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Bounce Bebe at Kona Yoga

Kona Yoga is happy to announce that Perry "P.K." Longno, who's a certified personal trainer (NASM) and certified in Group Fitness (AFAA), recently created an instructional video for her Bounce Bebe workout.  Perry and her son Cruz, lead other moms and babies through the workout at our studio on Fridays at 11am.

It's a great way for new moms to get back in shape under the guidance of a trained fitness professional with their babies right there with them.

The DVDs are on sale for $19.95 at Kona Yoga and through the Bounce Bebe website. P.K. just can't stop the creative process...thank goodness!

Josh Skaller for City Council

In yesterday's Kona Yoga Newsletter, I asked, "Who Is This Man?" and promised to give an answer today. Those who didn't want to wait could click the photo for an answer and the number was.....record-breaking.

The man is Josh Skaller, running for a seat on the New York City Council (39th district in Brooklyn) in 2009. So why do I, living in the District of Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii, care? Because I know Josh Skaller.

Josh and my brother Jason Uechi, have been friends since college and Josh was Jason's best man at his wedding. Family in Kona traveled to Massachusetts for the wedding.  Then Jason and his wife Heidi, along with Josh and his wife Kelly, came back to Hawaii for a local wedding reception. Both couples now each have a son.

Sounds quick and simple, but years have passed and lives have been enriched. Jason and Heidi left Brooklyn a few years ago and just bought a home in New Jersey but Jason's convinced that Josh is the "Best Man" for the job.

When you're new to the game and your campaign war chest is filled with more conviction and enthusiasm than money, your face beams with that energy. If clicks on a website counted as votes, you're well on your way, Josh! You may be the only candidate in the race for NYC City Council with a campaign office in Hawaii! IMUA!

...and Baby Makes Three

Danielle won't be in class today, now we're certain. She gave birth to Ayden Danger Deshotel this past Tuesday, March 18, at 4:24pm. Ayden weighed 8.2 pounds and stretched out to a full 21 inches!

Congratulations, Dani and Ben. This will put a smile on the faces of those still doing their wall squats! :D

The Greatest Act of Optimism.

Teaching is the greatest act of optimism. - Colleen Wilcox

This, is Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, demonstrated by Jehangir Palkhivala as it graces the brochures for his up-coming April 25-27 workshop at Kona Yoga.

The folks in today's Gentle/Stretch class got a quick-peek-preview of this photo when they held this pose after Bhujangasana. They could truly appreciate the strength that's required in their wrists, arms and legs, as well as the need to cultivate a flexible spine, after seeing this.

I was moved to spend some time on the two poses after reading a New York Times article about the simple push-up being a measure of fitness. A Dr. Miller is quoted as saying, “What so many people really need to do is develop enough strength so they can break a fall safely without hitting their head on the ground. If you can’t do a single push-up, it’s going to be difficult to resist that kind of loading on your wrists in a fall.”

I'll leave the boot camp "drop and give me 30" orders to someone else though. Wrist issues aside, I'm confident that most of these Gentle Stretchers are strong enough to break their falls. We'll keep working on the whole body so we'll have enough balance and not fall to the ground in the first place! :)

If you'd like to print out your own copy of the workshop brochure, download it here.

What the Teacher is...

What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.  ~Karl Menninger
 

I'm putting the final touches on the flyers for Jehangir Palkhivala's workshop next month. Through the courtesy of his brother Aadil, I have two beautiful photos to incorporate. I cropped a square section to preview only Jehangir's hands on the front cover of the brochure. When you open the tri-fold paper, he is shown in Urdhva Mukha Svanasana.

In hopes of offering a bit of insight into Jehangir's teaching style, I came across an article and have decided to use excerpts for the brochure:

A traditional bonesetter named Madhivala had predicted to Jehangir Palkhivala’s mother, when she was carrying him, that her child would grow up to be a doctor. His words were prophetic. Though Jehangir never studied medicine, today he heals not just physical ailments, but effects transformations through yoga. He calls it “lifestyle modification without much effort”.

“Right from a young age I had a feeling that I’d like to help people. Even today I can’t resist that urge,” says Jehangir who learnt yoga from B.K.S. Iyengar since the age of seven.

“My teaching became such that I started relating it to practical life. At class we would address specific problems, anger, for instance, with the idea of practising on it at home. Thus when you leave class, it is not the end but the beginning of yoga.” (1)

This is the schedule that our workshop will follow:

• Friday, April 25: A Talk from 6-8pm
• Saturday, April 26: 10am - 4pm
• Sunday, April 27: 9am - 1pm

The cost of the full workshop is $225 if you register by April 5. Thereafter the cost will be $250.00.

Tomorrow: Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, the full pose.

(1) Read the article in its entirety. Spiritual Lifestyles: Jehangir and Rashmi Palkhivala. LifePositive.com

Groundhog Day

It's Groundhog Day and Phil says six more weeks of winter! Even those of us in Hawaii could feel that coming. Our mountains are snow capped and it's cold even at sea level, where I live.

Despite that, telling me that winter will be around for another six weeks is as meaningful as saying that it's "20 below" where you live. "60 above" is cold to me so we're talking thermal undies and hula skirts here.

The significance of Groundhog Day for me this year, is that it's the start of my 2008 - The Year of Living Delightfully. Inspired by David Seah, to whom Groundhog Day serves as "a reminder to maintain a flexible, magical perspective on life", today is the first day of my wild expectations for the year. I plan to maintain a daily practice of the Mother Sequence of yoga postures and keep to a basically raw-until-dinner eating plan.

While it may not be as romantic as say A Year in Provence, as experienced by author, Peter Mayle, I'm excited about it as though I were embarking on a long trip to a distant, unfamiliar land. It's time for me to allow yoga to be light and entertaining as well as profound and fathomless.

This afternoon, when I got to the end of the sequence my only wish was that every practice session would be as stimulating and fresh as the day before. I want a new experience and another step to be waiting for me, everyday.

Follow along or join me at: 2008 - The Year of Living Delightfully

Photo: National Geographic

REQUIEM

If we can get Jen Groark out of the water long enough to dry, we might be lucky to see her in class again soon. But, we're so proud of what she and her husband Bryce are doing that we want to support them in any way possible.

They have recently completed a shark conservation film entitled Requiem through what they call a "super low budget Jen and Bryce production":

The story follows Jen - as she learns more about sharks and their battle to evade extinction from finning and over-fishing. Over 100 million sharks are killed worldwide every year! That's 275,000 killed every day on average!

The film has been playing all over the world and recently won an Accolade for the 2007 Best Nature/Wildlife/Environment Category and was nominated last weekend for Best Film at the North Sea FilmFestival (The Hague, Netherlands).

We made REQUIEM in association with WildAid, a non-profit organization that is on the front line protecting sharks. We have started selling copies of the film on DVD for $20 + $5 shipping. A donation of $5 from every sale is being donated to the WildAid shark fund.

Watch the Trailer (2 minutes).

Need a Christmas gift or two? You may buy some via Pay Pal from Living Ocean Productions, the Groarks' company. Alternate contact information is available on their website.

Peace Tags

Last week, my friend Patti was in town from Seattle and stopped by for a personalized yoga session. We talked about connecting mind to body, breath to movement, actions and results. She told me about a very graceful project that she's been involved with: Peace Tags.

Resemblant of military ID "dog tags", the sterling silver tags are engraved with quotations of your choice and net profits are donated to non-profit organizations that support our troops and their families.

Like the algebraic function, square, good is multiplied by itself. Whether it's a gift, a statement or a beautiful reminder....no square number is a negative. I know what I'm getting myself for Christmas!

Watch: Peace Tags in the News (King5).

Photo:PeaceTags.com

Our few minutes of fame...

This is a quick scan of the article that appeared in today's issue of West Hawaii Today (WHT). Reporter Jen Reeder, contacted me as I was leaving for West Virginia last month to attend memorial services for Armand Singer, for an interview.

We finally connected when I got back to Kona and a few weeks ago, WHT photographer Mike Darden, captured the essence of a  restorative yoga class.

The folks in our Gentle Stretch Class are diligent practitioners and it's difficult to distract them, especially during a restorative class.   Thanks to Jen Reeder, Mike Darden and West Hawaii Today for spreading the word about the benefits and joy of yoga!

Note: that's my dad, Fred Uechi, with his hands in namaste. He's usually the only male in the class.

In Remembrance of Marcia Carman

A memorial gathering for Marcia Carman is being planned for Saturday, December 1 at the picnic area at Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Park at 3pm.

Pupu potluck also.  Feel free to bring something to add to the table.  A beach/lawn chair is suggested.      

For more info, please call Pam (Meister) Sokach at  cell: 808-895-8897 or home: 328-9340

Note: Click the photo for a more legible copy.