Looking back over this week its been a learning experience in movement.
Hula and Tahitian, Sufi and Biathlons all new, unique and wonderful in their own way!
I was so nervous before all, and they all turned out to be just fine.
I've been wanting to try Hula since I got on island, and I figured since we're leaving very soon I better start. I found a small halau (school) and decided to give it a go, the first class was free so why not! I was worried about never having danced before, what I should wear, and being the only haole in potentially a room full of locals. After doing some research online I felt better just going in my typical workout gear (cropped yoga pants and a tank top).
The class was a great work out, my calves were burning by the end! Kumu (teacher) welcomed me with open arms. I was introduced to the the basic steps, the lewa (pronounced le-va) and u'ehe (pronounced oo-eh-hey). We had to take a break from teaching so Kumu could teach me how to move my hips. We went into a mini lesson on how people from different parts of the world walk differently and westerners in particular walk with very little hip movement. Once I got my hips moving and "mastered" those beginning stepswe began working on " 'Ae, Lili'u e noho nani nani" a chant about Queen Lili'uokalani. Kumu explained how hula is a jealous mistress, she doesn't like you to think of anything else, once you start thinking of something else you make mistakes. I also realized that she makes you think of her all the time. Since my class I have been practicing the two steps over and over in preparation for my next one!
My Co-Worker told me about the Tahitian Class, so I thought why not! Once again, the same concerns entered my mind that came for hula, but I brushed them aside and went anyways. What a workout! My hips have never moved so much in my life! The exciting thing was that I got an even more in depth lesson on how to move my hips! I never had very smooth movement in my hips while dancing, but our teacher was great and took the time to work with my uncoordinated self! The tip kids, is to bend your knees. To move your hips, you move your knees. Think of when you stand with your weight on one leg, hand on the hip- see how your hip is jutting out and one leg is slightly bent? Ah! Well, then bend the other knee and transfer the hip and- WOW! Your hips move back and forth with very little effort. Now slightly bend both legs and Bam! Bam! Bam! You're welcome.
"Its been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will. Of course, you must make it up firmly"
-Anne "Anne of Green Gables" by C.M. Montgomery
How true is that quote? That especially came into play on my third movement lesson of the week, the Sufi Service. I was invited to go with my wonderful friend and her Islam class. While they all have the benefit of knowing some of the practices ahead of times, I must resort to wikipedia: Sufism "is a branch of Islam, defined by adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam". Hm, well there you go. Have you heard of the Whirling Dervishes? That part of Sufi meditation. And that is exactly what we did. Well, were introduced to. I felt like the uncoordinated and confused outsider that I was, but I joined in songs to Allah and danced with the group. While we did our mantras and danced in a circle holding hands select members of the group would move to the center of the circle, whirling. It was, beautiful. There was a great sense of community, of being one part of a whole. All in all I'm glad I had a chance to experience it and kept my mind open.
My fourth and final new movement for this week was competing in the Kailua Dash and Splash Biathlon. This race supported the Kailua Canoe Club. A 2.8 mile run with a 800 meter swim. I've been wanting to and cowarding from competing in biathlons for the past 6 months now. Well, I conquered that fear and it was a success! My goal was to complete the run in 32 minutes, and the swim in 20 minutes. My plan was to to pace myself during the run and not lose steam before the swim. Well, I finished the run in about 28 minutes, and the swim in about 17 and a half! Total time: 45:35! I am so proud of myself! One important lesson I learned is stay close to the shore while swimming. The hubs said I was the farthest one out in the water by at least 10 meters, which definitely added unnecessary seconds, maybe minutes, to my time. It also left me feeling very alone, I was positive I was going to be last! He said that a lot of people were only chest deep and walked part of the way in the water. Well, lesson learned- hug the shore!
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Hula and Tahitian, Sufi and Biathlons all new, unique and wonderful in their own way!
I was so nervous before all, and they all turned out to be just fine.
I've been wanting to try Hula since I got on island, and I figured since we're leaving very soon I better start. I found a small halau (school) and decided to give it a go, the first class was free so why not! I was worried about never having danced before, what I should wear, and being the only haole in potentially a room full of locals. After doing some research online I felt better just going in my typical workout gear (cropped yoga pants and a tank top).
The class was a great work out, my calves were burning by the end! Kumu (teacher) welcomed me with open arms. I was introduced to the the basic steps, the lewa (pronounced le-va) and u'ehe (pronounced oo-eh-hey). We had to take a break from teaching so Kumu could teach me how to move my hips. We went into a mini lesson on how people from different parts of the world walk differently and westerners in particular walk with very little hip movement. Once I got my hips moving and "mastered" those beginning stepswe began working on " 'Ae, Lili'u e noho nani nani" a chant about Queen Lili'uokalani. Kumu explained how hula is a jealous mistress, she doesn't like you to think of anything else, once you start thinking of something else you make mistakes. I also realized that she makes you think of her all the time. Since my class I have been practicing the two steps over and over in preparation for my next one!
My Co-Worker told me about the Tahitian Class, so I thought why not! Once again, the same concerns entered my mind that came for hula, but I brushed them aside and went anyways. What a workout! My hips have never moved so much in my life! The exciting thing was that I got an even more in depth lesson on how to move my hips! I never had very smooth movement in my hips while dancing, but our teacher was great and took the time to work with my uncoordinated self! The tip kids, is to bend your knees. To move your hips, you move your knees. Think of when you stand with your weight on one leg, hand on the hip- see how your hip is jutting out and one leg is slightly bent? Ah! Well, then bend the other knee and transfer the hip and- WOW! Your hips move back and forth with very little effort. Now slightly bend both legs and Bam! Bam! Bam! You're welcome.
"Its been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will. Of course, you must make it up firmly"
-Anne "Anne of Green Gables" by C.M. Montgomery
How true is that quote? That especially came into play on my third movement lesson of the week, the Sufi Service. I was invited to go with my wonderful friend and her Islam class. While they all have the benefit of knowing some of the practices ahead of times, I must resort to wikipedia: Sufism "is a branch of Islam, defined by adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam". Hm, well there you go. Have you heard of the Whirling Dervishes? That part of Sufi meditation. And that is exactly what we did. Well, were introduced to. I felt like the uncoordinated and confused outsider that I was, but I joined in songs to Allah and danced with the group. While we did our mantras and danced in a circle holding hands select members of the group would move to the center of the circle, whirling. It was, beautiful. There was a great sense of community, of being one part of a whole. All in all I'm glad I had a chance to experience it and kept my mind open.
My fourth and final new movement for this week was competing in the Kailua Dash and Splash Biathlon. This race supported the Kailua Canoe Club. A 2.8 mile run with a 800 meter swim. I've been wanting to and cowarding from competing in biathlons for the past 6 months now. Well, I conquered that fear and it was a success! My goal was to complete the run in 32 minutes, and the swim in 20 minutes. My plan was to to pace myself during the run and not lose steam before the swim. Well, I finished the run in about 28 minutes, and the swim in about 17 and a half! Total time: 45:35! I am so proud of myself! One important lesson I learned is stay close to the shore while swimming. The hubs said I was the farthest one out in the water by at least 10 meters, which definitely added unnecessary seconds, maybe minutes, to my time. It also left me feeling very alone, I was positive I was going to be last! He said that a lot of people were only chest deep and walked part of the way in the water. Well, lesson learned- hug the shore!
Race 18 out of 24! I can't believe I'm only 6 races away from completing my goal!
Well, that's all for this week! I wonder what next week will bring!
After Thoughts:
Its amazing how many times my fear of something new is "what do I wear?"
Well, for all of you new to biathlons (or triathlons): I wore a bathing
suit with a sports bra on underneath, then I had my running top, shorts
and sneakers. It worked just fine, just had a bit of drag on the swim
from the sports bra.
