Wholistic Fitness

“Make your intention

attention.”

– coach ilg

���

Namaste Noble Warriors!

THANK YOU for reading! DIRECT LINES is now deepening its international following…most DL readers are not formal online Students of Wholistic Fitness but are customers of my books and High Performance Yoga video which continues to make waves across the country. That video is kinda becoming an �underground� classic, especially among athletes! Without being formal online Students of WF, i don�t know how much of our dharmatalk gets through to people, but obviously this forum is keeping a lot of people interested in their personal fitness and that is what is most important to me! so, i thank you for reading and for those of you who ask questions, add comments, and turn on other fitness warriors to www.wholisticfitness.com

��

for those of you confused on what the hell Wholistic Fitness is all about? just take a moment and surf through the link: YOUR JOURNEY at wf.com

all my basic Dharma is right there…PARTS 1&2 of my most recent book; THE WINTER ATHLETE is also an exceptional study of WHOLISTIC FITNESS philosophies. My new book won’t be released until January of 2004, but don’t worry, there is always PLENTY of quality study available for those truly ready to combine their personal growth with their fitness training! My online catalog is full of quality products that ensure such an education of self!

enjoy this Update and come back every couple of days to make sure you don�t miss the Highest Standard of personal fitness and body/mind personal training on the planet!

i bow to you…enjoy!

coach ilg

founder/Wholistic Fitness & High Performance Yoga

���

Dear Coach Ilg –

I have attended your Meditation workshops and classes…it�s incredible! I feel completely changed when i do meditate with you. However, I am struggling to begin a personal Meditation practice. How important is it to meditate at the same time every day? How long will it be until I grow so calm and powerful like the way you are in your yoga classes?

Sincerely,

Mike

Dear Student Mike –

First, forget about me. Focus on you…give your mind a picture and a sense of how you desire to be. The body follows the mind. You can achieve whatever your mind concentrates upon time. The more you practice concentration (dharana), the more pure and manageable your mind power becomes. This is why i teach high standard fitness and yoga…why waste time with anything less? i draw students out of their �thinking minds� which hold doubt, hesitation, and outdated models of performance and esteem. By sheer intensity of dharana, all those negative mind qualities are replaced by positives; faith, conviction, determination, and self reliance.

As far as the �best time� to meditate, Swami Muktibodhananada can help us as he interprets the following from the second chapter of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika:

�The specific times for practice are important in correlation to body rhythms and solar/lunar activities. At these times there is a changeover of body and external energy rhythms, and sushumna nadi {the primary energy channel located within the spine} is more likely to become active.

�Early morning means an hour and a half before sunrise and it is called brahmamuhurta, �the period of Brahma�. At this time the subconscious mind is active and if you are sleeping then, you will most likely be dreaming. It is a time when unconscious experiences are more likely to manifest.

�Evening, around the time of sunset, is called sandhya. Sandhya is the meeting of day and night. It represents the time when ida and pingala {the other two primary energy channels within the subtle body} merge with sushumna in ajna chakra (third eye center). The external influences of the sun setting or the evening commencing affect body rhythms and functions, making it conducive to the merging of pranas in sushumna.�

This is why i always elect to teach yoga or meditation classes during or as near to Sandhya.

– coach ilg

���

Steve,

I was reading the woderful thing you say about the WF community on your homepage, and noticed a typo. “One thing remains” shows up as only two words:

One thingremains.

Being nowhere and no one,

student hAnTMAN

����

Beautiful New Student hAnTMAN –

(i like that hAnTMAN thing, very good!)

nice try, but alas the Spelling Guru* was not a victor in this case…that spacing error is due to the ‘Blogger’ as it reconfigures and cross platforms my word processing system onto the website…

my average email/writing includes several thousand words per day.

rarely does the Spelling Guru catch me, but He certainly does now and then! thank you for your attempt to increase my awareness.

and – by the way – “woderful” is spelled,

‘wonderful’

i bow to your devoted study,

– coach ilg

*Spelling Guru = The Spelling Guru is an Awareness tool that i created and is used in all online training of WF Students. Whenever i, or a Student, is caught misspelling a word, it is our Practice to compassionately let them know. Paying attention to spelling is the same as paying attention to breath and posture. It�s all about staying present and mindful because in WF, �How you do ANYthing is how you do EVERYthing.�

To me, the equivalent of misspelling a word is the same as slipping off a handhold while rock-climbing…a lapse of concentration (dharana) something that could have very powerful consequences! As WF Warriors, we must do our best to impeccable at anything we give our energy to. Including something as �mundane� as writing. Why? Because, �God hides in the details.�

���

Dear Coach –

An odd thing happened this morning. I was biking into work along Lake Michigan into 15+ mph headwinds in a rainstorm and loving every minute of it. Traffic was at a stand still and I was passing everybody and enjoying the sounds of the crashing waves from the Lake. Here’s the odd thing, I saw two �Hummers� stuck in traffic.

Do you think it was the guy who wrote into Coach Ilg in Direct Lines?

On a another note, I did my first unassisted pull-up in 26 years last night. Need I say more, or less? I could feel some energetic dams starting to crack, and I’m grateful for your guidance.

Namaste’

Student Mike

(training under WF Coach Sheader)

���

Dear Coach Sheader –

I see that you’re a cross-country coach. Perhaps, then, you know something about feet and footwear. Sometimes with running the outside of the bottom of my foot hurts, and this can

lead to a gait problem and subsequent soreness with knees and hips. It appears to be an alignment problem of some sort, but it doesn’t always happen. I also tend to wear out the outside heels of my shoes quite quickly, something that I recall happened to by Dad, as well. I’m

wondering if this is genetic, poor posture, or the wrong running shoes

(at the present time I have New Balance trail shoes). I also have a

recollection of a discussion with a runner who talked about pronation

and over-pronation, but I can’t recall the details or if it is even

related. Any thoughts on this?

– Your Student M

Dear Student M –

It sounds to me like a little over pronation. So yes, get yourself a pair

of good running shoes that account for this and don’t let them get too old before the next pair. New Balance is good to be sure. I would find a top running shoe store, not Footlocker or the like. One where top runners go and work. Have them check you out for proper shoes. I like New Balance and Adidas but there are others. Don’t get something that over corrects or feels like hiking boots either. The feet need freedom to move. Which brings me to my next point. I have a hunch your are experiencing Plantar fascitis.

Three suggestions on this: (1) When you first get up out of bed step right into a pair of shoes with really good comfortable arch support… like Chaco’s. This will keep you from further injury of the foot as so many experience when they get up and put bodyweight on stiff feet. (2) After a while take the shoes off and spend as much of the rest of day barefoot as possible, ie Barefoot Yoga as Coach Ilg calls it. Shoes are like casts that make for severe atrophy of the feet and thus weakness. (3) Get a golf ball, set it on the floor with

your foot on top and roll back and forth providing massage… ahh it feels so good. Keep it under your desk, by the sofa, where-ever.

Namaste’

Coach Sheader

���

Hello Coach Ilg!

Long time no see…but I will be back to class as soon as I return from Europe. I promise! The HP Yoga sessions are the highlights of my week. p.s.- I really enjoy reading your daily(sort of) journals, when I can not make it to class. Anyways, I just wanted to wish you and your wife,Kathy, a Merry Christmas and very very Happy New Year!!!!

I will see you in the new year!!

Best Wishes,

Maggie

���

Coach, thank you so much for this past year and all of your assistance. I look different from the last time we saw each other. Wholistic Fitness has sculpted soma, psyche, and noos. I am glad that I found the Winter Athlete last February (on my birthday!). Looking forward to the next year with you and Teacher Sheader. Talk with you soon – got some new Tele equipment! May your practice be strong and the New Year prosperous.

Namaste,

Student Scott Adams

New Mexico

(training under Coach Sheader)

���