This legend is not necessarily verifiable, but it is truly inspired.
When the first Haole, slang for Caucasian and no doubt one of Captain Cook’s crew, arrived at the Island of Hawai’i, he came ashore and asked the first Hawaiian he saw, “What’s the name of this place? Where do you live?” The Hawaiian answered, “Hawai’i.”
Then the sailor went to another area of the Big Island and asked the next Hawaiian he saw, “Where do you live?” The second Hawaiian said, “Hawai’i.” And then a third, with the same answer, so the island was named Hawai’i. What each Hawaiian meant was, “I live in the supreme Mana that rides on the life’s breath.”
When the sailor visited the next island, he asked the first Hawaiian he saw, “Where do you live?” This Hawaiian said, “Hawai’i.” And then another island and another, and still the same answer, “Hawai’i.” So Captain Cook named all the islands Hawai’i.
But Hawai’i is not just a place in the middle of the Pacific. It is a place inside you, a place that, wherever you go in the world, is still inside you. What the Hawaiian was saying was, “I live in Ha, meaning breath or breath of life; Wai, meaning water but also a code word for Mana or life force; and I, meaning supreme.”
You also carry Hawai’i with you, so you can connect with your Hawai’i, the supreme life force that rides on the breath, any time, anywhere.
Just stop and take a full breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth with the sound, “Ha.” The out-breath is whispered loudly and is twice as long as the in-breath.
If you are in traffic, bumper to bumper, and you have to be somewhere, and you are about to rip the bumper off the car with your bare hands, stop and take a full breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth with the sound, “Ha,” and reconnect with the Hawai’i in you.
If you have had a rough day at the office and you are tired, really tired, but it is only three, do not take that fourteenth cup of coffee. Stop and take a full breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth with the sound, “Ha,” and reconnect with the Hawai’i in you.
If your kids are raising the roof, your dog just mangled your shoes, the cat has made a mess in your bed, and you are about to yell, stop and take a full breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth with the sound, “Ha,” and reconnect with the Hawai’i in you.
If you are about to go in to see your boss, and you hope he is in a good mood because the last time he was not, and you are anxious, stop and take a full breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth with the sound, “Ha,” and reconnect with the Hawai’i in you.
Remember: anywhere, anytime, you can reconnect with the supreme Mana that rides on your life’s breath, the Hawai’i inside you. Take a deep breath in through the nose, filling your lungs completely. Then exhale through the mouth, loudly whispering the word “Haaaa,” and exhaling completely. Continue for five minutes with quiet or gentle music. If you begin to hyperventilate or feel lightheaded during any breathing technique, stop and wait for it to pass.
Now that we know how to breathe, we can look at the process of active meditation.