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Dancing in the Sea of Life Hula Newsletter                    
                                                                                                  "Kalalau Stream " by G. Brad Lewis

'A'ohe pu'u ki'eki'e ke ho'a'o 'ia e pi'i.
No cliff is so tall that it cannot be scaled.
No problem is too great when one tries hard to solve it.

'Olelo No'eau - Hawaiian Proverbs & Poetical Sayings #209         

Collected, translated and annotated by Mary Kawena Pukui   

   

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In This Issue
Eve Marko
TAHITIAN WORKSHOP
June 6th
1 - 3 pm

Students will learn basic fundamentals of Ori Tahiti (Tahitian dance) in this class. You'll practice routines that are age appropriate and fun!  Students will also learn about Tahitian culture and history. Be prepared to get a good workout!

       Instructor: Lori Murphy has been studying dance since college. She turned to Bellydance over 20 years ago and has been studying and performing        

Polynesian Dance since 2007.

 

      Ages 15 and older. Dress comfortably.

     Cost: $30 / $25 for Halau i Ka Pono members
     38 Lake Street

     Oak Park, IL 60302

 

    Save Your Spot   

Register in Advance!

 

Poliahu Shawls
Poliahu Shawls and Beanies now Available!

We have a beautiful array of Poliahu shawls in different colors. NEW Olive and White shawls just available!

Poliahu is the snow goddess of Mauna Kea.  The mountain is Poliahu.  Poliahu is the mountain.  We are the mountain,
the mountain is us.

Shawls are $35 each and Beanies are $18 each.  Both go to support
Mauna Kea
.


Email Kumu June or come to the Zen Life & Meditation Center at 38 Lake Street in Oak Park to purchase one.

 For information about what's happening check out
Mauna Kea: Temple Under Siege
MAHALO NUI LOA
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!
New Beginnings 2
by Shay Niimi Wahl 
May 7, 2015
Kumu June Kaililani Tanoue

What is it about photographs of women standing together in unity that always draws my attention? 

Perhaps it's because they are doing something seldom seen in any culture - taking a strong yet peaceful stand together.  When women speak wordlessly through their stance of strength and courage, they speak volumes that strike right at my heart.

Yet having a physical voice is also important.  In different cultures, many have been conditioned to believe women should not have a voice.  As a result many women today limit themselves when it comes to vocal self-expression. We don't feel worthy or smart enough to have an intelligent opinion.  Shame and fear are in rampant in our American culture.  How do we learn that we are enough in ourselves, that our opinions are worth sharing?
Aloha 'Aina Women Warriors - Protect Mauna Kea

The first step is to recognize the habitual thought that we have about ourselves.  If we don't see what we're thinking, we can't ever change the pattern.  Changing deep-seated thought patterns may be difficult but not impossible.  We can replace it with new, wholesome thoughts about ourselves.  It will take patience and gentle perseverance to change.

My practice of meditation and mindfulness gives me a little space to notice what I'm feeling when I have to speak up in a group.  Sometimes I feel great anxiety or even real fear of speaking up.  I can notice my heart speeding up and my mouth getting dry.  Then I pay attention to the story I'm telling myself that causes these emotions.   The thought is that I'm not smart enough to speak up in a group.

Once I get worked up, it usually takes me about 15 - 20 minutes to calm down.  That's how long the brain stays flooded with neurotransmitters after an intense emotional experience.  And according to neuroscientific research, as much as we try to think our way through difficulties when we're upset -  thinking never helps but only extends the flooding of the brain.  So being in your body is a good thing and helps cut the story line that feeds the feelings.

Meditation is a process of being embodied.  We notice the mind and we keep coming back to the breath and body which brings us into the present.  That is the practice.  It is also a practice that builds courage and helps us to see that we are enough, that we are each unique and beautiful as we are.  

Hula dancers know the wisdom of our bodies.  It's such a wonderful thing to experience our bodies dancing!  When we are really dancing, we are "in the moment," rather than evaluating or comparing or planning.  We're just dancing.  What a relief!

We can use a lot of energy playing mind games about shame and personal unworthiness or even blaming others.  These are dead-ends and lead to suffering.  We can use that same energy to dig deeper and begin the process of changing our thoughts.  This is a very brave and compassionate thing we can do for ourselves.  And when we can truly be compassionate with ourselves, then we can naturally be compassionate with others.

Malama pono (take care of body, mind and heart),

June Kaililani Tanoue
Kumu Hula

Eve Marko
 Eve Myonen Marko
 

I recently co-lead a weekend Zen women's retreat with Zen teacher Eve Myonen Marko.  Eve lives in Montague, Massachusetts and was one of my first hula students when I began teaching there in 2002.

 

My first vivid memory of Eve was at Bernie Glassman's Auschwitz Bearing Witness retreat in 1996. Along with Bernie, Eve was a key organizer of this ground-breaking retreat now in it's 20th year.  

 

In the midst of my retreat experience that was thick with fear, I remember Eve's courage as she spoke eloquently about her own family's experience in Auschwitz.

 

Then in 2001, Bernie invited my husband and me to work with his Peacemaker Community. We left Hawaii and joined the Peacemakers in Santa Barbara.  A year later we moved the organization to Western Massachusetts.  

 

Eve was a role model for me as to how a woman could be a leader in the Zen world. She continues participating in bearing witness retreats and will be going to Bosnia in a couple of weeks and to a Native American bearing witness retreat in the Black Hills this August. 

 

Eve is a founding Teacher of the Zen Peacemaker Order and the resident teacher at the Green River Zen Center in Massachusetts. She co-founded Peacemaker Circle International with her husband Bernie Glassman, which linked and trained spiritually-based social activists and peacemakers in the US, Europe and the Middle East.  

 

I asked her to tell me what inspired her to help organize the Auschwitz Bearing Witness Retreats twenty years ago.

 

Eve Marko: I think it was part of my karma. Family members had died in concentration camps, including Auschwitz. I had no way of knowing it at the time, but it started me on a long, 20-year arc of confronting historical trauma that dealt with my family and my Jewish culture, and ended by raising what I feel was powerful bodhicitta that extended outwards, transcending the boundaries of family and nation.  

 

Auschwitz, which started off raising anger and pain, ended up nourishing my deepest wishes for this planet. This was also thanks to our retreat container there and the vision of Bernie Glassman. And of course, it then drew me to other places of trauma, like Rwanda, Bosnia, and our own Black Hills.

 

June Ryushin Tanoue: What do you see clearer now in terms of your life as a woman and as a zen teacher?

 

Eve: I'm 65 years old. I am looking how to simplify my life and work with people who have a deep commitment. I like to work with small groups of people - there's trust - we can work on our lives together. I have less and less interest in working with big groups.

 

As a woman - I spend more time taking care of my body and walking a lot. I love to walk in the woods of New England. I love looking at animals, looking at trees. I love to feed birds over the winter. We had a harsh winter. Care of the body and care of nature, and how the two come together, is becoming clearer at this point.

 

Speaking of women, and having worked in areas of conflict and pain, it's also obvious to me that the roles that women play in these places are crucial. In my experience, women often have less patience for blame because they have to take care of their families, they have to get back on the bandwagon and get to work. Sometimes they repress the trauma for years, but often they can heal faster and help others heal, too.

 

June: You were one of my first hula students when I began to teach hula. Why do you like the hula?

 

Eve: After a "diet" of Japanese flavored Zen, I found hula feminine and flowing. I always appreciated the tremendous discipline involved. I was surprised to see how unself-conscious I was, how I could plunge into those gorgeous movements. And of course, I had a great teacher.

 

About Us
Successful Halau Fundraiser with Hawaiians Kumu Michael Pili Pang, Keikilani Curnan, Davin, Al, Ryan

Halau i Ka Pono - the Hula School of Chicago is a sister program of the Zen Life & Meditation Center of Chicago located in Oak Park, IL.  Kumu Hula June Kaililani Tanoue established the school in 2009 and has been teaching hula since 2003.

 

Halau i Ka Pono means School that Cultivates the Goodness.  We teach Hula which is defined as the art of Hawaiian dance expressing all that we see, hear, taste, touch, and feel.

 

Hula and healing go hand in hand in our Halau. The dance connects us to the grounding energy of the earth and opens us to the warm spirit of Aloha (love). 

Come join us!  We have wonderful introductory classes for adult beginners!  No experience necessary.

 

Contact Kumu June at [email protected] for more information.  May your lives be full of aloha blessings!