STORYLINE

The Kokua Wellness Center Has Limited Spots Available, Apply Now!

spa3.jpg

For the past 9 years, you’ve come to know the Kokua Wellness Center and Spa as the premier destination for mindful relaxation and facilitated personal growth. The beauty of our Maui location is matched only by the grace of our teachers and programs. We truly appreciate the trust and spiritual relationships you’ve formed with us as well as your financial offerings. We try to give that energy back every day, but some things are out of our control.

As you may be aware, government mandated quotas might soon be enacted on the island because of overcrowding concerns. In a few months, the number of visitors allowed to Veil to Maui could be set, and a waiting list will be created. While some businesses have already closed ahead of this well-intentioned government overreach, we have bent like the reed and have embraced the adversity.

Change is often scary, but it is always necessary. Like the winds and the ocean currents, a shift is coming to the Center, and we would like to take as many of you as we can on this unfamiliar journey. The proposed law is forcing us to reduce our membership by half. We regret that we won’t be able to take all of you with us but we promise to offer blessings and referrals of support for those who are impacted by this transition.

We have spent days in contemplation about this possible change and have decided to let you show us who wants to make the best use of our teachings. To help us make this important decision we are announcing a number of new programs and classes updated to better manage your needs and concerns. Our new membership roll will be based on the financial and spiritual gratitude you show us by accepting these guided gifts into your daily routine. While it is not compulsory to sign-up for every new offering, they have been designed to serve all members and aspects of your family.

Please let us know which of the following you’d like to explore.

Attitudinal Interpersonal Marketing: Positive people get positive outcomes. Learn in our float tanks through a number of biofeedback techniques to remove negative thoughts from your life. Perception is reality. If you only see the good in yourself others will too. Don’t tell your boss you want a raise, let him feel it through your aura. Live a faultless life by refusing to recognize any flaw. Allow us to improve your personal brand and truth.

Advanced Pali-ites II: Similar to our previous advanced pali-ites class, pali-ites II still focuses on controlled breathing, body-mind connections, and purposeful action, but that is where the similarities end. Ascended Pali-ites Master Autumn has manifested one the most complete centering programs you will ever encounter. Her progressive relaxation exercises and words of deliberate consistency will guide you into new realms of spiritual alignment. Master Autumn emphasizes being present in all things, but she is unchained by the worldly concept of time. Classes begin and end daily when they should, and not according to a rigid schedule.

Devotional Eating: Feeding your soul is important but the truth of the matter is the body needs to be fed too. Bolster your body with Chef Craig’s teachings and creations. You will learn to enjoy your meals beyond the limits of your five senses through the art of transpersonal plating. Craig will expose you to a number of mindful chewing and purposeful swallowing strategies. Learn just how important food can be to your overall health and satisfy your hungry mind.

Family Balance: All too often your time here is seen as a bastion of serenity in a sea of chaos. This can be especially true when you have a busy family life. This offering will give you a wide array of skills to pass on the peace to your family. Holistic grooming will teach you a more complete path for dealing with your pet. Learn how you can let their souls shine as bright as their coats. Teach your baby to self-soothe with the infant-autohypnosis techniques you will learn through our guided imagery process. Discover where the chakras are in your home, how to align them, and much more.

Of course, you’ll still be able to enjoy most of our more established programs including our popular Barraloha exercise classes that you’ve come to love. We will continue to provide State-mandated discounts for our local clientele but will be transitioning them to more appropriate areas of the building to better reflect their level of financial commitment. The destination parking area down the street has now been cleared for the exclusive use of our discount customers, and we ask them to use the expedition entrance around the rear of the building. Call to inquire about times and availability. No walk-ins, please. Keep an eye out for additional learning opportunities as we continue to grow into our newest incarnation. This is a joyous time for all of us and we appreciate your help in separating the wheat from the chaff.

STORYLINE

We Shouldn’t be Building a Radio Tower in Lahaina

I’m not sure I have the words to properly convey my disappointment at the short-sightedness and derision that I experienced last night at the radio tower meeting. It is a shame that a person can’t be forgiven for past mistakes (even if they were very well intentioned) and that nobody seemed interested in heeding my warnings.

You may not have recognized me at first, but you all seemed to remember my most famous diversion program, Thug-Hugs. All anyone wanted to talk about was the negative coverage we got, or the jokes on late night TV. What you and many others failed to understand was that the program would have been a huge success if it hadn’t been for the incident at the bus stop. The world may not have been ready for surprise hugs from formerly incarcerated strangers but it needs to hear my message about the dangers of profanity.

As an amatuer sociologist I’ve devoted my life to identifying the ills of society. That is how I became aware of the sickness of swearing brought on by extreme activities. I was trying to enjoy myself with my nephew at an amusement park but I found it impossible because of the language I was hearing. Every trip on the roller coaster burned my ears as profanity mixed with the screams and laughter. I firmly but politely informed everyone around me that I didn’t appreciate the coarse language and would call the police if it didn’t stop. Instead of solving the problem, I was surprised to find that my words fell on deaf ears. In fact, the profanity seemed to increase and the general mood turned dark. Something was making all the people around me agitated and I was determined to figure out what it was.

The bad language seemed to spread through the park and it began to have have a negative effect on my experience. I overheard a young lady say, “I think that f***ing weirdo from the roller coaster is following us around and writing down everything we say!” Soon after her boyfriend turned on me, threatening physical violence while calling me every name in the book. Then things got worse, as the confrontation made my nephew cry and he demanded that I take him home. I was dumbfounded as to how we had found ourselves in this situation. I was simply trying to study the phenomena I had experienced on the roller coaster. Now everyone was yelling and I began to feel something build up inside me. I looked my nephew in the eyes and called him an “ungrateful shit” before marching out of the park and to my car.

The silence of the ride home was illuminating to me. What had caused me to snap like that? What had caused the discord on the roller coaster? Why did the young lady and her companion become so angry when I was collecting data? What one thing did all those situations have in common? Then it hit me. It was the profanity.

I began watching as many roller coaster videos as I could. I discovered that if I listened close enough I could hear profanity in almost every one, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. I would soon discover that the amount of swearing involved in extreme sports videos was titanic. The base language used in base jumping videos was particularly bad. While there would be an occasional off-color remark in bike jumping or a scuffle between skateboarders, the profane parachuters took the problem to a whole new level. The F-bombs flew as they fell towards the ground defying trespassing laws and common decency. I wondered what might have happened if that girl at the park and her friends had been base jumpers. The thought made me shudder.

Words shape your reality, and bad words lead to bad outcomes. I could come to no other conclusion. Backed with anecdotal evidence and a small video library of examples, I went to the meeting in order to warn you. Towers lead to base jumping. Base jumping leads to profanity. Profanity leads to your sister-in-law forbidding you from seeing your nephew, or worse. Most people are blissfully unaware of the ramifications of having a tall structure erected in their town, but I’m not most people. I urge my neighbors and our community to please listen to my words of warning and halt construction of this tower before it’s too late.