for the last 3 years. Strength training, bike riding, trail running and yoga are weekly things. Meditation has become a nearly daily ritual. My copies of "The Winter Athlete" and TBT are dog eared.

I am not sure there are coincidences. This summer I have had two encounters during long bike rides where a hawk flew above and beside me for over a mile as I rode. Both of those encounters impressed me enough to make it into my journal and encourage me to research the role of the hawk as a messenger. Then, I was excited to see your recent post about hawk medicine. A couple of days after your hawk post, I was strength training outside when a hawk flew through my yard no more that 50 feet above the ground. As I said, I am not sure there are coincidences.

Along with this, I have been calling this Summer here in Indiana the Dragonfly Summer because dragonflies are everywhere. I have never seen this many in 49 years. I researched the dragonfly's meaning. He is a harbinger of transition. Coincidentally, I wrote in my journal in early May that I felt like I was perched at a point of transition. I guess the Hawk and Dragonfly don't want me to forget that.

That leads to tonight.........

I did an hour of very good asana practice. I started, as usual with ½ Sun Salutes into my full Sun Salutes, Warrior 1 and 2, extended triangles, twisting triangles, extended angles and plow pose. I finished up in the corpse pose.

While I was in corpse doing pranayama, I experienced what I guess I would call a waking dream or a vision. It came to me spontaneously and played like a movie in my head. I was awake and sharply aware and focused through the whole thing.

I was standing in a dark hallway in front of a dark wooden door. In front of the door stood a sort of devilish "Hellboy" looking creature. He was wearing a broad shouldered, gangster type pinstripe suit. The door was slightly ajar and what was beyond the door was very dark and I felt there was the notion or question whether I should go in. The creature looked me in the eyes, shook his head as if to say “no you don’t belong in here” and walked into the door. As he shut the door, he smiled at me.

I turned around, and as I did, things became lighter. I was standing in a huge building with stone floors, walls and columns. In front of me was a large lobby with a very high ceiling that had stained glass skylights. The sun was beaming in. Across the lobby was an open set of double door that led into a beautiful library. I walked through it and out a french door that opened into a huge and well groomed lawn. There was a gazing pool. A tree lined road ran of toward forested mountains. A small river was off to my left with a dock.

I walked back into the building. In the second floor above the lobby, I could see open doors leading into large rooms. I walked back to the door where the vision had started. It was not there. In it’s place was simply stone wall. In a flash the stone wall turned into a door that opened onto a back lawn. I looked to my right, down the long hallway, and there stood my wife and three daughters.. They all were dressed in white dresses and looked happy and beautiful. I ran to them.

I felt a realization and clear message that the time for dark thoughts and negative energies is over. The path now is toward positive energy and joy. I realized that many of the things I have been studying- meditation, yoga, crystals, chakras, the universal laws of metaphysics- are not just to protect me and my family and help us deal with bad things, but are really a path of ancient knowledge to empower and bring positive energy and happiness to us. The law of cause and effect and the law of attraction work. You can draw good things to you by your thoughts, intentions and energy. As you do this, you are bound by the law of accountability and karma. You are also responsible for the effects of the energies you create. Looking at these studies as only ways to obtain protection or cope with the negative energy of life is wrong. These things are a path to higher understanding, empowerment and awareness.

What a workout! Who needs drugs? I am not sure this was what the Hawk and Dragonfly wanted me to be on the watch for, but it felt good and significant.

Anyway, I felt the need to share this. You get much of the credit for the path I am on, so I wanted to share it with you. Strange goings on here in the Heartland!

Enjoying the light coming on .....................................

Namaste,

student name withheld by request

Life In Kali Yuga- When will the Dharma of WF be listened to?

They Ain't Laughing Now...
i first wrote publicly about the physiologic, physical, and spiritual dangers of listening to headphones while exercising when "Walkmans" first became popular in the early eighties. Back then i was a columnist for Rocky Mountain Sports & Fitness. I wrote that listening extensively to blaring music piped directly into ears was a physiologic train wreck waiting to happen in the years to come. I also said that, physically, we are going to see a lot more 'accidents' occur out on the trails and roads as people, "addicted to listening to music instead of appreciating and developing their inner listening skills," will become involved in car vs. pedestrian/rider crashes and trail rider crashes.

when the ingenious heads of Outer World technology invented the iPod® with their refined delivery system of ear-pods growing like lotus stems from an unimaginably small housing, i wrote, "...they call them iPods, right? Well, the 'i' stands for Ignorance," and sure enough, today a national study released showed that an astonishing 1 in 5 teens now suffers from hearing loss due to - basically - an addiction to iPods.



Get Used To This Phrase; "Especially dangerous to those with compromised Immune Systems"
Hilariously sad. So, i guess like half a BILLION eggs are being recalled due to contamination with Salmonella. Get used to this. And, i love their warning which has, over the past several years become more of a trite disclaimer from conscious and responsible development, manufacturing, and distribution practices among our nation's food suppliers; "Especially dangerous to those with compromised Immune Systems."

Uh, have you SEEN the typical fat yet undernourished American?
Have you SEEN the statistics of our 'health'?

Hate to tell you, however, most American's DO HAVE 'compromised Immune Systems' owing to their addiction to junk and mass manufactured foods and beverages!

All these 'new disorders' and dis-eases ranging from 'allergies' to 'restless leg' to cancers are simply training effects from poorly nourished Immune Systems!

And you wonder why i and my faithful warriors who gleefully consume MAP Aminos along with the SUNRIDER Herbs haven't seen the inside of a doctors office in decades and just keep cranking Higher and Far Beyond the reach of the common dis-orders and dis-eases of the mainstream?

Let's see, latest figures for the cost of cancer - besides being the worlds top economic killer and well as the most likely leading cause of death surpassing AIDS, malaria, and the flu - reached $895 billion in 2008 according to a report from the Center for Global Development.

$895 billion?
Uh, that would certainly provide more than enough bottles of MAP Aminos and SUNRIDER Herbs for like every person on Earth for their entire lives.

Weird, how the Unawakened just don't prioritize Regenerative, Preventive, Wholistic Health and Fitness until...well, it's too late.


In Other Kali Yuga Head Shaking News...
Pro golfer Phil "Lefty" Mickelson probably earns the Kali Yuga demerit award of the month as he proudly announced that he is "turning vegetarian," after his addiction to poor food choices has left him with a well-earned dis-ease along with his 'weight problem.' The downside is that Lefty, who could have swayed millions more than someone like feeble ilg can toward a more healthy, vegetarian-based nutritional intake, kept his vegetarianism in the closet so he would not negatively impact sales on his national junk-food, dis-ease inviting chain of highly profitable restaurants, Five Guys and A Burger* or something idiotic like that...

Om So Ti...

and
Blessings upon thy Practice this week


Find The Chi,
Develop The Chi,
Live The Chi...
Wholistic Fitness®...since 1982

*Men's Health magazine claims that Five Guys's meals are unhealthy.[8] A standard double patty burger, for example, contains almost 800 calories and 197% of the recommended daily saturated fat intake.[9] Men's Health also rated Five Guys's french fries as the 4th most unhealthy food in America, noting that a standard large order of fries contains almost 1,500 calories (but is said to feed 3-4 people).[10] The Center for Science in the Public Interest placed Five Guys's bacon cheeseburger, which contains 920 calories, among its 2010 list of most unhealthy meals available at U.S. chain restaurants.[11]

"Ages before"..."Crossfit®"...The Elders Speak of WF

...and other Wholistically-wise Elders speak of our nation's TRUE cross-training origins; WF!...

Hey Coach!
I remember talking with you about this stuff when you were training me at Farentinos Gym (in Boulder, CO).

Suffice to say that was ages before anyone bothered trademarking "Crossfit."

Kind of sad how that new religion has screwed things up for a lot of people.

Author Clyde Soles
Boulder, CO

please visit: http://clydesoles.com/

coach responds:
Most Precious Brother Warrior CS! thanks for the Metta, bro! yeah..."if only"... WF back in the eighties was like the Hippies in the '60's... "if only" the Outer World would have listened to a more spiritually-oriented, instead of a body-oriented, approach to personal lifestyle fitness... oh well... life in Kali Yuga... Blessed be thy sweat, your endless coach and bro

Bet You've Never Seen THIS In Your Front Yard...

The nation's only remaining wood-burning engine that is still operational. please; click to appreciate...you can see the stack of wood behind the Engineer!

Yup, Durango's RAILROAD DAYS are here! i was totally jonesing to get a shot of this most precious antique for y'all. This morning i was alerted to this guy chugging up the tracks for a secret test run before this weekend's big tah-doo... and thanks to Vishnu, i heard the unique wood-powered, "TooT TooT!" in the afternoon as he huffed and puffed his way back to the Durango Depot...i sprinted out of the office, nearly naked, across the street and barely managed this shaky shot! please do not republish without asking, thank you...enjoy this bit of Americana preserved...may all of our training persevere as long and as handsomely as this "Little Engine Who Still Can".

your Turtle Island yogi
who appreciates upon whose shoulders our country stands!

Dewa's first day of pre-school...Conscious Parenting Test #1

My Precious Live-in Rinpoche...Dewachen. Totally stoked for her first day of pre-school this morning (8:30 - 12:00) at my alma mater, St. Columba. click to enlarge the 'Dewa Chi'.

*

It's a heccuva thing; this Conscious Parenting gig...

What you see in the photo above is the one thing that all Conscious Parents pray and toil toward; seeing a Confident Smile - a manifestation of Self-Esteem - on our chi-ldren's faces when it comes time for our chi-ldren to be apart from us.

Beyond Dewa's school backpack, Dewa carries with her into her first solo dance* with the Outer World, something far more priceless than colored crayons and a packed healthy snack...it's called Self Esteem.

It's our sense of Self-Esteem that is required for success in any pursuit, especially the spiritual journeys which lie before all of us.

Self Esteem...sOMething that i and Ananda have both struggled to gain over our entire lives, often over-achieving in our fields as if to prove to the Outer World that, 'yes, see me? i am brimming with confidence and skills,' only to live with a chronic sense that our inner chi-ld is still in a fetal position, scared and feeling alone.

our Daughter...well, let's get real here: Dewa is not 'our' daughter - she is Brahman's daughter, she is a chi-ld of the UniVerse, she is God's daughter, not 'ours' -
is packing sOMething that i never had in my quiver when my mother dropped me off in front of Kindergarten; inner confidence.

After essentially 4 years (Dewa will be three next month) of professional and personal 'sacrifice' in order to spend 100% of our time with Dewa, this morning symbolizes a dual opportunity for Ananda and i. we get to see how our parenting skills and choices have prepared Dewa for her social integration and...a MUCH NEEDED chance for Ananda and i to eventually spend a few hours per day with each other; alone! our attempt to re-familiarize ourselves with each other while mountain biking, climbing, doing all the things i had 'planned' for her and i to unconditionally share untethered by chi-ld now finally resurfaces in a far, far different light then what i had envisioned.

For these past 4 years (the first 'year' of pregnancy to now) our coupleship has had one podium; Conscious Presence with our Dewachen. No childcare, no daycare, no babysitter without one of us all-ways being around.

As i pedaled behind Ananda and Dewa on our bicycles along the Animas River this morning toward St. Columba, the Narrow Gauge # 473 train chugged past us, filling Father Sky with that sultry smell of coal soot which is surely going to be one of my Beloved Odors when time comes for me to enter the Bardo. i could not help but recall my own chi-ldhood growing up here along these sacred banks, beneath these incomparably beautiful blue-bird skies shivering above the La Plata and San Juan mountains. today, another generation of 'ilg' begins to adapt to society's conventions while attempting to simultaneously learn how to quell a wildly deep yearning to run free in the natural world.

heccuva thing, this Conscious Parenting gig.

it's a helluva of an exhausting gig...
it's a heaven of an exhilarating gig...

Conscious Parenting is the Highest Yoga feeble ilg has ever attempted.

Dewa; though you sit now in school, surrounded by new friends and teachers, your Abba loves you so much and knows in his heart that your Amma and i have truly,
truly,
truly
done and given our Best for this most special day in your Precious Life...enjoy it all and...
bring the CHI, baby girl!

i know you will.

head bowed to all Parents Everywhere In All Realms,
abba




* actually Joy is going to stay at the school with Dewa...hopefully as 'distant' as possible.

"Long before anyone talked about cross-training..."

Hey Coach Ilg!
You gave a great talk to us at the Mountain Shop in Ft. Collins years ago, back when no one really thought much about training and doing any type of crosstraining or supplementary work. It was great stuff!

Thank you,
Steve Seckinger
Ft. Collins, CO

NEW ILG TRAINING VIDEO! FREE: ilg runs 12,613' Peak in 'mocassins'

More than a few WF Yogis have been here...some of you with your anal sphincters beginning to contract; the beginning of the knife-edge arete of my lifelong Sacred High Peak Pilgrimage; Engineer Mountain this morning...YouTube link of me running this 12,613' granite puja table this morning in my 'moccasins' is found below...

***

Most Noble WF Sangha,

this morning,
this Lovenote from long-time WF Devotee and Ironman; Fit Kit arrived in my Inbox...

Dear Steve:
You are really calling me home.
I can close my eyes and remember doing the Ai Imawa Healing postures
on the summit of Engineer Mountain.
I also remember the pain of doing intervals on the climb up.
I also remember marveling at your running ability on the shale and the snow on our descent.
Ai Imawa
Fit Kit

***

Well Fit Kit,
ilg decided to honor you and the many other WF Warrior's that i've scared, tormented, and merged into utter High Peak Bliss with over the years...Warrior's such as "Never Quittin' Quentin", "Flex", "Racin' Jason", "The Zeinmaster", "SassoSan", to name a few.

So sacred is this lifelong "go to" High Peak Pilgrimage of mine, that today i figgered it was time
to immortalize it on YouTube...

For you, Fit Kit...and All WF Warriors, mountain yogis, and all Beings everywhere with Love and Chi...it's only 2.5 minutes...ilg TAF's you'll find it worthwhile...enjoy;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH3XOQocQm8


head bowed,
coach ilg

"...walking on air..." HP Yoga heals Student SL...

"The tightness will not resolve by itself.
The pains, the aches, the lack of equanimity...
those are all beacons streaming from our Inner Lighthouse.
Feeble ilg says, Just Do The Practice
and Begin Again and Again, and Endlessly Again to
breathe into and release that which is restricting us.
Don't ignore the Inner Lighthouse! Honor your Inner Light!"
- coach ilg
'the broken back yogi'

Dear Coach,
Thank you so much for class last night.
Thank you so much, Im hungry for more yoga!
I felt like my body floating on the Pacific Ocean
with bluest of the bluest pearls all around me!
How does that happen? .. u have to let go ......... :

I felt like I was walking on air after class
and I felt like I lost 10 pounds,
I was definately more limber!
My friend and I walked for 2 hours after your class.
I even missed my chiropractor appt
that I am usually early for
because my neck is so stiff
that it is in need of readjustment twice a week.
And I usually sleep less than the required 8 hours
and so tired all the time,
but I slept more than 8 hours last night.
I think I love yoga now.
I cant wait for Monday evening.
I even dreamed i could kiss the clouds last night!

HP Yogini Student SL
durango
8*10

Photo: Summits come in all shapes, sizes, and metaphors
for all of us! Dewachen summits a boulder during a hike
up the Engineer Pass Trail yesterday. photo by Joy. click to enlarge.

Training Profile: Goulding Trail - So Steep Even The Deer Slip

Namaste Noble Warriors of Wholeness!
yesterday i took a jog up the Goulding Trail...locally it's infamous for it's super steep gradient with over 22 switchbacks in the first mile. personally, i lost count after the first six.

starting elevation: 7,900'

finish elevation: 10,000'

length: 2.7 miles through spirit-rousing pine and aspen forests beneath the enormous Hermosa Cliff faces...

access: trailhead is about 14 minutes by car from my front door in Durango.

wanna come along?

thought so...that's why i took my camera; just for Thee!
click pics to enlarge the Chi Hit

for this mountain run, i used what i call my "Mod-a-ssins" a pun for "Modern Moccasins";
these are the Saucony Kinvara
- 7.7 ounces and
pretty much zero support.
those of you that have been traveling with me all these decades, know that i was among the first to forward barefoot and then, later, promoted the Vibram Five-Fingers®. the Kinvara is absolutely a beautiful hybrid between a traditional trail runner and the Five-Fingers. least for me. i love these fleet, foot 'socks' so much, i am even considering racing Imogene Pass in them this September! 'considering' being the operative word. just the thought of racing Imogene in 'moccasins' turns me on.


start of the trailhead. the route takes demanding switchbacks right beneath this 600' face before skirting it on photo left...


...within 5 minutes of huffing and puffing, you get a sense of what's in store for you;
an absolutely stunning altar of pine and aspen forest where a bear or deer could be eating Service Berries and watching you from 10 feet away without you knowing it...


Golden Chanterelle grace a decomposing Spruce..


a half-mile into the ascent and the East Needles begin winking at your Noble Effort...


...turn the next switchback at you see the resort of Tammaron (it's called something else now) at below you and Missionary Ridge in the background..


...must be "Wing Night" in the high country...i've never seen this before; an entire Hawk wing lying beside the trail. now THAT must have been a helluva airborne fight! Om Mani Padme Hung...


...my beloved Aspen Beings; standing the same way i like to run: half naked!



...besides the dizzying effect of climbing so fast up so many switchbacks,
you also run the risk of becoming deeply and divinely intoxicated by the perfume of Mother Earth, expressed through a zillion wildflowers along the way. yes, the trail is hidden in this shot!

My turn-around today...why? see those thunderheads rolling across Father Sky? i hit the rip-cord at this point (45 minutes into the run) and scooting back down the trail in 20 minutes before Our Father opened His arms...

God Bless All who must do their Warrior Effort on "Hillclimb Mode" on Treadmills today; May this iDL entry seep into their cells and be Transported...
to
Here
Now.


May Thy Sweat Be Sacred this weekend...i might just try to knock out Handies Peak
this weekend with some HP Mountain Yogis...
then again,
that will be yet another Psalm in the ilg book of Prayers..

head bowed,
your feeble teacher of multi-disciplined yoga known as WF!

Diné crankin' to Higher Than Ever Summits...

WF Devotee, Single Dad, Native Runner Warrior "Leaf" (Tribal Nickname; Diné) enjoys some
bouldering at Priest Draw near Flagstaff. He didn't tell me that later fact, i can just tell... ;-)
his email to me today below:

Yah' tah' hey' from the sacred peak of the west!
i received the first arrow of the dreamspeak quiver and greatly thank you. Combined with the TBT i've managed to create a workout that best suits my single-parent lifestyle. Packed full of chi it's like you never left Kinlani*!

As for my recent adventure to the "old oraibi footrace" i once again experienced some medicinal-sweat. Along with me were my 2 sons tavian & zane and my good friend ben from phoenix. As a warrior-father i ran the 2 mile race with tavian and it was deeply moving to see my son run up and down the mesa. Also deeply moving and ever-inspiring was to observe him roam around the finish line with his race-bib on. Got to say that of all the fatherly-duties i experience with my sons, the exposure of a WF lifestyle to them is quite nourishing for my being. Running through the thick sand, hum-sahing out loud along side of him, nothing but pure chi!

This evening i managed to deter from our usual evening ritual of going straight home and headed for some boulders. enjoy these as they were inspired out of a WF lifestyle!

p.s. can you offer any basic-bouldering techniques that i can practice?

dine'

COACH RESPONDS:


Most Treasured Diné,
looks like,
feels like,
rejoices-within-my-Soul like you are doing JUST FINE!!!

head bowed to your Father Warriorism and selflessness at the most Precious Footrace Of Turtle Island. i know you could have podium'd were it not for your Higher Choice of running with your son; May All Daddies Be Thus Inspired!

as for climbing:
looks like from that pic you are a natural!
keep your hips away from the rock,
look down at your footwork more than you look up,
and TRUST THE BREATH! just like in our HP Yoga sessions!

love from beside the Mother Animas,
your feeble teacher

* = the Native American name for Flagstaff, Arizona

Yogi Squat Of The Week, plus; Just Another Durango Vibe...

do your Chi a favor; click on each to enlarge...

Yogi Squat of the Week goes to...Dewachen Ilg, who turns 3 this September 11th.

oh, like you're even gonna TRY to throw down a Yogi Squat comp with Dewa?
i think not...your patella's would just shoot straight out through your skin if you tried sinking into this one, i know mine would...yes, Dewa does eat directly from our backyard garden, and yes, those are two Dora The Explorer 'bandies' on my daughter's tummy...but keep reading for a far more impressive 'bandie' shot...

actual shot from one of my training rides on Red Mountain Pass...
and you wonder why i teach FOCUS so much?!?
it's about a 800+ drop...

Dewa takes a break from a yoga practice with her m(om) to display in not so humble demeanor her new PR in 'applied bandies'; 20! a whole box!
Recently reincarnated Warriors always have a peculiar attraction toward bandages...

Taken just hours ago at Haviland Lake, about 15 minutes by car and precisely 43 minutes away by road bike (trust me). many of us domestic gardeners could try for years to sculpt a 'Whiskey Barrel" planter like this natural one on the shores of Haviland, one of my chi-ldhood vortices.

Ananda's production last week from our backyard garden; Summer Squash soup and Kale supplemented by some tofu and rice...YUM!
give it up:
ilg is doing pretty dang go(o)d transforming
our Hollywood Movie Star into a Mountain Momma, eh?

My version of Day Care;
A Haviland rivulet makes for an awesome 40 minutes that seems like 10,
exploration for Dewa and Amma and Abba. Dewa sets the Agenda; we just listen and attempt to learn...

Kale "Chips" from our backyard garden; Dewa LOVES these!
Hey, we ALL love these!

Ananda Ammaji and Dewachen at Haviland Lake just hours ago...Engineer Peak is the high peak in the distant center...

The WF Temple H(om)e Garden...note the Finches pestering the Chard Flowerettes...

Dewa and Austin tour my childhood friend Christina's 'Earthship' she is building in the foothills west of Durango...Austin is Christina's son...
when the Outer World finally discovers the pricelessness of Wholistic Fitness® and i become a millionaire, i'm building our Tribe a Wholistic Fitness Institute from Earthship philosophies and techniques. should we start a donation drive, or what?!

i could not resist the majestic chi of this impeccable Horse Being as we drove down from Haviland...i trust you can't either...wow...ilg can only bow to the Miracle of It All...

Dewa and tall, swooshy grass in a high country marsh skirting Haviland Lake...

i was quixotically touched by this juxtaposition of an anthill and the resplendent Hermosa Cliffs...

"The beauty of training our weaknesses..."

"The beauty of training our weaknesses
lies in the indescribably personal
and penetrating transcendence of them.
Our reward?
Nothing less than Wholeness."

- Coach Steve Ilg
"America's Fittest Yogi" - LA Times

photo by Wayne Williams...click to enlarge my muscles cuz, i only wish it was that easy!

WF Student Profile; Devotee BB!

" Dear Coach,
I want to be able to continue to do all my activities
as i get older and therefore want to make sure my body is in balance, like yours. That is why i trust in your Path."

- Wholistic Fitness Devotee and HP Mountain Yogi; Bryan Bishop
enjoying what he calls his,
"Advanced Summit Pose on Castle Peak at 14,265 feet above sea level."

***

for a 'peak' at how HP Yogi BB 'exited' from this posture,

click here

and enjoy the HP CHI with a quick video and another image,
courtesy of one of our most inspiring young Devotees!

***

here are some other aspects of how Bryan
enjoys his WF lifestyle:

his SUNRIDER Herb Intake (constantly monitored and adjusted by coach):

"i have currently been taking action caps and slim caps for 2+ years. I have been consistently taking ilg supremes for 3 months, but like everything i have begun again and again on those for the last 18 months. I am currently at a very good body weight and fat percentage (6'2" 180 lb and 7% body fat). "


the flow of his current WF Nutritional Practice...

"Wakeup-->BM-->EMR or Kinlani-->2 Sunrider Herb Action Caps, 3 MAP-->workout-->3 MAP and breakfast-->shower-->go to work-->2 more Action Caps, lunch, a Sunrider Ilg Supreme and Quinary cap-->more work-->2 MAP and Dinner-->Ai Imawa and Meditation-->1 Sunrider Slim Cap and Bed."

the flow of his current WF Physical Practice...

"My workouts consist of different workouts within your different books, usually 2 cardio, 2 yoga, 2 gym days. My goal is to get stronger and gain more cardio fitness. I hike a lot of mountains, do lots of top roping, and stay in shape for ski season. I want to be able to continue to do all my activities as i get older and therefore want to make sure my body is in balance, like yours (why i trust that the herbs work). My areas that need the most work are meditation and flexibility."

SEND IN YOUR UNIQUE WF PRACTICE TO HELP INSPIRE OTHERS LIKE YOGI BRYAN!

Dharma Blessings upon thy Sweat, Stillness, and Spirit...
coach ilg

Same As All-Ways; Open Hips + Endurance + Strength = Elite Elusive Yoga...

Steve Ilg is the...

same as all-ways;
stunned by how difficult it is for me to keep opening my hips while cranking consistent cardio volumes and intensities, especially peak running...how cOMe so few seem enraptured with this High Endeavor?

i mean; we now have a WHOLE LOT of "yoga stars" preaching about the Kundalini, Sushumna, Mula Bandha...yet...ilg wonders, how cOMe all these fabulous "Yoga Masters" just stay addicted to studio asana instead of finding and cultivating and 'mastering' yoga within ALL physiologic capacities of their treasured bodies?

if SAFE Enlightenment, or Chakra Balancing, Mula Bandha, Sushumna Engagement, or Kundalini Arising is to be attained,
is not cOMmon sense to steadfastly master ALL the capacities of the body across the physiologic spectrum?

i mean, does anyone ever study any more the intensities of the Bardo?

will simply being a 'gumby' really gonna matter in the incomprehensible endurance and strength intensities and shock waves immediately encountered upon our Last Gasp?


head bowed,
the feeblest yogi ever

photo; a hairy chested ilg in a high wind attempt at Cosmic Dancer Posture or Natrajasana as caught by Marc Romanelli near Los Alamos, NM

Can You Find...Hawk Medicine?

click pic to enlarge; can you find the Hawk?
taken this morning during my MTB ride in "Hidden Valley" where, seriously, i had not ridden in over 15 years. Hawk Medicine is powerful. if you are as interested as you well should be, you'll read the below.

head bowed to your Devoted Practice Toward Wholeness...you REALLY shoulda been in my HP PROP class tonight!

Thunder and lightning timed in with my choreographic cues as is on demand..
(Noble Warrior Student JVS remarked afterward, "Damn, that was amazing...each thunder-sound resounded in perfect timing with Coach's dialogue! It was Amazing!")...Father Sky's acoustics sizzled the Pranic Currents outside the Cave of Champions just like Shiva Dancing before you and i and the rest of our Ancient Tribe of Warriors did eons ago...
do you
CAN you
still reMember how you and i huddled two-gether in the Caves
before we found fire?
afraid of the Outside...
afraid of so much...

what has changed since then?

how long shall thee choose to live
within Fear
instead
of
Love and Light?


oh!

How Blessed Are We Who Realize That Sweat IS The (W)Holy Water??!!!???!!

head bowed,
your miniscule ilg

***

HAWK MEDICINE: MESSENGER!

Hawk Affirmation: I am healed and empowered through my visions. My life moves forward.

There are many types of Hawks found throughout the world and each has medicine specific to their individual types. Yet there also characteristics that are specific to all Hawks and those are the focus here.

Hawks are visionaries and messengers. As a totem they help to open the higher chakras so that we may hear and see the visions and messages that Spirit and the Universe are always sending our way. There is never a moment when the Universe is not trying to get a message through to us but we are so often too busy or unaware of what it is we need to be watching for! Hawk helps us to not only be aware that we are receiving a message but how to interpret them. The realm of symbols is also the realm of Hawk for Hawk is able to soar high above the earth to soar on the breath of Spirit, to commune with Spirit and thus understand through the intuitive level what the message means and with their keen eyesight, how to implement it once they return to earth through seeing the broader picture below.

Many of the messages Hawk may bring are about freeing yourself of thoughts and beliefs that are limiting your ability to soar above your life and gain a greater perspective. If one remains earthbound, then the possibilities of life are limited! It is this ability to soar high above to catch a glimpse of the bigger picture that is one of the aspects of Hawk medicine that makes it so valuable: If one is undergoing a difficult passage to know that just over the next hill is freedom and liberation if one keeps going can be a Godsend in supporting the person to keep moving forward! Likewise, if the path is not appropriate, Hawk Medicine can alert one to this and point out a far more favorable path.

Hawk medicine unites Heaven and Earth. Because of their ability to soar, they are able to reach up to the heavens to extract needed information and bring it back to earth. Much of this information is also very practical for use on a daily basis! It is not only higher concepts or ideas that are relayed, but also information we need to make our material or mundane lives more prosperous and fulfilling. For those who have difficulty attracting financial well being due to false or negative beliefs about money and success, Hawk can help to understand the true spiritual intent and purpose behind money and guide one in establishing new beliefs that are more joyful and abundant in nature.

Hawk can alert us to those times when we should NOT take action because we do not yet have all the information we need. For example, someone is thinking of about becoming involved in a relationship, personal or business, yet they get the feeling that something is "not quite right". This needs to be heeded and Hawk sent forth to gather the appropriate information to help the person make the best choice. Sometimes the person finds that Hawk was telling them to steer clear for very good reasons!

Hawk can also help balance those who are more attuned to the lunar sides of their nature and have trouble expressing the solar side in pursuit of their goals. It helps the person to activate the positive aspects of their sun sign and to balance it with the lunar needs.