How EasyStretch Video came to be

Welcome to our new post on Stretch for Health. Here is how Easy Stretch video came to be (from an interview with the stretchguy Keoki):

Q. So how did Easy Stretch get started?
K. Well lets see, back in 1986 I was living in Honokaa, a sleepy little plantation town located on the east coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. I had been a practicing massage therapist for about 5 years, when I was approached by the county to teach massage at a senior center in Pauillo, an even smaller plantation town 7 miles down the road. I thought this would be a opportunity to teach seniors to help each other through massage, little did I know all they wanted was to be touched and massaged by me. This was ok by me and the county didn’t seem to care.

Q. Seems like it all started with helping the seniors of Hawaii?
K. Yes, you know how things seem to just take on a life of their own. Well after getting my feet wet in Pauillo I moved on to Waimea, a thriving ranching town 15 miles west of Honokaa. One of my core beliefs is that I give back something to the community where I live and work. I approached the senior center in Waimea about doing massage there, on a volunteer basis. I would bring my table every Wednesday, 9-11am and do mostly Shiatsu massage. They loved it. Most had never received massage before and a lot of them were just in need of being touched in a loving way. I worked this way for about a year and in that period I noticed how tight their bodies were, how restricted their range of motion was and how much they needed more than just a 15min massage a week. They needed something they could do for themselves, daily. I had been doing yoga for 20 years and with this experience I developed a program of easy stretches for seniors and beginning stretchers.

Q. What made you decide to make a video?
K. For about four years I continued to do massage for 1 hour and the next hour was devoted to stretching followed by a guided relaxation. I really began to notice a change in their bodies, they moved much easier, had less aches and pains, and just seemed to have a better sense of well being than those who did not participate. I thought if this program can do this much good for just a few then I wanted to try to get it out to as many people as might need it. Believe me there are millions in this country in need of just such a program, I’m a firm believer in the old adage,”Use it or lose it”. So I put together the video version of Easy Stretch-Body/Mind Relaxation.

Q. Has it turned out to be everything you expected?
K. Yes and much more. I haven’t sold as many videos as I’d like, I’ve given away plenty and they make nice gifts. The nice part of having a video is the letters and e-mails I receive from grateful stretchers around the country, telling me how much of a difference Easy Stretch has made in their bodies and their lives.

Yours in health, Stretchguy
p.s.
See for more information on how to buy the Easy Stretch video at $24.95. Free shipping within US.