Tuakana (older sister) Te Rina lives in Ōpōtiki now and Erica lives in Papamoa. They are of Ngāti Porou and Ngāi Tai Torere descent.
The whakaaro came to light when the two were having a cup of tea together, says Erica.
“My sister was the one who brought up programming my workouts around energies of moon phases.
“I thought it was a really great idea, because sometimes when I programme for myself and I have a high intensity workout, I don't necessarily feel like doing it but I feel forced to do it.
“After our kōrero, I started aligning the intensities of my workouts to the moon phases and started having better results.
“I wasn't forcing myself to do anything that I wasn't feeling,” said Erica.
“I told my sister the next day that if it worked for me then maybe it would work for other people, and then we decided to collaborate.
“I wrote some programmes and my sister wrote some kōrero about each moon phase.
“From then on, the kaupapa just kept growing until we were ready to put it out there for the community.”
Te Rina had to think of a way to combine the two energies — Maramataka and fitness — in a holistic way.
“I didn't know what it was or what it looked like but I wanted to give it a go,” she said.
“We are true believers in Te Whare Tapa Whā — four pillars of health — te taha wairua (spiritual health), taha hinengaro (mental health), taha whānau (family health) and taha tinana (physical health) so we tried to incorporate every pillar into our programme.
“Te taha wairua is the reconnection to ancient mātauranga Māori which in this case is maramataka Māori. Taha tinana is the physical workouts which Erica programmed. Taha whānau is the reconnection to our tīpuna (ancestors) through the stars, also through teaching our young tamariki about Maramataka.
“Lastly taha hinengaro is about being in a particular mindset during these moon phases — like today is an acknowledgment day for Papatūānuku, if I am out and about I'll pick up some rubbish, take my shoes off to go for a walk.”
Erica described how she matched the intensities of the workouts to the pull of the moon phase.
“For example, there's a moon phase called Oike, the Atua Māori for it is Papatūānuku (also known as mother Earth), for that day I have just programmed a 45 minute walk.
“We encourage people to go out if they can, find some greenery, connect with nature, and take a certain mindset when they go for their walks . . . a karakia which thanks Papatūānuku.
“Another moon phase is called Rakaunui which has a very high energy and for that we have programmed an intense workout — lots of sweat and a high heart rate.
“The last phase of the moon is Mutuwhenua which is low energy, so the workout is mainly focused on stretching and mobility, with a karakia.
“I am excited to see how the programme turns out.”
Te Rina said her inspiration to learn more about Maramataka came from Professor Rangi Mātāmua.
“I was in my first year of teaching, and for all my life I had learned a song — Te Mātahi o te tau, Te Kohinga a whetū.
“It was about Matariki and all of a sudden two more stars Hiwa-i-te-rangi and Pōhutukawa were introduced.
“All my life I had been singing about seven stars of Matariki and they were all sisters, then this man comes out and says no, there are two more stars, some of them are male. So I was sitting there and thinking, ‘who is that man?'
“It was Professor Rangi Mātāmua, he planted the seed in me to expand my knowledge of Maramataka through Matariki and then, every time I learn something, I go a little deeper . . . I want to keep learning more.
“He is definitely one of the inspirations behind bringing Maramataka into another space (fitness).”
For Erica, it was the pull of the kōrero.
“When my sister was studying about Maramataka and was sharing all these things, personally, at first I was seeing it but not taking it in,” she said.
“I think that's the difference now, I am listening and taking it in . . . I love it.
“I have been learning a lot from my sister and Professor Rangi Mātāmua. It has changed the way I live my life entirely — I feel a lot more grounded, and sure of myself.
“To be able to bring the kōrero and this experience about Maramataka through my mahi (fitness) to other whānau in Aotearoa feels amazing.”
The 30-day Mana Marama programme will start from the first moon phase of Whetū (Thursday, March 3).
For more information you can visit www.ericaransfieldfitness.com
