Wholistic Fitness

Namaste Noble Warriors!

“Master Students of Wholistic Fitness learn to eat like mice, and play like whales.”

– WF Teacher Grant “Heikosan” Couture

In 1991 a very polite young man approached me. His name was Sean Madine and he lived near Boulder, CO where I too, once lived. Sean was an avid outdoor athlete. Like many outdoor athletes, Sean had used my books to give greater focus to his love and performance of outdoor sports. But now he came to me seeking the real thing; the customized Dharma juice straight from the Teacher. Particularly, Sean was interested in improving his skills in rock and ice climbing. Specifically, he needed to improve his mental composure when it came to leading (going up first) rock and ice climbs. Success in technical climbing after all, is all in your head, but it is not what you think. It’s what you don’t allow yourself to think. It’s about prioritizing the Dance over the chattery ego and shivering fear struck limbs. Mountain yoga very different from studio yoga. In studio yoga, if you fall out of a pose, you giggle self-consciously. In mountain yoga, you can lose half a thumb or break your back…i speak from experience. Teachings come hard in mountain yoga.

I accepted Sean because well, he passed the most important criteria I use when contemplating accepting a new Student: He didn’t bug me.

Sean had several other qualities that lured me into accepting him; he was stunningly polite. His eyes were soft and his voice as alluring as topaz. Great genetics he had; athletic, lean…an uncarved block, I thought to myself. Very smart as well. He’s a brainy act for NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Something Or Other) laboratories. A physicist. No wonder he had trouble on the sharp end of a climbing rope…he is too smart to be there. Far as I could tell, Sean had but one thing going against him. Okay two things: He was tall and he was handsome. Feeble fitness gurus like me don’t like being upstaged. It makes our Mula Bandha go limp.

I took him anyway. For the next several years I trained him in the intermediate and advanced studies of Wholistic Fitness. Sean and I shared several Private Intensives together, some of which you’ve read about here in DL. I love Sean. Amazing kid. Makes me feel a bit old though, since whenever I hang out with him he insists on telling me new generation rock climbing stories from Boulder, where it seems, the feeble Ilg name still simmers among the rocky heights. Last year, I handed Sean’s immediate training to Teacher Grant “Heikosan” Couture who is also a HP Yoga Teacher and Mountain Guide. I wanted Sean to engage a deeper study of yoga, meditation, and pranayama and dovetail it into his mountaineering performance. Teacher Heikosan’s handling with Sean has been exemplary. I still oversee all Sean’s training.

So now Sean is ready to begin learning the stuff beyond what most people “see” and “read” about Wholistic Fitness. Sean is ready to receive his WF Master Student Inka. I told Sean to write a poem as an Assignment for a possible Master Student Inka. Here it is. This is what personal fitness training is all about. These are not words manufactured from a studied poet. These are words from a Fitness Warrior, just like you:

“A poem about my Practice:

A rather unremarkable place on a trail

Admiring the long shadows of a beautiful sunrise

Wilting in the heat of a summer afternoon

Finding the calm in the center of the storm

while my chest explodes

Watching in awe as the hawks hunt

Jumping away from a coiled rattlesnake

Ignoring the moment with distractions of the past

Dreaming of the mountains to the west

Laughing as the prairie dogs warn of my passing

Flying along without effort

Slowing to notice the fresh blooms of spring

Searching for the trail buried under a foot of snow

Faltering as my eyes fill with tears

for our young horse that died just the day before

Struggling to just lift my feet

Remembering myself

Forgetting myself

A rather unremarkable place, really

– Sean Madine, WFS”

Words from a physicist? Hell yeah…a WF trained physicist! I don’t how many Personal Trainers out there have Students like Sean…but I wish more of them did because they, like me, their professional work would elevate. In Tibet, it is said that the faith and devotion of the Student melts the mountaintop snows which are likened to the Guru. The warmth generated by the Student’s faith and devotion melts the snows and the Guru’s Teachings can trickle down lovingly toward all beings because of the Student’s integrity. When a Student’s Practice is inconsistent and tepid in willingness and devotion, there are clouds and very little sun can get through. This is why all Students should do their Practices with as much sunny faith and heated devotion as has Student Sean…so all beings benefit from the good will and karma generated by the inner work being done on oneself. The Teacher just points. The Student must journey.

Years ago, when I strained to help fold Sean’s stiff legs into his first awkward meditation posture, how was I to know I was actually opening a precious gift….the gift of an amazing being called Sean Madine.

I bow to you Student Sean. Thank you for your years of faith, devotion, willingness to travel to see me, and your courage for being soft on the sharp end, baby!

I would have liked to have ended this nice DL devotion to you with a word of congratulations on your Master Student Inka.

But after speaking with Teacher Heikosan, we both are in agreement. Can’t be done. Two Reasons. You’re just too damn tall and too good looking. Now get out of our Temple…I hear Oprah’s trainer has an availability! jao!

😉

My office will be sending your Inka soon, with your WF Master Student name.

Congratulations. I honor your Presence along my side as we travel this amazing Path of WF…

Endlessly yours,

coach ilg

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(Note: This entry concludes with excerpts from Sean’s most recent Cycle Summation with Teacher Heikosan. You’ll quickly see how an elite WF Student has reached a body/mind fitness state that is light years ahead of conventional personal fitness training. Enjoy this rare glimpse into the Practice of a seasoned WF Student and his Teacher. There are gems for our own Practice to be found within it:)

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Teacher Heikosan’s commentary is preceded by a double asterisk (**).

I began to feel overwhelmed by all of the stuff that had to be done in all aspects of my life.

**this is when Yoga starts…

I almost felt paralyzed by this change.

**Ego gets paralyzed, in process we are just watching and acting without attachment…

I often times had to change my training schedule or skip a workout altogether to keep the focus of burning the task completely .

**what is it that sparks your Heart, follow that.

By the end of the cycle, I had missed a lot of the

formally scheduled training. It did feel Appropriate to do it this way.

**Appropriate Action comes from a calm mind unhindered by attachment…

I continue to work through that stuff and I can feel the stress

evaporating.

**nice, in the ‘process of life’ not the ‘what of life’, as you discovered, there is no stress. under the watchful eye of awareness stress dissolves into the illusion that it is…

I was fortunate to be humbled by a friend on a bike ride recently. He is

a former pro cyclist that invited me along on a ride with one of his

training partners. We went early on a Sunday morning before the heat of

the day. After a softening period of about two hours, the ride

culminated with a climb up Lee Hill road, a short but particularly steep

climb. My riding partners, having been gentle with me up until that

point, hit the hill hard. My standout reaction is that I should keep my

day job! Since that ride, I have become aware of some opportunities for growth in my cycling technique.

**yes use all things to Bring you back to the Self…

In something seemingly mundane like riding a

bike , there is incredible depth for exploration.

**From the Eyes of the Divine there is Only the Divine…your insight is In-Deed a Seed for your Awareness apply this to the times you feel ‘Stress’. for example “In something seemingly mundane like ‘stress’, there is incredible depth for exploration.’ this is using All things as your Teacher, nothing to push away and nothing to hold on to…

My climbing partner brought me an old copy of Climbing magazine from

1993. He wanted to show me some photos of a Mt. Huntington climb. I was

actually more interested in a profile of Duncan Ferguson. The theme of

the article was & you guessed it & composure. Strangely, my answer to

the above question is equanimity. & but how can one run after equanimity?

**by Being Still in the Field of Movement…

The HP Yoga Composure Series was fluid and strong. One evening, on a whim, I opened a Mark Blanchard {1} Ultimate Yoga tape that I bought some time ago but had never

used. That session was very challenging! I was a quivering mess by the

end, but I did stick with the entire workout. The heat built and my body

opened very well. After the session, I noticed a distinct change in my

posture. There was a twist/resistance in my spine of which I was

unaware. My left shoulder was naturally pulled measurably back into a

more relaxed, balanced posture. The hinge point of the twist was in

the middle of my spine. I would say that it is about even with my solar

plexus. In my postural awareness, I am concentrating on this change.

**nice work Here. keep me posted on any movements or sensations that come from this area of your body. untwisting a lifetime of emotional, mental and spiritual debris can be tricky business with many obstacles…keep me posted

8) How was the pranayama practice? What are you noticing?

9) What are the effects of Nadi Shodanam on your body and mind?

The Nadi Shodanam continues to center and calm my mind before zazen.

Kapalabhati tend to clear and awaken my body and mind.

**try kapalabhati BEFORE zazen, let me know what you find.

15) Describe exactly what you ate and drank yesterday and the manner in

which you consumed it. Include supplements, drugs, everything.

Ilg Supreme

Fruit meal (my new recipe & figs, dates, almonds, bananas, blueberries)

Fruit, bagel and small soy smoothie lunch

Falafel, humus vegetable wraps, glass red wine for dinner

FD all day

**WF Warriors eat like Mice and play like Whales..watch the fruit intake keep it balanced with veggies. keep feeling inward for outward action.

17)Are you ready to continue in your study?

Most definitely.

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{1} Coach Ilg graduated with top honors from Mark Blanchard’s Teacher Training in Beverly Hills in 2000. In Blanchard’s words, “Teaching yoga to Ilg was like teaching singing to the Beatles.” Check out Mark Blanchard’s new DVD Series by visiting