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| Yuki teaches yoga and offers massage services at her beautiful studio in Kailua Kona on The Big Island. |
Then, a friend introduced me to the lovely Yuki Agoot, who was running a special promotion for teachers. I had never had a regular masseuse before, and it completely transformed the experience for me. Suddenly, my massage experience was consistent and I knew what to expect during each visit. Yuki took the time to ask about my body, what areas needed work and what my stress level was like. Her expertise became obvious to me when I arrived with a lingering cold and she gave special attention to releasing muscles around my shoulder blades, lungs and throat that completely cleared my lymphatic system. I could actually feel the drainage happening and could breathe freely for the first time in weeks.
Yuki's massage methods are also informed by her interest in yoga, which made me curious to try her alignment yoga classes. Listening to her describe mountain pose deepened my understanding of a simple standing posture that I thought I "knew" already. She brought our attention to the four different points of the foot, and encouraged us to balance our weight across each of those points equally while imagining becoming one with the earth beneath you. Try it and see what it does for your awareness and presence in this moment.
Yuki has been my masseuse for over two years now, but more than that, she has come to be a kind of spiritual mentor. She is a living, breathing example of a grounded, centered, open hearted human who gives something back to the world around her.
If you live on Big Island, or are here for vacation, go see her. Her studio is located near Costco above Ceviche Dave's. Inside, there are beautiful dark hardwood floors and a sweeping view of the ocean. Pilates machines and balance balls line the walls. Her private massage space is softly lit, with massage certificates in bamboo frames on one wall, and full color anatomy illustrations on the other. Yuki asks how your body is, and you have a chance to talk about what you would like from the experience. She slips out so you can undress and get on the fancy electric table, which she adjusts depending on what part of your body she is working on. The music is soft and thougtful- never cheesy, just soothing. Yuki's massage is thorough with special attention to tense areas that resist movement. I usually drift in and out, and when it's time to get off the table, I arise feeling revived for whatever is next in my life.
Thanks for all the help staying in the moment,Yuki. Namaste!
: This book was the first I'd read that challenged prevailing notions about what I
: After Atkins, I realized I am not the sort of person who can skip champagne and pass on birthday cake. (Duh!) This book was just what I was looking for. The premise is that French women manage their waistlines not by deprivation, but by increasing the pleasure they take at table. They enjoy quality instead of quantity. They eat slowly. They identify the flavors that make it delicious. They think about the person who prepared it. They enjoy company at dinner. They talk. They sip wine. They savor that first flavorful mouthful and take time over it. (Try and savor cheap fast food. You'll find it impossible because the quality is missing.) Savor something, and you won't over-indulge because you have truly appreciated it. You don't need more. All of this was a revelation that somehow felt like something I had always known.
: My mother recommended this wonderful book and I enjoyed every moment of it. Written by a priest, you might expect something puritanical and didactic. Instead, it was a celebration of bounty, abundance and jubilation in all creation- especially the living food that we take in to nourish our own lives. This book elaborated clearly and beautifully something I'd felt intuitively for a long time- food is much more than fuel for our bodies. It is a way we connect to other people and nourish our spirits, bodies and each other. At least, this is what it can be at it's best. This book too was all about slowing down and taking time to notice what you are enjoying. This creates space so that you can honor yourself, your body and the people who come in contact with you.
: Although this book was more memoir than food writing, I loved reading about the travel, adventures, friends, markets, ingredients, shops, pots, pans, letters and intrigues that were the backdrop to Julia Child's extraordinary life in food. This was a woman who was fearless, independent, and creative and understood that good food has the power to bring out the very best in people.
: Here is another book that reinforced notions I already held dear- that the less processed foods you buy and consume, the better off you are. I especially love that he offers guidelines instead of hard and fast rules because this is how life is. I need flexibility and a down to earth, practical approach to food, not tables, charts, graphs and calculators. I'd rather listen to the advice of cooks and farmers who are on intimate terms with the nature of food than someone who has been busy dissecting things in a lab and reformulating them to sit on a supermarket shelf.
: By now you may be noticing a trend in my reading- the spine of my food philosophy, so to speak. I am seeking to build a connection between mind, body and spirit through a sensual approach to the physicality of food. This book reminded me that over eating is often misplaced self-medicating. When I mindlessly eat a whole bag of potato chips, I am trying to soothe something that cannot be soothed with food. The causes are variable; boredom, disappointment, anxiety, exhaustion, frustration, loneliness. But I can bravely choose to look deeper at my own mindless eating, at what I am trying to avoid. This awareness opens a doorway to what is sacred inside myself. Potato chips are a cheap, temporary and unacceptable distraction.
: I've 
