Hawaii Parkour
About
Hawaii Parkour is a small local parkour organization founded in Oʻahu, Hawaii in 2007. Over the years we have always strived to keep fitness, self-improvement and community building pillars as our guiding principles. We are proud to add our name to the list of participants and organizations taking part in this good cause. E mālama pono, take good care.
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Over the last 2 years, Ukemi and Free Your Instinct have run The Balance Marathon to raise funds for parkour for mental health, partnering with other organisations from across the world.
The challenge itself is to balance a certain distance on a line/wall/rail. In the first year we were merely hoping to accumulate a team effort of 26miles (hence "Balance Marathon") We totalled 30miles. Last year we increased that to 149km (the distance of the Nullarbor Straight in Australia- often referred to as "The Long and Lonely Road" to reflect the challenges many had faced during the pandemic) and finished with a total distance of 334km.
In 2020 we partnered with SoulParkour in Germany. In 2021 we partnered with Parkour Visions in USA. This year we plan on partnering with "Wall Runners" in Gaza who deliver parkour to young people affected by the conflict in Palestine.
Over the last year, we have started to deliver courses with the Refugee Resettlement Programme in Bristol. As such, the funds raised through this programme will support not only those affected by the conflict in Gaza, but also those seeking support as part of the Refugee Resettlement Programme in Bristol.
Between the 3rd and 12th of June we are attempting to bring together the global parkour community to balance a total of 1 million steps (701km) to raise money, awareness and promote the benefits of parkour for physical and mental wellbeing.
Why Balance?
What do you think of when you think of parkour? Backflips? Impossible jumps? We wanted an event that challenged the media perception that parkour is always high risk or adrenaline-fuelled.
Balancing is quiet, controlled. Balancing is silently whispering in your ear you got this. As one of the core skills essential to practicing parkour, balance has many benefits both mental and physical.
Whilst often underappreciated, balance is essential to maintain health and wellbeing as we get older. Maintaining balance is essential for fall prevention, maintaining strength, and reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
In terms of mental health, many people have compared balancing on a rail to meditation in motion. It focuses the mind, quietening the mental chatter.
One of the hardest things in modern society is slowing down, switching off from everything else around us and focusing in on the now
.can you do it?