Moving beyond wanting to Be Vanna White to wanting to Be Asahi. Whaaat???

Despite a string of injuries, Emily Cramer Hancock has been able to continue to becoming an advanced Asahi teacher. Here's her story:

Moving beyond wanting to Be Vanna White to wanting to Be Asahi.

Whaaat???

by Emily Cramer Hancock

I was first introduced to Asahi during the afternoon break at a seminar entitled “Finding Your Voice” hosted in July, 2015 at the Christine Center in Willard, Wisconsin. Our very own Margaret Vainio was the leader / facilitator of the seminar. As the title might suggest, the program really didn’t have a thing to do with advocacy or standing up for oneself.

Emily "finding her voice" at the Christine Center in 2015.

“Finding Your Voice” offered the vocalists in the group an opportunity to focus on a variety of ancient practices in early Church music. The resonance experienced by the human body is just incredible when tones emanate from the vocal folds while maneuvering one’s lips from a wide-open “Ah”, to a perfect “Oh” similar to blowing out of a straw, and finally to a lips-lightly-closed position while humming. That feeling of the sympathetic vibrations was amazingly calming to me.

The Christine Center is a great place to meet old friends and/or make new ones.

Coincidentally and equally amazingly, Margaret had just stumbled onto Asahi while looking for the perfect warm-up routine to bring her Finnish choir vocalists arriving for practice into “the moment” while they are able to step away from all the stress of the day they left behind. (Read more about Asahi for choirs here.) And imagine this: Margaret Vainio chose to give us a preliminary glimpse of the Finnish practice of Asahi on THAT day at THAT particular seminar in west central Wisconsin and I was there, along with Margaret’s regulars (family, long-time friends and classmates). It all made sense, then and now.

Following Margaret each time she is in the United States has become my past-time and the FinnFest provides that opportunity! When the 2016 FinnFest was hosted on a Holland America cruise ship traveling from Boston to Montreal on the St. Lawrence Seaway, Margaret led a daily Asahi demonstration class to a group of active participants. The photographs taken during this class are “epic”! Mind you, running the Asahi class was in addition to her responsibilities as a musician on the cruise. (View a video of FinnFest 2016 here)

Sunrise Asahi on the 12th deck of the Holland Line cruiser.

The 2017 FinnFest in Minneapolis brought not only the 100th year anniversary of Finland’s independence and the President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö to the FinnFest, but two of the founders of Asahi Nordic, Dr. Yrjö Mähönen and Ilpo Jalamo. And Asahi was officially introduced at the FinnFest in 2017 in Minneapolis. Spectacular!

Emily with two of the developers of Asahi: Ilpo Jalamo, left, and Internal Medicine & Geriatric Specialist Dr. Yrjö Mähönen at FinnFest 2017 in Minneapolis.

So, what does this have to do with Vanna White? As you may know, Vanna White has been a long time (since 1982) co-host of the American television game show, Wheel of Fortune, hosting with television personality, Pat Sajak, until the end of the 2023-2024 season.

Vanna White, longtime hostess on the Wheel of Fortune TV-show.

While I never sat still to watch a whole episode of Wheel of Fortune, I have been visiting other people’s homes and discovered that tuning into this game show was an “absolute must” like clockwork. Sure, I noticed the beauty and grace exhibited by Vanna White while gliding across the stage in an exquisite gown. But what I really saw was a utility player with a propensity for demonstrating all features of the prizes. And this is where I am heading with the analogy.

It seems that each time I have enrolled in an Asahi seminar, I have arrived with a physical injury of some sorts. This phenomenon became known as Emily’s injury “du jour” and it began with the 2017 FinnFest in Minneapolis, continuing to the 2019 FinnFest in Novi, MI (Detroit area), the Christine Center in 2022, the 2023 FinnFest in Duluth, back to the Christine Center in 2023, and the 2024 FinnFest in Duluth.

Asahi at the Christine Center in 2022

And during each of those sessions, I was called into action to demonstrate how the Asahi movements could be modified for a variety of physical injuries or insufficiencies. I can only hope that I can be as talented of a utility player as Vanna White. One thing is for certain, I need to improve my discipline to practice primary prevention everyday and Asahi fits that bill.

At the Christine Center with in 2023 to do her beginning teacher training (for the first time.)

I took the C-level training at the Christine Center in 2023 along with three of Margaret’s and my Big Rapids High School (Michigan) classmates. Then I took the B-level training at the 2024 FinnFest. Yes, I came to both of the training sessions with an injury.

At the 2024 FinnFest in Duluth certifying as an advanced level Asahi teacher, along with Beverly Harju, (2nd left, front row), who coined the phrase: "Be safe. Be Asahi."

Yet, something really clicked during the 2024 FinnFest in Duluth. Having been in Physical Therapy for over a year with the 2024 ailment, I was very familiar with the concept of improving disc space. You’d better not be thinking of a disc as a computer storage device, because they are way out of date.

The combined Asahi Nordic and Modern Nordic Walking team at FinnFest 2024. Both Nordic Walking and Asahi are health practices developed in Finland.

Even after physical therapy directed at exercise promoting intervertebral disc space enhancement, I was still in pain. But, after the very first Asahi B-level training session, I noticed that I was not in pain. And I remained pain-free the entire time in Duluth and for weeks afterwards. I attribute this to the Asahi movements with gentle twisting. By this time, I had met Dr. Beverly Harju at the FinnFest and embraced the notion that I could “Be Asahi”.

I decided to re-take the C-level training in Champaign, IL, in September, 2024 with Carol Curtis. Why did I retake the class for a certification I already had with a different instructor? Answer: standard of practice. As a pharmacist, I am used to having my core competencies evaluated regularly against the standard of practice. And this was no different.

Receiving a diploma for re-taking the Beginning level training with Asahi A1 teacher trainer Carol Curtis in Champaign, IL, Sept. 2024

I think it’s also akin to the golfer who yearly breaks down their swing to rid the bad habits that crept in and the swimmer who takes a stroke analysis and improvement class. While taking this C level training with Carol, I recognized that I had acquired improper form on a few maneuvers. Where did that sneak in? I also learned additional things when explained in a different way and I learned things I don’t recall learning in the first place. That’s the working definition of “continuing education”. And all of that makes me more adherent to Asahi’s wonderful standard of practice and the health benefits that are achieved.

As I am signing off from this blog, I realize that I could aspire to Be Asahi and Be Vanna White. Why not? The skills of a utility player are always needed to remain resilient and relevant out there. Go for it!

Taking steps toward a pain-free future!

Categories: : Asahi as Physical Rehab, Asahi in Life Crises, Asahi keeps you young, Asahi Nordic for All