LIHU‘E — The 9th Annual Kaua‘i Wellness Expo begins Feb. 9 with a new theme — “Malama Na ‘Ohana — Care for the Family.” “It is all about having a safe place to come together for the future of a
LIHU‘E — The 9th Annual Kaua‘i Wellness Expo begins Feb. 9 with a new theme — “Malama Na ‘Ohana — Care for the Family.”
“It is all about having a safe place to come together for the future of a healthier Kaua‘i,” organizer Char Ravelo said.
The event is slated for Feb. 9 and 10 at the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall and features more than 60 exhibitors and vendors, as well as a number of guest speakers who will deliver power-packed messages.
“Just the whole gamut of wellness,” Ravelo said. “It’s really to teach people what wellness is about.”
Toby Christensen will lead the expo’s signature event, the “World Music Concert — One Heart, One Mind, One ‘Ohana.” Known as a “sonic architect,” Christensen is the creator of Sound Attunement Therapy and a recognized expert and innovator in the field of healing music.
He said the annual expo is perfect for anyone who is concerned about community, wellness, health and spirituality.
“Kaua‘i is a very interesting expo because the people who attend it are very diverse,” he said. “People have a platform to talk about what’s important to them and what’s going to make life better for themselves and, of course, what’s going to make life better for everyone else.”
During the interactive performance, the audience will become the sixth member of Christensen’s band for an experience aimed at bringing people together for world unity and peace. The performance begins at 7 p.m. Feb. 9 and benefits Kanuikapono Public Charter School in Anahola. A $20 donation is suggested at the door.
“My philosophy is it doesn’t matter what our differences are, we can all come together in unity around music,” Christensen said. “I’m encouraging people from the island to bring rhythm devices … The whole room becomes the stage.”
Cindie Jones has been a sponsor of the expo since its beginning and will speak at this year’s event about financial planning. She said the Kaua‘i expo is “very unique,” with vendors ranging from tradition Western medicine to Eastern medicine, and even what she described as “far-out” medicine.
“It really takes a holistic approach to wellness,” she said of the two-day event. “Almost everybody there has eyes wide open, where they’ve already engaged or bought into the idea that there’s more than one way (to heal).”
Jones agreed the expo allows participants to explore new ideas and approaches to wellness.
“It’s an opportunity to review and shop and test out and try different modalities and different theories on wellness and healing, at one stop,” she said.
In addition to Christensen, featured speakers will include Maureen Clemmons, Martin Rutte and Chungliang Al Huang.
Clemmons will present “Flying Pyramids, Soaring Stones,” profiling her theory and research demonstrating the ancient Egyptians could have harnessed the wind to build their pyramids. The presentation be-
gins at 2 p.m. Feb. 9 and is sponsored by the Lihu‘e Aikido Club and the Department of Education. A $20 donation is suggested.
Rutte will take the audience into 2013 with his creation, “Project Heaven and Earth: Illuminating the Work of Humanity.” This workshop, which begins at 1 p.m. Feb. 10 and is co-sponsored by the Kaua‘i Aloha Foundation, offers an inspiring, expansive and practical global framework aligning and affirming individual points of view. A $20 donation is suggested.
Finally, Huang, founder and president of the Living Tao Foundation, will present “Creative Tai Ji and Wellness Practice” at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 10. The suggested donation is $45. Huang will also present to students, faculty and the general public Feb. 8 at Kaua‘i Community College. Huang is co-sponsored by KCC and Marian and Glen Head.
Ravelo said the expo has expanded this year to showcase Kaua‘i’s cutting-edge community organizations and their contributions to the island’s healthy future, including Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr.’s Holo Holo 2020, Kaua‘i Hospice, Kaua‘i Palliative Care and Share the Care, to name a few. The event will also allow non-profits, government entities, businesses and individuals to meet, discuss and collaborate on future projects that will foster a healthier island.
“It’s a huge, huge two days,” Ravelo said.
Christensen stressed that the expo offers a chance for different people to “find common ground” and come together “for the good of the ‘ohana.”
“This is one of the most diverse and unifying events in terms of creating community,” he said.
The expo runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 9 and Feb. 10. The cost is $5 per day, $7 for both. Seniors and children under 12 get in for free.
For more information visit www.hawaiisinspiration.com or contact Char Ravelo at 652-4328 or char@inspirationjournal.com.
• Chris D’Angelo, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 241) or lifestyle@thegardenisland.com.
