wisdom of life
These 3 Hawaiian exercises will instantly make you happier
© Jakub / Adobe Stock
Hawaii is not only a fantastically beautiful holiday destination, the millennia-old culture also offers a lot of wisdom for a happy life. These three exercises will help you become happier and more relaxed.
3 Hawaiian principles for a happy life
1. Pono – Sincerity
The word “pono” means something like “sincerity” or “justice”. Ultimately, it’s about balance in life, about not drifting too far to one extreme or the other. To do this, we have to remain mindful and be able to honestly assess when something is not good for us. Sometimes this is anything but easy – it is often more comfortable to close your eyes and carry on as before. But if we want to practice Pono, we must look at our problems and act before they take over.
And this not only affects personal matters such as a toxic relationship or an unhealthy lifestyle, but also social structures for which we are jointly responsible according to the Pono principle.
But how do we know we need to take action? Hawaiians firmly believe that we sense deep within ourselves when something is wrong. We just have to be honest with ourselves.
Here’s how you can practice Pono:
The key to Pono is mindful observation. Go through the world with your eyes open and listen to yourself to see whether what you recognize is right. You should also be careful with your own feelings. Be honest and let everything be there – good and bad. The best way to practice this is through daily meditation.
2. Kuleana – purpose of life
Translated, “Kuleana” means something like “responsibility” or “privilege”. But the principle goes much deeper; it describes our personal purpose in life. Finding this “purpose” and fulfilling it as best we can every day helps us to make our lives meaningful.
The idea of Kuleana is thousands of years old and comes from a time when the Hawaiian people each had their own unique role in society. The prerequisite for the community to function was that each person fulfilled their role. And ultimately that is still the case today.
Here’s how you can practice Kuleana:
Think about what your role, your personal purpose is. This can be anything – from having children and family life to traveling and political responsibility. Find out what you consider meaningful for your life and then align your everyday life with these values.
3. Ha’aha’a – modesty
“Ha’aha’a” means “modesty” in German. This doesn’t necessarily mean material modesty, but rather the deep-seated understanding that we can never know everything. According to this principle, Hawaiian people always assume that someone else knows more about a topic than they do. Even children learn to observe and listen before they act. It’s not about keeping yourself down, but simply about having respect for the (life) experience and knowledge of others.
Here’s how you can practice Ha’aha’a:
The next time you find yourself in a situation where your first impulse is to say something, pause: first listen calmly and think about whether your contribution really advances the conversation and the situation. This trains your powers of observation and lets you go through life more consciously. Through this humility you learn to act and not just react.
Sources used: mindbodygreen.com, “Island Wisdom” by Kainoa Daines and Annie Daly (Chronicle Books, 2022)