Wholistic Fitness

To be worn out is to be renewed. – Lao-tzu

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Coach Ilg,

Your last DL about Jim Bad really resonated with me. I find it very

helpful to hear the specifics of workouts such as Tuna Canyon as I

search for my own “Tuna Canyons”. Keep them coming!

Peace,

Student Michael

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Coach,

last night with your yoga class was magical. you gave me CHI for my spirit filled, doing what must be done kinda day. your words meant so much. just to have such a Teacher to grow and share this wild life with is a blessing beyond blessings. as i watched you rollerblade away last night after teaching class i said to myself “there goes one of the most sincere and courageous men i have ever known”. and i live up the street from him. amazing!

todays DL….drove even more CHI deep within me.

my Tuna Canyon? drinking a copious amounts of solo HP practice for remedying inner wounds. i’m still here Coach…..still here.

love that Jimbad!! thank you for honoring him. he deserves it.

Namaste,

Teacher Q

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Dear Teacher –

I miss you.�

� i miss you! come to class!

RE: Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think once I start taking these more

powerful SUNRIDER herbs that my appetite will be minimized, but

I won’t start noticing until after a while of taking them right?

� yes, you MUST have FAITH in order to Shift!

stay in closer contact with me…or Quentin or Greg at the studio…

you need more support, i sense.

you’ve GOT to truly WANT to Shift higher…do you hear me?

come to classes, do whatever it takes to get onto the Ilg Supreme…

i promise you, if you stay consistent with the program,

your entire body will shift…

you are just going to have work through the adaption…use us to help!

RE: I really do feel the difference in my body since I started taking FD,

Calli Tea regular, VitaFruit and Sunny Dew.� My

body feels very healthy and looks healthy.� Lately, I think I’ve been

holding on to too much stress because my whole

body is in knotts.� It’s very tense and tight.� I even have pain in my

lower back and around the Lats area.� I was thinking

that I should get a really good massage and maybe go see a

chiropractor.� What do you suggest?�

� you need to come and see me for bodywork.

we will also talk about the herbs.

i want you to SHIFT Higher and i know you will

let me help!

RE:

I have not slowed

down the practice of Yoga, but I still feel very tight.� I take Yoga

twice a week and do other types of exercise during the

week.� I even stopped boxing at the gym because I noticed that

that was getting me nowhere, but more pain

than good.�

� wise

you are brave for letting go of the compacting activities until we get the tenseness out of you. one day, you will return to those activities at a MUCH HIGHER Level! trust me. but now,

you must now learn to be a real yogini…an EXPERT at relaxation… you have spent a lifetime becoming an expert at stressing out and gathering tension…aren�t you TIRED of that gig?

RE:

Thanks to the herbs and yoga, my body looks better than ever even though I am not working

out as much or as intense as before, but still

those back problems don’t go away.� What am I doing or not doing that is

causing this.�

� your mind is not under your control.

your mind is causing the tension

the suffering

when you are ready to change,

REALLY REALLY REALLY tired of the tenseness

the suffering

the pain

then you will quite complaining about the cost of the herbs

you will commit to three yoga classes per week

you will commit to getting bodywork regularly…

what else is more IMPORTANT

then getting FREE OF SUFFERING?

RE:

I am sure it has to do with my

inability to completely relax on a daily basis.� I am sure the herbs

help keep my body clean and working effectively, but I

don’t understand the pain in my joints, mainly my lower and upper back.

What’s up with that?

� Rosa, listen closely to me and just read this:

as a yogi, you must accept your painful joints as your spiritual Path Higher..

the yogi learns to use EACH circumstance – good or bad – as an advantage.

your painful joints are karmic remnants

painful re-minders from past lifetimes that you shyed away from

choosing to look within.

i, and our sangha, are your spiritual family

encouraging you to Rise Higher

above the Pain to your natural state of Joy.

but you must listen closely to my suggestions and counsel…they come from many years of personal and professional experience. use me.

and follow the Practices will steadfast faith.

RE: Any input would help me tremendously.

� see above.

essentially, you have not truly found or accepted a Teacher yet…

you need guidance and are still sitting on fence,

one foot in,

one foot out

of the spiritual water.

ilg says,

JUMP!

we are Here Now for you!

Enlightenment in THIS lifetime…

love,

coach ilg

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Steve,

Thought you would appreciate this e-mail I received today:

I am passing this on to you because it has definitely worked for me.

By following the simple advice I read in an article, I have

finally found inner peace.

It reads:

“The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things

you’ve started.” I looked around to see all the things I started and

hadn’t finished. So, today I have finished one bottle of white wine, a bottle of red wine, a bottle of Drambuie, my Prozac, a large box

of chocolates and a quart of beer. You have no idea how good I feel. You may pass this on to those you feel are in need of Inner

Peace.

Submitted by:

WFMS; John Kuhlman

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Coach-

I hope this finds you well, and that the transition to the new studio schedule is coming off without a hitch. Scaled the North Face of the Realm this past week, hitting all my ST and meditation workouts with power, grace, and an open mind. I still am challenged to fulfill all of the cardio and yoga prescriptions, but made best efforts. Key moments / observations:

1. Journal changes: I showed my training journal to Teacher Q when he was in NYC. At the time, it was basically a mathematical document: dates / resistance / reps / time…just the facts, maam. He complimented me on my attention to detail, but predicted that I would find as time goes on that my entries would be less about numbers and more about feelings. Looking back at my journal over the past few weeks, that is definitely happening. The key data points are still there, but there are a lot more words, from reminders about form (“butt down on leg press”) to exhortations (“trust your ass!” on rear squats) to thankfulness (“beautiful flow” on hang cleans).

2. Hacke job: So that’s the Hacke Squat machine! I had seen it, but never tried it before. Hopped in there for 5 sets on Friday, and…oh my goodness! Was definitely jelly legged and very stimulated – a great end of session blowout.

3. Little things do make all the difference: Continue to work to increase focus on form and elegance. Most dramatic results came on Leg Press. I put all my energy into one thing – keeping butt / hips down during the yin movement. It made a HUGE difference in the quality and quantity of effort – touched some places I had not felt before. Also, per your direction, brought my focus on concentration curls to pinky meets shoulder – that also upped the ante.

4. Body changes: I have gained a couple of pounds in the last two weeks, and feel musculature expanding under my skin. Recovery time and quality also dramatically improved over the past three weeks. Maintaining awareness of nutrition and vigilance of herb intake – I have added Wu Chia Pi this month to aid in recovery.

5. Body fatigue: I am finding this month more physically draining than others. Often find myself nodding off after dinner, and fighting bloody battles with the snooze button in the morning. It hasn’t had an impact on my workouts – I’m making it to the gym and seem to find the chi when I need it – but has made me feel like Sleepy Sam around the office.

6. Breath and Posture: I have been consciously working on breath and posture in the gym, both during and between sets. On my 30 second breaks, I go through the posture checklist and try to find Ujjayi breath while visualizing the next set – it helps me lock in and adds a great meditative overlay to the work. It also draws bemused / confused / amused stares from those around me (“hey, check out that dude…he’s just standing there”)

I will leave you now. Have a wonderful week – I know I will.

Namaste-

Allan

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Dear Coach Sheader:

Yesterday was my first cross race. Wednesday, i had contact a slight cold so i started to really up the intake the SUNRIDER herbs…Saturday night I had to go to a client dinner for the Teamsters. Boy, can those guys smoke! I skipped the free drinks, and had a small glass of wine with dinner, watching everyone else get smashed. As I left, my lungs felt seared because of the smoke. On the way home, I started thinking up lots of reasons why I shouldn’t do the race.

Sunday morning I woke up and was hanging out with my wife. I felt a little better, but still not 100%. I was going to bag it. But then I realized

that I was a little afraid of doing the race. Then and there I decided to

confront my dragon, and do the race, win, lose, or die trying.

I rode to the race, which was a little further then I thought, 45 mins.

instead of 1/2 hour. I got to registration 15 minutes before the start. Got to the start without riding the course. Saw a couple of local strong

riders I knew and thought, “well, if I can get top ten I’ll be happy.”

There were about 25 guys.

The whistle blew and we were off. A group of about five went off the front. I was in the second group. I kept to my own rhythm, and stayed behind a guy I knew to draft a little, for a straight part of the course. I dropped him on a hill, and got up to the second group. Then I accelerated, and dropped them too. Now there was only one guy in front of me. I thought there might be someone in front of him as well.

I was between the groups for about half a lap. Then I started getting a

stomach cramp. I ate a little too close to the event (Ilg Supreme, bowl of

Kashi). I started to breath into it, to make it go away. Then I started

saying to myself “mountain/strong, mountain/strong” ala Thich Nhat Hanh.

I got up to the leader, and asked if he was in front. He said he was. We

stayed away together for the next lap. Then we hit the bell lap. I started

feeling a little fatigued, but then concentrated on breathing. Into my head

came one of the chants from Rama. I kept my rhythm and started gapping the other guy a little. But no, he caught back on. At this point, I realized that if I stayed upright, I’d get at least second.

As we got to the last half of the course, I started feeling I was going to

win. I was in a good rhythm, and a little stronger than the other guy on

the rises. The finish line was past a barrier, and through some

switchbacks.

We hit a stretch of asphalt toward the back part, and I went, hard. BUt the

other guy stayed with me. I let him come around in front. We started

getting toward the finish, and then…I started doubting myself, and telling

myself second was good enough. We came into the last straight before the finish, and he went hard. I tried to go to, but couldn’t get across the

little gap. He won, and I took second.

I am very pleased with the result, although I think I psyched myself out of

a win. WF carried me through. The fitness I have achieved is a result not of specific bicycle training, but of a WF approach. I am sure I would have

finished in the pack without it. So thanks Coach, I dedicate my second

place to you.

The result also made me, curiously, look forward to zazen this morning. I

got in a good 15 minutes before the kids started coming downstairs. I guess commitment and success in one area of WF leads to renewed commitment in the

other areas.

Love,

Mark

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