Kalani Honua Blog

Kalani resident and tantric yogi, Paul Squassoni, recently published his first book "Sex and Quantum Physics Volume 1: Tantric Yogi Tells All".

We sat down with Paul to talk about his book, altering the body's energetic state, and creating new paradigms.


Aloha Paul, let's start by sharing what your book is about...

Sure! Sex and Quantum Physics is an attempt to put tools that we already have - science and tantra - together to help people make more sense out of the world and their own lives.

The tantra part of it gives you an incredible tool for pain management, and for getting in touch with your body. And for calming yourself down.

The more scientific parts of the book allow you to understand a little bit better how everything from your own life to the global internet culture is evolving.


Quantum Physics is a topic that tends to stagger people with its complexity. Were you nervous that the scientific content might make many readers avoid the book?

Not at all. Even though Quantum Physics and Tantra are both covered in mystery and craziness! (laughs) The lessons from both are easy to understand. And I wanted the book to be understood by anyone, even in another culture, with a basic modern education. That’s why the language is simple, and why there are 24 exercises and more than 300 illustrations. I tried to keep in mind the image of an Iranian housewife reading it!


I read on the book's blog www.sexandquantumphysics.com that through 'Sex and Quantum Physics' you have essentially created a new paradigm for people to use to navigate today's world. Is that true?

Yes, it’s a look at the world in terms of energy flow. Looking at how energy flows in our lives gives us a way of examining what we inherit, what the culture gives us, and what happens in our own personal experience.

Examining sex, energy, and science gives us an understanding of how very different things are related - it helps us to see why things occur in our life. Gradually we begin to see patterns emerging; we gain insight into what triggers us, what pleases us, and why we do what we do.

I have been very reluctant to bill this as a self-help book, but Tantra yoga is the best tool I can imagine for everything. Working with the tension in your own physical, mental and emotional patterns is more effective than any form of therapy I have encountered.


What do you hope readers will learn from this book?

If nothing else, I hope they will learn to breathe down!


That’s one of the exercises in your book. Can you share it with us?

Sure. It's a simple way to connect yourself to the ground and relax not just the base chakra, but your whole energy pattern.

Here's what to do:

•    Seat yourself in a comfortable position.
•    Take an easy, good breath.
•    Focus the out-breath down through your hips and into the ground.

The air doesn’t travel down, but it may well feel as though it does as you move your awareness down your body. Explore a couple breaths. You will know when you have breathed down. Your sit bones will drop closer to the floor, your spine will begin to straighten of its own accord, your head will move up and back so that it is more directly over the spine.

If you let the top of your head relax a bit, at the end of the down-breath you may even feel a little energy rise through the neck and out the top of the head.

As you breathe down, you will notice that the rib cage relaxes, the heart settles to a gentler pace, the shoulders drop, the hips widen. Since tension in the body is everywhere counter-balanced, breathing down relaxes the entire system.

Try it sitting, standing, waiting for a bus or a train.

Hug someone and breathe down at the same time. You’ll be amazed at the difference! Better yet, get them to breathe down with you during the hug. Just tell them “Breathe in, and breathe down through your feet into the ground.” It will feel completely different from any hug you have ever encountered.

Is it really that simple?

Yes, it is! Many people use all kinds of complicated techniques to manage their energy. Simply breathing Down allows you to do the same thing - anchor yourself, calm yourself, and positively alter your energetic state with a few simple breaths!


Click here to visit the "Sex and Quantum Physics" website for further sample exercises, resources, and to read Chapters 1 & 2 of Sex and Quantum Physics.
 
Sex and Quantum Physics is available on Amazon for $4.99 (Kindle edition) or $14.95 (paperback edition).

Is Kalani a "Power Spot" or Vortex?

When it comes to "sacred geography," Hawaii often gets lost amongst the more famous locations such as Sedona, Machu Picchu, and the Egyptian pyramids.

Yet visitors to Kalani on the Big Island of Hawaii love to express their amazement at the power of this magical land. There's good reason why Shiva Rea calls Kalani "one of the most potent and nurturing retreat centers on Earth."

Consider the following:

Pele's Power - Kalani is just 10 miles from the foot of Kilauea volcano, a volcano filled with molten magnetic iron ore. Known in Hawai'i as the home of volcano goddess Pele, Hawaiians for centuries have celebrated the destructive and regenerative power of the volcano in chant and dances.

Author William Chiles writes, "Pele's lava is a powerful symbol, and the foundation of new beginnings. It acts as a field for the piezoelectric 'armature of you,' amplifying what you're all about." Chiles suggests that Pele magnetizes your desires and brings them to the surface. Visitors and residents at Kalani regularly share stories about finding new, positive directions here. Some people experience sudden, unexpected torrents of emotion, only to find they transform into the sunny skies of new visions and understanding. Guests and locals alike report finding a positive new direction here.

Ley lines and Vortexes - There are the long-held beliefs surrounding the "ley lines" around the Earth, which form an energetic grid around the planet. Vortexes are crossing points on the ley lines. In the book Secrets and Mysteries of Hawaii, one passage talks about the Big Island being connected in a planetary grid, showing precise interconnectedness with sacred spots around the planet like the pyramids of Egypt, Machu Picchu, Uluru in Australia, and the Big Island's Kilauea volcano.

The ley line coming into the South Point of the Big Island, not far from Kalani, is considered be one of the most powerful to hit land mass. Author William "Pila" Chiles talks about the South Point as a "doorway" where "the density of three dimensional reality seems to be very thin" and the energy is "very unusual."

The Big Island as a "Pyramid" - Given that many pyramids around the planet are built on ley lines, it may come as no surprise that the Hawaiian translation for the word "volcano" and the word "pyramid" are identical. It could be that the Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanoes that are near to Kalani are actually the biggest pyramids of all!

Prophecy about the Big Island - White Eagle Medicine Woman, a frequent visitor to Kalani, a teacher and channel, spoke to a large Kalani audience about how she felt guided to build a community drum at Kalani. White Eagle refers to Hawaii as the heart chakra, or heart center, for the planet. She refers to Alaska as the crown and Macchu Piccu in Peru as the root. White Eagle's prophecy is that Kalani and the Big Island have a bigger role in shifting mass consciousness for change, setting the energy of intention through a powerful global grid.

The Big Island of Hawaii may not be as famous for "sacred geography" as Sedona, Giza, or Machu Picchu - but clearly it has a powerful spot to hold amongst its well-known cousins. Either way, there is no doubt that those who visit again and again will confidently declare Kalani as a "power spot" for finding direction and creating new dreams.

"Supernature" a site specific work at "The Point" by Wai Company Dance Theater

Interview with Artistic Director Wailana Simcock

Many people at Kalani Retreat Center love "The Point."

The Point is known as a powerful site where you have an 180 degree view of the ocean and also of the lava flow in the distance.

Most people here at Kalani have stories about The Point being a symbolic place for them--sometimes they've invited all their friends there for a party, sometimes they've used it for an individual ritual like prayer or meditation. The Point is definitely a special place, and on Saturday March 19th, 5:30pm there will be a performance out at The Point with dancers and actors from both the Puna community and Kalani. This performance called "Supernature," is inspired by the Point itself and the epic story of Hi'iakaikapoliopele.  It will be performed by the grass roots troupe, Wai Company with founder and Artistic Director Wailana Simcock, who is also part of the Kalani staff.

Here is an interview with Wailana about performing at The Point.

NR: People that visit Kalani love "The Point." So you're doing a performance at The Point called "site-specific." Sounds like fun, can you explain "site-specific" for us?

Wailana: Site-specific simply implies that the actual site of the work being performed is pertinent to the piece/art.  I have worked with choreographers who have taken this idea to the hilt.  Like when I danced with Pearl Ubungen in San Francisco 1993, we danced at a pit where once stood a building, The I-Hotel, which housed the first wave of Filipino Immigrants to the US and where in 1973 they were cruelly displaced.  A human barricade that was 5 man deep awaited the cops at 5 am in the morning of their wrongful eviction.  The site sat empty for 20 years.  On the 20th anniversary of the eviction, Pearl decided to perform right there, so we had the corner of Kearny and Jackson street shut down for our 3 night performances.  It was amazing!

Also, Anna Halprin was a great inspiration for not only Pearl and I, but for the whole of Modern Dance.  She is a well known Choreographer and Activist.  She had a performance on a Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County, California where the community re-enacted these rapes that had ravaged her community. The re-enactment was a way to "reclaim" the mountain that was seen as spiritual symbol for them.  It was a way to "take the mountain back," also expressing grief, uniting the community around the tragedies.

Coincidentally, a week after this performance, a tip came in and the perpetrator was caught. Whether it was due to the performance or not does not really matter.  The fact that the community was able to heal and take back the mountain was powerful and meaningful enough.  Him being captured was just extra!

NR: Many people at Kalani love The Point, a magical place where you can see 180 degree views of the ocean, hear it roar, and do rituals or celebrations. Many visitors to Kalani have stories about special occasions or soulful moments. I know someone that had a birthday party on The Point, someone else that reclaimed her body after 5 years of being in pain due to an accident by doing Qi Gong on The Point.

Can you tell us why you chose The Point?

Wailana: The Point was just the most logical place to go outside while here at Kalani. Thus it is a celebration of nature really, more than reclaiming anything or making a poltical statement.  It is to honor the 'aina (land) and to recall the story of Hi'iaka and Pele where they live here in Puna.  It is so inspiring to live where their myths and legends are lived out.  And, as you know, the Point is so symbolic.  To me it is  like where time stands still, a portal to the gods and the sea,  a symbol of union where the sea meets the sky.  Supernature is a nod to the super nature found here and to the supernatural gods and goddesses of Hawaii.

NR: One well known Goddess of Hawaiian myth is Pele...

Wailana: Pele has chosen to live here next to us, with her "clan," right here at Kileaua.  We are right next to her, we feel her everyday. We can't do a dance outside without talking about Pele. I want to pay homage to this wahi pana (storied place) of Puna that have been told for hundreds of years.

NR: What will you be doing for the performance?

Wailana: It's very eclectic and all over the place.  Some acting, spoken word. Some oli (chanting). We're going to be doing some Aerial work too on the tissue, ring, and straps, hanging from the trees there. We're going to have a Nina Simone song I am excited to work on in the aerial straps, a pas de deux to "Wild is the Wind" by my favorite, Nina Simone.

We'll have some different influences, like some kitschy camp 70s music (Supernature by Cerrone), some original hula and oli, songs about Pele.

NR: How can we come see you in this unique performance?

The performance is Saturday March 19th, 5:30pm at The Point. We are accepting love donations of any kind!  We are a very young company and are very ambitious. We are premiering Wai Company, our name, our mission and and our website -  waicompany.com.  We are stoked to be this unique dance theater company based out of Puna. We are faced with lots of challenges here but we make them into opportunities.  You have to to survive. You gotta be creative. I never would of thought I would start a dance company here. But I am so glad I did.

Wow! We were surprised to receive this wonderful letter from a guest at Kalani, our non-profit yoga retreat center and educational village on the oceanside in the Big Island of Hawaii. Here's what it says:

"Ilse and I had a great time again at Kalani and we are looking forward to our stewardship [cottage] there very, very much.

I spent 10 days. Never read the paper, didn't listen to the news, never checked my email, didn't even check the phone messages.

Instead I sat at the oceanside, watched the waves, the turtles, the whales, the dolphins, the palm trees, the clouds for hours on end. I played in the waves at the beach, swam all the way out to the rocks with you, enjoyed the hot tub under the stars almost every night.

I spent hours on the new beach, watching the surfers and watching the lava flow in the distance behind me. I spent almost a day on the lava shelf watching and feeling the waves crash into the land, the spray shooting high into the air, one after another, again and again.

I walked to the lava flow and saw, felt, experienced again the power of the earth arising into this world, creating something new, fresh, unspoiled.

New life, a new promise. I enjoyed great meals on the lanai, in the companionship of strangers, that I now consider close friends. I received tender loving hugs from strangers, smiles from people I had never met before. I joined the activities and yoga workshops that were offered even if they seemed a (very!) big stretch to my comfort zone..... and loved every bit of it!!!

And yes, I decided to join the 'ohana and put my feet down in this great community. May this endeavor be a blessing to us and to the community. Thanks for dreaming, Richard, and thanks for letting me be part.

With Love and Gratitude, Rolf"