Vital Living Newsletter
Febuary 2022
Program:
– Program:
-Music and opening prayer with Kendyl and Marley
-Welcome words with Nicole and Garrett McNamara
-Balancing Breathwork exercise with Carrie Alford
-Ayurvedic dosha balancing with Cory Tixier
-Balance through movement with Dr. Merci and Ananda
-Drumming with Dr. Lori Kimata
Please bring drums or percussive intruments if you have any, Lori will lead you in a few easy rhythms if you want to play or you are welcome to just enjoy the beats!
Other suggestions on what to bring:
Feel free to remain in your seats OR bring a yoga mat to sit/lay on.
A blanket or something warm might help your comfort level.
Bring your own snacks and water if you wish.
Directions to Vital Living Gathering at Anahulu Farms
The address is 62-203 Lokoea Place, Haleiwa.
Lokoea Place is a short dead end street that starts at the Surf and Sea store on Kamehameha Highway just between the beach park and the bridge. You follow the road away from the ocean past the ‘Private Road’ signs (PLEASE DRIVE SLOWLY as there are kids, dogs and peacocks at play) continue over the 1st speed bump then at the mailboxes follow road to the left over a 2nd speed bump then continue straight to a big rock that marks the bass of our property. Our main gate is on the right. Enter here if the gate is open and find parking (there should be someone there to direct you). If this gate is closed continue up road past surfboard fence and park on the right by our 2nd gate and enter through the pedestrian gate there. The event is held just inside that gate.
We have simple plastic lawn chairs but you are welcome to bring your own chairs as well as food and drink. We have only limited tent coverage so you may want to bring an umbrella in case of light showers. Please let us know if you have any questions. You can also call or text Tunji at (808)636-1285.
A few background notes on
Vital Living Spiritual Organization
Although we had been working on the concept for many years, on June 21, 2020 Nicole and I officially created and committed to dedicating ourselves to a non-denominational spiritual organization, Vital Living, based on very specific tenets (principles or beliefs) and doctrines (teachings) as listed on our website. On January 11, 2021 we were granted 501C3 exempt status by the IRS as a church. Since then we have been blessed with a growing membership, and have offered a community playshop and monthly outdoor music mini concerts at the farm. Our intention is to continue our concerts, increase our community playshops, work on a curriculum for Vital Living Practitioners, and now we have regular monthly e-newsletters, as well as gatherings and services at the farm and a U-tube live streaming link for those of you who are unable to join us in person! We look forward to sharing more with you!
Mahalo for your support!
Check out Vital Living’s Youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN79aN2HCmo&feature=youtu.be
Comments on Balance from Dr. Lori
Over 30 years ago I was walking in Ala Moana Park and a distant drum beat called to me. I discovered under one of the biggest banyan trees a group of unusual characters playing hand and stick drums, being led by an eccentric creative older fellow. Right there he handed me a drum and shouted “play.” Something happened to me that day. The drum humbled me and led me on an adventure in rhythm and BALANCE and new mind/body connections. It wasn’t easy to let go, relax and just let the drum lead me. I wanted to think and control, and I had to learn over time to surrender to the beat. It was like learning to surrender to the beat of my own heart, rather than always working so hard to control it. The right and left hemispheres of our brain compete for dominance and we often struggle to find balance in our lives. Drumming filled something in me that I didn’t even realize I needed. Thinking back I see how much I needed to learn to think less, relax more and balance my left brain dominance and right handedness, and probably release a little frustration as well! At the time, though, I just wanted to hit a drum because it was fun. That choice to explore the beat under the banyan tree led me into playing drums in four African drum bands and a funk/soul band! Please come Sunday explore it for yourself at the end of our gathering! If you have a drum or percussive instrument or a few, bring them and play or you can just listen depending on how you feel that day.
Thoughts on Balance from Nicole McNamara
A popular quote says that balance is not something you find, it’s something you create. While I was homeschooling my seven year old this week one of the health assignments was to go outside and practice balancing, hop on one foot etc. It got me thinking that just as if we wanted to have better physical balance we would practice different balancing exercises we also need to practice if we want to create balance in our life. How do we do this? First step is becoming aware of where our imbalances are in our life. It sometimes takes courage and/or an ego check to admit where we are imbalanced. Once we know what’s not balanced we can start making small changes. Finding an accountability friend always helps too. It all starts with pausing, breathing deeply into our bodies and opening our heart to what/who/where could use more of our loving attention and then making a plan to slowly create space in our day to find balance.
Cory Tixier
Carrie Alford
So it is no surprise that our Breath is an incredible tool to Balance within, to restore harmony to our emotional, mental and physical wellbeing.
The breath reflects imbalance and the breath corrects imbalance. That is, once we are conscious of it!
We know that our breath will automatically shift according to our internal and external environment, say for example in a stressful situation we can notice our breath becomes shallow or that we hold the breath. If we have high pace work & life we may even habituate a breath pattern which can continue hold us in a stress response cycle!. A good indication of this is when we feel we can’t “turn off” our busy minds, have difficulty sleeping or relaxing fully, indigestion and so on. And our breath will always reflect it.
But the beauty of this is that once we become aware, we can intentionally shift our breath at any time to shift our feelings, thoughts, and our functions. This is incredibly empowering. It means we that we can also habituate a more natural balanced breathing pattern that will reflect the balance we wish to see in ALL areas of our lives.
What is the breath telling you ? What are you telling the body to tell the breath? A tightness or pulsing in your belly, or a tension in the neck, a busy critical mind, lethargy or indigestion … these are all indicators of imbalance. It is all information, a conversation. The breath is in a constant communication with the brain and body, but the signals go both ways! So when something gets your awareness, stop watch the breath, then consciously shift the breath. A deeper slower breath signals to our nervous system that all is well. We can relax. Our feelings, thoughts and health will mirror this. Physical function, healing, and rejuvenation are optimal when we are in the Rest Response.
The first step is to simple become a witness of our breath throughout the day in relationship to our feeling, thoughts, and physical wellbeing. From here there is no limit to how we can navigate, communicate, and influence our internal world just by using our breath. And be patient, it will take some time and practice but it also a fun exploration. We may wish to increase energy and vitality. We may wish to deepen meditation, prompt serotonin release when challenged with depression, release anger and anxiety, or simply find BALANCE! Our breath has this power. You have this power.
Vital Living Mini Concert
Feb 19th 7:30pm
Taiko Center of the Pacific
Taiko Center of the Pacific (TCP), a school of traditional and contemporary Japanese drumming, was established in 1994 by Kenny and Chizuko Endo to preserve traditional Japanese drumming and to create new music for taiko. TCP offers classes in taiko drumming to the general public year round for all ages and all skill levels. Since its inception, thousands of children and adults have studied kumidaiko, or ensemble drumming, at Taiko Center of the Pacific. Students learn basic form, technique, practice pieces, and cultural customs associated with the art form.
Special Mahalo!
There have been so many of you who have volunteered your time an energy to our growing organization and we sincerely appreciate you! We wanted to give a special thanks to our wonderful ambassadors (meet them on our website) Jiah@Mediadrink for our website, Babatunji Heath our concert organizer and acting secretary and treasurer, Jason Forester for concert live sound, Skinz of Ayurveda for the People for website video and streaming services, and all the amazing and talented musicians that have joined us so far, The Stephen Inglis Project, DNA Muse, The Elevations, The Doolin Rakes, The Remainders, Honolulu Jazz Quartet, Jamarek, Alika Lyman and the Good News, Hook and Line, Kahnma, and Tiki Taboo! And there will be many more to come! Mahalo, we love you!
Nicole and Lori
Services will be held on the
3rd Sunday of each month from 5-7pm
Save the dates for our next services!
February 20th, March 20th, April 17th, May 22nd