KonaYoga.com

It's late. Do you know where your hamstrings are?

Watch a quick yet informative presentation on the Hamstring muscles by Olympic Massage Therapist, Geno Ortiz, LMT. Geno is co-principal and and also one of the instructors at KM Massage Training Center in Kailua-Kona (map).

The Stories They Carried

The most erroneous stories are those we think we know best - and therefore never scrutinize or question.-Stephen Jay Gould

I stood curbside on Alii Drive this past Saturday, watching Triathletes go by during the marathon portion of the race. I was by myself so I couldn't help but overhear the conversations around me and became acutely aware of the stories that accompanied the runners and the people that surrounded them. It was quite a contrast.

There was the cheerful group of Brits who chalked messages on the south and north bound lanes for "Muppet" and engaged themselves with other bystanders as they cheered and clapped for the runners. Of course they were the loudest when their muppet, Chrissie Wellington (first place finisher in the women's division) came by.

Later in the day, I stood near two women who spoke no more than three words an hour. They didn't clap or cheer like the rest of us, they just watched. Then the younger of the two stepped toward the road and waved to a runner who slowed down to talk. The man told her that he was having a terrible race because his body had peaked four weeks ago! As he slowly made his way back onto the course, she appeared as dejected as he sounded and took hold of the older woman as they slowly walked away.

Much later, a friend and I were in touch by phone as we followed her son's progress through a GPS system. He slowed down, even stopping at times because of a digestive problem but his mother was sure that he would finish. "He's been through so much more than this before, this is nothing. He'll pace himself and walk if he has to, he'll just be in a bit later than he expected."

I began to think about the words I'd heard all day, the athletes' stories told in news articles and by race commentators. We tell and hear stories throughout our lives. Some we believe, some we remember and many, we live. Through the course of a lifetime, they become so intricately woven that we don't know if a story told to us has become us or vice versa.

Others have wondered too as "researchers found strong correlations between the content of people's current lives and the stories they tell. Those with mood problems have many good memories, but these scenes are usually tainted by some dark detail. By contrast, so-called generative adults - those who score highly on tests measuring civic-mindedness, and who are likely to be energetic and involved - tend to see many of the events in their life in the reverse order, as linked by themes of redemption. They flunked sixth grade but met a wonderful counselor and made honor roll in seventh. They were laid low by divorce, only to meet a wonderful new partner. Often, too, they say they felt singled out from very early in life - protected, even as others nearby suffered." (1)

Do we seek and huddle with people who enjoy the same stories, much the way sports fans do? Psychologists think that the stories we tell are shaped by the beliefs that guide our questions. If this weekend's athletes and their cheering sections are proof, I'd tell you to look around at the people who surround you. Don't they reflect who you think you are?

"Oh, and you know what?" my friend continued about her son, "he injured his calf muscle a few days ago but we didn't mention it...it's not part of the story." About an hour later, I watched him run across the finish line with no perceptible limp or hint of fatigue.

That's my story.

Sources:
(1) This Is Your Life (and How You Tell It) - New York Times
Photo: Prozac74

Eat Local

"The two biggest sellers in bookstores are the cookbooks and the diet books. The cookbooks tell you how to prepare the food and the diet books tell you how not to eat any of it."
--Andy Rooney

After I came back from my last trip, my body had a strong desire for water, fresh fruits and vegetables. Perhaps my cells were parched by the desert heat or actually in need of certain nutrients. Whatever the reason, I welcomed the change because I felt lighter and brighter.

Then during the last yoga workshop, the therapeutic applications of the Mother Sequence and other specific postures, were usually coupled with suggestions for meals. Fruit for breakfast and fruit at tea time (4-5pm). Lunch and dinner should begin with fruit or a vegetable salad before any cooked foods are consumed, the fresh foods making up a half or more of the volume of the meals. Luckily for me, my body made up my mind for me.

I've also learned that it's what you feel when you eat that is more important than what you eat so I've been looking for more ways to feel good about my food. Adding veracity to Andy Rooney's statement, I bought a couple of new cookbooks (do books on raw foods qualify as cookbooks?) and find myself out foraging every other day or two. It's become a welcome practice as I look for more sources of food.

The Keauhou Farmers Market that's held at the Keauhou Shopping Center every Saturday from 8am to 12 noon is now my Top Shop, edging past Amazon.com because of instant gratification from my purchases. The feel good factor is that I'm taking steps to Eat Local . Foods are fresher, less energy has been consumed to get the food from the farm to my table and I'm supporting the people in my own neighborhood. What a beautiful concept.

As I was hunting and gathering on the Internet, I found out that there's going to be an Eat Local Challenge held nationally during the month of September. I just love it when everything rolls out in front of me like a red carpet. I'm beginning to think that the carpet has been out there for a long time, I just had to turn a little more to the right and take a step.

Photo:restaurantswaikiki.com

Pau Hana

At the end of the work day (pau hana) these friends toss a couple of cans of beer into coolers and head down to the shore at the Natural Energy Lab. They spend a few hours with hook, line and sinker, in and out of the water. When the sun goes down, their time is up and they head home to their separate lives.

Sometimes they catch fish, but most of the time they just reconnect to the sounds and smells of a simpler life.