Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Voice of an Angel


Some of your input regarding Ananda's spontaneous rendition of The Rose on 11-14-09 DL. Now, can we convince her to do a Tribal Album of chants and some cover songs!?!?!:


Beautiful voice.

Just beautiful.

Thanks for sharing and may Joy not beat your ass too silly for posting this.
- Hakado Ru

***

Amazing...simply amazing
what an incredible gift...

much love,
student~shawna

***

Ananda’s song is literally breathtaking.
I can’t describe it any other way.
Blown away.
You can count on one hand the number of other female singers that could pull that off a cappella – Tori Amos, Sia, Sarah McLaughlin – but she sings that on what, a tape recorder? Speechless.
I bow to her.

Bob Reilly


coach adds;
"i do too...every day!
she sang that song using one of my Injinji socks over the mic for 'enhanced acoustics'!"

Monday, November 16, 2009

In Cold Sweat; Ilg Trains For a 3-Peat


In Cold Sweat

For a 3-Peat


Submitted by Tim Allen

October, 2009

Tim Allen is the Race Director for the Flagstaff Nordic Center





Flagstaff Yoga Teacher and Outdoor Athlete Steve Ilg is on a mission to 3-Peat as the Arizona State Nordic Ski Champion. Above photo; ilg inline skiing near his home above Flagstaff, AZ. Photo by Joy Kilpatrick.


The wind rips at Steve Ilg's shoulders as he stabs with repetitious tenacity carbide-tipped ski poles into the asphalt road. He is a lone figure leaning into the gales along the choppy roads surrounding his home in tiny Baderville in Northern Arizona, elevation 7,553'.


"If I waited for the wind to die down around here? I'd never get any training done! I figure it's good for resistance-training!" shouts Ilg above the roar of wind as he leans into another gust. On his feet are inline skates which he uses to replicate the fierce, poetic tempo of nordic (or cross-country) ski racing. Ilg is the two-time Arizona Nordic Ski Champion in a state better known for its saguaro cactus and Superbowl football team than for ski racing.


It could be another two months before the snows cover this land for Ilg to train directly on cross-country skis. That doesn't matter to this former National Nordic Combined Ski Team Member. "You never get a second chance at your pre-season," shouts Ilg as he pumps his legs and arms in decade-evolved strength and synergy.


Whether it's adding volume to his unique multisport legacy or seeking another layer of sweat-based spiritual depth with his local yoga students, the 47 year-old "multi-sport mutant" as OUTSIDE MAGAZINE has called him, has a plethora of reasons to remain competitive. OUTSIDE again; "Ilg has achieved mastery in more sports than most of us will ever try."


Ilg apparently has reached his childhood dream; to be one of the fittest human beings in the most versatile sense of the phrase. The founder of Wholistic Fitness®, author of five books, a celebrity yoga teacher and fitness trainer in Hollywood, Ilg also possesses a body most 20 year-olds would envy. His seemingly ageless body has also amassed a veritable pantheon of podiums. ULTRA-CYCLING Magazine in fact, named Ilg, "The World's Fittest Human," after he helped set a new Team Course Record in the grueling Furnace Creek 508 (miles) through Death Valley, California in 2004. Ilg shrugs the title off, "Oh, they just wrote that because they were fascinated that someone who could actually do pull ups and a half-decent forward fold could also win an ultra race!"


With over 200 podiums in 23 different sports, including 7 World Championship appearances in 5-different sports and two State Championships in two different sports, you'd think Ilg would have quenched his appetite for trophies or 'heavy metal' as he calls them. Nope. In fact, according to Ilg, the podiums are mere side-effects from his practice of yoga which he calls, Wholistic Fitness®. Ilg considers himself a "feeble fitness monk," and "an endless beginner with only the pursuit of wholeness" as his goal.



A FALL INTO GRACE

As a sponsored rock, ice, and mountain climber during the late seventies and early eighties, Ilg fell sixty-feet off the notorious "Diamond Face" of Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park while attempting a winter ascent. "Too much freeze/thaw action. The cliff was vulnerable," Ilg non-emotionally states as the reason why he fell. "I pulled off a hunk of the Peak about the size of a Corolla. I still apologize to that beautiful wall for doing that. Guess I don't know my own strength," he wryly chuckles.

A lumbar vertebrae was fractured and the connective tissue of his pelvis was torqued and twisted, resulting in a lifetime of neural pain. "Two water bottles on the outside of my pack probably saved my life," guesses Ilg. The water bottles may have cushioned his impact somewhat, yet the fall paralyzed the left side of his lower body. With the help of his partner, Joe Black, he escaped from the Peak under his own power, though details are foggy due to excruciating pain. He recalls "intuitively rocking back and forth in a yoga posture combined with pranayams (yogic breathing techniques) all night long to keep neural and pranic (life force) activity feeding my connective tissue."


The pair spent all night on a tiny ledge as a winter storm howled around them. At the time, Ilg was already a champion runner, skier, bodybuilder, and student of Tibetan Buddhist Yoga in Boulder, Colorado. He refused external medical help. "I recognized this incident immediately as my Karma playing out. I went within and began re-wiring my subtle anatomy through pranayams (yogic breathing exercises). I couldn't move my body, so I moved my breath, bit by bit, into the searing neural pain. I began decompressing the impact on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels through the use of my breath regulation and mental visualizations."


That was 1981. Today, Ilg still must practice a daily rigorous yogic discipline just to mitigate the pain. Most sports for Ilg inflict major dosages of intense spine and hip pain.


"Most exacting is the pain of running," Ilg says, "due to the chronic compressive forces of running, it's really gnarly on my broken body." Nevertheless, this very summer Ilg won the Overall Title at the Pagosa Mountain Duathlon Long Course, in September he finished in the top 25 of his age group at Imogene Pass Race, and 3rd Place in his age group at the Soulstice Mountain Trail Race above Flagstaff. Imogene Pass Race alone requires running 17.1 miles over a 13,000' pass. The race is known as a 'world class brutal beating' with its 7-mile, 4,000' drop which crushes even the healthiest of spines.


In 2002, The New York Times did a profile on Ilg, calling him "an quixotic blend of Ram Dass and Vince Lombardi." He even entertained several New York City book publishers curious about doing a book on his unmatched athletic accomplishments in spite of his paralyzing injury. "They couldn't figure out how to market my wholeness," Ilg says without remorse, "We live in an era which rewards specialization, not versatility, especially in sports. This, to me, is sad. We should leave specialization to the insects and re-focus on cultivation of wholeness, of versatility, of balance."



THE SNOW MUST GO ON

Of all his passions for multi-disciplined sweat, Ilg's most revered is for the snow sports. "I grew up in Durango, Colorado. We were coached in skiing from 7th Grade up. I was from the country and when the snow fell, I would be on either snowshoes or cross country skis. I never went inside until after dark. I loved and still love the sweet simplicity of skis gliding over snow. Especially magical to me is snowshoe racing, where we literally run on water...it just happens to be frozen!"


By 16 years old, Ilg found National success as a Nordic Combined Ski Racer where athletes ski jump for distance on Day One and then compete in a cross-country endurance ski race on Day Two. "It's such a fantastic sport," he eagerly preaches, "the combination of fast-twitch power, skill, and bravery on Day One into suffering like a three-legged dog on Day Two! You can't beat that type of physiologic and mental fitness! My only wish is that more American's would get into how cool Nordic sports are...not to mention how healthy they are for all ages!"


After three decades of world class winter fitness, Ilg has put a small plug in his Ski Bum tendencies. "I have to...I'm a new daddy!" On September 11th, 2007 Steve, and his partner Joy, celebrated the arrival of their daughter, Dewachen. "Yup, for sure she is my podium now. She's got the Nordic Jumping bug in her genes...she is constantly jumping off of stairs and anything else. She's got great form too, better than I ever had!" smiles a beaming Ilg.


Ilg plans however, to defend his State Nordic title this winter as well as his creation of the "Flagstaff Winter Triathlon" in which no one has yet contested him. The latter event combines a 10-kilometer Snowshoe Race plus two Nordic Ski Races of the AZ State Nordic Series which require two races in two different nordic ski disciplines; the Classic Style (or Diagonal Stride) and the relatively new, Skate Style (or Freestyle).



Last season, Ilg won the Classic race with a commanding 4-minute gap over former State Champion and acclaimed National Nordic Ski Instructor Ken Walters, an icon of southwest nordic skiing. On the final Skate Style race, Ilg was passed by Walters at 2 kilometers into the 10 kilometer race. "Each pole plant, each ski step of those 8 remaining kilometers hurt more and felt longer than all of Mt. Taylor!" Ilg recounted, referring to the Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon - a 75-kilometer, 4-sport event (cycling, running, cross-country skiing, and snowhoeing...see above photo) in New Mexico in which Ilg finished in the Overall top 20 just one week before the Arizona State Nordic Finals.


Those 20 seconds which saved Ilg the title came with a big lesson. "Yeah, I've learned my lesson. As a new Daddy, you only have so much recuperative energy from parenting, working, training and competing. Last year, I had zero juice from Mt. Taylor. My spine pain was still big from the running inherent to doing Taylor. I hung on, barely, but I know that Ken (Walters) is gonna be drilling it hard this winter so I gotta be fresher than last year. Plus, there are several fantastic young cyclists that are maturing as nordic ski racers, so a 3-Peat is gonna be very hard to accomplish."


The rivalry between Ilg and Walters goes back three years and heats up the cold snow the moment it begins falling through the graceful Ponderosa limbs. The two athletes could not be more different. Walters is the stalwart champion of years past and is nearly neurotic about the technique of nordic ski racing and the science of waxing. Ilg is the acknowledged maestro of versatility and overall fitness. At last year's final ceremony, Walters - who finished second overall in the Series - outwardly accused Ilg of"having no ski technique."


The yogi smiled in reply but said nothing as he held the Championship trophy close. When asked directly about the comment from Walters, the reigning Champion again smiled and replied, "Well, if it is true that I don't have 'any' ski technique, than I guess I'm just lucky that winning races is about more than just technique!"


The winter of 09/10 is definitely starting out hot! For more information and to keep abreast of the Arizona Nordic State Championship Series and many other winter events, visit; www.FlagstaffNordicCenter.com


***



Inspired? if you are interested in helping to support Steve's winter racing expenses email him directly at: stevewholisticfitnesscom



Saturday, November 14, 2009

Ananda Sings for our Tribe!!!




photo; my Beloved Ananda (Joy)...with Patrick Stewart in the movie; SAFEHOUSE


***
Oh man, is Ananda ever gonna kill me for doing this...
shhhh...
maybe she won't find out...

okay, so the other day i was knee deep in last year's home video footage of Dewa, trying to
get a home DVD done in time for Thanksgiving...i grabbed Joy (Ananda) from doing what she is all-ways doing these precious days; mothering Dewa. this is like at about 7:45 am...Joy's just absolutely fatigued these days...Dewa is not sleeping well due to some more teeth coming in and well, you guys know that Joy and i haven't had so much of a babysitter since Dewa was born, so we're both just shipwrecks, right? so, i grab her and put her in front of my computer with GarageBand ready to go and with absolutely no warning and i say,

"Honey, i need you to sing the 'The Rose' right now...i need it for the section of Dewa's DVD where your dad came to visit."

Joy's dad, the famous Marine/Martial Art stud, always breaks down and cries like a baby whenever Joy sings 'The Rose' for him...(you'll soon hear and feel why; right down your cells...)

"Oh Steve, there is no WAY i can sing that song right now...i, i, i..."

suffice it to say, i walked out the room, and forced her to sing it...she doesn't even know all the words...however,
i just want you all to LISTEN to what i get to live with,
and
to the unbelievable voice that Dewachen has grown up with...singing to her every day...it's this voice which called Dewa's Atman toward us as potential parents. this, Dewa told me during her pre-born meditations with me.

enjoy,
and
shhhhh!!!
if you want to comment on this song (DO NOT FORWARD in any way to anybody else)...do so in the WF SanghaLounge, DL chamber, okay?

enjoy...and meditate on this...

Joy's recording available only for DL Subscribers

Friday, November 13, 2009

6 Key Facts Everyone Should Know About Protein

Most Noble Sangha,

the below is from the BodyHealth® website which is loaded with all sorts of great study material. BodyHealth®, of course, is the manufacturer of the MAP Amino Acids which I have been using both personally and professionally for several years now.

Everybody should - as a matter of Inner Experiment for Fitness, Immunity, and Health - set aside at least 6 months to stay steady on MAP...you will not be disappointed. I think my own personal fitness (8 podiums in 7 different sports this year alone) and my professional track record (you've read the SMALL amount of testimonials that cascade into my Inbox here on my blogs) speak for and of itself.

Your turn.

Everyone who orders MAP under me receives my complimentary 24/7 guidance for as long as you use MAP via my link (shown at the end of the article). We also have an entire MAP chamber in the WF SanghaLounge.

head bowed, knee deep in a positive nitrogen balance (thanks to MAP!),

el coache

***


Few nutrients are as misunderstood as protein. See if you know these six key facts about this essential nutrient for your body.

Protein Makes Up Your Body's Structure

Protein is an essential component of the diet and helps your body repair muscle, grow tissue, regulate hormones, control metabolism, defend against illness, and more.

Protein is what makes up your ligaments, tendons, muscles, hair, nails, skin, teeth, tissue, organs, and bones. About half of the non-water mass of your body is made up of protein.

Since most of the body's proteins are continually broken down, the body needs to manufacture thousands of proteins every day to replace them.

The more active you are the faster your proteins break down, and more protein you need to replenish them.

Individuals typically need 1 gram of protein daily for each kilogram of their body weight. For example, a 180-pound man would need at least 80 grams of protein a day to meet his body's needs; a 140-pound woman would need a minimum of 60 grams.

Protein cannot be stored for later use, like fat or carbohydrates can, so the body needs daily replenishments.

Proteins Are Made Up of Amino Acids

Just what is protein? Protein consists of smaller units of amino acids. These amino acids, formed of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms, are literally the building blocks of the human body. From these amino acids, your body can make hundreds of different proteins that perform different functions.

On its own, the body can manufacture 14 of the 22 amino acids it needs. But the other 8 cannot be made by the body and must be obtained from the diet. These eight amino acids are called "essential amino acids" and include:

  • Isoleucine
  • Leucine
  • Lysine
  • Methionine
  • Phenylalanine
  • Threonine
  • Tryptophan
  • Valine

The body uses the amino acids obtained from dietary protein or amino acid supplements to build the body's proteins, which become the structural foundation of the body and the molecules that sustain life.

Protein Digestion Releases Nitrogen Waste

Amino acids not synthesized into protein become converted to calories or energy. However, converting protein to calories or energy requires your body to strip the amino acids of their nitrogen atoms, creating nitrogen waste.

This nitrogen waste from the metabolized protein arrives at your kidneys as a toxic "urea," and must be filtered out.

For example, a hen egg, the highest protein food, makes only 48 percent of its protein available to the body. The rest of the egg converts to calories and produces nitrogen waste in the process.

For individuals with reduced kidney function, the amount of nitrogen waste produced from protein digestion can actually harm their kidneys.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, 20 million people have reduced kidney function and don't even know it. Not only does the toxic nitrogen waste considerably strain kidneys, but in high amounts can cause weak kidneys to further decline.

Therefore, to maintain optimum health and fitness, you must include enough dietary protein to keep up with losses. Since the diet alone often does not accomplish this, supplementing with an optimum protein source is recommended. It is for this reason that Master Amino Acid Pattern (MAP) was created. It is the optimum protein therapy.

Inadequate Protein Intake Damages Your Body

Daily protein/amino acid intake is required to maintain or normalize cellular turnover and optimize the body's protein synthesis. Without sufficient protein, the body either lets cells die or breaks down other muscles and tissues to get the protein it needs for repair and other functions.

The body may actually "eat itself" to acquire the necessary amino acids, or borrow the amino acids from the immune system or body functions to meet its protein needs. If you workout and don't have enough protein to rebuild your body, instead of getting stronger, you will become weaker and be subject to injury.

Whether due to restricted diets, illness, skipping meals, poor diet choices, and so on, inadequate protein/amino acid intake can compromise your health and affect the following body functions:

  • Bone cell synthesis
  • Red blood cell production
  • Heart cell turnover rate
  • Neurotransmitters/mood
  • Sense of well-being/stamina
  • Immune function/antibodies
  • Enzymes/hormones
  • Skin elasticity/muscle tone
  • Organ function/pH balance
  • Mobility/joint integrity

Many people are unknowingly protein deficient. Protein levels may actually be normal in standard blood panels, but in deeper tests of the serum, many individuals have deficient amino acid levels. Even marginal deficiencies can magnify the effect of every disease. We have never seen a vegetarian who is not protein deficient.

Most of the Protein We Eat Is Burned as Calories

Although you get much protein through your daily diet, the body cannot, unfortunately, digest and use all of it.

A nutritional label may indicate 10 grams of protein in a food, but your body won't assimilate all 10 grams. Most likely you'll assimilate only 10-20% and convert the rest to calories.

Why? Because in order for protein synthesis to take place, all 8 of the essential amino acids must be present. All 8 must be at the cell at the same time; otherwise protein cannot be made.

Protein cannot be stored, so these essential amino acids must either be in place or the body will burn the protein as energy, or store it as fat.

Another factor determining the amount of protein synthesis that takes place is the proportion and ratio of these amino acids. For each creature in the animal kingdom, the proportion and ratio for maximum protein synthesis varies.

Many People Have Increased Protein Needs

Many individuals need protein well beyond the regular requirements. Endurance athletes and other highly active people have increased muscle breakdown and body wear, and need more protein to rebuild their bodies and prevent injury.

The American Dietetic Association says that when athletes do heavy strength and resistance training, they need more than twice the amount of protein as normal to rebuild and repair their bodies.

Not just athletes need more protein. Middle aged and elderly people have extended body breakdown too. The hydrochloric acid in their stomachs, which activates the pepsin enzyme that digests protein, drops to half its regular level as individuals enter middle age. So the protein they eat may never be digested and their bodies break down for lack of it. Much of aging is probably due to this factor alone.

Children and adolescents also need more protein because their bodies are constantly growing. They have an increased need for new cells, new tissue, and other building materials.

Dieters who starve their bodies, menopausal women with imbalanced hormones, patients recovering from surgery or illness, individuals looking to support healthy kidney function, and others who want to maintain their immune system all have greater needs for protein.

For the athlete in the early season who works on strength training and must add muscle, strengthen tendons and cartilage require adequate amounts of high quality protein.

MAP should be used to do this. 2.5 tablets per 40 pounds of body weight (with a maximum of ten tablets) should be used pre-workout on easy days and after each workout (2 hours after the first workout) on hard days. You will notice the difference very quickly and it will last you for the whole upcoming season.

ORDER MAP using Steve Ilg's Link HERE!

questions? email me at:

stevewholisticfitnesscom

Words Cannot Express...

Good Morning Coach,

I just finished an incredible session of HP Yoga® and want to thank you for my daily practice. Words can not express the joy and gratitude I feel for my life and my daily practice. Thank you the work you have done and continue to do in Wholistic Fitness®.

Namaste',
Angela

As Rare As Stars In Broad Daylight...


a rare DharmaTeaching on today's DIRECT LINES...




"Why waste sweat on anything other than your own Salvation?
Make each droplet count toward your Enlightenment...
not for you...
for All Beings In All Realms."
- steve ilg
photo; Soulstice Mountain Race 2006 - 3 years;3 podiums

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Immune Boosting Soup!

Noble Sangha,
just back from sharing yet another sacred HP PROP WORKOUT® with 15 local Warriors...another ego-withering, limb-and-gut check of satya in the sweatiest degree!
only thing missing was YOU!

gotta tell you,
this soup from Yogini Emily absolutely cranks! we've had it like three times and you can truly feel the immense healing capacities within each delicious bite! Enjoy and let me know what you TAF about it in the WF SanghaLounge! thank you Emily! we miss you in PROP!
- ec



HP Yogini Emily who is now a Staff Teacher at NAYC

***
With cold and flu season upon us, many of us are looking for ways to take care of ourselves and strengthen our immune systems. Good rest, wholesome food, and lots of hand washing are all good practices during this time. There are also certain asanas that can be incorporated into your daily routine as a way to further your efforts against unwanted illness. The profound effects of yoga on body and mind help support our body’s natural defenses, hopefully leaving you with fewer days sick in bed.


Immune System Boosting Soup

On Today's DIRECT LINES!