Expo’s healing journeys target mind and body

Al Diaz grew up in Whittier, Calif., the son of middle-class Mexican immigrants who worked hard in the hotel restaurant industry to support their three children. During his 33-year career in information technology, Diaz fell into the same routine: doing his job, making ends meet, but not feeling peaceful, joyful or fulfilled.

After a garage door accident in 2002 left him with a severe concussion, Diaz realized he needed to heal physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. He began reading books, taking classes and attending seminars and other events that he felt would help him achieve a healthier state of body and mind.

In 2007 Diaz attended the Kauai Wellness Expo specifically to hear the keynote presentation by Dr. Wayne Dyer, an internationally renowned motivational speaker and author of 30 self-development books. Fired up by that talk, Diaz returned home to become an inspirational guide, best-selling author and host of a weekly online talk show (www.blogtalkradio.com/Ilumine-Ao).

His message: People in every circumstance, no matter how difficult, can be empowered and attain a level of self-awareness that enables them to achieve the lifestyle they desire.

"Al’s story is one of my favorites about people who come to the Kauai Wellness Expo to pursue their passions of healthy living, building a business and helping others do the same," said Char Ravelo, the event’s founder. "Many of them have gone through uplifting, life-changing experiences by participating in the expo."

Ravelo is a certified personal trainer, wellness coach, business consultant and publisher of Hawaii’s Inspiration, a free quarterly publication distributed at libraries, spas, doctors’ offices, medical clinics, health- food stores and related businesses on Kauai, Oahu, Maui and Hawaii island. She is also president of the Kauai Health and Wellness Association (www.kauaihwa.org), one of the expo’s sponsors.

While she was a student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Ravelo began working out and teaching aerobics and weightlifting classes at a spa and health club near campus.

"I enjoyed the energy of teaching and helping people feel better about themselves, especially as they lost body fat, got stronger and committed to living a healthier lifestyle," she said. "Accomplishing that involved regular exercise, proper nutrition and learning how to manage stress and balance work and play."

After graduating from college, Ravelo moved to Maui and became the manager of a fitness center in Wai­luku. "Standards and guidelines didn’t exist back then, and people were getting hurt from the high-impact exercises," she recalled. "Another club manager and I brought the first legitimate certification by the American College of Sports Medicine — a comprehensive written and practical exam — to Hawaii. That took my career to another level."

In the summer of 1988, Ravelo spent two weeks on Kauai, shooting 24 episodes of ESPN’s "BodyShaping." She fell in love with Kauai and moved there a few months later.

Ravelo began publishing Inspiration, Hawaii’s Wellness Journal (now called Hawaii’s Inspiration) in May 2003. Two years later she launched the Kauai Wellness Expo, which over the years has featured presentations by wellness gurus from as far away as Russia, China, Japan, South Korea and Germany.

The theme of this year’s eighth annual expo is "Malama Kou Kino" (Take Care of Your Body). Attendees will learn about fitness, nutrition, organic food and gardening and healing therapies from cultures including Hawaiian, Ayurvedic, Chinese and African. The expo will include lectures, workshops and exhibits sponsored by at least 80 vendors.

"I started the expo to offer health practitioners, wellness teachers and entrepreneurs a venue to showcase the multitude of options available to people who want to live a healthy lifestyle," Ravelo said.

This year’s keynote speaker is Chungliang Al Huang, founder and president of the Living Tao Foundation (www.livingtao.org), a nonprofit educational and cultural arts organization in Gold Beach, Ore.

Born in China, Huang is the author of several books on mind, body and spirit integration, including "Embrace Tiger" and "Return to Mountain," which has been translated into 14 languages since its release in 1973. Huang uses many tools to inspire his students, including music, poetry, storytelling and brush calligraphy.

"People benefit when they begin to take responsibility for their health and learn how to listen to what their bodies are telling them," Ravelo said. "Healing begins from within, and the Kauai Wellness Expo provides the information, tools and products they need to keep on the path toward total well-being."

More ‘Inspiration’ on TV and online

Char Ravelo hosts "Inspiration," a 30-minute TV show based on her quarterly magazine, Hawaii’s Inspiration.

The show, which premiered on OC16 in 2009, explores all aspects of health and wellness. Topics have ranged from a Native American powwow, planting backyard gardens and swimming with dolphins to a ropes course, different types of massage and yoga, and executives who are helping their employees become healthier through company-sponsored nutrition and exercise programs.

New episodes of "Inspiration" begin airing at 7:30 p.m. Saturdays in June. The shows are repeated six times during the ensuing week, and archived episodes can be viewed at www.oc16.tv/shows/67.

Ravelo also helped launch www.TheWellnessSite.org in November. The website offers resources to help people navigate the path to healthy living. Articles include "Beat the Flu Season with Homeopathy," "Natural Products for Beautiful Skin" and "Welcome to the World of Wellness Food."

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.