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.

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]

Humor and Spaciousness in Meditation

When you meditate, it is essential to create the right inner environment of the mind. All effort and struggle come from not being spacious, and so creating that right environment is vital for your meditation truly to happen.

When humor and spaciousness are present, meditation arises effortlessly.

- Sogyal Rinpoche

Even the non-Practitioner could look at this stunning picture by WF fan and traveling pilgrim in India; Josh Shrei of Shakymuni and realize just why "Breath and Posture," is my first Lifestyle Principle of Wholistic Fitness®. thank you, Yogi Josh!

Ground Of The Ordinary Mind...

No one needs to tell Ananda and Dewachen (photo far right) or the many other Fitness M(om)s and their chi-ldren who begin their day with what matters most: getting out and breathing with Mother Earth and Father Sky. photo by ilg along the Animas River Walk. click to enlarge

***

I designed the WF Techniques and Teachings to infiltrate our everyday actions like sunlight entering water; everywhere we go throughout the day becomes an opportunity to workout...errr, work within, more like it. The wisdom of the WF Personal Training System deepens far beyond our Noble 5 Fitness Disciplines (Strength, Cardio, Yoga, Meditation, and Nutrition) what the grounded nature of our 4 Lifestyle Principles (Breath and Posture, Mindfulness, Appropriate Action, and Practice) which invites the trickle down effect of our more specific Awareness Exercises such as Non-Dominant Hand Awareness, Eating Elegantly Assignment, Smile Often Guru, and dozens of others. Far beyond our World Class physicality, the WF Yogi comes face to face with what Rinpoche calls our 'fundamental basis' of mind; the real workout lies within when you live a WF Life! Each day shines with spiritual aplomb, each conversation offers another chance at Rising Higher, inDeed; each thought another Higher Consciousness workout. There is nothing like WF on this plane(t)...and there sure ain't nothing like a WF Yogi, like you! Isn't it time you signed up for a 6-month course in WF Online Training?

No Initiation Fee for new students already on or willing to get on the Sunrider Herbs and/or MAP Amino Acids! contact me today at: steve wholisticfitnesscom

***

"The masters tell us that there is an aspect of our minds that is its fundamental basis, a state called “the ground of the ordinary mind.” It functions like a storehouse, in which the imprints of past actions caused by our negative emotions are all stored like seeds. When the right conditions arise, they germinate and manifest as circumstances and situations in our lives.

If we have a habit of thinking in a particular pattern, positive or negative, then these tendencies will be triggered and provoked very easily, and recur and go on recurring. With constant repetition our inclinations and habits become steadily more entrenched, and continue increasing and gathering power, even when we sleep. This is how they come to determine our life, our death, and our rebirth."
- Sogyal Rinpoche

14 bikes to one car...YEAH BABY! Also; ilg faces the FaceBook Wizard Question

click pic and see extensive footnotes for killer details...

what's "on my mind*"?
asks the FaceBook Wizard each time ilg logs on.

ain't it obvious for ALL of us?
layers and layers of avidya...

if my Mind was Clear/Enlightened,

NOTHING would be "on it"!

oh, and is it just feeble ilg or aren't the most 'basic' yoga postures extremely challenging after each hard mountain run or
strength training workout in the Iron Temple?
i mean,
do Studio Yogis ever regularly do any other fitness discipline that is contractive, for Buddha's sake?
or...does doing intense, regular, contractive work somehow threaten their Attachment to 'deep and impressively fluid' yoga postures?
does not high intensity endurance work meet their notion of 'yoga'?
hmmmmm....
is starting to sound a lot more like
Ommmmm
to
ilg!

photo: that's Durangatang Nick Gould, fellow staff teacher at the Cave of Champions here in Durango...just one of several National Class cyclists and professional fitness trainers that have already found a deep friend within the chi of HP Yoga®and WF. Nick - a celebrated Expert/Pro Mountain Biker, who is a personal trainer turned onto HP Yoga and also a great DJ, is set to win the Durango Tri at DMR. the bikes in front of Yogi NG is Durango's first Bicycle Parking Lot in front of Carvers Bakery (...one of the founders of Carver's is Karen Carver, a WF Student from long ago; see WF Mealtime Cookbook). Kudos to Carvers Restaurant and the City of Durango who recently collaborated to replace one downtown parking spot with a bike rack that holds 14 bikes. Seeing as the City of Durango is funded primarily by revenue from sales tax, this will allow more tax-paying customers to conveniently park their bikes in front of this and other downtown businesses - all while reducing dependency on fossil fuels, alleviating congestion, reducing wear and tear on local roads, and promoting a healthy lifestyle!

* if "mind" is, as the Enlightened Ones concur, nothing more than a Great Mirror reflecting prakriti, then surely the question, "What's On Your Mind?" becomes sophomoric and essentially useless (like most WordSpeak).

Postcards From Durango...water element...

click on pics to deepen the chi hits...photos by ilg

that's Ananda...right up on the helm...typical spot for a Marine's daughter...look at that elegant, flat spine as she Meets The Dragon!...approaching the Smelter Rapids on Friday...river is running close to 5,000cfs!

...not one to be left out of ANY fun; Dewachen takes the helm of a paddleboat on Vallecito Reservoir....

...after another 'taxing' Durango weekend including my first club ride since my crash...ilg needed to unwind at Lemon Dam last evening...had the whole lake to myself and the wild beings...photo from cell phone...

May your embrace of the 4 WF Lifestyle Principles dance within your engagement of the 5 Noble Fitness Disciplines this week as (y)our trek toward Wholeness
Begins Again,
and Again...

Dharma Blessings upon thy Sweat and Stillness,
your feeble teacher

Cardio Vs. Car Hours..what's your ratio so far this month?

24 hours of Cardio so far this month vs. 18 minutes of Car Driving...yeah baby! WF Lifestyle Rages Onward, Inward, and ever Upward!!!

ilg's wheels as captured by Wayne Williams

The Perfect Storm; Day Two

And...it's still snowing...

INCOMING!!! WF Temple Braces For Blizzard

Take a last look at Doko Oosliid from the WF Temple Backyard...i took this shot two days ago
while filming the photos for the Ai Imawa Flip Chart book.

Now...take a look here (you can click to enlarge):






Now, take a look here:



See that smile? That's at 11,500' on Agassiz Peak, in the wind-blasted summit snow areas on photo number one...you know why ilg is smiling (besides the fact that behind me is HP Yogini Julie experiencing her first ever snowshoe hillclimb)? Cuz there is a BLIZZARD moving in! the WF Temple H(om)e sits right at the top of Northern Arizona...we anticipate 50+ mph winds and perhaps up to 3 feet of snow! Now, the grid is a bit elementary up here, so if you don't hear from me for a couple of days, you know where i'll be...





right here!
Smiling, cold, and Practicing all the wonderful tenets of WF which transforms difficulties and challenges into opportunities of Awakening like no other Path on the Plane(t), baby!

Breathe and Be,
your loving coach


final pic: taken 12/18*08; snow mole tunnels around the WF Temple H(om)e by ilg

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!