Healthy living and quiet breathing
Aloha spirit and Blue Mind
Read the words in the picture
Healthy living and quiet breathing
- What makes TIKI stoked?
- Staying fit & healthy, eating good food, spending lots of time outdoors & having some quiet time in nature.
- Did you know that being a healthy WingKid is also healthy for the environment?
- Why is that do you think?
- Meditation
- Meditation is a really cool way to relax. It's easy to do… you just need to start by noticing your breath. Breathing is something we do without even thinking about it, but when we meditate, we try to slow everything down and just gently follow our breath in and out. Try it! Sit with your legs crossed and close your eyes. Practice breathing in slowly (count 1, 2, 3 in your head) and then breathing out slowly for 3. See if you can sit quietly for a little while and just relax whilst you practice your breathing. If you start thinking about something else, don't worry, just go back to focusing on your breathing.
Aloha spirit and Blue Mind
- Aloha spirit
- People from Hawaii use the word Aloha to describe a way of living with love and respect. Aloha is also a feeling, a way of going about things. To act with aloha is to be caring, giving, kind.
- AKAHAI - Kindness
- LOKAHI - Unity
- 'OLU'OLU - Agreeable
- HA'AHA'A - Humility
- AHONUI - Patience
- Can you think of how to use the aloha spirit when you are winging?
- Blue mind
- Did you know that science has proven that our brains change state when we're around water? We feel calmer & happier when we're in, on or under the water. It's called 'Blue Mind'. We're stoked! It means we have even more of a reason to go winging!
- Zane Schweitzer
- DREAM TEAM TIP
- A huge part of all my work revolves around sharing the aloha spirit. It's awesome to share our sport with others so we can all have fun in the ocean together.
Fun riding also means noticing your own feelings and your friends' pace
A day TIKI loves is not only about moving around and having fun. WingKids talks about staying active, eating well and spending time outdoors, and also about having some quiet time in nature. While you keep learning new skills, you can stop for a moment and notice your breathing and how your body feels right now.
The next word you meet is “aloha.” The workbook explains it as the Hawaiian way of living with love and respect. It means caring for others, sharing and being kind. A word you may hear as a greeting can also hold a way for us to enjoy the water together.
The workbook breaks aloha into five words: akahai for kindness, lokahi for unity, ‘olu‘olu for being agreeable, ha‘aha‘a for humility and ahonui for patience. Below, you will take a moment to notice your breathing, then think about how each of these can show up in your lessons and with your friends.
Let's try it together
Notice your breath in a comfy spot
Sit comfortably with a grown-up in a safe spot on land near the water. Slowly follow the feeling of your breath going in and out. The workbook gives the example of counting to three in your head as you breathe in, and to three again as you breathe out. But keep your breathing comfortable instead of trying hard to match the numbers. If other thoughts pop up, you haven't done anything wrong. When you notice them, just bring your attention back to your breath.
Turn kindness and unity into actions
Akahai means kindness, and lokahi means unity, a feeling of being together. Picture showing a new friend where to get ready, or asking first if they need any help. How is finishing your own setup quickly different from making sure everyone can join in? Picture your friend getting help and joining in comfortably. You could also pick one kind thing to say today, together with your family.
Listen to each other with gentleness and humility
‘Olu‘olu means getting along in a gentle, agreeable way, and ha‘aha‘a means humility. If a friend finds a move hard that you learned first, what kind of voice would you use? Instead of sticking only to the way you know, you can listen to the instructor again and wait for your friend's questions. Go one step further than showing off what you do well, and picture learning together.
Choose a small promise about patience
Ahonui means patience. Connect it to moments like waiting while a friend gets their gear ready, or taking a short break and trying again when a move doesn't work right away. Choose one thing to try today and say it to your family. After the activity, instead of judging whether your feelings changed, it's good to look back together at what words and actions you chose. Respect both your friend's pace and your own.
Let’s talk
What do you think?
- When you wait for a friend, which of the five aloha words are part of that moment?
- If your body or mind told you today that it wanted a rest, how could you put that into words?
Where the pictures and activities come from
WingKids workbook p. 56 ↗ · p. 57 ↗
The pictures are pages from the original workbook. The steps and questions below are Starboard Korea’s notes to help families use them together.
Save the original workbook ↓