Wholistic Fitness

“Every blade of grass has its angel

that bends over it and whispers, ‘grow, grow.'”

– The Talmud

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“Thank you Steve.� Your generosity and tireless energy never cease to amaze me.”�

Matthew Sconziano

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“You are so amazing� Steve…Your selfless pride and grace about you is something i admire so much.� I wish you such happiness and great life. cant wait to start again at the upgraded HP Yoga Studio in August!”

– �Elsie

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Dear Coach,

thank you…it is so much fun…being this Work as best i can.� i’m in Love.

many deep bows for sharing�insights and images from your retreat.� i’m savoring It all slooowly.

you are soooo amazingly Beautiful.

Love You,

ko�

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Dear Steve, i really enjoyed the August 1 DL. Great pictures. What type of bike is that? i hope to be able to join you at some point. i look forward to our next chit chat. �Love, Kendo

{Student Kendo refers here to ‘Nalanda’…my all terrain bicycle. Look for a profile of this beautiful machine in an upcoming DL!- coach ilg}

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Wholistic Fitness and running

Dear Steve – I’ve been following you informally since first reading about you in Outside when I was 18 years old.� I wrote to you then and asked how I could begin down the path of WF.� You graciously wrote back and provided me with all the information I would need to begin the journey.� Unfortunately college, law school, marriage and family delayed the start of my journey for nearly a decade.� Over the years I’ve incorporated the stretching and yoga routines you illustrated in Skiing magazine and in Men’s Fitness into my own routine of running, mountain biking and strength training.� I’m now a regular reader of direct lines.� Two years ago I completed my first marathon when I was 28 and since then have been plagued by chronic bilateral Achilles pain (a podiatrist told me tendonitis) and plantar fasciitis.� No matter how much I stretch the pain never stops.� Do you have any advice for a guy who loves running and is way to young to stop?� Your recommendations would be truly appreciated.� Thanks, Matt�

{I let Noble WF Teacher Joseph ‘Haku’ Sheader answer Matt’s question…coach ilg}

On Aug 3, 2004, at 10:11 AM, Joseph Sheader wrote:

Noble Matt,

Coach Steve Ilg informed me of your long history of WF devotion and your efforts in applying our unique and highly successful training method to your own practice. I bow to this devotion. You obviously have been a member of this tribe for a long while, formal or not.

In regards to your query below…Wholistic Fitness� recognizes running as perhaps the most pure form of living, breathing, moving one can practice as a human animal. We feel strong kinship to runners, tracing our family as it were, across the ages from modern Olympians, to Pre, to our ancestors running across the landscape of the desert southwest, Grecian plains, African Savanna’s.

At this point I can not offer much technical advice about your chronic injury due to legalities(not being a formal student who has signed a waiver and all the lawyer stuff).

I can do this…I in-courage you first and foremost to reconnect to this kinship, this mode of being as a runner. Your healing ultimately lies in the freedom found here and within your own being…not outside in some doctors office (though of course that does have a place).

Secondly… this being said you CAN be free without running. I know this from experience. If you truly love it then you need to liberate yourself from your attachment to it and set it free. Do this and I feel in time it will return to you. �Then without possession you can stride again freely upon the holy ground of mother earth.

Here are a couple of suggestions…Get yourself a copy of TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION by Coach Ilg. Dive into it and treat it like it is the only book, the only teacher you have. For now choose other options than running for your CV fitness… Any you have never done or hardly done are best. Go thru every program in the book. Drink deep, real deep. Do not run until then, even if things feel better. �If you want guidance as you do so then yes, sign up as a formal student. The other option being to complete the book and then begin formal studies. Either way I and Coach Ilg will have our “eye” on you as a member of this tribe.

On a practical level…I would, as mentioned above, forego running for the time being. Practice a barefoot lifestyle as much as possible, at least in the house, yard etc. In the morning do a lot of ankle rotations before stepping out of bed and placing weight on the feet. Moist heat before activity, ice afterwards, and make sure you have appropriate shoes. Often enough the lighter, freer shoes that allow a natural gait are better than all the motion control shoes…this you must experiment with yourself. Do make sure you have good arch support while wearing shoes; consider a pair of Chaco Sandals or Bite Sandals as your primary footwear. (In fact step into them right out of bed to support the foot before placing any weight upon it..then later in the day start going barefoot.)

Get some massage. Bodywork can heal years of abuse, breaking up old scar tissue and the attached toxic emotions than are contained within it.

Lastly, sign up for Sunrider Herbs…the nutritional aspect is crucial to healing and prevention of injury and there is no nutrition on the planet that compares. I will be glad to assist you signing up and ordering what is appropriate.

I shall be here in your corner If ever you are inclined to begin formal studies as a Wholistic Fitness� studies and I would be honored to guide you. You would actually have the benefit of not one teacher but two as I share everything with Coach Ilg and he contributes as appropriate. You may find my bio at the instructors link at the Wholistic Fitness web site. www.wholisticfitness.com

In strength and spirit,

Teacher Sheader CPT

Haku Hatsuiku

Senior Wholistic Fitness� Teacher