Don't be a Haole - Aloha Breathing for Energy

Aloha. The power, the love, the magic of this word is eternal. But aloha is not just in Hawai‘i. You carry it with you everywhere you go and you can connect to aloha, any time, anywhwere.

Stop whatever you are doing right now and do this exercise with me. Take a full deep breath in through your nose. As you do so, think to yourself “Aaaaalooooo”. This breath should take about 4-5 seconds on the inhale. Next breath out through your mouth with an exagerrated “HAAAAAAA”. Make this sound noisily and it should last about twice as long as the inhale.

So when you head out holiday shopping and the parking lot at the mall is bumper to bumper: Stop and take that full breath through the nose, exahale through your mouth with a loud “HA”, it will reconnect you to the aloha.

Are your kids bouncing off the roof because winter break is here? You are trying to figure out when you have time for getting the decorations up, cooking for relatives and still working 40 hours a week? Inhale deep through your nose, exhale through the mouth with a loud “HA”, connecting you once again to the aloha.

Is it time for end of year reviews, you have to see your boss who seems to be in a bad mood all the time and you are nervous about how he is going to be today: Inhale through your nose and breathe out through your mouth, “HAAAAAA”. You will calm as you connect to the aloha.

No matter where you are, no matter what you are doing, you can connect to the aloha that resides within you always. Breath in through your nose… “aaaaloooo”, breath out through your mouth… “HAAAAAA”. Wherever you go you can build energy through connecting with the life force of aloha within you.

The Hawaiians named the first white visitors to the islands “Haole” – Ha, meaning “breath” and Ole, meaning “lacking. Prior to chants or prayer or any statement, Hawaiians breath deeply. The white visitors did not, thus the name haole.

Don’t be haole. Stop right now and do the Alo-Ha breath for the next several minutes. In through the nose, “aaaloooo”, out through the mouth “HAAAA”. Relax and just let the aloha fill your life energy. Let yourself be at one with aloha.

Ke aloha wale, ka mahalo wale

Alika

Making Hawai'i and the world a Better Place

I learned this morning of some fantastic news. The Governor of Hawai‘i, Linda Lingle, announced that the state of Hawai‘i will be partnering with Better Place to bring car battery exchange stations to the Hawaiian Islands.

This news excited me for many reasons. Aside from the obvious ecological and economical benefits Hawai‘i will experience from this, it serves as a reminder of something that Hawaiians have long been known for – sustainability.

When Captain Cook and his expedition first arrived in the Hawaiian islands, they were amazed at the agricultural system that existed. The Hawaiians had created a system of cultivation, agriculture and sustainability that could not be exceeded by any other country in the world.

This system was set up instinctively. The concept of “private property” was unknown in Hawai‘i, but they had a complex system of land division known as ahupua‘a. The ahupua‘a started at the top of the mountain peak and ran all the way into the ocean. Each pie-shaped segment contained everything a village would need to survive – land for cultivation, fish, salt, fresh water, etc. Resource rich ahupua‘a were smaller than those with less resources.

Ecological sustainability was enforced through the ancient kapu (taboo) system. The kapu prevented destroying forests that provided forest products or watershed. It put restrictions on fishing certain species of fish throughout the year. The farmers of Hawai‘i did not till the land and practiced soilbuilding. A cycling of crops and plants breeding allowed the Hawaiians to develop diverse crops resistant to disease. What the Hawaiian people knew and practiced was that by constantly working within the boundaries of their natural environment, they were able to live a sustainable existence measured by abundance and leisure time.

Which brings me back to my excitement from today’s news. Those of us who have lived or ever rented even rented a car in Hawai‘i know that fuel costs in the islands are highest in the U.S. Much of this cost is attributed to the incredible expense of getting fuel to the islands. What Better Place and Hawai‘i are doing is taking our natural renewable resources – wind, wave, solar and geothermal – and using them as the blueprint to putting Hawai‘i back on the path to energy sustainability.

It is my hope that all of us can look to the ways of the Hawaiians to serve as a guide and constant reminder of the need to be in harmony with our surroundings.

Ke aloha wale, ka mahalo wale,

Alika