From Rhythmic Gymnast to Asahi Nordic Instructor, by Liisa Kovala

After 50 years as a rhythmic gymnast, practicing Asahi relieved Liisa's osteoarthritis, anxiety, brain fog, and weight gain brought on by menopause.

Movement has always been an integral part of my life. In 1977, at the ripe old age of five, my mother signed me up for rhythmic gymnastics classes held at Sampo Hall on Antwerp Street in Sudbury, Ontario. Since the 1930s, the hall was home to a variety of Finnish cultural and athletic activities. In fact, it’s where my father, Aarne Kovala from Oulu, Finland, met my mother, Anja Roiha, at a dance in the 1950s. It’s where Joulupukki [the Finnish equivalent of Santa Claus] gave out gifts at Christmas, and where I performed on stage for the first time.

Rhythmic gymnastics was everything I needed: a way of moving and expressing myself, a way to build confidence, and a connection to community. I went from taking weekly classes as a child to joining the Elite performing group as a preteen, and coaching by sixteen. After university, I returned to the club to coach and, pregnant with my second child, started a ladies’ performing group. We travelled to International Gymnaestradas, performing in Dornbirn and Lausanne, Switzerland, and Helsinki, Finland, as well as other destinations. In 2015, my daughter retired from the sport and my focus turned to writing, but I continue to attend weekly gymnastics classes and coach when called upon.

Now, at age 54, my body has changed. Having spent a lifetime training, things shifted. What came easily before started to cause pain. Menopause brought with it unexplained anxiety, brain fog, weight gain, and osteoarthritis. Despite my best efforts with exercise and diet, things just felt off. I continued with my regular walking routine, rhythmic gymnastics classes, and yoga, and added kettlebell workouts, and mini trampoline. I found benefits in all these activities, but the strain on my body was evident and what should have felt good was starting to hurt.

I had heard Asahi Nordic was being offered at FinnFest in 2025 and had planned to attend, but my husband needed surgery, so we cancelled our plans. I must have been on an email list, because I received an invitation to participate in Margaret Vainio’s online Asahi class in early 2026 and immediately signed up. After the first class, I’d also signed up for the instructor class. This was exactly what my body needed. Slow movement. Breathing. Relaxation.

Morning is the worst time for me. I’ve never been a morning person, but now I wake to stiffness and pain in my joints. While I used to like a workout in the morning, I soon realized that my body didn’t. Now, after I wake up, I do Asahi Nordic, standing at my window overlooking the lake. I see the sun rising in the east, gentle waves on the lake, the branches swaying in the window. Every day I observe how the landscape is shifting and the seasons are changing. I feel centred and calm. My limbs stretch, my muscles warm, my joints relax, and my head clears.

Spring is late to Northern Ontario this year, but I’m looking forward to standing on my deck feeling the sun on my face and hearing the birds chirp in the distance. There’s something about the Asahi method of movement that invites intentionality without pressure, awareness without judgement, movement without competition. Before, I pursued weight loss, a certain physique, so many minutes of cardio, or a set number of reps. Now, I seek peace and contentment and a body I can age in gracefully and with minimal pain.

As a writer, I spend a great deal of time sitting, whether writing my next novel, interviewing someone for my Women Writing podcast, or dealing with endless administrative tasks. I try to take regular breaks to bounce on the trampoline and do some Asahi movements. My neck and back pain are reduced, and I can get back to work more comfortably.

In the evening, after our daily walk, and all my tasks are done for the day, I take a few minutes to stretch, adding Asahi and squatting to my routine.

I’ve only been doing Asahi Nordic for a few months, but I already understand how my body and mind is benefitting. Asahi is making the other activities I pursue easier. It reminds me I don’t need to push so hard. Sometimes, relaxation and breathing is just what our bodies need. I’ve introduced the practice to the ladies’ class at Sampo Rhythmic Gymnastics Club, and they, too, enjoy the slow movements, and the focus that calms their whirring thoughts.

While I don’t have a concrete plan just yet, I hope to deliver Asahi Nordic classes to former gymnasts in our club (some of whom are now in their 70s and 80s), and others in our community. I’ve always been an advocate for movement and believe we need to keep mobile as we age to have the best quality of life. I’m also keen to introduce Asahi Nordic to fellow writers as a way of reigniting creativity through movement. While my writing life is busy and my schedule too often packed, pausing to do Asahi gives me the focus to tackle all those challenges and feel like I am truly in the moment. Asahi asks me to see the world more calmly and be gentle with myself. And don’t we all need that right now?

Bio:

Liisa Kovala is an award-winning Finnish Canadian author, book coach, and podcaster. She is the author of Like Water for Weary Souls (House of Karhu, 2025), Sisu's Winter War (Latitude 46, 2022) and Surviving Stutthof: My Father's Memories Behind the Death Gate (Latitude 46, 2017). She writes the Hygge House Cozy Mystery series under the pen name A. L. Jensen. Liisa lives in Sudbury, Ontario. Learn more about Liisa at liisakovalabookcoach.com and subscribe to liisakovalawomenwriting.substack.com to download a free copy of the workbook “The Sisu Writing Method: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Writers.”

Categories: : Asahi & Menopause, Asahi & Osteoarthritis, Asahi & Rhythmic Gymnastics, Asahi and Finnish Sisu, Asahi and Nature, Asahi as a Warmup, Asahi as Physical Rehab, Asahi for people of Finnish descent, Asahi keeps you young, Asahi Nordic for a lifetime, Asahi teachers' close-ups, Asahi vs. Stress