During my recent trip to Cebu, I made sure to see my former fitness coach, Coach Kenneth Benton and scheduled an appointment for “Healing”. It has been some time since I last saw him and this meeting becomes interesting because I will be seeing him not because I wanted to get tips about Tabata and other workout stuff. This time, my visit is for him to “arrange” me as I have been experiencing some pain in my 42-year old body.
I have tried chiropractors and other massage therapies to address my posture and back issues, but Coach K’s healing is totally different. I have seen his FaceBook posts prior to my visit and testimonials and messages from his satisfied clients made me more interested to get therapy from him.
“Manghihilot”. That’s what he wants to be called. The usual profile of a “manghihilot” is a picture of an old man or woman who is actually pure Filipino, normally based in provinces and housed in a simple and modest home like a stury bahay kubo.
Well, that is not the case with Coach Ken. First and foremost, this “Manghihilot” looks like more of a ninja. He has a body like that of Jean Claude Van Damme and one handshake with him, you know that he can literally crush your hands and can hurt you if he wants to.
But Coach Ken chooses to use his gift for the greater good. Before he started with my session, we had a long talk where he discussed a lot of things especially about his way of “fixing” people. Being the no-nonsense that he is, he said that, unlike the commercialized chiropractors and wellness clinics who offer packages that seem to give you big discounts, his way is to fix your problem the first time you visit him. He wants to make sure that you will just have one session with him and after the treatment, you will no longer come back to see him because he has already settle whatever your body problem is. Well, in my case, I can probably come back so I can hang out in his uber-cool man-cave and enjoy a couple of ice-cold beers while watching Netflix of learning to play COD on his big-ass TV.
FROM FITNESS COACH TO “MANGHIHILOT”
The man with the miracle hands. A well-experienced personal fitness trainer, he will be your new wellness coach and partner performing Hilot and Body Conditioning.
I met Coach Ken way back in 2012 during the Wellness Camps sponsored by Nestle Philippines. He is also a personal coach to some famous celebrities including beauty queens.
Since he was five years old, Coach Ken has been performing “hilot”, ancient Filipino art of healing to his family and friends. He believes that his knack for this art was due to him being born “suhi” or breech. From there, he has further developed his talents in the United States, earning several certifications in fitness training, kinesiology, and osteopathic healing.
Since moving to the Philippines in 2008, he has made himself known to the local scene and has gained the trust and confidence of high-profile personalities. His work has even earned himself the nickname, “The Man with Miracle Hands.”
THE ANCIENT FILIPINO ART OF HEALING
Hilot uses manipulation and massage to achieve the treatment outcome, although techniques differ from one practitioner to another. It emerged from the shamanic tradition of the ancient Filipinos with healers considering their practice as derived from their calling from visions or from having been born by the breech.
Hilot incorporates supernatural aspects, particularly in cases of practitioners who claim that their ability is given by a supernatural source. In the case of Coach Ken, his calling came from a lifelong vision that made him heal people. Even his place in Lapu-Lapu City Cebu is more of a Man-Cave than a place for Hilot. Until I saw the “Hilot” bed, I am just waiting for Coach Ken to offer me a cold beer and just catch up and forget about my back problems.
My visit to Coach Ken coincided with my work in Cebu. When we had that talk before my therapy session, I did mention to him that I am having difficulties leaning my head to the left and my upper back was a bit sore. I also have this habit of standing on one leg because I usually feel pressure on the right part of my legs. He asked me to stand in front of him, behind a wall and from there, he took photos of me like a mug shot. After checking the photo, he made an assessment and said that I was sleeping with too many pillows and that I am usually leaning sideways that made my kneck not aligned. He also took note of the angle of my photo and from there he knows that sleeping in the wrong position for so long has given me body pains more than I can imagine.
“HEALED”
My session with Coach Ken lasted only around 25 minutes to 30 minutes. After a series of what seems like to be stretching and that oh so comfortable sound of my bones cracking due to air, after which, I felt more movement and ease in my neck and back area.
It was like being recharged and after some time feeling uneased with my back, neck, and hips, I now have that adulation of comfort. More like a feeling of my screws being lubricated and now I felt more movement.
A day after my treatment with him, Coach Ken messaged me and asked how I feel. I replied to him with these photos.
I hope I was able to answer his question. On my next visit to Cebu, I will definitely go back to his place. Maybe for maintenance hilot and of course, that ice cold beer.
