Wholistic Fitness

Namaste Noble Warriors!

“He who wants to be great must become the smallest of all.”

– Mark 9.35

some of you wonder why i call myself, “The Feeble One,” or why i often refer to myself as a third person, “Feeble Ilg.”

if you have experienced what i have had the unbelievable privilege to experience during countless hours spent in the high magnificent mountains of this amazing continent doing extreme sports…you too, would stand under my umbrella of humility.

why? because you too, would know by direct experience just how fragile, how insignificant is a human. if you doubt me, sign up for a Private Intensive. we’ll stand together at the foot of Half Dome in Yosemite before a free climb of her 3,000′ overhanging Northwest Face..you’ll feel humble, i promise.

or perhaps i’ll perch you on top of a pair of telemark skis under a 80 lb pack on the Columbia icefields in minus 40 degree winter whiteout blizzard to START a multi day winter mountaineering epic. you’ll feel humble, i promise.

too extreme? then just try perfecting a no-handed Headstand (Asalamba Sirsasana) in yoga.

it’s easy to feel powerful while driving a BMW.

but try to get people to learn that the true BMW is inside scares the bejesus out of them.

it’s what makes the difference between the inner and the outer worlds.

as we study the Great Masters; Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, Swami Rama, Ramana Maharishi, et. al., it takes no great effort to realize their common link; Humility. this is why Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. this is why Buddha touched the Earth “as his witness” upon his Enlightenment, this is why Ramana Maharishi sole possession was worn blanket and why Mother Teresa, Gandhi, and His Holiness offer unconditional healing and love to both leper and World Leader with the same Divine Attitude of serving.

some you know my affinity for Comparative Religion and Spiritual Traditions. i grew up as a Catholic altar boy. yep, that’s right. Coach Ilg in church kneeling at the altar every damn early morning of my life from kindergarten through sixth grade baby! had to serve funerals on the weekends.

now, as a Yoga Teacher, i am quite often confronted by worried Christians about doing yoga as if in dropping a single droplet of sweat during a Sun Salutation the Devil himself is going to sneak into their cells and corrupt their Heaven-Bound ways.

so it is appropriate, i TAF, that on this Thanksgiving i wish to give thanks to two my most enduring Teachers…disembodied though They are, Their lifework as Spiritual Teachers has so helped my own Sacred Journey and has provided the spiritual architecture of Wholistic Fitness. Thus i bow to Jesus Christ and Buddha. I redevote myself toward embracing Their Teachings of forgiveness, perseverance, compassion, austerity, originality, confidence, humility, nobility, and non judgment. Thank you, JC and Lord B. I have no idea how devoid my spiritual life would have been without your Divine Shoulders upon which to stand. I love you, both. I am Thankful for you both.

If you too, are engaged or confused by the relationship between Buddha and Christ…my friend, Nitin Kumar has once again put forth a FANTASTIC article, free to the public called, BUDDHA AND CHRIST – TWO GODS ON THE PATH TO HUMANITY. visit Nitin’s website for the article and do some conscious gift shopping for the Holy-days upcoming at the site:

http://www.exoticindia.com

that is all.

enjoy your Fitness Practice(s) today. we are Blessed to be able to move and breathe each precious day!

Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the tofu turkey!

head bowed,

coach ilg