Wholistic Fitness

Namaste Noble Warriors!

�Truth appears when you are whole. The Master is merely one who has persevered in His or Her practices. No special talent, just perseverance. That is why the Buddha called �perseverance� the �noblest� of all disciplines.�

-Coach Ilg

it totally cracks me up when people think i am something special or that i have been somehow blessed with special �gifts.� hilarious. i was born weak, legs in braces, narrowed trachea, poor respiration, and unskilled in nearly anything requiring coordination. the only �gift� i had was the same as all humans; the innate capacity to endure. to persevere in my training, in my workouts, in managing my ego excuses. that is all. many people think that yoga teachers or star athletes are graced with some form of Divine Motivation that makes it somehow EASY for us to train everyday, rearrange our lifestyles, take tremendous cuts in money earning potential…none of that is true. we all struggle in our efforts to become more Awake, more Conscious. More whole.

here is a fantastic unsolicited testimonial from a truly beautiful yoga teacher and personal trainer. in Her words that she has chosen to share with our Tribe, you can feel just how little physical or genetic �talents� really count in the day to day struggle to do our workouts or spiritual practices. so here, is a genuine gift from one of our shining gems in our sangha. the gift of expression by a beautiful yoga teacher sincere enough to share…

enjoy the gift and THANK YOU jk!

– coach ilg

�

�Despite my years as a personal trainer and yoga instructor, I am reminded daily of the struggle i have with taking better care of myself. Even though people hire me to help them be more disciplined in their lives, what they might not realize is how challenging it still is for me. For example: I awoke this morning, still tired and sore from last nights’ HP Prop Workout with the amazing Coach ilg, aware that I was “very” hungry and craving my new found breakfast; a crumpet with tofutti cream cheese and blueberry jam with a side of egg whites and an ilg supreme (SUNRIDER herbal whole food drink). I had a busy day of private clients ahead of me! Despite my desire for “food,” I knew what I really needed was to just sit and practice my pranayama. But what about my blood sugar? If I don’t eat now, I might become weak and begin to get the shakes, my body will shut down. But, if I eat now I can’t practice my breathing exercises for another 2 hours and by then I will have to go to work and I need fuel. But, if I practice now I won’t get to eat for another hour or more and I’m really wanting that crumpet.

This dialogue of conflict, in my mental chambers, continued for about 45 minutes while I watered my plants, played with my adorable cats, fussed about my apartment, all the while I could have been sitting and practicing my pranayama. Getting even hungrier by the second, I did it. I just got on the floor and put myself into downward facing dog, conflict still present in my mind. But I started to watch and listen to my breath. As my breath got deeper it began to drown out the mental chatter of food. As I transition into another posture, trying to physically prepare myself to sit with my breath, my craving of food would reappear. It was a constant battle. But my will to take care of myself was stronger than my attachment to old conditioning. And my craving for food slowly turned into a craving for Pran. An hour and half later, my blood sugar did not drop. I felt more alive with a deeper sense of purpose. And I was proud of myself. I did it. I did my pranayama practice! No big “outer body” experience. Just an everyday, ordinary conflict of desire verses discipline, that I was able to overcome today.

Coach ilg, I share this experience with you because I am grateful for your guidance. Through your DL entries and willingness to “Ride” your talk by example, you have inspired me to rise above my personal attachments and meet my daily challenges with awareness and breath. Thank you.

Namaste~

JK