Living an Aloha Life and learning from each other

The other day I was being interviewed on a talk show when the host asked me why, with so many philosophies, religions and spiritual practices out there, would people look to something like the Aloha Life for guidance. While I can assure you that my publicist was going ballistic at the challenging nature of this question - I welcomed it as I feel that it is definitely a topic that warrants exploration.

There is an ancient Hawaiian saying - 'A'ohe pau ka 'ike i ka halau ho'okahi or Not all knowledge is taught at the same school. This saying is often applied to students of Hula but it applies to all of us on so many levels. One of the greatest challenges we have to achieving world peace is a lack of understanding of each other. If we all took a moment to learn more about each other, we would be able to not only understand what motivates those different than us, but also to possibly apply some of what we have learned to ourselves.

When I began my spiritual journey, it began with a deep Catholic upbringing that was infused with the traditions and practices of my Hawaiian ancestors. My grandmother's teachings encouraged me to explore the practices of other peoples and learn from the lessons their leaders taught. I have been very blessed as Hawaii is a place that peoples of all beliefs come to and it is easy to learn and be exposed to a variety of philosophies.

So much gratitude goes out to so many of my teachers who have been able to teach me how each of their philosophies is special and unique. But what I am most grateful for is how I have been able to learn how similar they all are. While we often have different names, ways and methods for honoring our beliefs - what is consistent is that our goals are all the same. We have another saying in Hawaii - Ua lehulehu a manomano ka 'ikena a ka Hawai'i or Great and Powerful is the knowledge of Hawaii. I believe this is true but I also believe this is true of the knowledge that all people have. I am honored to share the knowledge of my ancestors with you and even more honored that you all have chosen to share yours with me.



Mahalo and much Aloha to you all!

Alika

Malama ka 'aina

Aloha on this Earth Day 2008!

I have a deep connection to the Earth as it has for generations supplied my ancestors with an exceptional bounty in so many ways. Born of fire in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, my ancestors discovered the land that many now consider to be paradise after many, many weeks at sea. These islands were plentiful in resources and provided the people of Hawaii with everything that they could ever desire. Because of this, it instilled in the Hawaiian people a spirituality that includes a reverence for the land, ecological fishing and farming techniques, sensible water use, and the concept of a spiritual power that permeates everything.

Last week I was in a meeting with the company that produces my DVDs and the subject of being "green" came up because of a recyclable packaging that we are considering for the packaging of our DVDs. Someone brought up the fact that "being green" is just a marketing ploy and the trend will not last.

While it is true that this trend toward "green" is one that many companies seem to be embracing because it is a trend, I say GREAT! The important thing is that companies are embracing it. I encourage everyone - corporations, families, and individuals - to look to the indigenous people of the world for inspiration on how to gain control over our resources. The Hawaiian people and other indigenous people throughout the world have an approach that is fundamentally different from that of the Western approach. The people of Hawaii recognize the necessity to emphasize balance, reciprocity and sustainability rather than domination, exploitation and exhaustion.

It is important for us as citizens of the world to malama ka 'aina or "care for the land". This was a concept that my ancestors developed not just for themselves, but for future generations.

So the "green" trend gives me hope. Hope that the world is discovering that we need to protect the Earth because if we do not, the Earth will not protect us. The little things we all do - recycling, driving hybrids, public transportation - they all help but we all know we need to do more. No matter how big or small or how simple or how difficult the effort may be, the effort makes a difference. I encourage all of you to find what you can do to make the difference in your land -Malama 'aina to care for the land and Aloha 'aina to share with others about the land.

Mahalo!

Alika


For the record - we made the decision that we will be offering the recyclable packaging for all of the DVDs.

Reaching to Heaven!

Aloha everyone!

Wow, what an amazing time the last year has been. I have been supremely blessed with all the new friends I have made this year and am looking forward to making many more in the coming months.

Reently, while I was in Los Angeles, I had the opportunity to work with this amazing soul who had contacted me some time ago about Aloha Life. We did an intense one day session where I introduced her to Kilo Lani yoga and half-way through she asked me why I chose to name the yoga I teach Kilo Lani.

In the Hawaiian language, Kilo Lani means literally "to reach to heaven". While there is the obvious reason of the lengthy stretches we do for naming Kilo Lani the way I did, it wasn't the only reason.

One thing I have learned while living this Aloha Life is that if we as individuals constantly are striving to reach to heaven, it truly brings to us heaven on earth. For me, being able to share joy and happiness with all of my friends ever day is a definite heavenly experience, but I also feel that an integral part of living this Aloha Life is a healthy body and a positive mind-set and Kilo Lani yoga helps me personally with both.

I hope all of you are reaching to the heaven every day. If we all could spend some time every day striving to live heaven on earth, so much of what goes on in this world would be avoided.

Blessing to all of you and Malama Pono!

Alika

Aloha!

That word means so many things to so many people - love, friendship, welcome, greetings, farewell - to me it means all of things and also to hear what is not said, to see what is not seen and to know the unknowable.

In the language of Hawai’i, "Oha" means "The Joyful" and "Alo" means "Sharing". There is also another meaning where "ha" means "of life energy" and "alo" means "in the present". This sharing of life energy can be an amazing experience to behold as anyone who has spent time on the islands can attest. This sharing of energy or joy is at the root of our becoming in tune with the frequency of mana or "divine power".

It is not a secret, spreading Aloha is what is needed to achieve success, health, prosperity and happiness!

In 1970, one of our kapuna (elders) who we called Aunty Pilahi Paki, told a governor’s conference that our ancestors meant for us to share Aloha, that it should be Hawai’i’s gift to the new millenium. She informed the room that the world would turn to Hawai’i for peace because Hawai’i has the key - that key is ALOHA.

Aunty Pilahi Paki developed ALOHA into an anagram that in 1986 was adopted into the Aloha Spirit law by Hawai’i. It helps to coordinate the heart, mind and spirit of a person and to bring good feelings to the universe.

ALOHA is...

A - Akahai, meaning kindness to be expressed with tenderness.
L - Lôkahi, meaning unity to be expressed with harmony.
O - ’Olu ’olu, meaning agreeable, to be expressed with pleasantness.
H - Ha ’aha ’a, meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty.
A - Ahonui, meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance.

Together these five steps are the beignning of something powerful. Our world has become a village and we need to protect that village with the strongest tools we have. There is nothing more powerful than ALOHA and best of all it is available to everyone! Spread ALOHA today, a kind word or smile puts you on the path!

Mahalo and blessings to you!

Celabrating an Aloha Life - Aunty Genoa Keawe

On February 25, one of the world's truly inspirational souls moved on to the next life. Many of you knew Aunty Genoa Keawe from her amazing performances at the Marriott Waikiki, many of us locals know her for her contributions to appreciating Hawai'ian music.

Aunty Genoa was born in 1918 in the most humble of settings - a stable in Kaka--ako. Aunty Genoa always was raised with an appreciation of music and at age ten she began her musical training as a member of the Mormon church's choir.

She began her professional music career during World War II, performing for officers' clubs and at bandstand shows. It was a difficult time for musicians and she supplemented her income driving taxi and selling leis.

Aunty Genoa had always taken great pride in her Hawai'ian roots and she felt it her calling to share the spirit of Aloha with the people of the world. She began recording music in 1946 and many say she had the greatest Hawai'ian repertoire of music anywhere. She recorded albums originally with the 49th State Hawaii record company and Hula Records before starting her own record label - Genoa Keawe Records.

Over a career that spanned more than 50 years, Aunty Genoa and her band brought Hawai'ian music to the world. Her sweet signature falsetto set the standard for many Hawai'ian artists of today.

Aunty Genoa left this world at the age of 89. While she had many fans, she considered one of her greatest accomplishments her beautiful family including her eleven children.

Aunty Genoa had a special place in my life as her most famous song - "Alika" - had obvious special meaning to my mother. Blessings to Aunty and her family, mahalo nui loa for eveything you have done and all the ways you have touched the world. May the Spirit of Aloha you have brought to the world live on eternally.

Auntie Genoa Keawe 1918 - 2008