Kalani Honua Blog - News & Announcements

Soul Purpose Consultant and Life Coach Geraldine McMahon will host Heart, Intuition, Purpose on Saturday 24 September, a workshop at Kalani designed to help people get into their Heart Space and create lives of purpose, passion, and prosperity.

We sat down with Geraldine to deepen our understanding of why getting in - and living in - our heart space is so good.

Aloha Geraldine. Could you start by sharing why there is a growing movement of people who want to 'get into' their Heart Space? What happens, exactly, when we're there?

Aloha Kalani! More and more people are seeking to get into their heart space is because life is truly great when you do!

When you're in your Heart Space, life becomes easier, almost like an experience of heaven on earth, and worries cease to exist to weild any power.

By living within your heart space, you are naturally inclined to invest your energy and its power into your visions of what you love, what you’d love to create for yourself next while still being totally within the present. There are no concerns or thoughts of the past, and when the future is considered it is done with a firm anchor in the present. The ancient Hawaiians had a firm grip on this principle, even their language doesn’t have a past or present tense!

Life flows, fortuitous synchronicities are common, and our vibration changes too, which means we cease to attract experiences or people we do not love, attracting instead more magical occurrences and people to match our vibration.


It sounds awesome. So what exactly is the alternative? Head Space?

Correct! That's exactly the alternative. You'll notice when you're 'in' your head space because you'll have a busy mind, lots of internal chatter and dialogue. Overthinking, analyzing, and worrying are telltale signs of being in your head space, as is limiting language such as 'should' and 'have to'.

People face limited options when they're in 'head space', as when we are lodged in the head, we are only opening to memories, programs, beliefs and assumptions from past experience.

When you are in your ‘heart space’ you have a clear mind. You’ll feel at one with everyone and everything. The feeling we get when we’re in love; when everything is wonderful and there’s no fear.  The world takes on a rosy hue. You’ll have experienced this while in nature, maybe looking at a sunset, totally engrossed in it and in your heart.

When in the head we are only using 5% of our brain’s capacity. When you’re in the heart, you open up to an infinite number of possibilities. You move from the left brain to the right brain, the imagination and the intuition. As Einstein said ‘The imagination is the preview of life’s coming attractions.’

So how can someone actually 'get into' their Heart Space?

To get into your heart space, remember that you are the creator of your life experience. This saying expresses it perfectly:

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

People who live in head space tend to get caught up in drama, do things they feel they 'should', even though they know deep down they don't want to. It's not much fun.

A way of getting into your heart space is to train your focus and thoughts on things that you love. Another way is to make decisions with the heart by asking yourself 'What is best for me?' and choosing the option that makes you feel good.

You'll notice when you’re in your heart because you'll be flowing towards what you love; the life you love will start to manifest all around you. You feel connected to everyone and everything. Of course this doesn’t mean that life is ‘perfect’, we may still experience difficult or challenging times, but it’s how we perceive these times which makes the difference.

When in the heart, you'll feel more confident. You won't become easily derailed from the goodness you are feeling. You'll understand on a deep level that even challenging periods will pass and make you a stronger, happier person too!

Learn techniques to get into your Heart Space and create a life of Passion, Purpose and Prosperity with Geraldine at Heart, Intuition, Purpose on Saturday 24 September at Kalani's EMAX, and contact Geraldine at info@geraldinemcmahon.co.uk if you have any further questions about this interview or her upcoming workshop.

If you would like to discover Geraldine's 5 Steps To Doing Work You Love to go www.blissfulcareer.com.

Aquaponics is the buzzword around Kalani these days.  When I moved to Kalani a year ago, I had never even heard of the word, and now, I seem to be the local expert. 

It all started in Kalani’s drive to become more sustainable on this island that currently imports 90% of its consumables.  Gardens to feed the guests, volunteers, and staff that number between one and two hundred at any given meal were an obvious place to put our energy.  There’s only one problem … living on a part of the island that was flowing lava as recently as a hundred years ago, there is very little soil to grow in.  While considering trucking in soil which hardly seemed sustainable, my boss discovered a system of farming being developed in the Virgin Islands that not only did not need soil, but produced fish to eat as well….Aquaponics.

The word AQUAPONICS is a combination of AQUACULTURE which is the raising fish, and HYDROPONICS which is the growing of plants in nutrient filled water instead of soil.  Aquaponics marries these complimentary forms of food production into a stable ecosystem that solves many of the problems that occur when each is practiced independently. 

When I heard Kalani was interested in exploring this new food producing technology, I knew I was the person to do it.  After leaving my engineering profession 4 years ago for the simple island life, I had been missing the challenge of problem solving and experimentation that had been such a part of my every day life on the mainland.   Combined with my knowledge of fish and filter design from working at an aquarium store in my youth with my more recent interest in gardening and sustainability, I began a project that has brought me more joy from creating than I ever felt in my whole engineering career.

I researched ways people were doing Aquaponics locally and on the internet, primarily influenced by Friendly Aquaponics located here on the big island.  It became apparent that the size system required to supply our kitchen’s demand for 900 pounds a month of greens would be a bit risky to jump right into.  We decided on something much smaller to prove the concept and started construction in November.  Due to the thorough training from Friendly Aquaponics as well as the simplicity of the design, things went very smoothly and we had our first harvest in early February.  There is still much experimentation and learning to be done before we stop buying greens for the kitchen, but plans for a first stage of expansion are already underway.

I’d like to acknowledge Barcus Adams, Richard Koob, Stuart Blackburn, and especially Tim Mann and Suzanne Friend at Friendly Aquaponics (www.friendlyaquaponics.com) all of whom were instrumental in this project’s success.  Thank you for bringing joy and gratification back into my work life.

Note: You can read more about Jacob's aquaponics adventures at his blog: http://aquaponics.totallytuft.com

The WE (Women's Entertainment) Network flew through Kalani this week and filmed our retreat for their Great Escapes show. They took shots of the sunrise, of Kehena Beach, of our food spread on the lawn, of our beautiful rain forest, of our weekly hula class with Kimo and Richard, and interviewed a few folks.

There was such a buzz that morning. Not only were the kitchen staff clad in Kalani shirts and looking extra-peppy in the morning, but the Gaia group brought in a lot of great energy with them as well, especially the fairies (the women with wings and fairy giggles that hug and kiss everyone they pass). The giddiness was so contagious that day.

I had a great morning relaxing by the pool and swimming and catching up with some girls at the pool, where small talk is simply impossible. We just dive on in. That’s one of the greatest things about Kalani and the people that come through, the conversation always just cuts through the surface within the first minute. I’ve never had more interesting and honest conversation in my life. We recharged in the sun and talked about future plans and always recognizing how lucky we are to be where we are with the people we are with. We spoke of freedom and happiness and living in the moment and love. Wonderful poolside revelations.

My interview took place right after lunch. We set up a chair on the lawn with people frolicking in the background by the pool. As I was hooked up to the microphone and got situated it started raining (the first time that day as it was as clear and sunny all morning). We then had to pack up and move on to the tree house and filmed there.

Chris and Mike, the film crew from Maui, are cousins and couldn’t be any more Chicago. Big burly guys, down-to-earth with a Midwestern teddy bear quality about them. Chris actually lived where I grew up in Chicago and even went to the same art school as me. Such coincidences at Kalani no longer surprise me because we chance upon such connections all the time here. Just a few weeks ago, the family of our resident surfer and artist, Roy Ruiz, was visiting from Canada. I was talking to his father over lunch and we just happened to realize that the one person he knows in Chicago (the ONE PERSON!) his cousin, is my godfather and father’s best friend. Ana Lisa, our resident fashionista extraordinaire from Oakland, California, we share so many mutual friends, it’s so weird that we’ve never met before Kalani. Everyone here is connected not by six degrees of separation but more like two degrees of separation.

The set-up took awhile. We had to wait for the helicopters to stop flying over Kalani. They had to get the lighting perfect. I sat in front of light for awhile, I felt a bit like chick incubating under the hot lights. We were talking story the entire time and I couldn’t have felt more comfortable. But once the camera lights went on and the countdown began… 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and Nathan, our Marketing Manager, started in on the question and morphed into Matt Lauer, the butterflies began to revolt inside my stomach, my brain, my throat.

“You’re just talking to a piece of equipment,” Mike said.

“And my mother,” I responded.

I got through it. I don’t remember what came out of my mouth, but it was a fun experience. We talked about what 'ohana means to me and about the volunteer experience. It’s going to be so funny watching this on TV.

We had a wrap party afterwards at Todd’s house. Todd is one of our chefs, also a Chicagoan. The film crew came. A few guests joined us and some volunteers and it was a great evening. Chris and Mike looked like they felt at home immediately.

I don’t know if cameras can ever capture the magic that is Kalani. You have to just be here. You have to just sit by the pool and soak up the sun and look into people’s eyes and have a laugh. Then you may begin to get it.

Although Richard Koob, the Director of Kalani, has always recommended that every person find his/her inner leader, by a balance of mana'o, pu'uwai, and na'au, i.e. rational thinking, heartfelt emotions, and intestinal intuition, he was just declared "guru" by The Advocate, the award-winning national LGBT newsmagazine and world web site.

Their "cool jobs" article this month introduces Richard and 9 other "gays and lesbians working outside the paradigm."

The article:

Richard Koob
Hawaiian retreat guru
Kalapana, Hawaii

Imagine if your typical workday looked like this: Practice Kundalini yoga at sunrise on the Hawaiian coast, socialize with travelers from around the globe, trek to the beach, sit in on a few staff meetings, play volleyball, and recover in the hot tub. And if it's Tuesday, teach hula.

That's the life of Richard Koob, 60, the director of Kalani Oceanside Retreat, a 120-acre getaway along one of the most unspoiled coastlines on the Big Island. Koob opened his nonprofit retreat in 1982 with his partner (Earnest Morgan, who died in 1992 of AIDS complications) as a place dedicated to nature, culture, and well-being. "It's important to enjoy life and focus on doing what we really love," says Koob.

Many of Kalani's activities, including dance and workshops such as a yoga retreat for gay men, reflect Koob's personal passions. "We've been on the vanguard of helping gay men realize how important it is to develop one's soulful and sensual side," he says.

An eclectic clientele is drawn to its rejuvenating massages, hula classes, historical sites, and breathtaking lava-walled cliffs. Accommodations range from $30 campsites to $260-a-night tree houses. Koob and Morgan always intended Kalani to attract people from a variety of backgrounds-both financial and cultural. Says Koob: "I think that appreciation of diversity comes from the gay experience."