ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAY…
Namaste Noble Fitness Warriors!
my name is steve ilg, former professional outdoor athlete now serving time in the Big City of LA sharing the CHI of Wholistic Fitness and HP Yoga to whomever will share some sweat and spirit with me! Over my right shoulder you can see the San Fernando Valley where i have been living and sharing our humble yet Powerful Path of WF for the last decade. I ski and snowshoe in those mountains you can see in the background. On this sunday morning however, i did my Cardio Meditation on a favorite 25 mile loop which starts out my backdoor known as Sullivan Canyon…wanna come along?
My teammate for today was Steve Marlowe, now famed forever in my recent book, TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION, as a ‘Zero Tolerance” Cardio Commuter. This mid-forty Warrior simply refuses to get into a car, though he nearly gets hit by several each day along his Ventura Blvd commute. Here, Steve takes on the first climb up toward Dirt Mulholland, an 800’ ascent that lifts us above the smog barrier of the Valley toward ocean perfumed coastal ridgetops.
i set a low Zone 3 climbing tempo as we head east and continue up Dirt Mulholland, a chi-saving strip of unpaved road through the Santa Monica mountains. now, the yoga of breath and body deepens. i offer my Sunday Morning prayers through the only true spiritual vehicle of the human spirit; Sweat! i’ll keep sweating my Sunday Prayers for the next ninety minutes, baby! God listens closest to those who breathe deepest!
Known locally as “the NIKE tower”, this structure is a vestigal remnant from the cold war as it used to track RADAR potential from Russian submarines, satellites, and other such Unawakened Boy Toys of Mass Destruction. in this Kali Yuga epoch, it is vital for us to cherish EACH DAY and live EACH DAY with as much Pure Gratitude as possible, because we never really know when the Unawakend “Men” With The Big Toys might just annihilate our Global Tribe. do NOT delay your Life, live it TODAY!
leave it to women to save Mother Earth. the invaluable Santa Monica Wilderness Preserve was initally founded by three ladies concerned about the unbridled ‘development’ of LA. thank God for Yin Energy! now, coyotes, deer, hawks, condors, reptiles, and myriad flora abound among the coastal chapparal of ‘my’ backyard mountains!
Moments before we begin our screaming ass fast descent toward the ocean. You might be able to just see the NIKE tower in the background. Hey, if you can’t go skiing, go mountain biking baby! Self propelled fun and fitness always spurs spiritual insight!
The colored trees lower right hallmark the mystical riparian elegance of Sullivan Canyon. You can also see the Santa Monica Bay and a smidgen of LA to the left. 
Steve as a speck of speed on the left flys down toward the coast. The high ridge on the far right frames the classic Reseda To The Sea MTB route and the nearer singletrack ridge on the right is Sullivan Ridge; a stellar advanced trail that dips and churns toward the ocean!
Keep those wheels rollin’! in the depths of Sullivan Canyon. creek crossings, giant sycamore trees, and dinosaur age ferns make this ride a sensory delight! the falling of autumn leaves sparkled even more magic into our morning! Thank you God, for gifting humans the ability to get and remain FIT! May all beings realize their bodies are Your Body and take go(o)d care of them!
Recent rains caused this Tree Elder to take Shavasana. Just like the HP Yoga Studio closing, the fallen tree only changed the rhythm of the workout, not the Sacredness! by the open-mouthed look on Steve’s face, it looks like my tempo up the canyon was drawing from him a fine training effort!
ever wonder why WF and HP Yoga FEELS so different from other personal training systems? to teach the CHI you gotta fucking LIVE THE CHI every day, in every fitness discipline and into every aspect of your life! don’t talk to me about “chakra healings” and what nutritional supplements are “superior,” just come, SWEAT, and LIVE THE CHI! too much talk, not enough sweat makes people weird and disConnected from their True Source. Sweat and Breath restores Balance and Divine Wholeness.
after 17 miles of pre-fatigue including the long technical gradual uphill through the canyon, the final couple of miles includes these sections of 25% grades that hit your burning legs like thunderclaps. if you squint, you might see Steve (the second, lower rider) is about to pass another cyclist suffering like a dog…when we are fatigued we are most True.
Wholistic Fitness� baby…ain’t nothing like it, since 1982.
May my little offering to you today empower your own Practice in some small Way.
Live your life,
Sweat your Prayers,
Restore your CHI!
That is all.
i bow to you,
coach ilg
These teachings are the "Rasas" or "sap" of Wholistic Fitness. You’ll find insights to ponder, student chi to keep your own chi topped off, and plenty of proven training techniques to test on your own body, mind, and spirit! Also, you’ll find my very popular Race Reports, and news of our Sangha’s (community’s) latest transpersonal fitness adventures!