The Life in Business: GYROTONIC Kona
Laura Crittendon and Steve Von Hargett started a unique business as a result of their own search for healing a painful injury. In 1999 a major low back injury left Laura bedridden and unable to perform the simplest of daily activities. Doctors told her she would need surgery and that it would end her career as a massage therapist and yoga instructor.
“It felt like I was handed a death sentence,” she says. “I was determined to avoid surgery and regain my freedom of movement. I tried everything: chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, physical therapy and yoga. Each modality helped, but only in subtle ways that did not appear to last. Then I found Pilates and manual therapy. It was the winning combination that gave me my life back.”
In 2003, the couple opened The Pilates Center of Kona and Laura says it brought together the two therapies “in a unique way that would complement each other (not ala carte like I was receiving them).”
Steve specializes in Pilates and manual therapy and Laura specializes in Pilates and Gyrotonic exercise. (“It’s like yoga and tai chi on a machine.”) They both have extensive background and training. Laura has been in the massage therapy and personal training/therapeutic exercise field since 1980, and Steve has thousands of hours of training and multiple degrees. Currently he is pursuing a masters degree in Clinical Ayurveda and also owns and operates Hawai‘i Freestyle Martial Arts. (www.thedojo-hawaii.com)
”Our goal at our studio is to help those who are in similar situations as I was with pain, or to learn skills to avoid pain and injury in the first place,” Laura says. “We work with clients of all ages and goals from pain relief, increasing flexibility and overall strength, to preparing for the Ironman, the Hawai‘i Triple Crown, or simply improving your golf game.” The Pilates Center of Kona LLC and GYROTONIC Kona is located at 74-5563 Kaiwi St. in the Old Industrial Area in Kailua-Kona. For more information, visit the websites www.KonaPilates.com and www.GyrotonicKona.com. Phone: 808.329.3211. ❖
